Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

During the nineteenth century, people’s perceptions and use of the Great Plains changed.

Technological advances allowed people to live in more challenging environments.

How did people’s perceptions and use of the Great Plains change after the Civil War?

How did people adapt to life in challenging environments?

Physical features/climate of the Great Plains

·         Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west

·         Land eroded by wind and water

·         Low rainfall

·         Frequent dust storms

Because of new technologies, people saw the Great Plains not as a “treeless wasteland” but as a vast area to be settled.

Inventions/adaptations

·         Barbed wire

·         Steel plows

·         Dry farming

·         Sod houses

·         Beef cattle raising

·         Wheat farming

·         Windmills

·         Railroads

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Advances in transportation linked resources, products, and markets.

Manufacturing areas were clustered near centers of population.

How did advances in transportation link resources, products, and markets?

What are some examples of manufacturing areas that were located near centers of population?

Transportation of resources

·         Moving natural resources (e.g., copper and lead) to eastern factories

·         Moving iron ore deposits to sites of steel mills (e.g., Pittsburgh)

·         Transporting finished products to national markets

Examples of manufacturing areas

·         Textile industry—New England

·         Automobile industry—Detroit

·         Steel industry—Pittsburgh

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

A state is an example of a political region. States may be grouped as part of different regions, depending upon the criteria used.

Cities serve as centers of trade and have political, economic, and cultural significance.

What is one way of grouping the 50 states?

What are some examples of cities that historically have had political, economic, and/or cultural significance to the development of the United States?

States grouped by region

Northeast: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Southeast: Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas

Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota

Southwest: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona

Rocky Mountains: Colorado, Utah, Nevada , Montana, Wyoming, Idaho

Pacific: Washington, Oregon, California

Noncontiguous: Alaska, Hawaii

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

Use parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude to describe hemispheric location. (USII.1g)

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Cities

Northeast: New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia

Southeast: Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New Orleans

Midwest: Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit

Southwest: San Antonio, Santa Fe

Western (Rocky Mountains): Denver, Salt Lake City

Pacific: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle

Noncontiguous: Juneau, Honolulu

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

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New opportunities and technological advances led to westward migration following the Civil War.

Why did westward expansion occur?

Reasons for westward expansion

·         Opportunities for land ownership

·         Technological advances, including the Transcontinental Railroad

·         Possibility of wealth created by the discovery of gold and silver

·         Adventure

·         A new beginning for former slaves

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Population changes, growth of cities, and new inventions produced interaction and often conflict between different cultural groups.

Population changes, growth of cities, and new inventions produced problems in urban areas.

Inventions had both positive and negative effects on society.

Why did immigration increase?

Why did cities develop?

What inventions created great change and industrial growth in the United States?

What challenges faced Americans as a result of those social and technological changes?

·         Overcrowding in Portsmouth: employment at the shipyard rose from 2718, 1910 to 11,234 by 1919 (Burgess).

·         Craddock was established to house influx of workers at shipyard

·         Truxton neighborhood housed 250 African American families, many of whom worked at the shipyards (USII 3.c, 3.d & 8a).

Reasons for increased immigration

·         Hope for better opportunities

·         Religious freedom

·         Escape from oppressive governments

·         Adventure

Reasons why cities developed

·         Specialized industries including steel (Pittsburgh), meat packing (Chicago)

·         Immigration from other countries

·         Movement of Americans from rural to urban areas for job opportunities

Inventions that contributed to great change and industrial growth

·         Lighting and mechanical uses of electricity (Thomas Edison)

·         Telephone service (Alexander Graham Bell)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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·         The Battleship Texas served in Cuba, while Battleship Raleigh was in Manila during the Spanish-American War, both built at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. 

·         Electrification to Naval Hospital in 1890, using one of the earliest XRay machines and aspirin was new drug in use.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization led to overcrowded immigrant neighborhoods and tenements.

Efforts to solve immigration problems

·         Settlement houses, such as Hull House founded by Jane Addams

·         Political machines that gained power by attending to the needs of new immigrants (e.g., jobs, housing)

Interaction and conflict between different cultural groups

·         Indian policies and wars

–         Reservations

–         Battle of Little Bighorn

–         Chief Joseph

·         Discrimination against immigrants

–         Chinese

–         Irish

Challenges faced by cities

·         Tenements and ghettos

·         Political corruption (political machines)

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

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Discrimination against African Americans continued after Reconstruction.

