In the lesson, you read about the global changes taking place during the late 1800s and early 1900s. You also learned about how the Spanish-American War and the construction of the Panama Canal helped make the United States a world power. Both events played pivotal roles in how the U.S. developed and grew after that point in history. Imagine you are a historian reflecting on this period in history. You've been asked to create a product that describes the Spanish American War or the building of the Panama Canal to today's population. For this assessment, you may write either a newspaper article or a storybook about the causes, motivations, and effects of the Spanish-American War or the building of the Panama Canal.