| USII.1 |
The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, and responsible citizenship, including the ability to |
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analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history from 1877 to the present; |
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make connections between past and present; |
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sequence events in United States history from 1877 to the present; |
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interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives; |
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analyze and interpret maps that include major physical features. |
| USII.7 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the economic, social, and political transformation of the United States and the world between the end of World War II and the present by |
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describing the rebuilding of Europe and Japan after World War II, the emergence of the United States as a superpower, and the establishment of the United Nations; |
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describing the conversion from a wartime to a peacetime economy. |
NOTE: The Virginia Board of Education adopted the revised 2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning at the January 10, 2008, meeting. Full implementation of these documents is scheduled for the 2010-2011 school year, as outlined in Superintendent’s Memorandum Informational Number 49. In the revised SOL, United States History I will be taught through 1865 and U.S. History II will encompass 1865 to the present.
Describe Europe following World War II. Explain how much of Europe was in ruins and that Soviet forces occupied most of Eastern and Central Europe and the eastern portion of Germany.
Summarize the role of the United States as a superpower following World War II. Explain how it helped rebuild postwar Europe and Japan. Include the following:
• The United States felt it was in its best interest to rebuild Europe and prevent political and economic instability.
• 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.
Summarize the governments of Germany and Japan following World War II. Include the following information:
• 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.
• 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.
Describe the United Nations and the role the United States had in its establishment. Include that 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.
Identify the following elements that contributed to the rapid growth of the 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.
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
Classroom-tested Handouts and Fact Sheets. Digital History: <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/handouts.cfm>. This site is a good source for classroom handouts.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. United States History: 1877 to the Present. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint4USII.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in United States History: 1877 to the Present.
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