American History
High School
Social Studies
Course Description:
Following a review of the nation’s beginnings and the impact of the Enlightenment on U.S. democratic ideals, students build upon the study of global industrialization to understand the emergence and impact of new technology and a corporate economy, including the social and cultural effects. They trace the change in the ethnic composition of American society; the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities and women; and the role of the United States as a major world power. An emphasis is placed on the expanding role of the federal government and federal courts as well as the continuing tension between the individual and the state. Students consider the major social problems of our time and trace their causes in historical events. They learn that the United States has served as a model for other nations and that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are not accidents, but the results of a defined set of political principles that are not always basic to citizens of other countries. Students understand that our rights under the U.S. Constitution are a precious inheritance that depends on an educated citizenry for their preservation and protection.
Semester 1
Module: The Civil War
Module: Reconstruction 1864-1878
Module: Westward Expansion
Module: Industrialization 1868-1901
Module: Immigration and Urbanization 1876– 1917
Module: Progressivism 1888–1921
Module: U.S. Imperialism 1892–1918
Module: World War I 1913–1920
Module: The Roaring Twenties 1919–1929
Module: The Great Depression 1928–1934
Semester 2
Note: if the following section is blank the course is 1 semester long
Module: The New Deal 1932–1941
Module: World War II 1930–1946
Module: The Cold War 1944–1992
Module: The Postwar Boom 1945–1961
Module: An Era of Social Change 1959–1980
Module: Civil Rights 1953–2010
Module: The Vietnam War 1959–1976
Module: Transitions and Conservatism 1967–1992
Module: Into a New Millennium 1991–2015
Module: The United States in the 21st Century 1999–2016