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Description
The motivating forces behind U.S. efforts to assume sovereignty of another country, and the experiences of those nation-building efforts, are the subject of this workbook designed to promote active learning and critical thinking.
In the buildup to the war in Iraq, Colin Powell articulated the “Pottery Barn” principle for any country invading another: “You break it, you own it.” That statement gets to heart of the issue of nation-building, a topic hotly debated in the United States ever since it became a world power—and never more so than now.
When should the United States pursue nation-building? What have been the motivations for, and results of, past efforts? These questions can be the focal points of highly engaged class discussions with this new workbook from the Triumph and Tragedy in History series.
Triumph and Tragedy: Nation-Building is centered on two defining moments in U.S. foreign policy: one widely considered a failure (the Vietnam experience), and one thought by many to be one of our most successful initiatives (the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War II). With background information that brings many other key moments for the United States as a nation-builder into the discussion, plus a number of additional study and learning tools, Triumph and Tragedy: Nation-Building helps students think critically about one of the most complex issues facing the United States as a superpower.
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| Series Features |
Each resource book contains:- Introductory essays designed to ground readers in the overall topic and to introduce two “defining moments” related to the topic that changed the course of history
- A wealth of primary source materials including laws, poems, quotations, cartoons, speeches, journal entries, editorials, and photographs
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Title Features |
- A chronology highlighting the history of nation-building, including recent U.S. participation in UN and NATO missions in Somalia, Liberia, and the Balkans
- A unique, focused collection of primary sources, included excerpts from Lyndon Johnson's speech justifying U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia, excerpts from the Atlantic Charter, historical photographs, maps, and more
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Highlights |
- Promotes student participation with activities that build knowledge, strengthen understanding, and encourage further exploration
- Gives students the opportunity and tools to think analytically about a topic very much in the news today
- Provides teachers with a way to involve students in the arguments over U.S. involvement in Iraq that dominate the headlines
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