2014-2015
U.S. HISTORY SINCE RECONSTRUCTION COURSE OUTLINE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
Metro Classical and Academic High School Mr. Detjen
Rm. 121
Texts and Resources (Fall Term)
Murrin et al ., Liberty, Equality, Power 5e (Thomson, 2008)
Couvares et al., Interpretations of American History 8/e (2009)
5-subject spiral notebook
Texts and Resources
Murrin et al.
(Spring Term)
, Liberty, Equality, Power
Couvares et al., Interpretations of American History (2009)
Course Description
“US History since Reconstruction” is an examination into the development of U.S. history from the mid-19 th century as the country emerged from a civil war that killed more of us than all subsequent wars (Spanish-American, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam) through
Vietnam put together, ended the (legal/formal) institution of slavery, underwent industrialization, entered the world stage, and then dominated politics and international affairs through most of the 20 th century. This course will analyze these developments as it concentrates on the intellectual, political, economic, social, cultural and artistic movements in the United States. Classes will be devoted to lectures and discussion, including intensive analysis of a number of primary sources, an approach rooted in the conviction that one of the best ways to understand history is to read, discuss, and consider materials written during the very period under study by the participants of that history, all the while keeping in mind that for many of the periods under consideration, many more people did not have political agency or a voice than did, and fought hard for that voice. We begin with the premise that the study of history has significantly less to do with learning facts and establishing “truth” than is does with analyzing and evaluating evidence, determining emphasis and significance, and using critical thinking to examine and formally communicate some well-supported interpretation of material that is complex, rich, textured, nuanced, and variously interrelated. Perhaps a way to think about the study of history is as a vast jigsaw puzzle in which the pieces (people, events, concepts, documents, and the like) are able to be fitted together in more than one way. That is, you the student, the aspiring historian, bring your mind and heart to the tasks of interpretation and analysis. And the more deeply you read and think, the richer your understanding and the deeper our discussions will be. Of course, the converse is also true.
Course Objectives
The primary goals of United States History are fourfold: first, to provide students with substantive content knowledge about modern American history, civilization and culture in its evolving global context; second, to help students develop reading comprehension and critical thinking and analytical skills, of both primary source documents and the historiography of secondary sources such as textbooks and monographs; third, to help students develop effective and persuasive communication (verbal and written) skills through discussion and Socratic Seminars, presentations, and the writing of Document Based Questions (DBQs) and
Free Response Questions (FRQs); and fourth, to ‘do’ history—that is, to do the work of the professional historians by analyzing primary source documents and evaluating the historiography of secondary sources. Consistent with Missouri “Show-Me Standards,” with attention to DESE/SLPS Grade Level and Course Level Expectations (GLEs and CLEs), and with an eye toward the emerging
Common Core standards, the course will provide students with a solid foundation of content and academic knowledge and skills, plus the ability to apply that knowledge and those skills to real-world problems and new situations as informed citizens of that world.
Assessment and Evaluation
Students will have a number of opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency in this course through class participation and discussion in a Socratic seminar format, quizzes and tests, writing assignments, oral reports and presentations, and a final exam. Those methods of evaluation will be based on information given in the classroom and assigned reading materials. The required notebook should be brought to class every day and well-used. Good class notes will comprise the first of the two main tools for studying, learning, and preparing for tests, as well as for assessment; notebooks will be collected and graded regularly. In addition, the Unit Study Guides (one for each of 6 Units of study throughout the course of the school year) will be a significant tool for learning and assessment, and will comprise a variety of intellectual and evaluative tasks, including multiple choice questions, AP-style Free
Response Questions, map exercises, artwork analysis, compare-and-contrast charts, literature and film analysis, and more.
Grades will be based on a positive point scale, with students earning some percentage of a total number of possible points.
