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Imperialism, Colonialism, and Responses

Driving Question: How did imperialism evolve during the nineteenth century?

In the nineteenth century, empires didn’t slow down; they expanded more rapidly and aggressively. Land, labor, and lives were taken in the name of civilization, but opposition from colonized peoples offered a different perspective.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify how industrialization led to imperialism and the expansion of empires.
  2. Evaluate how imperialism changed communities, networks, and production and distribution during the nineteenth century.
  3. Utilize close-reading skills to consider how various trends contributed to a new age of imperialism.

Vocab Terms:

  • citizen
  • colonialism
  • empire
  • imperialism
  • industrialization
  • racial superiority
  • subject
STEP 1

Opener: Imperialism, Colonialism, and Responses

Imperialism shaped the world as it evolved during the nineteenth century. What can comparing images tell you about this big moment in history?

STEP 2

Looking Ahead

In this unit, you’ll explore how imperialism expanded in the nineteenth century. This activity offers a glimpse into those changes—use it to start predicting what’s to come.

STEP 3

Industrial Empires

Imperialism expanded in the nineteenth century, but it looked different across regions. Use these materials to start thinking about how power, resistance, and inequality shaped this global era.

Unit 5 Overview External link

Empires were fundamentally unequal. Yet they existed at the same time as sovereignty, free trade, and reforms like abolitionism. How?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 4

Framing Unit 5

Learn how to examine imperialism through the lenses of communities, networks, and production and distribution to better understand how empires shaped and disrupted the world.

Frames in Unit 5 External link

Empires seem to contradict the trends we have seen in the frames so far. Were these contradictions an intended feature of empires, or some kind of glitch in the system?

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 5

Closer: Imperialism, Colonialism, and Responses

Extension Materials
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Use this post-writing activity to evaluate and improve organization and language/style in an essay—either your own or a student sample.
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Essay Review: Organization and Language/Style

A great way to improve your writing skill is to evaluate writing samples. In this activity, you’ll evaluate your own writing or a sample essay using the Organization and Language/Style rows of the OER Project Writing Rubric.