The History of the United States Since 1877
A Dual Credit Course Offered in Conjunction with Texas Woman’s University
Instructor: Thomas L. Vanderburg
Phone: (817) 547-6000 X6269
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.birdvilleschools.net/Domain/1013
Tutorial/Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-7:25 and 2:45-3:15 in A244
Course Description:
History 1023 (or dual credit U.S. History part 2) is a survey course designed to familiarize
students with major developments in United States history since Reconstruction while creating
informed consumers of information who can apply critical thinking skills. This course will,
among other things, cover Westward Expansion, Industrialization, Urbanization, The Gilded
Age, The Progressive Era, Imperialism, World War I, the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression,
World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Gulf
War, 9/11 and the recent presidential administrations.
Course Objectives:
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Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global forces on
the United States.
Comprehend the evolution of U.S. political systems, with a focus on the development of
political institutions, amendments to the U.S. Constitution, civil liberties, as well as civil
and human rights.
Identify and understand differences and commonalities within diverse cultures.
Analyze the development of the American national identity.
Evaluate the evolution of rights and freedoms throughout various periods in U.S. History.
Interpret and analyze primary and secondary source materials.
Prepare students for success on the state-mandated STAAR end-of-course assessment.
Required Texts:
Tindall, G. B., & Shi, D. E. (2013). America: A Narrative History, 9e. New York: W.W. Norton.
Supplementary Sources:
Sheets, K. Sources for America’s History, Vol. 2. (8/e). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Inc., 2014.
Gorn, E., Roberts, R., & Bilhartz, T. Constructing the American Past: A Source Book of a People’s
History, Vol. 2 (4/e). New York: Longman, 2002.
Selected journal articles as assigned
Selected visual and audible media as assigned
Reading Assignments:
This will be a reading-intensive course. Expect several hours of reading per week (usually due
on Fridays unless otherwise indicated by the instructor). Please note: It will be extremely
difficult to succeed in this course without completing the reading assignments by the due dates.
Grades:
Assignment
Points
Point Range
Test 1*
Test 2*
Test 3*
Final Exam
STAAR Review #1
STAAR Review #2
Dilemmas (5 @ 40 pts. each)
Class Discussion
Daily Participation
100
100
100
200
100
100
200
100
100
990-1100
880-989
770-879
700-769
<699
Letter
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
*Highest 3 test grades count.
Tests:
There will be four tests along with a final exam. I will count your highest three test grades. The
final exam is required and will not be dropped.
Dilemmas:
Students will complete five dilemmas over the course of the semester. A dilemma is an essay
assignment in which the student will assume the role of a period character and take a position on
an issue based on their character’s point-of-view.
Class Discussion:
Discussions will usually take place on Fridays, but dates can change at the instructor’s discretion.
Discussions will be judged based on your preparedness, your ability to reference the reading
materials, your ability to address the question(s) posed, and your ability to be respectful of your
classmates as they speak. You will also be required to lead one discussion.
Daily Participation:
This portion of the grade includes assignments that would normally be considered “projects” or
“daily work” in a classroom environment, such as quick reflection writing, timelines, simulation
activities, video quizzes, etc.
STAAR Reviews:
Students will complete two intensive and comprehensive STAAR Review projects to help
prepare students to pass the state-mandated end-of-course exams.
Attendance Policy:
In order to succeed in this course, you must be present, be prepared, and be engaged. As such,
attendance will be taken and reported in accordance with BISD and TWU mandates. Excessive
absences will not only reduce your ability to learn, but it could result in a “No-Credit” situation
in which your credit for the course is withheld until make-up hours are completed.
Retests & Extra Credit:
This is a college course, and extra credit will be very limited. There will be no retests.
Attendance Policy:
In order to succeed in this course, you must be present, be prepared, and be engaged. As such,
attendance will be taken and reported in accordance with BISD and TWU mandates. Excessive
absences will not only reduce your ability to learn, but it could result in a “No-Credit” situation
in which your credit for the course is withheld until make-up hours are completed.
Semester Ends:
May 9. All assignments are due by this time.
Tentative Course Calendar:
Week
Topic
Discussion Question(s)
Reading
Assignments
Chapter 19
1/4
The Gilded Age: Westward Migration
& Indian Policy
What were the major push/pull factors for westward movement?
Did “the Frontier” really cease to exist?
How did westward movement create conflict and/or alter life on the
Great Plains?
How did the U.S. government attempt to address the “Indian
Problem” during the late 1800s?
1/11
The Gilded Age: Industrialization &
Urbanization
What caused the rapid industrialization and urbanization in the late
1800s?
What problems arose because of urbanization and industrialization?
How did reformers attempt to address the problems of urbanization
and industrialization?
How did new technology influence U.S. economic growth?
What new opportunities and risks did industrialization bring, and
how did it reshape American society?
What immigration patterns existed during the late 1800s?
How did American society change during the Gilded Age?
How and why did American sports and leisure evolve, and how did
it soften or sharpen social divisions?
