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

Guide students to understand that how people organize themselves into political, religious, social, and economic groups is important to an understanding of history of the past and present.
Direct students to understand that ideas and events can be viewed from different historical perspectives.
Guide students to understand that a much greater depth of understanding about each group studied in history and the times in which they lived can be seen when they are considered together.
Tell students that they can learn to identify reoccurring patterns through key events in United States history.
Use the following topics to guide students' understanding of historical perspective.
Have the students examine the westward expansion in America from the position of the American Indians (First Americans), immigrants, and farmers. A variety of graphic organizers are available for student use at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm.
Have the students examine the growth of America from the positions of new immigrants and Americans who had been in the country more than 10 years.
Have students examine the events leading up to the World War II from the perspective of an African American, immigrant, soldier, woman, and the President. A collection of graphic organizers for students use is available at http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/.
Have the students examine the events during the Cold War.

WEB SITES

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
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
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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