Students will have ample time to complete all assignments, and test and due dates will be clearly announced. (Unannounced ‘pop’ quizzes are always a possibility on the due dates for reading assignments.) Students will be expected to organize their time to anticipate potential problems (computer crashes, hungry homework-eating dogs and the like) and to meet their obligations and deadlines. I sometimes offer a brief grace period for some (specifically announced) written assignments. Typically, full marks will be potentially awarded for material turned in at the beginning of class on the announced due date, and no more than 80% potentially awarded for material turned in by the LDA (Last Date Accepted). No assignment will be accepted or graded for any reason after the
LDA. The announced due date is the due date for the assignment whether you are present in school or absent from school.
Tests are to be taken on the assigned date. Period. No make-up tests will be offered. In the event a student provides a medical excuse from an established institution for a missed test, I shall double the earned points from the next test. The second missed test results in an automatic “0” for that assignment.
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The Notebook . Students are to acquire a five (5)-subject spiral notebook and devote that notebook exclusively to this class.
At the outset of the course the notebook will be divided into specific sections and paginated, with room (the first five [5] pages are to be left blank, initially) for a table of contents. The notebook will be one of the primary assessment venues for the class, and will include class notes, Reading Study Guide (RSG) tasks, and more.
Classroom Procedures, Conduct, and Policies
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND DEPORTMENT: This course will be conducted in a professional manner and with the utmost seriousness of purpose, though I also promise that there’s also lots of fun to be had in the process. We share two essential jobs: one is teaching and the other is learning, and while one of us will do most of the first and the others of us will do most of the second, ideally we will both do some amount of teaching and learning. I am devoted to both of those processes. The course is text- and document-driven, and the processes of teaching and learning will involve reading for comprehension and interpretation, critical thinking and analysis, and then effective communication through both a Socratic methodology of question-and-answer discussion, as well as written assignments and testing, all of which presuppose solid content knowledge. Opinions without benefit and specific support of textual evidence have no value in an academic classroom setting. Come to class fully prepared, with all assignments
(reading and/or written) completed on time. Finally, it is critical that students participate in class by asking questions, listening to questions asked by others, and discussing the issues and topics under consideration. We all learn from one another, so speak up, speak out, and speak often. I absolutely encourage you to raise pertinent questions and offer pertinent observations about the material on a regular basis. That said, I also absolutely discourage (read forbid ) private conversations of any kind while class is in session. Social time ends the moment you walk through the portals of the classroom; any and all talking should benefit the entire class, not interrupt or disrupt it. In other words, students (and teachers) are expected to act with respect for themselves, other students, and the goals and purposes of the class itself. Ours is academic time, not personal time. Students who act in ways deemed by the teacher to be contrary to the standards and objectives of the course risk expulsion from class, disciplinary referrals to the administration, parental phone calls or conferences and other consequences, all of which are avoidable. Please make the deliberate choice to conduct yourself in a responsible and considerate manner.
ATTENDANCE : There is a marked correlation between doing well and attending class faithfully. Please be on time every day, in no small part because I shall make announcements and ‘do’ administrative business at the start of class, but also because it is discourteous and disruptive to interrupt a class already in progress. Be well advised: on the rare times you may be late, at that moment you are the least important person in the class. With the exception of explanations that include physical, psychic or emotional harm, the reason(s) that you are late will interest me not one whit. Come in quietly, take your seat quietly, open your notebook quietly, situate yourself in the class activity quietly. Do not speak a word or ask a question. In the final analysis it is your responsibility to make sure you are abreast of all classroom, administrative, and academic matters. You the student are responsible for all assignments, notes, information and discussions.
