Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
United States History Year-Long Overview
Students in social studies should explore key questions through multiple sources to develop claims about
social studies content. As such, teachers must create instructional opportunities that delve deeply into
content and guide students in developing and supporting claims about social studies concepts.
US History Content Focus
 Evolution of U.S. domestic and foreign policy
 Transformation of society
 Change of equality and citizenship in the United
States
US History Claims
 What are the causal relationships between events in U.S.
history?
 How have the United States’ interactions with other
nations changed over time?
 How has society been impacted by geography, historical
events, politics, and the economy?
 To what degree have the ideals of the United States’
founding documents come to fruition?
Content: Students develop a deep understanding of the history of the United States from Western Expansion
to the Modern Age. They understand how democratic foundations have influenced the current political
system, domestic and foreign policy, and society as a whole. By analyzing significant historical periods and the
nation’s responses, students explain how society, the environment, the political and economic landscape, and
historical events influence perspectives, values, traditions, and ideas. To accomplish this, they:
 Use key questions to build understanding of content through multiple sources
 Corroborate sources and evaluate evidence by considering author, occasion, and purpose
Claims: Students develop and express claims through discussions and writing which examine the impact of
relationships between ideas, people, and events across time and place. Students evaluate primary and
secondary sources to deepen their understanding and to support their own claims about the content of U.S.
history. To accomplish this, they
 Recognize recurring themes and patterns in history, geography, economics, and civics
 Evaluate the causes and consequences of events and developments
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Sample Scope and Sequence
Unit 1
Westward
Expansion
through the
Progressive Era
AugustMid-September
GLEs1: US.1.1-5,
US.2.1-8
1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Foreign Policy
Roaring Twenties
through the Great and Great
War
Depression
World War II
The Cold War
Changes,
Challenges, and
Advances
Mid-SeptemberOctober
GLEs: US.1.1-5,
US.3.1-6
January
FebruaryMid-March
GLEs: US.1.1-5,
US.5.1-2, US.5.5
Mid-MarchMay
GLEs: US.1.1-5,
US.5.3-5,
US.6.1-6
NovemberDecember
GLEs: US.1.1-5,
US.4.1-5
GLEs: US.1.1-5,
US.4.6-10
Unit 6
Note: The GLEs apply to every unit as they describe the historical thinking skills students should use to learn and
demonstrate understanding of social studies content.
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 1: Westward Expansion through the Progressive Era (1865-1920)
(August–Mid-September)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore how the United States responds to challenges of growth. This sets
the stage for the unit to follow where students look at U.S. foreign policy through World War I.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
Western
Expansion
10 days


Urbanization & 
Industrialization
10 days


Progressive Era
10 days

How did different ethnic and
cultural groups interact as a
result of western expansion?
(US.2.1)
How did expansion into the
western frontier impact society,
politics, and the economy?
(US.2.2, US.2.3)
What were the major policies and
innovations that led to the
growth of the economy and how
did these economic changes
affect society? (US.2.4, US.2.6)
What were the causes and effects
of mass immigration and how did
the government respond?
(US.2.5, US.2.6)
How and why did labor unions
form and were they effective in
improving working conditions?
(US.2.7)
Were the Progressives successful
in making government more
responsive to the will of the
people? (US.2.8)
Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
 Louisiana EAGLE Items for US History
o Transcontinental Railroad
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Manifest Destiny
Possible Sources
 The Split History of Westward Expansion, Nell Musolf
 Westward Expansion: Encounters at a Cultural
Crossroads, Library of Congress
 A Century of Dishonor, Helen Hunt Jackson
 Text from English III Guidebook Unit:
o American Progress, John Gast (Art) and an
explanation (Lesson 5)
Possible Sources
 The Industrial Revolution of the United States, Library
of Congress
 Inside an American Factory: Films of the
Westinghouse Works (1904), Library of Congress
 The Industrial Revolution in America: A Primary
Source History of America’s Transformation into an
Industrial Society, Corona Brezina
 The Great Migration: A Story in Paintings, Jacob
Lawrence
 The Industrial Revolution in American History, Anita
Louise McCormick
 The Early Labor Movement, PBS
 Child Labor in America, Juliet H. Mofford, ed.
 Immigration: Challenges for New Americans, Library
of Congress
Sample tasks
 Instructional task from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Progressivism
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Possible Sources
 “Prohibition: A Case Study of Progressive Reform,”
Library of Congress
 “Women’s Suffrage in the Progressive Era,” Library of
Congress
 Women’s Suffrage, Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History
 The Split History of Women’s Suffrage, Don Nardo
and Robert L. McConnell
 Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment, National
Archives
 “Cities During the Progressive Era,” Library of
Congress
 “Conservation in the Progressive Era,” Library of
Congress
 “The Jungle and the Progressive Era,” Robert W.
Cherny
 “The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt and the
Themes of Progressive Reform,” Kirsten Swinth
 Text from ELA Guidebook Unit, English II:
o The Jungle, Upton Sinclair (Lesson 2)
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 2: Foreign Policy through the Great War (1870-1920)
(Mid-September–October)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore how U.S. foreign policy shifts from isolationism to
internationalism. This sets the stage for the unit to follow where students look at U.S. society and economy
between the World Wars.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
30 days






