Welcome to B.M.C. Durfee High School of Fall River

World History I
The World from the Fall of Rome through the Enlightenment

Students study the development of world civilizations after the fall of the Roman Empire. Students study the history of the major empires and political entities of this period: the Ottoman Empire, the Moghul Empire, the Chinese dynasties, the Byzantine Empire, and the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students examine the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the development of Christianity and Islam, the conflicts between them in different parts of the world, and the beginnings of European influence on the Western Hemisphere. Finally, students study the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in the major events and developments of European history. To the extent practical, students study the origins and development of major civilizations in Africa, India and East Asia.

World History I Learning Standards
Building on knowledge from previous years, students should be able to:

The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500
WHI.1 On a map of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, identify where Islam began and trace the course of its expansion to 1500 AD. (H)

WHI.2 Describe significant aspects of Islamic belief. (H)

A. the life and teachings of Muhammad
B. the significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief
C. Islam’s historical relationship to Judaism and Christianity
D. the relationship between government and religion in Muslim societies

WHI.3 Analyze the causes, course, and effects of Islamic expansion through North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Central Asia. (H, G)

A. the strength of the Islamic world’s economy and culture
B. the training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniques
C. the disorganization and internal divisions of Islam’s enemies
D. the resistance and/or assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean

WHI.4 Describe the central political, economic, and religious developments in major periods of Islamic history. (H, E)

A. the sources of disagreement between Sunnis and Shi’ites
A. B. the 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 China
C. the relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asian and Middle Eastern cities
D. the sources and uses of slaves in Islamic societies as well as the extent of the Islamic slave trade across Africa from 700 AD on.

WHI.5 Analyze the influence and achievements of Islamic civilization during its “Golden Age.” (H)
A. the preservation and expansion of Greek thought
B. Islamic science, philosophy, and mathematics
C. Islamic architecture

The Medieval Period in Europe to 1500
WHI.6 Describe the rise and achievements of the Byzantine Empire. (H)

A. the influence of Constantine, including the establishment of Christianity as an officially sanctioned religion.
B. the importance of Justinian and the Code of Justinian
C. the preservation of Greek and Roman traditions
D. the construction of the Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).

WHI.7 Describe the major economic, social, and political developments that took place in medieval Europe. (H, E)

A. the growing influence of Christianity and the Catholic Church
B. the differing orders of medieval society, the development of feudalism, and the development of private property as a distinguishing feature of western civilization
C. the initial emergence of a modern economy, including the growth of banking, technological and agricultural improvements, commerce, towns, and a merchant class
D. the economic and social effects of the spread of the Black Death or Bubonic Plague
E. the growth and development of the English and French nations

WHI.8 Describe developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history and their importance in the rise of modern democratic institutions and procedures, including the Magna Carta, parliament, and habeas corpus. (H, C)

The Encounters Between Christianity and Islam to 1500
WHI.9 Describe the religious and political origins of conflicts between Islam and Christianity, including the causes, course, and consequences of the European Crusades against Islam in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. (H)

WHI.10 Describe the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453. (H)

WHI.11 Describe the decline of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula and the subsequent rise of Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms after the Reconquest in 1492. (H)

The Origins of European Western Expansion and the Civilizations of Central and South America
WHI.12 Explain why European nations sent explorers westward and how overseas expansion led to the growth of commerce and the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. (H, E)

WHI.13 Identify the three major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America (Maya, Aztec, and Inca) and their locations. Describe their political structures, religious practices, economies, art and architecture, and use of slaves. (H,G, E)

WHI.14 Identify the major economic, political, and social effects of the European colonial period in South America. (H, E)

African History to 1800
WHI.15 Describe the indigenous religious practices observed by early Africans before contact with Islam and Christianity. (H)

WHI.16 Explain how extended family/kinship and tribal relationships have shaped indigenous African cultures, and their effects on the political and economic development of African countries. (H, E)

WHI.17 Describe the different ways in which Islam and Christianity influenced indigenous African cultures. (H)

WHI.18 Identify the locations and time periods of the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. (H, G)

WHI.19 Describe important political and economic aspects of the African empires. (H, E)

A. the economies of these empires (gold, salt, and slaves as commodities for trade by African kings)
B. leaders such as Sundiata and Mansa Musa
C. Timbuktu as a center of trade and learning

WHI.20 Describe the development and effects of the trans-African 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. (H, E, G)

Indian History to 1800
WHI.21 Describe important economic, political, and religious developments in Indian history to 1800. (H)

A. the origins of Indian civilization in the Indus Valley
B. the evolution and central principles of Hinduism
C. the development of the caste system
D. the influence of Islam and the rise and fall of the Moghul empire
E. artistic and intellectual achievements, including the development of a decimal system

WHI.22 Describe the growth of British influence in India and the emergence of the British Raj. (H)

History of China, Japan, and Korea to 1800
WHI.23 Summarize the major reasons for the continuity of Chinese civilization through the 19th century. (H)

A. the role of kinship and Confucianism in maintaining order and hierarchy
B. the political order established by the various dynasties that ruled China
C. the role of civil servants/scholars in maintaining a stable political and economic order

WHI.24 Describe the growth of commerce and towns in China and the importance of agriculture to the development of the Chinese economy to 1800, including the limited role of slavery. (H)

WHI.25 Summarize the major economic, political, and religious developments in Japanese history to 1800. (H)

A. the evolution of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism
B. the development of feudalism
C. the rise of the Shoguns and the role of the samurai

WHI.26 Describe Japan’s cultural and economic relationship to China and Korea. (H, G)

WH.27 Describe the influence and consequences of Japanese isolationism to 1800. (H, G)

WH.28 Explain how Korea has been both a battleground and a cultural bridge between China and Japan. (H, G)

Renaissance and the Reformation in Europe
WHI.29 Describe the origins and development of the Renaissance, including the influence and accomplishments of Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Shakespeare, and Johannes Gutenberg. (H)

WHI.30 Describe origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation. (H)
A. the reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin
B. the spread of Protestantism across Europe, including the reasons and consequences of England’s break with the Catholic Church
C. the weakening of a uniform Christian faith
D. the consolidation of royal power

WHI.31 Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, including the influence and ideas of Ignatius Loyola. (H)

WHI.32 Explain the role of religion in the wars among European nations in the 15th and 16th centuries. (H)

Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment in Europe
WHI.33 Summarize how the Scientific Revolution and the scientific method led to new theories of the universe and describe the accomplishments of leading figures of the Scientific Revolution, including Bacon, Copernicus, Descartes, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. (H)

WHI.34 Describe the concept of Enlightenment in European history and describe the accomplishments of major Enlightenment thinkers, including Diderot, Kant, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire. (H)

WHI.35 Explain how the Enlightenment contributed to the growth of democratic principles of government, a stress on reason and progress, and the replacement of a theocentric interpretation of the universe with a secular interpretation. (H)

The Growth and Decline of Islamic Empires
WHI.36 Describe the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries into North Africa, Eastern Europe, and throughout the Middle East. (H, E)

WHI.37 Describe the expansion of Islam into India from the 13th through the 17th century, the role of the Mongols, the rise and fall of the Moghul Empire, and the relationship between Muslims and Hindus. (H, E)

WHI.38 Account for the declining strength of the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 17th century, including the failed siege of Vienna in 1683 and the rapid pace of modernization in European economic, political, religious, scientific, and intellectual life resulting from the ideas embedded in the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)

World History II
The Rise of the Nation State to the Present

Students study the rise of the nation state in Europe, the French Revolution, and the economic and political roots of the modern world. They study the origins and consequences of the Industrial Revolution, 19th century political reform in Western Europe, and imperialism in Africa, Asia, and South America. They will explain the causes and consequences of the great military and economic events of the past century, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the Russian and Chinese revolutions. Finally, students will study the rise of nationalism and the continuing persistence of political, ethnic, and religious conflict in many parts of the world.

