Overview:  How did the end of the Cold War and the rise of globalization reshape American identity, power, and priorities in the 1980s and 1990s?

This unit will explore the dramatic transformations the United States underwent from the 1980s through the 1990s. Students will delve into a period marked by economic shifts, social movements, technological advancements, and the end of the Cold War.  

The US emerged from the shadow of the Cold War as a triumphant superpower, but the world it faced was vastly different. President Reagan's economic policies, dubbed "Reaganomics," emphasized deregulation and tax cuts, fueling growth but also widening income inequality. The "Sunbelt," a region in the South and West, boomed, attracting people and businesses. Yet, social issues like the devastating HIV/AIDS crisis demanded urgent attention.

Students will explore the impacts of the Berlin Wall's crumbling in 1989, marking a symbolic end to the Cold War. Soviet leader Gorbachev's reforms, "Glasnost" and "Perestroika," aimed for openness and economic restructuring, but ultimately led to the USSR's collapse. The US, however, faced new challenges. The Persian Gulf War saw American forces liberate Kuwait from Iraqi invasion, highlighting the nation's military might.

Technological innovation exploded with the rise of personal computers and the World Wide Web, forever changing communication, commerce, and access to information. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) symbolized a new era of globalization, where economies and cultures became increasingly interconnected. This period also witnessed the "Dot-com Boom," a surge in internet-based companies, before a spectacular bubble burst. By examining these trends and events, students will gain a deeper understanding of how the US navigated a period of dramatic change, triumph, and uncertainty.

The highlighted evidence outcomes are the priority for all students, serving as the essential concepts and skills. It is recommended that the remaining evidence outcomes listed be addressed as time allows, representing the full breadth of the curriculum.

Students Can (Evidence Outcomes):

• Formulate compelling and supporting questions after evaluating primary sources for point of view and historical context. (1.1.a)

• Gather and analyze historical information to address questions from a range of primary and secondary sources containing a variety of perspectives. For example: Perspectives of historically underrepresented groups. (1.1.b)

• Gather and analyze historical information from a range of qualitative and quantitative sources. For example: Demographic, economic, social, and political data. (1.1.c)

• Construct and defend a historical argument that evaluates interpretations by analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing evidence from a wide range of relevant historical sources. (1.1.d)

• Analyze continuity and change over the course of United States history. Including but not limited to: The expansion and limitations of rights, the balance between liberty and security, shifts in internationalist and isolationist policies, debates over the role of government, and the impacts of expansionist policies. (1.2.a)

• Investigate causes and effects of significant events throughout United States history. For example: World and national conflicts (e.g., Spanish American War, the continued conflict over Indigenous lands, and the Tulsa Massacre), urbanization and suburbanization (e.g., Great Migration and Levittown), economic cycles (e.g., The Great Depression and the 2008 Great Recession), and both popular and counterculture movements. (1.2.b)

• Examine and evaluate issues of unity and diversity from Reconstruction to present. For example: The systemic impact of racism and nativism (e.g., Jim Crow, affirmative action, and mass incarceration), the definition and role of patriotism, expansion and limitations of rights, and the role of religion. (1.2.d)

• Evaluate the historical development and impact of political thought, theory, and actions. For example: Shifts in the platforms of political parties, expansion and limitations of suffrage, and the impact of various reform and socio-cultural movements. (1.2.f)

• Analyze how opposing perspectives, compromise, and cooperation have shaped national unity and diversity. For example: The rights and contributions of diverse groups and individuals, including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ individuals, women, immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and ethnic and religious minorities, and the role of organizations and government in advancing these rights (e.g., NAACP, American Indian Movement, and United Farm Workers). (1.2.g)

• Analyze and evaluate ideas critical to the understanding of American history. Including but not limited to: populism, progressivism, isolationism, imperialism, capitalism, racism, extremism, nationalism, patriotism, anti-communism, environmentalism, liberalism, fundamentalism, and conservatism. (1.2.h)