Mr. Davey's US History Page

These are the sections for United States History. If you would like to watch an extra credit film, the document for the movie review is available here.

Gilded Age & Progressivism

'The period after Reconstruction, the last few decades of the nineteenth century, was known as the ” Gilded Age,” a term coined by Mark Twain in 1873. The Gilded Age was a period of transformation in the economy, technology, government, and social customs of America.' America's economic expansion was fruitful but labor paid the price through big businesses lack of oversight. This unit will focus on the development of big business and mass immigration in America and the backlash during the Progressive Era.

The Great War

On 6 April 1917, America declared war on Germany and charged into the first world war. After nearly three years of reluctance, its hand was forced by the sinking of neutral US ships by German submarines. This brief unit will focus on America's entrance into WW1 and how it changed the nation.

1920s

'The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation's total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.' The rapid change also produced a backlash against modernity and labor which is reminiscent of some of the changes the nation faces today.

Depression

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in modern history, lasting from 1929 to 1939. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors but the seeds of this calamity were laid much earlier. This unit will focus on the poverty America faced during the Great Depression and how America escaped it with the help of Roosevelt's three R's.

World War 2

Though stunned by the events of December 7, Americans were also resolute and eager to begin the fight against Germany and Japan. Drawn into a global war America and its allies, most importantly Great Britain and the Soviet Union, had to develop a strategy to win the conflict. America was also faced with the enormous hurdle of producing for a war on two fronts. This unit will look at the war itself and the production campaign and stresses of American on the home front.

Cold War in America

In this unit, you'll learn about the after effects of the second great war. You'll also learn about how the rise of the communist scare happened, and what lead to the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. You'll learn about the space race, and the eventual arms race between Russia and the United States.

America in the 50s

During the 1950s, the United States was the world’s strongest military power and its economy was booming. Yet a return from WW2 brought changes to American society in terms of social changes under the surface, and economic prosperity (new cars, suburban houses, and other consumer goods). This unit will focus on America's domestic society during the 1950s, and the growth of the Civil Rights Movement and how it altered America.

1960s & Vietnam

The focus of our activities in this unit will be a look at the Kennedy Administration, Civil Rights (including the highlights of the movement under Kennedy and Johnson), the Johnson Administration (including the Great Society), the Vietnam War (including a look at how America got involved, how it helped shape the nation, and why America lost), the Social Revolution (the ideals of equality and democracy and how it affected the nations youth), the Nixon Administration, the Women's Movement for Equal Rights (ERA ratification struggle and a review of the role of women in American history).

The Modern World

In this final unit of your junior year, you will reflect upon the patterns in US history and review the major events of the past fifty years.