Social Studies

United States History II Honors

 

Course Description:

 

Students will spend the year examining late 19th and 20th century American history beginning with the rise of industrialization and proceeding to the present day.  Students will rely on higher level critical thinking skills as they analyze and interpret key events during this time period.  A great deal of emphasis will be placed on the use of primary sources and document-based questions and essays.  Students will evaluate the economic, political, social and cultural developments of this time period. 

 

Prerequisite:  Successful completion of U.S. Honors History I

 

Required to meet New Jersey two-year United States History standard. Elective for Honors level.

 

 

Mission Statement

 

The mission of Social Studies in the Glen Ridge schools is to educate students to become responsible, productive, and active citizens within a democratic society.  The Social Studies curriculum will develop the students’ understanding of themselves and their environment, encompassing an awareness of the United States as part of a global society.  The curriculum stresses an educational environment which teaches respect for cultural, political, gender, racial and ethnic diversity.  The goals will empower students with critical thinking, thoughtful decision-making, communication, and leadership skills.  Students will study historical, geographic, social, political, and economic issues that shape that world.  The Social Studies program will provide students with the knowledge and understanding of the past which is essential for coping with the present and planning for the future.

 

 

Topic/Unit 1:  The Incorporation of America 1865-1900 – Chapter 19

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What were the major factors that led to the tremendous industrial boom in the years after the Civil War?  Why did this boom also create such huge businesses?
  2. How and why did labor change during the Gilded Age?  Where these changes radically different from earlier ones?
  3. What were the key differences between the Knights of Labor and the AFL?
  4. Did cities become more or less desirable places to live in the Gilded Age?
  5. How did urban life change during the Gilded Age? How did economic development affect residential patterns?
  6. What were the key changes in the South after the Civil War?
  7. How did middle-class, working-class and upper class Americans spend their leisure time? Were their cultures likely to be in conflict or overlapping?
  1. How did the American educational system change to prepare children for their adult roles in the new industrial economy?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The factors that led to the rise of big business and the formation of the national labor movement.
  2. The impact of technologies and new forms of production on the routines of industrial workers.
  3. The impact of industrialization on minorities and women.
  4. The major tenets of the Gospel of Wealth.
  5. The issues that led Mark Twain to label the late nineteenth century the “Gilded Age”.
  6. The differences between the Knights of Labor and the AFL.
  7. The transformation of southern society in the post Civil War era.
  8. Causes for the growth of the modern urban centers
  9. The changes in education during the Gilded Age.
  10. The development of commercial amusements and organized sports.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 B.6, 6.2 C.4-5, 6.4 I.11, 6.4 H.1-4, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 D.1-5,  6.2 D.4, 6.6 A.2, 6.6 B.1, 6.6 B.2, 6.6 B.3, 6.6 E.4, 6.2 A.4, 6.2 A.6, 6.2 B.1

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 19 The Incorporation of America

 

  • Study visual images and maps showcasing the development of the modern urban center.
  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.
  • Discuss the changes in immigration from the turn of the century and today.  Students will draw comparisons between the lives of immigrants today and those in the late nineteenth century.
  • Compare the philanthropy of the Captains of Industry and today’s entrepreneurs.  They will explore whether today’s Captains practice the Gospel of Wealth.
  • Create a chart displaying the differences between the Knights of Labor and the AFL.

 

 

Topic/Unit 2:  Commonwealth and Empire 1870-1900

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What characterized the growth of federal and state governments and the consolidation of the modern two-party system?
  2. How did mass protest movements develop during this period?
  3. What was the economic and political crisis of the 1890s?
  4. How did the United States develop as a world power?
  5. What were the causes and outcomes of the Spanish American War?
  6. Who was pushing for a greater involvement in overseas affairs? Why?
  7. Was the Spanish-American War avoidable?  Was the Filipino War avoidable? Were we better off as a result of these wars?