“Jim Crow” laws institutionalized a system of legal segregation.

African Americans differed in their responses to discrimination and “Jim Crow.”

What is racial segregation?

How were African Americans discriminated against?

How did African Americans respond to discrimination and “Jim Crow”?

·         segregated housing built in Portsmouth, Dale Homes, Swanson Homes, Acadmy Park, all low-income housing built for shipyard workers in the 1930s.

·         Portsmouth would have a higher percentage of low-income housing than any other Hampton Roads city which lead to image as poor place to live.

·         Titustown in Norfolk: advertised a place “Where No Whites Dwell and Every Negro owns his own home!”  “Interesting Norfolk Suburb, Knows No Disorder!” Including their own Masonic Temple and boasted that all homes had either flower gardens or vines!

Racial segregation

·         Based upon race

·         Directed primarily against African Americans, but other groups also were kept segregated

“Jim Crow” laws were passed to discriminate against African Americans.

“Jim Crow” laws

·         Made discrimination practices legal in many communities and states

·         Were characterized by unequal opportunities in housing, work, education, government

African American response

·         Booker T. Washington—Believed equality could be achieved through vocational education; accepted social separation

·         W.E.B. Du Bois—Believed in full political, civil, and social rights for African Americans

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Between the Civil War and World

War I, the United States was transformed from an agricultural to an industrial nation.

What created the rise in big business?

What factors caused the growth of industry?

How did industrialization and the rise in big business influence life on American farms?

*Waterways (Hampton Roads) made transportation advances in 1950s shifting from ferries to tunnels, while it was Portsmouth Mayor Vernon Asbury in 1920 who first suggested a tunnel to connect Portsmouth and Norfolk. This proposal outraged big businessmen who were stockholders in the Elizabeth River Ferry System!

* The Seaboard Airline Railroad headquarters left Portsmouth for Richmond location. It had been the oldest railroad in South Hampton Roads and was the inspiration for the nickname, “Where rail meets sail!”

Reasons for rise and prosperity of big business

·         National markets created by transportation advances

·         Captains of industry (John D. Rockefeller, oil; Andrew Carnegie, steel; Henry Ford, automobile)

·         Advertising

·         Lower-cost production

Factors resulting in growth of industry

·         Access to raw materials and energy

·         Availability of work force

·         Inventions

·         Financial resources

Examples of big business

·         Railroads

·         Oil

·         Steel

Postwar changes in farm and city life

·         Mechanization (e.g., the reaper) had reduced farm labor needs and increased production.

·         Industrial development in cities created increased labor needs.

·         Industrialization provided access to consumer goods (e.g., mail order).

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

The effects of industrialization led to the rise of organized labor and important workplace reforms.

How did the reforms of the Progressive Movement change the United States?

How did workers respond to the negative effects of industrialization?

Negative effects of  industrialization

·         Child labor

·         Low wages, long hours

·         Unsafe working conditions

Rise of organized labor

·         Formation of unions—Growth of American Federation of Labor

·         Strikes—Aftermath of Homestead Strike

Progressive Movement workplace reforms

·         Improved safety conditions

·         Reduced work hours

·         Placed restrictions on child labor

Women’s suffrage

·         Increased educational opportunities

·         Attained voting rights  

–         Women gained the right to vote with passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

–         Susan B. Anthony worked for women’s suffrage.

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Temperance Movement

·         Composed of groups opposed to the making and consuming of alcohol

·         Supported 18th Amendment prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages

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The United States emerged as a world power as a result of victory over Spain in the Spanish American War.

Economic interests and public opinion often influence U.S. involvement in international affairs.

What were the reasons for the Spanish American War?

What were the results of the Spanish American War?

* Many of the Great Whie Fleet ships built at shipyard in Portsmouth, and President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Naval Hospital to dedicate a monument to those soldiers lost in Spanish-American War.

Reasons for the Spanish American War

·         Protection of American business interests in Cuba

·         American support of Cuban rebels to gain independence from Spain

·         Rising tensions as a result of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor

·         Exaggerated news reports of events (Yellow Journalism)

Results of the Spanish American War

·         The United States emerged as a world power.

·         Cuba gained independence from Spain.

·         The United States gained possession of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

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The United States involvement in World War I ended a long tradition of avoiding involvement in European conflicts and set the stage for the United States to emerge as a global superpower later in the 20th century.

