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Assignments!

I will be posting all assignments on this page from now on, so if you are not sure what the assignment for the next day is, check this site.  Click History Research for specifics about the research assignment including a list of Topics. 

There will be a quiz every Friday on the material covered during the week. The questions will be objective in nature, and the quiz will take less than half the period to complete. There will be a test at the end of each unit in the textbook which will consist of short answer and essay questions. You will also be required to write some essays out of class.  You will be responsible for checking the weekly assignments listed below on a regular basis.  Click the links in the Weekly Assignments section to see the objectives for each reading assignment.  Click on the link above each set of objectives to view a detailed outline of that material with links to further information.  Click on the chapter links such as Three Worlds Meet to access further resources for that chapter.  Research Links, a Crossword Puzzle, Flip Cards, and a Quiz are among the resources available for each chapter.  The use of these resources is optional but suggested.  However, you will be expected to do the reading assignments and identify the Terms and Names following them, as well as master the objectives, study the outline and access the links connected with each heading.  Keep all written work and handouts in your notebook.

The reading assignments are all taken from the textbook.  

The Americans - Table of Contents

The History Place 

Weekly Activities and Assignments

• September 18
  • The Crucible
• September 19
  • England and Its Colonies 3-1
    • Lecture/Discussion
  • The Crucible
• September 20
  • The Agricultural South 3-2
    • Lecture/Discussion
  • The Crucible
• September 21
  • The Commercial North 3-3
    • Lecture/Discussion
  • Assignment
    • Study for quiz on England and Its Colonies 3-1, The Agricultural South 3-2, The Commercial North 3-3, and The Crucible
• September 22
  • Quiz on England and Its Colonies 3-1, The Agricultural South 3-2, The Commercial North 3-3, and The Crucible
  • Current Events Game
• September 25
  • Review for test on American Beginnings
    • Chapters One, Two, and Three
  • Current Events
• September 26
  • Test on American Beginnings
    • Chapters One, Two, and Three

Basic Course Outline and Objectives

American Beginnings to 1783

Three Worlds Meet

Peopling the Americas

• Explain how ancient peoples arrived in America and settled there.
• Describe the diverse cultures that developed in North and South America.

North American Societies Around 1492

• Explain how the environment of North America provided for diverse societies.
• Identify some of the common aspects of Native American cultures in North America.

West African Societies Around 1492

• Explain how the arrival of Europeans in West Africa altered well established trading patterns.
• Summarize the accomplishments of the kingdoms of Songhai, Benin, and Congo.
• Describe life in West Africa and the role slavery played in these societies.

European Societies Around 1492

• Describe life in medieval Europe.
• Identify the forces that weakened the power of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Summarize the changes that helped expand the European world view.
• Explain how trade, travel, and technology combined to lead Europeans to the sea.

Transatlantic Encounters

• Identify reasons for Spanish exploration and colonization of the Caribbean.
• Evaluate the effects of contact between Europeans and Native Americans.
• Assess the impact of the Atlantic slave trade upon Africa and the Americas.
• Understand the importance of the Columbian Exchange.
• Discuss the consequences of the migration of people to the Americas from other countries.

The American Colonies Emerge

Spain's Empire in the Americas

• Describe how the Spanish conquered Native American peoples.
• Summarize Spanish exploration of the Americas.
• Summarize Native American resistance to Spanish rule.

An English Settlement at Jamestown

• Identify the obstacles facing the first English settlers in North America.
• Understand the factors that helped Jamestown to flourish.
• Contrast English and Spanish patterns of conquest.
• Describe the economic and social inequities that triggered Bacon's Rebellion.

Puritan New England

• Identify the motives that led the Puritans to New England.
• Summarize the principles of government established by the dissenters who fled to Rhode Island.
• Explain the conflicts between the English colonists and the Pequot and Wampanoag.

Settlement of the Middle Colonies

• Describe daily life in New Netherland.
• Explain the reasons for the social and religious diversity of colonial Pennsylvania.