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The factors that contributed to the growth of government in the late nineteenth century.
  2. The goals of the Grange movement.
  3. The social gospel and its followers
  4. The policies of the Populist advocates.
  5. The causes and consequences of American involvement in the Spanish American War.
  6. The arguments of those that supported and opposed imperial colonization.
  7. The problems accompanying the expansion of government during the late nineteenth century and the role of political parties in this process.
  8. The major causes and consequences of the Populist movement of the 1880s and 1890s.
  9. The importance of the election of 1896 for the future of American politics.
  10. The role of women in both the Grange and the People’s Party.
  11. The causes and consequences of the financial crisis of the 1890s.
  12. The responses of various reformers and politicians to the financial crisis.
  13. How the exclusion of African Americans impacted the Populist movement.
  14. The rise of Jim Crow legislation in the South.
  15. The impact of American foreign policy on American society.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 E.1, 6.2 E.2, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 E.3, 6.4 H.4, 6.4 H.5, 6.4 H.6, 6.4 I.1, 6.5 B.2, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 A.2, 6.6 A.3, 6.6 A.4, 6.6 A.5, 6.6 A-6, 6.6 D.5

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 20 Commonwealth and Empire

 

  • A central theme of the chapter is the difficulty of radically reforming the political system. Students should interview people with experiences reform politics such as environmental or animal rights activists, or politicized evangelicals. Students will then discuss the similarities and differences of reform activism from the turn of the century and today.
  • Read and discuss various primary source documents highlighting the issues from this time period.
  • Explore the three main labor uprisings of the period- Haymarket Square Riot, Homestead Steel Strike, and Pullman Strike.
  • Compare and contrast the arguments for and against American foreign policy then and now.
  • Read a play on the Populist Movement involving the Wizard of Oz.  They will discuss the creative use of a fantasy story in depicting a major historic reform movement.  They will also view scenes from the film Wizard of Oz that highlight this discussion.

 

 

Topic/Unit 3:  Urban America and The Progressive Era 1900-1917 - Chapter 21

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What were the political, social, and intellectual roots of progressive reform?
  2. Why were reformers so interested in changing the behavior of the poor?
  3. Who offered labor a better deal--the AFL or the IWW?
  4. Whose approach seems more appropriate for African Americans- that of Booker T. Washington or W.E.B.DuBois?
  5. What tensions existed between social justice and social control?
  6. What were the urban scene and the impact of new immigrants?
  7. How were the working class, women, and African Americans politically active?
  8. How was progressivism manifested in national politics?
  9. Progressives are sometimes confused with socialists. What was the difference between the approach of Theodore Roosevelt and that of Eugene V. Debs?
  10. How do the goals, methods, and language of progressives still find voice in contemporary America?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The tensions within progressivism between the ideals of social justice and the urge for social control and the achievements of both wings of the movement.
  2. The different manifestations of progressivism at the local, state, and national levels.
  3. The gains made by working-class communities in the progressive era.
  4. The impact of the “new immigrant” and how they reshaped American cities and workplaces.
  5. The progressive eras impact on African Americans.
  6. The lasting impact of progressive reform with special focus on the national level.
  7. The contributions of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to progressive reform.
  8. The role of muckraking in exposing social and political issues.
  9. The role of women in progressive reform.
  10. The important impact of the 1912 presidential election on the two party system.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.3-6, 6.2 B.3-6, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 D.4, 6.4 H.1, 6.4 H.2, 6.4 H.3, 6.4 H.4, 6.4 I.2, 6.4 I.10, 6.5 A.1, 6.5 A.5, 6.5 B.3, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 B.1, 6.6 B.2, 6.6 B.3, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.6 D.4, 6.6 E.4, 6.2 C.2, 6.2 C.4, 5.2 C.5, 6.4 H.6, 6.4 I.1, 6.5 A.8, 6.5 B.1, 6.5 B.4, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 E.1, 6.6 E.3, 6.6 E.5, 6.6 E.7

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 21 Urban America and The Progressive Era

 

  • Present a comparison of progressive era muckraking with today’s equivalent.   Students will research past examples using McClure’s magazine, and various muckraking exposés such as Jacob Riis, Ida Tarbell, and Ida B. Wells.  Students will compare these items with magazines like Mother Jones or TV programs like 60 Minutes.
  • View a segment from a documentary highlighting the photography and impact of Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives.
  • Create a chart involving the various reforms passed through the pressure from progressives on the local, state and national levels.
  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.

