Course Syllabus - U.S. History in Film
Kurt Davies
daviesk@fultonschools.org
Room 3218
Fall 2023
Welcome to US History in Film!
Disclaimer: In this course we will research historical events to learn about events and what life was like throughout American History. We will also watch related films to see how the movie industry has related those events. Are they accurate? Did they exaggerate? We will look at the slave trade, research what that period in history entailed, and then watch the movie "Amistad" for example. Other events that will be looked at may include but are not limited to the relationship between Native Americans and Colonists, the Slave Trade, The American Revolution, Slavery up to the Civil War, Westward Expansion, the 1920's including prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Civil Rights Era, September 11th and the rise of Social Media.
Movies shown will range in ratings, but will include movies that are rated "R". Movies may show graphic violence and/or brief nudity. All students must return a signed permission slip or they will be removed from the course and placed in another elective.
Movies that are being considered. (this list is not exhaustive and we may not watch all movies on this list):
The New World
Amistad
John Adams (HBO)
The Patriot
12 Years a Slave
Gone With the Wind
Glory
Dances with Wolves
Flyboys
The Untouchables
Chicago
Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
Public Enemies
Memphis Belle
Saving Private Ryan
Casablanca
Sgt. York
JFK
13 Days
We Were Soldiers Once
Platoon
Hidden Figures
Selma
Ghosts of Mississippi
First Man
All the President's Men
Rocky 4
World Trade Center
Zero Dark Thirty
The Social Network
Grading Policy
Summative Assessments (Essays, Projects, Tests) 55% (~6 per semester)
Formative Assessments (Research, Classwork and Quizzes) 35% (~8 per semester)
Practice Assignments 10% (~5 per semester)
Late Work Policy:
Late work will be penalized 15% immediately upon being late. If late work is not submitted by the end of the unit the deduction will be 25% off. If it is not submitted within 10 days of the due date it will become a 0 and no longer be allowed to be submitted.
If students are absent, they will receive the same number of days they were absent to complete the assignment without penalty. If students are turning in work late due to an absence, they are asked to put the dates they were absent at the top of their work.
Tardy Policy
You are expected to be in your seat when the bell rings to begin class. All students will use their student ID's to "tap" into class. If you tap in after the bell, you are late. Multiple tardies will be addressed by the teacher. Excessive tardies will be referred to the administration.
2nd Tardy—Teacher Consequence and Parent Contact
3rd Tardy—Private Detention
4th Tardy—Referral to Administrator
CELL PHONE POLICY
Fulton County Schools has adopted a new policy that does not allow students to be actively using their phones during class periods. In accordance with this, all students will be asked to put their cell phones in a cell phone holder. Students will not be able to take their cell phones with them to the restroom. Students will have time at the end of the period to collect their phones.
MATERIALS
You are required to bring your charged student laptop or comparable device (must have OneNote installed) to class on a daily basis. You are also expected to bring your charger on a daily basis. There is no textbook for this course.
Classroom Rules
1. You are expected to treat everyone in the room with RESPECT. Do not speak when someone else is speaking. Unless otherwise instructed, always raise your hand to gain the floor for a question or comment. You are also expected to be tolerant of other people’s opinions. You can disagree with a person’s opinion without belittling the person.
2. You are expected to bring all necessary materials to class on a daily basis.
3. There are NO HEADPHONES ALLOWED unless specifically stated by the teacher for an educational purpose. Putting headphones in to listen to music while you work is not an educational reason. Seriously... we are going to spend a lot of time watching movies. You don't need your phone or headphones.
4. You should never have your head on your desk. This should be clear from the start. Although this class is intended to be fun and entertaining, it is also an actual class. Participation is expected. Also, the only materials that should ever be on your desk are your laptop, writing materials, and textbooks. You should never have your book bags or purses on your desk during the class period.
Plagiarism (see AHS Common Syllabus for full statement)
5. The plagiarism statement will be enforced vigorously. This includes papers, test essays, review sheets, homework, and copying work for this or other classes. You are NEVER allowed to work together on an assignment unless explicitly told by the teacher that you may.
Extra help/RISE (see AHS Common Syllabus for full policy)
6. I will make myself available, whenever possible, before and after school if you ever need extra help or have questions. I am available for RISE or other help any lunch period. Please feel free to come to me for help; I am here to help you succeed.
7. If you ever have any problems with homework, printing or other class related issues, you can e-mail questions to me at davies@fultonschools.org
Social Studies Georgia Standards of Excellence-United States History
Research and movies will relate to at least one of the GSE Standards associated with U.S. History. We will not cover all of the standards.
