Essential Understandings for United States Studies

Semester 1

* Gain a basic knowledge of the Constitution, including the Amendments

* Learn the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship

* Learn to relate current events with the past

* Understand how the electoral process works

* Understand the evolution of industrialization

* Learn the basic events associated with westward expansion

Semester 2

* Compare and contrast economic systems, focusing on Capitalism

* Know the workings of the US Supreme Court, including important rulings

* Understand the major concepts and ideas associated with the social and cultural
revolutions of the 20th Century

* Learn the states and their capitals

* Compare and contrast major US military conflicts

* Understand and recognize the changing role of women in US History

* Describe the nature of the Cold War


Essential Understandings for Current Issues

*Understand the meaning of democracy and the role of the individual in a democracy

*Learn the Key Issues in our country and how the candidates in the upcoming election plan on dealing with these issues

*Know the concerns and perceptions of different Generations

*Compare and contrast the family unit today and the family unit of the past

*Learn about our current economical problems and the cause and effect of the economical situation in our country

*Understand the problems that separate us, including prejudice, discrimination, and racial and ethnic stereotyping

*Learn about Americas role as a world power and the influence we have economically, military and democratically