 

 

Topic Unit 4:  World War I 1916-1920- Chapter 22

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What central issues drew the United States deeper into international politics in the early years of the century?
  2. How did American presidents justify a more expansive role? What diplomatic and military policies did they exploit for these ends?
  3. How did the United States move from neutrality to participation in the Great War?
  4. How did mobilization for war change the economy and its relationship to government? Which of these changes, if any, spilled over to the postwar years?
  5. How did the war affect political life in the United States?  What techniques were used to stifle dissent?  What was the war’s political legacy?
  6. To what extent was the war an extension of progressivism?
  7. What was the impact of the war on American workers?
  8. How did the conflict affect the lives of African Americans and women?
  9. What principles guided Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points?  How would you explain the United States’ failure to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?
  10. How did Wilson fail to win the peace?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The key differences between the foreign policies of Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson.
  2. The cause and effect of the Roosevelt Corollary and its impact on the legacy of the Monroe Doctrine.
  3. The cause and effect of the Open Door Policy.
  4. The major causes of World War I.
  5. U.S. attempts at remaining neutral during the early years of the war.
  6. The impact of immigrants on the debate over American involvement in the war.
  7. The voices of dissent and the legacy of the Espionage and Sedition Acts.
  8. The cause and effect of the Great Migration.
  9. Government mobilization of the economy during World War I and its impact on the postwar years.
  10. Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and their impact on the Treaty of Versailles.
  11. The political tensions during the treaty debate.
  12. The role of Woodrow Wilson in the defeat of the treaty.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 E.2, 6.3 F.1, 6.4 H.5, 6.4 H.6, 6.4 I.1, 6.4 I.3-7, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 D.5, 6.6 E.1

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 22 World War I

 

  • Read All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque.  They will discuss a variety of issues using a teacher discussion guide.  They will conclude with a discussion of the war’s impact on the 1920s aura of disillusionment.
  • Read and discuss various primary documents on the era.
  • Read and discuss the speech by Eugene V. Debs to the court after his conviction on violating the Espionage and Sedition Acts.
  • Explore the impact of World War I on the boundary lines of Europe.  They will use maps and interactive internet sites to explore these changes.
  • Explore the issue of dissent during war by comparing World War I and the Iraq War today.
  • View political posters used for propaganda by both sides in the war.

 

 

Topic/Unit 5:  The Twenties 1920-1929- Chapter 23

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What was the impact of the “second industrial revolution” on American business, workers, and consumers? 
  2. Which technological and economic changes had the biggest impact on American society?
  3. Which Americans gained the most, and which were largely left out in the uneven distribution of the 1920s economic prosperity?
  4. How did an expanding mass culture change the contours of everyday life in the decade following World War I?
  5. What were the promise and limits of prosperity in the 1920s?
  6. What role did new technologies of mass communications play in shaping these changes?
  7. What connections can be drawn between the “culture of consumption” then, and today?
  8. What were key policies and goals articulated by Republican political leaders of the 1920s? How did they apply these to both domestic and foreign affairs?
  9. How did some Americans resist the rapid changes taking place in the post-World War I world?  What cultural and political strategies did they employ?
  10. How was the 1928 election a mirror of the divisions in American society?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The connections between the economic policies of the 1920s and those of the progressive period.
  2. The effects of “welfare capitalism” on the labor movement.
  3. The impact of the automobile on American society.
  4. The creation of the “new mass culture”.
  5. The impact of radio on social and economic areas of society.
  6. The rise of professional sports and its impact on American society.
  7. The cause and effect of Prohibition on political and social values.
  8. The rise of intolerance resulting in increased immigration restriction laws.
  9. The rise of religious fundamentalism as a reaction to modern developments.
  10. The cause and effect of the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.
  11. The effects of the “new woman” on mainstream American society.
  12. The differences between Coolidge and Hoover on the economy.
  13. The cause and effect of the Harlem Renaissance on American society.
  14. The election of 1928 and how it reflected the tensions within society.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8,  6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.6, 6.2 C.4, 6.3 F.2, 6.4 I.8, 6.4 I.10, 6.4 J.1, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.4, 6.5 A.5, 6.5 A.7, 6.5 A.8, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 B.1-3, 6.6 D.1-4, 6.6 E.4, 6.6 E.8