The Colonies Come of Age

England and Its Colonies

• Explain the economic relationship between England and its American colonies.
• Describe how tensions arose between England and the colonies.
• Summarize how salutary neglect of the colonies after 1688 planted the seeds of self government.

The Agricultural South

• Trace the development of a plantation economy in the American South.
• Explain the way of life in the southern colonies.
• Describe the slave trade and the role of slavery in the plantation economy.
• Describe life for colonial slaves.

The Commercial North

• Trace the development of a varied and thriving economy in the North.
• Explain the diverse society of the North and the tensions that led to witchcraft trials in Salem.
• Summarize the influence of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening.

The French and Indian War

• Trace the development of the French-British colonial rivalry.
• Summarize the French and Indian War.
• Explain the war's effects on the relationship between Britain and its colonies.

The War for Independence

The Stirrings of Rebellion

• Summarize colonial resistance to British taxation.
• Trace the mounting tension in Massachusetts.
• Summarize the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Ideas Help Start a Revolution

• Examine efforts made to avoid bloodshed as the colonies hovered between war and peace.
• Summarize the philosophical and political ideas of the Declaration of Independence.
• Contrast the attitudes of Loyalists and Patriots.

Struggling Toward Saratoga

• Trace the progress of the war through the turning point at Saratoga and winter at Valley Forge.
• Examine the colonial economy and civilian life during the Revolution.

Winning the War

• Describe the war contributions of European allies.
• Trace the Revolution in the Southern colonies.
• Summarize the British surrender at Yorktown.
• Recognize the symbolic value of the Revolution.

A New Nation 1781 - 1850

Shaping A New Nation

Experimenting with Confederation

• Explain the differing ideas of republicanism.
• Identify three basic issues debated in drafting the Articles of Confederation.
• Describe the political and economic problems faced by the Confederation.

Drafting the Constitution

• Identify events that led nationalist leaders to call for a convention to strengthen the government.
• Summarize the key conflicts at the Constitutional Convention and explain how they were resolved.
• Describe the form of government established by the Constitution.

Ratifying the Constitution

• Contrast Federalist and Antifederalist arguments over ratification of the Constitution.
• Explain how and why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.

Launching the New Nation

Washington Heads the New Government

• Explain how the United States confronted the difficult task of forming a new government.
• Show how the political ideas of Hamilton and Jefferson differed.
• Describe how political differences evolved into a two party system.

Foreign Affairs Trouble the Nation

• Summarize the nation's developing foreign policy with France, Great Britain, and Spain.
• Explain how the United States dealt with Native American and with British interests west of the Appalachians.
• Identify some of the deep divisions between Federalists and Democratic Republicans.

Jefferson Alters the Nation's Course

• Identify some of the significant changes brought about during the early years of Jefferson's presidency.
• Provide examples of the declining power of the Federalists.
• Summarize the importance of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The War of 1812

• Explain the events that led to the War of 1812.
• Summarize the course of the War of 1812.

Balancing Sectionalism and Nationalism

Regional Economies Create Differences

• Describe the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the United States.
• Explain how two different economic systems developed in the North and the South.
• Summarize the American System and how it sought to unify the nation.

Nationalism at Center Stage

• Discuss how the federal government asserted its jurisdiction over state governments.
• Explain how foreign affairs were guided by national self interest.
• Summarize the issues that divided the country as the United States expanded its borders.

The Age of Jackson

• Describe the tension between Adams and Jackson; describe the expansion of suffrage.
• Explain Jackson's spoils system and his appeal to the common citizen.
• Summarize the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

States' Rights and the National Bank

• Explain how the protective tariff laws raised the issue of states' rights.
• Summarize how Jackson destroyed the Bank of the United States.
• Identify some of Jackson's economic policies and their impact on his successor. 

Reforming American Society

Recognize the causes and effects of the Second Great Awakening and understand the various social and labor reform movements that swept the nation during the first half of the 19th century.