SSUSH1 Compare and contrast the development of English settlement and colonization during the 17th Century.
a. Investigate how mercantilism and trans-Atlantic trade led to the development of colonies.
b. Explain the development of the Southern Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
c. Explain the development of the New England Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
d. Explain the development of the Mid-Atlantic Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
SSUSH2 Describe the early English colonial society and investigate the development of its governance.
a. Describe European cultural diversity including the contributions of different ethnic and religious groups.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, the growth of the African population and their contributions, including but not limited to architecture, agriculture, and foodways.
c. Describe different methods of colonial self-governance in the period of Salutary Neglect
d. Explain the role of the Great Awakening in creating unity in the colonies and challenging traditional authority.
SSUSH3 Analyze the causes of the American Revolution.
a. Explain how the French and Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
b. Explain colonial response to the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in the Sons and Daughters of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.
SSUSH4 Analyze the ideological, military, social, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
a. Investigate the intellectual sources, organization, and argument of the Declaration of Independence including the role of Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five.
b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and other foreign assistance including the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader, including but not limited to the influence of Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de LaFayette, and the significance of Valley Forge in the creation of a professional military.
d. Investigate the role of geography at the Battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
e. Examine the roles of women, American Indians, and enslaved and free Blacks in supporting the war effort.
f. Explain the significance of the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
SSUSH5 Investigate specific events and key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States Constitution.
a. Examine the strengths of the Articles of Confederation, including but not limited to the Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and their influence on westward migration, slavery, public education, and the addition of new states.
b. Evaluate how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government.
c. Explain the key features of the Constitution, including the Great Compromise, limited government, and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
d. Evaluate the major arguments of the Anti-Federalists and Federalists during the debate on ratification of the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and the roles of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
e. Explain how objections to the ratification of the Constitution were addressed in the Bill of Rights.
SSUSH6 Analyze the challenges faced by the first five presidents and how they responded.
a. Examine the presidency of Washington, including the precedents he set.
b. Explain the presidency of John Adams including the Sedition Act and its influence on the election of 1800.
c. Explore Jefferson’s expansion of presidential power including the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana Territory.
d. Explain James Madison’s presidency in relation to the War of 1812 and the war’s significance in the development of a national identity.
e. Explain James Monroe’s presidency in relation to the Monroe Doctrine.
SSUSH7 Investigate political, economic, and social developments during the Age of Jackson.
a. Explain Jacksonian Democracy, including expanding suffrage, the Nullification Crisis and states’ rights, and the Indian Removal Act.
b. Explain how the North, South, and West were linked through industrial and economic expansion including Henry Clay and the American System.
c. Explain the influence of the Second Great Awakening on social reform movements, including temperance, public education, and women’s efforts to gain suffrage.
d. Explain how the significance of slavery grew in American politics including slave rebellions and the rise of abolitionism.
SSUSH8 Explore the relationship between slavery, growing north-south divisions, and westward expansion that led to the outbreak of the Civil War.
a. Explain the impact of the Missouri Compromise on the admission of states from the Louisiana Territory.
b. Examine James K. Polk’s presidency in the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny including the Texas annexation and Oregon.
c. Analyze the impact of the Mexican War on growing sectionalism.
d. Explain how the Compromise of 1850 arose out of territorial expansion and population growth.
e. Evaluate the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the failure of popular sovereignty, Scott v. Sanford, John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, and the election of 1860 as events leading to the Civil War.
SSUSH9 Evaluate key events, issues, and individuals related to the Civil War
a. Explain the importance of the growing economic disparity between the North and the South through an examination of population, functioning railroads, and industrial output.
b. Discuss Lincoln’s purpose in using emergency powers to suspend habeas corpus, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and delivering the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural Addresses.
c. Examine the influences of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, William T. Sherman, and Jefferson Davis.
d. Explain the importance of Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Atlanta, as well as the impact of geography on these battles.
SSUSH10 Identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction.
a. Compare and contrast Presidential Reconstruction with Congressional Reconstruction, including the significance of Lincoln’s assassination and Johnson’s impeachment.
b. Investigate the efforts of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) to support poor whites, former slaves, and American Indians.
c. Describe the significance of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments.
d. Explain the Black Codes, the Ku Klux Klan, and other forms of resistance to racial equality during Reconstruction.
e. Analyze how the Presidential Election of 1876 marked the end of Reconstruction.