There were disagreements about the extent to which the United States should isolate itself from world affairs.

What were the reasons for the United States becoming involved in World War I?

Who were the Allies?

Who were the Central Powers?

In what ways did the United States provide leadership at the conclusion of the war?

·         On eve of WWII, German village built to house captured German sailors. (Some were caught trying to destroy dry dock #1 and were extradicted to Philadelphia Shipyard German village!)

·         An early task fro the shipyard was to re-outfit German ships

Reasons for U.S. involvement in war

·         Inability to remain neutral

·         German submarine warfare— sinking of Lusitania

·         U.S. economic and political ties to Great Britain

Allies

·         Great Britain

·         France

·         Russia

·         Serbia

·         Belgium

Central Powers

·         Germany

·         Austria-Hungary

·         Bulgaria

·         Ottoman Empire

U.S. leadership as the war ended

·         At the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson prepared a peace plan that called for the formation of the League of Nations, a peace-keeping organization.

·         The United States decided not to join the League of Nations.

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Technology extended progress into all areas of American life, including neglected rural areas.

How was social and economic life in the early twentieth century different from that of the late nineteenth century?

·         Automobile allowed for spread of cities, for instance, Tercentennial Jamestown Exposition,, 1907, some wealthy elites sporting cars to get to Sewell’s Point, the cite for the celebration.

·         Neighborhoods such as Larchmont were only successful because of the use of autos/jitney (5cents to ride!) to take them from downtown Norfolk.

·         West Park View was Portsmouth’s second suburb, followed by Shea Terrace (1910-1919) 

·         Portsmouth’s population from 33,900 to 54,387 in this decade alone.

Results of improved transportation brought by affordable automobiles

·         Greater mobility

·         Creation of jobs

·         Growth of transportation-related industries (road construction, oil, steel, automobile)

·         Movement to suburban areas

Invention of the airplane

·         The Wright brothers

Use of the assembly line

·         Henry Ford

Communication changes

·         Increased availability of telephones

·         Development of the radio (role of Guglielmo Marconi) and broadcast industry (role of David Sarnoff)

·         Development of the movies

Ways electrification changed American life

·         Labor-saving products (e.g., washing machines, electric stoves, water pumps)

·         Electric lighting

·         Entertainment (e.g., radio)

·         Improved communications

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Interpret ideas and events. (USII.1d)

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

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Reforms in the early twentieth century could not legislate how people behaved.

Economic conditions and violence led to the migration of people.

What was Prohibition, and how effective was it?

Why did African Americans migrate to northern cities?

·         Bootleggers used Route 17 through the Great Dismal Swamp to import booze from North Carolina to Norfolk/Portsmouth.

·         As a result of the Great Depression, Naval shipyard employment was at an all time low in the early 1930s and the population of Portsmouth dropped to 43,000 as a result.

Prohibition was imposed by a constitutional amendment that made it

illegal to manufacture, transport, and sell alcoholic beverages.

Results of Prohibition

·         Speakeasies were created as places for people to drink alcoholic beverages.

·         Bootleggers smuggled illegal alcohol and promoted organized crime.

Great Migration north

·         Jobs for African Americans in the South were scarce and low paying.

·         African Americans faced discrimination and violence in the South.

·         African Americans moved to northern cities in search of better employment opportunities.

·         African Americans also faced discrimination and violence in the North.

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

The 1920s and 1930s were important decades for American art, literature, and music.

The leaders of the Harlem Renaissance drew upon the heritage of black culture to establish themselves as powerful forces for cultural change.

Who were the leaders in art, literature, and music?  What were their contributions?

How did the Harlem Renaissance influence American life?

Cultural climate of the 1920s and 1930s

·         Art—Georgia O’Keeffe, an artist known for urban scenes and, later, paintings of the Southwest

·         Literature—F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novelist who wrote about the Jazz Age of the 1920s; John Steinbeck, a novelist who portrayed the strength of  poor migrant workers during the 1930s

·         Music—Aaron Copland and George Gershwin, composers who wrote uniquely American music

Harlem Renaissance

African American artists, writers, and musicians based in Harlem revealed the freshness and variety of African American culture.

·         Art—Jacob Lawrence, painter who chronicled the experiences of the Great Migration north through art

·         Literature—Langston Hughes,   poet who combined the experiences of African and American cultural roots

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

·         Music—Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, jazz composers; Bessie Smith, blues singer

Popularity of these artists spread to the rest of society.

