United States History: 1877 to the Present

Skills

USII.1

The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to

a) identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history to 1877;
b) make connections between the past and the present;
c) sequence events in United States history from pre-Columbian times to 1877;
d) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;
e) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
f) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events;
g) distinguish between parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude;
h) interpret patriotic slogans and excerpts from notable speeches and documents.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Display a variety of photographs downloaded from various Web sites. Ask students to look at the photos and tell what they see. Were the photographs taken in the present day? How do you know? What do you see that is specifically different from what we see today? Guide students to focus on these elements: clothing, transportation, streets, housing, recreation, facial expressions, and occupations.
Record student responses on a chart by topic. Lead a group discussion about how these photographs are a form of historical documentation. At a later date, these photographs can be organized by students on a bulletin board as a "Lens Into The Past" photo gallery with title, artist, and date recorded beneath each photo.
Have students complete a comparison chart of present day locations of the regions of the United States (i.e. what was the lifestyle then and now, similarities and differences). Graphic Organizers are available at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm.
Review the impact of inventions after the Civil War and how change was created in the United States by completing comparison charts. A collection of graphic organizers is available at http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/.
Compare the impact of social, economic, and technological changes of the early twentieth century with those changes of today.
Compare the United States' involvement with European nations in World War I and the United States' involvement in World War II.
Examine the purpose for creating the United Nations and its purpose today.
Compare the challenges after the Cold War to the challenges prior to the Cold War.

WEB SITES

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
The Library of Congress American Memory Project

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Designed and developed to support the teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges. Supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at the University of Houston.

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/
A portal for American history offering high-quality educational material for teachers, students, historians, and the public. Maintained by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/sindex.htm
Links to the Past from the National Park Service is rich in American history and culture, which the National Park Service is responsible for preserving and protecting. This Web site contains vast amounts of information on these important topics.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/fw.html
Library of Congress Learning Page: Framework for Using Primary Sources with Students

http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/hist/ushist/internet/
Internet Resources for U.S. History from the University of Delaware Library

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the largest library in the world and the nation's library

http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3
"EDSITEment" is a Web site for humanities education developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal government agency, in partnership with WorldCom Foundation, the Council of the Great City Schools, and the National Trust for the Humanities for the benefit of parents, students, and teachers.

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