Race and Social Justice/U.S.

History Curriculum

How were oppressed people affected in each time period?

To what extent and in what ways did the dominant and/or priveleged
groups in America attempt to oppress others in each time period?

1st Semester:
I.
INTRO: Defining Systems of Oppression at Americas Birth (1492-1789)
(Standards 11.1, 11.3)
A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. What is Race?
2. Where does the idea of race come from?
3. How is race related to inequality? Are some racial groups
unequal to others, and why?
4. Does America still have race problems?
B. Definitions of Inequality, Race, Gender, Oppression, White Privelege
C. Native American Policy
D. The Making of Slavery
E. The Role of Women
F. Examining the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution
LDC TASK (in Notebook): How have oppressed people been affected during the opening
years of American History? After reading texts about racism and the beginning of the United
States, write an essay or substitutes) in which you analyze the extent to which African
Americans, Women, and others have been oppressed. Use at least 3 examples to clarify your
analysis. (Informational or Explanatory/Analysis. Task 21)

II.
ROLE OF RACE IN THE EXPANSION OF THE U.S. (1789-1898) (Standards
11.1.4, 11.3)
A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. How die Slavery start? What was slavery like for the
slaveowners and the slaves?
2. How did racism play a part in the expansion of the United
States?
3. How did oppressed people groups (African-Americans, Native
Americans, Women) resist oppression during this time?
A. Growth of Slavery The Cotton Curtain
B. Native American Removal
C. Abolitionist Movement and Slave Rebellions
D. Manifest Destiny and the War Against Mexico
E. Civil War
F. Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow Laws (legal segregation)
LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about slavery and racism in the
expansion of the United States during the years of 1789-1898, write an essay in which you

describe how America has oppressed African Americans, Native Americans, and women. Use at
least 3 examples in your essay. (DESCRIPTION, TASK 14)

III.
INDUSTRIALIZATION AND IMMIGRATION (about 1870-1920) (Standard
11.2)
A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Industrial Revolution: What caused the U.S. to industrialize?
2. European and Asian Immigration: Where did immigrants come
from and how were they treated?
3. Labor Movement: What did workers fight for?
4. Progressive Movement: How did the government try to solve
the issues of immigration and industrialization?
B. Industrial Revolution
C. European and Asian Immigration
D. Labor Movement
E. Progressive Movement
LDC TASK (PROJECT): After reading information about industrialization and the Gilded Age,
create a newspaper which explains the positive and negative aspects to industrialization.
Support your discussion with evidence from the class activities. (Gilded Age Times)
(Informational or Explanatory/Synthesis)

IV.

V.

IMPERIALISM AND RACE (1898-1919) (Standard 11.4)

A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Why did America decide to have an empire in this time period?
2. How did racism, along with the pursuit of money and power
influence the decisions of the United States to go to war?
3. What injustices did Americans suffer at the hands of the
government? What injustices did conquered people experience?
B. Imperialism and the White Mans Burden
C. Conquest of Hawaii
D. Spanish-American War
E. Open Door Policy in China
F. Panama Canal
WORLD WAR I (1914-1919) (Standard 11.4.5)
A. Decision to go to War
B. Attack on Civil Liberties
C. Anti-German Propaganda

LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about Imperialism, Racism and World
War 1, write an essay that explains how oppressed peoples were treated by the United States,
both within and outside of the United States. Support your discussion with 3 pieces of evidence
from your research. (Informational or Explanatory/Synthesis)

VI.

THE 1920s ROARING OR WARRING? (1919-1929) (Standard 11.5)

A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. How did the United States change during the 1920s?
2. How were working people, African-Americans, and HispanicAmericans affected by the changes in the 1920s?
A. Cultural Conflict: Traditional/Rural Modern/Urban
B. Emergence of Flapper Women
C. Prohibition and Organized Crime
D. Nativism and the Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
E. Great Migration Red Summer 1919 Harlem Renaissance

LDC Task (in Notebook): After reading and researching information about the
1920s, you will make an editorial that explains whether or not the 1920s was a
positive or negative time for working people and people of color. (Informational or
Explanatory/Synthesis)

2nd Semester:
VII.

GREAT DEPRESSION AND NEW DEAL (1929-1941) (Standard 11.6)

A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. What caused the Great Depression?
2. How did the Great Depression affect working people, AfricanAmericans, Native-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, women, and
other oppressed groups?
3. How much responsibility should government have for the wellbeing of its citizens?
A. Great Depression Causes and Consequences
B. Deportation of Latino-Americans
C. Trials of the Scottsboro Boys 1931
D. New Deal Helps Ethnic Groups

LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about the Great Depression and New
Deal, write an essay that explains how oppressed peoples were treated during this time period.
Support your discussion with 3 pieces of evidence from your research. (Informational or
Explanatory/Synthesis)

VIII. WORLD WAR II (1941-1945) (Standard 11.7)

A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. How did World War 2 affect Americans on the homefront?
2. What were the contributions of oppressed groups to the war?
(ex. African-Americans, Women, Japanese-Americans, etc)
3. How did World War 2 affect race relations in this country?
A. Rosie the Riveter Women in Weapons Factories
B. Bracero Program
C. Japanese American Internment
D. Zoot Suit Riots

LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about the World War 2, write an essay
that explains how oppressed peoples were treated during this time period. Support your
discussion with 3 pieces of evidence from your research. (Informational or
Explanatory/Synthesis)

IX. COLD WAR, McCARTHYISM, AND THE FABULOUS FIFTIES (1945-1960)

(Standards 11.8, 11.9)
A. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. How did the Cold War lead to the oppression of the American
people?
2. How did the changes that took place in the 1950s affect
various oppressed groups, such as women and people of color?
A. Integration of the Armed Forces
B. McCarthy and Blacklisting
C. White Flight and Spread of Suburbia
D. Father Knows Best the 1950s Nuclear Family
LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about the Cold War and the Fabulous
50s, write an essay that explains how oppressed peoples were treated during this time period.
Support your discussion with 3 pieces of evidence from your research. (Informational or
Explanatory/Synthesis)

X.
CONTEMPORARY AMERICA (1960s until now) (Standards 11.10, 11.11)
(essential questions in development)
1. CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS (1954-1970)
A. African-American Civil Rights Movement
a) Brown v Board of Education
b) Montgomery Bus Boycott
c) Little Rock Nine
d) Sit-in Movement
e) Freedom Riders
f) Birmingham March on Washington
g) Freedom Summer
h) Civil Rights Act Voting Rights Act
i) Militancy Malcolm X Black Panthers
B. Other Civil Rights Movements
a) Cesar Chavez UFW Chicano Movement
b) American Indian Movement
c) Womens Liberation Movement
d) GLBTQ Movement Stonewall Riots, Harvey Milk, AIDS
2. POLITICS, WAR, AND OTHER MAJOR ISSUES
A. Democrats, Republicans, and the Fight for Social Justice
B. Vietnam War
C. Affirmative Action
E. The rise of conservatism
F. Rodney King, Oscar Grant, and Police Brutality

G. Hurricane Katrina
H. Other Major Events, 9/11, War in Iraq and Afghanistan
I. Other Current Events
LDC TASK (in Notebook): After reading information about Contemporary America, write an
essay that explains how oppressed peoples were treated during this time period. Support your
discussion with 3 pieces of evidence from your research. (Informational or
Explanatory/Synthesis)