World History II Learning Standards
The Growth of the Nation State in Europe
WHII.1 Describe the growing consolidation of political power in Europe from 1500 to 1800 as manifested in the rise of nation states ruled by monarchs. (H, C, E)

A. the rise of the French monarchy, including the policies and influence of Louis XIV
B. the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia
C. the growing power of Russian tsars, including the attempts at Westernization by Peter the Great, the growth of serfdom, and Russia’s rise as an important force in Eastern Europe and Asia
D. the rise of Prussia
E. Poland and Sweden

WHII.2 Explain why England was the main exception to the growth of absolutism in royal power in Europe. (H, C)

A. the causes and essential events of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1688
B. the effect of the Glorious Revolution on the development of constitutional 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

WHII.3 Summarize the important causes and events of the French Revolution. (H, C, E)

Causes:
A. the effect of Enlightenment political thought
B. the influence of the American Revolution
C. economic troubles and the rising influence of the middle class
D. government corruption and incompetence

Events:
A. the role of the Estates General and the National Assembly
B. the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789
C. the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
D. the execution of Louis XVI in 1793
E. the Terror
F. the rise and fall of Napoleon
G. the Congress of Vienna

WHII.4 Summarize the major effects of the French Revolution. (H)

A. its contribution to modern nationalism and its relationship to totalitarianism
B. the abolition of theocratic absolutism in France
C. the abolition of remaining feudal restrictions and obligations
D. its support for the ideas of popular sovereignty, religious tolerance, and legal equality

Industrial Revolution and Social and Political Change in Europe, 1800-1914
WHII.5 Identify the causes of the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)

A. the rise in agricultural productivity
B. transportation improvements such as canals and railroads
C. the influence of the ideas of Adam Smith
D. new sources of energy such as coal and technological innovations such as the steam engine

WHII.6 Summarize the social and economic impact of the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)

A. the vast increases in productivity and wealth
B. population and urban growth
C. the growth of a middle class
D. problems caused by urbanization and harsh working conditions

WHII.7 Describe the rise of unions and socialism, including the ideas and influence of Robert Owen and Karl Marx. (H, E)

WHII.8 Describe the rise and significance of antislavery sentiment in Britain, including 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 societies. (H)

WHII.9 Explain the impact of various social and political reforms and reform movements in Europe. (H, C, E)

A. liberalism
B. child labor laws, and social legislation such as old age pensions and health and unemployment insurance
C. the expansion of voting rights

WHII.10 Summarize the causes, course, and consequences of the unification of Italy and Germany. (H)

A. Germany’s replacement of France as the dominant power in continental Europe
B. the role of Cavour and Bismarck in the unification of Italy and Germany

WHII.11 Describe the causes of 19th century European imperialism. (H, E)

A. the desire for economic gain and resources
B. the missionary impulse and the search for strategic advantage and national pride.

Asian, African, and Latin American History in the 19th and early 20th centuries
WHII.12 Identify major developments in Indian history in the 19th and early 20th century. (H, E)

A. the economic and political relationship between India and Britain
B. the building of roads, canals, railroads, and universities
C. the rise of Indian nationalism and the influence and ideas of Gandhi

WHII.13 Identify major developments in Chinese history in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
(H, E)

A. China’s explosive population growth between 1750 and 1850
B. decline of the Manchu dynasty beginning in the late 18th century
C. growing Western influence
D. The Opium War
E. The Taiping rebellion from 1850 to 1864
F. The Boxer Rebellion
G. Sun Yat-Sen and the 1911 nationalist revolution

WHII.14 Identify major developments in Japanese history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (H, E)

A. the Meiji Restoration
B. the abolition of feudalism
C. the borrowing and adaptation of western technology and industrial growth
D. Japan’s growing role in international affairs

WHII.15 Identify major developments of African history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (H, E)

A. Africa’s interaction with imperialism
B. agricultural changes and new patterns of employment
C. the origins of African nationalism

WHII.16 Identify the major developments of Latin American history to the early 20th century.
(H, E)

A. the wars for independence, including the influence and ideas of Simon Bolivar, Jose de San Martin, and the American and French Revolutions
B. economic and social stratification
C. the role of the church
D. the importance of trade
E. the growing influence of the United States as demonstrated by the Spanish American War and the building of the Panama Canal
F. the Mexican Revolution

The Great Wars, 1914-1945
WHII.17 Describe the relative importance of economic and imperial competition, Balkan nationalism, German militarism and aggression, and the power vacuum in Europe due to the declining power of the Russian, Austrian, and Ottoman Empires in causing World War I. (H, E)

WHII.18 Summarize the major events and consequences of World War I. (H, E)

A. physical and economic destruction
B. the League of Nations and attempts at disarmament
C. the collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the subsequent Bolshevik Revolution and Civil War in Russia
D. post-war economic and political instability in Germany
E. the Armenian genocide in Turkey
F. the unprecedented loss of life from prolonged trench warfare

WHII.19 Identify the major developments in the Middle East before World War II. (H, E)

A. the end of the Ottoman Empire
B. the Balfour Declaration of 1917
C. the expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor
D. the establishment of a secular Turkish state under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
E. the establishment of the Kingdom of Transjordan in the eastern part of the Palestine Mandate by the British
F. the growing importance of Middle Eastern oil fields to world politics and the world economy

WHII.20 Describe the various causes and consequences of the global depression of the 1930s, and analyze how governments responded to the Great Depression. (H, E)

A. restrictive monetary policies
B. unemployment and inflation
C. political instability
D. the influence of the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich von Hayek, and Milton Friedman

WHII.21 Describe the rise and goals of totalitarianism in Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union, and analyze the policies and main ideas of Mussolini, Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin. (H)

WHII.22 Summarize the consequences of Soviet communism to 1945. (H, E)

A. the establishment of a one-party dictatorship under Lenin
B. the suffering in the Soviet Union caused by Stalin’s policies of collectivization of agriculture and breakneck industrialization
C. the destruction of individual rights and the use of mass terror against the population
D. the Soviet Union’s emergence as an industrial power

WHII.23 Describe the German, Italian, and Japanese drives for empire in the 1930s. (H)

A. Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935
B. the Japanese invasion of China and the Rape of Nanking
C. Germany’s militarization of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria, and aggression against Czechoslovakia, the Stalin-Hitler Pact of 1939, and the German attack on Poland

