Standards
United States History
*Based on the revised Social Studies Standards of Excellence (GSE) implemented in the 2017-2018 school year
The high school United States history course provides students with a survey of major events and themes in United States history. The course begins with English settlement and concludes with significant developments in the early 21st Century.
SSUSH1 Compare and contrast the development of English settlement and colonization during the 17th Century.
a. Investigate how mercantilism and trans-Atlantic trade led to the development of colonies.
b. Explain the development of the Southern Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
c. Explain the development of the New England Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
d. Explain the development of the Mid-Atlantic Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
SSUSH2 Describe the early English colonial society and investigate the development of its governance.
a. Describe European cultural diversity including the contributions of different ethnic and religious groups.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, the growth of the African population and their contributions, including but not limited to architecture, agriculture, and foodways.
c. Describe different methods of colonial self-governance in the period of Salutary Neglect
d. Explain the role of the Great Awakening in creating unity in the colonies and challenging traditional authority.
SSUSH3 Analyze the causes of the American Revolution.
a. Explain how the French and Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
b. Explain colonial response to the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in the Sons and Daughters of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.
SSUSH4 Analyze the ideological, military, social, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
a. Investigate the intellectual sources, organization, and argument of the Declaration of Independence including the role of Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five.
b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and other foreign assistance including the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader, including but not limited to the influence of Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de LaFayette, and the significance of Valley Forge in the creation of a professional military.
d. Investigate the role of geography at the Battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
e. Examine the roles of women, American Indians, and enslaved and free Blacks in supporting the war effort.
f. Explain the significance of the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
SSUSH5 Investigate specific events and key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States Constitution.
a. Examine the strengths of the Articles of Confederation, including but not limited to the Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and their influence on westward migration, slavery, public education, and the addition of new states.
b. Evaluate how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government.
c. Explain the key features of the Constitution, including the Great Compromise, limited government, and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
d. Evaluate the major arguments of the Anti-Federalists and Federalists during the debate on ratification of the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and the roles of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
e. Explain how objections to the ratification of the Constitution were addressed in the Bill of Rights.
SSUSH6 Analyze the challenges faced by the first five presidents and how they responded.
a. Examine the presidency of Washington, including the precedents he set.
b. Explain the presidency of John Adams including the Sedition Act and its influence on the election of 1800.
c. Explore Jefferson’s expansion of presidential power including the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana Territory.
d. Explain James Madison’s presidency in relation to the War of 1812 and the war’s significance in the development of a national identity.
e. Explain James Monroe’s presidency in relation to the Monroe Doctrine.
SSUSH7 Investigate political, economic, and social developments during the Age of Jackson.
a. Explain Jacksonian Democracy, including expanding suffrage, the Nullification Crisis and states’ rights, and the Indian Removal Act.
b. Explain how the North, South, and West were linked through industrial and economic expansion including Henry Clay and the American System.
c. Explain the influence of the Second Great Awakening on social reform movements, including temperance, public education, and women’s efforts to gain suffrage.
d. Explain how the significance of slavery grew in American politics including slave rebellions and the rise of abolitionism.
SSUSH8 Explore the relationship between slavery, growing north-south divisions, and westward expansion that led to the outbreak of the Civil War.
a. Explain the impact of the Missouri Compromise on the admission of states from the Louisiana Territory.
b. Examine James K. Polk’s presidency in the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny including the Texas annexation and Oregon.
c. Analyze the impact of the Mexican War on growing sectionalism.
d. Explain how the Compromise of 1850 arose out of territorial expansion and population growth.
e. Evaluate the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the failure of popular sovereignty, Scott v. Sanford, John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, and the election of 1860 as events leading to the Civil War.
SSUSH9 Evaluate key events, issues, and individuals related to the Civil War
a. Explain the importance of the growing economic disparity between the North and the South through an examination of population, functioning railroads, and industrial output.
b. Discuss Lincoln’s purpose in using emergency powers to suspend habeas corpus, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and delivering the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural Addresses.
c. Examine the influences of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, William T. Sherman, and Jefferson Davis.
d. Explain the importance of Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Atlanta, as well as the impact of geography on these battles.