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 23 The Twenties

 

  • Read and discuss various primary source materials from this era.
  • View scenes from Inherit the Wind to highlight the tensions within society such as religion and science.
  • View a silent era film and discuss the impact of Hollywood on economic and social life in America.
  • Explore various samples of writers showcasing the “Lost Generation” literature of the era.
  • Utilize interactive internet sites during our study of the chapter.
  • Read and hold round table discussions of Only Yesterday.

 

 

Topic/Unit 6:  The Great Depression and The New Deal 1929-1940- Chapter 24

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What were the underlying causes of the Great Depression?
  2. What consequences did it have for ordinary Americans, and how did the Hoover administration attempt to deal with the crisis?
  3. Who was Franklin Roosevelt and how did his life experiences shape his presidency?
  4. To what degree did the key elements of the first New Deal succeed in getting the economy back on track, and providing relief to suffering Americans?
  5. How did the so-called second New Deal differ from the first?
  6. How did the New Deal reshape Western communities and politics?
  7. How did the labor movement and radicalism impact the 1930s? How did they influence American political and cultural life?
  8. To what extent were the grim realities of depression reflected in popular culture?  To what degree were they absent?
  9. What were the long and short term effects of the New Deal on American political and economic life?  What were its key successes and failures? 
  10. What legacies of New Deal era policies and political struggles can one find in contemporary America?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The cause and effect of a Bear and Bull Market.
  2. The underlying causes of the Stock Market Crash.
  3. The immediate impact of the crisis in the economy and Hoover’s failure to handle the crisis.
  4. The importance of the election of 1932.
  5. The major elements of the Hundred Days.
  6. The impact of the Bank Holiday on the economy and financial institutions
  7. The cause and effect of the rise of labor with special attention to the CIO
  8. The creation of the New Deal coalition and its impact on American politics.
  9. The cause and effect of the Dust Bowl environment.
  10. The major criticisms of the New Deal by both the Left and the Right wings in American politics.
  11. The New Deal for Native Americans and the influence of John Collier.
  12. The changes in American culture in art, film, music and radio.
  13. The impact of the “court packing plan” on FDR’s legacy.
  14. The impact of the New Deal on minorities and women.
  15. The legacy and limits of New Deal reform.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 B.3-6, 6.2 D.4, 6.3 F.2, 6.4 I.10, 6.4 J.1-4, 6.5 A.1-2, 6.5 B.5, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.2 A.3, 6.2 A.4, 6.2 A.6, 6.2 B.1, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.2, 6.2 C.4, 6.2 C.6, 6.3 E.1, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.5, 6.5 A.6, 6.5 A.8, 6.5 A.9, 6.5 B.1, 6.5 B.3, 6.6 E.5

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 24 The Great Depression and The New Deal

 

  • Interview people who have either first or second hand accounts of the Great Depression and the New Deal. Students might contact a local senior citizen center to line up prospective interviewees.
  • Read and discuss various primary source documents.
  • View documentaries on the New Deal.
  • Listen to radio clips of Huey Long and his criticisms of the powerful during the Great Depression.
  • Explore samples of WPA photography and artwork in United States Post Offices.  They will visit the Glen Ridge Post Office to view the WPA artwork murals on display.
  • Students will be assigned a character type and role-play in this activity.  They will perceive events of the era through the lens of an African American, a woman, a Native American, a capitalist, a Republican, a Leftist, a farmer, a factory worker, and a Democrat.  They will submit a written view of what the New Deal did for them and what it did not do for them.  They will present this viewpoint to the class in an oral three minute presentation.
  • View scenes from the film Grapes of Wrath to highlight the impact of the Dust Bowl.
  • Debate the following: The New Deal saved the capitalist system.