WHII.24 Summarize the key battles and events of World War II. (H)

A. The German conquest of continental Europe
B. The Battle of Britain
C. Pearl Harbor
D. The Bataan Death March
E. El Alamein
F. Midway
G. Stalingrad
H. D-Day
I. Battle of the Bulge
J. Iwo Jima
K. Okinawa

WHII.25 Identify the goals, leadership, and post-war plans of the allied leaders. (H)

A. Winston Churchill
B. Franklin D. Roosevelt
C. Joseph Stalin

WHII.26 Describe the background, course, and consequences of the Holocaust, including its roots in the long tradition of Christian anti-Semitism, 19th century ideas about race and nation, and Nazi dehumanization of the Jews. (H)

WHII.27 Explain the reasons for the dropping of atom bombs on Japan and its short and long-term effects. (H)

WHII.28 Explain the consequences of World War II. (H, E)

A. physical and economic destruction
B. the enormous loss of life, including millions of civilians through the bombing of population centers and the slaughter of political opponents and ethnic minorities
C. support in Europe for political reform and decolonization
D. the emergence of the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world’s two superpowers

WHII.29 Describe reasons for the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 and summarize the main ideas of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (H)

Cold War Era, 1945-1989
WHII.30 Summarize the factors that contributed to the Cold War, including Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe and the differences between democracy and communism. (H, C)

WHII.31 Describe the policy of containment, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO, as America’s response to Soviet expansionist policies. (H)

WHII.32 Describe the development of the arms race and the key events of the Cold War era. (H)

A. the Korean War
B. the emergence of the People’s Republic of China as a major power
C. the 1956 uprising in Hungary
D. Soviet-U.S. competition in the Middle East
E. conflicts involving Cuba and Berlin
F. the Vietnam War
G. the “Prague Spring”
H. arms control agreements (including the ABM and SALT treaties) and détente under Nixon
I. the Soviet war in Afghanistan

WHII.33 Describe the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the triumph of the Communist Revolution in China in 1949. (H)

WHII.34 Identify the political and economic upheavals in China after the Chinese Revolution.
(H, E)

A. Communist Party attempts to eliminate internal opposition
B. the Great Leap Forward and its consequences (famine)
C. the Cultural Revolution and its consequences (the terror of the Red Guards and the expansion of labor camps)
D. the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration
E. China’s economic modernization and its growing involvement in world trade

WHII.35 Describe the global surge in economic productivity during the Cold War and describe its consequences. (H, E)

A. the rise in living standards
B. the economic recovery and development of Germany and Japan

WHII.36 Explain the various factors that contributed to post-World War II economic and population growth. (H, E)

A. the long post-war peace between democratic nations
B. the policies of international economic organizations
C. scientific, technological, and medical advances

WHII.37 Describe how the work of scientists in the 20th century influenced historical events, changed the lives of the general populace, and led to further scientific research. (H)

A. Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity
B. Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, and nuclear energy
C. Wernher von Braun and space exploration
D. Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine
E. James Watson, Francis Crick, the discovery of DNA, and the Human Genome Project

WHII.38 Describe the development and goals of nationalist movements in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, including the ideas and importance of nationalist leaders. (H)

A. Fidel Castro (Cuba)
B. Patrice Lumumba (Congo)
C. Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
D. Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt)
E. Jawaharlal Nehru (India)
F. Juan Peron (Argentina)

WHII.39 Explain 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. (H)

A. the growth of Zionism, and 19th and early 20th century immigration by Eastern European Jews to Palestine
B. anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
C. the UN vote in 1947 to partition the western part of the Palestine Mandate into two independent countries
D. the rejection of surrounding Arab countries of the UN decision and the invasion of Israel by Arab countries
E. the 1967 and 1973 wars between Israel and neighboring Arab states
F. the attempts to secure peace between Palestinians and Israelis

The Contemporary World, 1989-2001
WHII.40 Identify the causes for the decline and collapse of the Soviet Union and the communist regimes of Eastern Europe. (H, E)

A. the weaknesses of the Soviet command economy
B. the burdens of Soviet military commitments
C. the anticommunist policies of President Reagan
D. the resistance to communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

WHII.41 Explain the role of various leaders in transforming the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. (H, C)

A. Mikhail Gorbachev
B. Vaclav Havel
C. Andrei Sakharov
D. Aleksander Solzhenitsyn
E. Lech Walesa

WHII.42 Analyze the consequences of the Soviet Union’s breakup. (H, E)

A. the development of market economies
B. political and social instability
C. the danger of the spread of nuclear technology and other technologies of mass destruction to rogue states and terrorist organizations

WHII.43 Identify the sources of ethnic and religious conflicts in the following nations and regions. (H)

A. Northern Ireland
B. the Balkans
C. Sudan and Rwanda
D. Sri Lanka
E. Kashmir

WHII.44 Explain the reasons for the fall of apartheid in South Africa, including the influence and ideas of Nelson Mandela. (H)

WHII.45 Explain the social and economic effects of the spread of AIDS in Asian and African countries. (H)

WHII.46 Explain how the computer revolution contributed to economic growth and advances in science, medicine, and communication. (H)

WHII.47 Explain the rise and funding of Islamic fundamentalism in the last half of the 20th century and identify the major events and forces in the Middle East over the last several decades. (H, E)

A. the weakness and fragility of the oil-rich Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and others
B. the Iranian Revolution of 1978-1979
C. defeat of the Soviet Union by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan
D. the origins of the Persian Gulf War and the post-war actions of Saddam Hussein
E. the financial support of radical and terrorist organizations by the Saudis
F. the increase in terrorist attacks against Israel and the United States

WHII.48 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. (H)

U.S. History I
The Revolution through Reconstruction,
1763-1877

Students examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States during the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. They learn about the important political and economic factors that contributed to the outbreak of the Revolution as well as the consequences of the Revolution, including the writing and key ideas of the U.S. Constitution. Students also study the basic framework of American democracy and the basic concepts of America government such as popular sovereignty, federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights. Students study America’s westward expansion, the establishment of political parties, and economic and social change. Finally, students will learn about the growth of sectional conflict, how sectional conflict led to the Civil War, and the consequences of the Civil War, including Reconstruction.

The reading of primary source documents is a key feature of the two-year set of U.S. history standards. Below the appropriate standards are listed selected primary source documents with which students should become familiar. Students should read an excerpt or the whole text when appropriate. Those documents listed as “seminal primary documents to read” are required and may be included in the history and social science MCAS. Those documents listed as “seminal primary documents to consider” are only suggested.

In addition to the seven broad historical themes articulated in the introductory pages of this document, teachers of U.S. history might also consider the two following themes that are specific to U.S. history. These are suggestions only, and we encourage history and social science teachers to develop other themes that might help students gain a deeper understanding of U.S. history in high school.

The origins and impact of sectionalism on American life and politics. The U.S. history standards in grade 5 and the standards for U.S. history I and II address the origins, development, and importance of sectionalism in American history. The standards address the political and economic differences between the North and the South, the Civil War and its aftermath, and the continued importance of sectionalism through the 20th century.

