United States History Unit 12

Big Idea:

Analyze the emerging political, economic, and social issues of the United States from the 1990s into the 21st century.

Student Expectations:

Priority TEKS

USH.2(D) [Supporting] explain the significance of the following years as turning points: 1898 (Spanish-American War), 1914-1918 (World War I), 1929 (the Great Depression begins), 1939-1945 (World War II), 1957 (Sputnik launch ignites U.S.-Soviet space race), 1968-1969 (Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and U.S. lands on the moon), 1991 (Cold War ends), 2001 (terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and the Pentagon), and 2008 (election of first black president, Barack Obama).

USH.11(A) [Readiness] describe U.S. involvement in world affairs, including the end of the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, the Balkans Crisis, 9/11, and the global War on Terror;

USH.11(E) [Supporting] discuss the historical significance of the 2008 presidential election; and

USH.12(A) [Readiness] analyze the impact of physical and human geographic factors on the settlement of the Great Plains, the Klondike Gold Rush, the Panama Canal, the Dust Bowl, and the levee failure in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; and

USH.13(B) [Readiness] analyze the causes and effects of changing demographic patterns resulting from legal and illegal immigration to the United States.

USH.17(E) [Readiness] describe the dynamic relationship between U.S. international trade policies and the U.S. free enterprise system such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo, the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

USH.18(B) [Supporting] identify the impact of international events, multinational corporations, government policies, and individuals on the 21st century economy.

USH.19(B) [Readiness] explain constitutional issues raised by federal government policy changes during times of significant events, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the 1960s, and 9/11;

USH.19(D) [Supporting] discuss the role of contemporary government legislation in the private and public sectors such as the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; and

USH.20(B) [Readiness] evaluate the impact of relationships among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, including Franklin D. Roosevelt's attempt to increase the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices and the presidential election of 2000.

USH.26(C) [Readiness] explain how the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, gender, and religious groups shape American culture;

USH.27(A) [Readiness] explain the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations such as electric power, telephone and satellite communications, petroleum-based products, steel production, and computers on the economic development of the United States;

USH.27(C) [Readiness] understand the impact of technological and management innovations and their applications in the workplace and the resulting productivity enhancements for business and labor such as assembly line manufacturing, time-study analysis, robotics, computer management, and just-in-time inventory management.

USH.28(A) [Readiness] analyze how scientific discoveries, technological innovations, and the application of these by the free enterprise system, including those in transportation and communication, improve the standard of living in the United States;

Focus TEKS

USH.10(C) [Supporting] compare the impact of energy on the American way of life over time;

USH.10(F) [Supporting] describe significant societal issues of this time period.

USH.11(C) [Supporting] evaluate efforts by global organizations to undermine U.S. sovereignty through the use of treaties;

USH.11(D) [Supporting] analyze the impact of third parties on presidential elections;

USH.14(B) [Supporting] identify the roles of governmental entities and private citizens in managing the environment such as the establishment of the National Park System, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Endangered Species Act; and

USH.17(C) [Supporting] describe the economic impact of defense spending on the business cycle and education priorities from 1945 to the 1990s;

USH.18(A) [Supporting] discuss the role of American entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Estée Lauder, Robert Johnson, Lionel Sosa, and millions of small business entrepreneurs who achieved the American dream; and

USH.25(A) [Supporting] describe how the characteristics and issues in U.S. history have been reflected in various genres of art, music, film, and literature;

USH.25(C) [Supporting] identify the impact of popular American culture on the rest of the world over time; and

USH.25(D) [Supporting] analyze the global diffusion of American culture through the entertainment industry via various media.

USH.26(D) [Supporting] identify the political, social, and economic contributions of women such as Frances Willard, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dolores Huerta, Sonia Sotomayor, and Oprah Winfrey to American society;

USH.27(B) [Supporting] explain how specific needs result in scientific discoveries and technological innovations in agriculture, the military, and medicine, including vaccines; and

USH.28(C) [Supporting] understand how the free enterprise system drives technological innovation and its application in the marketplace such as cell phones, inexpensive personal computers, and global positioning products.

Ongoing TEKS

USH.29(A) use a variety of both primary and secondary valid sources to acquire information and to analyze and answer historical questions

USH.29(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and- effect relationships, comparing and contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations, making predictions, drawing inferences, and drawing conclusions

USH.29(C) understand how historians interpret the past (historiography) and how their interpretations of history may change over time

USH.29(D) use the process of historical inquiry to research, interpret, and use multiple types of sources of evidence

USH.29(E) evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author, including points of view, frames of reference, and historical context;

USH.29(F) identify bias in written, oral, and visual material

USH.29(G) identify and support with historical evidence a point of view on a social studies issue or event

USH.29(H) use appropriate skills to analyze and interpret social studies information such as maps, graphs, presentations, speeches, lectures, and political cartoons

USH.30(A) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information

USH.30(B) use correct social studies terminology to explain historical concepts

USH.30(C) use different forms of media to convey information, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using available computer software as appropriate

USH.31(A) create thematic maps, graphs, and charts representing various aspects of the United States

USH.31(B) pose and answer questions about geographic distributions and patterns shown on maps, graphs, charts, and available databases

USH.32(A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution

USH.32(B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision

Learning Targets:

• I will describe U.S. involvement in world affairs from the 1990s to present
• I will write about the impact of Hurricane Katrina
• I will identify the impact of popular American culture on the world
• I will explain the effect of scientific discoveries from the 1990s to present

Essential Questions:

• In what way were the 2000 and 2008 unique Presidential election years?
• How did Americans react to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001?
• How did President Bush and Obama respond to the 2008-2009 financial crisis?
• What impact has American popular culture had on the rest of the world?

Extra Information:

Adopted Textbook: The Americans: US History since 1877 Texas Edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Holt McDougal

District Grading Policy

Texas Gateway Online Resource Center