Oklahoma Social Studies Standards Comparison
This tool allows you to compare Oklahoma's current Social Studies standards (2019) with the proposed leakeddraft standards for 2025 introduced late this summer. Our team is hard at work updating this to add the proposed standards that were announced in December 2024. Follow us on social media for updates.
Use the navigation controls above to:
- Toggle between current and draft standards using the Version switch
- Select different grade levels or courses from the dropdown menu
- Navigate through specific standards within each grade or course
- View detailed objectives and concepts for each standard
Current (2019)
Pre-Kindergarten
PK.1 The student will exhibit traits of good citizenship.
Objectives:
- . Describe the importance of rules and personal responsibilities including working together to make decisions as a member of a family and classroom community.
- . Explain the need to respect the uniqueness of individuals in our class and community.
- . Describe the concept of being a citizen.
- . Identify the United States Flag as a symbol of the country.
PK.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of basic physical and human geographic concepts.
Objectives:
- . Explain that a map is a drawing of a place.
- . Use basic directional terms in relation to the student’s relative location.
- . Describe a classroom as a community.
- . Identify family customs and traditions as basic elements of culture.
PK.3 The student will understand that history relates to events and people of other times and places.
Objectives:
- . Explain history as things that happened in the past.
- . Describe how we honor people and events of the past.
- . Use words and phrases, such as before and after, as they relate to chronology and time in order to explain how things change.
- . Explain that lessons can be learned from the past.
PK.4 The student will identify basic economic concepts.
Objectives:
- . Identify basic needs all people share.
- . Explain that people work to earn money to buy things they need and want.
- . Explain how resources are used by people to meet their needs.
- . Describe how various school personnel provide needed services.
Current (2019)
Kindergarten
K.1 The student will exhibit traits of good citizenship.
Objectives:
- . Describe the importance of rules, personal responsibilities, and natural consequences as a member of a family, class, and school.
- . Identify ways to be an active member of the community.
- . Identify the United States Flag as a symbol of the country, explaining the stripes as symbols for the first states and the stars as symbols for the current states in our country.
- . Identify the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance and explain appropriate flag etiquette.
- . Identify other important United States symbols including the Statue of Liberty located in New York Harbor.
K.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of basic physical and human geographic concepts.
Objectives:
- . Explain that a globe is a model of the Earth and that a map is a drawing of a place; construct basic maps.
- . Identify basic cardinal directions and relative location terms.
- . Identify the shape of the state of Oklahoma on a map.
- . Explain that the school is part of a larger community and one’s community is within the state of Oklahoma.
- . Describe what makes one’s community alike or different than other communities.
- . Describe family and community customs and traditions as basic elements of culture.
K.3 The student will understand that history relates to events and people of other times and places.
Objectives:
- . Explain how events of the past may have affected our community and the way we live today.
- . Explain how we honor people and events of the past.
- . Use words and phrases related to chronology and time to explain how things change including before/after and yesterday/today/tomorrow.
- . Explain that different types of sources can be used to learn about the past.
K.4 The student will identify basic economic concepts.
Objectives:
- . Describe the basic needs of all people: food, clothing, and shelter; differentiate between these needs and a want.
- . Explain the relationship between work and earning money.
- . Identify ways that people use their money, including spending and saving.
- . Explain how various community members including police officers, firefighters, soldiers, school personnel, business professionals, and medical personnel impact the student’s life.
Current (2019)
First Grade
1.1 The student will analyze their role as a citizen in a community.
Objectives:
- . Describe the need for written laws and the main purpose of government, including the concept of consequences for one’s actions when a law or rule is violated.
- . Describe how citizens within communities work together to accomplish common tasks and fulfill roles of authority.
- . Explain patriotic traditions including The Pledge of Allegiance, describe appropriate flag etiquette and proper behavior during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
- . Identify important symbols of the United States including the Bald Eagle and the Liberty Bell, and explain their meanings.
1.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of basic geographic concepts.
Objectives:
- . Describe the difference between physical and political maps; construct basic maps of specific places.
- . Identify cardinal directions and use them to identify specific locations on a map.
- . Identify the difference between continents and oceans.
- . Compare the features of urban and rural communities.
- . Describe community customs and traditions as basic elements of culture.
1.3 The student will examine important events and historical figures in the nation’s past.
Objectives:
- . Explain why people may see events from different points of view.
- . Describe the contributions of people and groups who have shaped our history and ways we commemorate important places and events of the past.
- . Read and construct basic timelines to understand the chronology of events in history.
- . Identify primary sources and how they help us to learn about the past.
1.4 The student will describe the characteristics of the American economic system.
Objectives:
- . Explain the costs and benefits of spending and saving in order to meet needs and wants.
- . Describe ways people are paid for their labor and how goods and services are purchased using money and credit.
- . Identify and explain the roles of consumers and producers in the American economy.
- . Describe the role of banks in the community.
Current (2019)
Second Grade
2.1 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that provide the foundation of the American system of government.
Objectives:
- . Describe the Constitution of the United States as the structure for our national government.
- . Summarize the five key individual rights and liberties protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
- . Explain how active citizens participate in the government by voting to elect officials that represent them.
- . Identify the basic roles of national leaders including the President of the United States , the members of the United States Congress, and the justices of the Supreme Court.
- . Explain how all people can play an important role in their community.
2.2 The student will describe the physical and human characteristics of their environment.
Objectives:
- . Construct basic maps using cardinal directions and map symbols.
- . Describe absolute and relative location using latitude, longitude, and hemispheres on basic maps and globes.
- . Use political maps to locate the state of Oklahoma and the six bordering states.
- . Identify and locate basic landforms, bodies of water, continents, and oceans on a map.
- . Describe how communities modify the environment to meet their needs.
- . Describe customs, traditions, clothing, food, housing, and music as basic elements of various cultures represented within the local community.
2.3 The student will examine the lives of notable Americans who expanded peoples’ rights and freedoms through our history.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the contributions of people and groups who have shaped our history and who are honored by holidays and commemorative months.
- . Compare perspectives of people in the past to people in the present.
- . Compare different accounts of the same historical event using primary and secondary sources.
- . Explain possible reasons for events in the past.
2.4 The student will understand basic economic concepts in the American economy.
Objectives:
- . Explain the importance of supply and demand in the consumer and producer relationship.
- . Explain how barter and trade can lead to interdependence among communities.
- . Describe the connection between taxes and community services, including schools, sanitation and water, fire and police protection, parks and recreation, libraries, and roads.
- . Describe how setting goals and creating a budget helps people pay for things they need and want.
Current (2019)
Third Grade
3.1 The student will analyze the traits of good citizens.
Objectives:
- . Examine and determine the main purposes of Oklahoma’s state government and identify elected leaders of the state of Oklahoma and the three branches of government.
- . Explain that tribal governments in Oklahoma have a right to self-government known as sovereignty.
- . Describe the historical significance of the symbols of Oklahoma including the Oklahoma State Seal and the Oklahoma Flag; explain how the name of Oklahoma is derived from the Choctaw language.
- . Describe relationships between people and events of the past, including those commemorated on national, state, and community holidays.
- . Define the concept of civic virtue and responsibilities of the citizen at the local, state, and tribal levels, including respect for diversity.
3.2 The student will examine Oklahoma’s geography and how people of Oklahoma interact with their environment.
Objectives:
- . Examine Oklahoma’s political and physical features. Identify the state of Oklahoma using relative location, absolute location (latitude and longitude), direction, scale, size, and shape using physical and political maps.Interpret thematic maps of Oklahoma with the essential map elements of title, legend, scale, and directional indicators.Identify Oklahoma’s major landforms and bodies of water on a physical map.Identify Oklahoma’s major metropolitan centers and cities on a political map.Describe the climate and various natural vegetation zones found in Oklahoma.Identify the six states bordering Oklahoma on a map.
- . Examine the interaction of the environment and the peoples of Oklahoma. Describe how early American Indians used Oklahoma’s natural resources, such as bison hunting, fur trading, and farming.Describe how pioneers to Oklahoma adapted to and modified their environment, such as sod houses, windmills, and crops.Summarize how the weather and the environment have impacted the economy of Oklahoma in events such as the Dust Bowl, floods, and tornadoes.Summarize how Oklahomans affect and change their environments such as the construction of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, creation of recreational lakes by the building of dams, irrigation of croplands, and the establishment of wildlife refuges.
- . Identify the characteristics of renewable and non-renewable resources and evaluate the role of citizens in conserving natural resources.
3.3 The student will analyze the significant events and historic personalities contributing to the development of the state of Oklahoma.
Objectives:
- . Understand and describe the relationship between historic events and chronology through the creation of basic timelines.
- . Read and interpret primary sources related to key events in Oklahoma’s past.
- . Describe American Indian pre-contact cultures that have inhabited what is now Oklahoma, such as the Spiro Mound Builders.
- . Identify cultural similarities and differences of the existing sovereign tribal nations in Oklahoma, especially those near the local community.
- . Describe early expeditions into Oklahoma such as those of Coronado, Washington Irving, and George Catlin.
- . Describe the migrations, settlements, relocations and forced removals of American Indians.
- . Describe cowboy life and cattle drives as typified by experiences along such routes as the Chisholm Trail and the impact of Mexican ranching traditions on the cattle industry and cowboy culture.
- . Distinguish between the points of view of both American Indians and settlers regarding the opening of territories in Oklahoma for settlement.
- . Commemorate Statehood Day, November 16, as the joining of Indian and Oklahoma Territories.
- . Describe the contributions of Oklahoma’s military personnel, including the Buffalo Soldiers, the code talkers, and the 45th Infantry.
- . Explain how Oklahomans come together to help one another during difficult times, such as recovering from the bombing of the Oklahoma City Murrah Building, exhibiting what has become the “Oklahoma Standard”.
- . Examine notable historic and present-day Oklahomans utilizing biographies and information texts such as Jim Thorpe, Sequoyah, Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Mickey Mantle, Shannon Lucid, Bill Pickett, Clara Luper, and Maria Tallchief.
3.4 The student will identify and describe basic economic activities creating prosperity in the state of Oklahoma.
Objectives:
- . Compare differences among human, natural, and capital resources used to produce goods and services.
- . Summarize how the factors of scarcity and surplus and the laws of supply and demand of natural and human resources require people to make choices about producing and consuming goods and services.
- . Examine how the development of Oklahoma’s major economic activities have contributed to the growth of the state, including, mining and energy industry, agriculture, aviation, tourism, tribal enterprises, and military installations.
Current (2019)
Fourth Grade
4.1 The student will describe the features of self-government and the role of citizens of the United States.
Objectives:
- . Describe the concepts of democracy and representative government, including the rule of law, equality, the common good, and individual rights. Explain the concept of civic responsibilities, including respect for the law, the necessity for compromise, civic participation, and public service.Understand the necessity of respect for diversity of the individual and diversity of groups comprising American society.
- . Compare powers exercised by the local, state, and national levels of governments, recognizing tribal sovereignty as a tribal nation’s inherent right to self-govern.
- . Summarize the role of citizens as responsible stewards of natural resources and the environment. Describe the benefits of participation in recycling and anti-littering activities.Identify present-day examples to conserve natural resources and the development of alternative, sustainable energy sources.
4.2 The student will examine the physical geography and environments of the United States.
Objectives:
- . Use maps and other geographic representations (such as globes and graphs), tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. Use and describe various elements of maps, including keys/legends, scale, cardinal, and intermediate directions.Interpret aerial photographs, satellite images and thematic maps to locate and identify physical and human features of the United States and North America.Use latitude and longitude to identify the location of physical and human features of the United States.
- . Identify major physical features in the United States and analyze how physical processes shape places. Identify and describe the physical characteristics of places, including the major landforms, bodies of water, vegetation and climates in the United States.Describe the location and characteristics of the major ecosystems in the United States.
- . Explain how people create regions using common geographic characteristics. Identify and describe the major physical, cultural, and economic regions of the United States, comparing one’s own region to the other regions.Explain how and why regions change over time by comparing regions in the past with life in the same regions in the present.
- . Describe how physical processes of the Earth’s surface impact humans and their environment. Identify and describe the different climates in the United States using maps, globes, and graphs.Explain how climate and natural processes including floods, wind, and storms impact how we live.
- . Identify and locate on a political map the fifty states and the United States capital.
4.3 The student will analyze the human characteristics of the United States and how geography impacts historic events.
Objectives:
- . Identify and describe early settlement patterns of regions in the United States. Draw conclusions from maps to show how climate, vegetation, natural resources, and historic events affect the location and growth of settlements.Identify major American Indian groups and their ways of life in each region, including economic activities, customs, and viewpoints on land usage and ownership.Summarize the reasons for key expeditions of North America by Spain, France, and England and their impact on the development of each region.Identify push and pull factors of human migration.Evaluate the impact of the Columbian Exchange on American Indian groups, African slaves and European settlers, including agriculture, trade, culture, military alliances, control of territory, and the sudden and significant decline of indigenous peoples.
- . Examine the characteristics of culture, including the distribution and complexity of the regions of the United States. Identify the characteristics of culture (language, customs, beliefs, food, clothing, shelter) and compare the cultural characteristics of different regions of the United States.Explain how the characteristics of culture affect the ways in which people live.
4.4 The student will identify basic economic activities of the United States.
Objectives:
- . Analyze how humans adapt to and modify their environments in order to survive and grow. Explain how humans depend upon the physical environment for food, shelter, and economic activities.Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.Explain how physical environments can provide both opportunities and limitations for human activity.
- . Describe the patterns and networks of economic interdependence among regions of the United States. Identify and locate on a map the major cities of the United States, including their relative location to natural resources and transportation routes.Identify the major economic activities of each region of the United States by comparing how people satisfy their basic needs through the production of goods and services.Describe the relative location of natural resources, such as fossil fuels, minerals and soils, and their relationship to each region’s major economic activities, including agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and services.
- . Explain how economic activities can threaten the physical environment. Identify ways in which humans can change ecosystems, such as clearing forests, draining wetlands, and diverting waterways, by examining present-day issues related to the use of resources.Identify examples of changes in land use in local communities and how the physical environment can be stressed by human activities.
Current (2019)
Fifth Grade
5.1 The student will examine and compare the Jamestown and Plymouth settlements as the foundations of American culture and society.
Objectives:
- . Summarize reasons for European colonization of North America and the impact on the development of the American colonies.
- . Examine the economic and political motivations for English settlements at Roanoke and Jamestown .
- . Explain the economic and political motivations of immigrants and indentured servants who came to Virginia.
- . Explain the early successes and challenges of the Jamestown settlement including the leadership of John Smith, interrelationships with American Indians, challenges of the Starving Times, and the export of natural resources for profit.
- . Explain the English commitment to the permanent settlement at Jamestown as evidenced through the events of 1619 including: representative government established through the House of Burgessesprivate ownership of landintroduction of Africans as slave laborarrival of women and families
- . Analyze the religious, economic, and political motivations of immigrants and indentured servants who migrated to Plymouth.
- . Explain the early successes and challenges of the Plymouth settlement including: practice of self-government established by the Mayflower Compactcontributions of American Indians including Chief Massasoit and Squantoleadership of William Bradford
- . Explain how American Indian agricultural practices, such as the Three Sisters, contributed to the early survival of the colonists.
5.2 The student will compare the developments of the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.
Objectives:
- . Explain the contributions of important citizens and groups to the foundation of the colonies including the Puritans and Quakers, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, William Penn, Lord Baltimore, and James Oglethorpe.
- . Compare the economic development of the three colonial regions including: agriculture and exports as affected by climate and natural resourcesa labor system utilizing indentured servantsslave labor central to the growth of the economy
- . Explain the international economic and cultural interactions resulting from the triangular trade routes, including the forced migration of Africans through the Transatlantic slave trade and experiences of the Middle Passage.
- . Analyze the forms of self-government in the three colonial regions including the role of religion in the establishment of some colonial governments, the Virginia House of Burgesses, and New England town hall meetings.
- . Explain the evolving relationships between American Indians and the British colonists involving territorial claims.
- . Explain that tribal sovereignty is a tribal nation’s inherent right to self-govern.
- . Compare daily life in the colonies as experienced by different social classes, plantation owners, farmers, merchants, craftsmen, artisans, and women and children.
- . Compare the experiences of both free and enslaved Africans in the British colonies, including resistance efforts by enslaved peoples and attempts to maintain aspects of African culture.
5.3 The student will examine the foundations of the American nation established during the Revolutionary Era.
Objectives:
- . Examine the causes and effects of significant events leading to armed conflict between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain including: French and Indian WarProclamation of 1763Sugar and Stamp ActsTownshend Actcolonial arguments regarding taxation and rightful representation in Parliamentboycotts of British goods and the efforts of the Committees of CorrespondenceQuartering ActBoston MassacreTea Act and The Boston Tea PartyCoercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)British raids on Lexington and Concordpublication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine
- . Analyze the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted July 4, 1776, used to: identify natural, unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessdeclare the equality of all individualsdefine the purpose of governmentestablish the principle of self-government and consent of the governedexplain specific colonial grievances
- . Explain the importance of the Articles of Confederation as the first American national system of government under which the colonies waged a war in order to gain independence.
- . Compare the Iroquois Confederacy’s representative government to the early attempts of the colonies to unite as one nation.
- . Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the British and the American colonies at the eve and during the Revolutionary War, including political and military leadership, military strength, population, resources, foreign alliances, and motivations for fighting.
- . Analyze the relationships of significant military and diplomatic events of the Revolutionary War including the leadership of General George Washington, experiences of Valley Forge, impact of the battles of Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, Yorktown, and the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
- . Identify the points of view of major groups that remained loyal to Britain, joined the patriot cause, or remained neutral.
- . Identify the contributions of key individuals involved in the American Revolution including Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Paul Revere, Nathan Hale, John Paul Jones, Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), Nancy Ward the Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin, Mercy Otis Warren, and Phillis Wheatley.
5.4 The student will examine the formation of the American system of government following the American Revolution.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate issues and events that led to the Constitutional Convention, including a weak national government and Shays’ Rebellion.
- . Identify key leaders and explain the debates and compromises of the Constitutional Convention, including: Virginia and New Jersey PlansGreat CompromiseThree-fifths Compromise and its maintenance of the institution of slaveryFather of the Constitution, James MadisonPresident of the Convention, George Washington
- . Examine the purposes and basic responsibilities of government as described in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States, which established the supreme law of the land.
- . Describe the relationship between the federal government and sovereign American Indian nations, as established under the Constitution of the United States.
- . Compare the viewpoints of the Federalists, led by James Madison, and Anti-Federalists, such as George Mason, over the addition of a bill of rights.
- . Explain how the Constitution of the United States was amended to include the Bill of Rights and summarize the liberties protected in each of the ten amendments.
5.5 The student will describe the structure and responsibilities of the American system of government and the role of the individual citizen.
Objectives:
- . Examine the key principles of government established in the Constitution of the United States including: separation of powers among three branches of governmentthe system of checks and balancesshared powers between the federal and state governments.
- . Describe the roles of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court in the legislative process.
- . Describe the responsibilities of United States citizens including: registration and voting in public electionsbecoming informed votersengagement in civil discourseservice on trial juriespayment of taxesobedience to lawsregistration for military service
Current (2019)
Sixth Grade
6.1 The student will analyze data from a geographic perspective using the skills and tools of geography.
Objectives:
- . Apply geographic information to support analysis from primary and secondary sources located in a variety of texts.
- . Describe how various map projections distort the surface of the earth; apply the concepts of scale, distance, direction, relative location, absolute location, and latitude and longitude.
- . Integrate visual information, draw conclusions, and make predictions from geographic data and analyze spatial distribution and patterns by interpreting that data as displayed on geographic tools.
- . Integrate visual information and develop the skill of mental mapping of the political and physical features of Earth’s surface in order to organize information about people, places, and environments.
- . Describe and analyze the role of geographic factors on current events and issues.
6.2 The student will analyze the physical systems of the major regions of the Western Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Use visual information to identify and describe on a physical map the landforms, bodies of water, climate, and vegetation zones that are important to each region.
- . Explain how the processes and factors of latitude, elevation, Earth-Sun relationships, prevailing winds, and proximity to bodies of water influence climate.
- . Describe the predominant natural resources found in each region.
- . Describe the relationship and summarize the impact of the distribution of major renewable and nonrenewable resources on each region.
6.3 The student will identify the characteristics, distribution, and demographic patterns of human populations and systems of the Western Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Identify on a political map the major countries and population centers of each region.
- . Identify and describe cultural traits of language, ethnic heritage, religion, and traditions practiced among peoples.
- . Analyze the impact of geography on population distribution, growth, and change, applying geographic concepts of population density, the availability of resources.
- . Describe how the push and pull factors of migration have affected settlement patterns and the human characteristics of places over time.
- . Compare the systems of government, including representative governments (democracy, republic, constitutional monarchy) and authoritarian systems (dictatorship, absolute monarchy).
- . Identify the role of the citizen in the selection of government officials and lawmaking; compare individual liberties under different forms of government.
- . Identify and explain topics related to indigenous sovereignty.
- . Evaluate how the three levels of economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary) contribute to the development of a nation and region.
- . Describe benefits and limitations of the traditional, market, and command economic systems, including how government policies affect economic activities and trade relationships.
- . Identify the common characteristics of developed and developing countries, including the impact of education and technology; analyze data used by geographers such as literacy rate, life expectancy, per capita income, and infant mortality.
6.4 The student will analyze the interactions of humans and their environment in the Western Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Describe the commercial agriculture and industrial regions that support human development.
- . Evaluate the effects of human modification on the natural environment through transformation caused by subsistence and commercial agriculture, industry, demand for energy, and urbanization.
- . Analyze the impact of climate and natural disasters on human populations, including forced migration, scarcity of consumer goods, economic activities, and loss of life.
- . Analyze environmental challenges of each region.
- . Evaluate the role of ecotourism in creating environmental awareness of resources, climate, cultures, and wildlife.
- . Describe the role of citizens as responsible stewards of natural resources and the environment.
6.5 The student will compare common physical and human characteristics of regions which create identity or uniqueness and influence people’s perceptions of the Western Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Define the concept of region and identify the major political, physical, cultural, and economic regions.
- . Explain how cultural diffusion, both voluntary and forced, impacts societies of a region.
- . Describe patterns of global economic interdependence and trade, including the concepts of balance of trade and supply and demand; compare measures of economic growth including Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP).
- . Analyze global interdependence which explains the outsourcing of technological and manufacturing jobs to developing regions.
- . Analyze reasons for conflict and cooperation among and between groups, societies, nations, and regions.
Current (2019)
Seventh Grade
7.1 The student will analyze data from a geographic perspective using the skills and tools of geography.
Objectives:
- . Integrate specific geographic information to support analysis from primary and secondary sources located in texts, documents, newspapers, magazines, journals, political cartoons, and online news sources.
- . Apply the concepts of scale, distance, direction, relative location, absolute location, and latitude and longitude.
- . Explain the relationship between the continents, world oceans, and major cultural regions.
- . Integrate visual information and apply the skill of mental mapping of the political and physical features of the Earth’s surface in order to organize information about people, places, and environments.
- . Integrate visual information, draw conclusions, and make predictions from geographic data; analyze spatial distribution and patterns by interpreting that data as displayed on geographic tools.
- . Describe and analyze the role of geographic factors on current events and issues.
7.2 The student will analyze the physical systems of the major regions of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Identify on a physical map the major landforms and bodies of water of each region.
- . Describe the distribution of major renewable and nonrenewable resources of each region.
- . Explain how the competition for scarce resources can cause economic and political conflict and cooperation.
7.3 The student will identify the characteristics, distribution and demographic patterns of human populations and systems of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Identify on a political map the major countries and population centers of each region.
- . Compare common cultural traits, including language, ethnic heritage, social systems, and traditions.
- . Evaluate the impact of a region’s major religions, including geographic hearths, major beliefs, customs, and the significance of religion in contemporary societies; explain how religion can both unify or divide people.
- . Evaluate and summarize the impact of geography on population distribution, density, growth, change, settlement patterns, the availability of resources, and migration, including push and pull factors.
- . Describe reasons for and analyze from multiple perspectives the challenges and benefits of migration on inigenous and immigrant populations.
- . Describe the distribution of resources and evaluate how the three levels of economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary) contribute to the development of a country or region.
- . Compare the structures of representative governments and authoritarian systems.
- . Identify the role of the citizen in the selection of government officials and lawmaking; compare individual liberties under different forms of government.
- . Identify and explain the advantages and disadvantages of traditional, market, and command economic systems.
- . Explain the role of government policies in utilizing wealth from natural resources to finance development.
- . Assess the influence of economic development and distribution of wealth on society.
- . Distinguish between developed and developing regions using the Human Development Index; analyze data used by geographers, including literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality, and per capita income.
7.4 The student will analyze the interactions of humans and their environment in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the impact of climate events, weather patterns and natural disasters on human populations and the environment, resulting in forced migrations, scarcity of consumer goods, economic activities, and loss of life.
- . Explain how climate change is affecting environments and human populations.
- . Explain the differences among subsistence, cash crop and commercial agriculture, including the impact on economic development.
- . Evaluate the effects of human modification of and adaptation to the natural environment through transformation caused by agriculture, the use of modern irrigation methods, industry, demand for energy, and urbanization.
- . Summarize the role of ecotourism in creating environmental awareness of resources, climate, cultures and wildlife.
- . Describe the role of citizens as responsible stewards of natural resources and the environment.
7.5 The student will compare common physical and human characteristics of regions which create identity or uniqueness and influence people’s perceptions of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Objectives:
- . Define the concept of region and explain how and why regions change over time through physical and human processes which operate to modify the Earth’s surface.
- . Describe how cultural diffusion, both voluntary and forced, impacts society.
- . Explain patterns of global interdependence and world trade, including the impact of changing technology on trade routes.
- . Explain patterns of global economic interdependence and world trade, focusing on the concepts of balance of trade, supply and demand; compare the economic measurements of productivity, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP).
- . Analyze global interdependence which explains the outsourcing of technological and manufacturing jobs to developing regions.
- . Analyze reasons for conflict and cooperation among groups, societies, and countries, including the creation and involvement of supranational organizations.
- . Describe how political, economic, and cultural forces challenge contemporary political arrangements leading to the devolution of states (civil wars, terrorism, genocide, and ethnic separatism).
Current (2019)
Eighth Grade
8.1 The student will analyze the foundations of the United States by examining the causes, events, and ideologies which led to the American Revolution
Objectives:
- . Describe the political climate in the British colonies prior to the French and Indian War including the policy of salutary neglect, mercantilism through the Navigation Acts and colonial reaction through the Albany Plan of Union; compare the Iroquois Confederacy to early attempts to unite the colonies.
- . Summarize the political and economic consequences of the French and Indian War including imperial policies of taxation, the Proclamation of 1763, and the migration of colonists into American Indian sovereign territories.
- . Summarize British attempts to regulate the colonies and colonial responses including: Sugar ActStamp Act Congress ResolvesCommittees of Correspondencelegal principle of taxation and political representationTownshend Act and boycotts of British goodsQuartering ActBoston MassacreTea Act and Boston Tea PartyCoercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)First Continental CongressBritish raids on Lexington and Concord
- . Analyze the significance of the Second Continental Congress including: formation of the Continental Armyestablishment of currencyOlive Branch PetitionFrench alliance negotiated by Benjamin Franklincommittee to draft a declaration of independence
- . Analyze the ideological and propaganda war between Great Britain and the colonies including: points of views of the Patriots and the Loyalistswritings of Mercy Otis Warren and Phillis Wheatleyuse of Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacrerejection of the Olive Branch PetitionGive Me Liberty or Give Me Death, speech attributed to Patrick HenryCommon Sense pamphlet by Thomas Paine
- . Examine the central ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted July 4, 1776, and their intellectual origins including: John Locke's theory on natural and unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happinessthe ideals of equality for all individuals, including the impact of the First Great Awakeningthe purpose of government as a social contract requiring the consent of the governedeconomic and political grievances against British policies
8.2 The student will examine key military and diplomatic events of the Revolutionary War that resulted in an independent nation.
Objectives:
- . Explain the purpose of the Articles of Confederation which established the first American national system of government to support and conduct a war against Britain.
- . Evaluate the motivations and points of view of various populations to remain loyal to Britain, join the patriot cause, or choose neutrality, including: Patriots and Loyalists and their political, economic, and family interestsAmerican Indians and the preservation of their homelands, cultures, and tradewomen and their political statusfree and enslaved blacks and their petitions to colonial governments for a ban on slavery.
- . Identify and evaluate the contributions of individuals and significant groups toward winning independence from British rule.
- . Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the British and the American colonists including political and military leadership, military strength, population and resources, motivation, foreign alliances, financial and military support, and the British recruitment of enslaved black men in exchange for freedom.
- . Summarize the impact of key military and diplomatic events of the Revolutionary War including: military leadership of General George Washingtonvictories at Boston, Trenton, and Saratogapublication of Thomas Paine’s The CrisisValley Forge encampmentFrench alliance, negotiated by Benjamin Franklinvictory at YorktownTreaty of Paris, 1783
8.3 The student will examine the formation of the American system of government following the Revolutionary War and the creation of the Constitution of the United States as the supreme law of the land.
Objectives:
- . Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation that led to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, including: A. resolution of disputes over the western territories as resolved by the Northwest Ordinance B. organization and leadership necessary to win the war C. lack of a common national currency D. lack of a common defense E. lack of a national judiciary F. mismanagement of war debts due to an inability to tax G. unanimous vote required to amend the Articles of Confederation H. civil unrest as typified in Shays’ Rebellion.
- . Analyze the significance of the Constitutional Convention, contributions of the Framers, major debates and compromises including the Virginia and New Jersey Plans, Great Compromise, the leadership of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, and George Washington, President of the Convention.
- . Describe how the framers of the Constitution addressed the issue of slavery including the Three-Fifth Compromise which maintained the institution of slavery in both northern and southern states, the Fugitive Slave Clause, and the delayed ban on the slave trade.
- . Explain the significance of the Commerce Clause in establishing a constitutional relationship between Indian tribes and the United States government.
- . Examine the concept of self-government, the purpose, and the responsibilities of government as expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.
- . Analyze the key principles of government established by the Constitution of the United States including: A. federalism (reserved and concurrent powers) B. separation of powers among three branches of government (legislative, executive, judicial) C. a system of checks and balances among the three branches D. popular sovereignty and consent of the governed E. judicial review F. rule of law
- . Examine the Federalist and Anti-Federalist arguments for and against the ratification of the Constitution as expressed in the Federalist Papers authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay and the writings of Anti-Federalists, such as George Mason, including concerns over a strong central government and the omission of a bill of rights.
- . Explain how the Constitution of the United States was amended to include the Bill of Rights; identify and analyze the guarantees of individual rights and liberties as expressed in each of the ten amendments.
- . Identify the structure and responsibilities of the elected and appointed officials of the three branches of government in relationship to the legislative process, including the role of Congress and the President, as well as the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.
- . Describe the responsibilities of United States citizens such as: A. registering and voting in public elections B. engaging in informed civil discourse C. serving on a jury D. paying taxes E. obeying laws F. registering for military service
8.4 The student will examine the political and economic changes that occurred during the Early Federal Period.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the impact of the Whiskey Rebellion and enforcement of the government’s right to tax.
- . Describe President Washington’s attempt to develop a cohesive Indian policy, which included respectful interactions with American Indian leaders, treaties to delineate tribal lands, and precedent-setting practices of assimilation.
- . Describe the advice in President Washington’s Farewell Address and its impact.
- . Evaluate the impact of the Alien and Sedition Acts on individual rights during the Adams Administration, including the responses of the Democratic-Republicans in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
8.5 The student will analyze the political and geographic changes that occurred during the Jeffersonian Era.
Objectives:
- . Explain the impact of the peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another, as exhibited by the presidential election of 1800.
- . Analyze the impact of the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief John Marshall and the Marbury v. Madison decision which confirmed the principle of judicial review.
- . Analyze the acquisition of the Louisiana territory, the contributions of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition, and the eventual establishment of the Indian Territory.
8.6 The student will examine the political, economic and social transformations during the “Era of Good Feelings”.
Objectives:
- . Explain how the War of 1812 confirmed American independence and fueled a spirit of nationalism, reflected in the lyrics of our national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, by Francis Scott Key.
- . Examine the Monroe Doctrine as a policy of isolationism which was designed to protect American interests in the Western Hemisphere.
- . Analyze the impact of McCulloch v. Maryland which established federal supremacy concerning taxation.
- . Examine the increased tension between Southern sectionalist and Northern nationalist perspectives.
- . Summarize the impact of the Missouri Compromise on the expansion of slavery into new western territories.
8.7 The student will examine the political, economic and social transformations of the Jacksonian Era.
Objectives:
- . Describe the factors that led to the election of Andrew Jackson including the “Corrupt Bargain” election of 1824, the expansion of voting rights, and Jackson’s political success by identifying with the “common man”.
- . Analyze the impact of the Nullification Crisis on the development of the states’ rights debate.
- . Analyze the impact of Jackson’s policies and decisions concerning American Indian nations and their tribal sovereignty as a nation’s inherent right to self-govern, including: A. non-adherence to federal treaties B. disregard for the Worcester v. Georgia decision C. forced removals of American Indians
8.8 The student will examine the political, economic, social, and geographic changes that occurred during the period of westward expansion.
Objectives:
- . Examine the concept and opposing perspectives toward Manifest Destiny as a motivation and justification for westward expansion.
- . Explain the territorial growth of the United States including the annexation of Texas, Mexican Cession, and the Gadsden Purchase; describe the need to maintain a balance of “free” and “slave” states.
- . Identify push and pull factors of mass migration and the settlement of western territories including the California Gold Rush, settlement of Oregon, and the Mormon migration.
- . Analyze the consequences of westward expansion, including the impact on the culture of American Indians and their homelands, and the growing sectional tensions regarding the expansion of slavery.
8.9 The student will analyze the social and economic transformations of the early nineteenth century.
Objectives:
- . Explain the impact of the Industrial Revolution in the North including the concentration of population, manufacturing, and transportation.
- . Describe the plantation system and its reliance on a slave labor system in the South, including how Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin increased the profitability of the crop and led to the expansion of slavery.
- . Compare perspectives and experiences of both free and enslaved blacks including the A. everyday life of free African Americans B. everyday acts of resistance to slavery C. efforts of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad D. Nat Turner’s Rebellion E. legal restrictions and Slave Codes
- . Summarize the impact of the Abolitionist Movement including the writings and work of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.
- . Identify the ideals, significance, and key leaders of the Second Great Awakening and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, including the Declaration of Sentiments and the leadership of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth.
8.10 The student will analyze major political, economic, and social events that resulted in the Civil War.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the importance of slavery as the principal cause of increased sectional polarization leading to the Civil War.
- . Evaluate the goals of the Compromise of 1850 regarding the issue of slavery.
- . Evaluate the impact of the publication Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, on anti-slavery sentiments.
- . Analyze the impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act on the issue of popular sovereignty in new territories regarding the institution of slavery, repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and factional feuds in Bleeding Kansas.
- . Summarize the Dred Scott v. Sandford case which declared slaves as property and motivated John Brown’s Raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry.
8.11 The student will analyze the course and consequences of the Civil War.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the immediate impact of the presidential election of 1860 including A. secession of southern states who declared slavery as the central factor for seceding B. Lincoln’s goal to preserve the Union C. formation of the Confederate States of America D. Confederate attack on Fort Sumter E. tensions over strategic border states.
- . Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the Union and the Confederacy including natural resources, population, industrialization, and the military leadership of Ulysses S Grant and Robert E. Lee.
- . Evaluate the impact and contributions of specific groups in the Civil War including free and enslaved African Americans, American Indians, women, and immigrants.
- . Discuss the key strategies utilized during the war, such as the Anaconda Plan, Total War, and the southern defense strategy.
- . Summarize the significance of the key battles of the war, including Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
- . Analyze the Emancipation Proclamation, including its role in expanding the goals of the war and its impact on slavery; identify the significance of Juneteenth in relationship to emancipation.
- . Explain how the Gettysburg Address clarified the Union’s motivation for winning the war.
- . Evaluate the impact of Lincoln’s assassination, loss of his leadership, and plans for reconciliation as expressed in his Second Inaugural Address.
8.12 The student will analyze the political, social, and economic transformations during the Reconstruction Era to 1877.
Objectives:
- . Compare the major plans and policies proposed for Reconstruction.
- . Analyze the impact of state and federal legislation following the Civil War including A. 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments B. Black Codes and Jim Crow laws C. establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau
- . Compare the emerging social structure of the South including the A. influx of carpetbaggers and scalawags B. rise of the Ku Klux Klan and its acts of intimidation and violence C. election of blacks to government positions D. expansion of the tenant and sharecropper systems E. migration of former slaves.
- . Assess the impact of the presidential election of 1876 as an end to reconstruction in the South, including decline of black leadership, loss of enforcement of the 14th and 15th amendments, and the development of segregated societies.
- . Evaluate the impact of federal policies including: Homestead Act of 1862 and the resulting movement westward to free landimpact of continued displacement of American IndiansPresident Grant’s Peace Policy on Indian affairsthe development of the Transcontinental Railroad
Current (2019)
Economics
E.1 The student will develop and apply economic reasoning and decision-making skills.
Objectives:
- . Define and apply basic economic concepts of money supply, scarcity, surplus, choice, opportunity cost, cost/benefit analysis, risk/reward relationship, incentive, disincentive, and trade-off to a variety of economic situations.
- . Determine appropriate courses of economic actions using a variety of economic reasoning and decision-making models.
- . Examine how the decision-making process is impacted by the scope of the decision and the size of the decision-making entity.
- . Explain that people tend to respond to fair treatment with fair treatment and to unfair treatment with retaliation, even when such reactions may not maximize their material wealth.
E.2 The student will evaluate how societies answer the three basic economic questions: what goods and services to produce, how to produce them and for whom are they produced.
Objectives:
- . Compare the world’s basic economic systems of market (free enterprise), command, and mixed market economies identifying countries that have adopted each and comparing the results such economic systems have produced in those countries as measured by GDP, national prosperity, individual income, and wealth.
- . Describe the role of the factors of production, land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship, and technology as well as the place of imports and exports in economic systems.
- . Answer how the three basic economic questions affect personal income and in turn impact the economic system.
- . Explain the costs and benefits of government fiduciary policy and regulations including the impact both have on competition.
- . Describe the impact of comparative and absolute advantage upon the three basic economic questions.
E.3 The student will explain how prices are set in a market economy and will determine how price provides incentives to buyers and sellers.
Objectives:
- . Analyze how price and non-price factors affect the demand and supply of goods and services available in the marketplace.
- . Explain what causes shortages and surpluses including government-imposed price floors, price ceilings, and other government regulations and the impact they have on prices and people’s decisions to buy or sell.
- . Evaluate the role of the government within the economy as to defining, establishing, and enforcing property rights.
E.4 The student will evaluate how changes in the level of competition in different markets affect prices.
Objectives:
- . Explain how competition impacts the free market production and the allocation of goods and services to consumers.
- . Explain how people’s own self-interest, incentives, and disincentives influence market decisions.
E.5 The student will describe the role of economic institutions including banks, credit unions, corporations, governments, and not-for-profits in a market economy.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the impact of government ensuring the protection of private property rights and the rule of law in a market economy.
- . Describe how banks allow people to pool their incomes and provide future income through investment in stocks.
- . Identify how credit unions, corporations, and not-for-profits influence a market economy.
- . Explain how successive deposits and loans made by commercial banks can cause the money supply to expand.
E.6 The student will analyze how money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services.
Objectives:
- . Explain how individuals, businesses, and the overall economy benefit from the various uses of money, such as trading, borrowing, investing, and diversifying, versus saving money.
- . Identify the components of the money supply and the different functions of money; give examples of each.
- . Explain how the value of money is determined by the goods and services it can buy.
E.7 The student will evaluate how interest rates impact decisions in the market economy.
Objectives:
- . Define interest rates and inflation; analyze the relationship between interest rates and inflation rates to both the borrower and the lender.