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The optimism of the 1920s concealed problems in the American economic system and attitudes about the role of government in controlling the economy.

The Great Depression had a widespread and severe impact on American life.

Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal used government programs to help the nation recover from the Depression.

What were the causes of the Great Depression?

How were the lives of Americans affected by the Great Depression?

What were the major features of the New Deal?

Causes of the Great Depression

·         People over speculated on stocks, using borrowed money that they could not repay when stock prices crashed.

·         The Federal Reserve failed to prevent the collapse of the banking system.

·         High tariffs strangled international trade.

Impact on Americans

·         A large numbers of banks and businesses failed.

·         One-fourth of workers were without jobs.

·         Large numbers of people were hungry and homeless.

·         Farmers’ incomes fell to low levels.

Major features of the New Deal

·         Social Security

·         Federal work programs

·         Environmental improvement programs

·         Farm assistance programs

·         Increased rights for labor

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Political and economic conditions in Europe following World War I led to the rise of fascism and to World War II.

The rise of fascism threatened peace in  Europe and Asia.

As conflict grew in Europe and Asia, American foreign policy evolved from neutrality to direct involvement.

How did post-World War I Europe set the stage for World War II?

How did the rise of fascism affect world events following World War I?

How did American policy toward events in Europe and Asia change over time?

·         Shipyard built 21 capital ships and 7,000 smaller Navy ships during WWII alone. (Burgess) Including aircraft carriers Tarawa (Pacific campaign) and Shangri La (bombed Tokyo) and Lake Champlain (Atlantic Fleet and in Korean War)

·         Naval Hospital treated 3,000 patients a day during WWII (Burgess)

Causes of World War II

·         Political instability and economic devastation in Europe resulting from World War I

–         Worldwide depression

–         High war debt owed by Germany

–         High inflation

–         Massive unemployment

·         Rise of Fascism

–         Fascism is a political philosophy in which total power is given to a dictator and individual freedoms are denied.

–         Fascist dictators included Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Hideki Tojo (Japan).

–         These dictators led the countries that became known as the Axis Powers.

The Allies

·         Democratic nations (the United States, Great Britain, and Canada) were known as the Allies. The Soviet Union joined the Allies after being invaded by Germany.

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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·         Allied leaders included Franklin D. Roosevelt and later Harry S. Truman (United States), Winston Churchill (Great Britain), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union )

Gradual change in American policy from neutrality to involvement

·         Isolationism (Great Depression, legacy of World War I)

·         Economic aid to Allies

·         Direct involvement in the war

War in the Pacific

·         Rising tension developed between the United States and Japan because of Japanese aggression in East Asia.

·         On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor without warning.

·         The United States declared war on Japan.

·         Germany declared war on the United States.

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Despite initial Axis success in both Europe and the Pacific, the Allies persevered and ultimately defeated Germany and Japan.

The Holocaust is an example of prejudice and discrimination taken to the extreme.

What were the major events and turning points of World War II?

What was the Holocaust?

Major events and turning points of World War II

·         Germany invaded Poland, setting off war in Europe. The Soviet Union also invaded Poland and the Baltic nations.

·         Germany invaded France, capturing Paris.

·         Germany bombed London and the Battle of Britain began.

·         The United States gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean.

·         Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

·         After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States.

·         The United States declared war on Japan and Germany.

·         The United States was victorious over Japan in the Battle of Midway. This victory was the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

·         Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union defeated Germany at Stalingrad, marking the turning point of the war in Eastern Europe.

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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·         American and Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, on

D-Day to begin the liberation of Western Europe.

·         The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) in 1945, forcing Japan to surrender and ending World War II.

The Holocaust

·         Anti-Semitism

·         Aryan supremacy

·         Systematic attempt to rid Europe of all Jews

·         Tactics

–         Boycott of Jewish stores

–         Threats

–         Segregation

–         Imprisonment and killing of Jews and others in concentration camps

Liberation by Allied forces of Jews and others in concentration camps

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EQ’s & Local History

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World War II affected every aspect of American life.

Americans were asked to make sacrifices in support of the war effort and the ideas for which we fought.

How did Americans at home support the war effort?

What effect did the war have on race relations in America?

NIRA, 1933 (National Industrial Recovery Act) allowed for the building of 9 destroyers by the end of 1940, as the shipyard employed nearly 43,000 workers on the eve of WWII.

