The Early Days of the Cold War - The Truman Years

APUSH Gang,

Just because it's FCAT Week doesn't mean that we have nothing to do! The APUSH exam is right around the corner, and we need to prepare ourselves. This week, we will take an intensive look at the early years of the Cold War, when Europe and Japan were in ruins, there were only two superpowers that stood ready to stand in each others' way, and the United States had a difficult choice to make: retreat to isolationism again, or recognize the potential threat to world domination that the Soviet Union had become.

"American Pageant" Ch. 36 Guidebook ("The Cold War Begins, 1945-1952") is on my McKeel webpage. You will also find answer keys for Ch. 29-35. There is a LOT of information to learn about the early years of the Cold War that may rear its head on the APUSH exam in a few weeks, so be prepared to know how to answer Ch. 36 Guidebook's ten "PART III: APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED" essays.

You will have an exam on Fri., 4/15, on Chapters 29-33 (Wilsonian Progressivism, WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, & the New Deal). This was posted on my blog last week, but I thought that WWII would be adding a little bit too much. You will report for this exam in Mrs. Fields' room after Advisory, and you may take up to 60 minutes to complete it. Bring #2 pencils!!

As for your assignments for "The Cold War, 1945-1952":

1.) You will need to get two videos from me: "America in the 20th Century: The Post-War Years" and "America in the 20th Century: The Cold War". You can stop the 2nd one after the segment on the Korean War ending with an armistice in 1953 after Gen. MacArthur is relieved of his command. Your assignment for both is to write an outline for both films, segment by segment. Each one should contain at least 25 fully-written points of interest. - Due Tues., April 19

2.) There is a DBQ from the 2006 APUSH exam on my website. Look at it, analyze the documents, and write it (only Section II, Part A). Remember, no matter how well-written it might be, if it contains no outside information, it will not score better than a 4 out of 9, so be sure to digest Ch. 36 in "American Pageant", watch the films, and plug through the Monterey Institute's offerings on the Cold War (listed below...Due Wed., April 20

3.) "American Pageant," Ch. 36 Guidebook - Due Thursday, April 21

4.) Monterey Institute's Unit 9, Chapter 22 ("HST & IKE"), Lessons 65-68

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/AP%20US%20History%20II/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html

a.) Key Terms - For each term, note the definition as well as the term's significance (Due Mon., 4/18)
b.) Writing Assignment - This is a free-response question from the 2002 APUSH exam. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO PAGE 8 & ANSWER ONLY #4. (Due Tues., 4/19)
c.) Discussion Question - Answer the following question as a response to this blog: "How did the U.S. policy of containment affect the decision-making of the government during the 1940s and 1950s? Did Americans overreact to the potential threat of communistic influence in the U.S.?" Your response should be at least 350 words, and should be posted by Thursday, 4/21.

KEY CONCEPTS

1. Explain the causes and consequences of the post–World War II economic boom.
2. Describe the large postwar migrations to the Sunbelt and the suburbs.
3. Explain changes in American society and culture brought about by the "baby boom".
4. Explain the origin and causes of the emerging conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union after Germany’s defeat and Truman’s accession to the presidency.
5. Describe the early U.S.-Soviet Cold War conflicts over Germany and Eastern Europe, and explain why the United Nations proved largely ineffectual in addressing them.
6. Discuss the American theory and practice of containment, as reflected in the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO.
7. Describe the concern about Soviet spying and communist subversion within the United States and the increasing climate of fear it engendered.
8. Describe the expansion of the Cold War to East Asia, including the Chinese communist revolution and the Korean War.
9. Other important stuff: the Warsaw Pact, the Berlin Airlift, Communist insurgencies in Greece & Turkey in 1947-1948

"The Good Fight"...America in World War II

APUSH Gang,

This week is probably my favorite week in the curricular calendar: World War II week!! Good vs. Evil, with the forces of liberty and democracy fighting to save the world from tyranny and oppression...but it's never quite THAT easy, is it? If it was, why would we have a picture like the one you see shown on this post?

With the APUSH Exam fast approaching, you will be working VERY hard this week to learn as much as you can about America's shining moment, when our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, freshly recovered from the privations of the Great Depression, fought a two-front war in Europe and the Pacific.

This Week's Due Dates/Assignments:

1.) "American Pageant," Chapters 34-35 are on my website to print and use...and the Answer Key to Ch. 29-33 is there, too...you're welcome.

2.) Zinn, Ch. 16 Questions ("A People's War?") - Two sets of questions this time, since: 1.) I won't see you next week until Fri., 4/15, and; 2.) there is a lot of good early Cold War stuff in this chapter, too, which you will be learning about next week on your own. These questions can be given to me by Wed., April 13.