- . Determine how changes in real interest rates impact people’s decisions to borrow money and purchase goods in a market economy.
E.8 The student will analyze the role of entrepreneurs and laborers within a market economy.
Objectives:
- . Identify both an entrepreneur and a laborer and describe how their decisions affect job opportunities for others, such as profit-maximizing level of output, hiring the optimal number of workers, comparing marginal costs and benefits of producing more or less of a resource.
- . Analyze the potential risks and potential gains of entrepreneurs opening new businesses or inventing a new product; determine the financial and nonfinancial incentives that motivate entrepreneurs.
- . Evaluate the costs and benefits of incorporation including the expansion of resources and reduction of risks.
E.9 The student will evaluate the economic role of government in a free market and a mixed market economy.
Objectives:
- . Explain the aspects of and differences between a free market and a mixed market economy.
- . Explain the purpose, costs, and benefits of government assistance programs and government funded services and projects.
- . Evaluate the impact of voters’ decisions as they relate to governmental economic policy.
E.10 The student will examine current economic conditions in the United States.
Objectives:
- . Determine how interest rates, unemployment, Consumer Price Index (CPI), individual savings and debt, government debt, government-enforced price ceilings, labor supply, and inflation impact current economic conditions in the United States.
- . Explain how these conditions have an impact on consumers, producers, and government policymakers.
- . Explain how changes in supply and demand cause prices to change and in turn, cause buyers and sellers to change, including changes in price of productive resources and technologies used to make the product, profit opportunities available to producers for selling other products, number of sellers in a market, consumer incomes, consumer options, and the number of consumers in a market.
E.11 The student will identify the basic measures of a nation’s economic output and income.
Objectives:
- . Explain GDP and GNP and how they are used to describe economic output over time; compare the GDP of various countries representing market, command, and mixed economic systems.
- . Describe the impact on the economy when GDP and GNP are growing or declining.
- . Evaluate the impact of self-interest, competition, collusion, technological advancement, standard of living, the business cycle and fluctuation to the GDP.
- . Examine the differences between the nominal and the real GDP.
E.12 The student will explain the role of inflation and unemployment in an economic system.
Objectives:
- . Define inflation and determine how it is measured, including the impact inflation has on different sectors of the United States economy.
- . Define the causes of unemployment, as well as the different types of unemployment; determine how unemployment is measured and the impact it has on different sectors of the United States economy.
E.13 The student will identify the potential econcomic impact of policy changes by the Federal Reserve and the federal government.
Objectives:
- . Compare fiscal and monetary policy and the impact each has on the economy.
- . Explain the role of the Federal Reserve System within government economic policy.
- . Evaluate the conditions under which the federal government and the Federal Reserve implement expansionary or contractionary policies.
Current (2019)
Oklahoma History
OKH.1 The student will describe the state’s geography and the historic foundations laid by American Indian, European, and American cultures.
Objectives:
- . Integrate visual information to identify and describe the significant physical and human features including major trails, railway lines, waterways, cities, ecological regions, natural resources, highways, and landforms.
- . Summarize the accomplishments of pre-contact cultures including the Spiro Mound Builders.
- . Compare the goals and significance of early Spanish, French, and American interactions with American Indians, including trade, the impact of disease, the arrival of the horse, and new technologies.
- . Compare cultural perspectives of American Indians and European Americans regarding land ownership, structure of self-government, religion, and trading practices.
OKH.2 The student will evaluate the major political and economic events that transformed the land and its people from early contact through Indian Removal and its aftermath.
Objectives:
- . Summarize and analyze the role of river transportation to early trade and mercantile settlements including Chouteau’s Trading Post at Three Forks.
- . Describe the major trading and peacekeeping goals of early military posts including Fort Gibson.
- . Analyze the motivations for removal of American Indians and the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830; trace the forced removal of American Indian nations, including the impact on the tribal nations removed to present-day Oklahoma and tribal resistance to the forced relocations.
- . Describe the consequences of Indian Removal on intertribal relationships with western nations, such as the Osage, Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho.
OKH.3 The student will evaluate the major political and economic events that transformed the land and its people from the outbreak of the Civil War through allotment and land openings.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction Treaties on American Indian peoples, territories, and tribal sovereignty including: A. required enrollment of the Freedmen B. Second Indian Removal C. significance of the Massacre at the Washita D. reasons for the reservation system and the controversy regarding the reservation system as opposed to tribal lands. E. establishment of the western military posts including the role of the Buffalo Soldiers F. construction of railroads through Indian Territory
- . Assess the impact of the cattle and coal mining industries on the location of railroad lines, transportation routes, and the development of communities.
- . Analyze the influence of the idea of Manifest Destiny on the Boomer Movement.
- . Compare multiple points of view to evaluate the impact of the Dawes Act (General Allotment Act) which resulted in the loss of tribal communal lands through a transfer to individual property and the redistribution of lands, including the Unassigned Lands and the Cherokee Outlet, by various means.
- . Explain how American Indian nations lost control over tribal identity and citizenship through congressional action, including the Indian Reorganization Act.
OKH.4 The student will analyze the formation of constitutional government in Oklahoma.
Objectives:
- . Compare the governments among the American Indian nations and the movement for the state of Sequoyah.
- . Describe the proposal for an all-black state advocated by Edward McCabe.
- . Explain the impact of the Enabling Act on single statehood.
- . Describe and summarize attempts to create a state constitution joining Indian and Oklahoma Territories including the impact of the Progressive and Labor Movements resulting in statehood on November 16,1907.
- . Compare Oklahoma’s state government to the United States’ national system of government including the branches of government, their functions, and powers.
- . Describe the division, function, and sharing of powers among levels of government including city, county, state and tribal.
- . Identify major sources of local and state revenues and the services provided including education, health and human services, transportation, courts, corrections, and public safety.
- . Describe state constitutional provisions including the direct primary, initiative petition, referendum, and recall.
OKH.5 The student will examine the Oklahoma’s political, social, cultural, and economic transformation during the early decades following statehood.
Objectives:
- . Examine the policies of the United States and their effects on American Indian identity, culture, economy, tribal government and sovereignty including: A. passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 B. effects of the federal policy of assimilation including Indian boarding schools (1880s-1940s) C. authority to select tribal leaders as opposed to appointment by the federal government D. exploitation of American Indian resources, lands, trust accounts, head rights, and guardianship as required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
- . Examine multiple points of view regarding the evolution of race relations in Oklahoma, including: A. growth of all-black towns (1865-1920) B. passage of Senate Bill 1 establishing Jim Crow Laws C. rise of the Ku Klux Klan D. emergence of “Black Wall Street” in the Greenwood District E. causes of the Tulsa Race Riot and its continued social and economic impact. F. the role labels play in understanding historic events, for example “riot” versus “massacre”.
- . Analyze how various segments of Oklahoma society including agriculture, mining, and state politics were influenced by the organized labor and socialist movements.
- . Examine how the economic cycles of boom and bust of the oil industry affected major sectors of employment, mining, and the subsequent development of communities, as well as the role of entrepreneurs, including J.J. McAlester, Frank Phillips, E.W. Marland and Robert S. Kerr, and the designation of Tulsa as the “Oil Capital of the World”.
- . Evaluate the impact of the boom and bust cycle of Oklahoma’s agricultural production due to mechanization and the needs of World War I, including its effect as a precursor of the Great Depression.
- . Analyze William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray’s response to the conditions created by the Great Depression.
- . Describe the impact of environmental conditions and human mismanagement of resources resulting in the Dust Bowl and the migration of the “Okies”, the national perceptions of Oklahomans, and the New Deal policies regarding conservation of natural resources.
- . Describe the contributions of Oklahomans including African-American jazz musicians, the political and social commentaries of Will Rogers and Woody Guthrie’s, Wiley Post’s aviation milestones, and the artwork of the Kiowa Six.
- . Summarize and analyze the impact of mobilization for World War II including the establishment of military bases, prisoner of war installations, and the contributions of Oklahomans to the war effort including the American Indian code talkers and the 45th Infantry Division.
OKH.6 The student will investigate how post-war social, political, and economic events continued to transform the state of Oklahoma from the 1950s through the present.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the progress of race relations and actions of civil disobedience in the state including: A. judicial interpretation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment which ultimately resulted in the desegregation of public facilities and public schools and universities B. landmark Supreme Court cases of Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1948) and McLaurin v. Oklahoma Board of Regents for Higher Education (1950) C. lunch counter sit-ins organized by Clara Luper and the NAACP D. leadership of Governor Gary in the peaceful integration of the public common and higher education systems.
- . Analyze the impact of economic growth in various sectors including: impact of rural to urban migrationdevelopment of wind, water, and timber resourcescontinuing role of agricultureemergence of tourism as an industrydevelopment of the aerospace and aviation industry including the FAA and the influence of weather research on national disaster preparednessoil and gas boom and bust, including the discovery of new fossil fuel resourcesimprovement of the state's transportation infrastructures, such as the interstate highway system and the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System
- . Describe the artistic contributions of Oklahomans in the fields of music, art, literature, theater, and dance such as Ralph Ellison and the Five Indian Ballerinas.
- . Summarize the impact of individual Oklahomans’ leadership on state and national politics including political realignment.
- . Analyze the evolving relationship between state and tribal governments impacting tribal self-determination and control over American Indian lands and resources including issues of jurisdiction, taxation, and gaming.
- . Examine the contributions of major cultural and ethnic groups, including Asians, African Americans, American Indians, and Latinos to the state of Oklahoma and their impact on the social and economic transformation of the modern state of Oklahoma.
- . Analyze the causes and effects of the domestic terrorist attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City including the responses of Oklahomans to the act, concept of the “Oklahoma Standard” and the creation of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
- . Describe the changing perceptions, both internal and external, of the state and its citizens, as reflected in the Grapes of Wrath, the musical Oklahoma!, Route 66, and the professional basketball team the Oklahoma City Thunder.
- . Examine ongoing issues including immigration, criminal justice reform, employment, environmental issues, race relations, civic engagement, and education.
Current (2019)
Psychology
PS.1 The student will examine the foundations of psychology and its origins as a separate social science discipline.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the definition of psychology in the context of psychology as an empirical science and the major approaches to psychology including cognitive-behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, and humanistic.
- . Evaluate the origins of psychology based on significant historic figures including Wilhelm Wundt, William James, John B. Watson, and Karen Horney.
- . Classify the various subfields in psychology including vocational applications such as counseling, industrial, clinical, experimental, and educational psychology.
PS.2 The student will examine the development of psychology as an empirical science by describing the scientific method, explaining research strategies, and identifying ethical issues.
Objectives:
- . Describe the scientific method as the framework for research and apply the principles of research design to an appropriate experiment.
- . Compare quantitative and qualitative research strategies including experiments, surveys, focus groups, and narratives as the foundation of research in psychology.
- . Identify ethical standards psychologists must address regarding research with human and non-human participants.
- . Explore the various modes of psychological testing including personality, intelligence, and projective while assessing the reliability of each.
PS.3 The student will investigate the structure, biochemistry and circuitry of the brain and the nervous system to understand their roles in affecting behavior.
Objectives:
- . Identify and describe the structure and function of the brain including the hypothalamus, prefrontal lobe, corpus callosum, hemispheres, and amygdala.
- . Examine the structure and function of the nervous and endocrine system and how they affect behavior.
- . Identify the parts of a neuron and explain neurotransmission including the role and impact of various neurotransmitters.
- . Explain the processes of sensation and perception, as well as the capabilities and limitations of sensory processes including the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory sensory systems.
- . Describe the interaction of a person and the environment in determining perception including Gestalt principles and how one’s experiences and expectations influence perception.
- . Identify various states of consciousness including sleep and dreams, hypnosis, meditation, and psychoactive drugs.
PS.4 The student will analyze physical, social, emotional, moral and cognitive development from conception through the latter stages of adulthood.
Objectives:
- . Explain the interaction of environmental and biological factors in human development including the role of the brain in all aspects of development.
- . Compare the theories of Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, Lawrence Kohlberg, Carl Jung, and Erik Erikson regarding human development.
PS.5 The student will understand how organisms adapt to their environment through learning and cognition.
Objectives:
- . Identify and explain the major theories of learning including Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning, B.F. Skinner’s and Albert Bandura’s Operant conditioning, and Bandura’s observational learning.
- . Describe the process, organization, and factors that influence memory and recall.
- . Analyze strategies and impediments involved in problem solving and decision making and how this knowledge could be applied to daily life.
PS.6 The student will understand the principles of motivation and emotion.
Objectives:
- . Compare the predominant theories of motivation and emotion including the biological, social-cognitive, humanistic, and cultural theories.
- . Analyze the biological and environmental influences on positive and negative emotion.
PS.7 The student will understand how society and culture influence a person’s behavior and mental processes.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the factors that lead to conformity, obedience and nonconformity as demonstrated in experiments including the Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment, or Solomon Asch’s studies.
- . Explain how bias, discrimination and use of stereotypes influence behavior with regard to gender, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity as demonstrated in the studies of the Brown Eyed/Blue Eyed Experiment and the Clark Doll Experiment.
- . Examine influences on aggression and conflict including the factors associated with the bystander effect as demonstrated in such cases as the Kitty Genovese murder.
PS.8 The student will examine how psychological disorders are diagnosed, classified, and treated.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the methods of determining abnormal behavior and the tools used to diagnose and classify disorders.
- . Describe symptoms and causes of major categories of psychological disorders including schizophrenia mood, anxiety, personality, somatoform, and dissociative disorders.
- . Compare available treatment options and how they evolved through history and among different cultures.
PS.9 The student will evaluate the many factors that promote mental health.
Objectives:
- . Identify and explain potential sources of stress, effects of stress, and various coping strategies for dealing with stress.
- . Describe the characteristics of and factors that promote resilience and optimism.
- . Analyze the relationship between psychological health and physiological health.
- . Identify mental health disorders such as eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders.
Current (2019)
United States Government
USG.1 The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use and justification of power.
Objectives:
- . Compare the essential characteristics of limited versus unlimited governments.
- . Compare historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments to examples of limited systems.
- . Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the ways governmental power is distributed, shared and structured in unitary, federal and confederal systems in terms of effectiveness, prevention of abuse of power and responsiveness to the popular will.
- . Compare the role of government in market and command economic systems.
USG.2 The student will describe the historical and philosophical foundations of the republican system of government in the United States.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the major documents contributing to the formation of constitutional government in the United States, including the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact and the English Bill of Rights.
- . Identify the central ideas and importance of the concept of inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the social contract, and the grievances stated in the Declaration of Independence and reflected in the Constitution of the United States.
- . Evaluate the necessity of a written constitution to set forth enumerated powers, to organize government, and to distribute powers among the three branches of government, the states, and the people.
- . Compare the points of view toward the structure and powers of government as expressed in the Federalist Papers, authored by Madison, Hamilton and Jay, as well as the writings of the Anti-Federalists.
- . Analyze the constitutional amendment process including the 27 amendments to the Constitution of the United States.
USG.3 The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government resulting in a republic, as established in the Constitution of the United States, the supreme law of the land.
Objectives:
- . Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
- . Analyze the system of federalism including the enumerated (express) powersimplied powerspowers denied to the national governmentreserved powers to the statesconcurrent powers
- . Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities among national, state, tribal, and local governments.
- . Explain that tribal sovereignty is a tribal nation’s inherent power to self-govern, such as challenges made regarding the Major Crimes Act.
- . Analyze how the Commerce Clause established the initial constitutional relationship between the Indian tribes and the United States government.
- . Explain how power is separated as well as shared under the American system including the A. system of separation of powers B. system of checks and balances C. principle of judicial review.
- . Evaluate the importance of the rule of law on the purposes and functions of government; explain how the rule of law provides for the protection of individual liberties, including due process and equality under the law.
- . Analyze the concept of popular sovereignty, including the government’s responsibility to legitimize majority rule while protecting minority rights.
- . Analyze the rights and liberties guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights and how they are protected at the state level through the doctrine of incorporation using the 14th Amendment.
- . Analyze historic and contemporary examples of landmark Supreme Court decisions which have addressed and clarified individual rights under the First Amendment, including A. Gitlow v. New York (1925) B. West Virginia v. Barnette (1943) C. Engel v. Vitale (1962) D. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) E. Texas v. Johnson (1989)
- . Analyze historic and contemporary examples of landmark Supreme Court cases which have specified individual rights of due process under the Constitution, including: A. Mapp v. Ohio (1961) B. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) C. Miranda v. Arizona (1966) D. Roe v. Wade (1973) E. Furman v. Georgia (1972).
USG.4 The student will examine the Constitution of the United States by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they address the needs of the public.
Objectives:
- . Explain the purposes of government expressed in the Preamble and how the Constitution of the United States preserves the core principles of American society.
- . Examine the structure, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. A. Identify the constitutional qualifications for holding public office and the terms of office, including the composition of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the executive branch. B. Explain the steps of the legislative process, including the role of Congress and the president. C. Explain the role of the executive branch, including the function of the bureaucracy in implementing public policy. D. Identify the issues and describe the significance of landmark Supreme Court decisions including Marbury v. Madison (1803), McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), United States v. Nixon (1974), Bush v. Gore (2000), and Citizens United v. F.E.C. (2010) E. Examine how government exercises its authority in real world situations including current issues and events.
USG.5 The student will be able to evaluate the significance of civic participation in order to ensure the preservation of our constitutional government.
Objectives:
- . Define civic virtue and explain the individual’s duty and responsibility to participate in civic life by voting, serving on juries, volunteering within the community, running for office, serving on a political campaign, paying state and federal taxes prior to the April 15th annual deadline, and respecting legitimate authority.
- . Explain the naturalization process under the laws of the United States.
- . Analyze how our system of government provides citizens opportunities to monitor and influence the actions of the government and hold elected officials accountable.
- . Analyze factors affecting the political process and their role in government, including the role of political parties, interest groups, mass media, public opinion, and campaign funding.
- . Explain the steps of the electoral process including the components of local and national campaigns, the nominative process, and the Electoral College.
USG.6 The student will examine the United States public policy formation process.
Objectives:
- . Examine the budget process including significant policy issues and examples of economic trade-offs that occur when addressing competing public needs.
- . Examine how the government influences the economy using fiscal and monetary policy.
- . Explain the role of the national government in formulating and carrying out domestic policy.
- . Evaluate the role of the national government in formulating and carrying out foreign policy, national defense, and participation in international alliances and organizations.
Current (2019)
United States History
USH.1 The student will analyze the transformation of the United States through its civil rights struggles, immigrant experiences, and settlement of the American West in the Post-Reconstruction Era, 1865 to the 1920s.
Objectives:
- . Explain the constitutional issues that arise in the post-Civil War era including federalism, separation of powers, and the system of checks and balances.
- . Analyze the post-Reconstruction civil rights struggles. A. Identify the significance of Juneteenth in relation to emancipation and modern-day celebrations. B. Examine the purposes and effects of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. C. Assess the impact of the Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan.
- . Analyze the impact of westward expansion and immigration on migration, settlement patterns in American society, economic growth, and American Indians. A. Summarize the reasons for immigration, shifts in settlement patterns, the immigrant experience at immigrant processing centers such as Ellis Island and Angel Island, and the impact of Nativism and Americanization. B. Analyze the creation of federal immigration policies including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen’s Agreement, federal court decisions, the Supreme Court’s application of the 14th Amendment and the Immigration Act of 1924. C. Examine the rationale behind federal policies toward American Indians including the establishment of reservations, attempts at assimilation, the end of the Indian Wars at Wounded Knee, and the impact of the Dawes Act on tribal sovereignty and land ownership. D. Compare viewpoints of American Indian resistance to United States Indian policies as evidenced by Red Cloud in his Cooper Union speech, Quanah Parker, and Chief Joseph as expressed in his I Will Fight No More Forever speech.
USH.2 The student will analyze the social, economic and political changes that occurred during the American Industrial Revolution, the Gilded Age, and significant reform movements from the 1870s to the 1920s.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the transformation of American society, economy and politics during the American Industrial Revolution. A. Analyze the impact of capitalism, laissez-faire policy and the role of leading industrialists as robber barons, captains of industry and philanthropists including John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie and his Gospel of Wealth essay on American society. B. Identify the impact of new inventions and industrial production methods including new technologies by Thomas Edison, Alexander G. Bell, Henry Ford, and the Bessemer process. C. Evaluate the contributions of muckrakers, including Ida Tarbell, Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair, in changing government policies regarding child labor, working conditions and regulation of big business. D. Analyze major social reform movements including the Women’s Suffrage and Temperance Movement and the leadership of Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Jane Addams. E. Evaluate the significance of the Labor Movement on the organization of workers including the impact of the Pullman strikes, the Haymarket Riot, and the leadership of Eugene V. Debs. F. Assess and summarize changing race relations as exemplified in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. G. Compare early civil rights leadership including the viewpoints of Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. DuBois in response to rising racial tensions, the anti-lynching work of Ida B. Wells, and the use of poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise blacks.
- . Evaluate the rise and reforms of Populism and the Progressive Movement including: A. direct primary, initiative petition, referendum, and recall intended to limit the corrupting influence of political machines B. impact of William Jennings Bryan and his Cross of Gold speech on the political landscape C. series of events leading to and the effects of the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 21st Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.
- . Analyze and summarize the key personalities, actions and policies of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson by: A. comparing the policies of Roosevelt and Taft on environmental conservation and trust busting, B. evaluating the 1912 presidential election including the role of Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party and Eugene V. Debs Socialist Party. C. describing the policies of Wilson on the issue of women’s right to vote.
USH.3 The student will analyze the expanding role of the United States in international affairs as America was transformed into a world power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 1890 to 1920.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the impact of American imperialism on international relations and explain its impact on developing nations. A. Compare the economic, religious, social, and political rationales for American imperialism including the concept of “white man’s burden,” the annexation of Hawaii, the impact of Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, and the actions of the Anti-Imperialist League. B. Assess the role of yellow journalism and jingoism in inciting the desire of Americans to go to war with Spain. C. Examine how the Spanish-American War resulted in the rise of the United States as a world power and led to new territorial acquisitions and national insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines. D. Compare the foreign policies of Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson including Big Stick Diplomacy, Dollar Diplomacy, Missionary Diplomacy, the Roosevelt Corollary, military interventionism, and the territorial acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal.
- . Evaluate the long-term impact of America’s entry into World War I on national politics, the economy, and society. A. Summarize the transformation of the United States from a position of neutrality to engagement in World War I including the Zimmermann Telegram and the threats to international trade caused by unrestricted submarine warfare. B. Analyze the impact of the war on the home front including the use of propaganda, women’s increased role in industry, the marshaling of industrial production, and the Great Migration. C. Analyze the institution of a draft and the suppression of individual liberties resulting in the First Red Scare, including the Palmer Raids and the Sacco-Vanzetti trials. D. Evaluate Wilson’s foreign policy as proposed in his Fourteen Points and the reasons for the nation’s return to isolationism highlighted by the Senate’s rejection of the League of Nations.
USH.4 The student will analyze the cycles of boom and bust of the 1920s and 1930s on the transformation of American government, the economy and society.
Objectives:
- . Examine the economic, political, and social transformations between the World Wars. A. Describe modern forms of cultural expression including the significant impact of people of African descent on American culture as exhibited by the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age. B. Describe the rising racial tensions in American society including the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, increased lynchings, race riots as typified by the Tulsa Race Riot, the rise of Marcus Garvey and black nationalism, and the use of poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise blacks. C. Assess the impact of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 on the American Indian nations. D. Examine growing labor unrest and industry’s reactions, including the use of sit-down strikes and court injunctions, and why socialism and communism appealed to labor. E. Describe the booming economy based upon access to easy credit through installment buying of appliances and inventions of modern conveniences including the automobile.
- . Analyze the effects of the destabilization of the American economy. A. Identify causes contributing to an unstable economy including the overproduction of agriculture products, greater speculation and buying on margin in the Stock Market, and the government’s pro-business and laissez-faire policies. B. Examine the role of the Stock Market Crash and bank failures in weakening both the agricultural and manufacturing sectors of the economy leading to the Great Depression. C. Analyze how President Herbert Hoover’s financial policies and massive unemployment as exemplified by the Bonus Army March and Hoovervilles impacted the presidential election of 1932. D. Compare points of view regarding the economic and social impact of the Great Depression on individuals, families, and the nation.
- . Analyze the impact of the New Deal in transforming the federal government’s role in domestic economic policies. A. Assess changing viewpoints regarding the expanding role of government as expressed in President Franklin Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address. B. Examine how national policies addressed the economic crisis including John Maynard Keynes’ theory of deficit spending, Roosevelt’s court packing plan, and the new federal agencies of the Social Security Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). C. Summarize the causes and impact of the Dust Bowl including the government’s responses.
USH.5 The student will analyze the United States role in international affairs by examining the major causes, events and effects of the nation’s involvement in World War II, 1933 to 1946.
Objectives:
- . Describe the transformations in American society and government policy as the nation mobilized for entry into World War II. A. Examine the roles of appeasement and isolationism in the United States’ reluctance to respond to Fascist military aggression in Europe and Asia including the Neutrality Acts and the Lend-Lease program. B. Evaluate the industrial mobilization for war and the psychological preparation for war as reflected in President Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech. C. Examine President Franklin Roosevelt’s Day Which Will Live in Infamy speech and America’s conduct of the war, including the role of women and minorities in the war effort, rationing, the internment of Americans of Japanese descent, and the treatment of Americans of German, and Italian descent, including the Korematsu v. United States decision.
- . Analyze the series of events affecting the outcome of World War II including major battles, military turning points, and key strategic decisions in both the European and Pacific Theaters of operation including Pearl Harbor, the D-Day Invasion, development and use of the atomic bomb, the island-hopping strategy, the Allied conferences at Yalta and Potsdam, and the contributions of Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower.
- . Summarize American reactions to the events of the Holocaust resulting in United States participation in the Nuremberg Trials which held Nazi leaders accountable for war crimes.
USH.6 The student will analyze foreign events and policies during the Cold War, 1945-1975.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the origins of international alliances and efforts at containment of Communism following World War II. A. Identify the origins of Cold War confrontations between the Soviet Union and the United States including the leadership of President Harry Truman, the postwar division of Berlin, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, the Iron Curtain, and the Marshall Plan. B. Describe the roles and consequences of the spheres of influence created by the formation of the United Nations and NATO by the United States and the formation of the Warsaw Pact by the Soviet Union. C. Assess the impact and successes of the Truman Doctrine including the American military response to the invasion of South Korea. D. Evaluate the Kennedy administration’s international goals as expressed in his Inaugural Address in light of the subsequent building of the Berlin Wall, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, NASA, and the establishment of the Peace Corps.
- . Describe domestic events related to the Cold War and its aftermath. A. Summarize the reasons for the public fear of communist influence within the United States and how politicians capitalized on this fear including the leadership of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Army-McCarthy hearings, the Second Red Scare, the Alger Hiss controversy, and the Rosenbergs’ spy trials. B. Examine the impact of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the resulting nuclear arms race, the concept of brinkmanship, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), the launching of Sputnik and the space race. C. Evaluate the continuing role of radio, television and other mass media in relationship to the Nixon and Kennedy debates as part of the 1960 and subsequent elections.
- . Analyze the series of events and long term foreign and domestic consequences of the United States’ military involvement in Vietnam including the Domino Theory, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Tet Offensive, the presidential election of 1968, university student protests led by the counterculture movement, expanded television coverage of the war, the War Powers Resolution Act, and the 26th Amendment.
- . Analyze the political and economic impact of President Nixon’s foreign policies including détente and the opening of China.
USH.7 The student will analyze the cause and effects of significant domestic events and policies from 1945 to 1975.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the major events, personalities, tactics and effects of the Civil Rights Movement. A. Assess the effects of President Truman’s decision to desegregate the United States armed forces and the legal attacks on segregation by the NAACP and Thurgood Marshall, the United States Supreme Court decisions in the cases of Oklahomans Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and George McLaurin, and the differences between de jure and de facto segregation. B. Evaluate the events arising from separate but equal, policies, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, violent responses such as the Birmingham church bombing and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and conflicts over segregation including: 1. Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas decision 2. Montgomery Bus Boycott 3. desegregation of Little Rock Central High School 4. Oklahoma City lunch counter sit-ins led by Clara Luper 5. Freedom Rides 6. Marches on Washington and Selma to Montgomery 7. adoption of the 24th Amendment 8. passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. C. Compare the viewpoints and the contributions of civil rights leaders and organizations linking them to events of the movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his I Have a Dream speech, the leadership of Malcolm X, the role of organizations such as the Black Panthers; describe the tactics used at different times including civil disobedience, non-violent resistance, sit-ins, boycotts, marches, and voter registration drives.
- . Analyze the ongoing social and political transformations within the United States. A. Summarize and examine the United States Supreme Court’s use of the 14th Amendment incorporation doctrine in applying the Bill of Rights to the states, thereby securing and further defining individual rights and civil liberties. B. Assess the rise of liberalism in the 1960s and the lasting impact of President Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights initiatives, the war on poverty, and the Great Society. C. Describe the goals and effectiveness of the American Indian movements on tribal identity and sovereignty including the American Indian Movement (AIM) and mismanagement by the federal government causing the occupations at Wounded Knee and Alcatraz. D. Describe the goals and effectiveness of the social movement of the United Farm Workers and César Chávez. E. Compare the changing roles of women from the post-war era through the 1970s including the goals of the Women’s Liberation Movement and the National Organization of Women under the leadership of Betty Friedan, various debates on the Equal Rights Amendment, and the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade. F. Evaluate the impact of the Watergate Scandal on executive powers including the role of the media, the Pentagon Papers, the first use of the 25th Amendment, and President Ford’s decision to pardon former President Nixon.
USH.8 The student will analyze the impact of foreign and domestic policies from 1977 to 2001.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate President Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy in the Middle East including the Camp David Accords, the OPEC oil embargo, and the response to the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
- . Analyze the economic and political impact of the rise of conservatism and President Reagan’s domestic and foreign policies including Reaganomics, the Iran-Contra Scandal and Reagan’s Tear Down This Wall speech in West Berlin.
- . Summarize the series of events leading to the emergence of the United States as the sole superpower following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
- . Describe the goal of President George H.W. Bush’s foreign policy in forming an international coalition to counter Iraqi aggression in the Persian Gulf.
- . Describe and evaluate the influence of William J. Clinton’s presidency, including the A. continuing global influence of the United States including NAFTA and the NATO interventions to restore stability to the former Yugoslav republics. B. political impact of Clinton’s impeachment.
- . Evaluate the rise of terrorism and its impact on the United States including the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, the first attack on the World Trade Center Towers in 1993, the attacks on September 11, 2001, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
USH.9 The student will examine contemporary challenges and successes in meeting the needs of the American citizen and society, 2002 to the present.
Objectives:
- . Assess George W. Bush’s presidency, including the causes, conduct and consequences of the United States led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, efforts to counter and combat terrorism, and domestic issues such as the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina and the Great Recession.
- . Assess Barack Obama’s presidency, including the significance of his election, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, handling of economic conditions, establishment of DACA, and reforms to healthcare.
- . Examine the ongoing issues to be addressed by the Donald Trump and subsequent administrations, including taxation, immigration, employment, climate change, race relations, religious discrimination and bigotry, civic engagement, and perceived biases in the media.
Current (2019)
World Human Geography
WG.1 The student will use maps and other geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, research, process, and solve problems from a spatial perspective.
Objectives:
- . Analyze key concepts underlying the geographical perspectives of location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization.
- . Utilize geographic skills to understand and analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on the Earth’s surface.
- . Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process to characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
- . Utilize geographic technologies of GIS, remote sensing and GPS sources of geographical data including census data, population pyramids, cartograms, and satellite imagery.
WG.2 The student analyze how human population is organized geographically in order to understand the cultural, political, and economic systems of the world.
Objectives:
- . Analyze geographic data measuring population including density, distribution, patterns of composition (age, sex, race, and ethnicity), and population trends and projections.
- . Describe and summarize the push and pull theory of migration and its impact on human capital and demographic transitions including the research of major voluntary and involuntary migrations.
- . Compare and contrast the impact of population policies on the patterns of fertility, mortality, and health.
WG.3 The student will analyze the components and regional variations of cultural patterns and processes.
Objectives:
- . Assess the spatial dimensions of culture as defined by language, religion, ethnicity, and gender.
- . Analyze and summarize the role the environment plays in determining a region’s culture.
- . Explain the processes of cultural diffusion, acculturation, assimilation, and globalization regarding their impact on defining a region.
- . Compare the world’s major cultural landscapes to analyze cultural differences, cultural identity, social mores, and sets of beliefs which determine a sense of place.
- . Explain how cultural characteristics, such as language, ethnicity, and religion impact different regions.
WG.4 The student will explain the political organization of space.
Objectives:
- . Describe and summarize the different forces that shape the evolution of the world’s contemporary political map including the rise of nation-states.
- . Analyze the concept of territoriality, the nature and meaning of boundaries, and their influence on identity, interaction, and exchange.
- . Compare the world’s political patterns of organization including federal and unitary states.
- . Examine changes and challenges to political/territorial arrangements, the changing nature of sovereignty, and evolution of contemporary political patterns.
- . Evaluate how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of territory and resources.
WG.5 The student will analyze agricultural and commercial land use.
Objectives:
- . Examine the origin and diffusion of agriculture including the Agricultural Revolutions and the Green Revolution.
- . Describe and summarize the characteristics of modern commercial agriculture including major production regions, variations within major zones, and effects of markets.
- . Analyze settlement patterns associated with major agricultural regions and linkages among regions of food production and consumption.
- . Describe the impact of agricultural practices including irrigation, conservation, desertification, deforestation, organic farming, pesticides and herbicides, and genetic modification on the environment and the quality of life.
- . Examine common characteristics of rural communities including the impact of the environment on location, the political, economic and cultural functions of rural communities, the types of transportation, communication and trade linkages among rural areas, and the impact of modern migration to urban centers.
WG.6 The student will analyze the impact of industrialization on economic development.
Objectives:
- . Examine the changing roles of natural resources, energy, and technology that resulted in the Industrial Revolution.
- . Evaluate the impact of industrialization and government policies of both market and command economic systems on the availability and use of natural resources, environmental concerns, and sustainable development.
- . Compare contemporary patterns of industrialization and development in selected regions of the world including the Pacific Rim, Central Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.
- . Analyze why some economies achieve rapid growth while other economies with similar resources struggle to reach developed status.
- . Summarize common characteristics of developed nations including variations in levels of development, modern patterns of deindustrialization, and economic restructuring, globalization, and international division of labor.
WG.7 The student will evaluate specific textual and visual evidence to analyze cities and urban land use.
Objectives:
- . Examine the origin, development and character of cities including the impact of the environment on location, the political, economic, and cultural functions of cities, historical distribution of cities, and the types of transportation, communication, and trade linkages among cities.
- . Analyze contemporary patterns of rural migration on urban development including the concept of suburbanization, edge cities, megacities, and global cities.
- . Describe the factors that impact cities over time including uneven development, changing economic and demographic structures, transportation and infrastructure, housing and urban planning.
Current (2019)
World History
WH.1 The student will analyze and summarize the impact of the major patterns of political, economic, and cultural change over time to 1450 CE and their long-term influences.
Objectives:
- . Evaluate the impact of geography and trade on the development of culture in Africa, Asia, and Europe including religion, philosophy, and political belief.
- . Describe the origins, major beliefs, spread and lasting impact of the world’s major religions and philosophies, including Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and Sikhism.
- . Compare the contributions of Greek and Roman philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle and Cicero including their impact on Western society.
- . Evaluate the economic, political, and cultural impact of interregional trade networks.
- . Describe the institution of slavery around the world prior to the 15th century as a widespread result of warfare and economic practices.
WH.2 The student will analyze patterns of social, economic, political, and cultural changes during the rise of Western civilization and the Global Age (1400-1750 CE).
Objectives:
- . Assess the significance of the Renaissance on politics, economics, and artistic creativity, including the works of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and daVinci.
- . Summarize the causes of and influence of the theological movements of the Reformation and how those movements subsequently transformed society.
- . Analyze migration, settlement patterns, cultural diffusion, and the transformations caused by the competition for resources among European nations during the Age of Exploration.
- . Explain how slavery and the slave trade was used for the development and growth of colonial economies.
- . Compare the various forms of government established by: A. divine right rule, such as the Mandate of Heaven in China and absolutism in England and France B. Magna Carta in England, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution C. enlightened monarchs such as Catherine the Great and Frederick the Great.
- . Compare how scientific theories and technological discoveries brought about social and cultural changes, including those made by Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton; describe the impact of Islamic learning.
- . Analyze the impact of the Enlightenment on modern government and economic institutions, including the theories of Hobbes, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Adam Smith.
WH.3 The student will analyze the political, economic, and social transformations brought about by the events of the age of revolutions and imperialism (1750-1900 CE).
Objectives:
- . Analyze the causes and global impact of A. England’s Glorious Revolution B. the American Revolution C. the French Revolution including the Napoleonic Wars D. the Congress of Vienna.
- . Summarize the influence and global impact of emerging democratic ideals on the Latin American and Caribbean revolutions including Haiti and Mexico and the leadership of Simon Bolivar.
- . Evaluate the economic and social impact of the Industrial Revolution.
- . Analyze how the Industrial Revolution gave rise to socialism and communism, including ideas and influence of Karl Marx.
- . Explain the rationales for and consequences of imperialism on Asia, Africa, and the Americas, such as colonization and the exploitation of natural resources and peoples; summarize various efforts to resist imperialism.
WH.4 The student will evaluate the global transformation created by the World Wars (1900-1945 CE).
Objectives:
- . Explain the complex and multiple causes of World War I, including militarism, nationalism, imperialism, systems of alliances, and other significant causes.
- . Describe the significant events of World War I, including key strategies, advancements in technology, the war’s significant turning points, and its lasting impact.
- . Analyze the immediate and long-term global consequences of the Treaty of Versailles.
- . Analyze socialism, communism, and the Bolshevik Revolution as responses to capitalism.
- . Describe the economic, social, and political conditions that caused WWII including A. failure of the Treaty of Versailles B. impact of global depression C. rise of totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, and Japan
- . Examine the significant events of World War II from a global perspective, such as campaigns in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
- . Evaluate the effects of World War II including military and economic power shifts, purposes of the United Nations and NATO, and the origins and escalation of the Cold War.
- . Examine the causes, series of events and effects of the Holocaust through eyewitnesses such as inmates, survivors, liberators, and perpetrators.
- . Summarize world responses to the Holocaust, resulting in the Nuremberg Trials, the move to establish a Jewish homeland, and the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its impact on human rights today.
WH.5 The student will evaluate post World War II regional events leading to the transformations of the modern world (1945-1990 CE).
Objectives:
- . Describe the creation of the modern state of Israel and ongoing territorial disputes, including the impact of significant regional leaders.
- . Evaluate the ongoing regional disputes of the Middle East, including the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the invasion of Kuwait.
- . Analyze the major developments in Chinese history during the second half of the 20th century including the A. Chinese Civil War and the Communist Revolution in China B. rise of Mao Zedong and the political, social, and economic upheavals under his leadership C. student protests of Tiananmen Square D. economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.
- . Examine the origins of India and Pakistan as independent nations, including the A. struggle for independence achieved through Mohandas Gandhi’s non-violent civil disobedience movement B. development of India’s industrial economy C. ongoing struggles in the region.
- . Evaluate the people, events, and conditions leading to the end of the Cold War including the A. effects of Poland’s Solidarity Movement B. policies of the perestroika and glasnost C. fall of the Berlin Wall D. breakup of the Soviet Union
- . Assess the impact of African independence movements on human rights and the global expansion of democracy including the A. effects of Pan-Africanism on changing political boundaries B. struggle for self-government in Ghana, including the influence of Kwame Nkrumah C. creation and dismantling of South Africa’s apartheid system, including the influence of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
- . Compare multiple perspectives to examine the religious, ethnic, and political origins, as well as the lasting impact of modern genocide and conflicts including A. actions of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia B. Northern Ireland’s Troubles C. ethnic-cleansing in the Balkans D. Rwanda’s mass murders E. crisis in Darfur
WH.6 The student will evaluate contemporary global issues and challenges.
