UNITED STATES HISTORY
Introduction/Rationale
The Core Learning Goals for Social Studies include four core learnings from the Maryland School Performance Outcomes for Social Studies: Political Systems, Peoples of the Nation and World, Geography, and Economics. The expectations reflect a blend of the Maryland Social Studies Outcomes (1990) and the National Standards in History (1994), Civics and Government (1994), Geography (1994), Economics (1994), and Social Studies (1994).The four core learning goal statements-Political Systems, Peoples of the Nation and World, Geography, and Economics-are goals for the entire social studies program, K12. They are not specific to a particular social studies course or grade-level social studies curriculum. Each social studies course presents a part of the whole goal statement appropriate to its objectives.
The goals, expectations, and indicators take into consideration the importance of civic education which is necessary to be an informed, involved citizen who understands and supports democratic principles, institutions, and processes. The expectations and indicators also focus on the relationship between United States history, politics, and government and world history, politics, and government.
Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts and processes of the social scientist associated with the four Core Learning Goals:
- The concepts of authority, power, and influence provide the mental scaffolding for organizing thinking in political systems, allowing students to determine who holds power, how power is gained, used, and justified, and how authority is created, structured, maintained, and changed;
- Chronology provides the mental scaffolding for organizing historical thought, allowing students to organize knowledge, contributions, and events related to peoples and nations in a meaningful sequence;
- The understanding of the spatial dimensions of human experience allows students to determine where things are, how they are arranged, why they are in particular locations, and how people, places, and the environment relate to each other; and
- The concept of scarcity provides the mental scaffolding which allows students to analyze economic decisions made by individuals and groups in both the private and public sectors throughout history.
Each of the three courses (Government, United States History, and World History) integrates the concepts and processes associated with these four social science disciplines. Embedded in the social studies expectations and indicators of learning are requirements that students, individually and as part of a group, demonstrate skills found in the Skills for Success document-learning, thinking, communication, technology, and interpersonal skills. Students should demonstrate the ability to use print and nonprint primary and secondary sources to acquire, interpret, and organize information and data. Students should also be able to compare points of view and apply multiple perspectives to negotiate and reach consensus with others as needed to facilitate responsible decision-making, problem-solving, and issues analysis to understand complex ideas and to generate new ideas. Real-world applications constitute an essential component of these skills and processes. As in all areas of study, students in social studies should be able to demonstrate the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively.
The Core Learning Goals, including expectations, indicators, and content, form the core of the curriculum for the required courses in Government, United States History, and World History. For all three courses, it is assumed that local school systems and individual schools will add to indicators and content as they deem appropriate,
GOAL 1 - POLITICAL SYSTEMS
1. Expectation: The student will analyze the origins and development of the United States political system from the late 18th century to the present.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will analyze the Declaration of Independence as a document that shaped the political philosophy of the United States.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Declaration of Independence.
(2) The student will analyze the evolution of United States representative democracy since the writing and ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Supreme Court cases that significantly reflect or influenced change in society: Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona.
(b) Issue of states' rights vs. federal power during specific periods in United States history.
(3) The student will examine the development of the broadening of the political base in the 19th century.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Historical development of the political party system, including the role of third parties.
(4) The student will analyze the causes of constitutional amendments during the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Emancipation Proclamation and Civil War amendments to the Constitution (13th, 14th, 15th amendments).
(5) The student will analyze how the Progressive Movement influenced government changes at the local, state, and federal levels.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Influence of the Progressive Movement on federal, state, and local governments.
(6) The student will explain how the New Deal changed government response to political, economic, and social needs.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Relationship of the three branches of government during the New Deal.
(b) Creation of New Deal government agencies as response to political, economic, and social needs.
(7) The student will evaluate the Great Society as an experiment in the increased federal role in society.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Role of the federal government as a change agent during the Great Society.
(8) The student will evaluate the impact of presidential decisions affecting rights of individuals and groups in United States society.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Presidential decrees or executive orders affecting particular groups: Jackson's removal of Cherokees, Lincoln's suppression of writ of habeas corpus, Franklin Roosevelt's executive order to place Japanese-Americans in internment camps, Truman's integration of the armed forces, Eisenhower's executive order at Little Rock.