Religion Sparks Reform

• Describe the new religious movements that swept the United States after 1790.
• Explain the new philosophy that offered an alternative to traditional religion.
• Characterize the nature of utopian communities.
• Describe the reforms demanded in schools, mental hospitals, and prisons.

Slavery and Abolition

• Identify some of the key abolitionists.
• Describe the experience of slaves in rural and urban areas.
• Summarize the slavery debate in the South.

Women and Reform

• Explain why women's opportunities were limited in the mid 1800s.
• Identify the reform movements in which women participated.
• Describe the progress of the expanding women's rights movements.

The Changing Workplace

• Demonstrate how new manufacturing techniques shifted the production of goods from home to factory.
• Describe the conditions female employees endured in factories.
• Summarize the attempts of factory workers to organize unions.

An Era of Growth and Disunion 1825 - 1877

Expanding Markets and Moving West

Understand the causes and consequences of western settlement and summarize the events surrounding the independence of Texas and the war with Mexico.

The Market Revolution

• Describe how industrialization and capitalism impacted the U.S. economy.
• Identify the inventions that enhanced people's lives and helped fuel the country's economic growth.
• Explain how improved transportation and communication systems helped to link America's regions and make them interdependent.

Manifest Destiny

• Summarize the reasons American settlers headed west during the mid 1800s.
• Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans.
• Identify the westward trails and some of the people who used them.

Expansion in Texas

• Explain why Mexico encouraged settlement in Texas.
• Describe how Texas gained its independence.

The War with Mexico

• Summarize the conflicting attitudes on waging war with Mexico.
• Describe key battles that helped the United States win the war with Mexico.
• Identify U.S. territories gained from Mexico.
• Explain the impact of the discovery of gold in California on the development of the West

The Union in Peril

Understand the conflict over slavery and other regional tensions that led to the Civil War.

The Divisive Politics of Slavery

• Describe the growing differences between the North and South in their economies and ways of life.
• Explain why the Wilmot Proviso failed to pass and why the issue of California statehood became so important.
• Analyze how the efforts of Clay, Webster and Douglas produced the Compromise of 1850 and a temporary halt to talk of secession.

Protest, Resistance, and Violence

• Describe the provisions of the Fugitive Slave Law and how abolitionists and the Underground Railroad succeeded in defying this law.
• Explain how Douglas's desire for a northern transcontinental railroad route helped destroy the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.
• Describe the violence that occurred in Kansas in the fight over establishing slavery in the territory.

The Birth of the Republican Party

• Identify the political parties that emerged as the North and South forged new political alliances.

• Explain the reasons that led voters to align with a particular party and why Buchanan won the election of 1856.

Slavery and Secession

• Explain the impact of the Dred Scott decision Lecomptom Constitution on the political crisis over slavery.

• Explain why Douglas believed that popular sovereignty was the key to eliminating slavery and why Lincoln believed Free-Soil legislation was required for voters to remove slavery.

• Describe the events at Harpers Ferry and their effect on the North and South.

• Describe the events that led to Lincoln's election and the establishment of the Confederate States of America.

The Civil War

Understand the military strategy, political struggle, outcome, and legacy of the Civil War.

The Civil War Begins

• Explain how the Civil War started.
• Explain Northern and Confederate shortsightedness about the duration of the war.
• Identify the Northern generals and their initial campaigns in the West.
• Describe new weapons and other changes in warfare.
• Explain Northern and Southern military strategies to capture their opponent's capital.

The Politics of War

• Explain why Britain remained neutral.
• Explain Lincoln's motives for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and the document's effects.
• Identify the political dilemmas facing the North and South.

Life During Wartime

• Explain African Americans' role in the struggle to end slavery.
• Explain the decline of the Southern economy and the expansion of the Northern economy.
• Describe the terrible conditions that Union and Confederate soldiers endured.