What were the economic,
political, and social causes of U.S.
imperialism? (US.3.1)
How did foreign policy differ in
Latin America and the Pacific?
(US.3.2)
Why did the United States enter
WWI? (US.3.3)
How did the U.S. government
build support for war efforts on
the home front? (US.3.4)
What were the critical people,
innovations, and events that
impacted the outcome of WWI?
(US.3.5)
How did the end of WWI set the
stage for possible future conflict?
(US.3.6)
Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
 Louisiana EAGLE Items for US History
o Latin America
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Maine Explosion
o Spanish-American War
o U.S. Entry into WWI
o Sedition in World War I
o League of Nations
Possible Sources
 The Spanish-American War, Mary Collins
 The Spanish-American War: The United States
Becomes a World Power, Library of Congress
 Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War, PBS
 The Rough Riders, Theodore Roosevelt
 Theodore Roosevelt Fights in Spanish-American War,
The History Channel
 An Unwanted War: The Diplomacy of the United
States & Spain Over Cuba, 1895-1898, John L. Offner
 Inside the Panama Canal, The History Channel
 Espionage and Act, The History Channel
 The Split History of World War I, Michael Burgan
 Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures:
1913-1919, Library of Congress
 Campaigns of World War I, Nick Hunter
 The Home Fronts in World War I, Nick Hunter
 World War I Collection, The History Channel
 Weapons of World War I, John Hamilton
 Postcards and Poetry of The Great War, 1914-1918,
Emory University
 Hell Fighters: African-American Soldiers in World
War I, Michael L. Cooper
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History



“Fourteen Points,” Woodrow Wilson
“League of Nations,” Henry Cabot Lodge
“The trouble with senators who oppose the League
of Nations,” Gilbert M. Hitchcock
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 3: Roaring Twenties and Great Depression (1919-1939)
(November–December)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore U.S. society and economy between the World Wars. This sets the
stage for the unit to follow where students look at World War II.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
Roaring
Twenties
15 days



Great
Depression
15 days


Why are the 1920s generally
considered a period of social
change? (US.4.1, US.4.2)
How did policy decisions affect
society?(US.4.2)
What role did scientific and
technological changes play during
this time period? (US.4.3)
What led to the shift from
economic boom to bust and what
was the impact on society?
(U.4.4)
How did the Hoover and
Roosevelt administrations
address issues of the Great
Depression? (US.4.5)
Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
 Louisiana Released Test Items for US History EOC
o Effects of Household Appliances (p. 19)
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Prohibition
o Scopes Trail
o Marcus Garvey
Possible Sources
 Roaring Twenties, The History Channel
 The History of the Flapper, Part 1: A Call for Freedom,
Smithsonian
 Temperance & Prohibition, Ohio State University
 Return to Normalcy, Warren G. Harding
 Warren G. Harding, The History Channel
 Scopes Trial, PBS
 The Trial of the Century, The History Channel
 The Harlem Renaissance, Library of Congress
 Drop Me Off in Harlem, The Kennedy Center
 Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American
Culture, Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrel Lynd
 Prelude to the Red Scare: The Espionage and Sedition
Acts, PBS
 The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti, The Atlantic
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Social Security
o The Dust Bowl
Possible Sources
 First Inaugural Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt
 The Great Depression, Elaine Landau
 The Great Depression, Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History










