United States History II

Text: Pearson SuccessNet/ Digital History

Website: www.edmodo.com / www.hasdk12.org
Tutoring:
-

Before and after school if scheduled in advance

Writing Center every Wednesday 3 to 4 pm

Objectives:
1: Students gain knowledge of historical domestic and international events, and can evaluate their causes,
meanings, and effects.
2: Students practice historical inquiry methods using both primary and secondary sources.
3: Students analyze politics, societies, cultures, ideas and military movements over time in a comparative
fashion.
4: Students can communicate informative and persuasive ideas orally and through writing, using historical facts
and interpretations to illustrate and support a thesis.
5: Students develop analytical and research skills, and are able to communicate complex ideas in writing and
oral presentations and debates.

Grading:
ESSAYS:
(15%)
There will be four total essays for this course (1 per unit). Two will be Free Response Questions
(FRQs) and two will be Document Based Questions (DBQs). The process for completing these will
be provided. The final essay is up to the student to complete individually.

Note:Pointswillbedeductedfromessaysthataresubmittedlate.After1weekthattheessaywasdueitwill
nolongerbeacceptedexceptforspecialcircumstances.
NOTES & ASSIGNMENTS:
(5%)
Most notes will be completed in outline format. Some other organizers may be utilized as well.
These are used for students to prove reading comprehension and responsibility in preparing for
class. Notes will be taken on assigned readings, slide shows, and videos. Your understanding of
content determines your group placement in class daily.

Note:Pointswillbedeductedfromdebateessaysandresearch/responseformsthataresubmittedlate.After1
weekthattheassignmentwasdueitwillnolongerbeacceptedexceptforspecialcircumstances.
QUIZZES:
(10%)
Short assessments will be given to check student understanding. These are formatted as
multiple choice, matching, and short answer. Some will be announced. Others will not.

DEBATES:
(10%)
Each week select students will be designated one side of a controversial issue. Students will
collect information in order to defend their side in an end of the week debate. If one of the
speakers is absent, they will submit their arguments in the form of an essay. The remaining
speaker will still present their case.

Note:Pointswillbedeductedfromdebateessaysandresearch/responseformsthataresubmittedlate.After1
weekthattheassignmentwasdueitwillnolongerbeacceptedexceptforspecialcircumstances.
PRESENTATIONS:
(10%)
These may be daily or weekly. Students who will present will be chosen at random. There will be
a limit to the amount of words permitted on each slide.

Note:Pointswillbedeductedfromlatepresentations.After1weekthatthepresentationorpresentation
responseformwasdueitwillnolongerbeacceptedexceptforspecialcircumstances.
QUARTERLY/FINAL EXAMINATIONS:
(25%)
These may be in exam or project form. This has yet to be decided.
The semester timeline will also be included here.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
(25%)
Half of this grade depends on your attendance in school and class. The other half depends on
participation in and completion of class activities and discussions.

Course Outline and Schedule:

Unit I: 1850 to 1915

Time: 3 weeks

The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized
society brought about significant economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes.
Additional Text: How the Other Half Lives by Jacob A. Riis (1890) free eBook on Google Books
Chapter 13: The Expansion of American Industry (1850-1900)
Chapter 14: Looking to the West (1860-1900)
Chapter 15: Politics, Immigration, and Urban Life (1870-1915)
Chapter 16: Life at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (1870-1915)
Chapter 18: The Progressive Reform Era (1890-1920)
DBQ: What was the significance of the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire to the Labor Reform Movement?

Unit II: 1870 to 1945

Time: 4 weeks

An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the proper
degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role.

Chapter 17: Becoming a World Power (1890-1915)

Chapter 19: The World War I Era (1914-1920)
Chapter 20: Postwar Social Change (1920-1929)
Chapter 21: Politics and Prosperity (1920-1929)
Chapter 22: Crash and Depression (1929-1933)
Chapter 23: The New Deal (1933-1941)
Chapter 24: World War II: The Road to War (1931-1941)
Chapter 25: World War II: Americans at War (1941-1945)
FRQ Choices:
A. Analyze the influence of the Treaty of Versailles on the events that led to the start of World War
II.
B. Analyze the use of the Atomic Bomb by the United States against Japan in World War II from
political, ethical, and military perspectives.
C. Assess the effectiveness of Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal programs on ending the Great
Depression, as well as the effect they have on the economy today.

Unit III: 1945 to 1981

Time: 3 weeks

After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international responsibilities,
while struggling to live up to its ideals.
Chapter 26: The Cold War (1945-1960)
Chapter 27: The Postwar Years at Home (1945-1960)
Chapter 28: The Civil Rights Movement (1950-1968)
Chapter 29: The Kennedy and Johnson Years (1961-1969)
Chapter 30: An Era of Activism (1960-1975)
Chapter 31: The Vietnam War (1954-1975)
Chapter 32: Nixon, Ford, Carter (1969-1981)
DBQ: Assess the role played by the Court as the protector of individual rights against the tyranny of the
majority in Brown v. Board of Education.

Unit IV: 1980 to Present

Time: 2 weeks

As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it experienced
renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy, and adapted to economic
globalization and revolutionary changes in science and technology.
Chapter 33: The Conservative Revolution (1980-1992)
Chapter 34: Entering a New Era (1992 to Present)

FRQ Choices: Create and answer your own prompt from Chapter 29-34. The prompt must be approved.
Suggestions for possible topics include:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

The Kennedy assignation as a turning point in our nations history

The effectiveness of the War on Poverty
Watergate and its effects on politics up to today
The Space Race and the end of the Cold War
9/11 and the War on Terror
The evolution of American perspectives in the age of instantaneous communication

The instructor(s) reserve the right to alter the syllabus as needed during the course of the semester. You will be informed of any
changes in class or by webpage. It is your responsibility to stay informed about what is expected of you.