​Unit 8: Post-War America

​Critical Vocabulary: Cold War, Communism, Capitalism, Democracy, Totalitarianism, Satellite Nations, Iron Curtain, Truman Doctrine, Containment Policy, Domino Theory, Marshall Plan, Berlin Airlift, NATO, Warsaw Pact, Red Scare, House Un-American Activities Committee, Army-McCarthy Hearings, 38th Parallel, Demilitarized Zone, Eisenhower Doctrine, Brinkmanship, Arms Race, Mutually Assured Destruction, Sputnik, U-2 Incident, Flexible Response, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis, GI Bill, Baby Boom, Levittown, Interstate Highway System, ​

Lesson 1: The Cold War

We will discuss the origins of the Cold War, & we will evaluate the methods the United States used to contain communism.
  • This means we will compare and contrast the American and Soviet systems, & we will assess the Cold War policies developed under presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.
  • It also means we will explain the causes and effects of the Red Scare after World War II, & we will compare it to similar events after World War I.
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Lesson 2: The Post-War Boom

We will discuss America's post-war economic boom, and we will analyze its effects on American society.
  • This means we will identify the factors that led to the affluence of the 1950s, & we will analyze the role they played in shaping the "American Dream."
  • It also means that we will discuss the "Other America," & we will explain its impact on America's poorest regions.
Class Materials: ​

Lesson 3: The Civil Rights Movement

We will summarize the key events of the Civil Rights Movement, & we will evaluate the impact of each.
  • This means we will explain how the Court's view of state and national power shifted during this era, & I will evaluate its impact on the Civil Rights Movement.
  • It also means that we will describe the tactics that activists used during the Civil Rights Movement, and we will analyze how successful they were in achieving racial equality.
Class Materials:​

Lesson 4: The Great Society

We will summarize the major policy goals of the Johnson Administration, & we will evaluate the degree to which they addressed the problems of the era.
  • This means we will explain Johnson's Great Society, & we will evaluate its impact on American society.
  • It also means we will identify the key decisions of the Warren Court, & we will discuss the reactions to each.
Class Materials: ​

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