Virginia and United States History (from History and Social Science SOL 2001)

The standards for Virginia and United States History include the historical development of American ideas and institutions from the Age of Exploration to the present. While focusing on political and economic history, the standards provide students with a basic knowledge of American culture through a chronological survey of major issues, movements, people, and events in United States and Virginia history. Students should use historical and geographical analysis skills to explore in depth the events, people, and ideas that fostered our national identity and led to our country's prominence in world affairs.

The study of history must emphasize the intellectual skills required for responsible citizenship. Students practice these skills as they extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by all of the standards for history and social science.

a) identify, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary source documents, records, and data, including artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, and art to increase understanding of events and life in the United States;

b) evaluate the authenticity, authority, and credibility of sources;

c) formulate historical questions and defend findings based on inquiry and interpretation;

d) develop perspectives of time and place, including the construction of maps and various time lines of events, periods, and personalities in American history;

e) communicate findings orally and in analytical essays and/or comprehensive papers;

f) develop skills in discussion, debate, and persuasive writing with respect to enduring issues and determine how divergent viewpoints have been addressed and reconciled;

g) apply geographic skills and reference sources to understand how relationships between humans and their environment have changed over time;

h) interpret the significance of excerpts from famous speeches and other documents.

Early America: Early Claims, Early Conflicts

• Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/1.asp
  
• The Growth of the Tobacco Trade
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/2d.asp
  
• War and Peace with Powhatan's People
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/2e.asp
  

VUS.3 The student will describe how the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the Americas.

• The New England Colonies AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/3.asp
  
• The Middle Colonies AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/4.asp
  
• The Southern Colonies AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/5.asp
  
• African Americans in the British New World AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/6.asp
  

Revolution and the New Nation

a) analyzing how the political ideas of John Locke and those expressed in Common Sense helped shape the Declaration of Independence;
• The Impact of Enlightenment in Europe
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/7a.asp
  
• On Human Nature
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur11/10b.asp
  
• Democratic Values -- Liberty, Equality, Justice
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/1d.asp
  
• Thomas Paine's Common Sense
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/10f.asp
  
• E Pluribus Unum AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/10.asp
  

b) describing the political differences among the colonists concerning separation from Britain;
• The Events Leading to Independence AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/9.asp
  

c) analyzing reasons for colonial victory in the Revolutionary War.
• The American Revolution AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/11.asp
  

VUS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution and how the principles of limited government, consent of the governed, and the social contract are embodied in it by

a) explaining the origins of the Constitution, including the Articles of Confederation;
• Articles of Confederation
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/2b.asp
  
• Drafting the Constitution AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/3.asp
  

b) identifying the major compromises necessary to produce the Constitution, and the roles of James Madison and George Washington;
• The Tough Issues
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/3c.asp
  
• Constitution Through Compromise
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/3d.asp
  
• George Washington AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/5.asp
  

c) describing the conflict over ratification, including the Bill of Rights and the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists;
• Federalists
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4a.asp
  
• Antifederalists
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4b.asp
  
• The Ratification Process: State by State
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4c.asp
  
• After the Fact: Virginia, New York, and 'The Federalist Papers'
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4d.asp
  
• The Antifederalists' Victory in Defeat
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4e.asp
  

d) examining the significance of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in the framing of the Bill of Rights.
• Antifederalists
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/4b.asp
  
• The Bill of Rights
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/6a.asp
  

Expansion and Reform: 1801 to 1860

a) identifying the economic, political, and geographic factors that led to territorial expansion and its impact on the American Indians (First Americans);
• Westward Expansion: The Louisiana Purchase
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/8c.asp
  
• The Importance of the West
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/9a.asp
  
• Exploration: Lewis and Clark
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/9b.asp
  
• Native American Resistance in the Trans-Appalachian West
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/9d.asp
  

b) describing the key features of the Jacksonian Era, with emphasis on federal banking policies;
• Jacksonian Democracy and Modern America
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/11f.asp
  
• The Age of Jackson AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/1.asp
  

c) describing the cultural, economic, and political issues that divided the nation, including slavery, the abolitionist and women's suffrage movements, and the role of the states in the Union.
• Social Change and National Development AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush81/10.asp
  
• The Peculiar Institution AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/4.asp
  
• Women's Rights
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/3c.asp
  
• Abolitionist Sentiment Grows AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/5.asp
  

Civil War and Reconstruction: 1860 to 1877

a) identifying the major events and the roles of key leaders of the Civil War Era, with emphasis on Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Frederick Douglass;
• An Uneasy Peace AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/7.asp
  
• 'Bloody Kansas' AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/8.asp
  
• From Uneasy Peace to Bitter Conflict AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/9.asp
  
• A House Divided AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/10.asp
  

b) analyzing the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the principles outlined in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address;
• The Emancipation Proclamation
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/11a.asp
  
• Gettysburg: High Watermark of the Confederacy
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/10g.asp
  