Dust to Eat: Drought and Depression in the 1930s,
Michael L. Cooper
Songs of the Great Depression, City University of New
York
The Dust Bowl, Library of Congress
Herbert Hoover: Domestic Affairs, Miller Center
Hoover’s Economic Policies, Library of Economics and
Liberty
FDR: A Voice of Hope, The History Channel
The New Deal, Library of Congress
The New Deal, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
The New Deal, The History Channel
“The Hundred Days and Beyond: What Did the New
Deal Accomplish?” Anthony J. Badger
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 4: World War II (1939-1945)
(January)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore how the role of the United States in world affairs changed as a
result of World War II. This sets the stage for the unit to follow where students look at the Cold War.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
20 days





How did foreign policy
developments during the 1930s
contribute to World War
II?(US.4.6)
How did the U.S. government
build support for the war effort
on the home front? (US.4.7)
How important was the home
front in the U.S. victory in World
War II? (US.4.7, US.4.8)
How was U.S. society and the
economy impacted by WWII?
(US.4.8)
What were the critical decisions
and events that impacted the
outcome of WWII and led to the
beginning of the Cold War?
(US.4.9, US.4.10)
Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o Zoot Suit Riots
o The Atomic Bomb
o Japanese Internment
Possible Sources
 Pearl Harbor: A Primary Source History, Jacqueline
Laks Gorman
 Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, Franklin D.
Roosevelt
 After the Day of Infamy: “Man on the Street”
Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor,
Library of Congress
 World War II: Turning Points, John Hamilton
 The Split History of World War II, Simon Rose
 World War II, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
 Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home
Front in World War II, Penny Colman
 Women Come to the Front: Journalists,
Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War
II, Library of Congress
 Rosie the Riveter, Library of Congress
 “The World War II Home Front,” Allan M. Winkler
 Navajo Code Talkers, Andrew Santella
 “World War II: Navajo Code Talkers,” William R.
Wilsont
 Japanese American Internment, Library of Congress
 Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese
American Incarceration During World War II and a
Librarian Who Made a Difference, Joanne Oppenheim
 Wartime Conferences, U.S. Department of State
 The Tuskegee Airmen, Philip Brooks
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History


“Patriotism Crosses the Color Line: African Americans
in World War II,” Clarence Taylor
One Step Ahead: A Jewish Fugitive in Hitler’s Europe,
Alfred Feldman
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 5: The Cold War (1945-1991)
(February–Mid-March)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore how foreign policy, domestic programs, and social movements
were influenced by the Cold War. This sets the stage for the unit to follow where students begin looking at the
challenges the United States faced as it entered the Modern Age.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
30 days



What policy factors impacted the
Cold War events of the 1940s and
1950s? (US.5.1)
How did domestic events and
foreign policies of the 1960s and
1970s contribute to Cold War
tensions? (US.5.2)
How did events in the Reagan
and Bush administrations
contribute to the collapse of the
Soviet Union and the end of the
Cold War? (US.5.5)
Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
 Louisiana EAGLE Items for US
o Nuclear Policy
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History
Education Group
o The Cold War
o Cuban Missile Crisis
o Korean War
o Truman and MacArthur
o Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Possible Sources
 The Cold War, 1945-1991, John W. Mason
 The Cold War, JFK Presidential Library
 Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy
 CIA Exhibit Posters, Cold War Museum
 Cuban Missile Crisis, The History Channel
 Cuban Missile Crisis Address, John F. Kennedy
 Bay of Pigs: CIA’s “Perfect Failure,” The History
Channel
 H-Bomb Development Summary, Cold War Museum
 Nuclear Proliferation, Joseph Morris
 Kennedy Responds to the Berlin Wall, The History
Channel
 McCarthyism & The “Red Scare,” Dwight D.
Eisenhower Presidential Library
 Senator Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, and the
Witch Hunt, The Cold War Museum
 The Vietnam War, Peter Benoit
 The Vietnam War, Cath Senker
 A Time Remembered: American Women in the
Vietnam War, Olga Gruhzit-Hoyt
 The Road to War, The History Channel
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History







“The Consequences of Defeat in Vietnam,” Mark
Atwood Lawrence
The Space Race, The History Channel
Joseph McCarthy and the Cold War, Victoria Sherrow
The Fall of the Soviet Union, The History Channel
Berlin Wall, The History Channel
Berlin Wall Exhibit, Cold War Museum
End of the Cold War, Library of Congress
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History
Unit 6: Changes, Challenges, and Advances (1945-Present)
(Mid-March–May)
Unit overview: In this unit students explore how the United States has developed a culture of global
interdependence as it entered the Modern Age.
Topic and Days Content and Claims
30 days








