Social Studies

 Key Idea: Reconstruction

(Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: MOV, SOC, CIV, ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation-Chapter 16: "Reconstruction and the New South"

8.1 RECONSTRUCTION: Regional tensions following the Civil War complicated efforts to heal the nation and to redefine the status of African Americans.

8.1a Different approaches toward and policies for Reconstruction highlight the challenges faced in reunifying the nation.

Ø   Students will compare and contrast the differences between Reconstruction under Lincoln’s plan, Johnson’s plan, and congressional (Radical) Reconstruction.

8.1b Freed African Americans created new lives for themselves in the absence of slavery. Constitutional amendments and federal legislation sought to expand the rights and protect the citizenship of African Americans.

Ø   Students will examine the Reconstruction amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) in terms of the rights and protections provided to African Americans.

Ø   Students will examine the Freedmen’s Bureau’s purpose, successes, and the extent of its success.

Ø   Students will examine the impacts of the sharecropping system on African Americans.

Ø   Students will examine the reasons for the migration of African Americans to the North.

Ø   Students will examine the rise of African Americans in government.

8.1c Federal initiatives begun during Reconstruction were challenged on many levels, leading to negative impacts on the lives of African Americans.

Ø   Students will explore methods used by Southern state governments to impact the lives of African Americans, including the passage of Black Codes, poll taxes, and Jim Crow laws.

Ø   Students will explore the response of some Southerners to the increased rights of African Americans noting the development of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and White Leagues.

Ø   Students will examine the ways in which the federal government failed to follow up on its promises to freed African Americans.

Ø   Students will examine the effects of the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.

Key Idea: Changing Society

(Standards:1,2,3,5;Themes:GEO,GOV,CIV,ECO)

Text: History of our Nation- Chapter 17- "The West Transformed"

8.3 EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM: Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, economic, political, and cultural factors contributed to a push for westward expansion and more aggressive United States foreign policy.

Ø   Students will examine examples of Native American resistance to the western encroachment including the Sioux Wars and the flight and surrender of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.

Ø   Students will examine United States and New York State policies toward Native Americans, such as the displacement of Native Americans from traditional lands, creation of reservations, efforts to assimilate Native Americans through the creation of boarding schools, the Dawes Act, and the Indian Reorganization Act and the Native Americans’ various responses to these policies.

Ø   Students will identify groups of people who moved into urban areas, and examine where they came from and the reasons for their migration into the cities. Students will explore the immigrant experience at Ellis Island.

Ø   Students will compare and contrast immigrant experiences in locations such as ethnic neighborhoods in cities, rural settlements in the Midwest, Chinese communities in the Far West, and Mexican communities in the Southwest. 

8.2b Population density, diversity, technologies, and industry in urban areas shaped the social, cultural, and economic lives of people.

Ø   Students will examine the population growth of New York City and other New York cities and the technologies and industries which encouraged this growth.

Ø   Students will examine the living conditions in urban areas with a focus on increasing population density and the impact this growth had on the social, cultural, and economic lives of people.

8.2c Increased urbanization and industrialization contributed to increasing conflicts over immigration, influenced changes in labor conditions, and led to political corruption.

Ø   Students will examine nativism and anti-immigration policies including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen’s Agreement, and immigration legislation of the 1920s.

Ø   Students will explore the growth and impacts of child labor and sweatshops.

Ø   Students will explore the development of political machines, including Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall.

8.2d In response to shifts in working conditions, laborers organized and employed a variety of strategies in an attempt to improve their conditions.

Ø   Students will examine the goals and tactics of specific labor unions including the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, and the International Workers of the World.

Ø   Students will examine key labor events including the Haymarket affair, the Pullman Strike and the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union strike.

Key Idea: A Changing Society

(Standards: 1, 2, 4; Themes: MOV, SOC, TECH, EXCH)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 19: "Political Reform and the Progressive Era"

8.2 A CHANGING SOCIETY: Industrialization and immigration contributed to the urbanization of America. Problems resulting from these changes
sparked the Progressive movement and increased calls for reform.

8.2e Progressive era reformers sought to address political and social issues at the local, state, and federal levels of government between 1890 and 1920. These efforts brought renewed attention to women’s rights and the suffrage movement and spurred the creation of government reform policies.

Ø   Students will examine the Populist Party as a reform effort by farmers in response to industrialization.

