SSUSH20 The student will analyze the domestic and international impact of the Cold War on the United States.
SSUSH21 The student will explain the impact of technological development and economic growth on the United States, 1945-1975.
SSUSH22 The student will identify dimensions of the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1970.
E. Describe the causes and consequences of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
1964––The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. This law prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. It allowed all citizens the right to enter any park, restroom, library, theater, and public building in the United States. One factor that prompted this law was the long struggle for civil rights undertaken by America’s African American population. Another factor was King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech; its moving words helped create widespread support for this law. Other factors included previous presidential actions that combated civil rights violations, such as Truman’s in 1948 and Eisenhower’s in 1954, and Kennedy’s sending federal troops to Mississippi (1962) and Alabama (1963) to force the integration of public universities there.
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1965––The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the requirement for would-be voters in the United States to take literacy tests to register to vote, because this requirement was judged as unfair to minorities. The act provided money to pay for programs to register voters in areas with large numbers of unregistered minorities, and it gave the Department of Justice the right to oversee the voting laws in certain districts that had used tactics such as literacy tests or poll taxes to limit voting.
TV Impacts the Civil Rights MovementThe first regular television broadcasts began in 1949, providing just two hours a week of news and entertainment to a very small area on the East Coast. By 1956, over 500 stations were broadcasting all over America, bringing news and entertainment into the living rooms of most Americans.
TV newscasts also changed the shape of American culture. Americans who might never have attended a civil rights demonstration saw and heard them on their TVs in the 1960s. In 1963, TV reports showed helmeted police officers from Birmingham, Alabama, using high-pressure fire hoses to spray African American children who had been walking in a protest march. The reports also showed the officers setting police dogs to attack them, and then clubbing them.
TV news coverage of the civil rights movement helped many Americans turn their sympathies toward ending racial segregation and persuaded Kennedy that new laws were the only ways to end the racial violence and to give African Americans the civil rights they were demanding.
1964––The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. This law prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. It allowed all citizens the right to enter any park, restroom, library, theater, and public building in the United States. One factor that prompted this law was the long struggle for civil rights undertaken by America’s African American population. Another factor was King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech; its moving words helped create widespread support for this law. Other factors included previous presidential actions that combated civil rights violations, such as Truman’s in 1948 and Eisenhower’s in 1954, and Kennedy’s sending federal troops to Mississippi (1962) and Alabama (1963) to force the integration of public universities there.
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1965––The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the requirement for would-be voters in the United States to take literacy tests to register to vote, because this requirement was judged as unfair to minorities. The act provided money to pay for programs to register voters in areas with large numbers of unregistered minorities, and it gave the Department of Justice the right to oversee the voting laws in certain districts that had used tactics such as literacy tests or poll taxes to limit voting.
TV Impacts the Civil Rights MovementThe first regular television broadcasts began in 1949, providing just two hours a week of news and entertainment to a very small area on the East Coast. By 1956, over 500 stations were broadcasting all over America, bringing news and entertainment into the living rooms of most Americans.
TV newscasts also changed the shape of American culture. Americans who might never have attended a civil rights demonstration saw and heard them on their TVs in the 1960s. In 1963, TV reports showed helmeted police officers from Birmingham, Alabama, using high-pressure fire hoses to spray African American children who had been walking in a protest march. The reports also showed the officers setting police dogs to attack them, and then clubbing them.
TV news coverage of the civil rights movement helped many Americans turn their sympathies toward ending racial segregation and persuaded Kennedy that new laws were the only ways to end the racial violence and to give African Americans the civil rights they were demanding.
SSUSH23 The student will describe and assess the impact of political developments between 1945 and 1970.