ACADEMIC HONESTY : Neither the Social Studies Department nor Metro High School nor I tolerate plagiarism or any form of dishonesty on exams or written assignments intended for individual learning and assessment. I shall distribute “Academic
Integrity,” a policy statement of what constitutes academic honesty and dishonesty in my classes. You are responsible for knowing, understanding, and complying with those rules. In brief summary, if you choose to behave dishonestly on an assignment designed for individual student learning and achievement, on that first occasion (out of respect and awareness that all people/students make mistakes) I shall deal with the situation between teacher and student, and will award a “0” for that assignment or test with no chance to make up that assignment, or grant the opportunity to make up that assignment for minimal passing credit (70%). In the unfortunate event that you choose to behave a second time in an academically dishonest manner, I shall bring the matter to the attention of the principal and your parents. The purpose of that conference will be to inform your parents of now ongoing academically dishonest behavior and to make clear that a third infraction will result in an official 1-day suspension that will then be part of your permanent record, and so available to college admission officers. Please respect and honor yourself and your mind in these matters. As a specific case in point, the Unit Study Guides are to be completed by you, not copied from someone else.
These class policies are meant to be shared with your parents. Please ask your parent(s) to read this document, and sign the last page to indicate they are aware of these guidelines, then return the signature page to me. A copy of this document will be posted on the course website. Parents may keep this document for future reference. I shall provide a separate reading and assignment, discussion and testing schedule.
Finally, I am absolutely thrilled to be back at Metro and I look forward to a wonderful school year! Welcome back to you as well.
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What follows are the questions, phrased in the form of “Command Terms,” that comprise the bare minimum of knowledge and understanding that students must demonstrate to pass this course. That is, students able to answer the following questions at the end of each unit of study— and at the end of the course in May—will have earned a passing grade for the course (at Metro, that’s 70% of the total possible points for the course). For each chapter of the textbook s tudents w ill b e a ble t o (SWBAT) articulate and/or write a formal persuasive essay in response to the 4 or 7 or 10 or 12 ‘big picture’ questions below. ‘Demonstrate knowledge and understanding,’ means that students are expected to formulate a thesis statement for each question, formulate topic sentences for each subsequent body paragraph in which they gather and apply related content knowledge and evidence, and present a supported conclusion to the position they have taken on the question. (Students are not expected to be in any way perfect, or even good, at this at the outset of the course, but rather to develop and improve through repeated practice over the course of the course.)
N.B.
(Latin, nota bene
: ‘note well,’ ‘be well advised,’ ‘Yo! Pay attention!’): As you may already have surmised,
“U.S. History since Reconstruction” is not in any way the ‘cram-test-forget’ kind of subject that may have been your experience in grade school. As impending college students and adults, as impending legal citizens of the
United States, as ‘true’ students and learners, you are expected not just to pass a test or 3, but to incorporate the material of this course into the totality of your future and to apply the knowledge and skills well beyond this high school classroom. What that means is that you should not only be able to respond to the ‘Reconstruction’ questions on that test sometime in September, but also in May at the end of the course, and even beyond. What that means is that the material you study and learn in a chapter on industrialization will have import and impact on a chapter about world war or civil rights. What that means is that the skills of thinking critically, of analysis and interpretation, of articulation and formal persuasive writing, of note-taking and more can—and should—be applied to other courses and to your life. As I hope you already know, the tasks and processes of learning are not limited or relegated to an August-to-May, Monday-to-Friday, 7:10-to-2:07 framework.
These essential learning outcomes will be posted both in the front of the classroom and on my teacher website.
Reconstruction, 1863-1877
1. Compare presidential Reconstruction under Lincoln and Johnson with congressional Reconstruction.
2. Describe life and labor in the South after the Civil War for whites and African Americans.
3. Discuss the purposes, provisions, and results of the three Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution.
4. Analyze the Grant administration.
5. Examine reconstruction in the South from both the southern and northern points of view.
6. Describe the election of 1876 and compromise of 1877.
The West and the New South, 1865-1900
1. Describe the settlement of the West by farmers, miners, and cattlemen.
2. Discuss the decline of the Plains Indians.
3. Describe the problems of southern agriculture and the declining position of African Americans in the region.
4. Compare the presidential candidates from both the major parties in the age of political stalemate.
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The Emergence of Corporate America, 1865-1900
1. Discuss the factors that led to the nation’s economic growth during the last third of the 19 th century.
2. Explain the importance of labor violence in the U.S.
3. Compare the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor.
4. Analyze the effects of the economic depression of 1873 on American life.
5. Describe the basic issues in the currency problem and why it became a major question.
6. Describe the problems of southern and western farmers, their organizations, and their political platforms.
7. Discuss the election of 1896, including the issues, candidates, and outcome. Why was this a major election?
An Industrial Society, 1900-1900
1. Explain the sources of economic growth, especially the role of technology, scientific management, and new forms of corporate management.
