US and the world, 1865-1917: from the Trent Affair during the Civil War to the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of the Virgin Islands, the history of the US with regard to the world during this period.  The focus is on how the US changed from an isolationist nation to a world power.

The Progressive Era:  The elections of 1896, 1900, 04, 08, 12.  How the role of the US changed from a “bystander” (pretty much) with regard to economic affairs to a major player in its economy.  Highlighted will be the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

October

World War I:  European background to the war, the reasons for American participation, the course of the war, both before and during US participation, and the Treaty of Versailles that “ended” the war.  (We will also discuss how this treaty made World War II almost inevitable.)

November

The 1920s and 1930s:  The coming of mass culture, the urban-rural split, prohibition, the “Roaring ‘20s,” the Great Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.  Then we will go into the effects of the Depression, the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and the New Deal

Background to and World War II:  the rise of fascism in Europe and Asia, Hitler’s violations of the Treaty of Versailles, war in Europe prior to American entry, Pearl Harbor, America in World War II, the atomic bomb, and the peace following the war.

January

General government and terminology, legislative branch:  various types of government, types of democracy, general terminology about American government, the legislative branch of the US government.
NOTE:  since this course is designed for students who struggle in social studies, it gives a single credit for the study of both American History & American government and the course is presented in a way it is easy for struggling students to handle basic material.  With the beginning of the second semester, we will shift focus from history to government, continuing until we complete the government unit, then switch back to American history.

February

The executive and judicial branches: units about how the presidency and executive branch and structured and function.  Then, the US courts systems including some rudimentary legal terminology.

March

Bill of Rights, Illinois Government:  a more extensive unit on the Bill of Rights, with emphasis on Amendments 4, 5, 6, 8, and 14, about individual rights.  Then, an overview of Illinois government.  Then, back to history:

April

The Cold War and the Korean War, Truman presidency:  the reasons for the beginning of the Cold War, how America “reconverted” from a wartime to a peacetime economy, the economic boom after the War, changes in American culture in the 1940s and 1950s, in the context of the presidency of Harry Truman

The presidencies of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson:  an overview of the major events in each presidency:  Eisenhower – continuation of the New Deal, foreign policy efforts, continuation of the Cold War; Kennedy:  Bay of Pigs, Vienna, Cuban Missile Crisis, Test Ban Treaty, Assassination; Johnson:  Great Society programs, Civil Rights Act of 1963 in the context of the civil rights movement, and steps leading to the Vietnam War.