Course Overview

The second half of a detailed two-year survey of the history of the United States, this course takes students from the westward movement of the late 1800s to the present. Lessons integrate topics in geography, civics, and economics. Building on the award-winning series A History of US, the course guides students through critical episodes in the story of America. Students examine the impact of the settlement of the American West; investigate the social, political, and economic changes that resulted from industrialization; explore the changing role of the U.S. in international affairs from the late 19th century through the end of the Cold War; and trace major events and trends in the United States from the Cold War through the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Course Outline

Changing and Growing

• Introduction
• Westward Ho!
• A Cowboy’s Life
• Rails
• Homesteading
• Losing a Way of Life
• Sorrow

Crusaders, Newcomers, and Innovators

• Corruption and Crusaders
• Mark His Words
• New Arrivals
• Barring the Doors
• Wyoming Wins
• Don’t Citizens Vote?
• Finding and Organizing Information
• Writing the Essay
• Separate But Unequal
• Courage
• Differing Views

Politics, Power, and the People

• Getting and Giving
• Mountains of Money
• How Much Is Too Much?
• Building Up
• In Office
• A Third Party
• Money Matters
• Money Debates
• A Grand Campaign
• All Americans?

Making Things Better

• Changes at Work
• Samuel Gompers
• Mother Jones
• Raking Muck
• Tackling Trusts
• Citizen of the Earth
• Woman of Peace
• How Close Are We?
• Progressing

Writing an Essay

• Choosing a Topic
• Choosing a Position
• Writing the Essay

Entering a New Century

• Born to Run
• Wanting War
• Wanting More
• Our Youngest President
• Our Biggest President
• Professor President
• Entangled in War
• Ending War

A Fascinating Era

• Amending Behavior
• Doubling Voters
• Seeing Red
• The Twenties
• The Jazz Age 60
• More Jazz
• Jazzing Things Up
• Tell Us What It Means
• Boom and Bust
• Suffering
• Democracy in Danger

Hard Times

• Young Franklin
• A Woman of Courage
• Polio and Politics
• A Powerful President
• The Government Grows
• Choosing a Topic
• Forming a Thesis
• Completing the Essay Outline
• Writing the First Draft
• Writing the Final Draft

The Second World War

• Dictating Disaster
• Hatred in Action
• Why War?
• War
• Who Was Who?
• Democracy Defended
• Democracy Denied
• Strategies
• The Beginning of the End
• Closing In
• End of an Era
• End of War
• A Beginning

Recovery, Reaction, Reform

• New Challenges
• New Leadership
• Fighting Bad Ideas
• Despite the Polls
• Seeing Red Again
• Hunting Reds
• The Nifty Fifties
• New Ways of Live
• Trouble Abroad
• Playing for Change
• Breaking Barriers
• Champions of Change
• Child Champions

A Turbulent Time

• JFK
• Crises
• Time to Act
• A Tragic Transition
• The Great Society
• Still Not Equal
• More Guns Than Butter
• Conflict Within Conflict
• Women Speak Out
• Moving North
• Migrants
• Hope and Hatred
• Victories and Violence

Not So Long Ago

• Marching to a Different Beat
• The Nixon Era
• Writing Wrongs
• Presidential Times
• Where in the World?
• Who Are We Now?

Into the Twenty-first Century

• A Complicated Election
• Terrible Challenges
• Grave Decisions
• Natural Disaster
• Election Firsts
• Then and Now
• States and Capitals Review