Objectives:
- . Describe the ongoing impact of interdependence on the world’s economies resulting in the creation and growth of multinational organizations, international trade agreements, and the challenges faced by the global economy.
- . Examine contemporary issues that impact the new global era such as the A. changing patterns of population B. cycle of disease and poverty C. status of women D. environmental issues.
- . Describe the impact of trade and interdependence on cultural diffusion.
- . Analyze responses by world governments concerning the rise and impact of international terrorism and their responses to regional disputes such as Syria.
Current (2019)
Sociology
S.1 The student will recognize sociology as a social science, identify methods and strategies of research, and examine the contributions of sociology to the understanding of social issues.
Objectives:
- . Describe the development of the field of sociology as a social science.
- . Identify the contributions of leading theorists within sociology including Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Harriet Martineau, Herbert Spencer, Max Weber, C. Wright Mills, Karl Marx, and W.E.B. Dubois.
- . Evaluate different sociological research methods including participant observation, natural observation, library research, questionnaires, experiments, interviews, and case studies.
- . Conduct research on an issue using the scientific method of inquiry including developing a hypothesis, gathering and interpreting data, and drawing conclusions.
S.2 The student will examine the influence of culture and the way cultural transmission is accomplished.
Objectives:
- . Examine how relationships, structures, patterns and processes influence culture.
- . Recognize the key components of a culture including knowledge, language and communication, customs, values, and physical artifacts.
- . Explain the differences between a culture and a society.
- . Analyze the influences of genetic inheritance and culture on human behavior including the debate over nature versus nurture.
- . Compare various subcultures including counter cultures, pop cultures, ethnic cultures, and religious cultures.
- . Describe factors that have led to cultural diversity within the United States.
S.3 The student will identify how social status influences individual and group behaviors.
Objectives:
- . Describe how social status affects social order including upper class, middle class, lower class, white-collar professionals, blue-collar workers, and the unemployed.
- . Recognize how role expectations can lead to conflict including gender, age, racial groups, and ethnic groups within different societies.
S.4 The student will examine how social groups are composed of people who share common characteristics including interests, beliefs, behaviors, and feelings.
Objectives:
- . Examine why individuals become members of or associate with different social groups.
- . Compare various types of norms including folkways, mores, laws, and taboos; explain why rules of behavior are considered important to society.
- . Evaluate the characteristics of primary groups including small size intimate settings and enduring relationships and how members’ behaviors are influenced by the primary group.
- . Evaluate the characteristics of secondary groups including less permanence, less personal, and having a special purpose; explain how members’ behaviors are influenced by the secondary groups.
- . Investigate stereotypes of different groups including gangs, generational groups, immigrants, and the homeless.
S.5 The student will identify the effects of social institutions on individual and group behavior and explain how these institutions influence the development of the individual.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the impact of social institutions on individuals, groups and organizations within society; explain how these institutions transmit the values of society including familial, religious, educational, economic, and political.
- . Examine rites of passage within various social institutions such as religious ceremonies, school proms, quinceañeros, graduation, marriage, and retirement.
- . Define ethnocentrism and xenophobia; analyze how they can be beneficial or destructive to a culture.
S.6 The student will examine social change over time and the various factors that lead to these changes.
Objectives:
- . Examine environmental, political, economic, scientific, and technological influences upon immediate and long-term social change.
- . Describe how collective behavior can influence and change society including sit-ins, organized demonstrations, and the use of social media.
S.7 The student will analyze social problems that affect large numbers of people or result from imbalances within a social system.
Objectives:
- . Distinguish between characteristics of a social problem as compared to an individual problem.
- . Analyze patterns of behavior found within social problems and their implications for society including juvenile crime, drug addiction, and long-term unemployment.
- . Examine individual and group response and potential resolutions to social problems as well as the consequences of such solutions.
S.8 The student will explore both individual and collective behavior.
Objectives:
- . Describe the traditions, roles, and expectations necessary for a society to continue and flourish.
- . Examine factors that can lead to the breakdown and disruption of a society.
- . Differentiate the impact of individual leaders of different social and political movements including Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Susan B. Anthony.
- . Interpret how social behavior is influenced by propaganda, the news media, and advertising.
- . Investigate the impact of rumor, gossip, and other inaccurate communications upon group behavior.
Draft (2025)
Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten
PK.1 The student identifies and understands core elements of American culture.
Objectives:
- . Identify and describe the events or people celebrated during the following United Stat national and official Oklahoma state holidays and explain why we celebrate them. American Founders MonthPatriot DayConstitution DayColumbus DayVeterans DayCelebrate Freedom WeekThanksgivingChristmasMartin Luther King, JrPresidents' DayMemorial DayJuneteenthIndependence Day
- . Retell poems and stories inspired by American history and folklore and explain how demonstrate core virtues, including: HonestyCourageFriendshipRespectResponsibilityLibertyWise exercise of authority
- . Demonstrate the meaning of important American symbols by identifying: The American flag and its colors and shapesThe melody of the national anthemThe pictures and names of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the current presidentThe words of the Pledge of Allegiance
- . Define patriotism as devotion to one’s country and a commitment to contributing to its well-being.
- . Demonstrate the ability to recite by heart the following: "We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us." - John Winthrop"Give me Liberty, or give me Death" - Patrick Henry"Great necessities call out great virtues." - Abigail Adams"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - Declaration of IndependenceDon't Tread on MeAppeal to Heaven"A republic, if you can keep it." - Benjamin FranklinIn God We Trust - National MottoE Pluribus UnumUnited We StandLand of the Free, Home of the BraveSweet Land of Liberty"A house divided against itself cannot stand" - Abraham Lincoln"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." - Abraham LincolnLabor Omnia Vincit - State Motto"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
PK.2 The student understands his or her time and place relative to history and the surrounding world.
Objectives:
- . Place personal events in his or her family's life in temporal order, including births, deaths, and important moves.
- . Understand maps and globes and how to use them to locate the United States and Oklahoma.
- . Identify his or her street address, city or town, and Oklahoma as the state and the United States of America as the country in which he or she lives; and identify the school and its city or town.
- . Describe the location and features of places in the immediate neighborhood of his or her home and school.
- . Identify and describe family members or local citizens who help keep their fellow Americans free and safe, including police, firemen, and medics.
- . Demonstrate the meaning of important Oklahoma symbols by identifying the Oklahoma flag and its colors and shapes.
PK.3 The student identifies elements of personal and civic virtue.
Objectives:
- . Explain why it is important to listen without interrupting others.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to cleanliness and kindness.
PK.4 The student demonstrates a beginning understanding of personal economics.
Objectives:
- . Give examples of different kinds of work that people do, including the work parents do to raise a family, manage a household, and own and maintain a home.
- . Explain why people work, including to earn money to buy things they need and want, to support a family, to contribute to the community, to help others, and to take pride in earning a living.
- . Give examples of the things that people buy with the money they earn.
Draft (2025)
First Grade
1.1 The student identifies core features of Oklahoma civics and culture.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the United States, locate Washington, D.C. and identify it as the capital of the United States of America; locate Oklahoma City and identify it as the capital of Oklahoma.
- . Identify and explain the meaning of the Oklahoma flag and the Oklahoma motto, "Labor omnia vincit," tracing its origins to the Roman poet Virgil and the encouragement of citizens to cultivate the land through farming.
- . Identify the Oklahoma legislature as the group of representatives Oklahomans choose to make laws for them in the state.
- . Identify the picture and name of the current Governor of Oklahoma, describe what governors do, and explain that governors receive their authority from a vote by the people.
- . Identify the picture and name of the current mayor or county commissioners, describe what mayors do, and explain that mayors receive their authority from a vote by the people.
1.2 The student understands the primary civic elements of America.
Objectives:
- . Explain how rules and laws in the home, school and government protect people and secure their liberty while allowing them to pursue happiness.
- . Explain ways free individuals join together to make decisions and identify as an exemplar the Founders at the Constitutional Convention.
- . Identify the constitutions of the United States and Oklahoma as the sets of rules agreed-upon by citizens that govern the country and the state.
- . Identify people who have been delegated the authority and power to make and enforce rules and laws.
- . Identify Congress as the group of representatives Americans choose to make laws for them.
- . Identify the current President of the United States as the person who ensures people follow the law and explain that presidents receive their authority from a vote by the people in each state.
1.3 The student demonstrates knowledge of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Explain why it is important to listen without interrupting others and to share comments related to what is being discussed.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to orderliness and self-control.
- . Define virtue as doing the right thing and vice as doing the wrong thing.
- . Identify courage and moderation as two of the four Classical Virtues.
- . Define courage as confronting fear or pain, recognize cowardice as its opposite vice, and identify examples of courage from personal experience, history, and literature.
- . Define moderation as resisting harmful pleasures, recognize immoderation as its opposite vice, and identify examples of moderation from personal experience, history, and literature.
1.4 The student identifies traditional American symbols and celebrations.
Objectives:
- . Identify and explain the origins and meanings of American national symbols, including: The American flagThe national motto, "In God We Trust"The bald eagle (and why it was chosen)The White HouseThe Statue of Liberty
- . Describe how to display and dispose of the American flag in a respectful and honorable way.
- . Identify the corresponding months for national and Oklahoma holidays on the school calendar and give reasons for celebrating the events or people commemorated, including: Labor DayConstitution DayColumbus DayVeterans DayThanksgivingMartin Luther King, Jr. DayPresidents' DayMemorial DayFlag DayJuneteenthIndependence Day
- . Recognize ways citizens can demonstrate patriotism, including through military service, providing flags for veterans' gravestones, and celebrating Independence Day.
- . Describe and explain how national celebrations and customs are a source of shared unity for Americans.
- . Demonstrate the ability to recite by heart the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the Oklahoma pledge, and at least one of the following: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride""Oklahoma!"
1.5 The student demonstrates familiarity with the traditional songs and stories of America.
Objectives:
- . Demonstrate the ability to explain the Pledge of Allegiance and to sing and explain the meaning of the following: "America the Beautiful""My Country, 'tis of Thee""God Bless America""The Star-Spangled Banner"
- . Describe the main characters and their qualities in folktales and legends formative of American culture from at least five of the following: Annie OakleyDaniel WebsterDavy CrockettIssun BoshiJames ArmsteadJohn HenryJohnny AppleseedKing Alfred and the CakesHua MulanMedio PollitoNathan HalePaul BunyanThe Frogs Who Desired a KingWilliam Tell or The Apple and the Arrow
- . Describe the accomplishments and associated civic virtues found in stories of famous Americans, including one individual from each of the following categories:
Civil Society:
John Adams Abigail Adams Betsy RossScientific:
Thomas Edison the Wright Brothers Neil ArmstrongProfessional:
William Graham Sumner Kenesaw Mountain Landis Sandra Day O'ConnorStatesmanship:
John Marshall John Quincy Adams Henry ClayReligious:
Francis Asbury Oral Roberts Stanley RotherEntrepreneurship:
Andrew Carnegie John Jacob Astor Henry FordMilitary:
John Paul Jones Stand Watie Ulysses S. GrantAthletic:
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jim Thorpe Joe LouisArtistic:
Frederick Law Olmstead Georgia O'Keeffe Will Rogers - . Identify stories from ancient Israel that informed the American colonists, the Founders, and American culture, including at least three of the following: Hebrew Creation storyAdam and EveNoah and the FloodAbraham and IsaacMoses and the ExodusThe Burning Bush and the Ten CommandmentsDavid and GoliathDaniel in the Den of Lions
- . Retell stories from ancient Greece that informed the American colonists, the Founders, and American culture, including at least five of the following: Greek MythsTrojan War and AchillesOdysseusThe OlympicsMarathonThermopylaeAthenian DemocracySocrates, Plato, and AristotleAlexander the Great
- . Explain how George Washington modeled courage, moderation, and sacrifice in his leadership during the Revolutionary War and as President.
- . Retell stories and poems from the age of exploration, colonial American history, and the American Revolution, including: Exploration by Columbus and other explorersThe settling of JamestownPlymouth, Massasoit, Squanto, and the First ThanksgivingDaniel BooneCrossing of the DelawareValley Forge
Draft (2025)
Second Grade
2.1 The student identifies the continents, countries, and their physical features.
Objectives:
- . Locate the oceans of the world: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans.
- . Explain the difference between a continent and a country and give examples of each.
- . On a map of the world, locate all the continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
- . Locate the current boundaries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- . Locate five major rivers in the world: the Mississippi, Amazon, Volga, Yangtze, and Nile.
- . Locate major mountains or mountain ranges in the world: the Andes, Alps, Himalayas, Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley (Denali), and the Rocky Mountains.
2.2 The student understands civics as it relates to citizenship and the rule of law.
Objectives:
- . Explain how a free people form a government by combining their powers to better protect their lives, property, and freedoms.
- . Explain the consequences of an absence of respect for the rule of law.
- . Identify the constitutional means of becoming a United States citizen.
- . Describe the characteristics of responsible citizenship, including voting, obeying laws, being self-reliant, volunteerism, and observing patriotic holidays.
- . Recognize symbols, individuals, and documents that represent the United States, including:
Symbols:
The United States Capitol the White House the United States Supreme CourtIndividuals:
George Washington Thomas Jefferson Abraham Lincoln Booker T. Washington Rosa ParksDocuments:
The Declaration of Independence - . Recognize symbols, individuals, and documents that represent Oklahoma.
- . Explain what it means for the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land.
- . Identify the United States as a constitutional republic.
2.3 The student demonstrates knowledge of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify justice and prudence as two of the four Classical Virtues.
- . Define justice as obeying rules and treating others fairly, recognize injustice as its opposite vice, and identify examples of justice from personal experience, history, and literature.
- . Define prudence as making good choices, recognize imprudence as its opposite vice, and identify examples of prudence from personal experience, history, and literature.
- . Retell stories that illustrate the effect of virtue on happiness and vice on misery.
- . Retell stories that illustrate the importance of the social virtues of empathy, forgiveness, and responsibility.
- . Retell stories from the historical events studied in class in which virtue and vice changed the course of events.
2.4 The student demonstrates familiarity with the traditional stories of America.
Objectives:
- . Retell stories from ancient Rome that informed the American colonists, the Founders, American and culture, including at least five of the following: Romulus and the Founding of RomeBrutus and the Roman RepublicHoratio at the BridgeCincinnatusThe Punic WarsThe Roman Civil WarsCiceroCato the YoungerJulius CaesarCaesar Augustus
- . Identify stories from the ancient Christians that informed the American colonists, Founders, and culture, including at least three of the following: The Birth of Jesus of NazarethTemptation in the DesertSermon on the MountThe Last SupperThe Passion and CrucifixionThe Resurrection, Ascension, an PentecostPeter and Paul
- . Retell stories and poems from the early American republic, including: The Corps of DiscoveryRobert Fulton and the Invention of the SteamboatThe Burning of WashingtonThe Defense of Fort McHenry and “The Star-Spangled Banner”USS Constitution vs HMS GuerriereSequoia and the Cherokee Syllabary
- . Demonstrate the ability to recite by heart the final paragraph of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address and at least one of the following: Selections from Thomas Macaulay’s “Horatius”The first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
- . Recognize and explain the meaning of the following: “Yankee Doodle”“Battle Hymn of the Republic”“Butterfield’s Lullaby” (Taps)
- . Describe and compare different ways people have achieved great distinction in American history by explaining the lives and achievements of one individual from each of the following categories:
Civil Society:
John Ross Catherine (Kate) Barnard Booker T. WashingtonScientific:
Nikola Tesla Frances Kelsey Hellen LinkswilerProfessional:
Daniel Boorstin Charles Lindbergh Vannevar BushStatesmanship:
Sam Houston Theodore Roosevelt George MarshallReligious:
Reinhold Niebuhr Billy Sunday Fulton SheenEntrepreneurship:
J. Paul Getty Henry Charles Carey Asa CandlerMilitary:
John J. Pershing Dwight Eisenhower William F. “Bull” HalseyAthletic:
Jackie Robinson Jack Nicklaus Pepper MartinArtistic:
Ralph Ellison Ansel Adams Woody Guthrie
Draft (2025)
Third Grade
3.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write about a historical figure or event studied in class using the narrative mode and informative mode, each 1 paragraph in length.
3.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory at least one of the following:
Objectives:
- . Selections from Pericles’s Funeral Oration
- . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Village Blacksmith”
3.3 The student demonstrates knowledge of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Explain why it is important to make eye contact when speaking in class and to respond to classmates with supporting statements or respectful disagreements using evidence.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to compassion and trustworthiness.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
- . Explain how integrity, honesty, generosity, trustworthiness, loyalty, empathy, and forgiveness historically lead to meaningful relationships.
3.4 The student demonstrates knowledge of the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, including the histories and historical contributions of the ancient Hebrews and the ancient Greeks.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean, locate Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, and Greece.
- . Describe major historical events and contributions to human civilization from ancient Mesopotamia, including irrigation, cities, ziggurats, empires, and law.
- . Describe major historical events and contributions to human civilization from ancient Egypt, including the Nile flood, hieroglyphic writing, papyrus, pyramids, and the calendar.
- . Describe major historical events and contributions to Western civilization from the ancient Hebrews, including monotheism, the Torah, the history of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, the innate dignity of human beings made in the image of God, and universal moral law.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Torahic Decalogue.
- . Describe major contributions to Western civilization from the ancient Greeks, including myths, architecture, sculpture, drama, philosophy, liberty, and democracy.
- . Describe important events and figures in ancient Greek history, including Homer, the Trojan War, the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae, the Peloponnesian War, and the conquests of Alexander the Great.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Pericles' Funeral Oration.
3.5 The student demonstrates knowledge of the key features and locations important to America's geography.
Objectives:
- . On a map of North America, locate the United States, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi and Rio Grande Rivers, the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Rocky and Appalachian Mountain ranges.
- . Identify and describe unique features of the United States (e.g., the Everglades, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, the Redwood Forest, Yellowstone National Park, Hawaiian volcanos, and Yosemite National Park).
3.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of the exploration of North America by Europeans.
Objectives:
- . Describe the early contacts between the Old World and the New World, from the earliest migrations of people from Asia into the Americas to the explorations of the New World by the Vikings.
- . Identify the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) and in North America, including their contributions to American place names and to the English language, such as canoe, moccasin, caribou, chocolate, hurricane, and opossum.
- . Explain why trade routes from Europe to Asia had been closed in the 15th century and consult maps used by explorers to show how maps of the world changed during exploration.
- . Trace voyages of exploration on a map, describe what each of the following explorers sought to find out when they began their journeys, and identify which explorers entered present-day Oklahoma, including: Christopher ColumbusJuan Ponce de LeonAmerigo VespucciFrancisco CoronadoHernando de SotoJacques CartierHenry HudsonFerdinand Magellan
- . Explain the reasons why the Aztec and Inca civilizations declined in the 16th century, including the roles of: Encounters between Cortés and MontezumaEncounters between Pizarro and the IncasThe goals of the Spanish conquistadorsThe goals of Indian nations allied with the Spanish (Tlaxcala, Huancas)The effects of Eastern hemisphere diseases, particularly smallpox, throughout the Western hemisphere
- . Identify the six different European countries (France, Spain, England, Russia, Sweden, and the Netherlands) that colonized different regions of the present United States at the time the New World was being explored and their contributions to American place names.
- . Describe the goals of the Dutch settlement in New Amsterdam (later called New York), the French settlements in Canada, and the Spanish settlements in Florida, the Southwest, and California, including the goals of the Spanish friars.
3.7 The student demonstrates knowledge of the settling of America's Thirteen Colonies.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Eastern United States, locate the thirteen colonies.
- . Identify who the first settlers of Jamestown were, explain how they left Europe to seek prosperity, and describe their journey and their years in the Virginia Colony, including: The roles of John Smith, Powhatan, John Rolfe, and PocahontasChallenges in settling in AmericaThe establishment of the House of Burgesses and how it demonstrated self-government
- . Identify who the Pilgrims were, explain how they left Europe to seek religious freedom, and describe their journey to America and their early years in the Plymouth Colony, including: The purpose of the Mayflower Compact and how it demonstrated self-governmentChallenges in settling in AmericaMassasoit, Squanto, and events leading to the first Thanksgiving
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Mayflower Compact.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of John Winthrop's "City upon a Hill" speech.
- . Explain the early relationship of the English settlers to the American Indian tribes of North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and the conflicts between them, including the Pequot and King Philip's Wars in New England.
- . Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the religiously diverse original colonies in North America. Cecil Calvert Baltimore in Maryland (Catholic)William Penn in Pennsylvania (Quaker)James Oglethorpe in Georgia (Anglican)Roger Williams in Rhode Island (broad religious tolerance)John Winthrop in Massachusetts (Puritan)
- . Explain how England's approach to colonization and the motivations of colonists allowed for a more permanent, robust, and expansive presence in the Americas compared to other European powers, including: Decentralized and hands-off approach to settling and managing coloniesEnglish tradition and experience in self-governmentStrong religious, familial, and economic motivations for independent living
- . Describe the role of slavery in world history, such as in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the pre-Columbian Americas.
- . Describe the growth of slavery in the colonial Americas, the indentured servitude of Englishmen, the particularly harsh conditions of the Middle Passage and slave life, and the responses of slaves to their condition.
3.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of the self-governing and free enterprise qualities of Colonial America.
Objectives:
- . Describe how regional differences in climate, types of farming, populations, religious affiliations, and sources of labor shaped the economies and societies of different colonies or regions.
- . Identify and discuss the links between the political principles and practices developed in ancient Greece and Rome and those of the Puritans, including written constitutions and town meetings.
- . Describe the life of free African colonists in the colonies.
- . Identify and discuss the reasons for the establishment of educational institutions in the colonies, including grammar schools and colleges such as Harvard and the College of William and Mary.
- . Explain the main features of colonial governments. Legislative bodiesTown meetingsJuriesMilitia servicePress freedom
3.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of local and early Oklahoma history.
Objectives:
- . Describe the climate, major physical features, and major natural resources in each region of Oklahoma.
- . On a map of Oklahoma, locate major cities and towns, as well as: Wichita MountainsTurner FallsGreat Salt PlainsGlass (Gloss) MountainsBlack MesaTall Grass PrairieOuachita MountainsArkansas River
- . On a map of Oklahoma, locate the class's home town or city and its local geographic features and landmarks.
- . Identify historic buildings, monuments, or sites in the area and explain their purpose and significance.
- . Identify several American Indian tribes (e.g., Wichita, Osage, Comanche, Kiowa) and their leaders (e.g., Quanah Parker, Dohasan) at the time the American settlers arrived, and describe their way of life, including bison hunting, key stories and customs, fur trading, warfare, and farming.
- . Explain how the name of Oklahoma is derived from the Choctaw words okla homma, meaning Red Nation.
- . Recognize symbols, individuals, documents, and events that represent Oklahoma.
- . Describe the historical significance of the symbols of Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma State Seal and the Oklahoma Flag.
- . Identify when the student's own town or city was founded and describe the different groups of people who have settled in it since its founding.
- . Explain how objects or artifacts of everyday life in the past tell us how ordinary people lived and how everyday life has changed as well as the roles played by local historical societies and museums in this preservation and understanding.
- . Give examples of goods and services provided by local businesses and industries.
Draft (2025)
Fourth Grade
4.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write about a historical figure or event studied in class using the narrative mode and informative mode, each 2-3 paragraphs in length.
4.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence and at least one of the following:
Selections from John of Salisbury's “Policraticus”The final two paragraphs from Patrick Henry's “Give me Liberty, or Give me Death”
4.3 The student demonstrates knowledge of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to perseverance and equanimity.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
- . Explain how optimism, diligence, and love of learning historically lead to a fruitful life of the mind.
- . Explain how virtue requires a firm physical constitution.
4.4 The student demonstrates knowledge of Ancient Rome from the legendary founding through the fall of the Empire.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of Europe, locate the Roman Republic, Carthage, and the Roman Empire.
- . Describe major contributions to Western civilization from the ancient Romans, including: Republican self-governmentRule of lawCitizenshipLatinArchitectureEngineering
- . Describe important events and figures in ancient Roman legend and history, including: Romulus, Remus, and the Founding of RomeBrutus and the Founding of the Roman RepublicThe Punic Wars and HannibalThe Civil WarsCiceroCato the YoungerJulius CaesarAugustus CaesarThe Roman Empire
- . Identify the central beliefs of the ancient Christians within the Roman Empire, including monotheism and the doctrine of the Trinity, reliance on the Old and New Testaments, and the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God's son.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Jesus of Nazareth's words on Mount Eremos as recorded by Matthew of Capernaum.
- . Describe the historical origins of Christianity and its expansion during the Roman Empire, including the relationship of early Christians and Jews, the role of state persecution, martyrs, and saints, and the Council of Nicaea.
- . Describe the barbarian invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire.
4.5 The student demonstrates knowledge of the Middle Ages and Medieval England.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of Europe, locate Byzantium, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, and England.
- . Describe the founding of Islam, its central features, and its expansion, including: The recording of Muhammad's teachings in the Qur'anThe preservation of ancient Greek textsDiscoveries in science and mathematicsConquest of the Holy Land, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula
- . Describe major historical events and individuals in the Middle Ages, including: The creation of the Holy Roman EmpireDefense against Muslim invasionsThe Crusades in the Holy LandAlfred the GreatWilliam the ConquerorHenry IIThe evolution of English liberty, rule of law, and parliamentary powerMagna Carta
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Magna Carta #28 and #29. Separation of powers
- . Describe the character of medieval society and culture, including feudalism, the development of private property as a distinguishing feature of western liberty, the Catholic Church, monasteries, and Gothic architecture.
4.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of America's geographic regions, states, and cities.
Objectives:
- . Locate America's regions: New England, Middle Atlantic, Atlantic Coast/Appalachian, Southeast/Gulf, South Central, Great Lakes, Plains, Southwest Desert, and Pacific States, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- . Describe the climate, major physical features, and major natural resources in each U.S. region.
- . Identify on a map, name, and spell correctly the states, capitals, and major cities in each region.
- . Identify major monuments and historical sites in and around Washington, D.C., including the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the White House, the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the National Archives, Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and Mount Vernon.
4.7 The student demonstrates knowledge of the American Revolution.
Objectives:
- . Explain the reasons for the French and Indian War and how it led to an overhaul of British policy towards the colonies.
- . Explain the colonial response to British policies following the French and Indian War and explain how the colonists' goal of changing British tax policies eventually developed into an effort to seek national independence from Britain, including: Sugar Act (1764)Stamp Act (1765)Townshend Duties (1767)Tea Act (1773) and the Intolerable Acts (1774)The slogan, “no taxation without representation”The roles of the Stamp Act Congress and the Sons of Liberty
- . Explain important events, places, and people leading to declaring independence, including: The Boston MassacreThe Boston Tea PartyThe first battles of the Revolution at Lexington and ConcordNoble Train of Artillery and Bunker HillPaul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Adams
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Patrick Henry's “Give me liberty or give me death” speech.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of Independence.
- . Explain the meaning of the key ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence, including: LibertyEqualityRepublican virtueRights of Englishmen and natural rightsThe rule of lawThe purpose of government to protect rights
- . Explain how natural rights require both toleration and respect for the law.
- . Discuss the political ideas of Patriots, Loyalists and “undecideds,” and explain why the Patriots’ ideas led them to declare independence from the British Empire.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation.
- . Describe the lives and achievements of important leaders during the Revolution. Benjamin FranklinGeorge IIIAlexander HamiltonThomas JeffersonGeorge WashingtonBenedict ArnoldRichard HoweJohn BurgoyneCharles Cornwallis
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Phillis Wheatley's “His Excellency General Washington”.
- . Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781 and for its later weaknesses.
- . Describe what Americans sought from France, Spain, and the Netherlands during the War for Independence.
- . Describe the major battles of the Revolution following the Declaration of Independence and explain the factors leading to American victory, British defeat, and the exile of Loyalists to help form the new country of Canada. Trenton (1776)Saratoga (1777)Valley Forge (1777-1778)Cowpens (1781)Yorktown (1781)
4.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of the formation of a federal government through the Constitutional Convention.
Objectives:
- . Describe Shays's Rebellion of 1786-1787 and explain why it was one of the crucial events leading to the Constitutional Convention.
- . Identify examples of how too much government and the lack of respect for the rule of law can both threaten liberty, including Great Britain's treatment of its colonists, early state constitutions, and the Articles of Confederation.
- . Recognize that the United States government was unique for being established through a written Constitution, unlike countries such as Great Britain that had an unwritten constitution.
- . Explain why and how the United States government is ultimately controlled by the people through their votes.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
- . Identify the various leaders of the Constitutional Convention and describe the major issues they debated. The goals of a stronger union with respect to commerce, international relations, and political stabilityThe need to limit the powers of the central government through separation of powers enforced by checks and balancesFederalism and the Great CompromiseThe rights and responsibilities of individuals
- . Describe the debate between the Federalists and the Antifederalists, identify the rights of individuals and states catalogued in the Bill of Rights, and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution in 1791.
- . Explain developments concerning slavery during the Founding era, including: Abolition of slavery in northern statesNorthwest OrdinanceThe Constitution's Three-Fifths Compromise between slaveholding and non-slaveholding statesThe Constitution's permitting the eventual banning of the international slave trade
4.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of basic structure and functions of the government under the Constitution.
Objectives:
- . Explain and provide examples of different forms of government, including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, and autocracy, and explain why the United States government is classified as a republican government.
- . Describe the purpose and functions of government according to the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
- . Explain the characteristics of the American republic and its constitutional government, including: Limited governmentRepresentationFederalismSeparation of powers and checks and balancesPreservation of individual rightsDue process
- . Identify the three branches of the United States government as outlined by the Constitution, describe their functions and relationships, and identify what features of the Constitution were unique to the United States.
- . Describe how decisions are made in a republic, including the role of legislatures, courts, executives, and the public.
- . Recognize that the American government has local, state, and federal levels, and distinguish among their responsibilities.
4.10 The student demonstrates knowledge of what it means to be an American citizen.
Objectives:
- . Explain the rights and the responsibilities of citizenship and describe how a republic provides opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process through elections and civic associations.
- . Describe how citizens demonstrate civility, cooperation, self-reliance, volunteerism, and other civic virtues.
- . Describe the importance of voting in elections.
- . Explain how American citizens were expected to participate in, monitor, and reform their government over time.
- . Explain the history and meaning behind different patriotic holidays and observances, including those related specifically to the American Founding: Independence Day and Constitution Day.
- . Recognize symbols that represent the United States. Flags of the Revolution: Betsy Ross, Gadsden, Appeal to HeavenLiberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Bald Eagle, Lady ColumbiaFederal Buildings in the classical style in Washington, D.C.Washington Crossing the Delaware painting
4.11 The student demonstrates knowledge of Oklahoma civics.
Objectives:
- . Recognize that every state has its own state constitution.
- . Explain that the United States Constitution and the Oklahoma Constitution establish the framework for national and state government.
- . Explain the major components of Oklahoma's state government, including the roles and functions of the governor, state legislature, and other constitutional officers.
- . Explain the major components and responsibilities of local government in Oklahoma.
- . Give examples of tax-supported facilities and services provided by local government, such as public schools, parks, recreational facilities, police and fire departments, and libraries.
Draft (2025)
Fifth Grade
5.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write about a historical figure or event studied in class using the narrative mode and informative mode, each 3-4 paragraphs in length.
5.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and at least one of the following:
5.3 The student demonstrates knowledge of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Explain how happiness and purpose are the goals of a virtuous life.
- . Explain how virtue requires that one be responsible for his or her thoughts and actions.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
- . Explain how adventure, enterprise, industry, and frugality historically lead to the creation of wealth and prosperity.
- . Explain how sloth, deceit, and waste lead to poverty.
- . Retell stories from history that illustrate the importance of economic virtues of enterprise, frugality, and respect.
5.4 The student demonstrates knowledge of late medieval Europe, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Objectives:
- . Identify the major causes and effects of the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War, and the printing press.
- . Explain the major events, ideas, and contributions to Western civilization during the Renaissance, including: A revival of classical Greek and Roman values of republicanism, liberty, and individualism, as well as classical ideals of art and architectureThe origins of the Renaissance in 14th and 15th century Italy, and the development of the Northern Renaissance in the 16th centuryThe development of Christian humanismThe development of trade and a middle class in Florence and VeniceThe rediscovery of Greek ancient texts, especially those preserved in the Byzantine Empire and brought to Italy during Byzantium's collapse
- . Describe the major ideas and events of the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Reformation and their effects on politics, art, and war.
- . Identify the major events and figures in English history from 1500 to 1700, including the English Reformation, Queen Elizabeth, the Spanish Armada, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Queen Elizabeth I's Speech at Tilbury.
5.5 The student demonstrates knowledge of the growth of the American Republic following the adoption of the Constitution and into the 19th century.
Objectives:
- . Explain how the abolition of property requirements expanded voting rights and compare who could vote in local, state, and national elections in the U.S. with who could vote in other countries at the time, including England, France, Russia, Asante, the Ottoman Empire, and China.
- . Explain the events leading up to, and the significance of, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
- . Describe the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from 1803 to 1806.
- . Describe developments which served to weaken or to strengthen slavery during the founding generation through 1808, including: Abolition of slavery in the northern states and the Northwest TerritoriesManumission in the southern statesThomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of IndependenceThomas Jefferson's proposed abolition in 1784 of slavery in all the western territoriesAntislavery societiesFugitive Slave Act of 1793Tightening of slave codes1808 law banning the importation of slaves into the United States
- . Identify key characteristics and history related to Canada, including: Its location on a map of North America, its provinces, and its major citiesThe climate, major physical characteristics, and major natural resources of Canada and their relationship to settlement, trade, and the Canadian economyThe location of at least three Indian tribes in Canada (e.g., Kwakiutl, Hurons, and Micmac), the Métis, and the Inuit nation, and describe their major social featuresWhen Canada was established as a confederation of British colonies in 1867 and explain how confederation was achieved
- . Describe the causes of the War of 1812 and how events during the war contributed to a sense of American nationalism. British restrictions on trade, and impressmentMajor battles and events of the war, including the role of the USS Constitution, the burning of the Capitol and the White House, and the Battle of New OrleansThe attack on Fort McHenry and the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"Parallel growth of Canadian nationalism
5.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of America's westward expansion, economic growth, and development of a distinct culture during the early 19th century.
Objectives:
- . Use a map of North America to trace America's expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails and the migration of Mormons.
- . Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America's westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness, including: The War of 1812The 1823 Monroe DoctrineThe Trail of Tears and its effects on the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Choctaw, and ChickasawThe 1836 Texas War of Independence and the 1845 annexation of TexasThe concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansionThe territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican-American WarThe California Gold Rush (1848-49)
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner".
- . Identify key characteristics and history related to Mexico. Location on a map of North America Mexico and its major citiesThe climate, major physical characteristics, and major natural resources of Mexico and explain their relationship to the Mexican economyWhen Mexico became an independent nation and how independence was achieved
- . Explain the importance of the Transportation Revolution of the 19th century that resulted in the building of canals, roads, bridges, turnpikes, steamboats, and railroads, including the stimulus it provided to the growth of a market economy.
- . Describe the election of 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and Andrew Jackson's actions as President, including: The spoils systemJackson's veto of the National BankJackson's policy of Indian Removal and the popular opposition it aroused
5.7 The student demonstrates knowledge of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
Objectives:
- . Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the effect of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture, including: End of slave importation in 1808, growth of domestic slave population, the domestic slave trade, and westward expansion of slaveryEconomic dominance of plantation agriculture focused on selling products worldwideSlave society: slaveholder violence, family bonds, family separationChristianization: slave preachers, spirituals, emancipatory theologyMaterial condition: food, clothing, shelter, work, life expectancyState laws against education of slaves
- . Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, its Christian inspiration, the roles of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolitionism.
- . Describe important religious trends that shaped antebellum America, including the Second Great Awakening.
- . Describe how the different economies and cultures of the North and South contributed to the growing importance of sectional politics in the early 19th century.
- . Explain the critical developments leading to the Civil War. The Missouri Compromise (1820)Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)The Compromise of 1850Publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851-1852)The Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)The election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)
- . On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war.
- . Analyze Abraham Lincoln's character and temperament, his presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered.
- . Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and events. Leaders: Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. LeeBattles: The Massachusetts 54th Regiment and the Battle at Fort Wagner, Pea Ridge, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Appomattox
- . Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War. Physical and economic destructionThe increased role of the federal governmentThe greatest loss of life on a per capita basis of any U.S. war before or since
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address".
- . Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. Presidential and Congressional ReconstructionThe 13th, 14th, and 15th AmendmentsReconstruction Treaties with Five TribesOpposition of southerners of European descent to ReconstructionAccomplishments and failures of Radical ReconstructionThe presidential election of 1876, and the end of Reconstruction
5.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of Oklahoma state history.
Objectives:
- . Describe the migrations, settlements, relocations and forced removals of American Indians from elsewhere in the United States to Oklahoma, and the establishment of tribal governments in Oklahoma.
- . Describe the settlement of Oklahoma, identify notable pioneers, and describe the pioneers' way of life, including cattle drives, sod houses, windmills, and crops.
- . Describe the later development of Oklahoma, identify notable state leaders, and describe the way of life of Oklahoma in generations down to the present, including the Oil Boom, the Dust Bowl, and rising prosperity after World War II.
- . Describe the contributions of Oklahoma's military personnel, including the Buffalo Soldiers, the code talkers, and the 45th Infantry Division.
- . Explain how Oklahomans came together to help one another recover from the bombing of the Oklahoma City Murrah Building.
- . Retell the key stories and contributions of one Oklahoman from each of the following categories:
Science and technology:
Owen Garriott Sylvan Goldman J. Clarence Karcher Shannon Lucid Carl Magee Wiley Post Clinton RiggsThe Arts:
Garth Brooks Ralph Ellison Jennifer Jones R. A. Lafferty Will Rogers Maria TallchiefBusiness:
Everette De Golyer David Green O. W. Gurley Tom Slick E.K. GaylordMilitary Valor:
Charles Carey Ernest Evans George Price Hays Stand WatiePolitical Leadership:
Carl Albert Elias Boudinot Roscoe Dunjee Robert Kerr Jeane Kirkpatrick Clara Luper Wilma Mankiller Edward McCabe OpothleyaholaSports:
Mickey Mantle Shannon Miller Jim Thorpe Bud Wilkinson
Draft (2025)
Sixth Grade
6.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of one class period about a historical figure or event studied in class using the narrative mode and informative mode, citing class notes, each 4-5 paragraphs in length.
6.2 The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of one class period about a historical figure or event studied in class using the persuasive mode, citing class notes, 1 paragraph in length.
6.3 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory the final two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence and at least one of the following:
Selections from Demosthenes's Third PhilippicSelections from Joseph Addison's CatoWilliam Shakespeare's "Friends, Romans, Countrymen"
6.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing republic and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Explain the ways in which moral character builds capacity for action and friendship.
- . Explain how each individual is responsible for his or her own character, and thus responsible for the vision and actions which align with his or her own pursuit of happiness.
- . Explain the ways in which virtuous action ought to be honored.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to courtesy and gratitude.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
6.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Great Rift Valley.
- . On a map of Africa, locate the northern, eastern, western, central, and southern regions of Africa, the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, Lake Victoria, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Cape of Good Hope.
- . On a map of Africa, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
- . On a map of South and Central Asia, locate the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Northern Mountains, the Deccan Plateau, the Himalayan Mountains, and the Steppes.
- . On a map of South and Central Asia, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- . On a map of North and East Asia, locate the Arctic Ocean, Siberia, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas, and the Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Rivers.
- . On a map of North and East Asia, locate and identify the countries and capitals of China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
- . On a map of the Middle East, locate the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Peninsula, and the Persian Gulf.
- . On a map of Western Asia, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, areas governed by the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
6.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of the origins of humans in Africa and their early development through the Neolithic Age.
Objectives:
- . Identify sites in Africa where archaeologists have found evidence of the origins of modern human beings and describe what the archaeologists found.