The rise and continuing international influence of the United States. The U.S. history standards in grade 5 and the standards for U.S. history I and II address the rise and growing role of the United States in world affairs to the present day. The standards address the reasons for and the consequences of America’s rise to hemispheric influence in the 19th century, and America’s rise to global influence in the 20th century.

U.S. History I Learning Standards
The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789
USI.1 Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution.
(H, C)
A. the impact on the colonies of the French and Indian War, including how the war led to an overhaul of British imperial policy from 1763 to 1775
B. how freedom from European feudalism and aristocracy and the widespread ownership of property fostered individualism and contributed to the Revolution

USI.2 Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government. (H, C)

A. the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome
B. the political theories of such European philosophers as Locke and Montesquieu

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Mayflower Compact (1620)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641) and John Locke’s Treatises of Civil Government (1690)

USI.3 Explain the influence and ideas of the Declaration of Independence and the political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. (H, C)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: the Declaration of Independence (1776)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: the Suffolk Resolves (1774) and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)

USI.4 Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775 and analyze the reasons for the American victory and the British defeat during the Revolutionary war. (H)

USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the revolution, including important events that took place in Massachusetts and important leaders from Massachusetts. (H)

A. the Boston Massacre
B. the Boston Tea Party
C. the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill
D. Sam Adams, John Adams, and John Hancock

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: the Massachusetts Constitution (1780)

USI.6 Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, including why its drafters created a weak central government; analyze the shortcomings of the national government under the Articles; and describe the crucial events (e.g., Shays’s rebellion) leading to the Constitutional Convention. (H, C)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: the Northwest Ordinance (1787)

USI.7 Explain the roles of various founders at the Constitutional Convention. Describe the major debates that occurred at the Convention and the “Great Compromise” that was reached. (H, C)
Major Debates
A. the distribution of political power
B. the rights of individuals
C. the rights of states
D. slavery

Founders
A. Benjamin Franklin
B. Alexander Hamilton
C. James Madison
D. George Washington

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: the U.S. Constitution

USI.8 Describe the debate over the ratification of the Constitution between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and explain the key ideas contained in the Federalist Papers on federalism, factions, checks and balances, and the importance of an independent judiciary. (H, C)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Federalist Paper number 10

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Federalist Papers numbers 1, 9, 39, 51, and 78

USI.9 Explain the reasons for the passage of the Bill of Rights. (H, C)

A. the influence of the British concept of limited government
B. the particular ways in which the Bill of Rights protects basic freedoms, restricts government power, and ensures rights to persons accused of crimes

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: the Bill of Rights (1791)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689)

USI.10 On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution. (H, G)

The Formation and Framework of American Democracy?
USI.11 Describe the purpose and functions of government. (H, C)

USI.12 Explain and provide examples of different forms of government, including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, and autocracy. (H, C)

USI.13 Explain why the United States government is classified as a democratic government.
(H, C)

USI.14 Explain the characteristics of American democracy, including the concepts of popular sovereignty and constitutional government, which includes representative institutions, federalism, separation of powers, shared powers, checks and balances, and individual rights. (H, C)

USI.15 Explain the varying roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments in the United States. (H, C)

USI.16 Describe the evolution of the role of the federal government, including public services, taxation, economic policy, foreign policy, and common defense. (H, C)

USI.17 Explain the major components of Massachusetts’ state government, including the roles and functions of the governor, state legislature, and other constitutional officers. (H, C)

USI.18 Explain the major components of local government in Massachusetts, including the roles and functions of school committees, town meetings, boards of selectmen, mayors, and city councils. (H, C)

USI.19 Explain the rights and the responsibilities of citizenship and describe how a democracy provides opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process through elections, political parties, and interest groups. (H, C)

USI.20 Explain the evolution and function of political parties, including their role in federal, state, and local elections. (H, C)

USI.21 Describe how decisions are made in a democracy, including the role of legislatures, courts, executives, and the public. (H, C)

Political Democratization, Westward Expansion, and Diplomatic Developments, 1790-1860
USI.22 Summarize the major policies and political developments that took place during the presidencies of George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), and Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). (H, C)

A. the origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the 1790s
B. the conflicting ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton
C. the Alien and Sedition Acts
D. the Louisiana Purchase

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Washington’s Farewell Address (1796) and Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address (1801)

USI.23 Analyze the rising levels of political participation and the expansion of suffrage in antebellum America. (C, H)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Volume I (1835) and Volume II (1839)

USI.24 Describe the election of 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and Jackson’s actions as President. (H)

A. the spoils system
B. Jackson’s veto of the National Bank
C. Jackson’s policy of Indian Removal

USI.25 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). (H, C)

USI.26 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America’s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness. 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. (H, E, G)

A. the War of 1812
B. the purchase of Florida in 1819
C. the 1823 Monroe Doctrine
D. the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears
E. the annexation of Texas in 1845
F. the concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansion
G. the acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1846
H. the territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican War
I. the search for gold in California
J. the Gadsden Purchase of 1854

Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860
USI.27 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. (H, E)

USI.28 Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America. (H, E)

A. the technological improvements and inventions that contributed to industrial growth
B. the causes and impact of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850s
C. the rise of a business class of merchants and manufacturers
D. the roles of women in New England textile factories

USI.29 Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture. (H)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Frederick Douglass’s Independence Day speech at Rochester, New York (1852)

Social, Political, and Religious Change, 1800-1860
USI.30 Summarize the growth of the American education system and Horace Mann’s campaign for free compulsory public education. (H)

USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolitionism. (H)

A. Frederick Douglass
B. William Lloyd Garrison
C. Sojourner Truth
D. Harriet Tubman
E. Theodore Weld

USI.32 Describe important religious trends that shaped antebellum America. (H)

A. the increase in the number of Protestant denominations
B. the Second Great Awakening
C. the influence of these trends on the reaction of Protestants to the growth of Catholic immigration

USI.33 Analyze the goals and effect of the antebellum women’s suffrage movement. (H)

A. the 1848 Seneca Falls convention
B. Susan B. Anthony
C. Margaret Fuller
D. Lucretia Mott
E. Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions (1848)

USI.34 Analyze the emergence of the Transcendentalist movement through the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. (H)

The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877
USI.35 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. (H)

USI.36 Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War. (H)

A. the Missouri Compromise (1820)
B. the South Carolina Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)
C. the Wilmot Proviso (1846)
D. the Compromise of 1850
E. the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-1852)
F. the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
G. the Dred Scott Supreme Court case (1857)
H. the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)
I. John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859)
J. the election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)

USI.37 On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war. (H, G)

USI.38 Analyze Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered. (H, C)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863) and Lincoln’s second inaugural address (1865)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech (1858)

USI.39 Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and events. (H)

Leaders
A. Jefferson Davis
B. Ulysses S. Grant
C. Robert E. Lee

Battles
A. the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and the Battle at Fort Wagner
B. Antietam
C. Vicksburg
D. Gettysburg

USI.40 Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War. (H, E)

A. physical and economic destruction
B. the increased role of the federal government
C. the greatest loss of life on a per capita basis of any U.S. war before or since

USI.40 Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. (H, C)

A. Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction
B. the impeachment of President Johnson
C. the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
D. the opposition of Southern whites to Reconstruction
E. the accomplishments and failures of Radical Reconstruction
F. the presidential election of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction
G. the rise of Jim Crow laws
H. the Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

U.S. History II
Reconstruction to the Present,
1877-2001

Students will analyze the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution and America’s growing role in diplomatic relations. Students will study the goals and accomplishments of the Progressive movement and the New Deal. Students will also learn about the various factors that led to America’s entry into World War II as well as the consequences of World War II on American life. Finally, students will study the causes and course of the Cold War, important economic and political changes during the Cold War, including the Civil Rights movement, and recent events and trends that have shaped modern-day America.

