Content Specification - SS.8.3.a.1:
Students will examine the impact of the transcontinental railroad on the movement toward westward expansion.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.a.2:
Students will examine examples of Native American resistance to the western encroachment including the Sioux Wars and the flight and surrender of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.a.3:
Students will examine United States and New York State policies toward Native Americans, such as the displacement of Native Americans from traditional lands, creation of reservations, efforts to assimilate Native Americans through the creation of boarding schools, the Dawes Act, and the Indian Reorganization Act and the Native Americans’ various responses to these policies.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.b.1:
Students will examine examples of yellow journalism that contributed to United States entry into the Spanish-American War, including the portrayal of the sinking of the USS Maine.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.b.2:
Students will explain how the events and outcomes of the Spanish-American War contributed to the shift to imperialism in United States foreign policy.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.c.1:
Students will assess the events surrounding the annexation of Hawaii.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.c.2:
Students will examine the purpose and impact of the Open Door Policy.

Content Specification - SS.8.3.d.1:
Students will evaluate the United States actions taken under the Roosevelt Corollary and their effects on relationships between the United States and Latin American nations, including the building of the Panama Canal.