American involvement in World War II brought an end to the Great Depression.  Factories and workers were needed to produce goods to win the war.

Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war (e.g., Rosie the Riveter).

Americans at home supported the war by conserving and rationing resources.

The need for workers temporarily broke down some racial barriers (e.g., hiring in defense plants) although discrimination against African Americans continued.

While many Japanese Americans served in the armed forces, others were treated with distrust and prejudice, and many were forced into internment camps.

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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Learning from the mistakes of the past, the United States accepted its role as a world superpower, helping to rebuild Europe and Japan and taking the leading role in establishing the United Nations.

How did the United States help rebuild postwar Europe and Japan?

Much of Europe was in ruins following World War II. Soviet forces occupied most of Eastern and Central Europe and the eastern portion of Germany. The United States felt it was in its best interest to rebuild Europe and prevent political and economic instability.

Rebuilding efforts

·         The United States instituted George C. Marshall’s plan to rebuild Europe (the Marshall Plan), which provided massive financial aid to rebuild European economies and prevent the spread of communism.

·         Germany was partitioned into East and West Germany . West Germany became democratic and resumed self-government after a few years of American, British, and French occupation. East Germany remained under the domination of the Soviet Union and did not adopt democratic institutions.

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

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·         Following its defeat, Japan was occupied by American forces. It soon adopted a democratic form of government, resumed self-government, and became a strong ally of the United States.

Establishment of the United Nations

·         The United Nations was formed near the end of World War II to create a body for the nations of the world to try to prevent future global wars.

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Following World War II, Americans prospered due to an expanding economy stimulated by America’s involvement in the war.

What contributed to the prosperity of Americans following World War II?

Reasons for rapid growth of American economy following World War II

·         With rationing of consumer goods over, business converted from production of war materials to consumer goods.

·         Americans purchased goods on credit.

·         The workforce shifted back to men, and most women returned to family responsibilities.

·         Labor unions merged and became more powerful; workers gained new benefits and higher salaries.

·         As economic prosperity continued and technology boomed, the next generation of women re-entered the labor force in large numbers.

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

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The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from World War II as world powers, triggering a rivalry over ideology and national security.

Since World War II, the United States has been directly involved in various conflicts that reflected the divisions created by Cold War tensions and hostilities.

The tension between the free world and the communist world caused divisiveness at home and abroad.

The Cold War was the central organizing principle in foreign affairs for 40 years.

How and why did the Cold War begin?

What have been the major conflicts and confrontations involving America in the post-World War II era?

How did Cold War tensions cause divisiveness at home?

How did communism collapse in Europe?

How were the challenges after the Cold War different from earlier challenges?

Terms to know

·         Cold War: State of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union without actual fighting that divided the world into two camps

Origins of the Cold War

·         Differences in goals and ideologies between the United States and the Soviet Union (the two superpowers)—The United States was democratic and capitalist; the Soviet Union was dictatorial and communist.

·         The Soviet Union’s domination over Eastern European countries

·         American policy of containment (to stop the spread of communism)

·         North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) versus Warsaw Pact

Major conflicts in the post-World War II era

·         South Korea and the United States resisted Chinese and North Korean aggression. The conflict ended in a stalemate.

Analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history. (USII.1a)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. (USII.1f)

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EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

*Environmental Concerns:

 Portsmouth industries such as Starband, the creosote plant and Proctor and Gamble, from which clean up was not complete until 2005!

·         Shipyard was revived again by Korean War, as it was during WWII. Increased employment from post-war 9,000 to over 16,000 in the early 1950s.

·         1969, the Vietnam War Moratorium Committee was active in Norfolk. A Portsmouth mother whose son died in Vietnam asked that her son’s name NOT be read ate the rally, but there was some support for the group from Portsmouth

·         The Frederick Campus of Tidewater Community College students voted to join the anti-war protests.

·         The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred when the Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba. The Soviets removed the missiles in response to a U.S. blockade.

·         The United States intervened to stop the spread of communism into South Vietnam (Domino Theory). Americans were divided over whether the United States should be involved militarily in Vietnam. The conflict ended in a cease-fire agreement in which U.S. troops withdrew.

Collapse of Communism in Europe

·         Breakup of the Soviet Union into independent countries

·         Destruction of Berlin Wall

New challenges

·         Role of U.S. military intervention

·         Environmental challenges

·         Global issues, including trade, jobs, diseases

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

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Essential Skills

Changing patterns in American society at the end of World War II changed the way most Americans lived and worked.