The reading of primary source documents is a key feature of the two-year set of U.S. history standards. Below the appropriate standards are listed selected primary source documents with which students should become familiar. Students should read an excerpt or the whole text when appropriate. Those documents listed as “seminal primary documents to read” are required and may be included in the history and social science MCAS. Those documents listed as “seminal primary documents to consider” are only suggested.

In addition to the seven broad historical themes articulated in the introductory pages of this document, teachers of U.S. history might also consider the two following themes that are specific to U.S. history. These are suggestions only, and we encourage history and social science teachers to develop other themes that might help students gain a deeper understanding of U.S. history in high school.

The origins and impact of sectionalism on American life and politics. The U.S. history standards in grade 5 and the standards for U.S. history I and II address the origins, development, and importance of sectionalism in American history. The standards address the political and economic differences between the North and the South, the Civil War and its aftermath, and the continued importance of sectionalism through the 20th century.

The rise and continuing international influence of the United States. The U.S. history standards in grade 5 and the standards for U.S. history I and II address the rise and growing role of the United States in world affairs to the present day. The standards address the reasons for and the consequences of America’s rise to hemispheric influence in the 19th century, and America’s rise to global influence in the 20th century.

U.S. II Learning Standards
Industrial America and Its Emerging Role in International Affairs, 1870-1920
USII.1 Explain the various causes of the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)

A. the economic impetus provided by the Civil War
B. important technological and scientific advances
C. the 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

USII.2 Explain the important consequences of the Industrial Revolution. (H, E)

A. the growth of big business
B. environmental impact
C. the expansion of cities

USII.3 Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and describe the major roles of these immigrants in the industrialization of America. (H)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus” (1883)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Younghill Kang, East Goes West (1937)

USII.4 Analyze the causes of the continuing westward expansion of the American people after the Civil War and the impact of this migration on the Indians. (H)

USII.5 Explain the formation and goals of unions as well as the rise of radical political parties during the Industrial era. (H, E)

A. the Knights of Labor
B. the American Federation of Labor headed by Samuel Gompers
C. the Populist Party
D. the Socialist Party headed by Eugene Debs

USII.6 Analyze the causes and course of America’s growing role in world affairs from the Civil War to World War I. (H, E)

A. the influence of the ideas associated with Social Darwinism
B. the purchase of Alaska from Russia
C. America’s growing influence in Hawaii leading to annexation
D. the Spanish-American War
E. U.S. expansion into Asia under the Open Door policy
F. President Roosevelt’s Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
G. America’s role in the building of the Panama Canal
H. President Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
I. President Wilson’s intervention in Mexico
J. American entry into World War I

USII.7 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. (H)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: President Woodrow Wilson, “Peace Without Victory,” speech (1917)

The Age of Reform: Progressivism and the New Deal, 1900-1940
USII.8 Analyze the origins of Progressivism and important Progressive leaders, and summarize the major accomplishments of Progressivism. (H, E)

People
A. Jane Addams
B. William Jennings Bryan
C. John Dewey
D. Robert La Follette
E. President Theodore Roosevelt
F. Upton Sinclair
G. President William H. Taft
H. Ida Tarbell
I. President Woodrow Wilson

Policies
A. bans against child labor
B. the initiative referendum and its recall
C. the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)
D. the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
E. the Meat Packing Act (1906)
F. the Federal Reserve Act (1913)
G. the Clayton Anti-Trust Act (1914)
H. the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: President Theodore Roosevelt, “The New Nationalism,” speech (1910).

USII.9 Analyze the post-Civil War struggles of African Americans and women to gain basic civil rights. (H)

Carrie Chapman Catt
A. W.E.B. Du Bois
B. Marcus Garvey
C. the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
D. Alice Paul
E. Booker T. Washington

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Booker T. Washington, the Atlanta Exposition Address (1895), and the Niagara Movement Declaration of Principles (1905)

USII.10 Describe how the battle between traditionalism and modernity manifested itself in the major historical trends and events after World War I and throughout the 1920s. (H)

A. the Boston police strike in 1919
B. the Red Scare and Sacco and Vanzetti
C. racial and ethnic tensions
D. the Scopes Trial and the debate over Darwin’s On the Origins of Species
E. Prohibition

USII.11 Describe the various causes and consequences of the global depression of the 1930s, and analyze how Americans responded to the Great Depression. (H, E)

A. restrictive monetary policies
B. unemployment
C. support for political and economic reform
D. the 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

USII.12 Analyze the important policies, institutions, and personalities of the New Deal era. (H)

People
A. President Herbert Hoover
B. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
C. Eleanor Roosevelt
D. Huey Long
E. Charles Coughlin

Policies
the establishment of
A. the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
B. the Securities and Exchange Commission
C. the Tennessee Valley Authority
D. the Social Security Act, the National Labor Relations Act
E. the Works Progress Administration
F. the Fair Labor Standards Act

Institutions
A. the American Federation of Labor
B. the Congress of Industrial Organizations
C. the American Communist Party

USII.13 Explain how the Great Depression and the New Deal affected American society. (H)

A. the increased importance of the federal government in establishing economic and social policies
B. the emergence of a “New Deal coalition” consisting of African Americans, blue-collar workers, poor farmers, Jews, and Catholics

World War II, 1939-1945
USII.14 Explain the strength of American isolationism after World War I and analyze its impact on U.S. foreign policy. (H)

USII.15 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. 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). (H)

A. Fascism in Germany and Italy
B. German rearmament and militarization of the Rhineland
C. Germany’s seizure of Austria and Czechoslovakia and Germany’s invasion of Poland
D. Japan’s invasion of China and the Rape of Nanking
E. Pearl Harbor, Midway, D-Day, Okinawa, the Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and the Yalta and Potsdam conferences

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: President Franklin Roosevelt, “Four Freedoms,” speech (1941)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: Justice Robert M. Jackson’s opinion for the Supreme Court in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) and Learned Hand’s The Spirit of Liberty (1944)

USII.16 Explain the reasons for the dropping of atom bombs on Japan and their short and long-term effects. (H)

USII.17 Explain important domestic events that took place during the war. (H, E)

A. how war-inspired economic growth ended the Great Depression
B. A. Philip Randolph and the efforts to eliminate employment discrimination
C. the entry of large numbers of women into the workforce
D. the internment of West Coast Japanese-Americans in the U.S. and Canada

The Cold War Abroad, 1945-1989
USII.18 Analyze the factors that contributed to the Cold War and describe the policy of containment as America’s response to Soviet expansionist policies. (H)

