US History

This course begins with the discovery and colonization of the Americas by Europeans and the forming of the United States. It continues with the expansion of the US to the Pacific, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Industrialization, the Progressive Era, WWI, the 1920’s, Great Depression, WWII, post war boom, the Cold War, Civil Rights, Presidential Scandals up to modern times. 

1. Colonizing America, 1519-1733

   1. Describe the early Spanish settlements of North America. 

   2. Explain the religious and economic reasons why England became interested in America.

   3.  Summarize why the English colonies succeeded. 

2. The American Revolution, 1754-1783

   1. Summarize events that fueled colonial resentment of England. 

   2. Summarize the various legislative Acts of England and how they affected the relationship of England and the colonies. 

   3. Discuss the major theaters of the war: Northern and Southern.

   4. Discuss the form of government set up by the Patriots. 

3. Federalists and Republicans, 1787-1816

   1. Summarize the events that led to the writing and adoption of the US Constitution.

   2. Explain Alexander Hamilton's economic initiatives. 

   3. Discuss the development of two major political parties in America. 

   4. Examine the changing role of the Supreme Court. 

   5. Describe the events leading to the Louisiana Purchase. 

4. The Young Republic

   1. Analyze how John Marshall strengthened the Supreme Court. 

   2. Examine the changes that took place in transportation in the early 1800's. 

   3. Identify how the Industrial Revolution changed methods of production. 

   4. Explain why cotton dominated the Southern economy. 

   5. Summarize the Missouri Compromise

   6. Describe why the Election of 1824 was so controversial. 

5. The Spirit of Reform

   1. Summarize the major Jacksonian Era events.

   2. Analyze the connection between religious and social reform. 

   3. List major areas of society that reformers set out to improve. 

   4. Analyze how Northerners and Southerners viewed abolition

6. Expansion of US

   1. Discuss the inventions that made it easier to farm the plains. 

   2. Explain why Americans were willing to give up their lives in the East to move to the West. 

   3. Describe the circumstances under which Texas and Oregon were admitted to the Union. 

   4. Discuss the major events of and the territory gained by the US in the Mexican-American War. 

7. The Crisis of Union

   1. Explain how the government dealt with slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico and list the major features of the Compromise of 1850. 

   2. Evaluate how both the Fugitive Slave Act and the desire to build a transcontinental railroad increased tensions between the northern and southern sections of the US. 

   3. Analyze various events that led to increased tensions in the 1850s and describe the Lincoln-Douglas debates in the campaign for Senate in 1858.

   4. Discuss attempts to broker a compromise between the North and South and describe how and why the Civil War began. 

8. The Civil War 1861-65

   1. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Northern and Southern economies and political systems.

   2. Describe the progress of the war in the West and East and compare and contrast the effects of the war on the regions. 

   3. Describe and evaluate the soldier's wartime experiences.

   4. Discuss the significance of the Battles of Antietam, Vicksburg and Gettysburg.

   5. Explain the significance of Union victories in Virginia and discuss Lee's surrender and the events of the war's aftermath. 

9. Reconstruction 1865-1877

   1. Compare Lincoln's plan to reunify the nation with the Radical Republicans and discuss the South immediately after the Civil War.

   2. Analyze the Reconstruction argument between President Johnson and Congress.

   3. Describe the major features of congressional Reconstruction.

   4. Describe Republican rule in the South during Reconstruction and demonstrate how African-Americans worked to improve their lives. 

   5. Discuss the policies and problems of US Grant's administration and explain how Reconstruction ended. 

10. Industrialization 1865-1901

    1. Describe the impact of a growing population on industry and the impact of the telephone and telegraph on America.

    2. How did railroads help industrial growth and how were they financed?

    3. How did corporations come to dominate business and how did Andrew Carnegie transform the steel industry?

    4. What were industrial working conditions like at the end of the nineteenth century and list the challenges to the growth of labor unions. 

11. Imperialism 1872-1912

    1. List the reasons why American expansion in the Pacific and how the desires for more trade and markets led to political change in the late 1800s.

    2. Describe the events that led up to a war between the US and Spain in 1898 and how that war made the US a world power. 

    3. Assess Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy as president and what the Open Door policy and how that changed the relationships between the US and Asia.

12. Progressivism 1890-1919

    1. Describe what led to the rise of the progressives and what was the impact of initiatives, referendum, recall, and the Seventeenth Amendment. 

    2. Students will describe how businesses were regulated and Theodore Roosevelt's role in conservation. 

    3. Describe the Election of 1912 and why progressives were upset with Taft as president.

    4. Describe Woodrow Wilson economic and social reforms as president and judge the legacy of the Progressive movement.

13. WWI

    1. How did the United States become involved in World War I? 

    2. What was life like on the home front in the United States during WWI? 

    3. What was fighting like in the bloody conflict of World War I?

    4. What was the role of World War I regarding the postwar recession on the United States and list the causes and reaction to the Red Scare in the early 1920s.

14. The Jazz Age and “Normalcy” 1921-1929

    1. Explain the rise in racism and nativism in the 1920s as well as the changing status of women in this decade. 

    2. Describe the change in art and literature of 1920s artists and summarize the impact of sports, movies, radio, and music on popular culture. 

    3. Describe what the Harlem Renaissance was and its impact on the African American community and the increase in political activity in this decade.