A. Describe the Warren Court and the expansion of individual rights as seen in the Miranda decision.Individual Rights
During most of the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court was headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Warren Court, as it was known, became famous for issuing landmark decisions, such as declaring that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, that the Constitution includes the right to privacy, that the right of free speech protects students who wear armbands as an antiwar protest on school grounds, and that all states must obey all decisions of the Supreme Court. In 1963, the Warren Court issued another of its landmark decisions, Miranda v. Arizona: Police must inform suspects of their constitutional rights at the time of arrest. The case involved a man named Ernesto Miranda, who was convicted and imprisoned after signing a confession although, at the time of his arrest, the police questioned him without telling him he had the right to speak with an attorney and the right to stay silent. The Miranda decision strengthened Americans’ individual rights. |
B. Describe the political impact of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; include the impact on civil rights legislation.Murder in Dallas
The assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963, was a tragic event with a twofold political impact. 1. The assassination showed Americans just how strong their government was because, although the president could be killed, the U.S. government would live on. 2. The assassination gave the new president, Lyndon Johnson, the political capital to force his domestic legislative package through Congress. This included the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which launched Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in American schools and other public places. |
SSUSH24 The student will analyze the impact of social change movements and organizations of the 1960s.
A. Compare and contrast the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) tactics; include sit-ins, freedom rides, and changing composition.
Civil Rights Movement Two civil rights groups prominent in the struggle for African American rights in the sixties were the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Review the breakdown on the next page to see how the SCLC and the SNCC started as similar organizations but grew to differ over time, especially in the SNCC’s changing composition. |
B. Describe the National Organization of Women and the origins and goals of the modern women’s movement.
Women’s Movement The National Organization for Women was founded in 1966 to promote equal rights and opportunities for America’s women. NOW had its origins in the civil rights and antiwar movements of the early 1960s. In both of these, women felt sidelined by the men who led organizations like the SNCC and anti–Vietnam War groups. NOW’s goals included equality in employment, political and social equality, and the passage of the equal rights amendment. |
C. Analyze the anti-Vietnam War movement.
Anti–Vietnam War Movement Americans against the war in Vietnam became more vocal in their opposition. Many antiwar groups started on college campuses to urge the government to end selective service (the draft) and to bring home all American troops from Vietnam. They used many of the same tactics as groups fighting for civil rights, including sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations. Later, some protesters became more radical, burning their draft cards, going to prison rather than going to Vietnam, and even fleeing to Canada. |
D. Analyze Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers’ movement.
United Farm Workers’ Movement Latinos also protested to gain civil rights in the 1960s. Their leader was César Chávez, an American of Mexican descent who grew up picking crops in California with his family. As founder of the United Farm Workers’ movement, Chávez believed in nonviolent methods to achieve his goals. In 1965, he started a nationwide boycott of California grapes, forcing grape growers to negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers in 1970. This contract gave farmworkers higher wages and other benefits for which they had been protesting through the sixties. |
E. Explain the importance of Rachel Carson’s
Silent Spring and the resulting developments; include Earth Day, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the modern environmental movement. Environmental Movement Protecting the environment became important to many Americans. Silent Spring, a 1962 book about pesticides by Rachel Carson, exposed dangers to the environment. This book led to the Water Quality Act of 1965. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, when almost every community across America and over 10,000 schools and 2,000 colleges organized events to raise awareness of environmental issues; Earth Day is still celebrated each year. Also in 1970, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set limits on pollution, to conduct environmental research, and to assist state and local governments in the cleanup of polluted sites. |
F. Describe the rise of the conservative movement as seen in the presidential candidacy of Barry Goldwater (1964) and the election of Richard M. Nixon (1968).
Conservative Movement In 1964, the Republicans nominated Senator Barry Goldwater for president, which was a sign of the rising power of America’s conservative movement. Goldwater believed the federal government should not try to fix social and economic problems such as poverty, discrimination, or lack of opportunity. His conservative proposals included selling the Tennessee Valley Authority, making Social Security voluntary, and getting more involved in Vietnam. Goldwater lost the election to President Johnson, who said more American involvement in Vietnam would not solve the problems there. |
SSUSH25 The student will describe changes in national politics since 1968.
C. Explain the Carter administration’s efforts in the Middle East; include the Camp David Accords, his response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and the Iranian hostage crisis.