3.) The Monterey Institute's interactive unit for WWII can be found at:

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/AP%20US%20History%20II/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html

This is great stuff, and we'll see some of it in class on Mon., 4/4. Here are the assignments for this interactive site (you'll need to use the resources on this website and other sources, too):

a.) Define the Key Terms (due Wed., 4/6)
b.) Answer the Writing Assignment question using the 4 documents included on the website AND our class activity on Thurs., 4/7 (due Fri., 4/8)
c.) Answer this question as a response on this blog by Fri., 4/8 - "While 15 million Americans were called overseas to fight the Axis aggression, Americans at home faced tremendous changes during wartime as well. How did Americans respond to the call of war domestically?" This should be at least 400 words (include your word count).

4.) WWII Propaganda Posters - you will need a Notes Sheet (matrix format) and a form titled "Common Objectives and Rules of Propaganda." The posters themselves are on my website. This assignment is due by Tues., April 12.

5.) You may choose ONE of the following two options to explore: a.) German POW Camps in Florida during WWII, or; b.) "Operation Drumbeat," a Nazi terrorist plot to sabotage America's infrastructure during WWII. These assignments are due by Wed., April 13.

6.) I have two videos and supplemental activities to be viewed, completed, and turned in by Fri., April 15. If you are interested in earning twenty points extra credit, you may want to download these films and complete this assignment (due Thurs., April 14).

-You can expect an exam on Chapters 29-35 in "American Pageant" on Fri., 4/15. It will be heavy on the Great Depression, the New Deal, & World War II.

The Great Depression & FDR's "New Deal"

APUSH Gang,

The date for the AP US History exam is fast approaching, and a LOT of topics that could be seen on the test are about to become more familiar to all of you, starting with the Great Depression and the New Deal of the 1930s.

Something that you will all want to do as soon as possible is bring a memory stick to class so that you can watch United Streaming's "America in the 20th Century: The Great Depression." This is a great half-hour-long summary of the 1930s in the United States; I will also allow you to use some practice materials to become more proficient in your knowledge of this formative era in American history, which may also be saved to your memory sticks.

You will also want to visit my McKeel Academy webpage and save the Guidebooks for Chapters 32-33. These are important to study for these two chapters. I expect these to be finished by Friday, April 1st, including essay questions.

You will also need to read Ch. 15 in Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." On Mon., 3/28, I will assign you the usual questions in class (make sure you get it from me!), but this week, you will go the extra mile: there is also a Zinn Ch. 15 study guide on my McKeel Academy webpage. Complete this document as well and email it to me (due dates to follow).

This week, we will be using a new resource to study the Great Depression. It is a multimedia unit of study that can be found at:

http://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/AP%20US%20History%20II/nroc%20prototype%20files/coursestartc.html

You will select Chapter 20 from the Table of Contents. You are required to view Lessons 59 & 60 ("Causes & Consequences of the Great Depression" and "The New Deal"), including all readings, presentations, and anything under the "Explore" tab for each lesson. In addition, under the "Assignments" tab in the Table of Contents for Chapter 20, be familiar with all key terms, complete the map activity on the Dust Bowl, answer the DBQ ("Analyze the responses of FDR's administration to the problems of the Great Depression. How effective were these responses, and how did they change the role of the federal government?"), and complete the writing assignment.

Now, for due dates. Obviously, you already have the "Florida Terror" and "Scopes Monkey Trial" assignments due on Tues., 3/29. Here are this week's assignments due dates:

-Tues., 3/29: "Florida Terror" & "Scopes Monkey Trial"
-Wed., 3/30: Key Terms from the Monterey Institute's online unit & the map activity
Thurs., 3/31: Zinn Ch. 15 Study Guide & questions (#1-#27), Monterey Institute writing assignment ("Rank the causes of the Great Depression, and then write a 300-word essay on the following: identify three points at which intervention by the federal government could have slowed or perhaps even stopped the Depression.")
Fri., 4/1: Have "American Pageant" Guidebooks for Chapters 32-33 completed.
Mon., 4/4: DBQ about the New Deal (this is the ACTUAL AP Exam DBQ from the 2003 exam!)

Now, a few of you have been asking about extra-credit. Here is your opportunity:

1.) For fifteen extra points, post your response to this question on this blog by Fri., 4/1: "How did the philosophy of government change in America during the 1930s as a result of FDR's New Deal?" This should be at least 200 words, and you should use specific examples from this week's learning.