C. Sample Instructional Activity: Great Depression
Using technology, the student will research the political and economic causes of the Great Depression and government response under the New Deal. The student will develop an essay on the integrated nature of government political and economic response.
2. Expectation: The student will analyze political change related to intellectual, social, and economic conditions during major historical periods.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will trace the evolution of the labor movement and its impact on society.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Organized labor movement in the United States.
(2) The student will assess the impact of market theory of economics on government policy.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Government response to economic and social conditions during the Great Depression.
(3) The student will trace the role of the women's movement and its effect on social reforms and political changes in the United States.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Influence of social reform movements on United States society.
(b) Suffrage movement and voting rights legislation.
(4) The student will analyze legislation designed to protect rights of individuals and groups and promote equity in United States society.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Influence of majority and minority groups on political change.
(b) Attempted resolution of government/Native American conflicts through treaties and other legislation.
(c) African American social/political movements: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).
(d) Civil rights legislation.
(5) The student will compare United States immigration policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Immigration policies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
(6) The student will analyze the influence of literary and social movements on political change.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Muckrakers.
C. Sample Instructional Activity: Immigration
The student will conduct an oral history interview of a recent immigrant to the United States and compare that experience to selected immigrant experiences in the 1890s, 1920s, or 1950s. The student will use appropriate available technology to conduct research. The student will create a visual presentation of the findings.
GOAL 2: PEOPLES OF THE NATION AND WORLD
1. Expectation: The student will examine how interactions among individuals and groups from various ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds influenced the development of the United States.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will analyze the impact of immigration and settlement patterns of ethnic and racial groups on 19th and 20th century United States society.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Clashes between settlers and Native Americans over land use and ownership.
(b) 19th century immigration from Germany, Ireland, China, and other countries and their settlement patterns.
(c) 20th century immigration: origins and settlement patterns.
(d) 19th and 20th century migrations within the United States.
(2) The student will analyze the effect of participation in war efforts by various groups.
Content to achieve this indicator:
(a) Citizen particpation in wartime efforts.
(3) The student will analyze the commonality and diversity of peoples of the United States throughout its history.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Ethnic, racial, and gender group contributions: language, customs, literature, music, art, science, politics.
B. Sample Instructional Activity: Issues of the 1920s
The student will identify the major events and issues of the 1920s such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Scopes trial, immigration, and Prohibition, that influenced various ethnic, cultural, religious, and racial groups. In groups, students will then simulate a radio program that examines the interactions between the various groups involved in the issue. Topics that might be covered include immigration/quota laws, Sacco and Vanzetti trial, Harlem Renaissance writers, race riots, the Scopes trial, the Back to Africa Movement, reactions to Prohibition, the theater, arts, literature, and music. A group could use one or more of the following strategies to present their radio program: news broadcasts, skits, talk shows, or interviews.
2. Expectation: The student will examine the historic role of the United States in world affairs.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will explain the impact of Washington's Farewell Address, the Monroe Doctrine, and Manifest Destiny on United States foreign policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) The impact of Washington's Farewell Address on United States foreign policy.
(b) Monroe Doctrine and implications in 19th and 20th centuries, including the Roosevelt Corollary.
(c) Concept of Manifest Destiny in the 19th and 20th centuries.
(d) Spanish-American War: Caribbean and the Pacific (Hawaii/Philippines).
(e) Concept of isolationism vs. entry into world affairs in the early 20th century: Panama Canal, Dollar Diplomacy, use of Marines, Good Neighbor Policy.
(2) The student will examine isolationism as United States foreign policy related to global conflict.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) World War I.
(b) Between world wars.
(c) World War II.
(3) The student will analyze the impact of the policy of containment on United States domestic and international politics since World War II.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Issues of the Cold War and containment.
(b) United States role in world affairs since the breakup of Soviet Union.
(4) The student will analyze the impact of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts on the United States.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Limited war.
(b) Role of opposition in shaping United States policy.
(5) The student will examine the role of the United States in international organizations.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) United States involvement in international defense and development organizations such as the League of Nations, the United Nations and its agencies, and NATO.
