Pacing Guide - 2017 - 2018 U.S. History

1st Semester

Aug. 21-24 Reconstruction and African American History 1865-1877- Civil War Review - Chapter 16

Aug. 28-Sept. 15th. Shedding the Past and Moving Forward - Growing Pains in Industrial America: From Agriculture to Business 1860-1900 (3 weeks)

●Business/Labor Movements: Readings Ch. 17

●Growth in the South and the West: Readings Ch. 18

●Revolt of Rural/Urban America: Readings Ch. 19

●Gilded Age Politics: Readings Ch. 19

#1 Paper due Sept. 15 - Shedding the Past and Growing America

Presentations scheduled during this unit. 2 students per presentation

Sept. 18- Sept. 29 - Modern America Emerges - What makes a modern America?1865-1920 (2 weeks)

●Imperial America and creating an empire: Readings Ch. 20

●The Progressive era under Roosevelt/Taft: Readings Ch. 21

Oct. 2 - 6 From Peace to War to Peace again. 1914-1920 (1 week)

●WWI - America and the Great War: Readings. Ch. 22

Oct. 9 - 20 The Business of America is Business 1920-1929(2 weeks) Domestic Leadership

●Consumption, Jazz and the Modernist Revolt - the Lost Generation: Readings Ch. 23

●Immigration restriction: Readings Chapter 24

●Causes of the Great Depression: Readings Chapter 24

#2 Paper due Sept. 20 - What made America ‘Modern’?

Presentations scheduled during this unit.

Oct. 23-27 The Great Depression and Role of Government 1929-1939

●Hooverism to the Roosevelt’s New Deal: Readings Chapter 25

●Struggles of the New Deal: Readings Chapter 25

●Second New Deal - Greater role of government in society

Oct. 30 - Nov. 10 The Second World War - America as a World Leader 1933-1945

●Rise of Fascism: Readings Chapter 26

●Isolationism to Intervention: Readings Chapter 26

●Post Atomic Age

Nov. 13 - December 8 The People’s History of the United States - a look at the forgotten voices in American History

●Readings from Howard Zinn’s seminal book on American History

●Find points from America: A Narrative History and counterpoints in Zinn’s book.

●Compare both points of view

#3 Paper due Dec. 8. Historical Points of View

Dec. 11-15 Group Project Presentations - TMP Finals Week

●Your group presentation will address how the United States recovered from the Civil War, moved from a seemingly weak global position to become a world power all within 100 years.

●Presentations options will be discussed.

2nd Semester

Jan 16 - 26 American in the Cold War 1945-1952

●Harry Truman contains communist expansion: Readings Ch. 27

●Red Scare

●Cold War America

●Civil Rights Movement: Readings Ch. 28

●Foreign Policy in the Fifties: Readings Ch. 28

#4 Paper due Jan. 26 - Cold War: There and Back Again

●How we might returning to a Cold War threat.

Presentations scheduled during this unit.

Feb. 12 - Mar.1 Kennedy’s New Frontier Optimism and Caution 1960-1968

●Kennedy the Cold Warrior is assassinated

●Johnson’s Great Society: Readings Ch. 29

●Vietnam and the 60s. Readings Ch. 29

●Youth Rebellion: Readings Ch. 30

#5 Paper due Mar. 1 - The Counterculture of the 60s: What happened?

Presentations scheduled during this unit

Mar. 5- Mar.15 Revival of Conservatism: Nixon and ending the Vietnam War 1974-1990

●The Nixon Doctrine: Ch. 30

●Watergate: Ch. 30

Spring Break: Mar. 19-23

Mar. 26-Apr. 5 Conservative Revival 1977-1990

●Billy Carter. A social experiment post Nixon

●Ronald Reagan: Return to Conservative Form. Ch.31

●George H.W. Bush: One term president. Ch. 31

Apr. 9- 26 21st Century America 1990-Present

●Bill Clinton’s impeachment: Ch. 32

●9/11- America begins its longest war

●Obama’s Historic Presidency Ch. 32

#6 Paper due Apr. 5 Topic TBA

Apr 30 - May 11 Group Presentation Preparation - Howard Zinn Wrap-up.

●Groups will prepare a presentation on the arc of U.S. History.

May 14-18 Group Presentations

Assignments:

  1. Six (3-5)page papers. 3 papers per semester. 40% of grade.
  2. 3 short presentations per semester. Two presenters per group. 15% of grade.
  3. 1 group project (4 students per group) 20% of grade.
  4. Readings assigned weekly. Approx. 40 pages per week. 10% of grade.
  5. Engagement 15% of grade.

Themes:

  1. African American/American Indian History
  2. Industrial America
  3. World Leadership at home and abroad
  4. The Role of Government
  5. The U.S. as a World Power
  6. Immigration/Migration
  7. Reform Movements

Texts: America: A Narrative History by George Tindall and David Shi

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn