American History Essential Learning and Course Objectives

A quiz will be given after each objective or series of objectives

Chapter 5 Reconstruction

Objective #1 Summarize the causes, results and effects of the United States Civil War

Objective #2 Define Reconstruction, compare and contrast the different reconstruction plans.

Objective #3 Explain the importance of the Freedman’s Bureau, the Black Codes, and the 14^th Amendment in understanding Reconstruction.

Objective #4 Explain how the problems of Reconstruction led to a showdown between the President and Congress and what the outcome was.

Objective #5 Explain the problems and gains made in the South after the Civil War.

Objective #6 Explain why and how Reconstruction ended and what were the end results of Reconstruction.

Chapter 6 American Industry

Objective #1 Explain how some of the different inventors and inventions changed America.

Objective #2 Understand the difference between vertical and horizontal integration and explain how the federal government dealt with monopolies.

Objective #3 Recognize working conditions in the industrial era and how did workers deal with them.

Chapter 7 The West

Objective #1 Understand what factors were associated with western movement.

Objective #2 List and explain problems associated with mining the west and discuss different modes of transportation.

Objective #3 Understand how government policies and battlefield challenges affected Native Americans.

Objective #4 Describe what caused the western cattle boom and what life was like for the cowboy.

Objective #5 Discuss life on the Great Plains and explain how farmers (people) overcame adversity in order to survive.

Objective #6 Understand why farmers complained about post-Civil War federal economic policies and discuss how farmers and the government responded.

Chapter 8 Politics, Immigration, and Urban Life

Objective #1 What was the Gilded Age and who were the President’s during this time period.

Objective #2 Explain the importance immigrants played in the late 19^th Century and discuss the rise and problems of city life.

Chapter 9 Life at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Objective #1 Explain the importance of Progressive education and discuss new kinds of entertainment and recreational activates enjoyed by Americans at the start of the 20^th Century.

Objective #2 Understand the kinds of discrimination encountered by African- Americans after Reconstruction and how they dealt with it.

Chapter 10 Becoming a World Power

Objective #1 What arguments were made in favor of the United States being isolated or expanding?

Objective #2 Explain how and why the United States expanded in the Pacific and what role the Monroe Doctrine played during the late 1800s.

Objective #3 What caused the Spanish-American War and what did the United States gain from the war?

Objective #4 List challenges faced by the United States after the Spanish- American War.

Objective #5 Describe Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” goals and explain why the United States built the Panama Canal.

Objective #6 What were the goals of President Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy and President Wilson’s Moral Diplomacy?

Objective #7 What role did the United States play in the problem areas around the world at the beginning of the 20^th Century?

Chapter 11 Progressive Era

Objective#1 Who were the Progressives, what were their goals, and what reforms did they attempt to make?

Objective #2 What role did President’s Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson play in the Progressive movement?

Chapter 12 World War 1

Objective #1 Identify the reasons why World War I happened?

Objective #2 Understand who fought on which side during World War I.

Objective #3 Analyze how the United States responded to the war in Europe and why did the US eventually enter.

Objective #4 Analyze the roles Americans played at home during World War 1.

Objective #5 In what ways did American forces help turn the tide in World War 1?

Objective #6 What steps did President Wilson and the world take to avoid future confrontation?

Objective #7 Why did the United States not sign the Treaty of Versailles ending World War 1?

Chapter 13 Social Change 1920s

Objective #1 Understand how the roles of women and African Americans changed in the 1920s.

Objective #2 Understand the role entertainment played on American culture in the 1920s.

Objective #3 What role did alcohol and religion play in the 1920s?

Chapter 14 Politics and Prosperity 1920s

Objective #1 List and explain several problems faced by the United States after World War I.

Objective #2 Understand how American Presidents dealt with the 1920s.

Objective #3 List and explain reasons American became prosperous in the 1920s, and detail problems faced at the end of the decade.

Chapter 15 Crash and Depression

Objective #1 Understand events that led to the stock market crash in 1929.

Objective #2 Explain how poverty, depression, etc… spread during the Great Depression and how did America cope with it.

Objective #3 Describe how President Hoover responded to the Great Depression.

Objective #4 Why did the election of 1932 change the way American’s saw the government’s role?

Chapter 16 New Deal

Objective #1 How did FDR prepare to help American’s fight the depression with the New Deal?

Objective #2 Explain what major New Deal programs started during the first 100 days.

Objective #3 What were the chief complaints of FDR’s critics during the early parts of the New Deal?

Objective #4 List and explain New Deal programs during the second 100 days.

Objective #5 What were some of the major New Deal reforms made during the second term of FDR?

Objective #6 What effect did the New Deal have on American culture?

Objective #7 Explain the overall impact of the New Deal.

Chapter 17 Road to World War 2

Objective #1 Learn why the U.S. became an isolated country after WWI, and what polices aided it.

Objective #2 Understand how the Totalitarian states became powerful and what their goals were.

Objective #3 Understand how Japan’s militarism during the 1930s soured relations with the U.S.

Objective #4 Recognize how German aggression caused World War II.

Objective #5 Discuss how that once World War II started, U.S. policy stepped her closer to war.

Objective #6 Discover why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor which led to the United States entering World War II.

Chapter 18 World War 2

Objective #1 Understand the different powers and fronts involved in World War 2.

Objective #2 Explain how World War 2 turned to the Allies advantage during 1942.

Objective #3 Understand how daily life in America changed during World War 2.

Objective #4 Explain how World War 2 was won by the Allies on the Southern and Eastern Fronts.

Objective #5 Explain why the Allied invasion of Western Europe was successful in 1944.

Objective #6 Understand which Allied victories turned the tide in the Pacific war.

Objective #7 Understand the role diplomacy played during the war and how diplomacy shaped the future of the world.

Objective #8 Explain how World War 2 ended in Europe and what major event was learned as the war ended.

Objective #9 Explain what led to Japan’s ultimate defeat in World War 2 and understand why the United States dropped the atomic bombs.

Chapter 19 Cold War

Objective #1 Understand why the United Nations was created.

Objective #2 Recognize post war conflicts in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Objective #3 Define the Cold War and explain how the United States responded to the communist threat.

Objective #4 Describe the Red Scare and explain the role of McCarthyism during the Cold War.

Objective #5 Explain why the Korean War was fought and what was the outcome.

Objective #6 Understand foreign policy issues of the 1950s and explain the impact of the U-2 Incident.

Objective #7 How did the Nationalist Movements of the 1950s and early 1960s impact the Cold War?

Chapter 20 Home Front 1945-1960

Objective #1 What post-war decisions did Truman make during his presidency and how did they impact United States society?

Objective #2 In what ways did life change in the 1950s?

Chapter 21 Civil Rights Movement

Objective #1 Recognize the roots of the Civil Rights Movement.

Objective #2 Differentiate between the various groups and people involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Objective #3 Describe the struggles and protests that took place during the Civil Rights Movement.

Objective #4 Explain how President Kennedy and Johnson approached the Civil Rights Movement.

Objective #5 Discuss the goal of the Radicals during the Civil Rights Movement.

Objective #6 Describe the two tragic events of 1968 and their impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

Chapter 22 Kennedy and Johnson Years

Objective #1 Discuss JFK’s domestic and foreign policies and explain how he dealt with the Cold War (space race, Cuban Missile Crisis and Civil Rights movement.

Objective #2 How did LBJ hope to keep JFK’s memory alive and what were the goals and programs of the Great Society?

Objective #3 What made the Warren Court successful and controversial.

Chapter 23 Activism

Objective #1 Explain how minorities dealt with change in the 1960s and 1970s.

Objective #2 What was the Counter Culture movement?

Objective #3 List and explain some of the movements/issues of the late 1960s and 1970s.

Chapter 24 Vietnam

Objective #1 Learn about the events that led to the war in Vietnam.

Objective #2 Explain why the U.S. became involved in Vietnam and discuss how our role escalated.

Objective #3 Understand how President Johnson changed the course of the Vietnam War.

Objective #4 Learn of the different battlefield conditions found during the Vietnam War.

Objective #5 Describe why some people supported the war and others did not and expound on the course of the war from 1965-68.

Objective #6 Understand the role in the Vietnam War students played during the 1960s and early 1070s and describe how the Vietnam War affected the election of 1968.

Objective #7 Describe how President Nixon’s policies led to American withdrawal from Vietnam and determine what the legacy of the Vietnam War is.

Chapter 25 1970s

Objective #1 Understand President Nixon’s early foreign and domestic policies and explain their impact on American society.

Objective #2 Describe how the Watergate scandal brought down Nixon’s presidency.

Objective #3 Explain President Ford’s domestic and foreign policy.

Objective #4 Describe how President Carter dealt with foreign and domestic policy issues.

Objective #5 Describe how American life changed during the 1970s.

Chapter 26 The Conservative Revolution

Objective #1 Explain major events in Ronald Reagan’s time as President.

Objective #2 Reflect on major initiatives and key foreign policy crisis during Reagan’s Presidency.

Objective #3 Explain some important social and domestic issues accomplished by Ronald Reagan.

Objective #4 Explain the end of the Cold War, causes and results.

Objective #5 Describe the challenges faced by George H.W. Bush’s Presidency.

Chapter 27 New Era

Objective #1 Describe the major events and accomplishments of President William Jefferson Clinton.

Objective #2 Explain the major scandals of President Clinton.

Objective #3 Describe foreign issues and their outcome during the post-Cold War time period.

Objective #4 Describe the war on terrorism.