A. the differences between the Soviet and American political and economic systems
B. Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe
C. the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: The Truman Doctrine (1947), and George Kennan, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct” (1947)

USII.19 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. (H, G)

A. the Korean War
B. Germany
C. China
D. the Middle East
E. the arms race
F. Latin America
G. Africa
H. the Vietnam War

USII.20 Explain the causes, course, and consequences of the Vietnam War and summarize the diplomatic and military policies of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. (H)

USII.21 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. (H, E)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (1961)

Seminal Primary Documents to Consider: President Ronald Reagan, Speech at Moscow State University (1988)

Cold War America at Home: Economic Growth and Optimism, Anticommunism, and Reform, 1945-1980
USII.22 Analyze the causes and consequences of important domestic Cold War trends. (H, E)

A. economic growth and declining poverty
B. the baby boom
C. the growth of suburbs and home-ownership
D. the increase in education levels
E. the development of mass media and consumerism

USII.23 Analyze the following domestic policies of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.(H)

A. Truman’s Fair Deal
B. the Taft-Hartley Act (1947)
C. Eisenhower’s response to the Soviet’s launching of Sputnik
D. Eisenhower’s civil rights record

USII.24 Analyze the roots of domestic anticommunism as well as the origins and consequences of McCarthyism. (H)

People
A. Whittaker Chambers
B. Alger Hiss
C. Edgar Hoover
D. Senator Joseph McCarthy
E. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Institutions
A. the American Communist Party (including its close relationship to the Soviet Union)
B. the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
C. the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

USII.25 Analyze the origins, goals, and key events of the Civil Rights movement. (H)

People
A. Robert Kennedy
B. Martin Luther King, Jr.
C. Thurgood Marshall
D. Rosa Parks
E. Malcolm X

Institution
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Events
A. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
B. the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott
C. the 1957-1958 Little Rock School Crisis
D. the sit-ins and freedom rides of the early 1960s
E. the 1963 civil rights protest in Birmingham
F. the 1963 March on Washington
G. the 1965 civil rights protest in Selma
H. the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: Reverend Martin Luther King’s, “I Have A Dream” speech and his Letter from Birmingham City Jail (1963), President Lyndon Johnson, speech to Congress on voting rights (March 15, 1965)

USII.26 Describe the accomplishments of the civil rights movement. (H, E)

A. the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act
B. the growth of the African American middle class, increased political power, and declining rates of African American poverty

USII.27 Analyze the causes and course of the women’s rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s. (H)

A. Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem
B. the birth control pill
C. the increasing number of working women
D. the formation of the National Organization of Women in 1967
E. the debate over the Equal Rights Amendment
F. the 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade

USII.28 Analyze the important domestic policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. (H)

A. the space exploration program
B. the assassination of President Kennedy
C. Johnson’s Great Society programs
D. Nixon’s appeal to “the silent majority”
E. the anti-war and counter-cultural movements
F. the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970
G. the Watergate scandal (including the Supreme Court case, U.S. v. Nixon)

Contemporary America, 1980-2001
USII.29 Analyze the presidency of Ronald Reagan. (H, E)

A. tax rate cuts
B. anticommunist foreign and defense policies
C. Supreme Court appointments
D. the revitalization of the conservative movement during Reagan’s tenure as President
E. the replacement of striking air traffic controllers with non-union personnel

USII.30 Describe some of the major economic and social trends of the late 20th century. (H, E)

A. the computer and technological revolution of the 1980s and 1990s
B. scientific and medical discoveries
C. major immigration and demographic changes such as the rise in Asian and Hispanic immigration (both legal and illegal)
D. the weakening of the nuclear family and the rise in divorce rates

USII.31 Analyze the important domestic policies and events of the Clinton presidency. (H, E)

A. the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993
B. President Clinton’s welfare reform legislation and expansion of the earned income tax credit
C. the first balanced budget in more than 25 years
D. the election in 1994 of the first Republican majority in both the House and Senate in 40 years
E. tax credits for higher education
F. the causes and consequences of the impeachment of President Clinton in 1998

USII.32 Explain the importance of the 2000 presidential election. (H, C)

A. the Supreme Court case, Bush v. Gore
B. the growing influence of the Republican Party in the South and the consolidation of the Democratic Party’s hold on the coasts

USII.33 Analyze the course and consequences of America’s recent diplomatic initiatives.(H, C)

A. the invasion of Panama and the Persian Gulf War
B. American intervention in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo
C. the attempts to negotiate a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
D. America’s response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Grade 12 Elective: Economics3

This course examines the allocation of scarce resources and the economic reasoning used government agencies and by people as consumers, producers, savers, investors, workers, and voters. Key elements include the study of scarcity, supply and demand, market structures, the role of government, national income determination, money and the role of financial institutions, economic stabilization, and trade.

Scarcity and Economic Reasoning
Students will understand that productive resources are limited, therefore, people cannot have all the goods and services they want. As a result, they must choose some things and give up others.

E.1.1 Define each of the productive resources (natural, human, capital) and explain why they are necessary for the production of goods and services.

E.1.2 Explain how consumers and producers confront the condition of scarcity, by making choices that involve opportunity costs and tradeoffs.

E.1.3 Identify and explain the broad goals of economic policy such as freedom, efficiency, equity, security, growth, price stability, and full employment.

E.1.4 Describe how people respond predictably to positive and negative incentives.

E.1.5 Predict how interest rates act as an incentive for savers and borrowers.

E.1.6 Recognize that voluntary exchange occurs when all participating parties expect to gain.

E.1.7 Compare and contrast how the various economic systems (traditional, market, command, mixed) try to answer the questions: What to produce? How to produce it? And for whom to produce?

E.1.8 Describe how clearly defined and enforced property rights are essential to a market economy.

E.1.9 Use a production possibilities curve to explain the concepts of choice, scarcity, opportunity cost, tradeoffs, unemployment, productivity, and growth.

E.1.10 Formulate a savings or financial investment plan for a future goal (e.g., college or retirement).

Supply and Demand
Students will understand the role that supply and demand, prices, and profits play in determining
production and distribution in a market economy.

E.2.1 Define supply and demand.

E.2.2 Describe the role of buyers and sellers in determining the equilibrium price.

E.2.3 Describe how prices send signals to buyers and sellers.

E.2.4 Recognize that consumers ultimately determine what is produced in a market economy
(consumer sovereignty).

E.2.5 Explain the function of profit in a market economy as an incentive for entrepreneurs to accept the risks of business failure.

E.2.6 Demonstrate how supply and demand determine equilibrium price and quantity in the product, resource, and financial markets.

E.2.7 Identify factors that cause changes in market supply and demand.

E.2.8 Demonstrate how changes in supply and demand influence equilibrium price and quantity in the product, resource, and financial markets.

E.2.9 Demonstrate how government wage and price controls, such as rent controls and minimum wage laws, create shortages and surpluses.

E.2.10 Use concepts of price elasticity of demand and supply to explain and predict changes in quantity as price changes.

E.2.11 Explain how financial markets, such as the stock market, channel funds from savers to investors.

