Unit 8-The Modern Era: Conservatism, Terror, Polarization and Hope (1975-2020) |
Big Ideas
Organizing Principles
- Disillusionment with the increasingly violent protests of the 1960s led to the entrenchment of conservative ideology between 1968 and 1992.
- Following the breakup of the Soviet Union to 2001, America’s foreign policy groped for ways to promote world peace with minimal U.S. involvement. After the tragedy of 9/11, American foreign policy would become more preemptive.
- Technological developments between 1950 and 2020 radically altered the economic, social, and moral fiber of the nation.
- Between 1992 and 2020 American society and politics had become increasingly polarized.
Essential Questions
Students will consider...
- How and why did the Cold War end? To what extent did the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and our view of the Cold War make the world a more dangerous place?
- What are the tenets of conservatism? To what extent were they a reaction to 1960s liberalism?
- How did the outcome of the Watergate scandal influence the American perceptions of democracy, politics and politicians of the Modern Era?
- Why should the tragedy of 9/11 be considered a turning point in American History? In what ways do Americans still live with the tragedy of 9/11?
- To what extent is America still a “House Divided”?
Understandings
Students will understand how, why and/or to what extent...
- A leader’s response to issues can result in political conflict or compromise
- The strategies used to pursue reform produce varying degrees of success and opposition
- The ideological and philosophical views of leaders can affect societal, economic, and political change that may promote or impede freedom and equality
- Economic and political interests can guide a nation’s foreign policy
- When a nation’s economic, political, and cultural interests are threatened it can lead to various degrees of participation in war
- Wars and their outcomes are often unsettling and can have enduring international consequences for nations and civilians
Knowledge
Students will know...
- Modern Era turning points occurred for multiple reasons and ultimately produced a significant amount of change in the United States (e.g., End of the Cold War, 9/11, The Great Recession, Election of 2008)
- The Reagan administration’s escalation of defense spending and use of anti-communist rhetoric may be partially credited for ending the Cold War.
- Presidential campaigns and elections that significantly changed American politics and society during the Modern Era (e.g., 1980, 1992, 2000, 2008, 2016)
- A new conservative movement, in the wake of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, achieved several political goals during the 1980s that would influence public discourse throughout the Modern Era.
- The policy of supply-side economics or “Reaganomics” and its impacts on the American economy at the end of the 20th Century.
- The United States led a United Nations coalition of forces in the Persian Gulf War whose outcome influenced American foreign policy in the Middle East throughout the Modern Era.
- Modern Era scandals influenced various presidential administrations and the political development of the nation (e.g., Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump)
- The invention of the transistor and microchip led to the development of personal computers by the 1980s and the use of the internet and electronic mail by the 1990s.
- Communication technologies and mediums, such as satellite television, internet and social media platforms influenced American politics, economics, and society (e.g., Iran-Contra hearings, Clinton & Trump impeachments, “dot-com” boom, Rodney King, Clarence Thomas hearings, OJ Simpson trial, 9/11)
- The causes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and how the subsequent war on terrorism sought to improve security within the United States but also raised questions about the protection of civil liberties and human rights
- After 9/11, the United States launched controversial wars against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- An economic recession took place in the early 21st Century which had enduring consequences for American society and politics. (e.g., the “dotcom” collapse, corporate scandals, risky mortgages, overextended consumer credit)
- Natural and/or human induced disasters have influenced patterns of life in the United States during the late 20th and early 21st centuries (e.g., climate change, Hurricane Katrina, AIDS, Covid 19).
- Increased immigration from Latin America and Asia provided a significant supply of labor but federal policies and laws negatively impacted various groups of immigrants during the Modern Era.
- Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first African American president whose two terms in office reflected a growing polarization of American politics and society.
Skills
Students will be able to...
- Use Historical Comprehension to analyze the causes and development of the conservative movement in American society and politics and how the conservatism of the Reagan administration influenced subsequent presidencies of the Modern Era.
- Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to consider multiple perspectives of those who supported and opposed the Modern Era conservative movement in American society and politics.
- Use Historical Comprehension to determine how the end of the Cold War influenced American foreign policy during the Modern Era.
- Use Historical Comprehension to analyze the development of various Modern Era technologies and their impacts on American society and economics.
- Use Historical Comprehension to determine how the Watergate scandal influenced American perceptions of democracy, politics and politicians.
- Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to consider multiple perspectives on the causes, sacrifices, and implications of 9/11.
- Use Historical Research to formulate historical questions on a turning point in American History by deconstructing a variety of sources, such as historical narratives and passages, including eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries, artifacts, photos, historical sites, art, architecture, and other records from the past.
- Use Historical Research to collect historical data from a variety of sources, to help answer a historical question on a turning point in American History. These sources include library and museum collections, historic sites, historical photos, journals, diaries, eyewitness accounts, newspapers, documentary films, oral testimony from living witnesses, censuses, tax records, city directories, statistical compilations, and economic indicators.
- Use Historical Research to interpret historical data, construct reasoned arguments and draw conclusions about a turning point in American History using historical evidence collected from a variety of sources.
- Use Historical Research to create an analytical essay that demonstrates an historical interpretation, analysis, a conclusion, and supporting evidence from a variety of sources on a turning point in American History.
- Use Chronological Thinking to identify the historical narrative for Conservatism, Terror, Polarization & Hope (1975-2020).