The North Takes Charge

• Describe the Battle of Gettysburg and its outcome.
• Describe Grant's siege of Vicksburg.
• Summarize the key points of the Gettysburg Address.
• Summarize the final events of the war leading to the surrender at Appomattox.

The Legacy of the War

• Summarize the key economic, political, technological, and social effects of the Civil War.
• Explain how the Civil War dramatically changed the lives of individuals, especially African Americans.

1877-1900
Changes on the Western Frontier

Native American Culture in Crisis

• Describe the culture of Native Americans living on the Great Plains.
• Contrast the cultures of Native Americans and white settlers and to explain why white settlers moved west.
• Identify restrictions imposed by the government on Native Americans and to describe the consequences.
• Summarize the continuing conflict between Native Americans and settlers moving west.
• Identify the government’s policy of assimilation.
• Summarize the causes and effects of the Battle of Wounded Knee.

The Growth of the Cattle Industry

• Trace the development of the cattle industry.
• Describe both the myth and the reality of the American cowboy.
• Explain the end of cattle ranching on the open plains.

Settling on the Great Plains

• Explain the rapid settlement of the Great Plains after they were opened for homesteading.
• Describe how early settlers met the challenges of surviving on the plains and transformed them into profitable farm land.

Farmers and the Populist Movement

• Identify the problems farmers faced and their cooperative efforts to solve them.
• Explain the rise and fall of the Populist Party.

1877-1900
A New Industrial Age

The Expansion of Industry

• Explain how the abundance of natural resources, new recovery and refining methods, and new uses for them led to intensive industrialization.
• Identify inventions that changed the way people lived and worked.

The Age of the Railroads

• Identify the role of the railroads in unifying the country.
• List positive and negative effects of railroads on the nation’s economy.
• Summarize reasons for, and outcomes of, the demand for railroad reform.

Big Business Emerges

• Identify management and business strategies that contributed to the success of business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie.
• Explain Social Darwinism and its effects on society.
• Cite methods used by ruthless businessmen to eliminate free competition.
• Describe the reasons for the slow industrialization of the south.

Workers of the Nation Unite

• Describe the exploitation of workers, including women and children.
• Summarize the emergence and growth of unions.
• Identify the various types of unions.
• Explain the violent reactions of industry and government to union strikes.
• Identify the influence of women in the labor movement.
• Describe the role of the government in opposing union activity.

1877-1912
Immigrants and Urbanization

The New Immigrants

• Summarize the various parts of the world from which immigrants came to the " golden door".
• Describe the journey immigrants endured and how they passed through the immigration stations.
• Explain the kinds of discrimination immigrants faced and the actions taken by nativists.

The Problems of Urbanization

• Describe the movement of immigrants to cities and the opportunities they found there.
• Explain how cities dealt with problems related to housing, transportation, water supply, sanitation, and fire and police protection.
• Describe some of the organizations and people who offered help to urban immigrants.

The Emergence of the Political Machine

• Explain the role of political machines and political bosses.
• Describe how politicians’ greed and fraud cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Politics in the Gilded Age

• Describe measures taken by Presidents Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur to reform the spoils system.
• Explain the positions taken by presidents Cleveland, Harrison, and McKinley on the tariff issue.

1877-1917
Life at the Turn of the Century

Science and Urban Life

• Describe technological advances and urban planning and their effects on turn-of-the-century city life.
• Summarize turn-of-the-century advances in communications.

Education and Culture

• Trace the expansion of public education at the turn of the century.
• Summarize the educational opportunities open for immigrants.
• Describe the expansion of higher education.
• Show how expanding education enhanced American culture.

Segregation and Discrimination

• Trace the development of legal discrimination against African Americans in the South and their struggle against it.
• Summarize turn-of-the-century race relations in the North as well as in the South.
• Identify discrimination against Mexican Americans, Chinese Americans, and others in the American West.

