United States History

 

In U.S. History, students explore the evolution of the American identity and its role in the global community as they learn about the industrialization, consolidation, and corporatization of the United States; foreign policy from imperialism to intervention in World War I; economic prosperity and decline between the world wars; the re-assertion of American exceptionalism following World War II and during the Cold War; and the shifting role of the United States in the increasingly intertwined modern global community. 

 

NOTE to students and parents:  A student's LEAP 2025 score in US History is 30% of their FINAL GRADE.

 

 

Students will:

 

• Develop and effectively express valid claims that provide cohesive and in-depth explanations of the connections, and relationships among ideas, people, and events within or across time and place.
• Use well-chosen evidence from primary and secondary sources and thorough knowledge from the course to respond to questions about U.S. history content and concepts.
• Synthesize knowledge from the course with information provided in the sources to make sophisticated connections that show the interrelationships among U.S. history themes.

 

 

 

Standard 2: Western Expansion to Progressivism

 

1. Evaluate the social, political, and economic antagonism that existed between ethnic and cultural groups as a result of westward expansion.

 

2. Analyze economic changes that occurred on the western frontier and political, social, and economic problems encountered by farmers, and critique solutions developed by the Populist movement.

 

3. Evaluate the government’s laissez-faire policies, innovations in technology and transportation, and changes in business organization that led to the growth of an industrial economy.

 

4. Evaluate the government’s response to the challenges associated with immigration, urbanization, and rapid industrialization.

 

5. Evaluate the attempts by labor unions and the growing labor force to improve working conditions.

 

6. Analyze the influence of muckrakers, political leaders, and intellectuals on the Progressive movement, and evaluate the movement’s successes and failures.

 

 

Standard 3: Isolationism through the Great War

 

1. Evaluate the causes of U.S. imperialistic policies and analyze both immediate and long-term consequences upon other regions and acquired territories.

 

2. Evaluate the reasons for U.S. entry into World War I and analyze ways the U.S. government financed the war, managed the economy, and directed public support for the war effort.

 

3. Evaluate the influence of key military leaders, innovations in military technology, and major events on the outcome of World War I.

 

4. Evaluate the goals of political leaders at the Paris Peace Conference and the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles.

 

 

 

Standard 4: Becoming a World Power through World War II

 

1. Analyze population shifts, artistic movements, Prohibition, and the women’s movement of the Roaring Twenties and how each was a reflection of and a reaction to changes in American society.

 

2. Evaluate the economic policies, attacks on civil liberties, and presidential administrations of the 1920s and how each reflected a return to isolationism.

 

3. Analyze the impact of major technological innovations and scientific theories of the 1920s on American society.

 

4. Evaluate the responses of the Hoover and Roosevelt administrations to the Great Depression and analyze the social, economic, and political impact of key New Deal programs on the United States.

 

5. Evaluate the reasons for U.S. entry into the war and analyze ways the U.S. government financed the war, managed the economy, and encouraged public support for the war effort.

 

6. Analyze the change in social status of minority groups and women as a result of their role on the home front and in the military during World War II.

 

7. Evaluate major events, turning points, and key strategic decisions of leaders during World War II and the effects of each on the outcome of the war and the beginning of the Cold War.

 

 

 

Standard 5 and Standard 6: Cold War Era and The Modern Age

 

1. Evaluate U.S. domestic and foreign policy of the Cold War during the 1940s and 1950s and the attempts of these policies to contain the spread of communism.

 

2. Evaluate the influence of escalating Cold War tensions on domestic and foreign events and policies of the 1960s and 1970s.

 

3. Analyze the changes caused by post-war social movements and the Civil Rights movement and evaluate the methods used by the leaders, the effectiveness of legislation, and the impact of key events.

 

4. Analyze the relationship among leaders’ personalities, events, and policies and their combined influence on bringing about an end to the Cold War.

 

5. Analyze the influence of the domestic policies of post-Cold War presidencies.

 

6. Analyze advances in medicine, technology, and the media during the modern era and how each has altered society.

 

7. Analyze relationships between the United States and Middle Eastern countries and interactions that have defined the image of the United States in the region over time.

 

8. Analyze events that changed the American people’s perceptions of government over time.

 

9. Analyze landmark Supreme Court decisions from the Warren Court to the present and related ideologies and evaluate the impact of the decisions on political and social institutions.

 

10. Evaluate the rise in domestic and foreign terrorism and its effects on America’s way of life.