Carter Administration Jimmy Carter’s presidency was strongly influenced by international issues. He tried to bring peace to the Middle East and, in the Camp David Accords, negotiated a peace agreement between the Egyptian president and the Israeli prime minister at Camp David (a presidential retreat in Maryland) in 1978. This was the first time there had been a signed peace agreement between Middle Eastern nations. Although the agreement left many differences unresolved, it did solve urgent problems facing the two nations. In 1978, the Iranian Revolution replaced a shah (king) friendly to America with a Muslim religious leader unfriendly to America. When Carter let the shah enter the United States for medical treatment, angry Iranian revolutionaries invaded the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 Americans captive. The Iranian hostage crisis lasted 444 days, until the captives were released after the election of Ronald Reagan as president, and it nurtured anti-Americanism among Muslims around the world. |
D. Describe domestic and international events of Ronald Reagan’s presidency; include Reaganomics, the Iran-contra scandal, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan was president for much of the 1980s. During that time, many important events helped shape American politics to this day. As a conservative, Reagan wanted to decrease the size and role of the federal government. • Reaganomics was the nickname for Reagan’s economic policy. It included budget cuts, tax cuts, and increased defense spending. By cutting social welfare budgets, his policy hurt lower-income Americans and, overall, Reaganomics led to a severe recession. • The Iran-Contra scandal was Reagan’s biggest failure in international policy. Administration officials sold weapons to Iran––an enemy of the United States––and then violated more laws by using the profits from those arms sales to fund a rebellion in Nicaragua fought by rebels called the Contras (a Spanish nickname for “counter-revolutionaries”). Details of this scandal are still largely unknown to the public. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/reagan-iran/ • The was Reagan’s biggest success in international policy. The Soviet Union’s last leader set up policies allowing freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and other reforms, putting the U.S.S.R. on a path to democratic government. But these reforms got out of the leader’s control and eventually led to the breakup of the 15 states that were the Soviet Union. Five of those states now comprise Russia, and the other ten are independent countries. E. Explain the relationship between Congress and President Bill Clinton; include the North American Free Trade Agreement and his impeachment and acquittal.Clinton Administration Bill Clinton’s presidency included ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA brought Mexico into a free-trade (tariff-free) zone already existing between the United States and Canada. Opponents believed NAFTA would send U.S. jobs to Mexico and harm the environment, while supporters believed it would open up the growing Mexican market to U.S. companies; these pros and cons are still argued today. Clinton also became the second president in U.S. history to suffer impeachment. The House of Representatives charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. The charges were based on accusations of improper use of money from a real estate deal and allegations he had lied under oath about an improper relationship with a White House intern. Clinton denied the charges and the Senate acquitted him, allowing Clinton to remain in office and finish his second term. |
E. Explain the relationship between Congress and President Bill Clinton; include the North American Free Trade Agreement and his impeachment and acquittal.
Clinton Administration
Bill Clinton’s presidency included ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA brought Mexico into a free-trade (tariff-free) zone already existing between the United States and Canada. Opponents believed NAFTA would send U.S. jobs to Mexico and harm the environment, while supporters believed it would open up the growing Mexican market to U.S. companies; these pros and cons are still argued today.
Clinton also became the second president in U.S. history to suffer impeachment. The House of Representatives charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. The charges were based on accusations of improper use of money from a real estate deal and allegations he had lied under oath about an improper relationship with a White House intern. Clinton denied the charges and the Senate acquitted him, allowing Clinton to remain in office and finish his second term.
Clinton Administration
Bill Clinton’s presidency included ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA brought Mexico into a free-trade (tariff-free) zone already existing between the United States and Canada. Opponents believed NAFTA would send U.S. jobs to Mexico and harm the environment, while supporters believed it would open up the growing Mexican market to U.S. companies; these pros and cons are still argued today.
Clinton also became the second president in U.S. history to suffer impeachment. The House of Representatives charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. The charges were based on accusations of improper use of money from a real estate deal and allegations he had lied under oath about an improper relationship with a White House intern. Clinton denied the charges and the Senate acquitted him, allowing Clinton to remain in office and finish his second term.
