COURSE OVERVIEW The U.S. History course is centered on the belief that Historical events have social, economic, and political consequences Given this assertion, the emphasis of the course becomes the relationship among historical events rather than a chronological study of isolated events or people. The scope and sequence of the course is designed to highlight themes, processes, and causal relationships between events in order to communicate that history is a process of continuity as well as change. Utilizing this approach, coupled with a variety of instructional methods and learning strategies will result in an increased ability to recognize and analyze the connection between historical events and present circumstances and conditions. The National Council of the Social Studies (NCSS) validates the thematic approach through its own ten thematic strands of social studies and the goal of adopting common and multiple perspectives on historical events. PearsonSchool.com 800-848-9500 Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved
MODULE Module 1: The Birth and Development of the Republic Lesson 1: The American Revolution Essential Question: What caused the American Revolution? Lesson 2: Writing a Constitution Essential Question: How did debates between the writers of the Constitution shape the final product? Lesson 3: The Nation Expands (1800 1823) Essential Question: What made the U.S. expansion possible in the first two decades of the nineteenth century? Lesson 4: Jackson and Growth of Democracy Essential Question: What made Andrew Jackson s presidency so different from those who preceded him? Lesson 5: The Rise of Sectionalism Essential Question: What social and economic factors divided the North and South in the years leading up to the Civil War? Lesson 6: The Sparks of Civil War Essential Question: What caused the Civil War? Module 2: The Civil War and Reconstruction Lesson 1: A House Divided Essential Question: Was the Emancipation Proclamation just a political tool? Lesson 2: Brother Against Brother Essential Question: Did the Civil War settle sectional tension? Lesson 3: Amending the Issue Essential Question: How did the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments change the nation? Lesson 4: Rebuilding a Nation Essential Question: Did Reconstruction make matters better or worse for the North and South? Lesson 5: The Southern Response Essential Question: Did life really change for African Americans after the Civil War? Lesson 6: The Unfinished Battle Essential Question: What impact did Reconstruction and the Civil War really have?
Module 3: The Gilded Age Lesson 1: A New America Essential Question: How did technology forever change the nation? Lesson 2: The Western Identity Essential Question: How did western expansion change American culture? Lesson 3: The American Dream Essential Question: What lasting impacts did immigration have? Lesson 4: Laboring the Issue Essential Question: How did the growing economic divide reflect social philosophies? Lesson 5: The Politics of Corruption Essential Question: What allowed political corruption to dominate Washington, D. C.? Lesson 6: Putting it All Together Essential Question: What lasting impact did the Gilded Age have on our nation? Module 4: A New America Lesson 1: American Imperialism Essential Question: What makes American imperialism different from other forms of imperialism? Lesson 2: The Two Lives of Teddy Roosevelt Essential Question: Did Theodore Roosevelt have more impact on domestic or international issues? Lesson 3: The Progressive Era Essential Question: How did Progressivism change America? Lesson 4: The Early Days of World War I Essential Question: Why did the world go to war? Lesson 5: The War to End All Wars Essential Question: Why did Americans reject Wilson's peace proposals? Lesson 6: The Coming Roar Essential Question: What happened to Progressivism?
Module 5: The Roaring Twenties Lesson 1: A Return to Normalcy Essential Question: Why did America reject Progressivism? Lesson 2: The Modern Woman Essential Question: Why did women's rights take off during the 1920s? Lesson 3: The Renaissance Essential Question: How did Reconstruction lead to the development of jazz? Lesson 4: Mass Culture Essential Question: How did mass communication change America's identity? Lesson 5: The Business of America Essential Question: Why didn't politicians prevent the Great Depression? Lesson 6: Putting It All Together Essential Question: What essential answers can be taken from this period? Module 6: The Great Depression Lesson 1: The Crash Essential Question: How could such a powerful economy collapse? Lesson 2: Life in the Hoover Years Essential Question: How did the stock market collapse affect society? Lesson 3: Hoover's Response Essential Question: Was the public right to blame Hoover for the Depression? Lesson 4: FDR's First 100 Days Essential Question: Did Franklin Roosevelt s election signal a radical change? Lesson 5: A Second New Deal Essential Question: Does any part of the New Deal still exist? Lesson 6: FDR Falters Essential Question: Why did the public finally lose absolute faith in Franklin Roosevelt?
7: World War II Lesson 1: Laying the Groundwork Essential Question: Could the war have been prevented? Lesson 2: America and the Coming War Essential Question: Why didn't the U.S. react sooner to the crises in Asia and Europe? Lesson 3: War Begins Essential Question: How long could the British and Soviets resist the Nazis alone? Lesson 4: The European Theater Essential Question: When did Allied victory against Germany and Italy become certain? Lesson 5: The Pacific Theater Essential Question: How did the fight against Japan differ from the fight against Italy and Germany? Lesson 6: A Post-War World Essential Question: How did the post-war division of the world contribute to the coming Cold War? 8: The Truman Years Lesson 1: The Allies Victorious Essential Question: How did the Cold War develop as a result of World War II's aftermath? Lesson 2: Truman Versus Stalin Essential Question: Did the Truman Doctrine lay the groundwork for future stability or future strife? Lesson 3: The Cold War Essential Question: What is the nature of the Cold War? Lesson 4: The Truman Presidency Essential Question: Overall, how does Harry Truman rank against other U.S. presidents? Lesson 5: The Korean War Essential Question: How can a war in Korea reflect the underlying tension between Soviets and Americans? Lesson 6: The Truman Years Essential Question: What lessons are to be learned by studying the outbreak of the Cold War? 9: Eisenhower to Kennedy Lesson 1: McCarthyism Essential Question: How could America sink into Red Scare hysterics? Lesson 2: Atomic Arms Race Essential Question: How did the arms race develop?
Lesson 3: The New American Prosperity Essential Question: How did economic prosperity alter the national landscape? Lesson 4: The Birth of the Teen Essential Question: Why did teen culture develop in the 1950s? Lesson 5: JFK Essential Question: Why does the election of 1960 symbolize changing America? Lesson 6: The Kennedy Years Essential Question: What is President Kennedy's real legacy? 10: A Turbulent Decade Lesson 1: From JFK to LBJ Essential Question: How did Kennedy's assassination impact Johnson s presidency? Lesson 2: Vietnam Essential Question: Why was the Vietnam War so divisive? Lesson 3: The Counter Culture Essential Question: What factors influenced the development of the counter culture movement? Lesson 4: The Movement Generation Essential Question: Why did the Sixties inspire an explosion in civil rights and environmentalism? Lesson 5: The End of the Revolution Essential Question: What is the legacy of the Sixties? Lesson 6: The Turbulent Decade Essential Question: How will future generations interpret the Sixties? 11: The Civil Rights Movement Lesson 1: Post-War Life Essential Question: How did the Great Depression and WWII contribute to the Civil Rights Movement? Lesson 2: The Early Civil Rights Era Essential Question: Why did the 1950s become a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement? Lesson 3: Into a New Decade Essential Question: What relationship did the Civil Rights Movement have to the counter-culture movement? Lesson 4: Gaining Ground Essential Question: What role did established politicians play in the Civil Rights Movement?
Lesson 5: Resistance and Revolution Essential Question: Why did the Civil Rights Movement take a harder edge in the mid- to late 1960s? Lesson 6: The Movement Continues Essential Question: How does the modern Civil Rights Movement compare to the movement in its heyday? 12: Contemporary America Lesson 1: Richard Nixon Essential Question: What makes Richard Nixon a tragic figure in American politics? Lesson 2: The Stagnant Seventies Essential Question: Why did the American people begin to reject New Deal-style politics? Lesson 3: The Reagan Years Essential Question: How is Ronald Reagan symbolic of the end of the Roosevelt-era of policy? Lesson 4: The First Bush Years Essential Question: Why did the Cold War come to an end? Lesson 5: The Clinton Years Essential Question: What made Bill Clinton a new type of Democratic president? Lesson 6: The Unfinished Nation Essential Question: How will contemporary events shape my future?