 

 

Topic/Unit 7:  World War II 1941-1945  Chapter 25

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What were the causes in the rise of dictators abroad?
  2. What were America’s responses to the rise of nationalism in Japan, Italy and Germany?
  3. What role did the federal government play in gearing up the economy for wartime production?
  4. What were the causes and consequences of the Japanese American internment program? Why were Japanese Americans singled out for special treatment?
  5. What was the role of popular culture in promoting the war effort at home?
  6. In what ways did women and minorities benefit from their World War II experience?  Can one anticipate how this would lead to problems after the war?
  7. How did the military service affect the lives of those who served in World War II?
  8. What were the main points of Allied military strategy in both Europe and Asia?
  9. How successful were diplomatic efforts in ending the war and in establishing the terms of peace?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The reasons for the rise of Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Hirohito.
  2. The major examples of America’s neutrality policy in the years leading up to and including the early years of World War II.
  3. The impact of appeasement on the build up to war in Europe.
  4. The events leading to Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war.
  5. The mobilization of resources for conducting a war.
  6. The changes in American society at home during the war.
  7. The war strategies to win the war in Europe and the Pacific.
  8. The impact of the military service on American society after the war.
  9. The cause and effect of Japanese internment in the United States.
  10. The cause and effect of the “double V campaign” by African Americans during the war.
  11. The development of the “home front” in mobilizing for war.
  12. The relationship among the Allies in conducting war and shaping the postwar political environment.
  13. The importance of wartime diplomacy in winning the war and setting up the Cold War in the postwar era.
  14. The cause and effect of the Holocaust on world history.
  15. The debate and legacy of dropping atomic bombs in World War II.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 B.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 C.5, 6.2 D.2, 6.2 D.3, 6.2 E.1, 6.2 E.2, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 E.3, 6.3 F.2, 6.3 G.1, 6.4 J.5-7

 

Suggestions activities for Chapter 25 World War II:

 

  • View the documentary Democrat and the Dictator to understand the rise of Hitler and FDR showcasing the differences between fascism and democracy.
  • View the documentary The Home Front and then write a reaction paper. This film highlights the changes in economic and social areas of society during the war.
  • Role-play “regular” Americans during World War II.  Suggested characters are a female factory worker, mother and homemaker, secretary, or other clerical worker, a Navajo code-talker, Japanese internee, a 19 year old soldier, a 12 year old boy, a Mexican zootsuiter, a local politician, a Manhattan project scientist, a CIO labor organizer, an ambulance driver, a musician, a poet, and a film maker.  After researching their characters, they will openly discuss how their lives were impacted or changed by the war.  Students will end this activity with a written assignment.
  • Read and discuss various primary documents from this era.
  • Hold a round table debate/discussion of the following: “Harry Truman dropped the bomb to end the war and save millions of lives.”

 

 