    4. What corruptions occurred in the Harding administration and how did Calvin Coolidge helped restore public confidence? 

    5. What was the impact of the automobile and other industries on the standard of living in the United States and why the farming community struggled. 

    6. Who was Andrew Mellon and what were his strategies for maintaining prosperity and also how did the US stay involved in world affairs despite the US not joining the League of Nations? 

15. The Great Depression and the New Deal 1933-1941

    1. Describe the characteristics of the 1920s stock market and identify the causes of the Great Depression. 

    2. Describe how the Great Depression impacted families and how artists portrayed the Great Depression. 

    3. Evaluate President Herbert Hoover's attempts to revive the American economy at the start of the Great Depression. 

    4. Discuss Franklin D Roosevelt's early political career. 

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    7. List and describe early programs of the New Deal that provided jobs for the unemployed and why New Dealers thought that the government had to regulate industry and labor.

    8. Describe the challenges of the mid-1930s and why the Social Security Act is still regarded as an important piece of legislation.

    9. Explain the achievements and defeats of Roosevelt's second term and how Americans' view of the government changed.

16. WWII 1931-1945

    1. Explain why many Americans favored a policy of isolationism in the 1930s, despite the rise of antidemocratic governments in Europe.

    2. Describe the steps Hitler and Germany took to gain control of Austria and Czechoslovakia and why Britain was able to resist the Nazis.

    3. Describe how Nazi prejudices against Jews and methods to eliminate the Jews in Europe resulted in the Holocaust.

    4. Describe the steps and events that led to the United States supporting Britain and the eventual entry of the United States into World War II.

    5.   Describe how the United States mobilized its economy for war. 

    6. Analyze how the Allies were able to fight a war on two fronts and why Stalingrad is considered a turning point in the war. 

    7. Discuss and cites examples of what life was like on the home front in World War II, particularly the roles of women and dealing with shortages. 

    8. Describe the Allied strategy for defeating the Japanese and for offensive attacks in Europe in 1943. 

    9. Explain the tactics used to defeat Japan and Germany and give reason why the Allies created the United Nations and held war crimes trials.

17. The Cold War Begins

    1. Describe the developing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

    2. Describe the American view of the Soviet Union and the policy of containment using the Korean War as one example.

    3. Articulate the new Red Scare and how American society fears changed because of the nuclear age. 

    4. Evaluate President Eisenhower's foreign policy during his two terms in office. 

18. Postwar America

    1. Explain and describe President Truman and Eisenhower's domestic policies after World War II.

    2. Describe the causes and effects of the United States economic boom after World War II and the impact on the family.

    3. Discuss the characteristics of the changes in youth culture and the contributions of African Americans to 1950s culture. 

    4. Describe the groups left out of the economic boom following World War II and discuss factors that contributed to poverty among various groups of the time.

19. A New Frontier and the Great Society (1961-1968)

    1. Explain John Kennedy's economic policies and why Congress didn't support them. 

    2. Describe Kennedy's plan for the armed forces and how the Cold War influenced foreign aid and the space program. 

    3. Identify the Great Society and list programs from the Johnson administration that reflected this program.

20. Civil Rights Movement

    1. Explain the origin of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 

    2. Discuss the changing role of the federal government in civil rights enforcement. 

    3. Summarize the efforts to establish voting rights for African Americans during this time period. 

    4. Describe the division between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the black power movement.

    5. Discuss the direction and progress of the civil rights movement after 1968 and analyze its legacy.

21. The Politics of Protest 1960-1980

    1. Explain the beginnings of the Student Movement and the Counterculture in the 1960s.

    2. Describe the workplace concerns that helped propel the growth of the women's movement and identify measures of success the movement had.

    3. Discuss affirmative action politics and the impact of Native American and Hispanic protests. 

    4. Discuss the beginnings of the environmental movement and what government measures were taken and debate the merits of the movement.

22. Politics and Economics 1968-1980

    1. Describe President Nixon's domestic agenda as well as his foreign policy objectives. 

    2. Explain the Watergate scandal and discuss its effects. 

    3. What were some causes of the economic troubles for the United States in the 1970s. 

    4. Discuss President Carter's foreign and domestic policies in his term in office.

    5. Describe what was meant by the "me" decade and the ending of some traditional values in the 1970s. 

23. Resurgence of Conservatism 1980-1992

    1. Explain how discontent with government led to a shift to political conservative views. 

    2. Discuss the connection of population demographics changed voting patterns.

    3. Explain how President Reagan's economic policies helped the US economy dynamically recover. 

    4. What was President Reagan's policies toward the Soviet Union and its lasting impact.

    5. Discuss the significance of the importance of money to culture in the 1980s as well as the growth of social activism during this time.

    6. What events helped bring an end to the Cold War and the domestic challenges of President Bush's administration.

24. The New Century 1992-present

    1. Discuss and describe the impact of the technological revolution on the American way of life. 

    2. Describe the domestic and foreign policy difficulties and successes of the Clinton administration 

    3. Discuss how the country dealt with the election of 2000 and the challenges of that election. 

    4. Describe the war on terrorism and how the US responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 

    5. Discuss the successes and failures of President Obama's administration.

    6. Discuss the successes and failures of President Trump’s administration.

    7. Summarize the growing divide of the American electorate.