- . Describe the characteristics of the hunter-gatherer societies from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age (their use of tools and fire, basic hunting weapons, beads and other jewelry).
- . Explain the importance of the invention of metallurgy (bronze and iron) for the development of weapons and tools.
- . Describe how the invention of agriculture (the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals) related to settlement, population growth, and the emergence of civilization.
6.7 The student demonstrates knowledge of Mesopotamia as the site of several ancient river civilizations.
Objectives:
- . Identify the locations and time periods of Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, Israel and Judah, and the Persian Empire.
- . On a historical map, locate the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, identify Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria as successive civilizations and empires in this region, and explain why the region is sometimes called "the Fertile Crescent."
- . Identify polytheism (the belief that there are many gods) as the religious belief of the people in Mesopotamian civilizations.
- . Describe how irrigation, metalsmithing, wage labor, the domestication of animals, and inventions such as the wheel, the sail, and the plow contributed to the growth of Mesopotamian civilizations.
- . Describe the important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization, including: Its system of writing and its importance in record keeping and tax collectionMonumental architecture and the zigguratLarge relief sculpture, mosaics, and cylinder sealsState-building and empire
- . Describe who Hammurabi was and explain the basic principle of justice in Hammurabi's Code ("an eye for an eye"; responsibility to your fellows for your actions).
6.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of the ancient river civilization of Egypt.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean region, locate the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Nile River and Delta, the areas of ancient Nubia and Egypt, and ancient Upper and Lower Egypt and explain what these terms mean.
- . Describe the kinds of evidence used by archaeologists and historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics of ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the social and economic characteristics of ancient Egypt.
- . Describe the role of pharaoh as god/king, the concept of dynasties, Egyptian conquests in the Near East and Nubia, the importance of at least one Egyptian ruler, the relationship of pharaohs to peasants, and the role of slaves in ancient Egypt.
- . Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs about death, the afterlife, and mummification as well as Akhenaten's attempt to abandon polytheism for monotheism.
- . Summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization, including: The agricultural systemThe invention of a calendarMonumental architecture and art such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at GizaHieroglyphic writingThe invention of papyrus
6.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of the ancient Levant.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, locate Greece, Asia Minor, Crete, Ugarit, Phoenicia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean, and the Red Sea.
- . Describe the role of Levantine civilizations and peoples in transmitting Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization, and the effects of their invasions of Egypt, including: Ugarit (proto-alphabet)Hyksos (partial conquest of Egypt)Sea Peoples (invasions of Egypt)
- . Identify the Phoenicians as the successors to the Minoans in dominating maritime trade in the Mediterranean from c. 1000 – c. 300 GBC. Describe how the Phoenician writing system was the first alphabet and the ancestor of our own Latin alphabet.
- . Describe the Phoenician settlement of Carthage c. 900 BC, the expansion of Carthaginian economic and political power in the Western Mediterranean, Carthaginian colonization, and Carthage’s wars with the Greek city-states in Libya and Sicily.
6.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in Ancient Israel.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean, locate Asia Minor, Greece and Mesopotamia, the kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel, and Egypt.
- . Identify the ancient Israelites, or Hebrews, trace the Biblical account of their migrations from Mesopotamia to the land called Canaan and their later sojourn in Egypt, and explain the role of Abraham and Moses in their history.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Book of Exodus.
- . Describe Judaism, the monotheistic religion of the Israelites, including: The belief that there is one GodThe Torahic DecalogueThe emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibilityThe belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations, whether ruler or ruledThe role of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as part of the history of early Israel
- . Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, including David’s founding of Jerusalem as his capital city in 1000 BC and the building of the first temple by Solomon.
- . Describe the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests of Israel and Judah, the Babylonian Exile, the return to Israel, and the establishment of the Maccabean and Herodian dynasties.
- . Explain the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands (referred to as the Diaspora) after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, and the renaming of the country by the Romans.
- . Describe the changing nature of Jewish belief between 500 BC and AD 200. Effects of the Babylonian Captivity and the return to IsraelEffects of Greek thoughtBeliefs of Rabbinic Judaism, the Sadducees, and the EssenesThe effect on Jewish beliefs of the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands
6.11 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in Ancient Greece.
Objectives:
- . On a map of Europe, locate the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea; the Volga, Danube, Ural, Rhine, Elbe, Seine, Po, and Thames Rivers; and the Alps, Pyrenees, and Balkan Mountains.
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean area, locate Greece and trace the extent of its influence to 300 BC.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including Knossos, Periclean Athens, and the Acropolis.
- . Explain how the geographical location of ancient Athens and other city-states contributed to their role in maritime trade, their colonies in the Mediterranean, and the expansion of their cultural influence.
- . Explain why the government of ancient Athens is considered the beginning of democratic government, discuss Greek conceptions of the rule of law, liberty, and democracy, and explain the political concepts developed in ancient Greece. The “polis” or city-stateRule of lawLibertyCivic participation and voting rightsLegislative bodiesConstitution writing
- . Describe the myths and stories of classical Greece and give examples of Greek gods and goddesses, heroes, and events and where and how we see their names used today.
- . Explain why the city-states of Greece instituted a tradition of athletic competitions and describe the kinds of sports they featured.
- . Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.
- . Identify the major accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, including: Pythagoras and Euclid (mathematics); Hippocrates (medicine); Archimedes (physics and engineering); Ptolemy (astronomy)Socrates, Plato, Aristotle (philosophy)Herodotus, Thucydides, Homer, Aeschylus (history, poetry, and drama)The Parthenon, the Acropolis, and the Temple of Apollo (architecture)The development of the first complete alphabet with symbols for consonants and vowels, which is the ancestor of our own Latin alphabet
- . Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Persian Wars, including the survival of Greek freedom and the origin of marathons.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of accounts of the Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis from Herodotus's *Histories*.
- . Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Plato's *Apology* of Socrates.
- . Describe the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture.
6.12 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in the Roman Republic.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map, identify ancient Rome and trace the changing boundaries of the Roman Republic and Empire from 500 BC to 500 AD.
- . Explain how the geographical location of ancient Rome contributed to the shaping of Roman society and the expansion of its political power in the Mediterranean region and beyond.
- . Identify and explain the significance of Europe's network of Roman roads.
- . Explain the rise of the Roman Republic and the role of mythical and historical figures in Roman history, including Romulus and Remus, Brutus, Cincinnatus, and Hannibal in the Punic Wars.
- . Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its contribution to the development of republican self-government, including the separation of powers, liberty, the rule of law, representative government, and the notion of civic duty.
- . Describe the influence of Greek civilization on Rome.
- . Describe the collapse of the Roman Republic from the agrarian reform law of Tiberius Gracchus to the establishment of Julius Caesar's dictatorship, including the roles of Marius, Sulla, Cicero, and Julius Caesar.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the interpretation of the End of the Republic in Tacitus's *Annals*.
- . Describe Julius Caesar's and Augustus' transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire.
6.13 The student demonstrates understanding of the pre-Columbian peoples of North America.
Objectives:
- . Identify and describe the earliest migrations of people from Asia into North America and of the explorations of the New World by the Vikings, including: Pre-Clovis: suggestive archaeological and genetic evidenceAmerinds (Clovis culture)Vikings and L'Anse aux Meadows
- . Identify as many as possible of the technologies available to North American peoples and describe how they were used. MedicinesBasketry, pottery, and hidesImplements of bone, wood, stone, cold-hammered copperBows and arrowsBoatsNotable technological absences including most domestic animals, wheeled vehicles, plows, metallurgy, and writing
- . Analyze the similarities and differences among select American Indian tribes from across what would become the United States. Chieftains: personal merit, hereditarySocieties: egalitarian warrior bands, social hierarchies, division of roles by age and sexWarfare: raiding, fortifications, slavery, adoption of prisonersEconomies: hunting-and-gathering, fishing, agriculture, towns, trade, wampumReligions and cultures: cosmologies, medicine men, totem animals, ritual dances, kachina dolls, Plains Indian Sign Language
- . Locate and describe the nature and archaeological remains of major pre-Columbian civilizations that emerged in North America. Mesoamerican influencePueblo: Mesa Verde, Acoma, TaosMississippian Mound Builders: Cahokia, Moundville, Etowah, SpiroAdena/Fort Ancient: Serpent Mound
- . Describe and analyze the long-distance effects of European colonization on North American peoples. Depopulation and crippling of agriculture from disease pandemics (smallpox)Emergence of Great Plains horse culture (Comanche, Sioux, Kiowa)Reorientation of trade routes to European settlements (furs, guns, metal tools, slaves)
- . Locate and describe the history, societies, and cultures of a range of tribes immediately prior to significant contact with European settlers. Northeast: Iroquois ConfederacySoutheast: CherokeeSouthwest: PuebloCalifornian: Yokuts
6.14 The student understands the rival European colonies in North America between 1565-1763.
Objectives:
- . Locate the Spanish colonies in North America and describe their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals. Evangelization: Jesuit missions, Franciscan missionsFlorida: St. AugustineTexas: Comanche diplomacy and warsNew Mexico: Pueblo RevoltCalifornia: Junipero Serra
- . Locate the French colonies in North America and describe their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals. Fur trade: voyageursEvangelization: Jesuit missionsIndian alliances: fur trade, diplomacy, wars, evangelization, intermarriageEuropean rivalry: Netherlands, EnglandAcadia expulsionLouisiana planters and slavesGreat Lakes, Mississippi River, Ohio River forts
- . Locate the Dutch and Swedish colonies in North America and describe their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals. Fur trade and the Beaver WarsReligious liberty and the Flushing RemonstranceNew Netherlands (New York)New Sweden (Delaware/New Jersey)
- . Describe and analyze American Indian adaptations to European colonization. Military modernization (guns, fortifications)Adoption of European imports (metal goods, manufactured items)ChristianizationLiteracy
6.15 The student demonstrates understanding of the British colonies in North America between 1607 and 1763.
Objectives:
- . Describe the religious, political, and commercial goals and the early history of the English colonies in North America. John Smith in VirginiaJohn Winthrop in Massachusetts BayCecil Calvert Baltimore in MarylandWilliam Penn in PennsylvaniaRoger Williams in Rhode Island
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Mayflower Compact.
- . Explain how the English colonies developed and practiced self-rule or self-government, including. The English inheritance of constitutional liberty, religion, common law, and representative self-governmentSalutary neglectMilitia service
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of select English colonial wars, including: Indian wars (Jamestown Massacre, King Philip's War)French wars (Queen Anne's War, French and Indian War)
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of the changing population of colonial America. Indentured servantsScots-Irish and German immigrationAfrican slavesEighteenth-century antislavery critics and campaigners
- . Describe the changing culture, society, and economy of colonial America. First Great Awakening: George Whitefield, Jonathan EdwardsAmerican Enlightenment: Benjamin FranklinColonial elites: planters, merchants, clergyCulture and society: education and equality (widespread literacy and male suffrage)Economic development: Philadelphia
6.16 The student demonstrates understanding of the American Revolution from 1763 to 1783.
Objectives:
- . Explain the causes that contributed to the American Revolution, including: The effect on the colonies of the French and Indian War, including how the war led to an overhaul of British Imperial policy from 1763 to 1775How freedom from European feudalism and aristocracy and the widespread ownership of landed property fostered local self-governmentThe Declaratory ActThe Townshend DutiesThe Boston MassacreThe Boston Tea Party
- . Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government, including: The legacy of ancient Greece and Rome (eudaimonia, the pursuit of happiness)Protestant political theory (democratic)The English inheritance of constitutional liberty, republican virtue, and representative self-governmentThe political theories of John Locke
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of Independence.
- . Explain America's founding ideas as found in the Declaration of Independence, including: "We hold these truths to be self-evident""all men are created equal""endowed by their Creator""inalienable rights""life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"Purpose of governmentRight to revolution
- . Explain how natural rights imply duties and the role of government in protecting natural rights.
- . Analyze how Americans fought the Revolutionary War and the reasons for the American victory and the British defeat, including the following battles: Lexington and ConcordBunker HillNew YorkTrentonSaratogaValley ForgeYorktown
Draft (2025)
Seventh Grade
7.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of one class period about a historical figure or event studied in class using the persuasive mode, citing class notes, 2-3 paragraphs in length.
7.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from George Washington's Farewell Address and at least one of the following:
Selections from the Declaration of ArbroathSelections from George Washington's First Inaugural AddressSelections from Frederick Douglass's "What to a Slave Is the 4th of July?"
7.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self- governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify historical examples of heroism and adventure.
- . Identify the ways in which work develops one's powers and capacities for further wealth creation.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to sociability and integrity.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
7.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the Roman Empire and its collapse.
Objectives:
- . On a map of Europe, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands (U.K.), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar (U.K.), Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of the Roman Empire.
- . Explain the reasons for the growth and long life of the Roman Empire. Military organization, tactics, and conquestsThe purpose and functions of taxesThe promotion of economic growth through the use of a standard currency, road construction, and the protection of trade routesThe benefits of a Pax RomanaThe significance of Europe's network of Roman roads
- . Describe the role of historical figures in imperial Roman history. Pliny the ElderSenecaVirgilTiberiusHadrianMarcus Aurelius
- . Describe the central features of Christianity in ancient Rome. MonotheismThe belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God's son who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and redeemed humans from sinBelief in the Old and New TestamentsThe lives and teachings of Jesus and Saint Paul
- . Describe the origins and early expansion of Christianity and its central features. The relationship of early Christians and JewsThe relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman EmpireThe relationship of Christianity to Greek thought (logos)The effects of state persecution, martyrs, and saintsCouncil of Nicaea
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Nicene Creed.
- . Explain the fourth- and fifth-century Christianization of the Roman Empire.
- . Explain how internal forces (including the rise of autonomous military powers, political corruption, and economic and political instability) and external forces (shrinking trade, attacks, and invasions) led to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. Sack of Rome (410)Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476)Establishment of Germanic kingdoms (Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms)
- . Describe the contributions of Roman civilization in the following fields: LawLiteraturePoetryArchitecture: arenas, bathsEngineering: roads, bridges, aqueductsTechnology: central heating, plumbing, sanitation
7.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the Early Middle Ages in Europe from 476 to 1000.
Objectives:
- . Explain the spread and influence of the Roman alphabet and the Latin language, the survival of Roman civilization beyond the fall of the Roman empire, and the use of Latin as the language of education for more than 1,000 years, including English-language vocabulary drawn from the Latin in philosophy, politics, medicine, and science.
- . Describe the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions, the Code of Justinian, Justinian's wars, and the construction of the Church of the Holy Wisdom or Hagia Sophia.
- . Explain the growth and influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church in medieval society, including: the significance of Europe's network of medieval pilgrimage routesThe role of monasteries in preserving the culture of antiquityThe spread of Christianity to Northern and Eastern Europe
- . Identify the founding and central features of Islam, including: Visions to MuhammadThe Qur'anPilgrimage to MeccaMonotheismDiscoveries in science and mathematicsSpread of Islam in the Middle East, Africa, and EuropeSeljuk Turks' conquest of AnatoliaBattle of Tours
- . Describe the Latin West from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Viking Era. The rise of France, the roles of Charles Martel and Charlemagne, and the establishment of the Holy Roman EmpireThe rise of Anglo-Saxon England, the Danish invasions, and the role of Alfred the GreatScandinavian raids and conquests (Vikings), explorations (Iceland, Greenland, Vinland), and state-building (Normandy, England, Naples, Russia)The differing orders of medieval society and the development of feudalism
7.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the High Middle Ages in Europe from 1000-1300.
Objectives:
- . Explain the origins of iconoclasm and the schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in 1054.
- . Identify the significance of the Battles of Hastings in 1066 and of Manzikert in 1071.
- . Describe political developments in medieval Europe from the Norman Conquest to the Mongol Invasions, including: The development of England, including the Norman Conquest and the roles of William the Conqueror and Henry II.The development of France, including the growth of royal power and the role of Philip Augustus.The partial disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of independent city-states in Italy and GermanyThe causes, course, and consequences of the European Crusades against Islam in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuriesThe Fourth Crusade (1204), the Crusader conquest of Orthodox Christian Byzantium, and the Crusader Kingdoms of GreeceThe divergence of Russia from Western Europe (Orthodox Christianity, Baltic Crusades, Mongol Yoke)
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Magna Carta.
- . Describe religious, intellectual, cultural, technological, and economic developments in medieval Europe from the Norman Conquest to 1300, including: The role of the clash between papacy and empire in the development of law and freedomThe growing influence of universities, Roman law, canon law, and ScholasticismThe origin and growing influence of the mendicant ordersMedieval culture, including architecture (Romanesque, Gothic), music (Gregorian chant, polyphony), and literature (chivalric romance)The initial emergence of a modern economy, including the growth of commerce, towns, and a merchant classTechnological and agricultural improvements, including ploughs, stirrups, windmills, watermills,Military improvements, including the mounted knight and fortificationsIslamic transmission of Greek (Aristotelian) and Islamic thought and technology to the Christian West (Averroes, Avicenna)Marco Polo's travels to India and China
7.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the Late Middle Ages from 1300 to 1450.
Objectives:
- . Describe internal divisions in the Roman Catholic Church during the Avignon Papacy, the Great Schism, and the subsequent councils.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of Arbroath.
- . Describe political developments in medieval Europe from the Black Death to 1450, including: The economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death (Bubonic Plague)The Hundred Years War, including Crecy, Agincourt, Henry V, and Joan of Arc.Developments in medieval England, including the strengthening of parliament and private property as a distinguishing feature of western libertyDevelopments in bankingInnovations including the compass and gunpowderIncreases in manufacturing at scale and international tradeMilitary developments including disciplined infantry and the cannon
7.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the Renaissance in Italy and in Northern Europe.
Objectives:
- . Describe the origins and development of the Renaissance, including. Republic of LettersChristian humanismToleranceSkepticism and secularism
- . Identify the contributions of key Renaissance figures, including Petrarch, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Erasmus.
- . Describe the traits and qualities of Renaissance culture, including: Johannes Gutenberg and the printing pressExpanding literacyVernacular literature and plays (Montaigne, Shakespeare)
7.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of the geography of Southeast Asia, Oceania, and South America.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, the major Pacific Islands, the Pacific Ocean, and the Coral Sea.
- . On a map of Southeast Asia and Oceania, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Cambodia, Guam (U.S.), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Northern Mariana Islands (U.S.), Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- . On a map of South America, locate the Amazon, the Andes Mountains, Cape Horn, and the southern, northern, eastern, and western regions of South America.
- . On a map of South America, locate and identify the countries and capitals of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (U.K.), Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
7.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the origins and nature of European expansion.
Objectives:
- . Describe the decline of Byzantium and the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453.
- . Describe the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula and the rise of the Christian Iberian kingdoms up to the conquest of the Emirate of Granada in 1492.
- . Explain why and how European nations sent explorers westward. Economic and religious motivations (Marco Polo, trade with India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands)Advances in navigation and cartographyExploits of exploration by individuals including Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan
- . Explain how overseas expansion led to the growth of commerce and the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. History of slavery in antiquity and tribal societiesEuropean debates about the morality of slaverySpanish ban on enslaving American Indians, but permission to enslave AfricansApproximately 90% of slaves that crossed the Atlantic taken to South America and the Caribbean
- . Describe the sixteenth-century expansion of the Spanish empire. Spain's American empire (Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Coroando)Spanish confrontation with the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean (Battle of Lepanto, 1571)Spread of Catholicism to Latin America and Asia
- . Describe the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century expansion of the Dutch, French, English, and Russian empires. Piracy and privateeringColumbian exchange of agricultural products, flora, and faunaMercantilism
7.11 The student demonstrates understanding of the Constitutional Convention and the U.S. Constitution it created.
Objectives:
- . Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781 and its weaknesses that led to the Constitutional Convention.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.
- . Explain the major debates that occurred at the Convention as well as the grounds of consensus regarding human nature and the importance of self-government that produced a new Constitution, including the Virginia and New Jersey Plans, the Connecticut Compromise, and the rights of states.
- . Explain ways in which the Constitution permitted but also placed new limits on slavery, including: Including and limiting the use of slaves for electoral representation in the Three-Fifths ClauseThe Fugitive Slave ClauseContinuing yet allowing for the end of the Atlantic slave trade
- . Describe the major arguments for and against the Constitution during the ratification debate. Too strong of a governmentLack of a bill of rightsConcerns over factionsBenefits of federalism and checks and balances
- . Explain specific rights included in the Bill of Rights. First AmendmentSecond AmendmentFifth AmendmentNinth AmendmentTenth Amendment
7.12 The student demonstrates understanding of the political democratization and westward expansion of America during the Early Republic.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the major policies and political developments during the presidencies of George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797–1801), and Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809), including: The origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the 1790sThe conflicting ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander HamiltonNegotiations with American Indians and Joseph BrantThe Alien and Sedition ActsThe Louisiana PurchaseThe Founders' changing views on emancipationThe War of 1812
- . Describe the election of 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and Andrew Jackson's actions as President, including: The spoils systemJackson's veto of the National BankJackson's policy of Indian Removal and popular opposition including the Cherokees and Chirstian missionaries
- . Explain the doctrine of judicial review as manifested in *Marbury v. Madison* (1803).
- . Describe the causes, major developments, and consequences of America's westward expansion and growing diplomatic assertiveness, including: The 1823 Monroe DoctrineIndian RemovalBlackhawk War and the Treaty of Chicago (1833)The Trail of Tears and its effects on the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Choctaw, Chickasaw*Worcester v. Georgia*The 1836 Texas War of Independence and the 1845 annexation of TexasThe concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansionThe acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1846The territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican-American WarThe California Gold RushPerry Expedition to Japan (1854)
- . Explain the importance of the Transportation Revolution of the 19th century and the building of canals, roads, bridges, turnpikes, steamboats, and railroads.
- . Explain the emergence and effects of industrial growth throughout antebellum America, including: Textile industry in New England and roles of womenThe technological improvements and inventions that contributed to agricultural and industrial growth (Samuel Morse, Cyrus McCormick)The causes and effects of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850sThe rise of a business class of merchants and manufacturers
- . Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the effect of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture. Domestic slave trade and westward expansion of slaveryDependence on plantation agricultureConstrained industrialization and technological innovationChristianization: spirituals, emancipatory theologySlave society: slave quarters, slaveholder violence, family bonds, family separation
- . Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, its Christian inspiration, the roles of abolitionists Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolitionism.
- . Describe how important religious trends that shaped antebellum America, including the Second Great Awakening, antebellum reforms of religions, and their influence on Protestants' reaction to the growth of Catholic immigration, including the Bible Riots.
- . Analyze the goals and effect of the antebellum women's suffrage movement, including the 1848 Seneca Falls convention, Declaration of Sentiments, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
- . Analyze the emergence of a national American culture. Writers: Washington Irving, Herman Melville, and Ralph Waldo EmersonArtists: John James Audubon and Albert BierstadtSongwriters: Stephen Foster and John Philip Sousa
7.13 The student demonstrates understanding of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Objectives:
- . Describe how the different economies and cultures of the North and South contributed to the growing importance of sectional politics in the early 19th century and the role of slavery as the main cause of the divisions and eventual war.
- . Explain the critical developments leading to the Civil War. The Missouri Compromise (1820)The South Carolina Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)The Compromise of 1850Publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's *Uncle Tom's Cabin* (1851-1852)The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)The Dred Scott Supreme Court case (1857)The Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)The election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)
- . On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war.
- . Analyze Abraham Lincoln's character and temperament, his presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
- . Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe as many as possible of the important Civil War battles and events. Leaders: Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. LeeBattles: Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, March to the Sea, AppomattoxAssassination of Abraham Lincoln
- . Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War. Physical and economic destructionThe increased role of the federal governmentThe greatest loss of life on a per capita basis of any U.S. war before or since
- . Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. Presidential and Congressional ReconstructionThe 13th, 14th, and 15th AmendmentsAttempted creation of a free-labor economy in the SouthOpposition to ReconstructionReconstruction Treaties with Five TribesAbolition of American Indian slave owningAccomplishments and failures of Radical Reconstruction led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles SumnerThe presidential election of 1876 and the end of ReconstructionPosse Comitatus Act (1878)The rise of Jim Crow laws
7.14 The student demonstrates knowledge of late 19th century industrial America and its emerging role in international affairs at the turn of the century.
Objectives:
- . Explain the various causes of the Second Industrial Revolution, including: The economic impetus provided by the Civil WarImportant technological and scientific advances including electricity, the Bessemer Process, and oil refinementThe role of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and William HearstExamples of the virtues including enterprise, industry, and philanthropy
- . Explain the important consequences of the Industrial Revolution, including: Mass productionThe growth of corporations (general incorporation laws)Environmental consequencesIncreased life expectancy, population growth, the expansion of citiesAnti-monopolism and the rise of economic regulationHigher living standards
- . Describe American culture between 1865 and 1914, including: Writers such as Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, and Mark TwainArtists such as Winslow Homer and Frederic RemingtonMinstrel shows, vaudevilleMass culture, including cheap novels, professional sports teams, amusement parks, and jazz music
- . Describe important aspects of American religion between 1865 and 1914, including the Social Gospel, Pentecostal Movement, foreign missions, and the increasing role of Catholicism and Judaism.
- . Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern Europeans, Eastern Europeans, and East Asians to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and describe the major roles of these immigrants in the industrialization of America, including: Tammany HallBlaine amendmentsColumbus Day celebrationsPierce v. Society of Sisters (1925)
- . Analyze the causes of the continuing westward expansion of the American people after the Civil War and the effect of this migration on the American Indians, including: Settlement promotion through the Homestead Act of 1862 and the First Transcontinental RailroadIndian wars: Battle of Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee MassacreReservation and assimilation policies: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Dawes Act, Indian boarding schoolsReligious responses: Christianization, Ghost Dance
- . Explain the formation and goals of trade unions as well as the rise of third political parties during the Industrial era, including: The American Federation of Labor headed by Samuel GompersThe Populist PartyThe Socialist Party headed by Eugene Debs
- . Analyze in as much detail as possible the causes and course of America's growing role in world affairs following the Civil War, including: The influence of the ideas associated with Social DarwinismThe purchase of Alaska from RussiaAmerica's growing influence in Hawaii leading to annexationThe Spanish-American WarU.S. expansion into Asia under the Open Door policyAnti-Imperialist LeaguePresident Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe DoctrineAmerica's role in the building of the Panama Canal
7.15 The student demonstrates knowledge of early Progressive ideas.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the origins of Progressivism and early progress, including Jane Addams, Theodore Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, and Woodrow Wilson.
- . Analyze the main policy changes advanced by Progressives, including: Bans against child laborThe initiative, referendum, and recallSherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)Meat Packing Act (1906)Rule by experts
- . Compare Progressive views on the purpose and scope of government to that of the American Founders.
- . Analyze the post-Civil War struggles of African Americans and women to gain basic civil rights. W.E.B. Du BoisMarcus GarveyThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)The Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)Susan B. AnthonyElizabeth Cady StantonAlice PaulBooker T. Washington
Draft (2025)
Eighth Grade
8.1 The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of one class period about a historical figure or event studied in class using the persuasive mode, citing class notes, 4-5 paragraphs in length.
8.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from Calvin Coolidge's Address at the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and at least one of the following:
8.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify a positive, meaningful, and morally informed vision for one's future.
- . Identify local examples of professional expertise to seek out meaningful apprenticeship opportunities.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to initiative.
- . Identify examples from history of how the four Classical Virtues cause happiness and their opposite vices cause misery.
8.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the Reformation.
Objectives:
- . Describe the origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation, including: The main ideas of Martin Luther and John CalvinThe spread of Protestantism across Europe: Lutherans, Reformed (Calvinist), Church of England, AnabaptistsThe growth of parliamentary power and individual liberty in the Netherlands and EnglandThe consolidation of royal powercuius regio, eius religio" ("whose rule, their religion")
- . Describe the key figures and ideas of the English Renaissance, including the roles of Thomas More, William Shakespeare, and John Milton.
- . Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Individual catechism and devotionMissionary evangelizationBaroque style
- . Explain the role of religion in the wars among European nations in the 16th and 17th centuries and the consequent birth of the modern system of secular states. Schmalkaldic WarsFrench Wars of ReligionSpanish Armada (1588)Thirty Years War
8.5 The student demonstrates knowledge of the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.
Objectives:
- . Summarize how the Scientific Revolution and the scientific method led to new theories of the universe.
- . Identify the accomplishments of leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, including Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and Issac Newton.
- . Describe technological improvements that promoted economic development, including the development of crop rotation, the construction of turnpikes, aqueducts, canals, and lighthouses, and innovations in producing cement, porcelain, and glassware.
- . Describe the concept of Enlightenment in European history and major themes. Empiricism, skepticism, and rationalismHumanitarian reformConsent of the governed
- . Identify the main ideas of major Enlightenment thinkers. Thomas Hobbes: state of natureJohn Locke: natural rights and social contractJean Jacques Rousseau: general will
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of John Locke's Second Treatise of Government.
8.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of the political developments of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Objectives:
- . Describe the growing consolidation of political power in Europe from 1500 to 1800 as manifested in the rise of nation-states ruled by monarchs. The rise of the French monarchy, including the policies and influence of Louis XIVThe Peace of WestphaliaThe military revolutionEnlightened absolutismMuscovy's distinctive combination of autocracy, Orthodox Christianity, and estrangement from and limited opening to the WestThe rise of Prussia and AustriaThe rise and fall of Poland and SwedenThe Ottoman dominance of southeastern Europe and invasions of central Europe until their defeat at the Siege of Vienna in 1683
- . Explain why England was the main exception to the growth of absolutism in royal power in Europe. The causes and essential events of the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and the Act of Union with Scotland of 1707The effect of the Glorious Revolution on the development of parliamentary sovereignty, constitutional "mixed government," and liberty in England, including the importance of the English Bill of Rights and how it limited the power of the monarch to act without the consent of ParliamentEngland's intensifying economic innovation, including the culture of tradeEngland's military and imperial success in successive wars with France, and the consequent establishment of a British Empire in North America and the Indian subcontinent
8.7 The student demonstrates knowledge of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Europe.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the important causes of the French Revolution, including: The effect of Enlightenment political thoughtThe influence of the American RevolutionEconomic troubles, national debt, and the rising influence of the middle classGovernment corruption
- . Summarize the important events of the French Revolution, including: The convening of the Estates GeneralThe National Assembly and the “Tennis Court Oath”The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the CitizenThe Storming of the Tuileries, the creation of the First French Republic, and the new revolutionary calendar (1792; “year zero” of the new order)The execution of Louis XVI in 1793The Terror (Maximilien Robespierre)Anti-clerical policies and the nationalization of Church property
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes's What is the Third Estate?
- . Summarize the major effects of the French Revolution, including: Its contribution to modern nationalism and its relationship to totalitarianismThe debilitation of the Catholic church in FranceIts support for ideas of popular sovereignty and legal equalityTerror and anti-clericalism as a model for later revolutions
- . Summarize the important events of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including: The rise of Napoleon BonaparteItalian Campaign (1796-97)Trafalgar (1805)Austerlitz (1805)Invasion of Russia (1812)Waterloo (1815)Nationalist resistance to France, especially in Spain and RussiaThe Congress of Vienna, which established a European peace that lasted from 1815 to 1914
- . Summarize the effects of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars. The Continental SystemModernization of France's rivals Austria and PrussiaBritish commercial and industrial expansionCode NapoleonBattle deaths and economic devastationThe accelerated rise of nationalism and romanticism across EuropeBritain's leading role in maintaining the nineteenth-century Concert of Europe by balance-of-power diplomacyRussia's emergence as the great European land power and champion of counter-revolutionary regimes
8.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of the Second Industrial Revolution and social and political Change between 1800 and 1914.
Objectives:
- . Identify the causes of the Industrial Revolution. The rise in agricultural productivityTransportation improvements such as canals and railroadsThe influence of the ideas of Adam Smith to promote economic libertyInstitutions including secure property rights, patents for inventions, contract law, and the gold standardNew sources of energy such as coal
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of "Of the Division of Labor" from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.
- . Summarize the social and economic consequences of the Industrial Revolution. Vast increases in productivity and wealthIncreased life expectancy, population growth, and urban growthThe growth of a middle classMass cultureProblems caused by urbanization and harsh working conditions
- . Explain the effect the various social and political reforms, reform movements, and revolutions in nineteenth-century Europe. The rise of unions and socialism, including the ideas and influence of Karl MarxEconomic protectionismChild labor laws, and social legislation such as old age pensions and health and unemployment insuranceThe expansion of voting rightsRevolutions of 1830 and 1848Communism/socialism
8.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of England, imperialism, and the shifting balance of power in Europe in the late 1800s.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the causes, course, and consequences of the unifications of Italy and Germany. Germany's replacement of France as the dominant power in continental EuropeThe roles of Camillo Cavour and Otto von Bismarck in the unifications of Italy and GermanySeven Weeks War (1866) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870)
- . Describe the causes of 19th century European imperialism Economic gain and resourcesChristian missionsStrategic advantageNationalism
- . Describe changes in European colonies during the 19th century. Changes in life expectancy and population growthInhumane treatment of native populationsAbolition of slaveryNationalist movementsChanges in legal systemsColonial economic relationshipsSpread of Christianity in Africa and Asia
- . Discuss the political and military trends of Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Economic and imperial competitionAlliance blocs and the arms raceNationalismMilitarismThe declining power of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires
8.10 The student demonstrates knowledge of World War I and America's involvement in the conflict.
Objectives:
- . Explain the causes of the First World War and its major battles, including the Marne, Gallipoli, the Somme, and Verdun.
- . Explain why America declared war on the Central Powers and major battles in which the Americans were involved, including the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
- . Describe conflicts between liberty and authority in America during the First World War. The Selective Service Act of 1917 and the drafting of Americans to fight in the First World WarEspionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918, and imprisonment of anti-war critics and activists by the Wilson AdministrationThe Versailles Treaty of 1919, the League of Nations, and debates between President Wilson and critics in Congress over ratification
- . Summarize the major consequences of World War I. Physical and economic destructionThe unprecedented loss of life from prolonged trench warfareThe collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the subsequent Bolshevik Revolution and Civil War in RussiaPost-war economic and political instability in GermanyThe Armenian genocide and the collapse and partition of the Ottoman empireMilitary innovations: airplanes, tanks, poison gasThe League of Nations and attempts at disarmament
8.11 The student demonstrates knowledge of the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and the New Deal.
Objectives:
- . Describe the unwinding of wartime expansion of government under the Harding Administration (1920-23), including: The demobilization of drafted soldiersFederal budget cutsAmnestying of political prisonersDesegregating the Executive Branch
- . Identify major developments in American politics and society during the 1920s, including: Palmer Raids (1919-1920), Wall Street Bombing (1920), Sacco and Vanzetti Trials (1921-1927)Flapper culturePresident Calvin Coolidge and his philosophy of limited governmentRacial and ethnic tensions: Ku Klux Klan, Tulsa Race MassacreProhibition
- . Describe American culture between 1914 and 1945. Writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, and Zora Neale HurstonArtists such as Norman Rockwell and Jacob LawrenceThe Fundamentalist-Modernist split in American ProtestantismThe Harlem RenaissanceThe Great MigrationRadio and HollywoodScience fiction and comic booksJazz, country, blues, Broadway musicals
- . Describe the various causes and consequences of the global depression of the 1930s and analyze how Americans responded to the Great Depression. German reparations and Allied World War I debts to AmericaInterest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and speculative trading on “margin”Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930)Suspension of the gold standard (1933)UnemploymentThe influence of the ideas of John Maynard Keynes
- . Analyze the important policies of the New Deal era and the roles of Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Eleanor Roosevelt, including: Establishment of the Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationSecurities and Exchange CommissionTennessee Valley AuthorityThe Social Security ActThe Works Progress AdministrationSupreme Court’s changing approach to New Deal legislation following the “court-packing” controversyGeneral expansion of federal power in economic and social policies
- . Examine the involvement of the American Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the American Communist Party in New Deal policy.
8.12 The student demonstrates knowledge of World War II and America's involvement in the conflict.
Objectives:
- . Explain the reasons for American isolationist sentiment after World War I and analyze its effect on U.S. foreign policy.
- . On a map of the world, locate the Allied powers (Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States) and Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan)
- . Analyze how German aggression in Europe and Japanese aggression in Asia contributed to the start of World War II and summarize the major battles and events of the war. Fascism in Germany and Italy, including its roots in economic depression, effects of the Versailles Treaty, and ideologyGerman rearmament and militarization of the RhinelandGermany's seizure of Austria and Czechoslovakia and Germany's invasion of PolandJapan's invasion of ChinaThe Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939) and the German and Soviet invasions of Poland in September 1939Pearl Harbor, Midway, D-Day, Okinawa, the Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and the Yalta and Potsdam conferencesTotal war: Rotterdam and Coventry, submarine warfare, strategic bombing (Dresden, Tokyo), atom bombs (Hiroshima, Nagasaki)American economic production: oil and the Inch Pipelines, the Arsenal of Democracy
- . Explain the important domestic events that took place during the war. Economic effects including full employment, migration to cities, and industrialization of the South and WestThe internment of West Coast Japanese-Americans in the U.S. and CanadaThe entry of large numbers of women into the workforceRationing and forced savingsIncreased importance of federal government, big business, and unionsTechnological advances: computers, nuclear weapons, microwavesGI Bill
- . Describe the background, course, and consequences of the Holocaust. Its roots in the long tradition of anti-Semitism among Christians and 19th century ideas about race and nationThe Nazi Party's seizure of unchecked power within GermanyThe Nazi regime's dehumanization of the JewsThe parallel mass murders of the physically disabled and GypsiesThe Nazis' culminating attempt to exterminate the Jewish peopleChristian opposition to the Nazis, including the Papal Encyclical Mit brennender Sorge of 1937 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
8.13 The student demonstrates knowledge of postwar America and the origins of the Cold War.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of important domestic Cold War trends. Economic growth and declining povertyThe baby boomGrowth of suburbs and home-ownershipGI Bill and general increase in education levelsDevelopment of mass media and consumerism
- . Analyze the factors that contributed to the Cold War, and describe the policy of containment as America's response to Soviet expansionist policies. The differences between the Soviet and American political and economic systemsSoviet aggression in Eastern EuropeThe Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO
- . Analyze the sources and, with a map of the world, locate the areas of Cold War conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Korean WarGermanyChinaThe Middle EastLatin AmericaAfrica
- . Analyze the roots of domestic anticommunism as well as the origins and consequences of McCarthyism, including the roles of the following:
People:
Alger Hiss J. Edgar Hoover Senator Joseph McCarthy Julius and Ethel RosenbergInstitutions:
The American Communist Party (including its close relationship to the Soviet Union) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)Events:
Hollywood Blacklist - . Analyze the following domestic policies of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. Truman's Fair DealEisenhower's response to the Soviet's launching of SputnikBracero Program
8.14 The student demonstrates knowledge of American domestic developments and foreign policy events during the 1960s and 1970s.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the important policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, including: The space exploration programThe Cuban Missile CrisisThe Vietnam WarThe assassination of President KennedyJohnson's Great Society programsThe influence on politics and culture of televisionThe anti-war and counter-cultural movementsAmerican Indian Movement and the Wounded Knee Occupation
- . Analyze the roles of Rosa Parks, Earl Warren, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Robert Kennedy, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the Civil Rights movement.
- . Analyze the major events of the Civil Rights movement, including: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott1957-1958 Little Rock School CrisisSit-ins and freedom rides of the early 1960s1963 March on Washington1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
- . Examine the major accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement, including: The Twenty-Fourth Amendment1964 Civil Rights Act1965 Voting Rights ActThe expansion of the African American middle class and its political powerDeclining rates of African American poverty
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “I Have A Dream”.