Topic/Unit 8:  The Cold War 1945-1952  Chapter 26

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What were the prospects for world peace at the end of World War II?
  2. What were the origins of the cold war and the sources of growing tension between the United States and the Soviet Union at the close of World War II?
  3. What were the basic elements of President Harry Truman’s policy of containment?  How did the threat of atomic warfare affect this policy?
  4. What were the similarities and differences of the Roosevelt and Truman presidencies?
  5. What was the impact of McCarthyism on American political life?  How did the anti-communist campaigns affect the media?  What were the sources of Senator McCarthy’s popularity? What brought about his downfall?
  6. How did the cold war affect American culture?
  7. What was the role of the United States in Korea in the decade after World War II?  How did the Korean War affect the 1952 presidential election?
  8. Why did Dwight D. Eisenhower win the 1952 presidential election?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The division of Europe after World War II
  2. The creation and early years of the United Nations.
  3. The cause and effect of the Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment.
  4. The impact of the Marshall Plan, Berlin Crisis, formation of NATO and the atomic diplomacy on cold war policies.
  5. The Fair Deal and its attempt to continue New Deal policy.
  6. The importance of the election of 1948 and its place in political history.
  7. The cold war at home involving national security laws and restrictions on civil liberties.
  8. The cause and effect of the Hollywood Ten, Alger Hiss case, and Rosenberg trial on the rise of anti-communist hysteria in American society.
  9. The cause and effect of Joseph McCarthy’s political tactics on American history.
  10. The impact of the “loss of China” on American politics and the two parties during the 1950s.
  11. The cause and effect of the Korean War.
  12. The success and failures of the Eisenhower administration.
  13. The impact of Eisenhower’s Farewell Address.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.7, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 C.4, 6.2 D.2, 6.2 D.3, 6.2 E.1, 6.2 E.2, 6.2 E.3, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 E.3, 6.3 G.1, 6.3 G.2, 6.4 H.2, 6.4 K.1-2, 4-6, 6.5 B.5, 6.5 B.8, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.6 D.5, 6.6 E.4

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 26 The Cold War

 

  • Read and discuss various primary documents from this era.
  • View On the Waterfront as a depiction of the 1950s and the controversy concerning labor unions.
  • View the short government film of the era titled: Duck and Cover. They will discuss this short film based on the role of anti-communist fears in an atomic age.
  • Listen to and view examples of major events of the decade such as the Checkers speech, testimony of Whittaker Chambers, House Un-American Activities hearings, Kitchen debates, and Douglas MacArthur’s speech before Congress.

 

 

Topic/Unit 9:  America at Mid-Century 1952-1963  Chapter 27

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What characterized post-World War II prosperity?
  2. What was the ideal of suburban life? What was the reality?
  3. What characterized the emergence of youth culture?
  4. What were the criticisms of television and mass culture?
  5. What characterized foreign policy in the Eisenhower years?
  6. What impact did the failure to live up to the Geneva Accords have on foreign policy towards Vietnam?
  7. Who was John F. Kennedy and what was the promise of the “New Frontier”?
  8. What role did the federal government play in expanding economic opportunities?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The effects of postwar prosperity on all aspects of American society.
  2. The role the federal government played in expanding economic opportunity.
  3. The origins of postwar youth culture and how teenage life was different in these years.
  4. Popular culture and how it both reflected and distorted the lives of American youth.
  5. Mass culture as central to American everyday life in the two decades following World War II and the problems various cultural critics identified with this trend.
  6. Cold war politics and how its assumptions shaped American foreign policy in these years.
  7. The key interventions by the United States in Europe and the third world.
  8. America’s early involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
  9. The impact of the domestic and international policies of John F. Kennedy and the New Frontier.
  10. Continuities with the Eisenhower-era politics one finds in the Kennedy administration and how JFK broke with past practices.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.3-6, 6.2 B.1-6, 6.2 C.4, 6.3 E.1, 6.4 K.5, 6.4 K.6, 6.4 L.4, 6.5 A.1, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.6, 6.5 B.5, 6.5 B.8, 6.6 B.1-3, 6.6 D.4, 6.6 D.5, 6.6 E.8, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 C.6, 6.2 D.2, 6.2 D.3, 6.2 D.4, 6.2 E.2, 6.2 E.3, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 G.2, 6.4 L.5, 6.5 A.2, 6.5 A.4, 6.5 B.7, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.6 E.1, 6.6 E.3, 6.6 E.4, 6.6 E.5   

 

Suggested activities for Chapter 27 America at Mid-Century:

 

  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.
  • Listen to rock n’ roll music from this era and discuss the contributions of African American musicians to the creation of this art form.
  • View a documentary on early television and its impact on American society. They will view a scene from the Kennedy/Nixon debates and explore the impact of television on American politics up to today.
  • Explore the controversy of the Kennedy assassination and the rise of conspiracy theories surrounding the event.
  • Read Thirteen Days by Robert Kennedy and explore the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Students will also compare the idea of decision making outlined in the book to today’s policies in the Bush administration and its decision making process.

