United States · Common Core State Standards
11th Grade US History
A comprehensive study of the United States from colonial foundations to the contemporary era, focusing on political, social, and economic developments that shaped the American identity.
Foundations of the American Republic
Exploring the collision of cultures in North America and the intellectual origins of American self-government.
English settlers, enslaved Africans, and indigenous peoples collide in the formation of colonial societies shaped by geography and religion.
The intellectual and spiritual foundations that challenged traditional authority and prepared the way for revolution.
The political and military struggle for independence from Great Britain and the internal social changes it sparked.
The framers compromise on slavery, federalism, and representation to create a government designed to endure.
The emergence of the first party system and the challenges of maintaining neutrality in a world at war.
The strengthening of the federal government through landmark Supreme Court decisions.
A second conflict with Britain that solidified American sovereignty and sparked a wave of nationalism.
Expansion, Reform & Sectionalism
The transformation of the American landscape and the growing divide over the institution of slavery.
The expansion of white male suffrage alongside the forced removal of Native Americans.
Religious revivalism fueling movements for temperance, education, and women's rights.
The radical shift from gradualism to immediate emancipation and the rise of Black and white activists.
The ideological drive to expand to the Pacific and the resulting conflict with Mexico.
The shift from subsistence farming to a national commercial economy driven by technology.
A series of political failures and violent outbursts that led the nation toward war.
The breaking point of the American political system as the South leaves the Union following Lincoln's victory.
Civil War & Reconstruction
The struggle to preserve the Union and the unfinished revolution of racial equality.
Military strategies, key battles, and the mobilization of resources in the North and South.
The shift in war aims and the critical contribution of African Americans to the Union victory.
The impact of the war on civilians and the suspension of constitutional rights during wartime.
The political battle over how to reintegrate the South and protect the rights of freedmen.
The efforts of Black Americans to build communities, schools, and political power.
The rise of white supremacist violence and the political abandonment of the South.
The codification of segregation and the Supreme Court's role in dismantling equality.
Industrialization & the Gilded Age
The rise of big business, the labor movement, and the closing of the Western frontier.
The emergence of corporations and the strategies of industrial titans like Carnegie and Rockefeller.
The fight for workers' rights in an era of dangerous conditions and low wages.
The impact of the transcontinental railroad, ranching, and the final wars against Native Americans.
The growth of cities and the shift in immigration patterns from Northern to Southern/Eastern Europe.
The agrarian revolt against railroads, banks, and the gold standard.
The expansion of American influence in the Pacific and Caribbean.
The impact of electricity, the telephone, and the rise of mass consumer culture.
Strategies for survival and progress under the height of Jim Crow.
Progressivism, World War I & the 1920s
The era of reform, global conflict, and the tension between tradition and modernity.
Efforts to clean up government, regulate business, and improve social welfare.
The long road to the 19th Amendment and the different tactics used by activists.
The differing styles of Progressive presidency and the expansion of executive power.
The causes of American entry into the Great War and the impact on the home front.
The failure of Wilson's 14 Points and the retreat into isolationism.
The tension between urban modernism and rural traditionalism.
The explosion of African American artistic, literary, and musical expression.
The massive movement of Southern Blacks to Northern and Western cities.
Depression, New Deal & World War II
The collapse of the global economy and the struggle against totalitarianism.
Overproduction, speculation, and the 1929 stock market crash.
FDR's massive expansion of the federal government to provide relief, recovery, and reform.
The environmental and human catastrophe of the Great Plains.
Isolationism, the rise of dictators, and the shift toward intervention.
The American contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of the camps.
Island hopping, the Manhattan Project, and the decision to use nuclear weapons.
Economic mobilization and the violation of civil rights at home.
Cold War & Civil Rights
The era of global ideological struggle and the domestic fight for equality.
Containment, the Truman Doctrine, and the division of Europe.
The fear of communism at home and the hunt for subversives.
From Brown v. Board to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The baby boom, the interstate highway system, and the growth of consumer culture.
The escalation of the conflict and its impact on American society.
The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the shift toward radicalism.
LBJ's war on poverty and the rise of the counterculture.
The fallout from the Nixon presidency and the economic struggles of the 1970s.
Modern America & Global Challenges
The Reagan revolution, the end of the Cold War, and the post-9/11 world.
The rise of conservatism, supply-side economics, and the end of the Cold War.
The tech boom, NAFTA, and the post-Cold War world order.
The transformation of foreign policy and the debate over security vs. liberty.
The first Black president, the Great Recession, and new movements for justice.
The impact of social media, political division, and the 2016/2020 elections.
The history of the environmental movement and the current climate crisis.
Evaluating the status of opportunity, equality, and the national identity.
The rise of China, the role of NATO, and new global threats.