Unit 9

This unit bundles student expectations that address the participation of the United States in the world wars and the economic challenges faced by Americans during the Great Depression. Students in fifth grade gain a broad understanding of these events, as more depth is given to these events in the high school course of U.S history. It is important for student to understand that in the early twentieth century the United States became more involved in world affairs and that government expanded in the United States to address the economic depression. The role of the United States in world affairs and the role of government in the economy continue to be topics of debate.

Prior to this unit, students examined the economic and social changes that took place in the United States as a result of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. In this unit, students study about the United States’ involvement in world affairs with the fighting of the Spanish American War and the First World War, about the causes and effects of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, and about U.S. participation in the Second World War.

In the next unit students examine the characteristics of Civil Rights Movement, and the Cold War, along with the scientific progress made in the United States during the latter half of the 20th century.