SSUSH10 Identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction.
a. Compare and contrast Presidential Reconstruction with Congressional Reconstruction, including the significance of Lincoln’s assassination and Johnson’s impeachment.
b. Investigate the efforts of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) to support poor whites, former slaves, and American Indians.
c. Describe the significance of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments.
d. Explain the Black Codes, the Ku Klux Klan, and other forms of resistance to racial equality during Reconstruction.
e. Analyze how the Presidential Election of 1876 marked the end of Reconstruction.
SSUSH11 Examine connections between the rise of big business, the growth of labor unions, and technological innovations.
a. Explain the effects of railroads on other industries, including steel and oil.
b. Examine the significance of John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie in the rise of trusts and monopolies.
c. Examine the influence of key inventions on U.S. infrastructure, including but not limited to the telegraph, telephone, and electric light bulb.
d. Describe Ellis and Angel Islands, the change in immigrants’ origins and their influence on the economy, politics, and culture of the United States.
e. Discuss the origins, growth, influence, and tactics of labor unions including the American Federation of Labor.
SSUSH12 Evaluate how westward expansion impacted the Plains Indians and fulfilled Manifest Destiny.
a. Examine the construction of the transcontinental railroad including the use of immigrant labor.
b. Evaluate how the growth of the western population and innovations in farming and ranching impacted Plains Indians.
c. Explain the Plains Indians’ resistance to western expansion of the United States and the consequences of their resistance.
SSUSH13 Evaluate efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era.
a. Describe the influence of muckrakers on affecting change by bringing attention to social problems.
b. Examine and explain the roles of women in reform movements.
c. Connect the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson to the expansion of Jim Crow laws and the formation of the NAACP.
d. Describe Progressive legislative actions including empowerment of the voter, labor laws, and the conservation movement.
SSUSH14 Explain America’s evolving relationship with the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
a. Describe how the Spanish-American War, war in the Philippines, and territorial expansion led to the debate over American imperialism.
b. Examine U.S. involvement in Latin America, as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the Panama Canal.
SSUSH15 Analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.
a. Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, including unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram.
b. Explain the domestic impact of World War I, including the origins of the Great Migration, the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene Debs.
c. Explain Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations.
SSUSH16 Investigate how political, economic, and cultural developments after WW I led to a shared national identity.
a. Explain how fears of rising communism and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.
b. Describe the effects of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments.
c. Examine how mass production and advertising led to increasing consumerism, including Henry Ford and the automobile.
d. Describe the impact of radio and movies as a unifying force in the national culture.
e. Describe the emergence of modern forms of cultural expression including the origins of jazz and the Harlem Renaissance.
SSUSH17 Analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression.
a. Describe the causes, including overproduction, underconsumption, and stock market speculation that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
b. Explain factors (include over-farming and climate) that led to the Dust Bowl and the resulting movement and migration west.
c. Explain the social and political impact of widespread unemployment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles.
SSUSH18 Evaluate Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response to the Great Depression and compare how governmental programs aided those in need.
a. Describe Roosevelt’s attempts at relief, recovery, and reform reflected in various New Deal programs.
b. Explain the passage of the Social Security Act as a part of the second New Deal.
c. Analyze political challenges to Roosevelt’s leadership and New Deal programs.
d. Examine how Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the First Lady including development of New Deal programs to aid those in need.
SSUSH19 Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, including the growth of the federal government.
a. Investigate the origins of U.S. involvement in the war including Lend-lease and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
b. Examine the Pacific Theater including the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, the Battle of Midway, Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bombs.
c. Examine the European Theater including difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, D-Day, and the Fall of Berlin.
d. Investigate the domestic impact of the war including war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, wartime conversion, and the role of women and African Americans or Blacks.
e. Examine Roosevelt’s use of executive powers including the integration of defense industries and the internment of Japanese-Americans.
