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History Standards for Grades 5-12
United States
Era 9
Postwar
United States
(1945 to early 1970s)
Standard 1
The economic boom and social transformation of postwar United
States
Standard 2
How the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic
and international politics
Standard 3
Domestic policies after World War II
Standard 4
The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of
civil liberties
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Overview
Although
the study of the era following World War II can easily be dominated by a
preoccupation with the Cold War, our understanding of present-day American
society will be deficient without grappling with the remarkable changes
in American society, the American economy, and American culture in the
1950s and 1960s. It should be remembered that the closeness of the period
makes it one of continuing reinterpretation, reminding us that historical
judgments should be seen as provisional, never cut in stone.
Students will need to
understand how the postwar economic boom, mightily affected by the
transforming hand of science, produced epic changes in American
education, consumer culture, suburbanization, the return to domesticity
for many women, the character of corporate life, and sexual and cultural
mores--both of which involved startling changes in dress, speech, music,
film and television, family structure, uses of leisure time, and
more.
All of this can take
on deeper meaning when connected to politics. Politically, the era was
marked by the reinvigoration of New Deal liberalism and its gradual
exhaustion in the 1970s. In the period of liberal activism, leaders
sought to expand the role of the state to extend civil liberties and
promote economic opportunity. The advent of the civil rights and
women’s movements thus became part of the third great reform
impulse in American history. Conservative reaction stressed restrictions
on the growth of the state, emphasized free enterprise, and promoted
individual rather than group rights.
The Cold War set the
framework for global politics for 45 years after the end of World War II.
The Cold War so strongly influenced our domestic politics, the conduct of
foreign affairs, and the role of the government in the economy after 1945
that it is obligatory for students to examine its origins and the forces
behind its continuation into the late 20th century. They should understand
how American and European antipathy to Leninist-Stalinism predated 1945,
seeded by the gradual awareness of the messianic nature of Soviet
communism during the interwar years, Stalin’s collectivization of
agriculture, and the great purges of the 1930s. Students should also
consider the Soviet Union’s goals
following World War II. Its catastrophic losses in the war and fear of
rapid German recovery were factors in Soviet demands for a sphere of
influence on its western borders, achieved through the establishment of
governments under Soviet military and political control. Students should
also know how the American policy of containment was successfully
conducted in Europe: the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin airlift, NATO, and the maintenance of U.S. military forces in Europe
under what was called the nuclear “balance of terror.”
They should also
recognize that the U.S.
government’s anti-Communist strategy of containment in Asia
confronted very different circumstances and would involve the United States in the bloody, costly wars
of Korea and Vietnam.
The Vietnam War is especially noteworthy. It demonstrated the power of
American public opinion in reversing foreign policy, it tested the
democratic system to its limits, it left scars on American society that
have not yet been erased, and it made many Americans deeply skeptical
about future military or even peacekeeping interventions.
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STANDARD 1
The economic boom and
social transformation of postwar United States.
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Standard 1A
The student understands the extent and impact of
economic changes in the postwar period.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Analyze
the debate over demobilization and economic reconversion and its effects
on the economy. [Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances]
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5-12
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Explain
the reasons for the sustained growth of the postwar consumer economy.
[Analyze cause-and-effect relationships]
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7-12
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Explain
the growth of the service, white collar, and professional sectors of the
economy that led to the enlargement of the middle class. [Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships]
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9-12
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Analyze
the impact of the Cold War on the economy. [Identify issues and problems
in the past]
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9-12
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Analyze
the continued gap between poverty and the rising affluence of the middle
class. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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Standard 1B
The student understands how the social changes of the
postwar period affected various Americans.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Evaluate
the effects of the GI Bill on American society. [Hypothesize the influence of the past on the present]
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9-12
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Examine
the rapid growth of secondary and collegiate education and the role of
new governmental spending on educational programs. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships]
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9-12
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Explain
the expansion of suburbanization and analyze how the “crabgrass
frontier” affected American society. [Explain historical continuity and change]
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7-12
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Explain
the reasons for the “return to domesticity” and how it
affected family life and women’s careers. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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9-12
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Examine
the place of religion in postwar American life. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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5-12
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Explore
the influence of popular culture and analyze the role of the mass media in
homogenizing American culture. [Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships]
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Standard 1C
The student understands how postwar science augmented
the nation’s economic strength, transformed daily life, and
influenced the world economy.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Explore
how the new relationship between science and government after World War II
created a new system of scientific research and development. [Explain historical continuity and
change]
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5-12
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Identify
various pioneers in modern scientific research and explain how their work
has changed contemporary society. [Assess
the importance of the individual in history]
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5-12
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Assess
the significance of research and scientific breakthroughs in promoting
the U.S.
space program. [Examine the
influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Explain
the advances in medical science and assess how they improved the standard
of living and changed demographic patterns. [Interrogate historical data]
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7-12
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Describe
agricultural innovation and consolidation in the postwar period and
assess their impact on the world economy. [Analyze cause-and-effect relationships]
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9-12
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Examine
how American technology ushered in the communications revolution and
assess its global influence. [Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships]
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STANDARD 2
How the Cold War and
conflicts in Korea and Vietnam
influenced domestic and international politics.
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Standard 2A
The student understands the international origins and
domestic consequences of the Cold War.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Evaluate
the “flawed peace” resulting from World War II and the effectiveness
of the United Nations in reducing international tensions and conflicts. [Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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7-12
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Explain
the origins of the Cold War and the advent of nuclear politics. [Hold interpretations of history as
tentative]
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7-12
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Examine
the U.S.
response to the Chinese Revolution and its impact on the Cold War. [Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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7-12
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Analyze
the causes of the Korean War and how a divided Korea remained a source of
international tension. [Formulate
a position or course of action on an issue]
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7-12
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Explain
the rationale, implementation, and effectiveness of the U.S. containment policy. [Evaluate the implementation of a
decision]
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5-12
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Explain
the popular uprisings against communist governments in Eastern Europe and
evaluate how they affected United States foreign policy.
[Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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7-12
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Analyze
the change from confrontation to coexistence between the Soviet Union and
the United States.
[Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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Standard 2B
The student understands United
States foreign policy in Africa, Asia, the Middle
East, and Latin America.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Analyze
American policies toward independence movements in Africa, Asia, the
Caribbean, and the Middle East. [Marshal evidence of antecedent
circumstances]
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7-12
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Evaluate
changing foreign policy toward Latin America.
[Identify issues and problems in
the past]
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5-12
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Assess
U.S. relations with Israel
and explain how Arab-Israeli crises influenced American foreign policy
during the Cold War. [Evaluate the
implementation of a decision]
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Standard 2C
The student understands the foreign and domestic
consequences of U.S.
involvement in Vietnam.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Assess
the Vietnam
policy of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations and the shifts of
public opinion about the war. [Analyze
multiple causation]
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9-12
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Explain
the composition of the American forces recruited to fight the war. [Interrogate historical data]
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5-12
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Evaluate
how Vietnamese and Americans experienced the war and how the war
continued to affect postwar politics and culture. [Appreciate historical perspectives]
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7-12
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Explain
the provisions of the Paris Peace Accord of 1973 and evaluate the role of
the Nixon administration. [Differentiate
between historical facts and historical interpretations]
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9-12
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Analyze
the constitutional issues involved in the war and explore the legacy of
the Vietnam war. [Formulate a
position or course of action on an issue]
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STANDARD 3
Domestic policies after World War II.
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Standard 3A
The student understands the
political debates of the post-World War II era.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Evaluate
Truman’s continuation of New Deal policies in labor relations,
housing, education, and health. [Formulate
a position or course of action on an issue]
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5-12
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Evaluate
Truman’s civil rights policies and their effect on splintering the
Democratic party. [Assess the
importance of the individual in history]
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7-12
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Explain
the relationship between post-war Soviet espionage and the emergence of
internal security and loyalty programs under Truman and Eisenhower. [Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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7-12
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Analyze
the rise and fall of McCarthyism, its effects on civil liberties, and its
repercussions. [Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships]
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7-12
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Evaluate
Eisenhower’s “Modern Republicanism” in relation to the
economy and other domestic issues. [Formulate
a position or course of action on an issue]
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Standard 3B
The student understands the “New Frontier”
and the “Great Society.”
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Examine
the role of the media in the election of 1960. [Utilize visual and quantitative data]
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5-12
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Evaluate
the domestic policies of Kennedy’s “New Frontier.” [Hold interpretations of history as
tentative]
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5-12
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Evaluate
the legislation and programs enacted during Johnson’s presidency. [Evaluate the implementation of a
decision]
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7-12
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Assess
the effectiveness of the “Great Society” programs. [Evaluate major debates among
historians]
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7-12
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Compare
the so-called second environmental movement with the first at the
beginning of the 20th century. [Compare
and contrast different movements]
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STANDARD 4
The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the
extension of civil liberties.
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Standard 4A
The student understands the
“Second Reconstruction” and its advancement of civil rights.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Explain
the origins of the postwar civil rights movement and the role of the NAACP
in the legal assault on segregation. [Analyze multiple causation]
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5-12
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Evaluate
the Warren Court’s
reasoning in Brown v. Board of Education and its significance in
advancing civil rights. [Analyze
cause-and-effect relationships]
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5-12
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Explain
the resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965. [Identify issues and problems in the
past]
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7-12
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Analyze
the leadership and ideology of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in the
civil rights movement and evaluate their legacies. [Assess the importance of the individual in history]
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7-12
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Assess
the role of the legislative and executive branches in advancing the civil
rights movement and the effect of shifting the focus from de jure to de
facto segregation. [Evaluate the
implementation of a decision]
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5-12
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Evaluate
the agendas, strategies, and effectiveness of various African Americans,
Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans, as well as the
disabled, in the quest for civil rights and equal opportunities. [Explain historical continuity and change]
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9-12
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Assess
the reasons for and effectiveness of the escalation from civil
disobedience to more radical protest in the civil rights movement. [Marshal evidence of antecedent
circumstances]
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Standard 4B
The student understands the women’s movement for
civil rights and equal opportunities.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Analyze
the factors contributing to modern feminism and compare the ideas,
agendas, and strategies of feminist and counter-feminist organizations.
[Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances]
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5-12
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Identify
the major social, economic, and political issues affecting women and
explain the conflicts these issues engendered. [Formulate a position or
course of action on an issue]
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9-12
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Evaluate
the conflicting perspectives over the Equal Rights Amendment, Title VII,
and Roe v. Wade. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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Standard 4C
The student understands the Warren Court’s role in
addressing civil liberties and equal rights.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Analyze
the expansion of due process rights in such cases as Gideon v. Wainwright
and Miranda v. Arizona
and evaluate criticism of the extension of these rights for the accused.
[Interrogate historical data]
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9-12
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Explain
the Supreme Court’s reasoning in establishing the “one man,
one vote” principle. [Interrogate
historical data]
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5-12
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Evaluate
the Supreme Court’s interpretation of freedom of religion. [Formulate a position or course of
action on an issue]
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9-12
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Assess
the effectiveness of the judiciary as opposed to the legislative and
executive branches of government in promoting civil liberties and equal
opportunities. [Challenge
arguments of historical inevitability]
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NEXT: Era
10: Contemporary United States (1968-present)
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