Chapter 18
Chapter 20
1/18
The Gilded Age: The Rise of Big
Business
What gave rise to big business in the late 1800s?
How did economic development contribute to the evolution of the
free enterprise system in the United States?
What issues faced farmers in the late 1800s?
What gave rise to the Populist movement?
Chapter 21
1/25
The Progressive Era
Chapter 23
2/1
Imperialism
2/8
World War I
2/15
The Roaring 20s: Social Changes &
The Jazz Age
What prompted the rise of the progressive movement?
How successful were the progressives?
How did Progressive-Era reforms influence the social, economic
and political climate in the U.S.?
What changes in American society precipitated the rise of national
parks and the conservation movement?
How did the role of women change?
How did the U.S. rise to world power status?
Why was there a push at the turn of the century to expand?
How did imperialism alter the social, economic and political
climate in the U.S.?
What events led up to the outbreak of WWI?
How did new technology influence WWI?
What were the results of WWI?
What role did the U.S. play before, during, and after the war?
What was social life like during the 1920s?
How did African-Americans contribute to the music, literature, art
and culture of the U.S.?
Assignments Due
(due date)
Dilemma #1 (1/21)
Test #1 (1/22)
Chapter 22
Dilemma #2 (2/5)
Chapter 24
Test #2 (2/12)
Chapter 25
How did immigration patterns change in the 1920s?
How did American religious life change leading up to and during
the 1920s?
Was Prohibition a success or failure?
2/22
The Roaring 20s: The Economy
2/29
The Great Depression & The New
Deal
3/7
World War II
3/21
Postwar & the 1950s
3/28
Cold War & the Space Race
4/4
Vietnam & the 1960s
4/11
The Civil Rights Movement
4/18
The 1970s-1990s
4/25
1990s-Present
Why did the U.S. economy soar during the 1920s?
Was laissez-faire economics an effective policy?
What caused the economic collapse in 1929?
How did the Great Depression change the roles of government and
business in the U.S.?
How were the approaches of Herbert Hoover and FDR similar and
different when dealing with the Depression?
Was the New Deal an effective policy against the Depression?
What caused the outbreak of WWII?
What caused the U.S. to abandon neutrality and enter the war?
How did technology influence the war effort?
How did WWII affect rights and liberties?
How did the war affect the home front?
How did WWII change the geopolitical role of the U.S.?
How did WWII change the role of women in society, the home, and
the workplace?
3/14-3/18 SPRING BREAK
How did demographic patterns change during the 1950s?
How did new technology alter social life in the 1950s?
What were the significant domestic achievements of the
Eisenhower Administration?
What does McCarthyism indicate about American society during
the 1950s?
Was the Cold War really “cold”?
What issues created tensions during the post-war era?
What were the milestone events in the space and arms race?
How did technology change life in the U.S.?
How did the Korean War reflect Cold War realities?
Why did the U.S. find itself drawn into a conflict in Vietnam?
How did Vietnam affect social, political and economic life in the
U.S.?
What methods did anti-war protesters use to express their
opinions/beliefs about the war, and were those methods effective?
What was the Great Society and did it live up to its potential?
What were the milestone achievements during the Civil Rights
movement?
How did Civil Rights advocates use the courts to address their
concerns?
How did civil rights and liberties change as a result of the Civil
Rights movement?
What strategies did Civil Rights leaders use to achieve their
objectives?
How was the Civil Rights Movement linked with the anti-war
movement?
How did Watergate alter political perceptions in the U.S.?
What was the effect of the energy crisis on businesses and
individuals in the U.S.?
What were some of the significant domestic and foreign policy
achievements of Ford and Carter?
What was the Iran-Hostage Crisis?
What led to the “conservative revolution” led by Ronald Reagan?
How did Reagan-Bush policies affect the social, economic, and
political life in the U.S.?
What was the Iran-Contra Affair?
What was the significance of the first Gulf War?
What caused Bush I’s electoral defeat in 1992?
How did Clinton’s policies continue or diverge from Reagan-Bush
policies?
What was Clinton’s legacy?
How did the Clinton years demonstrate a growing partisan divide?
How did technology drive the rapid economic expansion of the
1990s?
What brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of
the Cold War?
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
STAAR Review #1
(2/26)
Dilemma #3 (3/4)
Chapter 28
Test #3 (3/11)
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Dilemma #4 (4/8)
Chapter 32
Test #4 (4/15)
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Dilemma #5 (4/29)
STAAR Review #2
(4/29)
5/2
5/9
STAAR Exam Week
Final Exam
What were the major consequences for the United States of the
economic rise of China and the European Union?
What was the significance of NAFTA?
What is the legacy of 9/11?
What happened to civil rights and liberties as a result of the Global
War on terror?
How did the “Great Recession” alter the government’s role in
business, banking, and the economy?
What were the significant accomplishments of Bush II and Obama?
What are the major domestic and foreign policy issues that continue
to face the U.S.?
Is America exceptional, and, if so, how can it continue to remain
exceptional?
Semester Review
Course Wrap-Up
STAAR EOC
Final Exam (5/13)