• The House of Style
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/law81/9.asp
  

c) examining the political, economic, and social impact of the war and Reconstruction, including the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.
• Reconstruction AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush82/12.asp
  
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/10.asp
  
• Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/10a.asp
  

Reshaping the Nation and the Emergence of Modern America: 1877 to 1930s

a) explaining the relationship among territorial expansion, westward movement of the population, new immigration, growth of cities, and the admission of new states to the Union;
• Closing the Frontier AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/5.asp
  
• Seeking Empire AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/9.asp
  

b) describing the transformation of the American economy from a primarily agrarian to a modern industrial economy and identifying major inventions that improved life in the United States;
• The Gilded Age AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/1.asp
  
• Organized Labor AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/2.asp
  
• From the Countryside to the City AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/3.asp
  
• New Dimensions in Everyday Life AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/4.asp
  

c) analyzing prejudice and discrimination during this time period, with emphasis on "Jim Crow" and the responses of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois;
• Separate No Longer?
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/7a.asp
  
• Booker T. Washington
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/7d.asp
  
• W. E. B. DuBois
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/7e.asp
  
• Booker T. Washington
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lam11/9e.asp
  

d) identifying the impact of the Progressive Movement, including child labor and antitrust laws, the rise of labor unions, and the success of the women's suffrage movement.
• Organized Labor AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/2.asp
  
• Progressivism Sweeps the Nation AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/7.asp
  

VUS.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the emerging role of the United States in world affairs and key domestic events after 1890 by

a) explaining the changing policies of the United States toward Latin America and Asia and the growing influence of the United States in foreign markets;
• Seeking Empire AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/9.asp
  

b) evaluating United States involvement in World War I, including Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, and the national debate over treaty ratification and the League of Nations;
• America in the First World War AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/10.asp
  

c) explaining the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on the American people, and the ways the New Deal addressed it.
• The Decade That Roared AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush11/11.asp
  
• The Great Depression AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/1.asp
  
• The New Deal AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/2.asp
  

Conflict: The World at War: 1939 to 1945

a) identifying the causes and events that led to American involvement in the war, including military assistance to Britain and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor;
• The Road to Pearl Harbor AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/3.asp
  

b) describing the major battles and turning points of the war in North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific, including Midway, Stalingrad, the Normandy landing (D-Day), and Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb to force the surrender of Japan;
• America in the Second World War AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/4.asp
  

c) describing the role of all-minority military units, including the Tuskegee Airmen and Nisei regiments;
• Japanese-American Internment
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/4e.asp
  

d) describing the Geneva Convention and the treatment of prisoners of war during World War II;

e) analyzing the Holocaust (Hitler's "final solution"), its impact on Jews and other groups, and postwar trials of war criminals.

• The Holocaust
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur12/8d.asp
  
• The End of the 'Thousand Year Reich'
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur12/8e.asp
  

VUS.11 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of World War II on the home front by

a) explaining how the United States mobilized its economic, human, and military resources;

b) describing the contributions of women and minorities to the war effort;

• The American Homefront
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/4b.asp
  

c) explaining the internment of Japanese Americans during the war;
• Japanese-American Internment
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/4e.asp
  

d) describing the role of media and communications in the war effort.

The United States since World War II

a) describing outcomes of World War II, including political boundary changes, the formation of the United Nations, and the Marshall Plan;
• Postwar Challenges AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/5.asp
  
• The United Nations
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur12/9e.asp
  

b) explaining the origins of the Cold War, and describing the Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment of communism, the American role in wars in Korea and Vietnam, and the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe;
• Postwar Challenges AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/5.asp
  
• The Korean War
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/5e.asp
  
• The Vietnam War AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/8.asp
  
• Europe Divided AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur12/9.asp
  
• NATO
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/eur12/9d.asp
  

c) explaining the role of America's military and veterans in defending freedom during the Cold War;

d) explaining the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, including the role of Ronald Reagan.

• The Reagan Years AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/12.asp
  

VUS.13 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s by

a) identifying the importance of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the roles of Thurgood Marshall and Oliver Hill, and how Virginia responded;
• A New Civil Rights Movement AND ALL FOCUS TOPICS
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/7.asp
  

b) describing the importance of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the 1963 March on Washington, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• Gains and Pains
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/7e.asp
  
• Separate No Longer?
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/7a.asp
  
• W.E.B. Du Bois
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/lam11/9f.asp
  

VUS.14 The student will demonstrate knowledge of economic, social, cultural, and political developments in the contemporary United States by

a) analyzing the effects of increased participation of women in the labor force;
• Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/10a.asp
  
• Crime and Due Process
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/10c.asp
  

b) analyzing how changing patterns of immigration affect the diversity of the United States population, the reasons new immigrants choose to come to this country, and their contributions to contemporary America;
• Citizenship Rights
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/gov91/10d.asp
  

c) explaining the media influence on contemporary American culture and how scientific and technological advances affect the workplace, health care, and education.
• Living in the Information Age
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/13d.asp
  
• The End of the American Century
  http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush12/13e.asp