Dawn of Mass Culture

• Give examples of turn-of-the-century popular sports and other leisure activities.
• Describe turn-of-the-century trends in music and the performing arts.
• Summarize the growing circulation of newspapers.
• Describe turn-of-the-century innovations in marketing and advertising.

1890-1920
The Progressive Era

The Origins of Progressivism

• Explain the four goals of progressivism.
• Summarize progressive efforts to clean up local government.
• Identify progressive efforts to clean up state government, protect workers, and reform elections.

Women in Public Life

• Trace women’s growing presence in the turn-of-the-century work force.
• Summarize women’s leadership in reform movements and the effort to achieve woman suffrage.

Teddy Roosevelt's Square Deal

• Trace the events of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.
• Show how Roosevelt used the power of his office to regulate business.
• Identify laws passed to protect citizens’ healthy and preserve the environment.
• Summarize Roosevelt’s stand on civil rights.

Progressivism Under Taft

• Summarize the Taft presidency.
• Trace the division in the Republican party.
• Describe the election of 1912.

Wilson's New Freedom

• Describe Woodrow Wilson’s background and the progressive reforms of his presidency.
• Explain the steps leading to woman suffrage.
• Sum up the limits of Wilson’s progressivism.

1890-1920
America Claims an Empire

Imperialism and America

• Summarize the causes and effects of European and Asian imperialism.
• Identify factors that influenced American imperialism.
• Explain how the United States acquired Hawaii.

The Spanish-American-Cuban War

• Contrast American opinions regarding the Cuban revolt against Spain.
• Identify events that escalated conflict between the United States and Spain.
• Describe the course of the Spanish-American-Cuban War and its results.

Acquiring New Lands

• Describe U.S. involvement in Puerto Rico.
• Explain how the United States maintained political control over Cuba.
• Identify causes and effects of the Philippine-American War.
• Explain the purpose of the Open Door Policy in China.
• Summarize opposing views regarding U.S. imperialism.

America as a World Power

• Explain how Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy promoted American power around the world.
• Describe how Woodrow Wilson’s missionary diplomacy ensured U.S. dominance in Latin America.

1914-1920
The First World War

World War I Begins

• Identify the four long-term causes of the First World War.
• Explain the circumstances that led to the war.
• Describe the slaughter of the first two years of the war.
• Summarize public opinion about the war in the United States.
• Explain why the United States entered the war.

American Power Tips the Balance

• Describe how the United States mobilized for war.
• Summarize American success on the war front.
• Identify the new weapons and the medical problems faced in World War I.
• Assess the impact of the war on the key participating nations.

The War at Home

• Explain how business and government cooperated during the war.
• Show how the government sold the war to the public.
• Describe the attacks on civil liberties that erupted once war was declared.
• Summarize the social changes that occurred among African Americans and women as a result of the war.

Wilson Fights for Peace

• Summarize Wilson’s Fourteen Points.
• Describe the Treaty of Versailles and international and domestic reaction to it.
• Explain some of the consequences of the war.

1920-1929
Politics of the Roaring Twenties

Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

• Summarize the reaction in the United States to the perceived threat of communism.
• Describe some of the conflicts between labor and management after the war.

"Normalcy" and Isolationism

• Describe Harding’s efforts to return the United States to normalcy after the progressive era reforms.
• Summarize the immigration policy pursued by the United States in the 1920s.
• Identify the scandals that plagued Harding’s administration.

The Business of America

• Summarize the impact of the automobile and other consumer goods on Americans’ lifestyle.
• Explain in what ways the country’s prosperity was superficial.

1920-1929
The Roaring Life of the 1920s

Changing Ways of Life

• Explain how urbanization created a new way of life that often clashed with the values of the traditional American rural society.
• Describe the controversy over the role of science and religion in American education and society in the 1920s.

The Twenties Woman

• Explain how the image of the flapper embodied the changing values and attitudes of young women in the 1920s.
• Identify the causes and results of the changing roles of women in the 1920s.