2. Describe how corporations and workers responded to the social and economic turmoil of the 19 th
century.
3. Describe the growth and changes in immigration.
4. Describe the development of ethnic communities and the role of minorities in the growing cities.
5. Explain the role of unions in the early 20 th
century.
6. Discuss the rise of the “new” woman.
Progressivism, 1890-1920
1. Describe the role of muckrakers, settlement houses, and socialists in the development of the progressive movement.
2. Explain the issues and accomplishments in local, state, and national government that were supported by the
Progressives.
3. Characterize the relationship between progressivism and Protestant churches.
4. Describe the Progressives’ view of the “people” and how it helped determine which people they thought should participate in government.
5. Describe the role of women in the Progressive era and their influence on both the movement and how
Americans viewed women.
6. Compare the domestic reforms of Presidents T. Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
Becoming a World Power, 1898-1917
1. Describe the leading groups interested in expanding America’s role abroad and their motivations.
2. Describe the causes and effects of the Spanish-American War.
3. Analyze how racism affected foreign affairs, including how the U.S. viewed some groups and how it influenced the military abroad.
4. Compare the approaches of the early 20 th century presidents and how those differences affected American activities abroad.
5. Explain why Central America and the Caribbean were so important to the U.S., and the role of American leaders in the area.
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War and Society, 1914-1920
1. Describe the outbreak of World War I in Europe and how different stages evolved.
2. Explain the strong ties between the U.S. and Great Britain.
3. Analyze the U.S. role as a neutral.
4. Explore the question of how Wilson’s administration organized the economy and home front for the war and how well the various agencies worked.
5. Discuss the activities of the Committee on Public Information and the results of these activities.
6. Describe the role of the Republicans in the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles.
7. Analyze the “Red Scare” and the repression of different groups.
The 1920s
1. Explain the role of prosperity on the lifestyles of the 1920s, including the role of advertising and consumer credit.
2. Examine the role of women in the 1920s.
3. Describe the close connection between business and government in the 1920s.
4. Compare the ideas and effects of associationalism and laissez-faire on foreign affairs.
5. Describe the ways rural Americans tried to protect their way of life.
6. Examine the revival of racism and religious bigotry during the 1920s.
7. Describe the development of ethnic cultures in the cities among immigrants, African Americans, and
Mexican Americans. Compare their political involvements, societal acceptance, economic success, and cultural developments.
The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1939
1. Discuss the reasons for the depth and length of the Depression.
2. Compare Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt on such issues as the role of government in public relief and the use of federal agencies to help with the Depression. Explain how their backgrounds affected their views of federal activities.
3. Explain the rise of opposition to FDR and the New Deal, and describe the effects it had.
4. Compare and contrast the philosophical views and activities of the First and Second New Deals.
5. Describe how the Depression affected gender roles in the U.S. and how it changed the way women were perceived and how men viewed themselves.
6. Discuss how the New Deal dealt with minority groups and which ones did and did not benefit from it.
The U.S. and World War II, 1921-1945
1. Describe the outbreak of World War II in Asia and Europe and how the U.S. government and people reacted to it.
2. Discuss the major trends and problems in the war in Europe and the Pacific. How were they different and similar?
3. Trace the controversy over the use of the atomic bomb.
4. Explore the role of women in the war and how they were portrayed during the war. Describe the differences between what they did and how they were portrayed.
5. Discuss the shortage of labor on the home front and how it affected business, women, African Americans,
Native Americans, and Mexican Americans.