SSUSH20 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions developed as a response to the Cold War including containment, the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the Korean War.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the G.I. Bill, Truman’s integration policies, McCarthyism, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, and Brown v. Board of Education.
c. Examine the influence of Sputnik on U.S. technological innovations and education.
SSUSH21 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including U.S. involvement in Cuba and the escalation of the war in Vietnam as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the passage of civil rights legislation and Johnson’s Great Society, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
c. Describe the impact of television on American culture including the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960), news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement, the moon landing, and the war in Vietnam.
d. Investigate the growth, influence, and tactics of civil rights groups, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Letter from Birmingham Jail, the I Have a Dream Speech, and Cesar Chavez.
e. Describe the social and political turmoil of 1968 including the reactions to assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet Offensive, and the presidential election.
SSUSH22 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including the opening of and establishment of diplomatic relations with China, the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the War Powers Act, the Camp David Accords, and Carter’s response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the emergence of the National Organization for Women, Nixon’s resignation due to the Watergate scandal, and his pardon by Ford.
SSUSH23 Assess the political, economic, and technological changes during the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations.
a. Analyze challenges faced by recent presidents including the collapse of the Soviet Union, Clinton’s impeachment, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the war against terrorism.
b. Examine economic policies of recent presidents including Reaganomics.
c. Examine the influence of technological changes on society including the personal computer, the Internet, and social media.
d. Examine the historic nature of the presidential election of 2008.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Map and Globe Skills
GOAL: The student will use maps to retrieve social studies information.
1. use a compass rose to identify cardinal directions
2. use intermediate directions
3. use a letter/number grid system to determine location
4. compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
5. use graphic scales to determine distances on a map
6. use map key/legend to acquire information from historical, physical, political, resource, product, and economic maps
7. use a map to explain impact of geography on historical and current events
8. draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information from maps
9. use latitude and longitude to determine location
10. compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities
11. compare maps with data sets (charts, tables, graphs) and /or readings to draw conclusions and make generalizations
12. use geographic technology and software to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities
Information Processing Skills
GOAL: The student will be able to locate, analyze, and synthesize information related to social studies topics and apply this information to solve problems/make decisions.
1. compare similarities and differences
2. organize items chronologically
3. identify issues and/or problems and alternative solutions
4. distinguish between fact and opinion
5. identify main idea, detail, sequence of events, and cause and effect in a social studies context
6. identify and use primary and secondary sources
7. interpret timelines, charts, and tables
8. identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose
9. construct charts and tables
10. analyze artifacts
11. draw conclusions and make generalizations
12. analyze graphs and diagrams
13. translate dates into centuries, eras, or ages
14.formulate appropriate research questions
15. determine adequacy and/or relevancy of information
16. check for consistency of information
17. interpret political cartoons
Clarification for Literacy Standards in High School:
Grades 11-12 social studies courses incorporate the grades 11-12 Reading/Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies.
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES (RHSS) GRADE 11-12
Key Ideas and Details
L11-12RHSS1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
L11-12RHSS2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
L11-12RHSS3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Craft and Structure
L11-12RHSS4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
L11-12RHSS5: Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
L11-12RHSS6: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
L11-12RHSS7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
L11-12RHSS8: Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
L11-12RHSS9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
L11-12RHSS10: By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11–12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
WRITING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE, AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS GRADES 11-12 (WHST)
Text Types and Purposes
L11-12WHST1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
L11-12WHST2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation provided (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
L11-12WHST3: (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)
Production and Distribution of Writing
L11-12WHST4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
L11-12WHST5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
L11-12WHST6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
L11-12WHST7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
L11-12WHST8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
L11-12WHST9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
L11-12WHST10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
*Based on the revised Social Studies Standards of Excellence (GSE) implemented in the 2017-2018 school year
The high school United States history course provides students with a survey of major events and themes in United States history. The course begins with English settlement and concludes with significant developments in the early 21st Century.