 

 

Topic/Unit 10:  The Civil Rights Movement 1945-1966  Chapter 28

 

Essential Questions:

  1. What were the legal and political origins of the African American civil rights movement?
  2. What characterized Martin Luther King’s rise to leadership?
  3. How did student protesters take direct action in the South?
  4. How did civil rights affect national politics?
  5. What are the legacies of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
  6. How did America’s other minorities pursue their civil rights in this era?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The key legal and political antecedents to the civil rights struggle in the 1940s and early 1950s. 
  2. The organizations that played the most central roles in the early civil rights struggles and the tactics that continued to be used and which were abandoned?
  3. The African American challenge to legal segregation in the South using the courts and mobilization.
  4. The comparison of strategies used by NAACP, SNCC, SCLC and CORE.
  5. The complex relationship with the national Democratic Party between 1948 and 1964 and the political gains and losses associated with this relationship.
  6. The legal and institutional impact of the movement on American life and how American culture and politics changed.
  7. The impact of African Americans who struggled for civil rights on other minority groups and their quest for civil rights.
  8. The role of presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson in changes involving race in America.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.3-6, 6.2 B.1-6, 6.2 C.4, 6.3 E.1, 6.4 K.5, 6.4 K.6, 6.4 L.4, 6.5 A.1, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.6, 6.5 B.5, 6.5 B.8, 6.6 B.1-3, 6.6 D.4, 6.6 D.5, 6.6 E.8, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 C.6, 6.2 D.2, 6.2 D.3, 6.2 D.4, 6.2 E.2, 6.2 E.3, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 G.2, 6.4 L.5, 6.5 A.2, 6.5 A.4, 6.5 B.7, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.6 E.1, 6.6 E.3, 6.6 E.4, 6.6 E.5  

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 28 The Civil Rights Movement

 

  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.
  • View a documentary highlighting the major events of the Civil Rights movement from 1954-1966.
  • Read and hold a round table discussion on Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
  • Read and discuss the Southern Manifesto.
  • Explore the legal arguments used in the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
  • Explore John Kennedy’s Civil Rights speech involving the issue of “morality.”

 

 

Topic/Unit 11:  War Abroad, War at Home  1965-1974

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. How and why was U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam widened?
  2. What was the “sixties generation” and what was its role in the antiwar movement?
  3. How did poverty contribute to the urban culture?
  4. What characterized the election of 1968?
  5. What contributed to the rise of “liberation” movements?
  6. What characterized the Nixon presidency and how did the Watergate conspiracy arise?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The events that led up to and contributed to U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
  2. The impact of U.S. involvement in the war on domestic programs of the Great Society.
  3. The reasons for the rise of the protest movement against the Vietnam War and how the movement held a diverse group of Americans.
  4. The differences between the beliefs of those who opposed the war and those that supported the war policies.
  5. The impact on urban poverty of programs sponsored by Johnson’s plan for a Great Society.
  6. The changes and divisions within the civil rights movement involving issues and regional differences.
  7. The origins and impact of the Black Power Movement.
  8. The impact of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy on the election of 1968.
  9. The impact of 1968 on American politics and history.
  10. The “politics of identity” movement and how it differed from earlier civil rights organizations.
  11. The causes of Richard Nixon’s huge election victory in 1972.
  12. The impact of the Nixon administration’s foreign and domestic policies.
  13. The legacy of the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.3-6, 6.2 B.1-6, 6.2 C.4, 6.3 E.1, 6.4 K.5, 6.4 K.6, 6.4 L.4, 6.5 A.1, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.6, 6.5 B.5, 6.5 B.8, 6.6 B.1-3, 6.6 D.4, 6.6 D.5, 6.6 E.8, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.3, 6.2 C.6, 6.2 D.2, 6.2 D.3, 6.2 D.4, 6.2 E.2, 6.2 E.3, 6.3 D.1, 6.3 G.2, 6.4 L.5, 6.5 A.2, 6.5 A.4, 6.5 B.7, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 D.1, 6.6 D.2, 6.6 E.1, 6.6 E.3, 6.6 E.4, 6.6 E.5  