Market Structures
Students will understand the organization and role of business firms and analyze the various types
of market structures in the United States economy.

E.3.1 Compare and contrast the following forms of business organization: sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation.

E.3.2 Identify the three basic ways that firms finance operations (retained earnings, stock issues, and borrowing), and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

E.3.3 Recognize the role of economic institutions, such as labor unions and nonprofit organizations in market economies.

E.3.4 Identify the basic characteristics of monopoly, oligopoly, and pure competition.

E.3.5 Explain how competition among many sellers lowers costs and prices and encourages producers to produce more.

E.3.6 Demonstrate how firms with market power can determine price and output through marginal analysis.

E.3.7 Explain ways that firms engage in price and nonprice competition.

E.3.8 Illustrate how investment in research and development, equipment and technology, and training of workers increases productivity.

E.3.9 Describe how the earnings of workers are determined by the market value of the product produced and workers’ productivity.

E.3.10 Identify skills individuals need to be successful in the workplace.

The Role of Government
The student will understand the roles of government in a market economy are the provision of
public goods and services, redistribution of income, protection of property rights, and resolution
of market failures.

E.4.1 Explain how government responds to perceived social needs by providing public goods and services.

E.4.2 Describe major revenue and expenditure categories and their respective proportions of local, state, and federal budgets.

E.4.3 Identify laws and regulations adopted in the United States to promote competition among firms.

E.4.4 Describe the characteristics of natural monopolies and the purposes of government regulation of these monopolies, such as utilities.

E.4.5 Define progressive, proportional, and regressive taxation.

E.4.6 Describe how the costs of government policies may exceed their benefits because social or political goals other than economic efficiency are being pursued.

E.4.7 Predict how changes in federal spending and taxation would affect budget deficits and surpluses and the national debt.

E.4.8 Define and explain fiscal and monetary policy.

E.4.9 Analyze how the government uses taxing and spending decisions (fiscal policy) to promote
price stability, full employment, and economic growth.

E.4.10 Analyze how the Federal Reserve uses monetary tools to promote price stability, full employment, and economic growth.

National Economic Performance
Students will understand the means by which economic performance is measured.

E.5.1 Define aggregate supply and demand, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic growth,
unemployment, and inflation.

E.5.2 Explain how Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic growth, unemployment, and inflation are calculated.

E.5.3 Analyze the impact of events in United States history, such as wars and technological developments, on business cycles.

E.5.4 Identify the different causes of inflation, and explain who gains and loses because of inflation.

E.5.5 Recognize that a country’s overall level of income, employment, and prices are determined
by the individual spending and production decisions of households, firms, and government.

E.5.6 Illustrate and explain how the relationship between aggregate supply and aggregate demand
is an important determinant of the levels of unemployment and inflation in an economy.
Money and the Role of Financial Institutions
Students will understand the role of money and financial institutions in a market economy.

E.6.1 Explain the basic functions of money (e.g., medium of exchange, store of value, unit of account).

E.6.2 Identify the composition of the money supply of the United States.

E.6.3 Explain the role of banks and other financial institutions in the economy of the United States.

E.6.4 Describe the organization and functions of the Federal Reserve System.

E.6.5 Compare and contrast credit, savings, and investment services available to the consumer
from financial institutions.

E.6.6 Research and monitor financial investments such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

E.6.7 Formulate a credit plan for purchasing a major item such as a car or home, comparing different interest rates.

Trade
Students will understand why individuals, businesses, and governments trade goods and services
and how trade affects the economies of the world.

E.7.1 Explain the benefits of trade among individuals, regions, and countries.

E.7.2 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.

E.7.3 Define trade barriers, such as quotas and tariffs.

E.7.4 Explain why countries sometimes erect barriers to trade.

E.7.5 Explain the difference between balance of trade and balance of payments.

E.7.6 Compare and contrast labor productivity trends in the United States and other developed countries.

E.7.7 Explain how changes in exchange rates impact the purchasing power of people in the United States and other countries.

E.7.8 Evaluate the arguments for and against free trade.

Grade 12 Elective: American Government4

This course provides a framework for understanding the purposes, principles, and practices of American government as established by the United States Constitution. Students are expected to understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens and how to exercise these rights and responsibilities in local, state, and national government.

The Nature of Citizenship, Politics, and Government
Students will identify, define, compare, and contrast ideas regarding the nature of government, politics, and civic life, and explain how these ideas have influenced contemporary political and legal systems. They will also explain the importance of government, politics, and civic engagement in a democratic republic, and demonstrate how citizens participate in civic and political life in their own communities.

USG.1.1 Distinguish among civic, political, and private life.

USG.1.2 Define the terms citizenship, politics, and government, and give examples of how political solutions to public policy problems are generated through interactions of citizens and civil associations with their government.

USG.1.3 Describe the purposes and functions of government.

USG.1.4 Define and provide examples of different forms of government, including direct democracy, representative democracy, republic, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy.

USG.1.5 Explain how the rule of law, embodied in a constitution, limits government to protect the rights of individuals.

USG.1.6 Explain how a constitutional democracy provides majority rule with equal protection for the rights of individuals, including those in the minority, through limited government and the rule of law.

USG.1.7 Distinguish limited from unlimited government, and provide examples of each type of government.

USG.1.8 Explain how civil society contributes to the maintenance of limited government in a representative democracy or democratic republic such as the United States.

USG.1.9 Examine fundamental documents in the American political tradition to identify key ideas regarding limited government and individual rights.

Examples: Magna Carta (1215), Mayflower Compact (1620), Massachusetts Body of Liberties
(1641), English Bill of Rights (1689), Locke’s Treatises of Civil Government (1690), Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges (1701), Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), Declaration of Independence (1776), United States Constitution (1787), Bill of Rights (1791), and the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780

USG.1.10 Explain the part of 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….”

Foundations of Government in the United States
Students will identify and define ideas at the core of government and politics in the United States, interpret founding-era documents and events associated with the core ideas, and explain how commitment to these foundational ideas constitutes a common American history and civic identity. They will also analyze issues about the meaning and application of these core ideas to government, politics, and civic life, and demonstrate how citizens use these foundational ideas in civic and political life.

USG.2.1 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 Bill of Rights (1791).

USG.2.2 Analyze and interpret central ideas on government, individual rights, and the common good in founding documents of the United States.

Examples: The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), the Declaration of Independence (1776),
the Massachusetts Constitution (1780), the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786), the
Northwest Ordinance (1787), the United States Constitution (1787), selected Federalist Papers
such as numbers 1, 9, 10, 39, 51, and 78 (1787–1788), the Bill of Rights (1791), President
Washington’s Farewell Address (1796), and President Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address (1801)

USG.2.3 Identify and explain elements of the social contract and natural rights theories in United States founding-era documents.

USG.2.4 Define and provide examples of foundational ideas of American government, including popular sovereignty, constitutionalism, republicanism, federalism, and individual rights, which are embedded in founding-era documents.

USG.2.5 Explain how a shared American civic identity is embodied in founding-era documents and in core documents of subsequent periods of United States history.