Ø   Students will investigate reformers and muckrakers such as Jane Addams, Florence Kelley, W. E. B. du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Ida Tarbell, Eugene V. Debs, Jacob Riis, Booker T. Washington, and Upton Sinclair. Student investigations should include the key issues in the individual’s work and the actions that individual took or recommended to address those issues.

Ø   Students will explore leaders and activities of the temperance and woman’s suffrage movements.

Ø   Students will investigate the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the legislative response.

Ø   Students will examine state and federal government responses to reform efforts including the passage of the 17th amendment, child labor and minimum wage laws, antitrust legislation, and food and drug regulations.

Key Idea: Expansion and Imperialism

(Standards:1,2,3,5;Themes:GEO,GOV,CIV,ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 20: "The United States Looks Overseas"

8.3 EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM: Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, economic, political, and cultural factors contributed to a push for westward expansion and more aggressive United States foreign policy.

8.3b The Spanish-American War contributed to the rise of the United States as an imperial power.

Ø   Students will examine examples of yellow journalism that contributed to United States entry into the Spanish-American War, including the portrayal of the sinking of the USS Maine.

Ø   Students will explain how the events and outcomes of the Spanish-American War contributed to the shift to imperialism in United States foreign policy.

8.3c Interest in Pacific trade contributed to an increase in United States foreign interactions.

Ø   Students will assess the events surrounding the annexation of Hawaii.

Ø   Students will examine the purpose and impact of the Open Door Policy.

8.3d The Roosevelt Corollary expanded the Monroe Doctrine and increased United States involvement in the affairs of Latin America. This led to resentment of the United States among many in Latin America.

Ø   Students will evaluate the United States actions taken under the Roosevelt Corollary and their effects on relationships between the United States and Latin American nations, including the building of the Panama Canal.

Ø   Students will examine Wilson’s Fourteen Points and investigate reasons why the United States Senate refused to support the Treaty of Versailles, focusing on opposition to the League of Nations.

 Key Idea: World War I and the Roaring Twenties

(Standards: 1, 2, 4; Themes: SOC, GOV, ECO, TECH)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 22: "The Roaring Twenties"

8.4 WORLD WAR I AND THE ROARING TWENTIES: Various diplomatic, economic, and ideological factors contributed to the United States decision to enter World War I. Involvement in the war significantly altered the lives of Americans. Postwar America was characterized by economic prosperity, technological innovations, and changes in the workplace.

8.4e After World War I, the United States entered a period of economic prosperity and cultural change. This period is known as the Roaring Twenties. During this time, new opportunities for women were gained, and African Americans engaged in various efforts to distinguish themselves and celebrate their culture.

Ø   Students will investigate the efforts of women suffragists and explain the historical significance of the 19th amendment.

Ø   Students will examine the reasons for and impact of prohibition on American society.

Ø   Students will examine examples of World War I and postwar race relations such as the East St. Louis riots, the Silent March, and the Tulsa riots.

Ø   Students will explore the changes in American culture after World War I, including an examination of the Harlem Renaissance and other changes in New York City.

Key Idea: Great Depression

(Standards: 1, 3, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, GOV, ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 23: "The Great Depression and the New Deal"

8.5 GREAT DEPRESSION: Economic and environmental disasters in the 1930s created hardships for many Americans. Amidst much debate about the appropriate role of government, President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped to create intensive government interventions in the United States economy and society.

(Standards: 1, 3, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, GOV, ECO)

8.5a Risky investing, protectionism, and overproduction led to the collapse of the stock market, a wave of bank failures, and a long and severe downturn in the economy called the Great Depression.

Ø   Students will examine how the economic practices of the 1920s contributed to the coming of the Great Depression.

8.5b The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl affected American businesses and families.

Ø   Students will examine the effects of the Great Depression on American families in terms of the loss of jobs, wealth, and homes, noting varying impacts based on class, race, and gender. Students will explore the conditions in New York City and other communities within New York State during the Great Depression.

Ø   Students will explore the man-made and environmental conditions that led to the Dust Bowl, the economic as well as cultural consequences of the Dust Bowl, and federal government efforts to address the problem.

8.5c President Roosevelt issued the New Deal in an attempt to revive the economy and help Americans deal with the hardships of the Great Depression. These New Deal reforms had a long-lasting effect on the role of government in American society and its economic life, but did not resolve all of the hardships Americans faced.

Ø   Students will identify key programs adopted under the New Deal and including the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the adoption of the Social Security Act.