Education and Popular Culture

• Explain how schools and mass media influenced American culture in the 1920s.
• Identify the athletes, celebrities, artists, and writers who contributed to American popular culture in the 1920s.

The Harlem Renaissance

• Identify the causes and results of the migration of African Americans to Northern cities in the early 1900s.
• Describe the outburst of African-American artistic activity that became known as the Harlem Renaissance.

1929-1933
The Roaring Life of the 1920s

The Nation's Sick Economy

• Summarize some of the problems threatening the American economy in the late 1920s.
• Describe the causes of the stock market crash and of the Great Depression.
• Explain how the Great Depression affected the economy in the United States and throughout the world.

Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

• Describe how people struggled to survive during the Depression.
• Explain how the Depression affected men, women, and children.

Hoover Struggles with the Depression

• Explain Hoover’s initial response to the Depression.
• Describe some of the measures Hoover took to help the economy and ease people’s suffering.

1933-1940
The New Deal

A New Deal Fights the Depression

• Summarize some of the steps Roosevelt took early in his presidency to reform banking and finance.
• Describe New Deal programs that provided relief to farmers and other workers.
• Identify critics of Roosevelt and his New Deal policies.

The Second New Deal Takes Hold

• Describe the purpose of the Second New Deal.
• Summarize some of the programs of the Second New Deal that helped farmers.
• Describe Second New Deal programs that helped youths, professionals, and others.
• Summarize labor and economic reforms carried out under the Second New Deal.

The New Deal Affects Many Groups

• Describe how New Deal programs affected women.
• Characterize the Roosevelt administration’s attitude toward African Americans.
• Summarize the treatment of Mexican Americans.
• Describe how Native Americans fared under the New Deal.
• Identify the groups that formed a New Deal Coalition.

Society and Culture

• Describe the entertainment provided by motion pictures and radio.
• Identify some of the artists and writers of the New Deal era.

The Impact of the New Deal

• Summarize opinions about the effectiveness of the New Deal.
• Describe the legacies of the New Deal.

1931-1941
World War Looms

Dictators Threaten World Peace

• Characterize the governments that took power in Russia, Italy, Germany, and Japan after World War I.
• Describe America’s return to isolationism in the 1930s.

War in Europe

• Explain Germany’s motives for expansion and the timid response of France and Britain.
• Describe Germany’s blitzkrieg tactics against Poland.
• Summarize the first battles of World War II.

The Holocaust

• Explain the reasons behind the Nazis’ persecution of Jews and the problems facing Jewish refugees.
• Describe the Nazis’ "final solution" to the Jewish problem and the horrors of the Holocaust.

America Moves Toward War

• Describe the response of the United States to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939.
• Show how Roosevelt assisted the allies without declaring war.
• Summarize the events that brought the United States into armed conflict with Germany.
• Characterize the American response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

1941-1945
The United States in World War II

Mobilization on the Home Front

• Explain how the United States expanded its armed forces in response to America’s entry into World War II.
• Describe the wartime mobilization of industry, labor, scientists, and the media.
• Characterize the efforts of the federal government to control the economy and deal with alleged subversion.

The War for Europe and North Africa

• Summarize the Allies’ plans for winning the war.
• Identify events in the war in Europe.
• Describe the liberation of Europe.

The War in the Pacific

• Identify key turning points in the war in the Pacific.
• Explain the development of and the debates concerning use of the atomic bomb.
• Describe the challenges faced by the Allies in building a just and lasting postwar peace.

The Impact of the War

• Describe the economic and social changes that reshaped American life during World War II.
• Summarize both the opportunities and the discrimination African Americans and other minorities experience during the war.

1945-1960
Cold War Conflicts

Origins of the Cold War

• Explain the breakdown of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II.
• Summarize the steps the United States took to contain Soviet influence as tensions increased.
• Describe how the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan further defined and deepened the Cold War in Europe.
• Explain how conflicts over Germany increased fear of Soviet aggression.