Sample Tasks and Possible Sources
Sample tasks
How effective were the
 Louisiana Sample Items for US History
leaders and methods of the
post-war social movements?
o Civil Rights Movement (p.21)
(US.5.3)
 Instructional tasks from the Stanford History Education
To what extent did the civil
Group
rights movement expand
o Montgomery Bus Boycott
democracy for all Americans?
o Women in the 1950s
(US.5.4)
o Great Society
o Civil Rights Act of 1964
How did the post-Cold War
o Anti-Vietnam War Movement
administrations differ and
what were the major impacts
Possible Sources
of each of the
 Civil Rights Address, John F. Kennedy
administrations? (US.5.5,
 Johnson Introduces “Great Society,” The History Channel
US.6.1)
 “The Civil Rights Movement: Major Events and
How have innovations in
Legacies,” James T. Patterson
medicine, technology, and the
 The Split History of the Civil Rights Movement, Nadia
media altered modern
Higgins
society? (US.6.2)
 The Civil Rights Movement in America, Elaine Landau
How has the U.S. interacted in
 We Shall Overcome, Lyndon B. Johnson
Middle Eastern affairs over
 I’ve been on a Mountaintop, Martin Luther King, Jr.
time? (US.6.3)
 Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and
How have Americans’ views on
Me, John A. Stokes
government changed over
 “Different Perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement,”
time? (US.6.4)
Anthony J. Badger
How have landmark Supreme
 Freedom Summer, David Aretha
Court cases impacted
 Who Protested Against the Vietnam War?, Richard
American society? (US.6.5)
Spilsbury
How has the increased threat
 Watergate, The Washington Post
of foreign and domestic
 Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court, Street Law,
terrorism impacted American
Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society
society? (US.6.6)
 Supreme Court History: Expanding Civil Rights, PBS
 The Women’s Movement, Learn NC
 The Middle East and the West: A Troubled History, NPR
 Summer of Love and Woodstock, The Cold War Museum
Social Studies Scope and Sequence:
United States History








