Read and analyze the question presented in this Advanced US History Free Response Question (Part C, Question 4): Analyze the extent to which the Spanish-American war was a turning point in American foreign policy.

Follow the process described below and use the links to help you formulate a well-organized essay with a clearly stated thesis, or argument, in response to the assignment.

Upload your essay to the Graded Activities panel at the left-hand side of the screen along with notes taken during the essay development.

For this practice essay, you can do research, online or otherwise, to formulate your answer. Make sure your answer includes proper historical context, such as:

The Spanish-American war was the first war that the United States waged on a foreign country in the modern age of warfare
The events that led to US involvement in the conflict between Spain and Cuba.
President McKinley’s attempts to expand America’s role in global affairs, and how he and other politicians saw breaking away from America’s longstanding nonintervention and neutrality policies as assuming the nation’s global responsibilities.
The outcome of the war—including the subsequent embroilment in long-lasting conflict in the Philippines and the changes in America’s foreign policy that ensued.
Process

Follow these steps to complete your essay. Use the links provided to help review the writing guidelines you learned in this unit. Keep an informal record of notes, reflections, and answers to some of the guiding questions and submit it along with your essay when you have completed it.

Gather sources. Using what you learned in this unit, examine any primary sources you want to use for this unit activity. For each source, consider the following:
Who authored the document?
What is the purpose of the document?
When was the document written?
Why is the document an important historical document?
How will this document help your historical inquiry?
Read and evaluate sources. Next, you'll need to critically read each of the sources and think about how you will use it to support your thesis statement. Remember, once you have read the documents, you will construct a thesis statement that can be supported by evidence from the sources.
What is the credibility of the source?
Is there any noticeable bias?
How does the argument differ from others you have read?
For further information on reading sources, use the following resource: Reading, writing, and researching tips

Present a strong thesis. Now that you have analyzed your evidence, revisit the essay question and think about its parts. Consider what you have learned about strong thesis statements, and write one for your essay.
Develop your argument. Once you have a clear, strong thesis, develop your argument. There are two key pieces to this task:
Match the evidence in your sources to the points in your argument.
Anticipate counterarguments and address them in advance.
Write your essay. Use quotations and summaries from the document sources that support your argument. When you have finished, reread the essay to check for all of the points above, and then proofread it to be sure your work does not contain errors in grammar or spelling. Use the following resources to write your essay: