Course Information
The purpose of this course is to study the major turning points in American history. We will consider the nation’s founding ideals from the Declaration of Independence: equality, rights, liberty, opportunity, and democracy. Each generation has struggled with these ideals. Some have made little progress toward achieving them, while others have made great progress. During this course, we will become engaged in this struggle, from establishing an American republic to the making of modern America. Due to the nature of distance learning, some units may be truncated for time to allow us to focus on major points with the students.
The Founding Documents
We will start our course examining the founding documents and ideals of the nation. We will examine the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Constitution.
World War I
After striving to stay neutral in Europe's bloody war America joins the fight. We will examine how new technology impacted this war. We will also look at how different groups of Americans contributed to both the fighting abroad and the homefront.
Boom & Bust
Out of the darkness of war came a bright and brilliant decade- the roaring 20s. Baseball, moving pictures, jazz and new politics, the 20s were a thriving decade. Unfortunately, the decade that followed was anything but bright. The Great Depression, prohibition and rumors of a war rumbling in Europe made the 30s a difficult decade.
WWII & The Early Cold War
America's involvement in World War II began long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. We'll examine US involvement in both the European and Pacific theaters, the impact the war had at home, the dawn of the nuclear age, and burgeoning conflict between the US and the Soviet Union.
POst War America
Elvis, Poodle Skirts, the suburbs and the new urban landscape. We'll examine what life was like for returning soldiers and their families with the GI bill. We'll also examine the origins of the Civil Rights movement and some of its most impactful participants and events.
The Vietnam War
We'll take an in depth look at the war in Vietnam and the impact it had on the men and women who served, as well as Americans back home. We will examine not only the how and why of American involvement, but also the lesson Americans learned about fighting the Cold War.