SSUSH1 Compare and contrast the development of English settlement and colonization during the 17th Century.
a. Investigate how mercantilism and trans-Atlantic trade led to the development of colonies.
b. Explain the development of the Southern Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
c. Explain the development of the New England Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
d. Explain the development of the Mid-Atlantic Colonies, including but not limited to reasons established, impact of location and place, relations with American Indians, and economic development.
SSUSH2 Describe the early English colonial society and investigate the development of its governance.
a. Describe European cultural diversity including the contributions of different ethnic and religious groups.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, the growth of the African population and their contributions, including but not limited to architecture, agriculture, and foodways.
c. Describe different methods of colonial self-governance in the period of Salutary Neglect
d. Explain the role of the Great Awakening in creating unity in the colonies and challenging traditional authority.
SSUSH3 Analyze the causes of the American Revolution.
a. Explain how the French and Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
b. Explain colonial response to the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in the Sons and Daughters of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.
SSUSH4 Analyze the ideological, military, social, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
a. Investigate the intellectual sources, organization, and argument of the Declaration of Independence including the role of Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five.
b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and other foreign assistance including the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader, including but not limited to the influence of Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de LaFayette, and the significance of Valley Forge in the creation of a professional military.
d. Investigate the role of geography at the Battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
e. Examine the roles of women, American Indians, and enslaved and free Blacks in supporting the war effort.
f. Explain the significance of the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
SSUSH5 Investigate specific events and key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States Constitution.
a. Examine the strengths of the Articles of Confederation, including but not limited to the Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and their influence on westward migration, slavery, public education, and the addition of new states.
b. Evaluate how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government.
c. Explain the key features of the Constitution, including the Great Compromise, limited government, and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
d. Evaluate the major arguments of the Anti-Federalists and Federalists during the debate on ratification of the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and the roles of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
e. Explain how objections to the ratification of the Constitution were addressed in the Bill of Rights.
SSUSH6 Analyze the challenges faced by the first five presidents and how they responded.
a. Examine the presidency of Washington, including the precedents he set.
b. Explain the presidency of John Adams including the Sedition Act and its influence on the election of 1800.
c. Explore Jefferson’s expansion of presidential power including the purchase and exploration of the Louisiana Territory.
d. Explain James Madison’s presidency in relation to the War of 1812 and the war’s significance in the development of a national identity.
e. Explain James Monroe’s presidency in relation to the Monroe Doctrine.
SSUSH7 Investigate political, economic, and social developments during the Age of Jackson.
a. Explain Jacksonian Democracy, including expanding suffrage, the Nullification Crisis and states’ rights, and the Indian Removal Act.
b. Explain how the North, South, and West were linked through industrial and economic expansion including Henry Clay and the American System.
c. Explain the influence of the Second Great Awakening on social reform movements, including temperance, public education, and women’s efforts to gain suffrage.
d. Explain how the significance of slavery grew in American politics including slave rebellions and the rise of abolitionism.
SSUSH8 Explore the relationship between slavery, growing north-south divisions, and westward expansion that led to the outbreak of the Civil War.
a. Explain the impact of the Missouri Compromise on the admission of states from the Louisiana Territory.
b. Examine James K. Polk’s presidency in the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny including the Texas annexation and Oregon.
c. Analyze the impact of the Mexican War on growing sectionalism.
d. Explain how the Compromise of 1850 arose out of territorial expansion and population growth.
e. Evaluate the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the failure of popular sovereignty, Scott v. Sanford, John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, and the election of 1860 as events leading to the Civil War.
SSUSH9 Evaluate key events, issues, and individuals related to the Civil War
a. Explain the importance of the growing economic disparity between the North and the South through an examination of population, functioning railroads, and industrial output.
b. Discuss Lincoln’s purpose in using emergency powers to suspend habeas corpus, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and delivering the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural Addresses.
c. Examine the influences of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, William T. Sherman, and Jefferson Davis.
d. Explain the importance of Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Atlanta, as well as the impact of geography on these battles.
