United States History Semester 2

Syllabus:

Semester 2:

Section 1: The U.S. in a World of Crisis

In this section, you will learn about:

• The rise of fascism and the Nazis in Europe
• The events leading up to the outbreak of World War II 
• The reasons why the United States stayed out of World War II and why the nation eventually entered into it
• The American home front experience during the war
• Key battles and events and the wartime experiences of American soldiers
• Lasting political, economic, social, and cultural impacts of U.S. involvement in World War II

Lessons:

• World War II and American Intervention
• Preparing for War and the Homefront Experience
• America at War
• Lasting Impacts of U.S. Involvement in World War II

Section 2: Containing Communism and Constructing the American Dream

In this section, you will learn about:

• The context for the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
• Competing economic and political ideologies of capitalism and socialism
• How anticommunism entered into and impacted American politics
• How the Cold War provided an opportunity for civil rights activists to fight against racial discrimination in the U.S.
• The Second Red Scare
• Decolonization and how the process played into the Cold War
• The origins of the Korean War and U.S. involvement in the conflict
• The post-war economic boom and its political, economic, and social impacts
• New technologies, such as the automobile and the television, and their impact on American culture and society
• Persistent social problems such as poverty, racial discrimination, and environmental harms that drew criticism and social activism leading into the 1960s

Lessons:

• Origins of the Cold War
• Anticommunism and American Politics after the War
• Containment and the Cold War in Korea
• Living the Dream in Postwar America
• The Other America and Seeds of Dissent

Section 3: An Era of Social Change

In this section, you will learn about:

• The Kennedy administration’s domestic policies and leadership during the Cold War
• President Johnson’s “Great Society” and the challenges it sought to address
• The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s that took action to end racial discrimination and segregation in the South
• The rise of Dr. Martin Luther King and his impact on the civil rights movement
• Black nationalism and the role of Malcolm X in the movement
• The origins of the war in Vietnam and why the United States decided to become involved
• Fighting conditions in Vietnam and the impact the war had on Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers
• The antiwar movement that arose in the United States in response to the Vietnam War
• Various movements that emerged to tackle social and environmental problems and inequities in the 1960s and 1970s, including the women’s rights movement, the American Indian movement, the gay and lesbian movement, and the environmental movement

Lessons:

• Kennedy’s New Frontier at Home and Abroad
• Johnson’s Great Society and its Limits
• Taking on Segregation in the Civil Rights Movement
• The United States and the Vietnam War
• The Civil Rights Revolution Expands

Section 4: America Shifts to the Right

In this section, you will learn about:

• The Nixon presidency and the Watergate scandal
• How the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam and the outcome of the war
• The conservative shift that occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and the impact of conservative economic policies
• Key events and domestic policies during the Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations
• How the Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations faced foreign challenges, particularly in Latin America and the Middle East
• How the Cold War finally came to an end and the conflicts in Eastern Europe that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union 
• The rise of computers and the internet, and the impacts of revolutionary technological change
• Globalization and the “new economy” at the end of the 20th century

Lessons:

• The Fall of Nixon and the End of Vietnam
• The Conservative Resurgence
• Foreign Challenges and America’s Role in the Post-Cold War Era
• The Clinton Years: Computerization, Globalization, and America at the End of the Millennia

Section 5: America in the 21st Century: Challenges at Home and Abroad

In this section, you will learn about:

• The George W. Bush administration’s domestic policies and its response to multiple crises
• The September 11 terrorist attacks 
• The “War on Terror” waged by the United States and its impacts both at home and abroad
• The context for the U.S. waging wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
• The events that led to the Great Recession and the response from government to soften its negative impacts
• The political, economic, and social impacts of the Great Recession 
• The Obama administration’s domestic and international policies
• Events leading up to the 2016 presidential election
• Significant actions and measures carried out by the Trump administration
• The Trump-Ukraine scandal and the first impeachment of President Trump
• The COVID-19 pandemic and the government response at the federal level
• The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the second impeachment of President Trump
• Challenges facing Americans today, including wealth inequality, racial inequality, mass incarceration, health challenges, political polarization, globalization, climate change, and immigration.

Lessons:

• The Second Bush Presidency and the September 11 Attacks
• America’s War on Terror
• The Great Recession and the Rise of Barack Obama
• The Trump Presidency from Beginning to End
• Challenges Facing Americans Today