- . Explain the causes, course, and consequences of the Vietnam War and summarize the diplomatic and military policies of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964)Tet Offensive (1968)Vietnamization (1969-1973)Paris Peace Accords (1973)North Vietnamese victory (1975)
- . Analyze the important policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Nixon's appeal to “the silent majority”The creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970The Watergate scandal (including the Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Nixon)1970s inflationIran Hostage Crisis
8.15 The student demonstrates knowledge of recent American history from 1980-2001.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Tax rate cuts and deregulationAnticommunist foreign and defense policiesThe revitalization of the conservative movement during Reagan's tenure as President
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history Ronald Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech.
- . Analyze how the failure of communist economic policies as well as U.S.-sponsored resistance to Soviet military and diplomatic initiatives contributed to ending the Cold War.
- . Analyze as many as possible of the important policies and events of the Bush (I), Clinton, and Bush (II) presidencies, including: The Persian Gulf WarThe passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993President Clinton's welfare reform legislationThe causes and consequences of the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998The contested 2000 electionThe September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.Hurrican Katrina
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of George W. Bush's “National Cathedral Speech”.
- . Describe some of the major economic and social trends of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The computer and technological revolutionCultural changes through the InternetMajor immigration and demographic changes, such as the rise in Asian and Hispanic immigration (both legal and illegal)Decreased real wages for large portions of the working classThe weakening of the nuclear family, and the rise in divorce rates and out-of-wedlock birth rates
Draft (2025)
American Government
USG.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
USG.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory the constitutional amendments including the Bill of Rights, the Reconstruction Amendments, and at least five of the following:
"Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." - Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Article 3"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." — Federalist 10"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. [So help me God.]" — Presidential Oath of Office with George Washington's addition"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." — John Adams's To the Officers of the Militia of Massachusetts"In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened." — George Washington's Farewell Address"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever." — Thomas Jefferson on slavery in America"America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." — Alexis de Tocqueville"Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." — Frederick Douglass"All honor to Jefferson—to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to embalm it there, that to-day, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling-block to the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression." — Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Henry Pierce"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." — Ronald Reagan"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America—there's the United States of America." — Barack Obama
USG.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify each of the Classical Virtues and their importance to a happy and meaningful life. Courage as the disposition, habit, and choice of confronting fear, pain, or evil, and a virtue of enterprise, drive, grit, determination, tenacity, and productivityModeration as the disposition, habit, and choice of resisting illegitimate or ignoble pleasures, and central to manners, friendship, and civil conversationJustice as the disposition, habit, and choice of obeying rules, respecting authority, and treating others fairly, giving honor where honor is due, and emulating greatnessPrudence as the ability to choose well in changing circumstances and in the absence of a rule, and a virtue of good leadership
- . Identify historical examples of spiritual virtues in their relation to civic virtue as articulated in the Northwest Ordinance and George Washington's Farewell Address.
- . Recognize how limited government means predilection toward fewer laws.
- . Explain how friendship and private associations serve to disrupt tyranny and despotism.
- . Explain how sincere belief in natural rights requires toleration, moderation, and acceptance of diverse paths to individual happiness.
- . Explain how sincere belief in natural rights requires vigilance and self-assertion.
- . Identify how industry and frugality are necessary for independence.
USG.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the basic concepts regarding the nature of government, politics, and civic life.
Objectives:
- . Define and distinguish among civic life (public affairs), political life (the means of influencing government), and private life (individual life free from governmental control).
- . Define the terms citizenship, politics, and government.
- . Define and describe the purposes and functions of government, including the establishment of sovereignty, the guarantee of law and order, and the preservation of liberty.
- . Define and provide examples of different forms of government, including direct democracy, representative democracy, republic, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and autocracy.
- . Define and distinguish limited and unlimited government and provide examples of each type of government.
USG.5 The student demonstrates understanding of America's core ideas as presented in America's founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of the Declaration of Independence.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
- . Analyze the contributions to America's core ideas of liberty, self-government, individual rights, and the common good from the following: Religion, especially Hebraic and ChristianAncient and classical republicanismThe EnlightenmentEnglish lawColonial-era ideas on government and practice of self-government
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of the Magna Carta.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of the Mayflower Compact.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of the English Bill of Rights.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of John Locke's Second Treatise of Government.
USG.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the events and experiences that formed the American government.
Objectives:
- . Connect grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence to colonial and revolutionary experiences and events and identify them in terms of ideals of liberty, including due process of law, individual rights, natural rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract.
- . Trace the colonial, revolutionary, and founding-era experiences and events that led to the writing, ratification, and implementation of the United States Constitution (1787) and the Bill of Rights (1791).
- . Identify key events that led to the establishment of a secure republican order, including the Articles of Confederation and their failure, Annapolis Convention, Philadelphia Convention and state ratifying conventions, actions of the First Congress, Bill of Rights, George Washington's actions as President, George Washington's retirement, Election of 1800.
- . Identify, define, explain, and provide examples of foundational ideas of American government including: natural law (Declaration of Independence, Federalist 43)natural rights (Declaration of Independence)equality (Declaration of Independence)popular sovereignty (Preamble and Article VII)constitutionalism (Preamble and Article VII)republicanism (Article I sections 1-7, Article II section 1, Federalist 39)federalism (Article I section 3, Article I section 10, Article IV, Supremacy Clause)limited government (Article I Vesting Clause, Necessary and Proper Clause, Amendment 10)separation of powers (Articles I-III Vesting Clauses, power to declare war and Commander-in-Chief Clause)due process (Habeas Corpus, Amendments 5-8, Amendment 14)social contract (Preamble, Article VII)consent of the governed (Preamble, structure of elections)individual and unalienable rights of life, liberty, and property (Declaration of Independence)
- . Explain how the United States Constitution and its amendments embody enduring political principles, including liberty, checks and balances, consent of the governed, democracy, due process of law, federalism, individual rights, limited government, representative government, republicanism, the rule of law, and the separation of powers.
- . Compare and contrast ideas on government of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists during their debates on ratification of the U.S. Constitution (1787–1788).
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Federalist 1, 9, 10, 39, 51, and 78.
- . Explain arguments presented in the Federalist Papers in support of ratifying the United States Constitution and a republican form of government.
- . Analyze the accuracy of the Federalists' and the Anti-Federalists' predictions, including the costs and benefits of increasing the size, scope, and centralization of power in the federal government.
USG.7 The student demonstrates understanding of America's core constitutional and government ideas.
Objectives:
- . Analyze how the Founding ideas of human nature as unchanging, rational, moral, and equally endowed with rights have shaped America as a constitutional republic.
- . Explain the Republican Guarantee Clause in Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution, which says, "The United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union a Republican form of Government...."
- . Explain how the rule of law, embodied in a constitution, limits government to protect self- government and the rights of individuals.
- . Explain how a constitutional, democratic republic provides majority rule with equal protection for the rights of individuals, including those in the minority, including through federalism, limited government, local self-government, and the rule of law.
- . Analyze how the United States Constitution safeguards against authoritarianism.
- . Explain how components of civil society contribute to the maintenance of limited government in a representative and democratic republic such as the United States, including good character, active communities, individual self-reliance, ethics, and religion.
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, the student demonstrates understanding of the principles of American democracy. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land (Question 1)The Constitution sets up the government, defines the government, and protects the basic rights of Americans (Question 2)The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution: We the People. (Question 3)An amendment is a change or an addition to the Constitution. (Question 4)The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. (Question 5)Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to assembly, freedom of press, and right to petition the government are rights or freedoms from the First Amendment. (Question 6)The Constitution has twenty-seven (27) amendments. (Question 7)The Declaration of Independence announced/declared our independence and said that the United States is free from Great Britain. (Question 8)Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are rights in the Declaration of Independence. (Question 9)The freedom of religion is when you can practice any religion, or not practice a religion. (Question 10)The economic system in the United States is a capitalist or market economy. (Question 11)The “rule of law” is when everyone must follow the law, leaders must obey the law, government must obey the law, and no one is above the law. (Question 12)
USG.8 The student demonstrates understanding of America’s core principles of liberty.
Objectives:
- . Discuss how liberty and private property generate broad-based opportunity and prosperity in the United States.
- . Analyze and explain the persistence of ideas about liberty, equality, and justice in American society, including: Reconstruction AmendmentsNineteenth AmendmentCivil Rights MovementTwenty-Sixth AmendmentSecond AmendmentReligious freedom from compulsory schooling, speechDebates about right to work statutes
- . Analyze how American constitutional principles preserve the liberties of all Americans, expand their opportunities, and contribute to the nation’s longevity and its ability to overcome challenges, including checks and balances, consent of the governed, democracy, due process of law, federalism, individual rights, limited government, representative government, republicanism, rule of law, and separation of powers.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream”.
- . Identify and explain successful (Emancipation Proclamation and Civil War era amendments) and failed (Reconstruction) historical efforts to narrow discrepancies between the foundational ideas and values of American democracy and the realities of American political and civic life.
USG.9 The student demonstrates the distribution of American constitutional government power at the national, state, tribal, and local levels.
Objectives:
- . Define and contrast governments that are unitary, confederate, and federal.
- . Distinguish between the scope of the powers vested to the Executive Branch (Article I) and Legislative Branch (Article II).
- . Define and distinguish among the enumerated, implied, concurrent, and reserved powers in United States Constitution, the Oklahoma Constitution, and tribal constitutions (such as the Choctaw Nation’s, the Cherokee Nation’s, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s), including Article I Section 8, Necessary and Proper Clause, 10th Amendment, and Take Care Clause.
- . Identify how the United States Constitution, the Oklahoma Constitution, and tribal constitutions (such as the Choctaw Nation’s, the Cherokee Nation’s, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s) distribute powers and authority to the federal, state government, or tribal governments.
- . Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme Court about the constitutional principle of federalism, such as McCullogh v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden, Plessy v. Ferguson, Wickard v. Filburn, Brown v. Board of Education, Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US, NFIB v. Sebelius, McGirt v. Oklahoma.
- . Explain the role of the Electoral College in ensuring presidential candidates consider the rights and interests of American citizens from a broad coalition of states and why the Electoral College creates a different electoral majority from the House of Representatives or the Senate.
- . Identify the different qualifications required for individuals to hold major offices under the Constitution and explain why they matter.
- . Analyze the functions of political parties in elections and government at the national and state levels of the federal system.
- . Explain the formal process of how a bill becomes a law.
- . Explain the functions of the courts of law in the governments of the United States and Oklahoma.
- . Explain the structure of the American court system and differentiate between original and appellate jurisdiction.
- . Describe the ways in which the Judiciary is an independent branch of government and what is its power of judicial review, specifically with reference to Marbury v. Madison.
- . Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme Court about the constitutional principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, such as Marbury v. Madison, Myers v. United States, Humphrey's Executor v. US, US v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, US v. Nixon, INS v. Chadha, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Boumediene v. Bush.
- . Explain the structure of local government in Oklahoma at both the county and town levels.
- . Explain and give examples of how citizens are affected by the local, state and federal governments.
- . Describe Oklahoma state constitutional provisions including the direct primary, initiative, petition, referendum, and recall.
- . Explain how redistricting and primary elections determine the candidates for whom voters may vote.
- . Explain the legal, fiscal, and operational relationships between state, county, city, and tribal governments in Oklahoma, including the division function, and sharing of powers.
- . Identify major sources of local and state revenues and the services provided including education, health and human services, transportation, courts, corrections, and public safety.
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, the student demonstrates understanding of America's system of government. Congress, the President, and the courts are parts of the government and legislative, executive, and judicial are branches of the government. (Question 13)Checks and balances and separation of powers stop one branch of government from becoming too powerful. (Question 14)The President is in charge of the executive branch. (Question 15)Congress (or U.S. or national legislature), consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives, makes federal laws. (Question 16)The Senate and House of Representatives are the two parts of the U.S. Congress. (Question 17)There are one hundred (100) U.S. Senators. (Question 18)We elect a U.S. Senator for six (6) years. (Question 19)Oklahoma's two sitting U.S. Senators are [Sen. Name 1] and [Sen. Name 2]. (Question 20)The House of Representatives has four hundred thirty-five (435) voting members. (Question 21)We elect a U.S. Representative for how two (2) years. (Question 22)Name your U.S. Representative. (Question 23)A U.S. Senator represents all people of the state. (Question 24)Some states have more Representatives than other states because they have more people/a larger population. (Question 25)We elect a President for how four (4) years. (Question 26)We vote for President in the month of November. (Question 27)The name of the sitting President of the United States is [Name]. (Question 28)The name of the Vice President of the United States is [Name]. (Question 29)If the President can no longer serve, the Vice President becomes President. (Question 30)If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, the Speaker of the House becomes President. (Question 31)The President is the Commander in Chief of the military. (Question 32)The President signs bills to become laws. (Question 33)The President vetoes bills. (Question 34)The President's Cabinet advises the President. (Question 35)Cabinet-level positions include the secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, Attorney General, and Vice President. (Question 36)The judicial branch reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), and decides if a law goes against the Constitution. (Question 37)The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court. (Question 38)There are nine (9) justices on the Supreme Court. (Question 39)The sitting Chief Justice of the United States is [Name]. (Question 40)Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government, including the power to print money, declare war, create an army, and make treaties. (Question 41)Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states, including the power to provide schooling and education, provide protection (police), provide safety (fire departments), give a driver's license, and approve zoning and land use.The current Governor of Oklahoma is [Gov. Name]. (Question 43)The capital of Oklahoma is Oklahoma City. (Question 44)The two major political parties in the United States are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. (Question 45)The political party of the current President is [Party Name]. (Question 46)The name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is [Speaker Name]. (Question 47)
USG.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the interactions between the United States and other nations and the role of the United States in world affairs.
Objectives:
- . Describe how the world is divided politically.
- . Describe different ways nation states interact, including trade, tourism, diplomacy, treaties and agreements, and military action.
- . Analyze reasons for conflict among nation states, including competition for resources and territory, differences in systems of government, and religious or ethnic conflicts.
- . Identify and explain powers that the United States Constitution gives to the President and to Congress in the conduct of foreign affairs.
- . Explain why the United States pursues its national interest, how the United States defines its national interest, and to what extent the pursuit of national interest does or should harmonize with the pursuit of American ideals, including considerations of George Washington's Farewell Address, the Monroe Doctrine, Senator Beveridge's March of the Flag, and George Kennan's Long Telegram.
- . Describe the tools used to carry out United States foreign policy, including diplomacy, economic aid, military aid, humanitarian aid, treaties, sanctions, and military intervention.
- . Examine the different forces that influence U.S. foreign policy, including foreign states, public opinion, and interest groups—including business, military, labor, ethnic, and religious organizations.
- . Differentiate among various governmental and nongovernmental international organizations and describe their purposes and functions, including the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), the World Court, and the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Red Cross, and the Catholic Relief Services.
- . Explain and evaluate participation by the United States government in international organizations, including NATO, the World Trade Organization, and the United Nations.
USG.11 The student demonstrates understanding of alternative interpretations and criticisms of America's constitutional ideas and principles of liberty.
Objectives:
- . Analyze and explain how ideas about liberty, equality, justice, natural rights, and limited government were reinterpreted by Progressive political thought and subsequent political movements.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Theodore Roosevelt's "The New Nationalism".
- . Describe the 20th-century growth of federal agencies and the administrative state and analyze arguments about their constitutionality.
- . Explain the constitutional and statutory bases and limitations for the delegation of powers to departments or agencies of the executive branch in the federal government.
- . Explain the functions of departments or agencies of the executive branch in the governments of the United States, Oklahoma, and tribal nations (such as the Choctaw, the Cherokee, and the Muscogee (Creek) and the degree to which they bypass or facilitate representative government.
- . Describe the rulemaking process in federal agencies and the reasons and rationale of them.
USG.12 The student demonstrates understanding of the roles of citizens in the United States.
Objectives:
- . Explain the constitutional provisions that establish and affect citizenship, including the 14th Amendment.
- . Explain the meaning and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States and Oklahoma.
- . Describe roles of citizens in Oklahoma and the United States, including voting in public elections, attending and testifying at public meetings, and serving in public office and on juries.
- . Research the platforms of the two major political parties and one third party as well as one candidate from each party for state or local government by visiting their official websites.
- . Explain how citizens in the United States participate in public elections as voters and supporters of candidates for public office.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects on the American experiment in self-government of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, including arguments about the importance of voluntary civil associations.
- . Identify and explain the importance of civic virtues for preserving and improving civil society and government.
- . Identify specific ways for individuals to serve their communities and participate responsibly in civil society, including through voting, jury duty, and respecting the rule of law.
- . Describe the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government.
- . Analyze and evaluate decisions about the extent of the rights of individuals in landmark cases of the United States Supreme Court, including Loving v. Virginia, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Sicurella v. United States, Wickard v. Filburn, Janus v. AFSCME, and Miranda v. Arizona.
- . Give examples of how political solutions to public policy problems are generated through interactions of citizens and civil associations with their government, including the examples of Prohibition and its repeal and Oklahoma State Question 687.
- . Conduct simulations of the democratic process drawn from enduringly influential episodes in the history of Western Civilization and American history, including: The Trial of Socrates (399 BC)The Putney Debates (1647)The Constitutional Convention (1787)The Oklahoma Constitutional Convention (1906-1907)Willmoore Kendall-Mulford Q. Sibley Debate on War and the Use of Force (1959)
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, the student demonstrates understanding of the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen. The four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote include that you don't have to pay (a poll tax) to vote, a male citizen of any race (can vote), citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote), and any citizen can vote (women and men can vote). (Question 48)Responsibilities that are only for United States citizens include serving on a jury and voting in a federal election. (Question 49)Rights only for United States citizens include voting in a federal election and running for federal office. (Question 50)Two rights of everyone living in the United States include freedom of expression, speech, assembly, to petition the government, religion, and the right to bear arms. (Question 51)We show loyalty to the United States and the flag when we say the Pledge of Allegiance. (Question 52)Promises you make when you become a United States citizen include giving up loyalty to other countries, defending the Constitution and laws of the United States, obeying the laws of the United States, serving in the U.S. military (if needed), serving (doing important work for) the nation (if needed), and being loyal to the United States. (Question 53)Citizens have to be eighteen (18) and older to vote for President. (Question 54)The ways Americans can participate in their democracy include voting, joining a political party, helping with a campaign, joining a civic group, joining a community group, giving an elected official your opinion on an issue, calling Senators and Representatives, publicly supporting or opposing an issue or policy, running for office, and writing to a newspaper. (Question 55)The last day you can send in federal income tax forms is April 15. (Question 56)All men must register for the Selective Service at the earliest age between eighteen (18) and twenty-six (26). (Question 57)
USG.13 The student demonstrates understanding of the sources of a shared American civic identity.
Objectives:
- . Explain how civic virtue and a shared American civic identity are achieved through the deliberation among varying groups about the meaning and application of our Founding documents.
- . Analyze how American government is strengthened by national bonds, including a common language, common customs, common affection to one another, reverence for the symbols of our country, exclusive allegiance to the United States, and gratitude toward every American in the past who dedicated himself to our country's survival, liberty, and prosperity.
- . Explain how the principles of freedom and respect for the personal attachments of faith, family, and local community strengthen national bonds.
- . Define and provide examples of fundamental principles and values of American political and civic life, including liberty, the common good, self-government, justice, equality, tolerance, law and order, the rights of individuals, pluralism, civic unity, patriotism, constitutionalism, popular sovereignty, and representative democracy.
Draft (2025)
Economics
E.1 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.
E.2 The student demonstrates understanding of various economic theories, their aims, and their results.
Objectives:
- . Describe six influential economic theories from the seventeenth century to the present day and identify notable economists associated with each theory:
Mercantilism/Economic nationalism:
Jean-Baptiste Colbert American School of EconomicsEconomic freedom/Classical liberalism:
Adam Smith David Ricardo Jean-Baptiste SayCommunism/Socialism:
Henri de Saint-Simon Karl Marx & Friedrich EngelsKeynesian economics:
John Maynard Keynes John Kenneth GalbraithChicago school economics:
George Stigler Milton FriedmanAustrian economics:
Carl Menger Friedrich Hayek Ludwig von Mises - . For each of the six economic theories: Describe which private and public institutions are necessary to establish and sustain the theory, in theory and in practice, e.g., state-sponsored monopoly charters, property rights, rule of law, enforcement of contracts, competitive markets, a central bank, fiat currency, compulsory "cooperation"Describe and evaluate the theories of human nature assumed by the theory, e.g., human nature driven by self-interest, sociability, rational decision-making, purposeful actionDescribe the relationship between the concept of value and value creation for the theory, in theory and in practiceDescribe the relationship between the theory and economic growth, in theory and in practiceDescribe the relationship between the theory and economic modernization, in theory and in practiceDescribe the relationship between the theory and broadly distributed prosperity and human flourishing, in theory and in practiceDescribe the relationship between the theory and political freedom and individual liberty, in theory and in practice
- . Describe the relationship between each of the modern economic theories (Keynesian economics, Chicago school, Austrian economics) and business (boom-bust) cycles, their origins/causes and effects.
E.3 The student demonstrates understanding that the limited nature of productive resources requires individuals to choose some things and give up others.
Objectives:
- . Define each of the productive resources (natural, human, capital) and explain why they are necessary for the production of goods and services.
- . Explain how producers and consumers confront the condition of scarcity, by making choices that involve opportunity costs and tradeoffs.
- . Describe how people respond predictably to positive and negative incentives, but how individual choices (and any aggregation of individual choices) based on personal subjective preferences can never be predicted.
- . Predict how interest rates act as an incentive for savers and borrowers.
- . Recognize that voluntary exchange occurs only when all participating parties expect to be better off, with each such transaction contributing to overall societal well-being as long as no fraud, coercion, or negative externalities are present.
- . Use a production possibilities curve to explain the concepts of choice, scarcity, opportunity cost, tradeoffs, unemployment, productivity, and growth.
- . Formulate a savings or financial investment plan for a future goal (e.g., college or retirement).
- . Recognize that government regulation at its core restricts or prohibits a collection of voluntary exchanges between would-be willing parties.
- . Compare and contrast how the various economic systems (traditional, market, command, mixed) try to answer the questions: What to produce?How to produce it?For whom to produce?
- . Describe how clearly defined and enforced property rights are essential to a market economy.
- . Identify and explain the broad goals of economic policy such as freedom, efficiency, equity, security, growth, price stability, and full employment.
E.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the role that supply and demand, prices, and profits play in determining production and distribution in a market economy.
Objectives:
- . Define supply and demand.
- . Describe Say's Law (Jean-Baptiste Say) and explain what is meant by the concept that production (i.e., supply) is the source of demand.
- . Describe the role of buyers and sellers in determining the equilibrium and market-clearing price.
- . Describe how prices are merely signals of relative scarcity sent to producers and consumers, and how producers and consumers respond to those signals.
- . Recognize that consumers ultimately determine what is produced in a market economy and that consumers over time establish the prices of consumer goods (consumer sovereignty).
- . Explain the function of profit in a market economy as an incentive/reward for entrepreneurs to bear and accept the risks of business failure.
- . Demonstrate how supply and demand determine equilibrium price and quantity in the consumer product, natural resource, and financial markets.
- . Identify factors that cause changes in market supply and demand.
- . Demonstrate how changes in supply and demand influence equilibrium price and quantity in the consumer product, natural resource, and financial markets.
- . Demonstrate how government wage and price controls, such as rent controls and minimum wage laws, create distortions that may lead to artificial shortages and/or over-consumption and hoarding.
- . Explain the connection between the fact that prices are merely signals (of relative scarcity) and attempts to 'control' prices suppress or distort those signals, leading to subsequent distortions in supply and demand.
- . Use the concept of price elasticity to explain anticipated changes in the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded as prices change.
- . Explain how financial markets, such as the stock market, channel funds from savers to investors.
E.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the organization and role of business firms and the various types of market structures in the United States economy.
Objectives:
- . Compare and contrast the following forms of business organization: sole proprietorship, limited liability company, partnership, and corporation (both C Corp and S Corp).
- . Identify the three basic ways that firms finance operations (retained earnings, stock issues, and borrowing), and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- . Recognize the role of economic institutions, such as labor unions and not-for-profit organizations, in market economies, including ways in which these institutions can become counterproductive, e.g., automatic deduction of union dues as a condition of employment andphilanthropic organizations that exist to serve and solicit donations from donors rather thantheir philanthropic mission.
- . Identify the basic characteristics of monopoly, oligopoly, pure competition, and market process.
- . Explain the difference between monopoly (i.e. existence of a single seller) and monopoly pricing (i.e. the ability of a monopolist (or oligopolistic cartel) to raise prices above that which would prevail in a competitive market without experiencing a significant reduction in demand).
- . Explain how competition among many sellers lowers costs and prices and encourages producers to produce more.
- . Explain ways that firms engage in competition, in terms of prices and other (non-price) attributes.
- . Illustrate how investment in research and development, equipment and technology, and training of workers can increase productivity.
- . Describe how the earnings of workers are determined by the value (to consumers) of the product produced and the workers' productivity.
- . Explain how advances in technology (thus enabling increases in worker productivity) can ultimately lead to more rather than fewer workers in a given industry.
- . Identify skills individuals need to be successful in the workplace and research how to start a small business.
E.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the roles of government in a market economy in attempts to resolve what it perceives as market failures.
Objectives:
- . Explain how government responds to perceived social needs by providing public goods and services, and contrast with examples from theory and practice of market provision of such goods.
- . Describe major revenue and expenditure categories and their respective proportions of local, state, and federal budgets.
- . Identify laws and regulations adopted in the United States to promote competition among firms, discuss their consequences and effects from the perspective of market structures (monopoly, oligopoly, pure competition, and market process).
- . Describe the characteristics of “natural” monopolies, such as utilities, and the intentions behind government regulation of such monopolies, including how excessively broad and/or anti-competitive regulations can ultimately harm consumers by stifling innovation.
- . Define progressive, proportional, and regressive taxation and explain the effects of each type of taxation on high-income earners, especially earners who have the means to move to other tax jurisdictions.
- . Describe how the costs of government policies often exceed their benefits because social or political goals other than economic efficiency are being pursued and how the larger the number of citizens being governed is, the more diverse the goals are, and the worse this problem is.
- . Explain how subsidiarity mitigates the problem of diverse noneconomic goals negatively shaping economic policy.
- . Explain how changes in federal spending and taxation can affect budget deficits and surpluses and the national debt.
- . Define and explain the differing approaches to fiscal and monetary policy from the perspectives of modern theories of economics: Keynesian economics, Chicago school, and Austrian economics.
- . Analyze how governments attempt to effectuate price stability, full employment, and economic growth via changes in taxation and government spending (i.e. fiscal policy).
- . Describe how imprecision in the various economic measurements (e.g. inflation, unemployment, GDP) and the lag between policy enactment and realization of its effects can actually lead to instability in the measures that are attempted to be controlled.
- . Analyze how the Federal Reserve attempts to effectuate price stability, full employment, and economic growth via monetary tools (i.e. changes in the discount rate, reserve requirements, and the money supply).
E.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the means by which economic performance is measured.
Objectives:
- . Define aggregate supply and aggregate demand, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic growth, unemployment, underemployment, and inflation.
- . Explain how Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic growth, unemployment, underemployment, and inflation are calculated.
- . Identify the different causes of inflation, explain who gains and loses because of inflation (i.e. the Cantillon effect), and explain the various measures of inflation and their inherent limitations.
- . Recognize that a country's overall level of income, employment, and prices are determined by the individual spending and production decisions of households and firms.
E.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of money and financial institutions in a market economy.
Objectives:
- . Explain the emergence of and the basic functions of money (e.g., medium of exchange, store of value, unit of account) and the key attributes of money (i.e. durable, portable, divisible, fungible, scarce (hard to create, obtain, or counterfeit), and widely accepted).
- . Discuss the evolution of the United States dollar from bimetallism (silver and gold) to metallism (gold) to "fiat metallism" (domestic conversion to gold prohibited) to "Bretton Woods metallism" (conversion to gold by foreign governments only) to purely fiat currency.
- . Explain the role of banks and other financial institutions in the economy of the United States.
- . Describe the organization and functions of the Federal Reserve System (i.e. the Fed), including the Fed's original congressionally-decreed mandates (to maximize employment and control inflation) and its expansion to provide "financial stability" through quantitative easing, liquidity programs, and stress-testing as a result of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
- . Compare and contrast credit, savings, and investment services available to the consumer from financial institutions.
- . Research and monitor financial investments such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
- . Formulate a credit or savings plan for purchasing a major item such as a car or home, comparing different interest rates.
E.9 The student demonstrates understanding of why individuals, businesses, and governments trade goods and services and how trade affects the economies of the world.
Objectives:
- . Explain the consequences of trade among individuals, regions, and countries. Describe the implications associated with the notion that all forms of trade can ultimately be explained or understood as voluntary exchange between individuals.
- . Define and distinguish between absolute and comparative advantage and explain how most trade occurs because of a comparative advantage in the production of a particular good or service.
- . Understand and explain how an individual (or country) with an absolute advantage across multiple goods benefited by focusing only on producing the good(s) for which they have a comparative advantage (regardless of any absolute advantages), then trading with other individuals (or countries) for the remaining goods (i.e. trading with those who have a better comparative advantage, regardless of any respective absolute advantages).
- . Define trade barriers, such as quotas and tariffs and explain how domestic income taxes and corporate taxes function as a sort of 'reverse tariff' (a tax on domestically-produced goods that is not imposed on imported goods).
- . Explain why countries sometimes erect barriers to trade and how this affects a country's economic growth (both theory and history).
- . Explain the difference between balance of trade and balance of payments.
- . Compare and contrast labor productivity trends in the United States and other developed countries.
- . Explain how changes in exchange rates affect the purchasing power of people in the United States and other countries and how the net effect of such changes in purchasing power become ever more complicated and difficult to disentangle whenever domestically-produced goodsdepend on imported raw materials.
- . Evaluate the arguments for and against free trade.
Draft (2025)
Ancient & Medieval World History
AWH.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
AWH.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from Plato's The Apology of Socrates and at least one of the following:
Selections from Demosthenes's Third PhilippicSelections from Pericles's Funeral OrationSelections from Cicero's First Oration on CatilineSelections from Cicero's De Officiis
AWH.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self- governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify each of the Classical Virtues and their importance to a happy and meaningful life, including:
Classical Virtues:
Courage as the disposition, habit, and choice of confronting fear, pain, or evil, and a virtue of enterprise, drive, grit, determination, tenacity, and productivity Moderation as the disposition, habit, and choice of resisting illegitimate or ignoble pleasures, and central to manners, friendship, and civil conversation Justice as the disposition, habit, and choice of obeying rules, respecting authority, and treating others fairly, giving honor where honor is due, and emulating greatness Prudence as the ability to choose well in changing circumstances and in the absence of a rule, and a virtue of good leadership - . Identify and explain the Aristotelian virtues along with their deficiencies and excesses.
- . Identify the difference between moral and intellectual virtues.
- . Identify the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
- . Explain the noble, beautiful, sublime, or divine as aims of moral action in the historical context.
- . Identify the rank and importance of different sets of virtues as articulated in Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, and Aquinas' Summa Theologica.
- . Recognize the importance of obedience to the law and civil disobedience to unjust laws as articulated in Plato's Apology and Crito.
- . Explain the importance and risks of ambition, honor, and magnanimity in a republic.
- . Identify the moral vices that historically lead to misery and poverty, such as envy, pride, resentment, vindictiveness, and greed.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to sacrifice and forgiveness.
AWH.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the origins of human beings in Africa through the Neolithic Age.
Objectives:
- . Describe the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life.
- . Identify sites in Africa where archaeologists have found evidence of the origins of modern human beings and describe what the archaeologists found.
- . Describe the kinds of evidence used by paleogeneticists, archaeologists, and linguists to draw conclusions about prehistory, including:
Prehistoric Evidence:
The relationship of Neanderthals, Denisovans, Flores man ("hobbit man"), and modern humans Prehistoric migrations from Africa to all other inhabited regions of the globe The peaceful and warlike characteristics of prehistoric life - . Describe the characteristics of the hunter-gatherer societies from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age (their use of tools and fire, basic hunting weapons, beads and other jewelry).
- . Explain the importance of the invention of metallurgy (bronze and iron) for the development of weapons and tools.
- . Describe how the invention of agriculture (the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals) related to settlement, population growth, and the emergence of civilization.
- . Identify the major characteristics of civilizations, including: The presence of geographic boundaries and political institutionsAn economy that produces food surplusesThe formation of cities and statesThe existence of social classes and hierarchical organizationDeveloped systems of religion, learning, art, and architectureSystems of record keeping and writing
AWH.5 The student demonstrates understanding of ancient Mesopotamia as the site of multiple ancient river civilizations.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map, locate the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, identify Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria as successive civilizations and empires in this region, and explain why the region is sometimes called "the Fertile Crescent." On a modern map of western Asia, identify the modern countries in the region (Iraq, Iran, and Turkey).
- . Identify polytheism (the belief that there are many gods) as the religious belief of the people in Mesopotamian civilizations.
- . Describe how irrigation, metalsmithing, wage labor, the domestication of animals, and inventions such as the wheel, the sail, and the plow contributed to the growth of Mesopotamian civilizations.
- . Describe the important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization, including: Its system of writing (and its importance in record keeping and tax collection)Monumental architecture (the ziggurat)Art (large relief sculpture, mosaics, and cylinder seals)State-building and empire
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Code of Hammurabi.
- . Describe who Hammurabi was and explain the basic principle of justice in the Code of Hammurabi ("an eye for an eye"; responsibility to your fellows for your actions).
AWH.6 The student demonstrates understanding of ancient Egypt.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean region, locate the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Nile River and Delta, and the areas of ancient Nubia and Egypt. Identify the locations of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt and explain what the terms mean. On a modern map, identify the modern countries of Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan.
- . Describe the kinds of evidence used by archaeologists and historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics of ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the social and economic characteristics of ancient Egypt.
- . Describe the role of pharaoh as god/king, the concept of dynasties, Egyptian conquests, the importance of at least one Egyptian ruler, the relationship of pharaohs to peasants, and the role of slaves in ancient Egypt.
- . Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs about death, the afterlife, mummification, and the roles of different deities, as well as Akhenaten's attempt to abandon polytheism for monotheism.
- . Summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization, including: The agricultural systemThe invention of a calendarMonumental architecture and art such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at GizaHieroglyphic writingThe invention of papyrus
AWH.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the ancient Levant.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, locate Greece, Asia Minor, Crete, Ugarit, Phoenicia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean, and the Red Sea. On a modern map, locate Greece, Crete, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria.
- . Describe the role of Levantine civilizations and peoples in transmitting Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization, and the effects of their invasions of Egypt, including: Ugarit (proto-alphabet)Hyksos (partial conquest of Egypt)Sea Peoples (invasions of Egypt)
- . Identify the Phoenicians as the successors to the Minoans in dominating maritime trade in the Mediterranean from c. 1000 - c. 300 BC. Describe how the Phoenician writing system was the first alphabet and the ancestor of our own Latin alphabet.
- . Describe the Phoenician settlement of Carthage c. 900 BC, the expansion of Carthaginian economic and political power in the Western Mediterranean, Carthaginian colonization, and Carthage's wars with the Greek city-states in Libya and Sicily.
AWH.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in Ancient Israel.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean, locate Asia Minor, Greece and Mesopotamia, the kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel, and Egypt. On a modern map, locate Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the areas governed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, Syria, and Turkey.
- . Identify the ancient Israelites, or Hebrews, trace the Biblical account of their migrations from Mesopotamia to the land called Canaan and their later sojourn in Egypt, and explain the role of Abraham and Moses in their history.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Book of Exodus.
- . Describe Judaism, the monotheistic religion of the Israelites, including: The belief that there is one GodThe Torahic DecalogueThe emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibilityThe belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations, whether ruler or ruledThe role of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as part of the history of early Israel
- . Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, including David's founding of Jerusalem as his capital city in 1000 BC and the building of the first temple by Solomon.
- . Describe the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests of Israel and Judah, the Babylonian Exile, the return to Israel, and the establishment of the Maccabean and Herodian dynasties.
- . Explain the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands (referred to as the Diaspora) after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the renaming of the country by the Romans.
- . Describe the changing nature of Jewish belief between 500 BC and 200 AD, including: Effects of the Babylonian Captivity and the return to IsraelEffects of Greek thoughtBeliefs of Rabbinic Judaism, the Sadducees, and the EssenesThe effect on Jewish beliefs of the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands
AWH.9 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in ancient Greece.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map of the Mediterranean area, locate Greece and trace the extent of its influence to 300 BC. On a modern map of the extended Mediterranean area including Europe, England, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, locate England, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, the countries of the Balkan peninsula, Crete, Egypt, India, the Middle East, Pakistan, and Turkey.
- . Explain how the geographical location of ancient Athens and other city-states contributed to their role in maritime trade, their colonies in the Mediterranean, and the expansion of their cultural influence.
- . Explain why the government of ancient Athens is considered the beginning of republican government; discuss Greek conceptions of the rule of law, liberty, and democracy; and explain the political concepts developed in ancient Greece. The "polis" or city-stateRule of lawLibertyCivic participation and voting rightsLegislative bodiesConstitution writing
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of The Athenian Constitution.
- . Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.
- . Describe the status of women and the functions of slaves in ancient Athens and Sparta.
- . Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Persian Wars, including the survival of Greek freedom and the origin of marathons.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the accounts of the Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis in Herodotus's Histories.
- . Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Pericles' Funeral Oration from Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.
- . Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of Thebes' liberation of Sparta's Messenian helots.
- . Describe the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture.
- . Describe the myths and stories of classical Greece; give examples of Greek gods and goddesses, heroes, and events, and where and how we see their names used today.
- . Explain why the city-states of Greece instituted a tradition of athletic competitions and describe the kinds of sports they featured.
- . Describe the purposes, functions, and development of Greek institutions such as the lyceum, the gymnasium, and the Library of Alexandria, identify the major accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, and identify English-language vocabulary drawn from the Greek in philosophy, politics, medicine, and science, including:
Accomplishments of the Ancient Greeks:
Science: Thales, Archimedes (physics and engineering), Ptolemy (astronomy) Math: Pythagoras and Euclid Medicine: Hippocrates, Galen Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes the Cynic, Zeno of Citium, and Plotinus History, Poetry, Drama: Herodotus, Thucydides, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Euripides Architecture: The Parthenon, the Acropolis, and the Temple of Apollo Language: The first complete alphabet with symbols for consonants and vowels, ancestor of the West's Latin alphabet - . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Plato's Apology of Socrates.
AWH.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the roots of Western Civilization in ancient Rome.
Objectives:
- . On a historical map, identify ancient Rome and trace the changing boundaries of the Roman Republic and Empire from 500 BC to 500 AD.
- . Explain how the geographical location of ancient Rome contributed to the shaping of Roman society and the expansion of its political power in the Mediterranean region and beyond.
- . Explain the rise of the Roman Republic and the role of mythical and historical figures in Roman history, including: Romulus and RemusCincinnatusHannibal and the Carthaginian Wars
- . Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its contribution to the development of republican self-government, including the separation of powers, liberty, the rule of law, representative government, and the notion of civic duty.
- . Describe the influence of Greek civilization on Rome.
- . Describe the collapse of the Roman Republic from the agrarian reform law of Tiberius Gracchus to the establishment of Julius Caesar's dictatorship, including: Tiberius GracchusMarius and SullaCiceroJulius Caesar
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Cicero's First Oration Against Catiline.
- . Describe Julius Caesar's and Augustus' transformation of Rome from a republic to an empire.
- . Explain the reasons for the growth and long life of the Roman Empire, including: Military organization, tactics, and conquests; and decentralized administrationThe purpose and functions of taxesThe promotion of economic growth through the use of a standard currency, road construction, and the protection of trade routesThe benefits of a Pax Romana
- . Describe the role of historical figures in imperial Roman history, including: TiberiusHadrianMarcus Aurelius
- . Describe the characteristics of slavery under the Romans.
- . Describe the central features of Christianity, including: MonotheismThe belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God's son who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and redeemed humans from sinBelief in the Old and New TestamentsThe lives and teachings of Jesus and Saint Paul
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of history of Jesus of Nazareth's words on Mount Eremos as recorded by Matthew of Capernaum.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Resurrection of Jesus and Resurrection of the Dead from Paul of Tarsus's First Epistle to the Corinthians.