SSUSH11 Examine connections between the rise of big business, the growth of labor unions, and technological innovations.
a. Explain the effects of railroads on other industries, including steel and oil.
b. Examine the significance of John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie in the rise of trusts and monopolies.
c. Examine the influence of key inventions on U.S. infrastructure, including but not limited to the telegraph, telephone, and electric light bulb.
d. Describe Ellis and Angel Islands, the change in immigrants’ origins and their influence on the economy, politics, and culture of the United States.
e. Discuss the origins, growth, influence, and tactics of labor unions including the American Federation of Labor.
SSUSH12 Evaluate how westward expansion impacted the Plains Indians and fulfilled Manifest Destiny.
a. Examine the construction of the transcontinental railroad including the use of immigrant labor.
b. Evaluate how the growth of the western population and innovations in farming and ranching impacted Plains Indians.
c. Explain the Plains Indians’ resistance to western expansion of the United States and the consequences of their resistance.
SSUSH13 Evaluate efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era.
a. Describe the influence of muckrakers on affecting change by bringing attention to social problems.
b. Examine and explain the roles of women in reform movements.
c. Connect the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson to the expansion of Jim Crow laws and the formation of the NAACP.
d. Describe Progressive legislative actions including empowerment of the voter, labor laws, and the conservation movement.
SSUSH14 Explain America’s evolving relationship with the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
a. Describe how the Spanish-American War, war in the Philippines, and territorial expansion led to the debate over American imperialism.
b. Examine U.S. involvement in Latin America, as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the Panama Canal.
SSUSH15 Analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.
a. Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, including unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram.
b. Explain the domestic impact of World War I, including the origins of the Great Migration, the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene Debs.
c. Explain Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations.
SSUSH16 Investigate how political, economic, and cultural developments after WW I led to a shared national identity.
a. Explain how fears of rising communism and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.
b. Describe the effects of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments.
c. Examine how mass production and advertising led to increasing consumerism, including Henry Ford and the automobile.
d. Describe the impact of radio and movies as a unifying force in the national culture.
e. Describe the emergence of modern forms of cultural expression including the origins of jazz and the Harlem Renaissance.
SSUSH17 Analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression.
a. Describe the causes, including overproduction, underconsumption, and stock market speculation that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
b. Explain factors (include over-farming and climate) that led to the Dust Bowl and the resulting movement and migration west.
c. Explain the social and political impact of widespread unemployment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles.
SSUSH18 Evaluate Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response to the Great Depression and compare how governmental programs aided those in need.
a. Describe Roosevelt’s attempts at relief, recovery, and reform reflected in various New Deal programs.
b. Explain the passage of the Social Security Act as a part of the second New Deal.
c. Analyze political challenges to Roosevelt’s leadership and New Deal programs.
d. Examine how Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the First Lady including development of New Deal programs to aid those in need.
SSUSH19 Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, including the growth of the federal government.
a. Investigate the origins of U.S. involvement in the war including Lend-lease and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
b. Examine the Pacific Theater including the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, the Battle of Midway, Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bombs.
c. Examine the European Theater including difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, D-Day, and the Fall of Berlin.
d. Investigate the domestic impact of the war including war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, wartime conversion, and the role of women and African Americans or Blacks.
e. Examine Roosevelt’s use of executive powers including the integration of defense industries and the internment of Japanese-Americans.
SSUSH20 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions developed as a response to the Cold War including containment, the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the Korean War.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the G.I. Bill, Truman’s integration policies, McCarthyism, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, and Brown v. Board of Education.
c. Examine the influence of Sputnik on U.S. technological innovations and education.
SSUSH21 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including U.S. involvement in Cuba and the escalation of the war in Vietnam as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the passage of civil rights legislation and Johnson’s Great Society, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
c. Describe the impact of television on American culture including the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960), news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement, the moon landing, and the war in Vietnam.
d. Investigate the growth, influence, and tactics of civil rights groups, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Letter from Birmingham Jail, the I Have a Dream Speech, and Cesar Chavez.
e. Describe the social and political turmoil of 1968 including the reactions to assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet Offensive, and the presidential election.
SSUSH22 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including the opening of and establishment of diplomatic relations with China, the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the War Powers Act, the Camp David Accords, and Carter’s response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the emergence of the National Organization for Women, Nixon’s resignation due to the Watergate scandal, and his pardon by Ford.
SSUSH23 Assess the political, economic, and technological changes during the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations.
a. Analyze challenges faced by recent presidents including the collapse of the Soviet Union, Clinton’s impeachment, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the war against terrorism.
b. Examine economic policies of recent presidents including Reaganomics.
c. Examine the influence of technological changes on society including the personal computer, the Internet, and social media.
d. Examine the historic nature of the presidential election of 2008.
Alpharetta High School Common Syllabus