The Cold War Heats Up

• Explain how Communists came to power in China and how the United States reacted.
• Summarize the events of the Korean War.
• Explain the conflict between President Truman and General MacArthur.

• Summarize government efforts to investigate the loyalty of U.S. citizens.
• Explain the spy cases of Alger Hiss and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
• Describe the efforts of Joseph McCarthy to purge the nation of communism.

Two Nations Live on the Edge

• Explain the policy of brinkmanship.
• Describe the U.S. and Soviet actions that caused the Cold War to spread around the world.
• Summarize the impact of Sputnik and the U-2 incident on the United States.

1946-1960
The Postwar Boom

Postwar America

• Identify economic and social problems American faced after World War II.
• Explain how the desire for stability led to political conservatism.
• Describe the causes and effects of social unrest in the postwar period.
• Contrast domestic policy under Truman and Eisenhower.

The American Dream in the Fifties

• Explain how changes in business affected workers.
• Describe the suburban lifestyle of the 1950s.
• Identify causes and effects of the automobile industry boom.
• Explain the increase in consumerism in the 1950s.

Popular Culture

• Explain how television programs in the 1950s reflected middle-class values.
• Explain how the beat movement and rock ‘n’ roll music clashed with middle-class values.
• Describe ways that African-American entertainment integrated the media in the 1950s.

The Other America

• Explain how the white migration to suburbs created an urban crisis.
• Describe the attempts of minorities to relieve poverty and gain equal rights.

1960-1968
The New Frontier and the Great Society

Kennedy and the Cold War

• Identify the factors that contributed to Kennedy’s election in 1960.
• Summarize the crises that developed over Cuba.
• Show how Berlin symbolized the Cold War tensions of the early 1960s.

The New Frontier

• Explain the public’s fascination with Kennedy and the first family.
• Summarize the domestic and foreign agenda of Kennedy’s New Frontier.
• Describe the tragic and controversial chain of events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination.

The Great Society

• Describe the political experience, ambition, and drive that led Johnson to the White House.
• Explain Johnson’s efforts to pass Kennedy’s civil rights and tax-cut bills.
• Summarize the goals of Johnson’s Great Society.
• Identify the reforms of the Warren Court.
• Evaluate the impact of Great Society programs.

1954-1970
Civil Rights

Taking On Segregation

• Explain how legalized segregation deprived African Americans of their rights as citizens.
• Describe NAACP’s legal challenges to the Piessy decision.
• Describe the divided reaction to the Brown decision.
• Trace the development of the Montgomery bus boycott.
• Explain the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther Kind, Jr., and his role with SCLC.
• Summarize the role young people played in the civil rights movement.

The Triumphs of a Crusade

• Identify the goal of the freedom riders.
• Explain how civil rights activism forced President Kennedy to act against segregation.
• State the motives behind the 1963 March on Washington.
• Describe how civil rights organizers tried to secure passage of a voting rights act.

Challenges and Changes in the Movement

• Compare segregation in the North with segregation in the South.
• Name leaders who shaped the Black Power movement.
• Describe reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Summarize the accomplishments of the civil rights movement.

1954-1975
The Vietnam Years

Moving Toward Conflict

• Summarize Vietnam’s history as a French colony and its struggle for independence.
• Examine how the United States became involved in the Vietnam conflict.
• Describe the expansion of U.S. military involvement under President Johnson.

U. S. Involvement and Escalation

• Explain the reasons for the escalation of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
• Describe the military tactics and weapons of the Vietcong and the U.S. forces.
• Explain the impact of the war on American society.

A Nation Divided

• Explain the draft policies that led to the Vietnam War becoming a working-class war.
• Trace the roots of opposition to the war.
• Describe the antiwar movement and the growing divisions in U.S. public opinion about the war.

1968: A Tumultuous Year

• Describe the Tet offensive and its effects in American public opinion.
• Explain the domestic turbulence of 1968.
• Describe the 1968 presidential election.