SSUSH10 Identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction.
a. Compare and contrast Presidential Reconstruction with Congressional Reconstruction, including the significance of Lincoln’s assassination and Johnson’s impeachment.
b. Investigate the efforts of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) to support poor whites, former slaves, and American Indians.
c. Describe the significance of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments.
d. Explain the Black Codes, the Ku Klux Klan, and other forms of resistance to racial equality during Reconstruction.
e. Analyze how the Presidential Election of 1876 marked the end of Reconstruction.
SSUSH11 Examine connections between the rise of big business, the growth of labor unions, and technological innovations.
a. Explain the effects of railroads on other industries, including steel and oil.
b. Examine the significance of John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie in the rise of trusts and monopolies.
c. Examine the influence of key inventions on U.S. infrastructure, including but not limited to the telegraph, telephone, and electric light bulb.
d. Describe Ellis and Angel Islands, the change in immigrants’ origins and their influence on the economy, politics, and culture of the United States.
e. Discuss the origins, growth, influence, and tactics of labor unions including the American Federation of Labor.
SSUSH12 Evaluate how westward expansion impacted the Plains Indians and fulfilled Manifest Destiny.
a. Examine the construction of the transcontinental railroad including the use of immigrant labor.
b. Evaluate how the growth of the western population and innovations in farming and ranching impacted Plains Indians.
c. Explain the Plains Indians’ resistance to western expansion of the United States and the consequences of their resistance.
SSUSH13 Evaluate efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era.
a. Describe the influence of muckrakers on affecting change by bringing attention to social problems.
b. Examine and explain the roles of women in reform movements.
c. Connect the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson to the expansion of Jim Crow laws and the formation of the NAACP.
d. Describe Progressive legislative actions including empowerment of the voter, labor laws, and the conservation movement.
SSUSH14 Explain America’s evolving relationship with the world at the turn of the twentieth century.
a. Describe how the Spanish-American War, war in the Philippines, and territorial expansion led to the debate over American imperialism.
b. Examine U.S. involvement in Latin America, as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the Panama Canal.
SSUSH15 Analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.
a. Describe the movement from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, including unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman Telegram.
b. Explain the domestic impact of World War I, including the origins of the Great Migration, the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene Debs.
c. Explain Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the debate over U.S. entry into the League of Nations.
SSUSH16 Investigate how political, economic, and cultural developments after WW I led to a shared national identity.
a. Explain how fears of rising communism and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.
b. Describe the effects of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments.
c. Examine how mass production and advertising led to increasing consumerism, including Henry Ford and the automobile.
d. Describe the impact of radio and movies as a unifying force in the national culture.
e. Describe the emergence of modern forms of cultural expression including the origins of jazz and the Harlem Renaissance.
SSUSH17 Analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression.
a. Describe the causes, including overproduction, underconsumption, and stock market speculation that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
b. Explain factors (include over-farming and climate) that led to the Dust Bowl and the resulting movement and migration west.
c. Explain the social and political impact of widespread unemployment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles.
SSUSH18 Evaluate Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response to the Great Depression and compare how governmental programs aided those in need.
a. Describe Roosevelt’s attempts at relief, recovery, and reform reflected in various New Deal programs.
b. Explain the passage of the Social Security Act as a part of the second New Deal.
c. Analyze political challenges to Roosevelt’s leadership and New Deal programs.
d. Examine how Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the First Lady including development of New Deal programs to aid those in need.
SSUSH19 Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, including the growth of the federal government.
a. Investigate the origins of U.S. involvement in the war including Lend-lease and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
b. Examine the Pacific Theater including the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, the Battle of Midway, Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bombs.
c. Examine the European Theater including difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, D-Day, and the Fall of Berlin.
d. Investigate the domestic impact of the war including war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, wartime conversion, and the role of women and African Americans or Blacks.
e. Examine Roosevelt’s use of executive powers including the integration of defense industries and the internment of Japanese-Americans.