C. Sample Instructional Activity: Evaluating Influence of Treaties and Executive Orders
After examining United States treaties and executive orders from 1790 to the present, the student will select three treaties or orders that he or she believes have had the greatest influence on United States foreign policies. Criteria for selection will include the political, social, and economic impact of each treaty or executive order. The student will explain his or her choice to a cooperative learning group, and the group will reach a consensus as to the three most significant treaties or executive orders.
GOAL 3: GEOGRAPHY
1. Expectation: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of geographic factors on the development of culture and technology in the United States.
A. Indicators of Learning
- (1) The student will analyze the importance of cultural and physical geographic factors on patterns of movement and settlement of people in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Influence of cultural and physical environment and natural resources on development of the United States.
(2) The student will relate the location and types of natural resources found in the United States to its development as a world power in the 20th century.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Patterns of agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial growth.
(3) The student will analyze the changing roles and relationships of different regions of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Government actions related to settlement and development of regions in the United States.
(4) The student will evaluate the importance of different types of transportation and communication networks as factors contributing to the development of the United States.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Reasons for and consequences of location of railroads, canals, highways, and seaports and the influence on development of regions.
B. Sample Instructional Activity: Influences of Population Centers and Regions on Development
The student will select a population center or a region, such as the manufacturing belt, and trace five to ten cultural and physical geographic factors which influenced its development. Using current technology, the student will construct a series of maps to show land use changes over time and predict environmental changes that might take place in the future.
2. Expectation: The student will explain the impact of geographical and environmental factors on development of the United States.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will analyze interactions of people and environment related to westward expansion.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Environmental reasons for expansion of transportation networks, location of cities, and movement of peoples, goods, and services.
(2) The student will identify the trade-off between environmental quality and economic growth in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Issues of land development and preservation: creation and use of public lands for national parks, agriculture, and industry.
(b) Development and preservation of natural resources.
(3) The student will explain how the geographic location of the United States has affected its foreign policy.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Impact of physical location on United States foreign policy: isolationism, internationalism, hemispheric concerns.
B. Sample Instructional Activities
(1) Growth of Cattle Industry
The student will create a visual presentation, using appropriate technology, to show the evolution of the cattle industry in the United States as it has been affected by geographic and technological factors.
(2) Isolationism/Internationalism
The student will select one 20th century event which illustrates United States isolationism and one 20th century event which illustrates United States internationalism. Through use of appropriate historical and geographic technology, the student will explain how geography influenced the formation of United States policy on these events.
GOAL 4 - ECONOMICS
1. Expectation: The student will demonstrate an understanding of economic principles, institutions, and processes which have provided the foundation for economic development of the United States.
A. Indicators of Learning
(1) The student will analyze the ways in which the allocation of resources has influenced the economic development of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Settlement of the West.
(b) 19th century industrialization.
(c) Economic causes and consequences of business cycles in the 19th and 20th centuries.
(d) Post-industrial economy: changes in the relative importance of the manufacturing, service, and government sectors; migration; the changing workforce; aging population; and globalization of the economy.
(2) The student will evaluate the effects of specialization, trade, and interdependence on the well-being of the United States.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Trade restrictions and landmark tariff agreements.
(b) Growth of cities and suburbs.
(c) Economic role of the United States in world affairs in the 20th century.
(3) The student will examine the development and long-term effects of business, farm, and labor organizations on the United States economy.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Development of proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations as forms of business organization.
(b) Organized labor.
(c) Stock markets, banks, and other financial institutions.
(4) The student will trace the relative importance of traditional, command, and market influences on the United States economy in answering basic economic questions of what, how, and for whom.
Content to achieve this indicator includes:
(a) Economic causes and consequences of business cycles in the 19th and 20th centuries.
(b) Economic effects of government programs.
(c) Post-industrial economy: changes in the relative importance of the manufacturing, service, and government sectors; migration; the changing workforce; aging population; and globalization of the economy.
B. Sample Instructional Activity: 19th Century Industrialists
The student will select an industrialist from the 19th century and research his/her role in the development of the United States economy. The student will take a position and support it with evidence to make a judgment about the industrialist's contributions to United States economic and social life.
Return to:
HS Social Studies Core Learning Goals Home Page
Last updated 02/25/98