The End of the War and Its Legacy

• Describe Nixon’s policy of Vietnamization.
• Explain the public’s reaction to the Vietnam War during Nixon’s presidency.
• Trace the end of U.S. involvement and the final outcome in Vietnam.
• Examine the war’s painful legacy in the United States and Southeast Asia.

1960-1975
An Era of Social Change

Latinos and Native Americans Seek Equality

• Describe the growth and diversity of the Latino population in the United States during the 1960s.
• Summarize the efforts of Latinos to secure their civil rights and promote respect for their cultural heritage.
• Characterize the efforts of Native Americans to secure a number of reforms from the U.S. government.

Women Fight for Equality

• Identify the factors that led to the rise of the women’s movement during the 1960s.
• Describe some of the gains and losses of the women’s movement in the early years.
• Summarize the enduring legacy of the women’s movement in employment, education, and politics.

Culture and Counterculture

• Describe the flowering and decline of the counterculture in the 1960s.
• Summarize the impact of the countercultures on art, fashion, music, and attitudes.

1968-1980
An Age of Limits

The Nixon Administration

• Summarize Richard Nixon’s plans to lead the nation on a more conservative course.
• Describe how Nixon tried to win the support of Southern Democrats.
• List the steps Nixon took to battle stagflation.
• Explain the importance of Nixon’s visits to China and the Soviet Union.

Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

• Explain how Nixon and his advisors sought to increase the power of the presidency.
• Summarize why the Watergate burglary occurred and why the Nixon administration covered it up.
• Describe how the Watergate cover-up unraveled.
• Explain why a House committee voted to impeach Nixon and what effect the Watergate scandal had on the country.

The Ford and Carter Years

	Describe Gerald Ford’s attempts to combat the nation’s economic problems.
	Explain the reasons for Jimmy Carter’s presidential election in 1976.
	Identify the ways Carter tried to solve the nation’s economic downsizing.
	Describe Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy beliefs and their effect on U.S. foreign relations.
	Summarize Carter’s foreign policy triumphs and defeats in the Middle East.

Environmental Activism

• Summarize the origins of the environmental movement.
• Identify key environmental issues in the 1970s.
• Explain the goals of the continuing environmental movement.

1980-1992
The Conservative Tide

A Conservative Movement Emerges

• Identify the reasons for the nation’s swing toward conservative values.
• Describe the emergence of Reagan and Bush as conservative leaders.
• List the major goals of the conservative movement.

Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush

• Summarize Reagan’s economic programs.
• Describe the changes that occurred in the makeup and decisions of the Supreme Court.
• Identify results of federal deregulation of the savings and loan industry and of the Environmental Protection Agency.

American Society in a Conservative Age

• Identify national concerns about health issues, drug use, education, and the crisis of the cities.
• Summarize political, economic, and social gains achieved by women.
• Describe how conservative policies affected minority groups.

Changes in America's Foreign Policy

	Identify changes in the Communist world that brought about an end of the Cold War.
	Summarize U.S. actions taken to influence Central American and Caribbean affairs.
	Trace the events leading to the Iran-Contra scandal and to analyze U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War.

1992-1997
The United States in Today’s World

The Clinton Presidency

• Summarize the issues of the 1992 presidential campaign.
• Describe Clinton’s stand on domestic and international issues.
• Identify the effects of the Republican control of Congress.
• Summarize the results of the 1996 election.

The New Global Economy

• Describe changes in the American workplace.
• Explain increased competition for domestic and international markets.

Technology and Modern Life

• Describe the explosive growth of communications technology and governmental regulations for the industry.
• Identify specific uses of technological advances.
• Summarize advances in technology that help to protect the environment.

The Changing Face of America

	Identify causes of the flight to the suburbs and the consequences of suburban growth.
	Summarize reasons for, and the impact of, the rise of the elderly population.
	Describe changing migration patterns and U.S. immigration policies.
	List challenges and opportunities for Americans as they move into the next century.

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