- . Describe the origins and early expansion of Christianity and its central features, including: The relationship of early Christians and JewsThe relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman EmpireThe appeal of Christianity to different populations within the Roman EmpireThe relationship to Greek thought (logos, Neoplatonism)The role of state persecution, martyrs, and saintsThe influence of Constantine, especially the legalization of Christianity in the Roman empire, and the convocation of the First Council of Nicaea
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Nicene Creed.
- . Explain how internal forces (including the rise of autonomous military powers, political corruption, and economic and political instability) and external forces (shrinking trade, attacks, and invasions) led to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. Sack of Rome (410)Fall of the Western Roman Empire (476)Establishment of Germanic kingdoms (Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms)
- . Describe the contribution of Roman civilization to law, literature, poetry, architecture, engineering, and technology (e.g., roads, bridges, arenas, baths, aqueducts, central heating, plumbing, and sanitation). Pliny the ElderQuintilianSenecaUlpianVirgil
- . Explain the spread and influence of the Roman alphabet and the Latin language, the survival of Roman civilization beyond the fall of the Roman empire, and the use of Latin as the language of education for more than 1,000 years; and identify English-language vocabulary drawn from the Latin in philosophy, politics, medicine, and science.
AWH.11 The student demonstrates understanding of the ancient Indian and Chinese civilizations.
Objectives:
- . Describe significant aspects of Hindu belief, including: The origins of Indian civilization in the Indus ValleyThe evolution and central principles of Hinduism from Vedic Brahmanism to the synthesis of Hindu Vedanta philosophyThe development of social structures, such as the caste system
- . Describe significant aspects of Buddhist belief, including: The life and teachings of Siddhartha GautamaThe origins of Buddhism in IndiaThe evolution and central principles of BuddhismIdentify the locations and time periods of early Indian Hindu and Buddhist monarchies
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of Indian history, including: Monsoon agricultureMaurya EmpireKushan Empire and Gandharan artGupta Empire, Golden Age of India, and Indian mathematics, including the development of a decimal system and positional notationChola dynasty and its maritime empire
- . Describe significant aspects of Confucian belief, including: The life and teachings of ConfuciusIndividual ethicsMaintaining order and hierarchyMaintaining political orderConfucianism's role in maintaining the continuity of Chinese civilization
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, including: Unification of ChinaGreat Wall of ChinaConquest of southern ChinaFive BarbariansIntroduction of BuddhismAgriculture and transport, including land redistribution systems, rice paddies, terrace farming, and canalsInventions, including the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing
AWH.12 The student demonstrates understanding of the Early Middle Ages in Europe from 476-1000.
Objectives:
- . Describe the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions, the Code of Justinian, Justinian's wars, and the construction of the Church of the Holy Wisdom or Hagia Sophia.
- . Explain the growth and influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church in European medieval society, including: the significance of Europe's network of medieval pilgrimage routesThe role of monasteries in preserving the culture of antiquityThe spread of Christianity to Northern and Eastern Europe
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in European history of Benedict of Nursia's Rule of St. Benedict.
- . Describe the founding and central features of Islam, including: Visions to MuhammadThe Qur'anPilgrimage to MессаMonotheismDiscoveries in science and mathematicsSpread of Islam in the Middle East, Africa, and EuropeSeljuk Turks' conquest of AnatoliaBattle of Tours
- . Describe the Latin West from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Viking Era. The rise of France, the roles of Charles Martel and Charlemagne, and the establishment of the Holy Roman EmpireThe rise of Anglo-Saxon England, the Danish invasions, and the role of Alfred the GreatScandinavian raids and conquests (Vikings), explorations (Iceland, Greenland, Vinland), and state-building (Normandy, England, Naples, Russia)The differing orders of medieval society and the development of feudalism
AWH.13 The student demonstrates understanding of the High Middle Ages in Europe from 1000-1300.
Objectives:
- . Explain the origins iconoclasm and the schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in 1054.
- . Identify the significance of the Battles of Hastings in 1066 and of Manzikert in 1071.
- . Describe political developments in medieval Europe from the Norman Conquest to the Mongol Invasions, including: The development of England, including the Norman Conquest and the roles of William the Conqueror and Henry IIThe development of France, including the growth of royal power and the role of Philip AugustusThe partial disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of independent city- states in Italy and GermanyThe causes, course, and consequences of the European Crusades against Islam in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuriesThe Fourth Crusade (1204), the Crusader conquest of Orthodox Christian Byzantium, and the Crusader Kingdoms of GreeceThe divergence of Russia from Western Europe (Orthodox Christianity, Baltic Crusades, Mongol Yoke)
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Magna Carta.
- . Describe religious, intellectual, cultural, technological, and economic developments in medieval Europe from the Norman Conquest to 1300, including: The role of the clash between papacy and empire in the development of law and freedomThe growing influence of universities, Roman law, canon law, and ScholasticismThe origin and growing influence of the mendicant ordersMedieval culture, including architecture (Romanesque, Gothic), music (Gregorian chant, polyphony), and literature (chivalric romance)The initial emergence of a modern economy, including the growth of commerce, towns, and a merchant classTechnological and agricultural improvements, including ploughs, stirrups, windmills, watermillsMilitary improvements, including the mounted knight, and fortificationsIslamic transmission of Greek (Aristotelian) and Islamic thought and technology to the Christian West (Averroes, Avicenna)Marco Polo's travels to India and China
AWH.14 The student demonstrates knowledge of Indian and Chinese civilizations from 1000-1500.
Objectives:
- . Describe the expansion of Islam into India from the 11th through the 15th centuries. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of medieval Indian history, including: Mahmud of GhazniMuslim destruction of BuddhismDelhi SultanateIndo-Persian cultureIslamization in northwest India
- . Describe the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of early modern Indian history, including: Babur, Akbar, and AurangzebRise and development of the Sikh religion and statesPortuguese maritime hegemonyIslamization in BengalMughal tolerance and persecution of Hindus
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, including: Civil service examinationsNeo-ConfucianismMongol conquestPopulation growthInventions, including movable-type printing, cannon, and paper moneyConstruction of Peking and the Forbidden CityZheng He voyages of explorationMing political stagnation and collapse
AWH.15 The student demonstrates understanding of the Late Middle Ages from 1300-1450.
Objectives:
- . Describe internal divisions in the Roman Catholic Church during the Avignon Papacy, the Great Schism, and the subsequent councils.
- . Explain developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history and their importance in the rise of modern institutions and procedures of liberty and self-government, including common law, parliament, and habeas corpus.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of Arbroath.
- . Describe political developments in medieval Europe from the Black Death to 1453, including: The economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death (Bubonic Plague)The Hundred Years War, including Crecy, Agincourt, Henry V, and Joan of ArcDevelopments in medieval England, including the strengthening of parliament and private property as a distinguishing feature of western libertyExpansions in bankingInnovations including the compass and gunpowderIncreases in manufacturing at scale and international tradeMilitary developments including disciplined infantry and cannon
- . Describe the sack of Constantinople in 1453 and its consequences.
Draft (2025)
Modern World History
MWH.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
MWH.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from Winston Churchill's "Their Finest Hour" and at least one of the following:
Selections from Martin Luther's "Here I Stand"Elizabeth I's Speech at TilburySelections from William Wilberforce's Abolition SpeechSelections from Winston Churchill's "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat"Selections from Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches"Selections from Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India"
MWH.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self- governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify each of the Classical Virtues and their importance to a happy and meaningful life, including:
Classical Virtues:
Courage as the disposition, habit, and choice of confronting fear, pain, or evil, and a virtue of enterprise, drive, grit, determination, tenacity, and productivity Moderation as the disposition, habit, and choice of resisting illegitimate or ignoble pleasures, and central to manners, friendship, and civil conversation Justice as the disposition, habit, and choice of obeying rules, respecting authority, and treating others fairly, giving honor where honor is due, and emulating greatness Prudence as the ability to choose well in changing circumstances and in the absence of a rule, and a virtue of good leadership - . Discuss whether friendship is a virtue and its relation to goodwill, kindness, loyalty, and civility.
- . Explain how music and art develop our sense of what is beautiful and noble and how a concern with what is beautiful is connected to ethics.
- . Explain the relation between Marxism, Nazism, and other totalitarian ideologies, and widespread social decay and individual misery.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to sacrifice and forgiveness.
MWH.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the reasons for and developments in European expansion during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Objectives:
- . Explain the effects of the Black Death on Europe during the late 14th century.
- . Describe the decline of Byzantium and the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453.
- . Describe the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula and the rise of the Christian Iberian kingdoms up to the conquest of the Emirate of Granada in 1492.
- . Explain why and how European nations sent explorers westward, including:
Motivations and Advances:
Economic and religious motivations: Marco Polo, trade with India, China, Japan, and the Spice Islands Advances in navigation, cartography, and military technology: Henry the Navigator Exploits of exploration by individuals including Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan - . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Christopher Columbus' Journal.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Hernán Cortés' Second Letter to Charles V.
- . Explain how overseas expansion led to the growth of commerce and the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including:
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade:
History of slavery in antiquity and tribal societies European debates about the morality of slavery Spanish ban on enslaving American Indians, but permission to enslave Africans Approximately 90% of slaves that crossed the Atlantic were taken to South America and the Caribbean - . Compare different early modern forced-labor regimes, including slavery in the Islamic world, Eastern Europe's Second Serfdom, African slavery, American Indian slavery, and Caribbean and North American slavery.
- . Describe the sixteenth-century expansion of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, including:
Spanish and Portuguese Empires:
Portuguese commercial and naval dominance in the Indian Ocean Spain's American empire: Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Francisco Coronado, Hernando se Soto Spanish confrontation with the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean and the Battle of Lepanto, 1571 Spread of Catholicism to Latin America and Asia - . Describe the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century expansion of the Dutch, French, English, and Russian empires, including:
Dutch, French, English, and Russian Empires:
Piracy and privateering Columbian exchange of agricultural products, flora, and fauna Ecological expansion of Europe Mercantilism Trade wars
MWH.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the Renaissance and Reformation.
Objectives:
- . Describe the origins and development of the Renaissance, including:
Renaissance Origins and Development:
Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press Expanding literacy Vernacular literature and plays - . Describe how humanism furthered the values of republicanism, liberty, and individualism, including:
Humanism and Values:
Republic of Letters Christian humanism Tolerance Skepticism and secularism - . Explain the influence and accomplishments of leading Renaissance figures, including: PetrarchNiccolo MachiavelliMichelangeloLeonardo da VinciRaphaelDesiderius ErasmusWilliam ShakespeareMichel de Montaigne
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Petrarch's The Ascent of Mont Ventoux.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses.
- . Describe the origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation, including:
Protestant Reformation:
Prior heretics from the Middle Ages The reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin The spread of Protestantism across Europe: Lutherans, Reformed (Calvinist), Church of England, Anabaptists The growth of parliamentary power and individual liberty in the Netherlands and England The slow growth of the idea and practice of religious tolerance The consolidation of royal power The Calvinist work ethic - . Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, including:
Catholic Counter-Reformation:
Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits Teresa of Avila and Mysticism Individual catechism and devotion Missionary evangelization - . Explain the roles of politics and religion in the wars among European nations in the 16th and 17th centuries and the consequent birth of the modern system of secular states, including: Schmalkaldic WarsDutch War of IndependenceFrench Wars of ReligionSpanish ArmadaThirty Years War
MWH.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment.
Objectives:
- . Summarize how the Scientific Revolution and the scientific method led to new theories of the universe.
- . Describe the accomplishments of leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, including: Francis BaconNicolaus CopernicusRene DescartesGalileo GalileiJohannes KeplerIssac Newton
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Francis Bacon's Novum Organum, Aphorisms.
- . Describe technological improvements that promoted economic development, including: Development of crop rotationConstruction of turnpikes, aqueducts, canals, and lighthousesInnovations in producing cement, porcelain, and glassware
- . Describe the main ideas of the Enlightenment in European history and characterize the British, French, and German Enlightenments, including:
Enlightenment Ideas:
Natural rights, self-interest, and sociability Empiricism, skepticism, and rationalism Enlightened Christianity and Judaism Humanitarian reform Consent of the governed Imperative to expand the political, religious, and social spheres of liberty Societal persuasion and government power as different means of achieving Enlightenment - . Describe the accomplishments of major Enlightenment thinkers, including: John LockeMontesquieuDiderotJean-Jacques RousseauVoltaireImmanuel Kant
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of John Locke's Second Treatise of Government.
- . Identify the virtues articulated in John Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education.
- . Describe important aspects of European religion in the eighteenth century, including: State control of churches: Whig bishops, Josephism, Most Holy Governing Synod, Expulsions of JesuitsEvangelicalism: Pietism, MethodismDevotional revivals: Nicolaus Zinzendorf and the Moravians, Alphonsus Liguori and the Redemptorists, Paisius Velichkovsky and Orthodox spiritual eldersHassidism
MWH.7 The student demonstrates understanding of political developments in Europe from 1500-1800.
Objectives:
- . Describe the growing consolidation of political power in Europe manifested in the rise of nation- states ruled by monarchs, including: The rise of the French monarchy and the policies and influence of Louis XIVThe Peace of WestphaliaThe military revolutionEnlightened absolutismMuscovy's combination of autocracy, Orthodox Christianity, and estrangement from and limited opening to the West and the attempts at Westernization by Peter the Great, the growth of serfdom, and Russia's rise as an important force in Eastern Europe and AsiaThe rise of Prussia and AustriaThe rise and fall of Poland and SwedenThe Ottoman dominance of southeastern Europe and invasions of central Europe until their defeat at the Siege of Vienna in 1683
- . Explain why England (and the Netherlands) were the main exceptions to the growth of absolutism in royal power in Europe, including:
England and the Netherlands:
Recent Dutch independence, religious pluralism, prosperous city-states, and the formation of republican governments The causes and essential events of the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and the Act of Union with Scotland of 1707 The effect of the Glorious Revolution on the development of parliamentary sovereignty, constitutional "mixed government," and liberty in England, including the importance of the English Bill of Rights and how it limited the power of the monarch to act without the consent of Parliament The eighteenth-century growth of a culture of liberty England's intensifying fiscal, commercial, and technological innovation, including the culture of trade, the creation of the Bank of England in 1694, and the emergence of the bond market and responsible public finance England's military and imperial success in successive wars with France, and the consequent establishment of a British Empire in North America and the Indian subcontinent
MWH.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the causes, events, and effects of the French Revolution.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the important causes of the French Revolution, including: The effect of Enlightenment political thoughtThe influence of the American RevolutionEconomic troubles and the rising influence of the middle classGovernment corruption and the declining "credit rating" of absolutism
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sièyes' What Is the Third Estate?
- . Summarize the important causes of the French Revolution, including: The convening of the Estates GeneralThe National Assembly and the "Tennis Court Oath"The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789The Storming of the Tuileries, the creation of the First French Republic, and the new revolutionary calendar (1792; "year zero" of the new order)The execution of Louis XVI in 1793The Terror and Maximilien RobespierreAnti-clerical policies and the nationalization of Church property
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.
- . Summarize the major effects of the French Revolution, including: Its contribution to modern nationalism and its relationship to totalitarianismThe political, economic, and cultural debilitation of the Catholic church in FranceThe abolition of remaining feudal restrictions and obligationsIts support for ideas of popular sovereignty and legal equalityTerror and anti-clericalism as a model for later revolutions, especially the Russian Revolution
- . Summarize the important events of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including: The rise and fall of Napoleon BonaparteThe Continental SystemItalian Campaign (1796-97), Trafalgar (1805), Austerlitz (1805), invasion of Russia (1812), Waterloo (1815)Modernization of France's rivals (Austria, Prussia)Nationalist resistance to France (Spain, Russia)British commercial and industrial expansionThe Congress of Vienna, which established a European peace that lasted from 1815 to 1914
- . Summarize the legacy of the Napoleonic Wars, including: Battle deaths and economic devastationCode NapoleonEnduring ideological divisionsThe accelerated rise of nationalism and romanticism across EuropeBritain's leading role in maintaining the nineteenth-century Concert of Europe by balance-of-power diplomacyIndependence of the Latin American republicsRussia's emergence as the great European land power and champion of counter-revolutionary regimes
MWH.9 The student demonstrates understanding of the Industrial Revolution and social and political change from 1800-1914.
Objectives:
- . Identify the causes of the Industrial Revolution, including: The rise in agricultural productivityTransportation improvements such as canals and railroadsThe influence of the ideas of Adam Smith to promote economic libertyInstitutions including secure property rights, patents for inventions, contract law, and the gold standardEntrepreneurial cultureNew sources of energy such as coal, technological innovations such as the steam engine and the railroad, and the application of scientific research to industrial innovation
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of "Of the Division of Labor" in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.
- . Summarize the social and economic consequences of the Industrial Revolution, including: Vast increases in productivity and wealthIncreased life expectancy, population growth, and urban growthThe growth of a middle classMass cultureProblems caused by urbanization and harsh working conditions
- . Describe the political characteristics of nineteenth-century England, including: Catholic emancipationSuccessful reform to increase the number of votersRobert Peel, Benjamin Disraeli, and William GladstoneThe rise and significance of antislavery sentiment in Britain, including the role of Christian humanitarianism, the abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament in 1807, the abolition of slavery within the British Empire in 1833, and the role of various antislavery societiesTrade unionism and the birth of the Labour Party
- . Explain the effects of the various social and political reforms, reform movements, and revolutions in nineteenth-century Europe, including: Liberalism (John Stuart Mill), modern conservatism (Joseph de Maistre, school of Edmund Burke), Christian reform (Pope Leo XIII)The rise of unions and socialism, including the ideas and influence of Robert Owen and Karl MarxEconomic protectionismChild labor laws, and social legislation such as old age pensions and health and unemployment insuranceThe expansion of voting rightsCoercive cultural policy: Russia's Official Nationality, Germany's Kulturkampf, France's laïcitéRevolutions of 1830 and 1848
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' The Communist Manifesto.
- . Summarize the causes, course, and consequences of France's semi-revolutionary nineteenth-century, including: Cycles between empire and republic: July Monarchy, Second Republic, Napoleon III, Paris Commune, Third RepublicSmall landholder dominance and limited economic growthCultural revolution: urban renewal, fine arts, Eiffel Tower, Suez Canal
- . Summarize the causes, course, and consequences of the unifications of Italy and Germany, including: Germany's replacement of France as the dominant power in continental EuropeThe roles of Cavour and Bismarck in the unifications of Italy and GermanySeven Weeks War (1866), Franco-Prussian War (1870)
- . Summarize the causes, course, and consequences of Russia's partially successful nineteenth-century reforms, including: Serf emancipation (1861)Growth of revolutionary movements1905 RevolutionStolypin reforms and Stolypin's assassination
- . Describe the transformations of Jewish life between 1750 and 1914, including: Jewish Enlightenment and HasidismAssimilation and anti-SemitismUrbanization and emigrationZionism
- . Describe the causes of 19th century European imperialism, including: Economic gain and resourcesChristian missionsStrategic advantageNationalism
- . Describe changes in European colonies during the 19th century.
- . Describe the consequences of 19th century European imperialism, including: Territorial conquests: Maratha Wars, Algerian Conquest, Herero WarsGrowth and political development of settler coloniesEuropean investments abroad and imperial reshaping of colonial economiesChanges in life expectancy and population growthInhumane treatment of native populationsAbolition of slaveryNationalist movementsSpread of Christianity in Africa and Asia
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of early modern India and China, including: French and English rivalry for dominance in India and the rise of the British Raj (Marquis Dupleix, Robert Clive, Warren Hastings and his impeachment)Manchu conquest and formation of the Qing dynastyCommercial and intellectual exchanges with EuropeansSpread of Christianity
- . Describe the apogee of the British Raj and Britain's political and economic subordination of India, 1790-1880, including: Cornwallis CodeSepoy MutinyBrahmo SamajBritish moral reform legislation, including Bengal Sati Regulation, Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, and Female Infanticide Prevention ActThe building of roads, canals, railroads, and universities
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the decay of the Qing dynasty, including: Growing Western influencePolitical, economic, and intellectual stagnation and collapseOpium WarsThe Taiping rebellion from 1850 to 1864Sino-Japanese WarThe Boxer Rebellion
- . Describe the nineteenth-century European intellectual revolution, including: Leading figures: Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Émile Durkheim, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Ada Lovelace, James Clerk Maxwell, Dmitri Mendeleev, Leopold von Ranke, Heinrich Schliemann, Gregor MendalResearch universityIdeal of academic freedom
- . Describe important aspects of European religion in the nineteenth century, including: Social mission: Luigi Taparelli, Charles Kingsley, Leo TolstoyForeign missions: Father Damien, London Missionary SocietyDebates about theological authority: papal infallibility, higher criticism, Biblical archaeologyReform Judaism
MWH.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the World Wars.
Objectives:
- . Discuss causes of World War I, including: Economic and imperial competitionAlliance blocs and the arms raceBalkan nationalismGerman militarism and Germany's fear of a strengthening RussiaPower vacuum in Europe attributable to the declining power of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires
- . Summarize the major events and consequences of World War I, including: Physical and economic destructionThe unprecedented loss of life from prolonged trench warfareThe collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the subsequent Bolshevik Revolution and Civil War in RussiaPost-war economic and political instability in GermanyThe Armenian genocide and the collapse and partition of the Ottoman empireMilitary innovations (airplanes, tanks, poison gas)Triumph of free and democratic Britain and France and the expansion of their empiresThe League of Nations and attempts at disarmament
- . Describe the various causes and consequences of the global depression of the 1930s and analyze how governments responded to the Great Depression, including: Restrictive monetary policiesUnemployment and inflationPolitical instabilityEnglish and French social welfare legislation; the growth of the "mixed economy" and the welfare stateThe influence of the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich von Hayek
- . Describe the rise and goals of totalitarianism in Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union, and analyze the policies and ideas of Mussolini, Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin.
- . Summarize the consequences of Soviet communism to 1945, including: The establishment of a one-party dictatorship under LeninGovernment seizure of most privately owned industry and commerceAtheistic persecution of priests and religious believersThe mass murder of the peasantry caused by Stalin's policies of collectivization of agriculture and breakneck industrializationThe genocidal starvation of the Ukrainians known as the HolodomorThe use of mass terror against the population, the use of terror against internal "enemies," the destruction of civil society, the oppression and forced resettlement of minorities including Koreans, Jews, Tatars, Chechens, Cossacks, Poles, Ukrainians, and others, and the destruction of individual rightsThe Soviet Union's emergence as an industrial powerSupport of revolutionary Communist parties abroad
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Republican China, including: Sun Yat-Sen and the 1911 nationalist revolutionChiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-lingWarlord eraChinese Communist Party and the Long MarchJapanese invasionChinese Civil War
- . Describe the German and Italian drives for empire in the 1930s, including: Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935Germany's militarization of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria, and aggression against Czechoslovakia, the Stalin-Hitler Pact of 1939, and the German attack on PolandGerman, Italian, and Soviet intervention in the Spanish Civil War as a prelude to pan- European ideological struggle
- . Summarize the key battles and events of World War II in Europe, including: The German conquest of continental Europe and Fall of FranceThe Soviet annexation of Bessarabia, eastern Poland, and the Baltic States, and the less successful invasion of FinlandBritish resistance: Battle of Britain; El Alamein; Battle of the AtlanticEastern Front: German invasion of Soviet Russia, Russian resistance (Moscow, Stalingrad, Leningrad) and counterattack (Kursk, Berlin)American entry into the war after Pearl Harbor and America's decision to concentrate its military forces against Germany instead of JapanWestern Fronts: Mediterranean (Anglo-American invasion of North Africa, Anglo-American invasion of Italy) and France (D-Day, Battle of the Bulge)Strategic bombing: Coventry, Hamburg, DresdenConferences: Teheran (1943), Yalta (1945)
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Winston Churchill's We Shall Fight on the Beaches.
- . Summarize the key events of World War II for the European empires, including: Japanese conquest of Burma, Singapore, Malaysia, Indochina, and IndonesiaQuit India movement and the economic modernization of IndiaRevelation of European empires' weakness to their subjects
- . Identify the goals, leadership, and post-war plans of allied leaders Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin.
- . Describe the background, course, and consequences of the Holocaust, including: Its roots in the long tradition of anti-Semitism among Christians and 19th century ideas about race and nationThe Nazi Party's seizure of unchecked power within GermanyThe Nazi regime's dehumanization of the JewsThe parallel mass murders of the physically disabled, Gypsies, and homosexualsThe Nazis' culminating attempt to exterminate the Jewish peopleChristian opposition to the Nazis, including the Papal Encyclical Mit brennender Sorge of 1937 and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- . Explain the major consequences of World War II, including: Physical and economic destructionThe enormous loss of life, including millions of civilians through the bombing of population centers, the slaughter of political opponents, and the mass expulsion of ethnic minoritiesInability to maintain colonial empires: Britain, France, NetherlandsStrengthening Western European desires for democracy and peaceful cooperation across national boundariesSoviet empire in Eastern EuropeThe emergence of the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowersThe concentration of power in various national governments and the establishment of international power structures including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations
- . Describe the fall of the British Raj and the emergence of an independent India and Pakistan, 1880-1947, including: The rise of Indian nationalism and the influence and ideas of GandhiAll-India Muslim League and Muhammad Ali JinnahWorld War IIPartition of India and PakistanIntellectual figures, including Rabindranath Tagore (literature) and Srinivasa Ramanujan (mathematics)
MWH.11 The student demonstrates understanding of world events and developments from 1945-2022.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech.
- . Summarize the factors that contributed to the Cold War, including Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe, European political leaders' exploitation of superpower rivalry, and the differences between democracy and communism.
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Communist China, including: Triumph of the Communist Revolution in China in 1949Emergence of free, prosperous, and democratic TaiwanThe Great Leap Forward and its consequences (mass famine)The Cultural Revolution and its consequences (Jiang Qing, the terror of the Red Guards, and the expansion of the labor camps)Deng Xiaoping and the rebirth of capitalist China1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrationChina's economic and technological modernization and its growing involvement in world tradeChina's rise to great power status and rivalry with the United StatesTibetan and Uighur genocides
- . Describe the policy of containment, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO, as America's response to Soviet expansionist policies.
- . Describe the founding of Israel following the end of World War II and the Holocaust.
- . Describe the establishment of the European Union and the continued strength of national loyalties, including the roles of Jean Monnet, Charles de Gaulle, and Konrad Adenauer.
- . Describe the history of independent India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, including: International relations, including Indo-Pakistani wars, Indo-Chinese rivalry, and the Non-Aligned MovementIndian and Pakistani democracy, Pakistani coups d'état, and India's State of EmergencySocialism and free-market reformsMuslim, Sikh, and Tamil terrorHindu nationalismCulture, including Bollywood, Salman Rushdie (literature), and Satyajit Ray (film)
- . Explain and describe the components of Western Europe's postwar rise to modern prosperity, including: American aid (Marshall Plan)American-led free trade systemLong post-war peaceScientific, technological, and medical advancesWelfare statesThe economic recovery and development of GermanyThe mass rise in living standardsSlowing population growth and aging populations
- . Describe the continuing European contribution to modern culture, science, and technology, including: Albert Einstein and the Theories of RelativityWernher von Braun and rocketryRosalind Franklin, Francis Crick, and the discovery of DNATim Berners-Lee and the World Wide WebAustin Bradford Hill and the invention of modern epidemiologyPablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, and the invention of modern artGeorges Méliès, Fritz Lang, Sergei Eisenstein, and the invention of motion picturesVirginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, and the invention of modern feminismCartoons (Hergé), fantasy novels (J. R. R. Tolkien), dystopian novels (Aldous Huxley, George Orwell), testimonials opposing totalitarianism (Primo Levi, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn)
- . Describe important aspects of European religion in the twentieth century, including: Anti-clerical persecution in Russia and SpainAnti-totalitarian witness: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, József MindszentyLiberal Christianity and ecumenicism: Second Vatican CouncilJewish theology: existentialism, mysticism, Holocaust theologySecularization
- . Describe the development of the arms race and the key events of the Cold War era, including: The Berlin AirliftThe 1956 uprising in Hungary1961 Berlin Crisis and building of the Berlin WallThe "Prague Spring"Arms control agreements (including the ABM and SALT treaties) and détente under Nixon
- . Identify the major causes and the events of the decline and collapse of the Soviet Union and the communist regimes of Eastern Europe, including: The weaknesses of the Soviet command economyThe burdens of Soviet military commitments: Soviet-Afghan WarThe unanticipated consequences of political reforms initiated by Mikhail GorbachevThe anticommunist policies of President Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul IIWestern diplomacy by individuals including Willy Brandt, James Baker, and Jeane KirkpatrickThe resistance to communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by individuals including Vaclav Havel, Andrei Sakharov, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, and Lech WalesaThe Fall of the Berlin WallThe peaceful reunification of Germany
- . Describe European politics since the fall of the Soviet Union, including: Eastern Europe's re-integration into the free WestThe expansion of the European Union and NATOBrexitThe re-emergence of Russia as an independent powerDebates about Muslim immigration and Islamist terror: policies in France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom
Draft (2025)
United States History
USH.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words about a historical figure or event studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
USH.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" and at least one of the following:
Walt Whitman's "Oh Captain, My Captain"Robert Frost's "The Gift Outright"Dwight Eisenhower's Order of the Day, June 6, 1944Selections from Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell AddressSelections from John F. Kennedy's Inaugural AddressSelections from John F. Kennedy's "On the Nation's Space Program"
USH.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of personal and civic virtue in a self-governing society and in his or her own life.
Objectives:
- . Identify each of the Classical Virtues and their importance to a happy and meaningful life, including:
Courage:
disposition, habit, and choice of confronting fear, pain, or evil virtue of enterprise, drive, grit, determination, tenacity, and productivityModeration:
disposition, habit, and choice of resisting illegitimate or ignoble pleasures central to manners, friendship, and civil conversationJustice:
disposition, habit, and choice of obeying rules, respecting authority, and treating others fairly giving honor where honor is due, and emulating greatnessPrudence:
ability to choose well in changing circumstances and in the absence of a rule virtue of good leadership - . Explain the relation between Marxism, Nazism, and other totalitarian ideologies, and widespread social decay and individual misery.
- . Recognize the importance of obedience to the law and civil disobedience to unjust laws as articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Letter from the Birmingham Jail.
- . Explain the importance of moral character with reference to ambition, audacity, and responsibility.
USH.4 The student demonstrates understanding of American geography and the pre-Columbian peoples of North America.
Objectives:
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, understand the following about the American Geography: The two longest rivers in the United States are the Mississippi River and the Missouri River.The Pacific Ocean is on the West Coast of the United States.The Atlantic Ocean is on the East Coast of the United States.U.S. territories include Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.States that border Canada include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska.States that border Mexico include California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C.The Statue of Liberty is in New York (Harbor)/Liberty Island.
- . Identify and describe the evidence for, periods, and locations of the earliest migrations of people from Asia into North America and for the explorations of the New World by the Vikings, including:
Migrations from Asia:
Pre-Clovis: suggestive archaeological and genetic evidence Amerinds: Clovis culture Dene peoples: suggestive genetic and linguistic evidence Paleo-Eskimos: Dorset cultureVikings:
L'Anse aux Meadows - . Identify as many as possible of the technologies available to North American peoples and describe how they were used, including: MedicinesBasketry, pottery, and hidesImplements: bone, wood, stone, cold-hammered copperBows and arrowsBoatswritingTechnological absences: most domestic animals, wheeled vehicles, plows, metallurgy
- . Analyze as many similarities and differences as possible in the political structures, social structures, economies, religions, and cultures of a range of Indian tribes, including:
Polities:
kinship systems overlapping with villages, city-states, and confederaciesChieftains:
personal merit, specific functions, hereditarySocieties:
egalitarian warrior bands, social hierarchies, division of roles by age and sexWarfare:
massacre, raiding, counting coup, fortifications, slavery, adoption of prisonersEconomies:
hunting-and-gathering, fishing, horticulture, agriculture, towns, local and long-distance trade, wampum, potlatchReligions and cultures:
cosmologies, medicine men, totem animals, ritual dances, kachina dolls, Plains Indian Sign Language - . Identify, locate, and describe the nature and archaeological remains of major pre-Columbian civilizations that emerged in North America, including:
Mesoamerican influence:
Pueblo:
Mesa Verde Acoma TaosMississippian Mound Builders:
Cahokia Moundville Etowah SpiroAdena/Fort Ancient:
Serpent Mound - . Describe and analyze the long-distance effects of European colonization on North American peoples, including: Depopulation, de-urbanization, and crippling of agriculture from disease pandemics (smallpox)Emergence of Great Plains horse culture: Comanche, Sioux, KiowaReorientation of trade routes to European settlements: furs, guns, metal tools, slaves
- . Identify, locate, and describe the history, societies, and cultures of a range of tribes immediately prior to significant contact with European settlers, including:
Northeast:
Iroquois ConfederationSoutheast:
CherokeeGreat Plains:
ComancheMidwest:
OsageSouthwest:
PuebloGreat Basin:
Ute peoplesCalifornian:
YokutsNorthwest:
Coast Salish peoples
USH.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the rival European colonies in North America.
Objectives:
- . Locate the Spanish colonies in North America and describe in as much detail as possible their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals, including:
Defense:
Spanish Caribbean MexicoEvangelization:
Jesuit missions Franciscan missionsSettlements:
encomiendas presidios missionsFlorida:
St. AugustineTexas:
Comanche diplomacy and warsNew Mexico:
Pueblo RevoltCalifornia:
Junipero Serra - . Locate the French colonies in North America and describe in as much detail as possible their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals, including:
Fur trade:
voyageursEvangelization:
Jesuit missionsIndian alliances:
fur trade diplomacy wars evangelization intermarriageEuropean rivalry:
Netherlands EnglandQuébec:
seigneurs and settlersAcadia expulsion:
Louisiana:
planters and slavesGreat Lakes, Mississippi River, Ohio River forts:
- . Locate the Dutch and Swedish colonies in North America and describe their early history and the colonizers' religious, political, and commercial goals, including:
Fur trade:
Beaver WarsSettlements:
patroonsReligious liberty:
Flushing Remonstrance:
New Amsterdam (New York) New Sweden (Delaware) - . Describe and analyze American Indian adaptations to European colonization, including: Military modernization: guns, fortificationsAdoption of European imports: Metal goods, manufactured items, luxury goods, distilled spiritsChristianization: Kateri Tekakwitha, Antonio CuipaLiteracy
USH.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the English Colonies.
Objectives:
- . Describe the religious, political, and commercial goals and the early history of the English colonies in North America, including: John Smith in VirginiaJohn Winthrop in Massachusetts BayCecil Calvert Baltimore in MarylandWilliam Penn in PennsylvaniaRoger Williams in Rhode Island
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Mayflower Compact.
- . Analyze the English colonies' practice of self-rule, including: The English inheritance of constitutional liberty, religion, common law, and representative self-governmentSalutary neglectGlorious Revolution (Boston Revolt, Leisler's Rebellion) and its legacies of de jure and de facto liberty in the American coloniesMilitia service
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of some of the English colonies' wars, including:
Indian wars:
Jamestown Massacre King Philip's War Yamasee WarFrench wars:
Queen Anne's War King George's War French and Indian War:
Increasing English leverage in diplomacy with Indian tribes Indian displacements after defeats in war - . Analyze the causes and consequences of the changing population of colonial America, including: Indentured servantsScots-Irish and German immigrationAfrican slaves: influence of Barbados Slave CodeEighteenth-century antislavery critics and campaigners
- . Describe the changing culture, society, and economy of colonial America, including: First Great Awakening: George Whitefield, Jonathan EdwardsAmerican Enlightenment and Benjamin FranklinColonial elites: planters, merchants, clergyCulture and society: equality (widespread literacy and suffrage) and hierarchy (women, servants, slaves)Economic development (Philadelphia)
- . Identify the virtues articulated in Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.
USH.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the political and intellectual origins of the American Nation founded in the Revolution and the Constitution.
Objectives:
- . Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution, including: The effect on the colonies of the French and Indian War and how the war led to an overhaul of British Imperial policy from 1763 to 1775How freedom from European feudalism and aristocracy and the widespread ownership of property fostered local self-government and contributed to the Revolution
- . Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government, including: The legacy of ancient Greece and Rome: eudaimonia, the pursuit of happinessProtestant (Calvinist) political theoryThe English inheritance of constitutional liberty, republican virtue, common law, and representative self-governmentThe political theories of such European philosophers as Locke and Montesquieu
- . Explain the influence and ideas of key founders including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Roger Sherman.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Declaration of Independence.
- . Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775, including: The Stamp ActThe Declaratory ActThe Townshend DutiesThe Boston MassacreThe Boston Tea Party
- . Analyze how Americans fought the Revolutionary War and the reasons for the American victory and the British defeat, including: The Battles of Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, and Dorchester HeightsNew York and TrentonSaratogaValley ForgeCharleston and CowpensYorktown
- . Discuss the first American system of government under the Articles of Confederation, including: The reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781Why its drafters created a weak central governmentThe shortcomings and successes of the national government under the ArticlesThe crucial events (e.g., Shays' Rebellion) leading to the Constitutional Convention
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Northwest Ordinance.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of the Unted States Constitution.
- . Explain the roles of various founders at the Constitutional Convention, including: Benjamin FranklinAlexander HamiltonJames MadisonGeorge WashingtonRoger ShermanJames Wilson
- . Describe the major debates that occurred at the Constitutional Convention, including: The grounds of consensus regarding human nature and the importance of self-governmentThe distribution of political power in the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Connecticut CompromiseThe rights of individualsThe rights of statesSlavery
- . Describe the debate over the ratification of the Constitution between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and explain the key Anti-Federalist objections and the responses contained in the Federalist Papers on federalism, factions, checks and balances, and the importance of an independent judiciary.
- . Explain the reasons for the passage of the Bill of Rights, including: The influence of the British concept of limited governmentThe particular ways in which the Bill of Rights protects basic freedoms, restricts government power, and ensures rights to persons accused of crimes
- . On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, understand the following about the Colonial Period and Independence: Colonists came to America for reasons such as freedom, political liberty, religious freedom, economic opportunity, to practice their religion, and to escape persecution.American Indians (Native Americans) lived in America before the Europeans arrived.Africans were taken to America and sold as slaves.The colonists fought the British because of high taxes (taxation without representation), because the British army stayed in their houses (boarding, quartering), and because they didn't have self-government.Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.We celebrate Independence Day on July 4.The 13 original states are New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.The flag has 13 stripes because the stripes represent the thirteen original colonies.The flag has 50 stars because there is one star representing each of the 50 states.The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention.The Constitution was written in 1787.The Federalist Papers that supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay using the pseudonym "Publius".Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things, including being a U.S. diplomat, the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, the first Postmaster General of the United States, the writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac", and starting the first free libraries.The "Father of Our Country" is George Washington.The first President was George Washington.
USH.8 The student demonstrates understanding of political democratization, westward expansion, and diplomatic developments in early republic and antebellum America.
Objectives:
- . Summarize the major policies and political developments during the presidencies of George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), and Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), including: The origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the 1790sThe conflicting ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton about politics, economics, banks, and financeNegotiations with American Indians and Joseph BrantThe Alien and Sedition ActsThe Louisiana PurchaseThe Founders' changing views on emancipation
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of George Washington's Farewell Address.
- . Trace the influence and ideas of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and the importance of the doctrine of judicial review as manifested in Marbury v. Madison (1803).
- . Analyze the rising levels of political participation and the expansion of suffrage in antebellum America.
- . Describe the election of 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and Andrew Jackson's actions as President, including: The spoils systemJackson's veto of the National Bank and the ensuing role of state-chartered banksJackson's policy of Indian Removal and opposition from the Cherokee and Christian missionaries
- . Use a map of North America to trace America's expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails and the migration of Mormons.
- . Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America's westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness, including: The War of 1812Creek WarSeminole WarsAdams-Onis TreatyThe 1823 Monroe DoctrineIndian RemovalBlackhawk War and the Treaty of Chicago in 1833The Trail of Tears: Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Choctaw, ChickasawWorcester v. GeorgiaThe 1836 Texas War of Independence and the 1845 annexation of TexasThe concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansionThe acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1846The territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican-American WarThe California Gold RushGadsden Purchase of 1854Perry Expedition to Japan
- . Explain the importance of the Transportation Revolution of the 19th century (the building of canals, roads, bridges, turnpikes, steamboats, and railroads), including the stimulus it provided to the growth of a market economy.
- . Explain the emergence and effect of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America, including: The technological improvements and inventions that contributed to agricultural and industrial growth (Samuel Morse, Cyrus McCormick)The causes and effects of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850sThe rise of a business class of merchants and manufacturersThe roles of women in New England textile factories
- . Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the effect of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture, including: Domestic slave trade and westward expansion of slaveryDependence on plantation agricultureConstrained industrialization and technological innovationEconomic productivity of free labor vs. slave laborChristianization: slave preachers, spirituals, emancipatory theologySlave society: slave quarters, slaveholder violence, family bonds, family separation
- . Summarize the growth of the American education system and Horace Mann's campaign for free compulsory public education.
- . Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, its Christian inspiration, the responses of southerners and northerners to abolitionism, and the roles of key abolitionists, including: Frederick DouglassWilliam Lloyd GarrisonSojourner TruthHarriet TubmanTheodore Weld
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Frederick Douglass's Independence Day speech at Rochester, New York.
- . Describe important religious trends that shaped antebellum America, including: The proliferation of Protestant denominationsThe Second Great Awakening and antebellum reformThe influence of these trends on Protestants' reaction to the growth of Catholic immigration (Bible Riots)The splintering of denominations over the issue of slavery
- . Analyze the goals and effect of the antebellum women's suffrage movement and its opponents, including: The 1848 Seneca Falls conventionSusan B. AnthonyMargaret FullerLucretia MottElizabeth Cady StantonCatharine Beecher
- . Analyze the emergence of a national American culture, including: Writers: Washington Irving, James Fennimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, and Edgar Allan PoeArtists: John James Audubon, Thomas Cole, and Albert BierstadtSongwriters: Stephen Foster and John Philip SousaUnifying causes: patriotic sentiment and national publications
USH.9 The student demonstrates understanding of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Objectives:
- . Describe how the different economies and cultures of the North and South contributed to the growing importance of sectional politics in the early 19th century and the role of slavery as the main cause of the divisions and eventual war.
- . Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War, including: The Missouri Compromise (1820)Nat Turner Rebellion (1831)The South Carolina Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)The Wilmot Proviso (1846)The Compromise of 1850Publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851-1852)The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)The Dred Scott Supreme Court case (1857)The Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)The election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)
- . On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war.
- . Analyze Abraham Lincoln's character and temperament, his presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
- . Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe as many as possible of the important Civil War battles and events, including:
Leaders:
Jefferson Davis Ulysses S. Grant Robert E. LeeBattles:
First Battle of Bull Run Pea Ridge Antietam Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Vicksburg Gettysburg the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and the Battle at Fort Wagner the Wilderness March to the Sea Siege of Petersburg AppomattoxEvents:
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln - . Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War, including: Physical and economic destructionThe increased role of the federal governmentThe greatest loss of life on a per capita basis of any U.S. war before or since
- . Explain the major policies and consequences of Reconstruction, including: Presidential and Congressional ReconstructionThe impeachment of President JohnsonThe 13th, 14th, and 15th AmendmentsJuneteenthReconstruction Treaties with the Five TribesAbolition of American Indian slave owningAttempted creation of a free-labor economy in the SouthOpposition of Southern whites to ReconstructionAccomplishments and failures of Radical Reconstruction: Thaddeus Stevens, Charles SumnerThe presidential election of 1876, and the end of ReconstructionThe rise of Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, the Ku Klux Klan, and lynchingsThe Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
USH.10 The student demonstrates understanding of industrial America and its emerging role in international affairs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Objectives:
- . Explain the various causes of the Industrial Revolution, including: The economic impetus provided by the Civil WarImportant technological and scientific advancesThe role of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt
- . Explain the important consequences of the Industrial Revolution, including: The growth of big businessEnvironmental consequencesIncreased life expectancy, population growth, the expansion of citiesAnti-monopolism and the rise of economic regulationHigher living standards
- . Describe American culture between 1865 and 1914, including: Writers: Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, and Edith WhartonArtists: Winslow Homer, Charles Dana Gibson, Frederic Remington, and John Singer SargentMinstrel shows, vaudeville, Chautauquas, and circusesMass culture: cheap novels, professional sports teams, amusement parks, Tin Pan Alley, jazz music
- . Describe important aspects of American religion between 1865 and 1914, including: Social GospelHoliness movement: Keswickianism, Azusa Street Revival, PentecostalismForeign missionsIncreasing role of Catholicism: James GibbonsIncreasing role of Judaism: Solomon Schechter
- . Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern Europeans, Eastern Europeans, and East Asians to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and describe the major roles of these immigrants in the industrialization of America, including: Tammany HallBlaine amendmentsColumbus Day celebrationsPierce v. Society of Sisters (1925)
- . Analyze the causes of the continuing westward expansion of the American people after the Civil War and the effect of this migration on the American Indians, including: Settlement promotion: Homestead Act of 1862, First Transcontinental RailroadCattle drivesChisholm TrailIndian wars: Red Cloud, Battle of Little Big Horn, Chief Joseph, Wounded Knee MassacreReservation and assimilation policies: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Dawes Act, Indian boarding schoolsReligious responses: Christianization, Ghost Dance
- . Explain the formation and goals of trade unions as well as the rise of third political parties during the Industrial era, including: The Knights of LaborThe American Federation of Labor headed by Samuel GompersThe Populist Party, William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speechThe Socialist Party headed by Eugene Debs
- . Analyze in as much detail as possible the causes and course of America's growing role in world affairs from the Civil War to World War I, including: The extension of the concept of Manifest Destiny to expansions of territory and influence beyond the continental United StatesThe influence of the ideas associated with Social DarwinismThe purchase of Alaska from RussiaAmerica's growing influence in Hawaii leading to annexationThe Spanish-American WarAnti-Imperialist LeagueU.S. expansion into Asia under the Open Door policyPresident Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe DoctrineAmerica's role in the building of the Panama CanalPresident Taft's Dollar DiplomacyPresident Wilson's intervention in MexicoAmerican entry into World War IHumanitarian aid to Europe during and after World War I through Herbert Hoover and the American Relief Administration
- . Explain the course and significance of President Wilson's wartime diplomacy, including his Fourteen Points, the League of Nations, and the failure of the Versailles treaty.
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, understand the following about the 1800s: The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.Wars fought by the United States in the 1800s include the War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, and Spanish-American War.The name of the national anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner".The U.S. war between the North and the South is named the Civil War or the War between the States.Problems that led to the Civil War include slavery, economic reasons, and states' rights.Important things that Abraham Lincoln accomplished include freeing the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation), saving (or preserving) the Union, and leading the United States during the Civil War.The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the Confederacy/most Southern states.Susan B. Anthony fought for women's rights and civil rights.
USH.11 The student demonstrates understanding of Progressivism, the New Deal, and their Opponents.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the origins of Progressivism and identify important proponents and opponents of Progressive reforms, including: Jane AddamsWilliam Jennings BryanAnthony ComstockJohn DeweyHelen Kendrick JohnsonRobert La FollettePresident Theodore RooseveltCatherine BarnardUpton SinclairPresident William H. TaftIda TarbellJames WadsworthPresident Woodrow Wilson
- . Explain the major achievements and consequences of Progressive policies, including: Rival campaigns for the gold standard, the silver standard, and bimetallismBans against child labor: Keating-Owen Act (1916)The initiative, referendum, and recallSherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)Gold Standard Act (1900)Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)Meat Packing Act (1906)Federal Reserve Act (1913)Underwood Tariff Act (1913)Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914)Segregation of the Executive Branch under President WilsonRatification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920Eugenics, rule by experts, anti-populism
- . Analyze the post-Civil War struggles of African Americans and women to gain basic civil rights, including: Booker T. WashingtonCarrie Chapman CattW.E.B. Du BoisIda B. WellsMarcus GarveyEdward P. McCabeThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)Alice Paul
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition Address.
- . Describe conflicts between liberty and authority in the early twentieth century, including: The Selective Service Act of 1917 and the drafting of Americans to fight in the First World WarEspionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918, and imprisonment of anti-war critics and activists by the Wilson AdministrationPersecution of Oklahoma MennonitesThe Versailles Treaty, the League of Nations, and debates between President Wilson and critics in Congress over ratificationThe unwinding of wartime expansion of government under the Harding Administration, including the demobilization of drafted soldiers, large federal budget cuts, the amnestying of political prisoners, and desegregating the Executive BranchThe Boston police strike in 1919Palmer Raids, Wall Street Bombing, Sacco and Vanzetti TrialsPresident Calvin Coolidge and his philosophy of limited governmentDebates over immigration policy and the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924Racial and ethnic tensions: Ku Klux Klan, Tulsa Race MassacreThe Scopes Trial and the debate over Darwin's On the Origins of SpeciesProhibition
- . Describe the various causes and consequences of the global depression of the 1930s and analyze how Americans responded to the Great Depression. German reparations, Allied World War I debts to America, American loans to Europe, Dawes Plan and the Young Plan, and the interrupted postwar European economic recoveryInterest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and speculative trading on "margin"Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930Restrictive monetary policiesSuspension of the gold standard and Gold Reserve ActUnemploymentSupport for political and economic reformThe influence of the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, and the critique of centralized economic planning and management by Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich von Hayek, and Milton Friedman
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address.
- . Identify key figures in politics from the Great Depression, including: President Herbert HooverPresident Franklin D. RooseveltEleanor RooseveltHuey LongCharles Coughlin
- . Explain core policies and institutions form the New Deal era, including: Establishment of the Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationSecurities and Exchange CommissionAbrogation of Gold Clauses and Executive Order 6102Tennessee Valley AuthorityThe Social Security ActThe National Labor Relations ActThe Works Progress AdministrationFair Labor Standards ActSupreme Court's changing approach to New Deal legislation, and the "court-packing" controversyAmerican Federation of LaborCongress of Industrial OrganizationsThe American Communist Party
- . Explain how the Great Depression and the New Deal affected American society, including: The increased involvement of the federal government in establishing economic and social policiesThe emergence of a "New Deal coalition" consisting of blue-collar workers, poor farmers, Jews, and CatholicsDebates across the political spectrum concerning the treatment of African-AmericansDust Bowl and "Okie" Migration to California
USH.12 The student demonstrates understanding of major cultural and societal developments in the first half of the 20th century.
Objectives:
- . Describe American culture between 1914 and 1945, including: Writers: Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Sinclair Lewis, H. L. Mencken, and Zora Neale HurstonArtists: Edward Hopper, Margaret Bourke-White, Norman Rockwell, and Jacob LawrenceThe Harlem RenaissanceThe Great MigrationRadio and HollywoodScience fiction and comic booksJazz, Louis Armstrong, country, blues, Broadway musicals, Woody Guthrie
- . Describe important aspects of American religion between 1914 and 1945, including: Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy and schism: scriptural inerrancy, liberal ChristianityAfrican American churches: Benjamin MaysCatholic Worker Movement and Dorothy DayNeo-Orthodoxy: Reinhold NiebuhrJewish religious culture: Yossele Rosenblatt
USH.13 The student demonstrates understanding of World War II and America's involvement.
Objectives:
- . Explain the strength of American isolationist sentiment after World War I and analyze its effect on U.S. foreign policy.
- . On a map of the world, locate the Allied powers (Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States) and Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan).
- . Analyze how German aggression in Europe and Japanese aggression in Asia contributed to the start of World War II and summarize the major battles and events of the war, including: Fascism in Germany and Italy: roots in economic depression, effects of the Versailles Treaty, and ideologyGerman rearmament and militarization of the RhinelandGermany's seizure of Austria and Czechoslovakia and Germany's invasion of PolandJapan's invasion of China and the Rape of NankingThe Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the German and Soviet invasions of Poland in September 1939Pearl Harbor, Midway, D-Day, Okinawa, the Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and the Yalta and Potsdam conferencesThe Holocaust, and the parallel mass murders of the physically disabled, Gypsies, and homosexualsTotal war: Rotterdam and Coventry, submarine warfare, strategic bombing (Dresden, Tokyo), atom bombs (Hiroshima, Nagasaki)
- . Explain the important domestic events that took place during the war, including: How wartime employment in the civilian economy and the armed services ended the Great Depression's high level of unemploymentMilitary-industrial investment in the South and the WestLarge-scale migrations, especially to the West CoastThe internment of West Coast Japanese-Americans in the U.S. and Canada and the Korematsu caseMilitary-industrial development, including in OklahomaThe entry of large numbers of women into the workforceA. Philip Randolph and the efforts to eliminate employment discriminationRationing and forced savingsIncreased importance of federal government, big business, and unionsTechnological advances: computers, nuclear weapons, microwavesPatriotic culture: Superman, Captain America, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Saboteur, Appalachian Spring
USH.14 The student demonstrates understanding of the Cold War from 1945-1989.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the factors that contributed to the Cold War and describe the policy of containment as America's response to Soviet expansionist policies, including The differences between the Soviet and American political and economic systemsSoviet aggression in Eastern EuropeSoviet attempts to take over governments in France, Italy, and GreeceThe Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO
- . Analyze the sources and, with a map of the world, locate the areas of Cold War conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, including: The Korean WarGermanyChinaThe Middle EastLatin AmericaAfricaThe Vietnam WarCubaCambodia
- . Explain the causes, course, and consequences of the Vietnam War and summarize the diplomatic and military policies of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, including: Domino TheoryTonkin Gulf ResolutionTet OffensiveImpact of televisionVietnamizationParis Peace AccordsNorth Vietnamese victory
- . Analyze how the failure of communist economic policies as well as U.S.-sponsored resistance to Soviet military and diplomatic initiatives contributed to ending the Cold War.
USH.15 The student demonstrates understanding of economic growth, anticommunism, and reform in Cold War America.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of important domestic Cold War trends, including: Economic growth and declining povertyThe baby boomGrowth of suburbs and home-ownershipGI Bill and general increase in education levelsDevelopment of mass media and consumerism
- . Analyze the domestic policies of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, including: Truman's Fair DealThe Taft-Hartley ActEisenhower's response to the Soviet's launching of SputnikBracero Program
- . Analyze the roots of domestic anticommunism as well as the origins and consequences of McCarthyism, including: The roles of Whittaker Chambers, Alger Hiss, J. Edgar Hoover, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and Maurice HalperinMajor institutions: The American Communist Party (including its close relationship to the Soviet Union), The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)Major events: The Venona Papers, Hollywood Blacklist
- . Analyze the origins, goals, key events, and major figures of the Civil Rights movement, including:
The roles of:
Rosa Parks Herbert Brownell Earl Warren Martin Luther King Jr. Thurgood Marshall Malcolm X Robert KennedyInstitutions:
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)Events:
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Montgomery Bus Boycott Little Rock School Crisis sit-ins and freedom rides protest in Birmingham March on Washington protest in Selma assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. - . Identify the core accomplishments of the Civil Rights movement, including: The Twenty-Fourth Amendment1964 Civil Rights Act1965 Voting Rights ActThe growth of the African American middle classIncreased African American political powerDeclining rates of African American poverty
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “I Have A Dream".
- . Analyze as many as possible of the important domestic policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter, including: The space exploration programThe birth control pillThe assassination of President KennedyThe Supreme Court's application of the Fourteenth AmendmentJohnson's Great Society programsNixon's appeal to "the silent majority"Nixon's end of the international convertibility of dollars into gold and detente with ChinaThe anti-war and counter-cultural movementsCesar Chavez and farm worker unionizationAmerican Indian Movement and the Wounded Knee OccupationThe women's rights movement, ERA, and STOP ERAThe creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970The 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. WadeThe Watergate scandal, including the Supreme Court case, U.S. v. NixonJimmy Carter, 1970s inflation, and the Iran Hostage Crisis
- . Describe important aspects of American religion since 1945, including: Evangelical revival and fundamentalism: Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Oral RobertsLiberal Protestantism: ecumenism, civil rights activism, human rights activismCatholic reform, radicalism, and renewal: Second Vatican Council, liberation theology, Stanley Rother, papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVIJewish denominational proliferation: Hassidim, Haredi, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, ReformSecularization: political debates about school prayer and abortion, and individual religiosity (New Age, spiritualism)
USH.16 The student demonstrates understanding of contemporary America.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the presidency of Ronald Reagan, including: Tax rate cuts and deregulationAnticommunist foreign and defense policies, including responses to communist aggression in Afghanistan and GrenadaSupreme Court appointmentsThe revitalization of the conservative movement during Reagan's tenure as PresidentThe replacement of striking air traffic controllers with non-union personnel
- . Discuss the origins, meanings, and effects in history of Ronald Reagan's Berlin Wall Speech.
- . Analyze the important policies and events of the Bush (I), Clinton, and Bush (II) presidencies, including: The Persian Gulf WarThe passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993President Clinton's welfare reform legislationOklahoma City Bombing in 1995The causes and consequences of the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998The contested 2000 electionThe September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.The invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and IraqDomestic surveillance legislationHurricane KatrinaThe 2008 economic crisis
- . Analyze the important policies and events of the Obama and Trump presidencies. Election of first African American presidentAffordable Care ActExecutive amnesties for illegal aliensCovid pandemicGeorge Floyd RiotsAbraham AccordsSharply increased political polarization
- . Describe some of the major economic and social trends of the late 20th and 21st centuries, including: The computer and technological revolutionScientific and medical discoveriesMajor immigration and demographic changes, such as the rise in Asian and Hispanic immigration (both legal and illegal)Decreased real wages for large portions of the working classThe weakening of the nuclear family, and the rise in divorce rates and out-of-wedlock birth rates
- . Describe American culture between 1945 and 2021, including: Writers: Saul Bellow, Robert Hayden, Flannery O'Connor, Tom Wolfe, Raymond Carver, Toni MorrisonArtists: Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Charles Addams, Jack Kirby, Tracy LettsSingers: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Pressley, Michael JacksonTelevisionArcade, computer, and video gamesInternet and streaming servicesSocial media and apps
- . For the U.S. Civics Test for the Naturalization of New Citizens, understand the following about Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information: Wars fought by the United States in the 1900s include World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the (Persian) Gulf War.Woodrow Wilson was President during World War I.Franklin Roosevelt was President during the Great Depression and World War.The United States fought Japan, Germany, and Italy in World War II.Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general in World War II.During the Cold War, the main concern of the United States was Communism.The civil rights movement tried to end racial discrimination.Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans.Terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.American Indian tribes in the United States include (but are not limited to) Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, Cheyenne, Arawak, Shawnee, Mohegan, Huron, Oneida, Lakota, Crow, Teton, Hopi, and Inuit.U.S. national holidays include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Draft (2025)
History of 20th Century Totalitarianism
TOT.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
TOT.2 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory the following:
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart—and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
TOT.3 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory one of the following:
“There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the presence of one of the greatest and most horrible crimes ever committed. It has been done by scientific machinery by nominally civilized men in the name of a great state and one of the leading races of Europe.” — Winston Churchill on the Holocaust“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe.” — Winston Churchill’s “The Sinews of Peace”
TOT.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the origins of antisemitism in European history.
Objectives:
- . Trace antisemitism from the ancient world through the twenty-first century, including the roles of Christians and Muslims.
- . Explain the political, social, and economic applications of antisemitism that led to the organized pogroms against Jewish people.
- . Examine propaganda that was and still is utilized against Jewish people both in Europe and around the world, including the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the Poisonous Mushroom.
TOT.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the effects of the Industrial Revolution on Europe’s economy, society, and culture.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the significant shift of employment from agricultural jobs in the countryside to industrial jobs in cities and mines, particularly in England and the German-speaking countries.
- . Describe the growth of prosperity for much of the middle classes and a portion of the working classes and the simultaneous growth of poverty for a large number of the remainder of the working classes.
- . Describe the conditions of the working classes, including both increased numbers and increased life expectancy and, for large portions, large-scale employment of women and children in factories, poor housing, too little food, disease, and a polluted environment.
- . Discuss the replacement of guilds uniting masters, journeymen, and apprentices with a system of employers and employees pursuing their own interests and the semi-isolation of the industrial working classes from the rest of society in factories, mines, and tenement neighborhoods.
- . Discuss the growth of mass working class culture, including self-improvement, music halls, half-holidays, sports, and newspapers, and of a common working-class identity with shared political and economic interests.
- . Describe the growth of reformist working class political movements, including trade unionism and suffrage reform, and the growth of radical and revolutionary working class political movements, including anarchism, socialism, and Communism.
TOT.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the socio-economic ideas of Marx and Engels as outlined in their 1848 treatise The Communist Manifesto.
Objectives:
- . Explain the belief known as “dialectical materialism,” that all history must be viewed through the lens of “class struggles” between “oppressor and oppressed.”
- . Analyze the belief that industrialization and free trade had "alienated" workers from the fruits of their labors, reducing them to wage slaves.
- . Discuss the belief that private enterprise is exploitative and inequality the fault of capitalism.
- . Describe the belief that private property is exploitative and based on selfishness and causes inequality.
- . Discuss the belief that law and morality were mere "bourgeois prejudices" and religion an "opiate of the masses."
- . Analyze the belief that the nuclear family must be abolished because it is based upon and fosters selfish, particularist sentiments in the place of "species-feelings" of universal brotherhood.
- . Discuss the belief that violent revolution is needed to overthrow the oppressive classes and abolish all "exploitative" institutions.
TOT.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the criticisms of the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Objectives:
- . Explain how human beings are not really divided simply into the oppressor and the oppressed.
- . Analyze how free markets discourage exploitative enterprises by making them less profitable.
- . Discuss how all human societies have inequality, so it cannot be the product of capitalism.
- . Explain how violent revolution tends to undermine the rule of law and only brings to power those more capable of oppression.
- . Describe how the Marxist program of state ownership of “means of production,” along with centralized economic planning, leads inexorably to an all-powerful state which crowds out civil society and individual freedoms.
- . Explain how the abolition of religion fosters ideologies which become pseudo-religions.
- . Describe how the abolition of the nuclear family ultimately destabilizes society.
- . Discuss how Marx imported traditional anti-Judaism into mid-nineteenth century socialism, with consequences including the ideology of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), the Doctors' Plot; and anti-Israeli Soviet propaganda.
TOT.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the contrasts between the Judeo-Christian and Western political theory and Communism.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the Biblical idea of a fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, and the possibility of redemption or vindication in a “final judgment.”
- . Analyze the Biblical condemnations of envy, exemplified in the story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis.
- . Describe the Christian idea of the equality of souls and virtuous poverty.
- . Explain the Christian ideal of charity and the renunciation of worldly wealth, as epitomized by the example of Martin of Tours from the fourth century.
- . Discuss the Christian ideal of the community of goods, including Waldensians, Diggers, and Shakers.
- . Examine anticlericalist movements, including the French Revolution.
- . Describe the quasi-millenarian desires to bring about heaven on earth, including the Anabaptist kingdom of Münster.
- . Identify communist elements in works and movements including Plato's Republic, Thomas More's Utopia, and Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality.
- . Examine James Madison's critique in Federalist 10 of Rousseau's coercive egalitarianism, which provides the human anthropology that underpins the Constitution's architecture of liberty and republican self-government.
- . Discuss Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis in Democracy in America of the characteristically American conflict between liberty and equality.
- . Identify communist elements in the French Revolution, including Gracchus Babeuf's Conspiracy of the Equals.
- . Analyze the theories, practices, and failures of early nineteenth-century socialists, including Charles Fourier, Henri de Saint Simon, Robert Owen's New Harmony, Brook Farm, and Nashoba Community.
- . Discuss the anarchist critique of coercive “statist” communism, levied at Karl Marx by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Mikhail Bakunin.
TOT.9 The student demonstrates understanding of responses to Communist and socialist political parties until 1914.
Objectives:
- . Identify political responses to Communist and socialist political parties in Europe, including:
Germany:
Social Democratic Party Anti-Socialist lawsFrance:
Paris Commune the rise of the Section Française de l'Internationale OuvrièreUnited Kingdom:
The Labour Party - . Describe the Second International and its efforts to impose orthodox Marxist theory on the socialist parties of Europe, the United States, and Japan.
- . Trace the rise and limited appeal of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Socialist Party in the United States.
- . Explain the rise of the Mensheviks, Bolsheviks, and Socialist Revolutionaries in Tsarist Russia, the 1905 Revolution, and revolutionary terrorism.
- . Discuss how social reforms responded to the intellectual and political challenge of Communist and socialist parties, including: The establishment of child labor lawsThe establishment of accident insurance and pensions for retirees, especially in Germany under BismarckThe establishment of health insuranceThe establishment of unions in industrial sectorsThe expansion of voting rightsThe rise of Christian social movements, including Rerum NovarumThe emancipation of the serfs and the Stolypin reforms in Tsarist Russia
TOT.10 The student demonstrates understanding of the effect of World War I on Communist and socialist movements.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the response to World War I of Communist and socialist leaders and parties in Europe and the United States, including: The prewar socialist ideal of "internationalism," or repudiation of nationalismThe failure of European socialists to coordinate opposition to the war in summer 1914, and the decision of Socialist Parties to vote in favor of war, despite vows not to do soSupport and opposition to the war, as well as pacifist movementsEspionage and Sedition Acts in the U.S., and the prosecution of Eugene V. DebsThe role of wartime politics and experiences in the formation of post-World War I national socialism, including Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany
- . Discuss the effects of World War I on Russia, including: Inflation and food and fuel shortages in the capital of PetrogradThe casualties and retreat of the Russian imperial forcesThe weakening of the Romanov dynasty and the influence of Rasputin
- . Discuss the Russian Revolution, including: The February Revolution, the Provisional (Kerensky) government, the Petrograd Soviet (Ispolkom), Order No. 1, and the Kerensky offensiveThe October Revolution, the Bolshevik seizure of power, and the establishment of one- party dictatorshipThe Civil War, the Red Terror, and the Kronstadt RebellionWar Communism, including brutal repression of political opposition, expropriating private industry, banning private enterprise, requisitioning and rationing food, mass famine, suppression of strikes, expropriation of the Church, and mass murder of priestsThe beliefs and policies of Vladimir LeninThe formal establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922
TOT.11 The student demonstrates understanding of the origins and use of antisemitism by the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi) regime.
Objectives:
- . Recognize German culpability, reparations and military downsizing as effects of the Treaty of Versailles.
- . Analyze how the Treaty of Versailles was a causal factor leading the rise of the Nazis, and how the increasing spread of antisemitism was manipulated to the Nazis' advantage.
- . Explain how events during the Weimar Republic led to the rise of Nazism, including: DolchstossRuhr CrisisHyperinflationThe Great Depression and unemployment1920's Nazi platformDawes PlanThe Golden AgeThe failure of the Weimar Republic
- . Compare Germany's political parties and their system of proportional representation in national elections from 1920 to 1932.
- . Analyze how the Nazi regime utilized and built on historical antisemitism to create a common enemy of the Jews.
- . Explain how the Nazis used antisemitism to foment hate and create a shared enemy in order to gain power prior to World War II.
- . Explain how the following contributed to Adolf Hitler's rise to power: Munich Beer Hall PutschHitler's arrest and trialMein KampfThe Reichstag fireEnabling ActConcordat of 1933Night of the Long Knives (the Rohm Purge)Hindenburg's death and Hitler as Fuhrer
TOT.12 The student demonstrates understanding of Nazi rule and power within Germany.
Objectives:
- . Explain how the National Socialist German Workers' Party, or Nazi Party, grew into a mass movement and gained and maintained power in Germany through totalitarian means from 1933 to 1945 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler.
- . Explain how the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Schutzstaffel (SS), the Wehrmacht, the Gestapo and Hitler's inner circle helped him gain and maintain power after 1933.
- . Describe how the Nazis utilized various forms of propaganda to indoctrinate the German population.
- . Explain how opposing views were eliminated, including through book burnings, censorship, and state control over the media.
- . Examine how the Nazis used education and youth programs to indoctrinate young people into the Nazi ideology.
- . Explain the effect of the Hitler Youth Program and Band of German Maidens (Bund Deutscher Mädel).
- . Examine how the Nazis used the public education system to indoctrinate youth and children.
- . Explain how Nazi ideology supplanted prior beliefs.
TOT.13 The student demonstrates understanding of antisemitic ideology and actions undertaken by Nazi Germany prior to 1941.
Objectives:
- . Explain what is meant by “the Aryan Race” and why this terminology was used.
- . Compare the meaning of Aryan to the Nazi meaning of Aryan Race.
- . Explain how the Nazis used propaganda, pseudoscience and the law to transform Judaism from a religion to a race.
- . Explain how identification, legal status, economic status and pseudoscience supported propaganda that was used to perpetuate the Nazi ideology of the “Master Race.”
- . Explain how eugenics, scientific racism and Social Darwinism provided a foundation for Nazi racial beliefs.
- . Describe how the life of Jews deteriorated under the Third Reich and the Nuremberg Laws in Germany and its annexed territories (the Rhineland, Sudetenland, Austria) from 1933 to 1938.
- . Analyze the Nuremberg Laws and describe their effects.
- . Explain how the Nazis used birth records, religious symbols and practices to identify and target Jews.
- . Examine the manipulation of the international community to obtain the votes to host the 1936 Olympics and how the Berlin Games were utilized as propaganda for Nazi ideology to bolster the “superiority” of the Aryan race.
- . Analyze the causes and effects of Kristallnacht and how it became a watershed event in the transition from targeted persecution and anti-Jewish policy to open, public violence against Jews in Nazi-controlled Europe.
- . Understand the reasons for Herschel Grynszpan's actions at the German embassy in Paris and how the assassination of Ernst von Rath was a pretext used by the Nazis for Kristallnacht.
- . Describe the different types of persecution that were utilized during Kristallnacht, both inside and outside Germany.
- . Analyze the effects of Kristallnacht on European and world Jewry using primary sources, such as newspapers, images, video, and survivor testimony.
- . Analyze the effects of Kristallnacht on the international community using primary sources, such as newspapers, images, video, survivor testimony.
TOT.14 The student demonstrates understanding of the Nazi's foreign policy actions and the ways they were motivated by antisemitism.
Objectives:
- . Define the term lebensraum, or living space, as an essential piece of Nazi ideology and explain how it led to territorial expansion and invasion.
- . Analyze Hitler's use of the Munich Pact to expand German territory and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to keep the Soviet Union out of the war.
- . Analyze Hitler's motivations for the annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland, and the invasion of Poland.
TOT.15 The student demonstrates understanding of the key events, policies, and experiences of life in the USSR from 1922 to 1945.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the political history of interwar Soviet Russia, including: The New Economic PolicyThe rise of Josef Stalin, the removal from political power of Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev, and Bukharin, and their subsequent murdersCollectivization and the First Five Year PlanThe Great Terror, including murder of foreign Communists living in the USSR
- . Discuss the domestic policies of interwar Soviet Russia, including: The destruction of individual rightsThe government seizure of most privately owned industry and commerceThe introduction of internal passports to control people's movementsState-mandated atheism and the persecution of priests and religious believersThe “cult of personality” that glorified StalinThe development of the Cheka, NKVD, and KGB "counterintelligence state"The GULAG forced labor network and the experiences of the prisonersPurges of the military officer corps and terror against the citizenryMass murder of peasants ("dekulakization"), genocidal starvation of Ukrainians(Holodomor), Kazakh famine, and democide (ca. 10% of Soviet population murdered)
- . Discuss interwar Soviet foreign policy and the effect of World War II, including: The support for foreign Communist parties and popular fronts, including CPUSAThe opposition to reform socialists that catalyzed the rise of fascist governmentsForeign policy in Asia, including support for Chinese CommunistsSoviet cooperation with Nazi Germany, including the Nazi-Soviet pact, Soviet annexationsand population deportations, the Winter War, and the Katyn massacreGerman invasion, including the Holocaust and the Siege of LeningradWar policy, including terror, ethnic cleansing, looting operations in conquered countries,the Yalta Conference, and the occupation of Eastern Europe.
TOT.16 The student demonstrates understanding of resistance efforts to Nazi rule and antisemitism.
Objectives:
- . Describe how Jewish immigration was perceived and restricted by various nations from 1933 to 1939.
- . Examine why immigration was difficult for Jewish people, such as MS St. Louis, the Evian Conference, and immigration quota systems.
- . Explain how the Kindertransport saved the lives of Jewish children.
- . Recognize resistance efforts, including: The White RoseRosenstrasse ProtestBishop Clemens von GalenThe Swing MovementReverend NiemöllerDietrich BonhoefferBielski BrothersPartisans in Eastern and Western Europe
- . Discuss resistance and uprisings in the ghettos using primary sources, such as newspapers, images, video, survivor testimony.
- . Discuss the choices and actions of heroes and heroines in defying Nazi policy at great personal risk, to help rescue Jews, including the Righteous Among the Nations designation.
- . Define "partisan" and explain the role partisans played in World War II, including: Countries that had partisan groups who fought the NazisThe warfare tactics utilized by the resistance movements against the NazisHow not all resistance movements accepted Jews
TOT.17 The student demonstrates understanding of the meaning of the Holocaust and of those who enabled it.
Objectives:
- . Define the Holocaust as the planned and systematic state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945.
- . Explain why the Holocaust is history's most extreme example of antisemitism.
- . Explain the effect Nazi "racial hygiene" policies had on other groups targeted by the government of Nazi Germany, including: Ethnic: Roma-Sinti, SlavsReligious groups: Jehovah's WitnessesPolitical oppositionThe physically and mentally disabledHomosexuals
- . Examine the role that bystanders, collaborators and perpetrators played in the implementation of Nazi policies against Jewish people and other targeted groups.
- . Analyze how corporate complicity aided Nazi goals, including: Supporting methods of identification and record keepingContinuing trade relationshipsFinancial resourcesThe use of slave laborProduction for the war effort and moral and ethical corporate decisions
TOT.18 The student demonstrates understanding of the mass killings of Jews and other victims in the Holocaust.
Objectives:
- . Explain how killing squads, including the Einsatzgruppen, conducted mass shooting operations in Eastern Europe with the assistance of the Schutzstaffel (SS), police units, the army and local collaborators.
- . Discuss major events of the killing squads, including: Babi YarVilniusRumbulaKovnoPonarPalmiry Forest
- . Describe the psychological and physical effect on the Einsatzgruppen and how it led to the implementation of the Final Solution.
- . Explain the purpose of the Wannsee Conference and its role in the Final Solution.
- . Explain the origins and use of ghettos in Europe both prior to World War II, during the war, and in Nazi ideology.
- . Explain the methods used for the identification, displacement and deportation of Jews to ghettos.
TOT.19 The student demonstrates understanding of the role ghettos played in the Holocaust.
Objectives:
- . Discuss life in the various ghettos.
- . Discuss the difference between open ghettos and closed ghettos and how that affected life within those ghettos.
- . Explain the origins, use, and effects of the Judenrat on daily life in ghettos, specifically Adam Czerniakow (Warsaw) and Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski (Lodz) and how these men differed in their approach to leading the Judenrat in their respective ghettos.
- . Describe various attempts at escape and forms of armed and unarmed resistance, both before liquidation and liberation, including, but not limited to, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
- . Explain how and why the Nazis liquidated the ghettos, including the forced decisions of the Judenrat to select individuals for deportation transports to the camps.
TOT.20 The student understands the role of various camps during the Holocaust.
Objectives:
- . Examine the origins, purpose, conditions, and geographic locations associated with various types of camps, including: Forced labor campsConcentration campsTransit campsDeath camps
- . Describe the physical structure, camp commandants, SS leadership, and mechanics of murder in the different kinds of camps.
- . Describe the daily routines within the camps to include food intake, showers, bathrooms, sleeping arrangements, roll call, work details, severe, environmental conditions, clothing, selection process, torture, medical experiments, public executions, suicides and other aspects of daily life.
- . Describe various attempts at escape and forms of resistance within the camps.
- . Discuss how the use of existing transportation infrastructure facilitated the deportation of Jewish people to the camps, including the non-Aryan management of the transportation system that collaborated with the Nazis.
- . Describe life in Terezin, including its function as a transit camp, its unique culture that generated art, music, literature, poetry, opera (notably Brundibar) and the production of Vedem Magazine as a form of resistance, its use by the Nazis as propaganda to fool the International Red Cross, and the creation of the film "Terezin: A Documentary Film of Jewish Resettlement."
- . Identify and examine the 6 death camps (e.g., Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor, Treblinka) and explain why the 6 death camps were only in Nazi-occupied Poland.
- . Describe the significance of Auschwitz-Birkenau as the most prolific site of mass murder in the history of mankind.
- . Explain the purpose of the death marches and recognize death marches as the forcible movement of prisoners by Nazis with the dual purpose of removing evidence and murdering as many people as possible (toward the end of World War II and the Holocaust) from Eastern Europe to Germany proper.
TOT.21 The student demonstrates understanding of the experience of Holocaust survivors following World War II.
Objectives:
- . Explain how Allied Forces liberated camps, including the relocation and treatment of the survivors.
- . Discuss the experiences of survivors after liberation, including repatriations, displaced persons camps, pogroms, and relocation.
- . Explain the various ways that Holocaust survivors lived through the state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators (e.g., became partisans, escaped from Nazi controlled territory, went into hiding).
- . Describe the psychological and physical struggles of Holocaust survivors.
- . Examine the settlement patterns of Holocaust survivors after World War II, including immigration to the United States and other countries, and the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
TOT.22 The student demonstrates understanding of the aftermath of the Holocaust.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the international community’s efforts to hold perpetrators responsible for their involvement in the Holocaust.
- . Discuss the purpose and outcomes of the Nuremberg Trials and other subsequent trials related to the Holocaust.
- . Compare arguments by the prosecution and recognize the falsehoods offered by the defense during the Nuremberg Trials (e.g., Justice Robert Jackson’s opening statement, Prosecutor Ben Ferencz’s opening statement, ex post facto laws, non-existent terminology, crimes against humanity, genocide, statute of limitations, jurisdictional issues).
- . Discuss how members of the international community were complicit in assisting perpetrators’ escape from both Germany and justice following World War II.
- . Recognize the Eichmann Trial as the first time that Israel held a Nazi war criminal accountable and explain the effect of the Eichmann Trial on policy concerning crimes against humanity, capital punishment, accountability, the testimony of survivors and acknowledgment of the international community.
TOT.23 The student demonstrates understanding of the key events, policies, and experiences of the Cold War.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the USSR's occupation of Eastern Europe after World War II, including: The Soviet Communization of Eastern Europe, including the 1948 coup d'etat in Czechoslovakia, the Stalin-Tito split, and the Show TrialsThe chronic rebellions in the Eastern Bloc, including the East German Uprising (1953), the Hungarian Uprising (1956), the "Prague Spring" in Czechoslovakia (1968), and "Solidarity" in Poland (1980-1989)The neutralization of Finland and Austria
- . Discuss the West's response to Communism in the early Cold War, including: The policy of containmentThe Truman DoctrineThe Marshall PlanThe Berlin AirliftThe formation of NATO and the Warsaw PactThe introduction of atomic weapons and disarmament movementsThe construction of the Berlin Wall and tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie
- . Discuss the rise of Communism in Cuba, China, and North Korea, including: Communist leaders Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, and Kim Il SungThe Korean War and the establishment of the North Korean dictatorshipThe Cuban Missile Crisis (1963)The Chinese Revolution (1949-58), including one-party dictatorship, collectivization, the laogai prisons, the Hundred Flowers Campaign, and the Anti-Rightist CampaignChina's genocidal conquest of Tibet, Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), and Cultural Revolution (1966-76)Deng Xiaoping's political and economic reforms
TOT.24 The student demonstrates understanding of the rise of Communism and conflict in Southeast Asia.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the rise of Communism in Vietnam and America's response, including: The successful Communist revolt against French colonial rule (1946-1954)North Vietnamese Land Reform Terror (1953-1956)"Domino Theory" and the American rationale for the Vietnam warAmerican and North Vietnamese military policies during the Vietnam WarSoviet and Chinese support for the North Vietnamese Communist forcesDomestic American opposition to the Vietnam warThe American withdrawal from VietnamThe fall of South Vietnam to the Communists
- . Discuss what occurred in Southeast Asia after the United States withdrew from Vietnam, including: The Boat PeopleThe fall of Laos and Cambodia to Communist regimesThe establishment of Cambodia's genocidal dictatorship under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge
TOT.25 The student demonstrates understanding of the role of American Communism between 1917 and 1956.