Examples: The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions (1848), Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863) and Second Inaugural Address (1865), Theodore Roosevelt’s “The New Nationalism” speech (1910), Woodrow Wilson’s “Peace Without Victory” speech (1917), Franklin Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech (1941), John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address (1961), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Letter from Birmingham City Jail (1963), and selected opinions in landmark decisions of the United States Supreme Court such as Justice Robert Jackson’s opinion for the Court in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) and Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ dissenting opinion in the case of Abrams v. United States (1919)

USG.2.6 Define and provide examples of fundamental principles and values of American political and civic life, including liberty, the common good, justice, equality, tolerance, law and order, rights of individuals, diversity, civic unity, patriotism, constitutionalism, popular sovereignty, and representative democracy.

USG.2.7 Identify and explain historical and contemporary efforts to narrow discrepancies between foundational ideas and values of American democracy and realities of American political and civic life.

USG.2.8 Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues concerning foundational ideas or values in tension or conflict.

Examples: Analyze issues involving liberty in conflict with equality, liberty in conflict with authority, individual rights in conflict with the common good, or majority rule in conflict with minority rights.

USG.2.9 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).

USG.2.10 Analyze and explain ideas about liberty, equality, and justice in American society using documents such as in Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech and Letter from Birmingham City Jail (1963), and compare King’s ideas to those in such founding-era documents as the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), the Declaration of Independence (1776), Massachusetts Declaration of Rights (1780), and the Federalist Papers (1788)

Purposes, Principles, and Institutions of Government in the United States of America
Students will explain how purposes, principles, and institutions of government for the American people are established in the United States Constitution and reflected in the Massachusetts Constitution. They will also describe the structures and functions of American constitutional government at national, state, and local levels, and practice skills of citizenship in relationship to their constitutional government.

USG.3.1 Compare and contrast governments that are unitary, confederate, and federal.

USG.3.2 Identify and describe provisions of the United States Constitution and the Massachusetts Constitution that define and distribute powers and authority of the federal or state government.

USG.3.3 Explain the constitutional principles of federalism, separation of powers among three branches of government, the system of checks and balances, republican government or representative democracy, and popular sovereignty. Provide examples of these principles in the governments of the United States and the state of Massachusetts.

USG.3.4 Explain the functions of the courts of law in the governments of the United States and the state of Massachusetts with emphasis on the principles of judicial review and an independent judiciary.

USG.3.5 Distinguish among the enumerated and implied powers in the United States Constitution and the Massachusetts Constitution.

USG.3.6 Explain the functions of departments or agencies of the executive branch in the governments of the United States and the state of Massachusetts.

USG.3.7 Trace the evolution of political parties in the American governmental system, and analyze their functions in elections and government at national and state levels of the federal system.

USG.3.8 Explain the legal, fiscal, and operational relationships between state and local governments in Massachusetts.

USG.3.9 Explain the formal process of how a bill becomes a law and define the terms initiative and referendum.

USG.3.10 Explain the difference between a town and a city form of government in Massachusetts, including the difference between a representative and an open-town meeting.

USG.3.11 Compare core documents associated with the protection of individual rights, including the Bill of Rights, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Article I of the Massachusetts Constitution.

USG.3.12 Use a variety of sources, including newspapers and internet web sites, to identify current state and local legislative issues and examine the influence on the legislative process of political parties, interest groups, grass roots organizations, lobbyists, public opinion, the news media, and individual voters.

USG.3.13 Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme Court about the constitutional principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in such landmark cases as Marbury v. Madison (1803), Baker v. Carr (1962), United States v. Nixon (1974), City of Boerne, Texas v. Flores (1997), and Clinton v. City of New York (1998).

USG.3.14 Analyze and evaluate decisions by the United States Supreme Court about the constitutional principle of federalism in cases such as McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), Texas v. White (1869), Alden v. Maine (1999).

The Relationship of the United States to Other Nations in World Affairs
Students will analyze the interactions between the United States and other nations and evaluate the role of the United States in world affairs.

USG.4.1 Describe how the world is divided politically, and give examples of the ways nation states interact, including trade, tourism, diplomacy, treaties and agreements, and military action.

USG.4.2 Analyze reasons for conflict among nation states, such as competition for resources and territory, differences in system of government, and religious or ethnic conflicts.

USG.4.3 Identify and explain powers that the United States Constitution gives to the President and Congress in the area of foreign affairs

USG.4.4 Describe the tools used to carry out United States foreign policy.

Examples: Diplomacy, economic aid, military aid, humanitarian aid, treaties, sanctions, and military intervention.

USG.4.5 Examine the different forces that influence U.S. foreign policy, including business and labor organizations, interest groups, public opinion, and ethnic and religious organizations.

USG.4.6 Differentiate among various governmental and nongovernmental international organizations, and describe their purposes and functions.

Examples: Major governmental international organizations include 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 are examples of nongovernmental
organizations.

USG.4.7 Explain and evaluate participation by the United States government in international organizations.
Example: The United Nations

USG.4.8 Use a variety of sources, including newspapers, magazines, and the internet to identify significant world political, demographic, and environmental developments. Analyze ways that these developments may affect United States foreign policy in specific regions of the world.

USG.4.9 Evaluate, take, and defend a position about whether or not the United States should promote the spread of democracy throughout the world, or in certain parts of the world, or not at all.

Roles of Citizens in the United States
Students will explain the idea of citizenship in the United States, describe the roles of United States citizens, and identify and explain the rights and responsibilities of United States citizens. They will also examine civic dispositions conducive to the maintenance and improvement of civil society and government, and describe and demonstrate how citizens can participate responsibly and effectively in the civic and political life of the United States.

USG.5.1 Explain the meaning and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States and Massachusetts.

USG.5.2 Describe roles of citizens in Massachusetts and the United States, including voting in public elections, participating in voluntary associations to promote the common good, and participating in political activities to influence public policy decisions of government.

USG.5.3 Describe how citizens can monitor and influence local, state, and national government as individuals and members of interest groups.

USG.5.4 Research the platforms of political parties and candidates for state or local government and explain how citizens in the United States participate in public elections as voters and supporters of candidates for public office.

USG.5.5 Identify and explain the meaning and importance of civic dispositions or virtues that contribute to the preservation and improvement of civil society and government.

USG.5.6 Identify specific ways for individuals to serve their communities and participate responsibly in civil society and the political process at local, state, and national levels of government.

USG.5.7 Analyze and evaluate decisions about rights of individuals in landmark cases of the United States Supreme Court such as Whitney v. California (1927), Stromberg v. California (1931), Near v. Minnesota (1931), Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), Texas v. Johnson (1989), and Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union (1997).

USG.5.8 Analyze the arguments that evaluate the functions and values of voluntary participation by citizens in the civil associations that constitute civil society.

Examples: Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, Volume I (1835) and Volume II (1839).

USG.5.9 Together with other students, identify a significant public policy issue in the community, gather information about that issue, fairly evaluate the various points of view and competing interests, examine ways of participating in the decision making process about the issue, and draft a position paper on how the issue should be resolved.

USG.5.10 Practice civic skills and dispositions by participating in activities such as simulated public hearings, mock trials, and debates.