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:
- Identify how industrialization led to imperialism and the expansion of empires.
- Evaluate how imperialism changed communities, networks, and production and distribution during the nineteenth century.
- Utilize close-reading skills to consider how various trends contributed to a new age of imperialism.
Consider using the Three-Step Reading routine with students to “read” visuals. First, get the big picture. Then, zoom in on details. Finally, think about what the image means. Learn more in our Reading Guide.
Imperialism shaped the world as it evolved during the nineteenth century. What can comparing images tell you about this big moment in history?
Evolving Empires: A Look 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.
Set the stage: Set context prior to watching a video with students: Why are we watching this video? What do we hope to learn from it? How does the information in this video align with or go against what we have learned in class thus far? Make sure students have enough background knowledge for the video to make sense.
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.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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.
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Guiding Questions
Now that you know more about imperialism, take another look at the images you examined at the beginning of the lesson.
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.