Reaction to 9/11, The History Channel
Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security, Homeland
Security
Humanitarian Assistance in the Post-Cold War Era, PBS
George H. W. Bush: Foreign Affairs, Miller Center
Bill Clinton: Foreign Affairs, Miller Center
George W. Bush: Foreign Affairs, Miller Center
Barack Obama: Foreign Affairs, Miller Center
Timeline: The Modern Environmental , PBS
2011 Social Studies Grade-Level Expectations:
United States History
Standard 1 – Historical Thinking Skills
Students use facts and concepts to solve problems, interpret, analyze, and draw conclusions from historical
events and to relate historical events to contemporary events.
US.1.1 Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by:
 conducting short and sustained research
 evaluating conclusions from evidence (broad variety, primary and secondary sources)
 evaluating varied explanations for actions/events
 determining the meaning of words and phrases from historical texts
 analyzing historians’ points of view
US.1.2 Compare and/or contrast historical periods in terms of:
 differing political, social, religious, or economic contexts
 similar issues, actions, and trends
 both change and continuity
US.1.3 Propose and defend a specific point of view on a contemporary or historical issue and provide supporting
evidence to justify that position
US.1.4 Discriminate between types of propaganda and draw conclusions concerning their intent
US.1.5 Analyze historical periods using timelines, political cartoons, maps, graphs, debates, and other historical
sources
Standard 2 – Western Expansion to Progressivism
Students understand the social, political, and economic changes that developed between the periods of the
United States’ westward expansion, industrial growth, and the Progressive Era.
US.2.1 Evaluate the social, political, and economic antagonism that occurred between ethnic and cultural groups as a
result of westward expansion
US.2.2 Describe the economic changes that came about on the western frontier as a result of the expansion of the
railroad, cattle kingdoms, and farming
US.2.3 Describe the causes of the political, social, and economic problems encountered by farmers on the western
frontier and critique the solutions developed by the Populist movement
US.2.4 Examine the effect of the government’s laissez-faire policy, innovations in technology and transportation, and
changes in business organization that led to the growth of an industrial economy
US.2.5 Illustrate the phases, geographic origins, and motivations behind mass immigration and explain how these
factors accelerated urbanization
US.2.6 Describe the challenges associated with immigration, urbanization, and rapid industrialization and evaluate the
government’s response
2011 Social Studies Grade-Level Expectations:
United States History
US.2.7 Examine the social, political, and economic struggles of a growing labor force that resulted in the formation of
labor unions and evaluate their attempts to improve working conditions
US.2.8 Identify the goals of Progressivism; describe the influence of the Muckrakers, political leaders, and intellectuals;
and evaluate the movement’s successes and failures
Standard 3 – Isolationism through the Great War
Students trace the transition in U.S. foreign policy from isolationism to internationalism from the late
nineteenth century until the end of World War I.
US.3.1 Analyze the causes of U.S. imperialistic policies and describe both the immediate and long term consequences
upon newly acquired territories
US.3.2 Describe the influence of U.S. imperialistic foreign policies upon Latin America and the Pacific region
US.3.3 Describe the root causes of World War I and evaluate the reasons for U.S. entry into the war
US.3.4 Explain how the U.S. government financed WWI, managed the economy, and directed public support for the
war effort
US.3.5 Analyze how key military leaders, innovations in military technology, and major events affected the outcome of
WWI
US.3.6 Describe the goals of political leaders at the Paris Peace Conference and analyze the consequences of the
Treaty of Versailles
Standard 4 – Becoming a World Power through World War II
Students examine the social, economic, and political struggles and achievements that led to the U.S. becoming
a world power from the 1920s until the end of World War II.
US.4.1 Use examples to show how population shifts, artistic movements, Prohibition, and the women’s movement of
the Roaring Twenties were a reflection of and a reaction to changes in American society
US.4.2 Examine the economic policies, attacks on civil liberties, and the presidential administrations of the 1920s and
explain how each reflected a return to isolationism
US.4.3 Describe the impact of major technological innovations and scientific theories of the 1920s on American society
US.4.4 Examine the causes of the Great Depression and its effects on the American people, and evaluate how the
Hoover administration responded to this crisis
US.4.5 Classify the key New Deal programs according to Relief, Recovery, and Reform programs and describe their
impact on the social, economic, and political structure of the United States
US.4.6 Examine the causes of World War II and explain the reasons for U.S. entry into the war
US.4.7 Explain how the U.S. government financed World War II, managed the economy, and encouraged public
support for the war effort
2011 Social Studies Grade-Level Expectations:
United States History
US.4.8 Examine the role of minority groups, including women, on the home front and in the military and describe how
it changed their status in society
US.4.9 Analyze the major events, turning points, and key strategic decisions of World War II and describe how they
affected the outcome of the war
US.4.10 Describe how key political and military leaders affected the outcome of World War II and led to the beginning
of the Cold War
Standard 5 – Cold War Era
Students examine the Cold War era and how it influenced U.S. foreign policy decisions, domestic programs,
and major social movements.
US.5.1 Analyze the impact of U.S. domestic and foreign policy on Cold War events during the 1940s and 1950s and
explain how these policies attempted to contain the spread of communism
US.5.2 Cite evidence that links domestic events and foreign policies of the 1960s and 1970s to escalating Cold War
tensions
US.5.3 Explain how the post-war social movements caused change by analyzing the methods used by the leaders, the
effectiveness of legislation, and the impact of key events
US.5.4 Describe the role and importance of the Civil Rights movement in the expansion of opportunities for African
Americans in the United States
US.5.5 Explain how the leaders’ personalities, events, and policies of the 1980s combined to bring about an end to the
Cold War
Standard 6 – The Modern Age
Students understand the shift in American government and society from a Cold War identity to a culture of
global interdependence.
US.6.1 Compare and contrast the domestic policies of the post-Cold War presidencies
US.6.2 Describe advances in medicine, technology, and the media during the modern era and explain how these
advances have altered society
US.6.3 Trace the evolution of United States relationships with Middle East countries and explain how these
interactions have defined our image in the region
US.6.4 Describe events that changed American people’s perceptions of government over time
US.6.5 Identify landmark Supreme Court decisions from the Warren Court to the present, categorize the ideology of
the decisions, and assess the impact on political and social institutions
US.6.6 Trace the rise in domestic and foreign terrorism and analyze its effect on America’s way of life