What factors led to changing patterns of society in the post-World War II era?
 

What policies and programs expanded educational and employment opportunities for the military, women, and minorities?

* MidCity Shopping Center in Portsmouth was completed in the 1960s and served as a new suburban example of strip malls with large parking facility.

·         Victory Crossing shipping area replaced Tower Mall in contemporary times. MidCIty was demolished and will be replaced by Super Walmart!

·         Demolition of many low income housing taking place in recent years (since 1990)

Factors leading to changing patterns in U.S. society

·         Strong economy (healthy job market, increased productivity, increased demand for American products)

·         Greater investment in education

·         “The Baby Boom,” which led to changing demographics

·         Interstate highway system

·         Evolving role of women (expected to play supporting role in the family, but increasingly working outside the home)

·         Role of Eleanor Roosevelt in expanding women’s rights

·         African Americans’ aspirations for equal opportunities

·         Changes in make-up of immigrants after 1965 (e.g., Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans)

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)

Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives. (USII.1d)

Interpret slogans and documents. (USII.1h)

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

Policies and programs expanding educational and employment opportunities

·         G.I. Bill of Rights gave educational, housing, and employment benefits to World War II veterans.

·         Truman desegregated the armed forces.

·         Civil Rights legislation led to increased educational, economic, and political opportunities for women and minorities.

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

The Civil Rights Movement resulted in legislation that ensured constitutional rights to all citizens regardless of race.

Women activists were inspired by the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement and took action to gain equality for themselves, particularly in the workplace.

What were some effects of segregation on American society?

How did the African American struggle for equality become a mass movement?

How did the law support the struggle for equality for African Americans?

How were women disadvantaged in the workplace?

What actions were taken to improve conditions for women?

·         Though shipyard workers integrated by 1950s, housing remained segregated. Cavalier Manor would open as an upper-middle class African American suburb, 1950s

·         Police dogs threatened rioters at Norcom High School 1960s and pictured in LIFE magazine.

Some effects of segregation

·         Separate educational facilities and resources for white and African American students

·         Separate public facilities (e.g., restrooms, drinking fountains, restaurants)

·         Social isolation of races

Civil Rights Movement

·         Opposition to Plessy v. Ferguson—“Separate but equal”

·         Brown v. Board of Education, desegregation of schools

·         Martin Luther King, Jr.—Passive resistance against segregated facilities; “I have a dream…” speech

·         Rosa Parks—Montgomery bus boycott

·         Organized protests, Freedom Riders, sit-ins, marches

·         Expansion of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

·         Civil Rights Act of 1964

·         Voting Rights Act of 1965

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

·         Information on African American educators in early-mid twentieth century, http://sola.nsu.edu/historywebsite/passages/sinclair/pictures.htm

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Changing role of women

·         Workplace disadvantages

–         Discrimination in hiring practices against women

–         Lower wages for women than for men doing the same job

·         Improved conditions

–         National Organization for Women (NOW)

–         Federal legislation to force colleges to give women equal athletic opportunities

–         The Equal Rights Amendment, despite its failure, and a focus on equal opportunity employment created a wider range of options and advancement for women in business and public service.

Essential Understandings

EQ’s & Local History

Essential Knowledge

Essential Skills

After the war, Americans turned their energies to the development of peacetime technologies.

Which industries benefited the most from the new technologies?

What impact did the new technologies have on American life?

·         Electrification to Naval Hospital in 1890, using one of the earliest XRay machines and aspirin was new drug in use.

·         Portsmouth’s Naval Hospital received their first cardiograph machine 1920s

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Industries benefiting from new technologies

·         Airline industry—Jets

·         Automobile industry and interstate highway system

·         Entertainment and news media industry

·         Exploration of space

·         Computer industry

·         Satellite system— Telecommunications (pagers, cell phones, television)

·         Internet

Impact of new technologies on American life

·         Increased domestic and international travel for business and pleasure

·         Greater access to news and other information

·         Cheaper and more convenient means of communication

·         Greater access to heating and air-conditioning

·         Decreased regional variation, resulting from nationwide access to entertainment and information provided by national television and radio programming, Internet services, computer games

Make connections between past and present. (USII.1b)

Sequence events in United States history. (USII.1c)