Instructions
Students must write a research paper–using both primary and secondary sources–that
answers the following question:
J.A. Hobson, a British theorist, and Vladimir Lenin, the Russian revolutionary and leader
of the Bolshevik (later Communist Party) in the Soviet Union, both criticized late
19th century imperialism as a capitalist conspiracy by “big business” to subjugate
colonies for pure economic gain. Colonies provided cheap raw materials and
guaranteed markets for European and U.S. “trusts and monopolies”. But what about
ideological factors such as the idea of the “civilizing mission” or Manifest Destiny? By
the late 19th century, the U.S. joined other European powers in constructing an empire.
The question is this: what were the primary motivations and factors that led to the U.S.
shift from isolationism and continental expansion to imperialism by the late 19thand early
20th centuries?
Criteria
Make sure you have a thesis (a general argument) and provide examples and details from
your sources to support your answer (please refer to the rubric on Canvas).
• The First Draft (for Peer Review) is due on September 23, by 11:59 p.m. You must have a
completed draft of the writing assignment (not just an outline or a page or two) with citations
(footnotes) and a bibliography. The peer review needs to be completed by September 26,
11:59 p.m. You will upload your rough draft and final draft to Canvas (it will be checked for
similarity via Turnitin). The Final version of the paper is due by September 29, 11:59 p.m.
• This paper is worth 20% of the course grade.
• The length of the paper should be 4-5 pages (approximately 1500-1700 words not including
citations).
• The paper must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and double-spaced.
• For background information please see Roark Chapter 20. You must provide at least 3 outside
sources (besides Roark and Johnson texts), at least one of which must be a primary source.
• All sources must be correctly cited using the Chicago Manual of Style. You must also provide
a separate Bibliography at the end of your paper.