2.) For ten extra points, complete the "Great Depression" flm's video quiz true-false & multiple-choice questions. Correctness will count! For five extra points each, complete the other assignments included in the .pdf file. This can be turned in on Mon., 4/4.

As always, no extra-credit will be accepted from any student that does not turn in ALL required assignments.

The Great American West

It's "Cowboys and Indians" time, APUSH Gang! Yee-haw! This week, we will look at the time after the Civil War when the United States government made a concerted effort to push west to the Pacific, eventually displacing thousands of natives along the way in the name of economic prosperity and civilization.

On my McKeel website, you will find the five documents that make up "This Land Is Ours" from the "A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America" curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center. This episode details the story of the Ponca tribe of Nebraska, who were threatened with expulsion from their ancestral home in the 1870s. As you read their story, answer the following questions on a Microsoft Word document and submit them to me by Friday, February 4th:

“This Land Is Ours” – Chapter 4 from “A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America”

1.) What factors contributed to the U.S. government’s policy of forcibly removing Native Americans from their ancestral lands?

2.) Explain the title of this story – “This Land Is Ours.”
a.) What are some other possible interpretations?
b.) Do you see a possible irony in the title? If so, explain what it is.

3.) How did the legal principle of habeas corpus advance the cause of the Ponca? What arguments did the government use against it?

4.) How much did you know about the story of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca before you read “This Land Is Ours”?
a.) What reasons can you give for your answer?
b.) What do you know about the other Native American chiefs and leaders mentioned in the story?

5.) How has our society’s understanding of the phrase “all men are created equal” changed since it was first written in the Declaration of Independence?
a.) How does the Ponca’s story contribute to that understanding?
b.) Are there limits to our understanding of the phrase today? Explain.

Also, we will be looking at a DBQ on the Old West this week in class. All DBQ essays are due on Tuesday, February 8th.

Industrialization & Immigration

After the Civil War, the United States began to finally flex its economic muscles and become a world leader in industry. With the economy booming, opportunities arose for people from all over the world to come make their own destinies in the New World. And over 43 million did...

Captains of industry, robber barons, the nouveau riche, immigrant workers, child laborers...all played a vital role in this next chapter of American History.

Assignments (1/18-1/28):
1.) "A People's History of the United States" - Ch. 11 Questions ("Robber Barons & Rebels"), due Tues., 1/25

2.) DBQ - choose "Captains of Industry" or "The New Immigrants", due Wed., 1/26

3.) Ch. 24 & Ch. 25 Guidebooks, due Fri., 1/28

4.) Exam on Ch. 24 & Ch. 25, Fri., 1/28

Reconstruction, 1865-1877

After the Civil War, the United States government began the long & arduous process of Reconstruction. The next dozen years saw former slaves reach new heights socially, economically, and politically, but not without resistance among white Southerners. Then, upon the inauguration of new President Rutherford B. Hayes in March 1877, Reconstruction abruptly ended. Was the work the federal government began to remake the South truly finished, or was the end premature?

There is a wealth of information to learn about Reconstruction, and not much class time to do it in. It is truly a fascinating topic, one that I think helps to explain race relations regional differences still alive today in the United States. And yet, it is such a little known topic.

The following are due dates that you have in APUSH for the next two weeks. Manage your time wisely, because this is a lot.

1.) "American Pageant" Guidebooks for Ch. 20-23 due on Fri., Jan. 14th.

2.) Zinn Questions for Ch. 10 ("The Other Civil War") will be handed out in class, due on Wed., 1/12.

3.) Ch. 22 Discussion Questions will be answered and turned into my Google Docs account (save as "Private," share it with me) by Monday, 1/10.

4.) Read the article saved on my McKeel website ("The American Civil War,
Emancipation, and Reconstruction on the World Stage," by Edward L. Ayers) and write a precis', minimum 500 words, posted on this blog. This is due by Fri., 1/7.

5.) DBQ - "Who Killed Reconstruction: North or South?" (documents analyzed in class on Thurs. & Fri., 1/6-1/7), will be submitted to me on Google Docs by Thurs., 1/13.

6.) Ch. 20-23 Exam on Fri., 1/14.

Do you KNOW the Constitution?

Take a look at this question, and answer fully on this blog. Feel free to respond to your classmates' answers as well. Here goes:

"Some historians contend that the Constitution, by providing the structure of government and powers necessary to perpetuate a strong union, 'saved' the fledgling American Republic from collapse and ruin under the Articles of Confederation. Evaluate this argument utilizing your knowledge of the problems of the United States in the 1780’s."

Post your answer by Fri. evening, 10/8, please. Can't wait to see this!!

Knowledge is power...