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US History

This is a survey course that provides students with an investigation of important political, economic, and social developments in American history from the pre-colonial time period to the present day. Students will be engaged in activities that call upon their skills as historians (i.e. recognizing cause and effect relationships, various forms of research, expository and persuasive writing, reading of primary and secondary sources, comparing and contrasting important ideas and events).

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US History
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Chapter 40 - America Confronts the Post-Cold War Era

  1. Bill Clinton: the First Baby-Boomer President
    1. In the 1992 presidential election, the Democrats chose Bill Clinton for president along with Al Gore for V.P. They were the first baby boomer presidential candidates.
      1. Clinton carried some baggage—accusations of womanizing, sampling marijuana as a youth, avoiding the draft for Vietnam).
      2. The Democrats moved away from their extreme-liberal positions more "toward the center." They advocated economic growth, a strong defense, and anti-crime measures.

Chapter 39 - The Resurgence of Conservatism

  1. The Election of Ronald Reagan, 1980
    1. In the 1980 presidential campaign, the Democrats were in trouble from the beginning.
      1. President Carter sought reelection, but his image was deeply hurt by double-digit inflation and bungling foreign affairs.
      2. The next Kennedy, Edward (Ted) Kennedy entered the race for the Democratic nomination. His campaign was damaged with the "Chappaquiddick incident" of 1969. After a night of partying, he'd driven his car off a bridge killing his female passenger, then delayed reporting it.

Chapter 38 - Challenges to the Postwar Order

  1. Sources of Stagnation
    1. America had enjoyed a long economic boom in the 1950s and 60s. The 1970s would see that boom end.
    2. No year's productivity during the 70s would equal any year in the 50s or 60s. There were several reasons for the slow-down.
      1. Women and teens increasingly entered the workforce. Generally speaking, they were less skilled, often had temporary jobs.
      2. Machinery was getting old and run down by this time.

Chapter 37 - The Stormy Sixties

  1. Kennedy’s “New Frontier” Spirit
    1. Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected (though Teddy Roosevelt had taken over at a younger age). JFK personified the glamor and optimism of a younger, robust, vibrant America. Inaugural addresses seldom are memorable, Kennedy's was memorable with the line, "…ask not, what your country can do for you: ask what you can do for your country."

Chapter 36 - American Zenith

  1. Affluence and Its Anxieties
    1. The post-WWII economy was a booming economy. 25% of all homes in 1960 were less than a decade old. 83% of the new homes were in the suburbs.
    2. The field of electronics hit a milestone with the invention of the transistor. Computers and electronics could now become small (the first computers, "UNIVAC" and "ENIAC", were room-size).
      1. This gave rise to high-tech companies like IBM. The "information age" was beginning.

Chapter 35 - The Cold War Begins

  1. Postwar Economic Anxieties
    1. Many feared a return to the Great Depression or at least a post-war recession.
      1. When the war time price controls ended, inflation did increase significantly.
    2. Labor unions had made steady gains during the Depression and the war. With the economy now strong, the pendulum now swung back against unions.

Chapter 34 - America in World War II

  1. The Allies Trade Space for Time
    1. Pearl Harbor jarred many Americans' minds out of isolationism and into revenge-on-Japan mode. This was especially true on the west coast where there was only water between the U.S. and the Japanese fleet.
    2. FDR held back the reins against Japan, however, and vowed to "get Germany first." Many folks were upset at putting Japan second on the list, but Germany was the more pressing problem.

Chapter 33 - Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War

  1. The London Conference
    1. With the goal of coming up with an international fix to the Great Depression, the London Conference was set up in 1933.
    2. FDR initially planned to send Sec. of State Cordell Hull. Later he changed his mind and reprimanded Europe for trying to stabilize currencies.
    3. Without America's participation, the London Conference got nothing accomplished (like the League of Nations).

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