F. Analyze the 2000 presidential election and its outcome, emphasizing the role of the electoral college.
2000 Presidential Election
The presidential election of 2000 saw Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, facing the Republican governor of Texas, George W. Bush, as well as consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who ran as a third-party candidate. Polls showed the race would be close, and it turned out to be one of the closest elections in American history. Gore won the national popular vote by over 500,000 of the 105 million votes cast, but when American voters cast ballots for president, the national popular vote has no legal significance. Rather, Americans are voting for members of the Electoral College representing each candidate. Each state is assigned “electors” in equal number to its total number of U.S. representatives and senators. (For example, Georgia had thirteen electors in 2000: eleven representatives and two senators.) In the 2000 election, Bush won by receiving 271 votes in the Electoral College to Gore’s 266.
2000 Presidential Election
The presidential election of 2000 saw Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, facing the Republican governor of Texas, George W. Bush, as well as consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who ran as a third-party candidate. Polls showed the race would be close, and it turned out to be one of the closest elections in American history. Gore won the national popular vote by over 500,000 of the 105 million votes cast, but when American voters cast ballots for president, the national popular vote has no legal significance. Rather, Americans are voting for members of the Electoral College representing each candidate. Each state is assigned “electors” in equal number to its total number of U.S. representatives and senators. (For example, Georgia had thirteen electors in 2000: eleven representatives and two senators.) In the 2000 election, Bush won by receiving 271 votes in the Electoral College to Gore’s 266.
G. Analyze the response of President George W. Bush to the attacks of September 11, 2001, on the United States, the war against terrorism, and the subsequent American interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bush Administration
George W. Bush’s presidency will always be remembered for al-Qaeda’s attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11). In response, and with overwhelming support of both Congress and the American people, Bush signed a law the next month to allow the U.S. government to hold foreign citizens suspected of being terrorists for up to seven days without charging
them with a crime. This law also increased the ability of American law-enforcement agencies to search private communications and personal records. Then he created the Department of Homeland Security and charged it with protecting the United States from terrorist attacks and with responding to natural disasters.
In October 2001, another of Bush’s responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was his authorizing Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S. military and allied forces. That country’s Taliban government was harboring the al-Qaeda leadership. The allied forces quickly defeated the Taliban government and destroyed the al-Qaeda
network in Afghanistan; however, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escaped.
The invasion of Afghanistan was part of Bush’s larger war on terrorism, for which he built an international coalition to fight the al-Qaeda network and other terrorist groups. In March 2003, American and British troops invaded Iraq in Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, went into hiding while U.S. forces searched for the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that Bush feared Hussein had and could supply to terrorists for use against the United States. No WMD were found before Hussein was captured. He was convicted of crimes against humanity and executed in 2006.
Bush Administration
George W. Bush’s presidency will always be remembered for al-Qaeda’s attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11). In response, and with overwhelming support of both Congress and the American people, Bush signed a law the next month to allow the U.S. government to hold foreign citizens suspected of being terrorists for up to seven days without charging
them with a crime. This law also increased the ability of American law-enforcement agencies to search private communications and personal records. Then he created the Department of Homeland Security and charged it with protecting the United States from terrorist attacks and with responding to natural disasters.
In October 2001, another of Bush’s responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks was his authorizing Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S. military and allied forces. That country’s Taliban government was harboring the al-Qaeda leadership. The allied forces quickly defeated the Taliban government and destroyed the al-Qaeda
network in Afghanistan; however, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escaped.
The invasion of Afghanistan was part of Bush’s larger war on terrorism, for which he built an international coalition to fight the al-Qaeda network and other terrorist groups. In March 2003, American and British troops invaded Iraq in Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, went into hiding while U.S. forces searched for the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that Bush feared Hussein had and could supply to terrorists for use against the United States. No WMD were found before Hussein was captured. He was convicted of crimes against humanity and executed in 2006.