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Ninth Grade Modern American History
TITLE:
Ninth Grade Modern American History
TEXTBOOK:
Pathways to the Present, Andrew Cayton, Elisabeth Perry, Linda Reed, and Allan
Winkler; Holt, Rinehart and Winston; 2003
DESCRIPTION:
This is a full-year course which is a continuation of the sequence of American
History commenced in grade 8. Starting with the time span following the Civil
War, the course will emphasize social, cultural, economic, and political
developments since Reconstruction. Considerable inquiry will be made of the
growing complexity of international and domestic issues and stressing their
impact upon current economic, political and social life in the United States.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Analyze the effects of Reconstruction on the South and on the
African-American experience in the United States. (Nebraska State Social Studies
Standard 12.1.3)
2. Analyze the impact of immigration on American life, focusing on the
experiences and contributions of Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, African
Americans, European Americans, and Asian Americans. (12.1.4)
3. Identify and analyze reforms that occured as a result of the Progressive
Movement. (12.1.5)
4. Summarize the causes and effects of the rise of industry, identifying factors
such as labor, monopolies, labor unions, and muckraking literature. (12.1.5)
5. Analyze the causes of World War I. (12.1.6)
6. Identify and analyze the United States’ role in World War I. (12.1.6)
7. Analyze the home front of the United States during World War I. (12.1.6)
8. Analyze reasons why the United States developed the policy of isolationism
following World War I and the effects this policy had. (12.1.6)
9. Analyze the economic situation of the United States in the 1920s. (12.1.7)
10. Analyze and explain the causes of the Great Depression, as well as the
success/failure of the solutions presented by Presidents Herbert Hoover and
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (12.1.7)
11. Identify and explain the causes of World War II, including the rise and
aggression of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan and the response
of Europe and the United States. (12.1.8)
12. Identify major battles and military turning points in World War II. (12.1.8)
13. Analyze the United States’ home front during World War II, including Pearl
Harbor, Japanese-American internment and the Manhattan Project. (12.1.8)
14. Analyze the United States’ role as a superpower post-World War II. (12.1.9)
15. Analyze the origins and effects of the Cold War. (12.1.9)
16. Analyze the domestic issues, such as McCarthyism, in the post-World War II
era. (12.1.9)
17. Analyze the military conflicts, in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East.
(12.1.9)
18. Evaluate the impact of civil rights, identifying major civil rights
movements. (12.1.10)
19. Identify and analyze domestic policy issues in contemporary American
society. (12.1.11)
20. Analyze the United States’ role in foreign affairs post-Vietnam (12.1.9)
21. Explain and analyze key decisions of contemporary presidents, including
Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton (12.1.9; 12.1.11)
WRITING ACTIVITIES:
1. Students will be given the opportunity to write a reflection paper on a
simulated activity of the causes of World War I.
2. Students will be given the opportunity to write an analytical paper on the
1920s, selecting three words and/or phrases that best represent the decade.
3. Students will be given the opportunity to write an essay, comparing Herbert
Hoover and FDR’s responses to the Great Depression.
4. Students will be given the opportunity to interview someone living during
World War II, either from the home front or the military perspective.
5. Students will be given the opportunity to write a decisive essay on whether
the atomic bombs should or should not have been dropped in Japan.
6. Students will be given the opportunity to write a critical issues essay over
the Vietnam War.
MULTICULTURE ACTIVITES:
1. Students will examine contributions of different cultures and ethnic groups
throughout the 20th century.
2. Students will examine the discrimination various cultures and ethnic groups
endured in the 20th century, including the United States domestic policies.
3. Students will examine the ever-changing diversity of America and analyze how
those changes have affected life in America.
