U.S. History II
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UNITED STATES HISTORY II GRADE 11 EWING PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2099 Pennington Road Ewing, NJ 08618 BOE Approval Date: January 27, 2020 __ Michael Nitti Written by: Social Studies Staff Superintendent In accordance with The Ewing Public Schools’ Policy 2230, Course Guides, this curriculum has been reviewed and found to be in compliance with all policies and all affirmative action criteria. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 21st Century Life and Careers 3 Scope and Sequence of Essential Learning: Unit 1: The Great Depression and The New Deal 5 Unit 2: The Rise of Dictators and World War II 10 Unit 3: The Cold War Begins and the Eisenhower Era 15 Unit 4: Civil Rights and the 60s 20 Unit 5: Vietnam and the 70s 26 Unit 6: The Conservative Revolution 31 Unit 7: Contemporary Connections 35 Sample 21st Century, Career, & Technology Integration 40 Holocaust & Amistad Mandates 43 21st Century Life and Careers In today's global economy, students need to be lifelong learners who have the knowledge and skills to adapt to an evolving workplace and world. To address these demands, Standard 9, 21st Century Life and Careers, which includes the 12 Career Ready Practices, establishes clear guidelines for what students need to know and be able to do in order to be successful in their future careers and to achieve financial independence. The 12 Career Ready Practices These practices outline the skills that all individuals need to have to truly be adaptable, reflective, and proactive in life and careers. These are researched practices that are essential to career readiness. 9.1 Personal Financial Literacy This standard outlines the important fiscal knowledge, habits, and skills that must be mastered in order for students to make informed decisions about personal finance. Financial literacy is an integral component of a student's college and career readiness, enabling students to achieve fulfilling, financially-secure, and successful careers. 9.2 Career Awareness, Exploration, and Preparation This standard outlines the importance of being knowledgeable about one's interests and talents, and being well informed about postsecondary and career options, career planning, and career requirements. 9.3 Career and Technical Education Technology Integration 8.1 Educational Technology All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaborate and create and communicate knowledge. 8.2 Technology Education, Engineering, Design and Computational Thinking – Programming All students will develop an understanding of the nature and impact of technology, engineering, technological design, computational thinking and the designed world as they relate to the individual, global society, and the environment. 3 ELA Integration The Research Simulation Task and the DBQ requires students to analyze an informational topic through several articles or multimedia stimuli. Students read and respond to a series of questions and synthesize information from multiple sources in order to write an analytic essay. Companion Standards - History, Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects (9- 10) 4 UNIT 1: THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE NEW DEAL (5 DAYS) Why Is This Unit Important? The course comes full circle, as many of the problems inherent in America’s efforts to develop a stable democratic republic without too much centralized power manifests in the extended economic contraction known as the Great Depression. In their efforts to assure continuous and frequent reassessment of the issue of representation of the polity through frequent election of executives and legislators, the leaders of the Constitutional Convention did not completely address the problems that could arise from the implementation of competing economic theories and policies on the macro economy, that theoretically, could be changed or altered with each election cycle. The 1920s represented a time of economic boom for many Americans, but the uneven distribution of wealth, lack of regulation of the banking system, and a laissez-faire approach to business and labor heralded by the Republican presidents of this self-same time period as a ‘self-regulating, free market’ system was unsustainable. Their economic visions lacked awareness of the effect that human vices, especially greed and impulsiveness, could have on a ‘self-regulating’ system. The economy suffered and so did Americans. The nation’s Gross Domestic Product fell nearly 46% from 1929 to 1933, and all levels of American society felt the shockwaves of this reality as 1 in every 4 Americans in the labor force could not secure jobs. Bread lines lengthened, banks closed, farmers lost their land and homes, homelessness spiked, and children suffered abandonment. Meanwhile, racial and gender disparities in employment and treatment in the public sphere further dispossessed those members of society who had already been suffering from the effects of poverty, exploitation, and greed even during the 20s ‘boom’. The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 marked the onset of a “new deal for all Americans”. His economic policy included crucial social elements aimed at easing the pain of Americans. At the same time, he increased the political posture of the presidency in the eyes of America and a consenting Congress, and scholars argue that he exercised and exerted more power than any president before him. Despite his efforts to invigorate economic growth with a Keynesian stratagem, the economy seemed unwilling to recover and under his presidency suffered a second recessionary dip. 5 This interwar period serves as one of the most pivotal moments in American economic history. A study of the causes and effects of the Depression, of the role of the three branches of government and the Fed in maintaining a stable economy with low inflation, and of the nature of economics as a decidedly social paradigm bears great importance as the global economy still suffers ever-so-slight tremors stemming from economic instability—warning signs that lessons of the past should be heeded to avert crisis. Enduring Understandings: Unfettered capitalism results in unequal distributions of wealth in ways that are damaging to macro-economies (overarching) The concept of rugged individualism does not factor in institutional and systemic barriers to socioeconomic upward mobility created by the clandestine relationships between big business lobbies and politicians, as evinced especially in the Depression and the Gilded Age (overarching) Uncontrolled inflation or deflation can be hard to reign in, even with aggressive monetary policies (overarching) Overproduction, over-speculation in the stock market, risky borrowing, an uneven distribution of wealth, and the collapse of banks brought about the massive contraction in the nation’s economy (topical) Essential Questions: Noting the varied responses individuals, families and businesses had to severe economic contraction and high unemployment, what lessons can be learned about human nature and behavior when faced with crippling scarcity of resources? How can another Great Depression be averted? Why is it important to study economics through the dual lens of both monetary and fiscal policies as well as social impact? What are the positive and negative aspects of FDR’s presidency and presidential presence insofar as they concern executive power, the polity’s perceptions of the responsibilities of the president, and the balance between the three branches of government? 6 Acquired Knowledge: Deleterious agricultural practices contributed to the severity of the Dust Bowl. The Great Depression resulted from government economic policies, business practices and individual decisions, and it impacted business and society. Several safeguards were put in place under President Roosevelt to ensure the American public against any future collapse of the banking system. Deflationary cycles may initially contribute to economic growth, but ultimately can hurt the economy if demand for goods and services continues to fall as consumers wait to buy in hopes of even lower prices. Acquired Skills: Explain how government can adjust taxes, interest rates, and spending and use other policies to restore the country’s economic health. Explain how economic indicators (i.e., gross domestic product, the consumer index, the national debt, and the trade deficit) are used to evaluate the health of the economy. Explain the interdependence of various parts of a market economy. Compare and contrast the causes and outcomes of the stock market crash in 1929 and other periods of economic instability. Analyze the impact of the Great Depression on the American family, migratory groups, and ethnic and racial minorities. Assess the effectiveness of governmental policies enacted during the New Deal period (i.e., the FDIC, NLRB and Social Security) in protecting the welfare of individuals. Compare and contrast the leadership abilities of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and those of past and recent presidents. Assessments: Formative: In groups of three, create a plan for fixing the economy in its present state, using knowledge gained from studying the Great Depression and the New Deal to develop strategies and address the exigencies inherent in trying to balance a responsible economic policy with social welfare. 7 Summative: Performance Task (GRASPS) Goal: Create a media journal for publication to be used in a social studies classroom. Role: Research assistant Audience: Publishing company that markets materials