SSUSH20 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions developed as a response to the Cold War including containment, the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the Korean War.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the G.I. Bill, Truman’s integration policies, McCarthyism, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, and Brown v. Board of Education.
c. Examine the influence of Sputnik on U.S. technological innovations and education.
SSUSH21 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including U.S. involvement in Cuba and the escalation of the war in Vietnam as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the passage of civil rights legislation and Johnson’s Great Society, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
c. Describe the impact of television on American culture including the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960), news coverage of the Civil Rights Movement, the moon landing, and the war in Vietnam.
d. Investigate the growth, influence, and tactics of civil rights groups, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Letter from Birmingham Jail, the I Have a Dream Speech, and Cesar Chavez.
e. Describe the social and political turmoil of 1968 including the reactions to assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet Offensive, and the presidential election.
SSUSH22 Analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their influences on technological advancements and social changes during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations.
a. Analyze the international policies and actions taken as a response to the Cold War including the opening of and establishment of diplomatic relations with China, the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the War Powers Act, the Camp David Accords, and Carter’s response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis.
b. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the emergence of the National Organization for Women, Nixon’s resignation due to the Watergate scandal, and his pardon by Ford.
SSUSH23 Assess the political, economic, and technological changes during the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations.
a. Analyze challenges faced by recent presidents including the collapse of the Soviet Union, Clinton’s impeachment, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the war against terrorism.
b. Examine economic policies of recent presidents including Reaganomics.
c. Examine the influence of technological changes on society including the personal computer, the Internet, and social media.
d. Examine the historic nature of the presidential election of 2008.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Map and Globe Skills
GOAL: The student will use maps to retrieve social studies information.
1. use a compass rose to identify cardinal directions
2. use intermediate directions
3. use a letter/number grid system to determine location
4. compare and contrast the categories of natural, cultural, and political features found on maps
5. use graphic scales to determine distances on a map
6. use map key/legend to acquire information from historical, physical, political, resource, product, and economic maps
7. use a map to explain impact of geography on historical and current events
8. draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information from maps
9. use latitude and longitude to determine location
10. compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities
11. compare maps with data sets (charts, tables, graphs) and /or readings to draw conclusions and make generalizations
12. use geographic technology and software to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities
Information Processing Skills
GOAL: The student will be able to locate, analyze, and synthesize information related to social studies topics and apply this information to solve problems/make decisions.
1. compare similarities and differences
2. organize items chronologically
3. identify issues and/or problems and alternative solutions
4. distinguish between fact and opinion
5. identify main idea, detail, sequence of events, and cause and effect in a social studies context
6. identify and use primary and secondary sources
7. interpret timelines, charts, and tables
8. identify social studies reference resources to use for a specific purpose
9. construct charts and tables
10. analyze artifacts
11. draw conclusions and make generalizations
12. analyze graphs and diagrams
13. translate dates into centuries, eras, or ages
14.formulate appropriate research questions
15. determine adequacy and/or relevancy of information
16. check for consistency of information
17. interpret political cartoons
Clarification for Literacy Standards in High School:
Grades 11-12 social studies courses incorporate the grades 11-12 Reading/Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies.
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES (RHSS) GRADE 11-12
Key Ideas and Details
L11-12RHSS1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
L11-12RHSS2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
L11-12RHSS3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Craft and Structure
L11-12RHSS4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
L11-12RHSS5: Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
L11-12RHSS6: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
L11-12RHSS7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
L11-12RHSS8: Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
L11-12RHSS9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
L11-12RHSS10: By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11–12 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
WRITING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE, AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS GRADES 11-12 (WHST)
Text Types and Purposes
L11-12WHST1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
L11-12WHST2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic and organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation provided (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
L11-12WHST3: (See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)
Production and Distribution of Writing
L11-12WHST4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
L11-12WHST5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
L11-12WHST6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
L11-12WHST7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
L11-12WHST8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
L11-12WHST9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing
L11-12WHST10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.