6. Examine and explain the ways the war was portrayed on the home front.
7. Describe the postwar international settlements.
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The Age of Containment, 1946-1964
1. Discuss the causes and events of the onset of the Cold War.
2. Explain the policy of Containment.
3. Describe the Truman Doctrine in Europe, including the Marshall Plan and the Berlin blockade, and the degree of success of the Truman Doctrine.
4. Describe the election of 1948.
5. Explore the Korean War as a part of American containment policy.
6. Examine how concerns about internal security affected many areas of postwar life.
7. Explain Truman’s Fair Deal.
8. Describe the role of economic planning and the promise of economic growth in Truman’s Fair Deal programs.
9. Explore life in the suburbs and how it varied depending on different groups.
10. Analyze the changing role of women in the postwar era.
Affluence and its Discontents, 1954-1963
1. Describe the role of the Eisenhower administration in foreign affairs in the 1950s, including the growing role of the CIA.
2. Describe the role of religion in the age of affluence and anti-communism.
3. Describe the effects of affluence on American life.
4. Examine youth culture and mass culture, and their critics.
5. Discuss the election of 1960.
6. Describe the Kennedy’s administration activities in foreign affairs and how they were similar and different from those of the Eisenhower era.
7. Compare civil rights concerns during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.
Vietnam: the U.S. during its Longest War, 1954-1975
1. Evaluate President Johnson’s Great Society.
2. Describe the counterculture and its effects on the American people.
3. Describe 1968 as a year of violence abroad and at home.
4. Explain the economic problems of the Nixon era.
5. Evaluate the role of the Supreme Court in defining constitutional rights.
6. Describe Nixon’s role in the Vietnam War and compare it with LBJ’s.
7. Discuss Nixon’s downfall.
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Power and Politics, 1974-1992
1. Evaluate the administrations of Ford and Carter in economic matters and explain how serious economic problems affected those administrations.
2. Analyze foreign policy under Ford and Carter.
3. Describe U.S. relations with Iran from Carter through Bush.
4. Compare the presidential campaigns of 1980 and 1984.
5. Contrast Reagan in his first and second administrations as to his personal style and domestic policies.
6. Analyze the end of the Cold War and its effects on the U.S. and its foreign policy.
7. Evaluate the different manner in which Carter and Bush handled problems in the Middle East.
8. Describe the use of the military for peacekeeping missions under Reagan and Bush.
9. Compare the ideology and vies on social issues of Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Bush.
10. Describe the New Women’s Movement and its issues.
11. Compare social activism among African Americans, Indians, Spanish-speaking groups, and Asian
Americans.
12. Analyze the development and issues of the New Right.
Late-20 th c. Economic, Social, and Cultural Change
1. Describe the rise of the Sunbelt.
2. Describe immigration in the late 20 th
century.
3. Evaluate the technological revolution and its effects on American society.
4. Describe the growing environmental movement and its issues and demands.
5. Discuss the revolution in media culture, especially the role of television.
6. Assess the growing religiosity of the U.S. at the end of the 20 th
century.
Politics of Hope and Fear, 1993-2007
1. Evaluate the administrations of Clinton and Bush in economic matters and explain how serious economic problems affected those administrations.
2. Analyze the nation’s foreign policy goals under Clinton and Bush.
3. Contrast Clinton in his first and second administrations as to his personal style and domestic policies.
4. Evaluate the different manner in which Clinton and Bush handled problems in the Middle East.
5. Compare the ideology and views on social issues of Presidents Clinton and Bush.
6. Assess the changing role of the U.S. in the world during the Clinton and Bush administration.
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Student and Parent Signature Page
U.S. History since Reconstruction
Students and parents, after you have read the Course Outline in its entirety, please sign below to indicate that you understand the course policies, expectations, and procedures as outlined above. Students, please return just this sheet to me at the beginning of our next class period. Parents may keep this copy of the Course Outline, which will also be posted on my Metro teacher website.
PRINT STUDENT NAME ___________________________________________
Parent(s) Signature ___________________________________________________________ Date _________________________
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Student’s Signature __________________________________________________________ Date ________________________
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