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 29 The Civil Rights Movement

 

  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.
  • Listen to and discuss the protest music from this era.
  • View a documentary on the important year of 1968.
  • Listen to audio tapes of Black Power participants.
  • Explore the treatment of the media and American people to the My Lai Massacre and compare it to the Abu Grab controversy.
  • Explore the major events within the Watergate scandal and how it led to the resignation of Richard Nixon.  Students will study the rise of “gotcha” politics in America.
  • Choose any of the movements of the 1970s and create a poster that will capture the spirit of the times.  A multi-image collage will be encouraged, and students will be required to use images as well as quotes.  Students can choose from a variety of movements: Latinos, Native Americans, New Feminism, Gay Liberation, Counterculture, New Left, Black Power, and more.  The posters will be presented in class with an explanation and then displayed.

 

 

Topic/Unit 12:  The Conservative Ascendancy 1974-1991 Chapter 30

 

Essential Questions:

 

  1. What structural shifts occurred in the economy?
  2. What characterized the Ford and Carter presidencies?
  3. What were the crises in the cities and in the environment?
  4. How did community politics contribute to the rise of the New Right?
  5. What caused the Iran hostage crisis and how was it resolved?
  6. What were Reagan’s domestic and foreign policies?
  7. What contributed to the growth of inequality?

 

Objectives:

Students will understand:

 

  1. The significance and impact on local and national politics of the major population shifts in the United States from the 1940s through the 1970s. 
  2. The connection between the energy crisis and the rise of the environmental movement.
  3. The causes of the decline of liberalism and the rise of conservative political groups and their impact on presidential elections.
  4. The Iranian hostage crisis as a turning point in American politics and its impact on the two parties in America.
  5. The central philosophical assumptions behind Reaganomics.
  6. The success and failures of the Ford, Carter and Reagan presidencies.
  7. Reagan’s foreign policy and how it differed from Carter’s foreign policy.
  8. The cause and effect of the fall of the Soviet Union.
  9. The key structure underlying recent changes in American economic and cultural life.
  10. The impact of Reaganomics on gender, race and class.

 

Core Curriculum Standards: 6.1 A.1-8, 6.2 A.1, 6.2 A.2, 6.2 A.4, 6.2 A.6-7, 6.2 C.1, 6.2 C.2-6, 6.2 C.4, 6.2 D.2-3, 6.2 E.1, 6.2 E.2, 6.3 H.1-2, 6.4 K.6, 6.4 L.1, 6.4 L.4, 6.4 L.5, 6.5 A.1, 6.5 A.8, 6.5 B.1, 6.5 B.4-7, 6.6 E.3, 6.6 E.6, 6.6 E.8, 6.2 B.3-6, 6.3 E.4, 6.5 A.3, 6.5 A.4, 6.5 A.6, 6.6 A.2-6, 6.6 B.1-3, 6.6 D.1-4, 6.6 E.1, 6.6 E.5

 

Suggested Activities for Chapter 30 The Conservative Ascendancy

 

  • Read and discuss various primary source documents from this era.
  • Read Jimmy Carter’s “Malaise” speech and compare it to Ronald Reagan’s Republican Convention “Acceptance” speech. Students will analyze the effectiveness and debate the messages in each speech.
  • View a documentary involving the presidencies of Carter and Reagan.

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