Objectives:
- . Discuss Soviet coordination of Western Communist party tactics, including: The roles of the Comintern and Cominform in promoting Western Communist parties, revolution, and Soviet espionageThe imperative for Western Communist parties to serve the foreign policy needs of the USSRCommunist party tactics of terrorism, entryism, popular fronts, fellow travelers, and manipulation of "useful idiots"Extenuations of Communist atrocities by Western intellectuals such as George Bernard Shaw, Jean Paul Sartre, and Susan SontagCommunist "front" movements, and attempts to infiltrate and co-opt organized labor and the disarmament, “peace,” anti-nuclear, and civil rights movements
- . Discuss Communism in the United States between 1917 and 1956, including: Soviet espionage, including Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, Whittaker Chambers, Klaus Fuchs, and the Venona transcriptsCauses célèbres, including Sacco and Vanzetti, Angelo Herndon, the Scottsboro Boys, and Julius and Ethel RosenbergThe effects of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, including Communist anti-war propaganda and mass defections from the American Communist PartyThe role of the Communist Party in Henry Wallace's 1948 campaign for presidentOrganized labor's purge of Communists, including the roles of Walter Reuther, Mike Quill, Joseph Curran, and Ronald ReaganThe role of defectors from Communism in the anti-Communist movement, including James Burnham, Whittaker Chambers, Sidney Hook, Frank Meyer, and Richard WrightThe roles of anti-Communist politicians, including Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Joseph McCarthyPopular front culture, including the Hollywood Ten, the Weavers, and Lillian HellmanThe disillusioning effects of Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 Secret Speech
TOT.26 The student demonstrates understanding of how Marxism evolved after the West's intellectual disillusionment with Soviet Communism.
Objectives:
- . Discuss prominent Soviet dissidents and their works, including: Boris Pasternak's Doctor ZhivagoAleksandr Solzhenitsyn's A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Gulag ArchipelagoVladimir Bukovsky and the revelation of Soviet abuse of psychiatry
- . Discuss the transformation of Marxism into Critical Theory, including: The central ideas of philosophers Antonio Gramsci and Herbert MarcuseThe rise and nature of Cultural MarxismThe rise and nature of Critical TheoryThe similarities and differences between classical Marxism and neo-Marxist Critical Theory
TOT.27 The student demonstrates understanding of the decay and dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the effect of Ronald Reagan's foreign policy, including: Military rearmament, including the Strategic Defense InitiativeThe Reagan Doctrine, including support for anti-Communists in Afghanistan and NicaraguaDiplomacy, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty)
- . Discuss the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, including: The reasons for and conduct of the USSR's invasion of AfghanistanThe United States' armament of the MujahadeenThe experiences of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan
- . Discuss politicized science in the USSR and the Chernobyl Disaster, including: The ideas of Trofim Lysenko, and the consequences of his ideologyThe Chernobyl meltdown, including its causes, political and environmental consequences, and international responsesThe professional work and political critiques of Soviet dissident and nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov
- . Discuss Gorbachev's attempt to reform the Soviet Union, including: The role of Mikhail GorbachevThe concepts and the effects of perestroika and glasnostThe 1989 Soviet legislative election and its consequences
- . Discuss the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, including: President Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech in 1987Protests in Poland and Hungary that inspired protests in East GermanyThe fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989The reunification of Germany in 1990
- . Discuss the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Christmas Revolution in Romania, including: The causes and outcomes of the Velvet Revolution in CzechoslovakiaThe causes and outcomes of the Christmas Revolution in RomaniaThe trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu
- . Discuss the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the August Coup, including: The rise of Boris Yeltsin and the pluralist movementUprisings in Lithuania and Latvia, and the Soviet responseThe unsuccessful August Coup against Gorbachev, and Gorbachev's resignationThe dissolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionThe declarations of independence of the now-former Soviet republicsThe lowering of the Kremlin's Soviet flag for the last time on 25 December 1991
TOT.28 The student demonstrates understanding of the history of Communist China since 1989.
Objectives:
- . Discuss the Tiananmen Square Massacre on 4 June 1989, including: The causes and events of the Tiananmen Square protestsTheir suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)The CCP's continuing denial of and censorship about the Tiananmen Square Massacre
- . Discuss the rise of China to peer competitor with the United States, including: The retirement of Deng Xiaoping after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989The rise of Jiang Zemin and the introduction of the concept of "Socialist Market Economy"The rapid economic growth of the Chinese economy, including weak banks, government debt, dependence on exports, and the Belt and Road InitiativeContinuing internal repression, including Christians, Falun Gong, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang (genocide)The emergence of a "social credit" system to monitor and control the population, through denial of access to schools, travel, banks, and other state institutions
- . Discuss China's establishment of influence in America, including: Exploitation of Western investment in ChinaIndustrial espionageThe Thousand Talents ProgramConfucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms
Draft (2025)
Oklahoma History
OKH.1 Grades 9-10: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 1-2 class periods a typed paper of 500-750 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and using the persuasive mode.
Grades 11-12: The student demonstrates the ability to write over the course of 2-3 class periods a typed paper of 1,000-1,250 words on a topic studied in class citing class notes and primary sources and using the persuasive mode.
OKH.2 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma’s geography and the historic foundations laid by American Indian, European, and American cultures.
Objectives:
- . Describe the histories, societies, religions, technologies, and cultures of American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, including the Spiro Mound Builders and the Twin Villages of the Red River.
- . Explain and compare the goals and effects of early Spanish, French, and American interactions with American Indians, including trade, the effect of disease, the arrival of the horse, and new technologies.
- . Describe and compare Spanish, French, American, and American Indian conceptions and institutions of land ownership, government, warfare, religion, and trading practices.
OKH.3 The student demonstrates the ability to recite by heart or write from memory selections from John Ross’s Address at Inter-Tribal Council at Tahlequah and at least one of the following:
Selections from Thomas P. Gore’s “War Policy”Selections from Billy Graham’s Oklahoma City Bombing Prayer Service Address
OKH.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the major political and economic events that transformed Oklahoma’s land and people from early contact through Indian Removal and its aftermath.
Objectives:
- . Describe and analyze the role of river transportation to early trade and mercantile settlements, including Chouteau’s Trading Post at Three Forks.
- . Analyze the major trading and peacekeeping goals of early military posts, including Fort Gibson.
- . Describe the debate among Americans about removal of the Five Tribes from the American Southeast and explain the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the establishment of Indian Territory in 1834.
- . Describe the forced removal of the Five Tribes, including accommodation, resistance, and the effects on the tribal nations removed to present-day Oklahoma.
- . Describe the causes, character, and consequences of continued removals of Indian tribes from elsewhere in the United States to present-day Oklahoma before the Civil War.
- . Analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural character of the Five Tribes’ Oklahoma settlements between Indian Removal and the Civil War, including constitutions, schools, missions, slavery, the Lighthorse, the Golden Age of the Cherokee, and conflict and cooperation with Plains tribes including the Osage, Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Arapaho.
OKH.5 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma history from the outbreak of the Civil War through the land rush of 1889.
Objectives:
- . Describe the causes, events, leaders, and consequences of Indian participation in the Civil War, including intertribal and intratribal rivalries, slavery, internecine conflict, Stand Watie, Opothleyahola, and the Trail of Blood on Ice.
- . Explain the effects of the Reconstruction Treaties on Indian Territory tribes, including amnesty for fighting for the Confederacy, the creation of the Intertribal Council, abolition of slavery and required enrollment of the Freedmen, the Freedmen's establishment of All-Black Towns, the cession of western Oklahoma to the federal government, the establishment of the allotment principle, and the grant of right of way to Congressionally authorized railroad companies.
- . Describe the wars with the Plains Indians, including the Cheyenne Wars, western military posts, Buffalo Soldiers, the Massacre at the Washita River, and the confinement of the Plains Indians to reservations.
- . Describe federal Indian policies, including continued removals of Indian tribes from elsewhere in the United States to present-day Oklahoma and the Dawes Act of 1887 (General Allotment Act), which resulted in the loss of tribal communal lands through a transfer to individual property.
- . Analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural character of Indian tribes in Indian Territory, including recovery from wartime devastation, missions, schools, and immigration of American whites.
- . Analyze the economic transformation of Oklahoma, including the roles of cattle, coal, and railroads.
- . Describe plans to promote American settlement of the Unassigned Lands in Indian Territory, including Elias Boudinot, the Boomer Movement, and David Payne.
OKH.6 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma history from 1889 to 1907.
Objectives:
- . Describe the Land Rush of 1889, including the Indian Appropriations Act, Sooners, the creation of Oklahoma City and Guthrie, and the Oklahoma Organic Act of 1890.
- . Analyze the economic transformation of Oklahoma, including white and black settlement, homesteads, farming, ranching, mining, the discovery of oil, and the role of entrepreneurs including J. J. McAlester.
- . Describe the effects of the Curtis Act of 1898 to dissolve tribal sovereignty, the unsuccessful campaign to transform Indian Territory into a State of Sequoyah, and the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention of 1905.
- . Describe and summarize attempts to create a new state of Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma Enabling Act, Edward McCabe's proposal for an all-black state, the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, the influence of the Sequoyah Constitution and the Progressive Movement on the Oklahoma Constitution, and the creation of the state of Oklahoma from Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory on November 16, 1907.
OKH.7 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma history from 1907 to 1940.
Objectives:
- . Analyze Oklahoma's political history from 1907 to 1929, including Democratic party dominance, the development of public education, conservative policies and radical challenges, African American disenfranchisement, Senate Bill 1 and Jim Crow laws, the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan, and the Anti-Mask Law of 1923.
- . Describe Oklahoma's role in World War I, including agricultural exports, code talkers, and George Price Hays.
- . Analyze the economic development of Oklahoma from 1907 to 1929, including agricultural boom and bust, agricultural mechanization, the growth of the oil industry, Tulsa's role as the "Oil Capital of the World", U. S. Route 66, the role of entrepreneurs including Everette DeGolyer, O. W. Gurley, Frank Phillips, E. W. Marland, Robert S. Kerr, and Tom Slick, and the emergence of "Black Wall Street" in the Greenwood District of Tulsa.
- . Describe the causes, events, and consequences of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
- . Describe the aims and consequences of federal Indian policies and institutions, including the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1935, the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, assimilation, and strengthening of tribal sovereignty.
- . Describe features of Oklahoma society, including Protestant churches and schools, the temperance and Prohibition movements, Indian boarding schools, and the role of individuals including Sylvan Goldman, J. Clarence Karcher, Carl Magee, Wiley Post, and Jim Thorpe.
- . Analyze the effect of the Great Depression on Oklahoma, including the Dust Bowl, rural out-migration, the migration of the "Okies," William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray's response to the conditions created by the Great Depression, and the effects of New Deal policies.
OKH.8 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma history from 1940 to 1980.
Objectives:
- . Analyze the effect of mobilization for World War II including the establishment of military bases, prisoner of war installations, out-migration for defense jobs, and the contributions of Oklahomans to the war effort, including the 45th Infantry Division, American Indian code talkers, and individual feats of valor by Oklahomans including Kenneth Bailey, Charles Carey, Ernest Childers, John Crews, Ernest Evans, Richard McCool, Troy McGill, Jack Montgomery, John Reese, Ruben Rivers, Jack Treadwell, Leon Vance, and Clarence Tinker.
- . Analyze the economic development of Oklahoma from 1945 to 1980, including rural to urban migration, air conditioning, domestic migration to Oklahoma, military bases, the continuing role of agriculture, oil and gas boom and bust, the development of the aerospace and aviation industry, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
- . Describe the improvement of the state's transportation infrastructures, including the interstate highway system and the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
- . Describe features of Oklahoma politics, including political realignment away from Democratic party dominance and the role of individuals including Robert Kerr and Carl Albert.
- . Describe achievements by individual Oklahomans, including Owen Garriott, Mickey Mantle, Clinton Riggs, and Oral Roberts.
- . Describe the aims and consequences of federal Indian policies and institutions, including assimilation (“termination policy”), the Indian Relocation Act of 1956, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978.
OKH.9 The student demonstrates understanding of the history of the civil rights movement in Oklahoma.
Objectives:
- . Describe the causes, events, and consequences of the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the end of Jim Crow laws, and the desegregation of public facilities and educational institutions.
- . Analyze the goals and consequences of the landmark Supreme Court cases of Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1948) and McLaurin v. Oklahoma Board of Regents for Higher Education (1950).
- . Describe the lunch counter sit-ins organized by Clara Luper and the NAACP.
- . Analyze the goals and consequences of the leadership of Governor Raymond Gary in the peaceful integration of the public common and higher education systems.
OKH.10 The student demonstrates understanding of Oklahoma history since 1980.
Objectives:
- . Describe features of Oklahoma politics, including political realignment toward Republican party dominance.
- . Analyze the economic development of Oklahoma since 1980, including hydraulic fracturing, tourism, services, and the role of entrepreneurs including David Green.
- . Describe contributions of individual Oklahomans, including Shannon Lucid and Shannon Miller.
- . Analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural character of Indian tribes in Oklahoma, including strengthened self-government, land repurchase, gambling operations, increased business investment and employment power, cultural revival, Wilma Mankiller, McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020), and Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta (2022).
- . Analyze the causes and effects of the 1995 domestic terrorist attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City including the responses of Oklahomans to the act, the concept of the "Oklahoma Standard," and the creation of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
- . Analyze the causes and consequences of immigration to Oklahoma, including from other states, Latin America, and Asia.
OKH.11 The student demonstrates understanding of the culture of Oklahoma from 1907 to the present.
Objectives:
- . Describe the artistic contributions of Oklahomans in the fields of music, art, literature, theater, and dance, including jazz musicians such as Chet Baker, Lee Wiley, and Claude Williams, Garth Brooks, Ralph Ellison, Woody Guthrie, Jennifer Jones, R. A. Lafferty, Will Rogers, the Kiowa Six, and the Five Indian Ballerinas.
- . Describe the changing perceptions, both internal and external, of the state and its citizens, as reflected in works including The Grapes of Wrath, the musical Oklahoma!, Bill Mauldin's cartoons of the 45th Infantry Division, and the professional basketball team Oklahoma City Thunder.
Draft (2025)
World Geography
WG.1 The student demonstrates understanding of the major themes in world geography.
Objectives:
- . Learn about the history of geography, from the earliest mapmakers to modern satellites, including: Ancient mapmaking: Eratosthenes and the determination of the world's circumferenceMedieval nautical charts: portolan chartsEarly modern cartography: Mercator projections, Abraham Ortelius and the atlasModern mapmaking: satellite imagery, geographic information system (GIS) mapping software, underwater mapping, extraterrestrial geography, archeological and paleo-geographical applications
- . Learn about the tools of cartography, including mapmaking, sextants, land surveying tools (theodolites), satellites, and computers.
- . Learn how different civilizations have sought to improve the well-being of their people by modifying or adapting to their environments, including:
Agricultural improvements:
irrigation canals levees terrace farming swamp drainage crop rotation artesian wells drip irrigationTransportation improvements:
boats aqueducts bridges tunnels canals roads railroads steam ships airplanesTechnological innovations:
ploughs barbed wire dams deep shaft mining artificial fertilizersEnergy source innovations:
human animal wind water wood coal oil nuclearConservation techniques:
forestry wildlife and fisheries management water resource management nature preservesEnvironmental regulation:
conservation biology cost-benefit analysis
WG.2 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of Africa.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Great Rift Valley. On a map of Africa, locate the northern, eastern,
- . On a map of Africa, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte (Fr.), Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion (Fr.), Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in various countries in Africa, especially Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and South Africa.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major African regions and countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristics: limited river navigabilityMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Explain how the physical features of Africa south of the Sahara have affected transportation and communication networks.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including the Pyramids, Volubilis, Lalībela, Great Zimbabwe, Timbuktu, and the Yamoussoukro Basilica.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of Kush, Aksum, Zimbabwe, the sub-Saharan empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, Kongo, and the slaver kingdoms of Oyo, Asante, and Dahomey.
- . Identify the lands occupied by the Islamic and European empires, state when modern African countries became independent nations, and explain how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region.
WG.3 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of western Asia or the Middle East.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate Western Asia, or the Middle East. On a map of the Middle East, locate the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Peninsula, and the Persian Gulf.
- . On a map of Western Asia, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Locate and describe the various ethnic and religious groups in various countries in Western Asia.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major Middle Eastern countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Identify the methods used to compensate for the scarcity of water in some areas.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including Jericho, Göbekli Tepe, Ur, Troy, Jerusalem, Persepolis, Petra, Krak des Chevaliers, Istanbul, and Burj Khalifa.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of Akkad, Babylon, ancient Egypt and its empire, Assyria, Israel and Judah, the Persian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.
- . Identify when the countries in the Middle East became independent nations and explain how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region.
WG.4 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of Central and South Asia.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate Central and South Asia. On a map of Central and South Asia, locate the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Northern Mountains, the Deccan Plateau, the Himalayan Mountains, and the Steppes.
- . On a map of Central and South Asia, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in at least two countries in Central and South Asia.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major Central and South Asian countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Explain how the monsoon weather pattern has affected agriculture, society, and culture in South Asia.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including Mohenjo-daro, Udayagiri Caves, Mahabalipuram, Takht-i-Bahi, Samarkand, the Taj Mahal, and Calcutta.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of the Mauryan Empire, the Gupta Empire, the Chola dynasty, the Delhi Sultanate, the Timurid Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Maratha Confederacy, and the British Raj.
- . Identify when India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Central Asian republics first became independent countries and explain how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region. Explain the relationship of the Central Asian republics to the former Soviet Union.
WG.5 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, the major Pacific Islands, the Pacific Ocean, and the Coral Sea. On a map of Southeast Asia and Oceania, locate the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, the Great Victoria Desert, and the Great Barrier Reef.
- . On a map of Southeast Asia and Oceania, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Brunei, Cambodia, Guam (U.S.), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands (U.S.), Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in at least two countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania, including the Chinese and Indian diasporas.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major countries of Southeast Asia and Oceania, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Explain how different peoples of Southeast Asia and Oceania have explored the seas and occceans and adapted their societies and cultures to them.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including Borobudur, Angkor Wat, Sigiriya, Hue, Besakih, and Bagan.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of the Khmer Empire, Srivijaya, Champa, Kandy, Ayutthaya, and French Indochina.
- . Identify when countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania became independent countries and describe how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region.
WG.6 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of north and east Asia.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate North and East Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. On a map of East Asia, locate the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas, and the Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) Rivers. On a map of North Asia, locate Siberia and the Yenisey, Lena, and Kolyma rivers.
- . On a map of North and East Asia, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in at least two countries in North and East Asia.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major East Asian countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Explain how location has made the Korean peninsula and Taiwan both battlegrounds and cultural bridges between China and Japan.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Potala Palace, Himeji Castle, Changdeokgung Palace, and Dunhuang Caves.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of the Chin Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Mongol Empire, the Russian conquest of Siberia, the Manchu Dynasty, and the Empire of Japan (Meiji to Showa).
- . Identify when Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, and Mongolia became independent countries and describe how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region.
WG.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of Europe.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate the continent of Europe. On a map of Europe, locate the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. Locate the Volga, Danube, Ural, Rhine, Elbe, Seine, Po, and Thames Rivers. Locate the Alps, Pyrenees, and Balkan Mountains. Locate the countries in the northern, southern, central, eastern, and western regions of Europe.
- . On a map of Europe, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands (U.K.), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar (U.K.), Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in at least two countries in Europe.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major European countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Identify and explain the significance of Europe's network of Roman roads.
- . Identify and explain the significance of Europe's network of medieval pilgrimage routes.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including Stonehenge, Knossos, the Acropolis, Pompeii, Chartres, St. Peter's Basilica, the Kremlin, and Versailles.
- . Identify the locations and time periods of Periclean Athens, the Roman Empire, the Carolingian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Napoleonic Empire, the Warsaw Pact, and the European Union.
WG.8 The student demonstrates understanding of the geography of South America.
Objectives:
- . On a map of the world, locate South America and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On a map of South America, locate the Amazon, the Andes Mountains, Cape Horn, and the southern, northern, eastern, and western regions of South America.
- . On a map of South America, locate and identify as many as possible of the countries and capitals of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (U.K.), French Guiana (Fr.), Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
- . Locate, identify, and describe in detail the geographical features of at least two countries in this region, and learn the meaning of the names of these countries and their capitals.
- . Describe major ethnic and religious groups in at least two countries in South America.
- . Explain how the following five factors have influenced the settlement, population movements, and economies of major South American countries, including: Absolute and relative locationsClimateMajor physical characteristicsMajor natural resourcesPopulation size: urbanization, industrialization, increasing life expectancy from modern prosperity and improved public health
- . Identify and explain the significance of the Incan network of roads and bridges.
- . Identify the locations, dates of construction, and historical significance of great architectural sites including the Nazca Lines, Machu Picchu, Tenochtitlan, Chichen Itza, the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe, and Christ the Redeemer (statue).
- . Identify the locations and time periods of the Inca Empire, the Aztec Empire, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, Gran Colombia, the Empire of Brazil, and Mercosur.
- . Identify when South American countries became independent nations and explain how independence was achieved in at least two countries in this region.
Draft (2025)
World History
WH.1 The student demonstrates understanding of the natural history of the universe, humanity, and the preconditions for civilization.
Objectives:
- . Describe the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life.
- . Identify sites in Africa where archaeologists have found evidence of the origins of modern human beings and describe what the archaeologists found.
- . Describe the kinds of evidence used by paleogeneticists, archaeologists, and linguists to draw conclusions about prehistory, including: The relationship of Neanderthals, Denisovans, Flores man (“hobbit man”), and modern humansPrehistoric migrations from Africa to all other inhabited regions of the globeThe peaceful and warlike characteristics of prehistoric human life
- . Describe the characteristics of the hunter-gatherer societies from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age (their use of tools and fire, basic hunting weapons, beads and other jewelry).
- . Explain the importance of the invention of metallurgy (bronze and iron) for the development of weapons and tools.
- . Describe how the invention of agriculture (the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals) led to new forms of human settlements, population growth, and the emergence of civilization.
- . Identify the major characteristics of civilizations, including: The presence of geographic boundaries and political institutionsAn economy that produces food surplusesThe formation of cities and statesThe existence of social classes and hierarchical organizationDeveloped systems of religion, learning, art, and architectureSystems of record keeping and writing
WH.2 The student demonstrates understanding of agrarian civilizations in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and the Americas between 3000 BC and AD 1000.
Objectives:
- . Recognize the development and spread of bronze and iron technology through blacksmithing led to a significant expansion of agriculture, human populations, growing settlements, expanding networks of exchange, as well as states established through new forms of warfare.
- . Identify philosophers and other religious teachers during the Axial Age reconsidered human nature, the ideal organization of society, and the relationship between divine order and human culture and how these ideas developed into religious systems and institutions within states and empires.
- . Describe the process of competition and conflict led to state consolidation and to the establishment of empires, which developed political and bureaucratic systems, regulated economic interactions, and formulated legal systems.
- . On a map of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, identify where Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began, and trace the course of their expansions and contractions to 1500 AD.
- . Describe the development of Middle Eastern empires, and their role in interconnecting the economies, cultures, intellectual thought, and religions of the different regions, including:
Middle Eastern empires:
Persian Empires: Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanian Macedonian Empire and Hellenistic successor states Roman and Byzantine Empires Islamic CaliphateRelated Systems:
Administrative systems and law codes - . Describe Zoroastrianism, the dualistic religion of the Persians, including: One god (Ahura Mazda) in conflict with an opposing force of evil (Ahriman)Emphasis on free will, charity, and virtue for its own sakeBelief in heaven, hell, angels, and demonsThe Avesta (main collection of religious texts)
- . Describe Judaism, the monotheistic religion of the Israelites, including: The belief that there is one GodThe Torahic DecalogueThe emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibilityThe belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations, whether ruler or ruledThe role of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as part of the history of early Israel
- . Describe the central features of Christianity, including: MonotheismThe belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God's son who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and redeemed humans from sinBelief in the Old and New TestamentThe lives and teachings of Jesus and Saint Paul
- . Describe significant aspects of Islamic belief, including: MonotheismThe life and teachings of MuhammadThe significance of the Qur'an as the primary source of Islamic beliefIslam's historical relationship to Judaism and ChristianityThe relationship between government and religion in Muslim societiesThe origin and development of the Sunni and Shi'a
- . Analyze the causes, course, and effects of Islamic expansion through North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Iran, and Central Asia, including: The strength of the Islamic world's economy and cultureThe training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniquesThe disorganization and internal divisions of Islam's enemiesThe resistance and/or assimilation of Christianized peoples in the MediterraneanIntegration of Persian culture, statecraft, and bureaucratic techniques
- . Identify the locations and time periods of civilizations in the Nile and the Horn of Africa. Describe important political, and economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: EgyptKushAksumAbyssinia (Ethiopian Christianity)
- . Identify the locations and time periods of civilizations in central and southern Africa. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: Bantu migrationsGreat ZimbabweKongo
- . Identify the locations and time periods of pre-Columbian empires. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: OlmecsQuiché (Maya)Aztecs (Mexica)Incas
- . Describe significant aspects of Hindu belief, including: The origins of Indian civilization in the Indus ValleyThe evolution and central principles of Hinduism from Vedic Brahmanism to the synthesis of Hindu Vedanta philosophyThe development of social structures, such as the caste system
- . Describe significant aspects of Buddhist belief, including: The life and teachings of Siddhartha GautamaThe origins of Buddhism in IndiaThe evolution and central principles of Buddhism
- . Identify the locations and time periods of early Indian Hindu and Buddhist monarchies. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: Monsoon agricultureMaurya EmpireKushan Empire and Gandharan artGupta Empire, Golden Age of India, and Indian mathematics, including the development of a decimal system and positional notationChola dynasty and its maritime empire
- . Describe significant aspects of Confucian belief, including: The life and teachings of ConfuciusIndividual ethicsMaintaining order and hierarchyMaintaining political orderConfucianism's role in maintaining the continuity of Chinese civilization through the 19th century
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, including: Unification of ChinaGreat Wall of ChinaConquest of southern ChinaFive BarbariansIntroduction of BuddhismAgriculture and transport, including land redistribution systems, rice paddies, terrace farming, and canalsInventions, including the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing
WH.3 The student demonstrates understanding of world civilizations developing increasingly complex political, economic, and social systems from 1000-1800.
Objectives:
- . Explain the expansion of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates in the Middle East as well as the flourishing of the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties in China brought Eurasian cultures and civilizations into increasing economic, cultural, and political contact.
- . Recognize the expansion of the Mongol khanates under Genghis Khan and his grandsons established interconnected empires in Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and eastern Europe, including: Kublai Khan and the Yuan dynasty in ChinaHülegü Khan and the Ilkhanate in the Middle EastThe Golden Horde and the Kipchak Khanate in RussiaTimur (Tamerlane) and the Timurid Empire in Central AsiaDevastating conquests and later stability and commerce under Mongol ruleRecurring bubonic plague pandemics in the generations after c. 1340
- . Explain how European states along the Atlantic competed with one another to expand through trade, technological development, conquest, and colonial settlements, establishing global maritime empires that connected the eastern and western hemispheres for the first time.
- . Describe the central political, economic, and religious developments in major periods of Islamic history, including: The sources of disagreement between Sunnis and ShiitesThe growing influence of Turkish Islam after 1000The importance of the trade routes connecting the Far East and Europe and the role of the Mongols in increasing trade along these routes, including the silk routes to ChinaThe relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asian and Middle Eastern citiesThe sources and uses of slaves in Islamic societies, as well as the extent of the Islamic slave trade in Europe and across Africa from 700 AD on
- . Analyze the influence and achievements of Islamic civilization during its “Golden Age,” including: The preservation and expansion of Greek (Aristotelian) thoughtIslamic science, philosophy, and mathematicsIslamic architectureMysticism (Sufism)Love poetrySphere of influence (Christian Europe, Subsaharan Africa, India)
- . Describe and account for the expansion and decline of the Ottoman Empire between c. 1400 and c. 1800 in North Africa, Eastern Europe, and throughout the Middle East, including: Siege of Constantinople (1453), Battle of Chaldiran (1514), Battle of the Gulf of Oman (1554), Battle of Lepanto (1571), Siege of Vienna (1683), Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt (1798)Partial military modernization (cannon)Increasing failure to assimilate European intellectual and military innovations (printing press, military revolution)
- . Identify the locations and time periods of medieval civilizations in western Africa. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: Islamic expansionThe empires of Ghana, Mali, and SonghayThe economies of these empires (gold, salt, and slaves as commodities for trade by African kings)Leaders such as Sundiata and Mansa MusaTimbuktu as a center of trade and learning
- . Describe the development and effects of the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trade to the Middle East from the 8th century on, and the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the Western Hemisphere from the 16th century on, including: Sultanate of ZanzibarMoroccan slave soldiersEuropean slave ports such as Ouidah and Gorée
- . Identify the locations and time periods of early modern slaver kingdoms in western Africa. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of their history, including: OyoDahomeyAsante
- . Describe the expansion of Islam into India from the 11th through the 15th centuries. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of medieval Indian history, including: Mahmud of GhazniMuslim destruction of BuddhismDelhi SultanateIndo-Persian cultureIslamization in northwest India
- . Describe the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire. Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of early modern Indian history, including: Babur, Akbar, and AurangzebRise and development of the Sikh religion and statesPortuguese maritime hegemonyIslamization in BengalMughal tolerance and persecution of HindusFrench and English rivalry for dominance and the rise of the British Raj (Marquis Dupleix, Robert Clive, Warren Hastings and his impeachment)
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Song and Yuan dynasties, including: Civil service examinationsNeo-ConfucianismMongol conquestPopulation growthInventions, including movable-type printing, cannon, and paper money
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties, including: Construction of Peking and the Forbidden CityZheng He voyages of explorationMing political stagnation and collapseManchu conquest and formation of the Qing dynastyPopulation growth and urbanizationChinese novels, including *Journey to the West*Commercial and intellectual exchanges with Europeans
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Japan to 1600, including: Chinese and Korean cultural influencesThe evolution of Shinto and Japanese BuddhismThe development of feudalismWarring states periodInvasion of KoreaEuropean contacts and adoption of gunpowder
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of the Tokugawa Shogunate, including: Japanese isolationismDutch learningCommercialization and urbanizationHaiku, kabuki, puppet plays, woodblock prints
- . Explain why and how European nations sent explorers westward, including: Economic and religious motivations (Marco Polo)Advances in navigation, cartography, and military technology (Henry the Navigator)Exploits of exploration by individuals including Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan
- . Explain how overseas expansion led to the growth of commerce and the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including: European debates about the morality of slaverySpanish ban on enslaving American Indians, but permission to enslave AfricansDistributions of the African slave trade in the Western Hemisphere
- . Compare different forced-labor regimes, including Muslim slavery, Eastern Europe's Second Serfdom, African slavery, American Indian slavery, and trans-Atlantic slavery.
- . Describe the sixteenth-century expansion of the Spanish and Portuguese empires, including: Portuguese commercial and naval dominance in the Indian OceanSpain's American empire (Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro)Spanish confrontation with the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean (Battle of Lepanto, 1571)Spread of Catholicism to Latin America and Asia
- . Describe the early-modern expansion of the Dutch, French, English, and Russian empires, including: Piracy and privateeringColumbian exchange of agricultural productsEcological expansion of EuropeMercantilismTrade wars
- . Describe the European conquests of Latin America. Identify the locations and time periods of the conquests, including: Spanish conquests of Mexico and PeruPortuguese conquest of Brazil
- . Identify the major economic, political, and social effects of the European colonial period in South America, including: Silver mines of Mexico and PeruEconomic and social stratificationThe role of the churchThe importance of tradeEighteenth-century Spanish reforms
WH.4 The student demonstrates understanding of revolutionary developments in science, philosophy, and industry transformed states and economies around the world, the formation of modern nation-states, and the global spread and later collapse of European colonial empires from 1800 to present.
Objectives:
- . Describe the causes of 19th century European imperialism Economic gain and resourcesChristian missionsStrategic advantageNationalism
- . Describe changes in European colonies during the 19th century. Changes in life expectancy and population growthInhumane treatment of native populationsAbolition of slaveryNationalist movementsChanges in legal systemsColonial economic relationshipsSpread of Christianity in Africa and Asia
- . Account for the declining strength of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, including the rapid pace of modernization in European economic, political, religious, scientific, and intellectual life resulting from the ideas embedded in the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution, including: Egyptian reforms and revolts under Muhammad Ali (1805-1841)Tanzimat reforms (1839-1876)Balkan revolt, Russo-Turkish War, and Congress of Berlin (1875-1878)Armenian rebellions and the Hamidian massacres (1894-1897)
- . Identify the major developments in the Middle East and Central Asia before World War II, including: The end of the Ottoman EmpireThe Balfour Declaration of 1917The expulsion of Greek Christians from Asia Minor and Turkish Muslims from GreeceThe establishment of a secular Turkish state under Mustafa Kemal AtatürkThe establishment of the Kingdom of Transjordan in the eastern part of the Palestine Mandate by the BritishThe growing importance of Middle Eastern oil fields to world politics and the world economy
- . Describe the development and goals of nationalist movements in the Middle East, including the ideas and importance of nationalist leaders, including: Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt)Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (Turkey)Messali Hadj (Algeria)Mohammad Mosaddegh (Iran)
- . Explain as many aspects as possible of the background for the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, and the subsequent military and political conflicts between Israel and the Arab world, including: The growth of Zionism, and 19th and early 20th century immigration by Eastern European Jews to PalestineAnti-Semitism and the HolocaustThe UN vote in 1947 to partition the western part of the Palestine Mandate into two independent countriesThe rejection by surrounding Arab countries of the UN decision, and the invasion of Israel by Arab countriesThe 1967 and 1973 wars between Israel and neighboring Arab statesThe 1978 Camp David Accords making peace between Egypt and Israel; the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treatyThe attempts to secure peace between Palestinians and Israelis
- . Explain the rise and funding of Islamic fundamentalism in the last half of the 20th century and identify as many as possible of the major events and forces in the Middle East during that time, including: The weakness and fragility of the oil-rich Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and othersThe Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979Defeat of the Soviet Union by the Mujahideen in AfghanistanThe origins of the Persian Gulf War and the post-war actions of Saddam HusseinThe financial support of radical and terrorist organizations by the SaudisThe increase in terrorist attacks against Israel, Western Europe, and the United StatesWriters, film directors, and singers including Naguib Mahfouz, Abbas Kiarostami, and Umm Kulthum
- . Describe America's response to and the wider consequences of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., including: Invasion, occupation, and withdrawal from Iraq and AfghanistanConfrontation with and diplomatic overtures to IranDestruction of ISIS (Sunni fundamentalist regime) in Iraq and SyriaAbraham Accords
- . Describe the locations and time periods of competing European and African expansion in southern Africa and the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of its history, including: Dutch (Afrikaaner) settlement of the CapeZulu EmpireBritish settlement of the CapeBoer WarCreation of South AfricaApartheid
- . Identify major developments of African history in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including: Europe's imperial conquest of AfricaMissionariesAgricultural improvements and new patterns of employmentThe origins of African nationalism (Ethiopian victory over Italy (1896), Négritude)
- . Describe the development, goals, and consequences of nationalist movements in Africa, including the ideas and importance of nationalist leaders, including: Patrice Lumumba (Congo)Wars and genocides (Biafra, Rwanda)Liberal democracies (Botswana, Ghana)Writers, artists, and musicians including Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, William Kentridge, and Miriam Makeba
- . Explain the reasons for the fall of apartheid in South Africa, including the influence and ideas of Nelson Mandela, and describe the political and economic aspects of South Africa's post-apartheid history.
- . Describe the Spanish American wars for independence. Identify the locations and time periods of the wars, including: Influence and ideas of the American and French RevolutionsNapoleonic invasion of SpainLeaders, including Vicente Guerrero, Simón Bolívar, and José de San MartínBritish support
- . Identify major developments of Latin American history in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including: The growing influence of the United States, as demonstrated by the Mexican American War, the Spanish American War, the Roosevelt Corollary, the building of the Panama Canal, and the occupation of VeracruzThe French invasion of Mexico and its repulse by Benito JuárezBritain's free-trade empire
- . Describe the development and goals of nationalist movements in Latin America in the 20th and 21st centuries, including the ideas and importance of nationalist leaders, including: Mexican Revolution (Lázaro Cárdenas)Argentina (Juan and Evita Perón)Cuba (Fidel Castro)Venezuela (Hugo Chávez)
- . Describe economic, social, and cultural developments in Latin America in the 20th and 21st centuries, including: Industrialization policiesOil exportsForeign trade (World Trade Organization, North American Free Trade Agreement, Mercosur)Rising prosperityMass emigrationArtists, writers, and composers including Diego Rivera, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, and Heitor Villa-Lobos
- . Describe the apogee of the British Raj and Britain's political and economic subordination of India, 1790-1880, including: Cornwallis CodeSepoy MutinyBrahmo SamajBritish moral reform legislation, including Bengal Sati Regulation, Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, and Female Infanticide Prevention Act,The building of roads, canals, railroads, and universities
- . Describe the fall of the British Raj and the emergence of an independent India and Pakistan, 1880-1947, including: The rise of Indian nationalism and the influence and ideas of GandhiAll-India Muslim League and Muhammad Ali JinnahWorld War IIPartition of India and PakistanIntellectual figures, including Rabindranath Tagore (literature) and Srinivasa Ramanujan (mathematics)
- . Describe the history of independent India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, including: International relations, including Indo-Pakistani wars, Indo-Chinese rivalry, and the Non-Aligned MovementIndian and Pakistani democracy, Pakistani coups d'état, and India's State of EmergencySocialism and free-market reformsMuslim, Sikh, and Tamil terrorHindu nationalismCulture, including Bollywood, Salman Rushdie (literature), and Satyajit Ray (film)
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the decay of the Qing dynasty, including: Growing Western influencePolitical, economic, and intellectual stagnation and collapseOpium WarsThe Taiping rebellion from 1850 to 1864Sino-Japanese WarThe Boxer Rebellion
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Republican China, including: Sun Yat-Sen and the 1911 nationalist revolutionChiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-lingWarlord eraChinese Communist Party and the Long MarchJapanese invasionChinese Civil War
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Communist China, including: Triumph of the Communist Revolution in China in 1949Emergence of free, prosperous, and democratic TaiwanThe Great Leap Forward and its consequences (mass famine)The Cultural Revolution and its consequences (Jiang Qing, the terror of the Red Guards, and the expansion of the labor camps)Deng Xiaoping and the rebirth of capitalist China1989 Tiananmen Square MassacreChina's economic and technological modernization and its growing involvement in world tradeChina's rise to great power status and rivalry with the United StatesTibetan and Uighur genocides
- . Describe as many as possible of the important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of Imperial Japan, including: The Meiji RestorationThe abolition of feudalismThe borrowing and adaptation of western technology and industrial growthThe borrowing and adaptation of western cultureJapanese victory in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese warsColonization of Taiwan, Korea, and ManchuriaThe Japanese invasion of China, and the Rape of NankingDefeat and devastation in World War II
- . Describe important political, economic, and cultural aspects of the history of postwar Japan, including: Pacifist constitutionDiplomatic and military alliance with the United StatesExplosive technological and economic growthCulture, including Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (literature), Akira Kurosawa (film), and Hayao Miyazaki (anime)