NEWS FLASH
We have a new plan for learning in
US History!

 

ORIGINAL PLAN: 2nd SEMESTER

             

The Age of Empire

a.  From the League of Nations to the United Nations (America to the end of WWII)

                            How did the U.S. emerge as a global power?

              b.  The Cold War (1950’s)

                            What was the impact of fear on civil liberties, civil rights, and foreign policy?

              c.  The 1960’s through today

                            What are the roots of our current domestic issues in society?

                            What role does diversity and multiculturalism play in the U.S.?

                            The U.S. in the Global Village

What are the origins, and impact, of 9/11?   

                                          Where do we go from here?

 

REVISED PLAN: 2nd SEMESTER ~
PATTERNS IN AMERICAN THOUGHT AND BEHAVIOR

 

What: This new plan will ask you to focus on patterns in American thought and behavior. It is essential that, in your studies, you seek to understand how American thinking has changed over time but has followed clear patterns that explain where we are today. The idea is for you to draw connections between historical periods and to the present. You should also be able to draw connections between units. For example, you should be able to relate race relations and economic boom to WWII.

 

Why: I believe that structuring the remainder of the year in this fashion will be more intriguing and engaging, and this plan will better help you understand the relationship between the past and the present.

 

How: I will be working hard to bring as much of this content to you as possible. I think everything listed below is important, and deserves some attention. However, I cannot do it alone. To make this plan work will take some real commitment from you. You will have to bite the bullet and work hard in class, as well as do your homework. We will be dealing with sensitive issues, not often discussed adequately in history classes, and it is up to you to help make these issues real and relevant.

 

UNIT: Grappling with Diversity – The History of US Race and Gender Relations, Immigration/Nativism (about 4 weeks)

 

African American/White Race Relations

·        The fall of Reconstruction

·        Sundown Towns ~ Racial Violence and White Flight

·        1950s Awakenings

·        Civil Rights Movement

·        Black Panthers, Malcolm X

·        Current Issues

 

Native Americans

·        Dawes Act and Removal

·        Boarding Schools

·        Termination

·        Native Rights Movement

·        Current Local Issues

Immigration & Nativism

·        Immigration Waves, 1800s-present

·        Nativism and Xenophobia

·        Assimilation

 

Gender

·        Women of the 19th Century (review)

·        Women’s Suffrage Movement

·        Equal Rights Amendment

·        Current Gender Issues

 

UNIT: American Wars and Foreign Relations – Balancing Between Imperialism, Isolationism, Fear, and Global Dominance (about 4 weeks)

 

Group: Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, Overthrow of Hawaiian Monarchy

 

Group: WWI and WWII, Holocaust and Pacific Theater

 

Group: Cold War Hot Spots (Backdraft) ~ Korea, South America, Vietnam, Africa

 

Group: Middle East Relations and developments

 

Group: Fall of the Soviet Union to present

 

UNIT: Booms and Busts ~ How Americans Deal with the Economy (about 3 weeks)

 

Boom Times

·        The Roaring 20s

·        Post-WWII Era (Boom Generation)

·        The 1990s Technology Wave

 

Bust Times

·        The Great Depression

·        1970s Economic Crises (fuel shortages, stagflation)

·        1987 Black Monday

·        New Millennium Credit Crisis

 

FINAL (tentative): Describe a pattern in American thought/behavior. You may choose race relations, war, or the economy. Explain how this pattern can be seen today, either in practice (we’re still doing it) or as an effect (we’re still feeling it).