Social+Studies+Curriculum+for+U.S.+History

UNITED STATES HISTORY

Knowledge • The Enlightenment and Revolutionary period provided the philosophical background and motivation for the creation of the United States and its ideals • Through debate and trial and error the architects of the new nation created a division of powers and system of checks and balances as an attempt to ensure the ideals • The meaning and implementation of the ideals continue to be revisited as the needs of the people change • As the country grew in size there were conflicting forces of national unity and sectional disunity • Implementation of the ideals varied depending on the perceived needs of the country • The causes of the Civil War were political, economic and social • The innovations of the Industrial Revolution profoundly affected the young nation, leading to a need for cheap labor and new markets

Skill Outcomes • Industrialism and Nationalism drove the United States from its traditional isolationism to a more active international role • The changing role of the nation in the international community as well as the need for national security require the United States to apply its ideals to foreign matters • For fifty years after World War II the United States was involved in an ongoing rivalry with Communism • In the post-World War II years an ever increasing number of groups are searching for their version of the “American Dream” • There is a constant struggle to balance individual rights versus the perceived collective needs of society • Each student will write effectively, consistently reaching a three on the four-point Staples Writing Expectation Rubric and a four on the six-point CAPT rubric. • Each student will think critically in a variety of contexts and situations, consistently reaching a three on the four-point Staples Critical Thinking Expectation Rubric. • Each student will demonstrate an understanding of the human experience through a study of history and diverse cultures, consistently reaching a three on the four-point Staples rubric