New York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum
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NY.8.History of the United States and New York State II
History of the United States and New York State II
8.1. RECONSTRUCTION: Regional tensions following the Civil War complicated efforts to heal the nation and to redefine the status of African Americans. (Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: MOV, SOC, CIV, ECO)
8.1a. Different approaches toward and policies for Reconstruction highlight the challenges faced in reunifying the nation.
8.1a.1. Students will compare and contrast the differences between Reconstruction under Lincoln’s plan, Johnson’s plan, and congressional (Radical) Reconstruction.
8.1b. Freed African Americans created new lives for themselves in the absence of slavery. Constitutional amendments and federal legislation sought to expand the rights and protect the citizenship of African Americans.
8.1b.1. Students will examine the Reconstruction amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) in terms of the rights and protections provided to African Americans.
8.1c. Federal initiatives begun during Reconstruction were challenged on many levels, leading to negative impacts on the lives of African Americans.
8.1c.1. Students will explore methods used by Southern state governments to affect the lives of African Americans, including the passage of Black Codes, poll taxes, and Jim Crow laws.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCivil Rights
8.2. A CHANGING SOCIETY: Industrialization and immigration contributed to the urbanization of America. Problems resulting from these changes sparked the Progressive movement and increased calls for reform. (Standards: 1, 2, 4; Themes: MOV, SOC, TECH, EXCH)
8.2c. Increased urbanization and industrialization contributed to increasing conflicts over immigration, influenced changes in labor conditions, and led to political corruption.
8.2c.2. Students will explore the growth and effects of child labor and sweatshops.
8.2d. In response to shifts in working conditions, laborers organized and employed a variety of strategies in an attempt to improve their conditions.
8.2d.1. Students will examine the goals and tactics of specific labor unions including the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, and the Industrial Workers of the World.
8.2d.2. Students will examine key labor events including the Haymarket affair, the Pullman Strike and the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union strike.
8.2e. Progressive reformers sought to address political and social issues at the local, state, and federal levels of government between 1890 and 1920. These efforts brought renewed attention to women’s rights and the suffrage movement and spurred the creation o
8.2e.1. Students will examine the Populist Party as a reform effort by farmers in response to industrialization.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWomen's Rights
8.2e.5. Students will examine state and federal government responses to reform efforts, including the passage of the 17th amendment, child labor and minimum wage laws, antitrust legislation, and food and drug regulations.
8.3. EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM: Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, economic, political, and cultural factors contributed to a push for westward expansion and more aggressive United States foreign policy. (Standards: 1, 2, 3, 5; Themes: GEO, GOV,
8.3a. Continued westward expansion contributed to increased conflicts with Native Americans.
8.3a.1. Students will examine the effects of the transcontinental railroad on the movement toward westward expansion.
8.3b. The Spanish-American War contributed to the rise of the United States as an imperial power.
8.3b.1. Students will examine examples of yellow journalism that contributed to United States entry into the Spanish-American War, including the portrayal of the sinking of the USS Maine.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideExpansionism
8.3b.2. Students will explain how the events and outcomes of the Spanish-American War contributed to the shift to imperialism in United States foreign policy.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideExpansionism
8.3d. The Roosevelt Corollary expanded the Monroe Doctrine and increased United States involvement in the affairs of Latin America. This led to resentment of the United States among many in Latin America.
8.3d.1. Students will evaluate the United States actions taken under the Roosevelt Corollary and their effects on relationships between the United States and Latin American nations, including the building of the Panama Canal.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideExpansionism
8.4. WORLD WAR I AND THE ROARING TWENTIES: Various diplomatic, economic, and ideological factors contributed to the United States decision to enter World War I. Involvement in the war significantly altered the lives of Americans. Postwar America was characteri
8.4a. European militarism, the alliance system, imperialism, and nationalism were all factors that contributed to the start of World War I.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
8.4b. International, economic, and military developments swayed opinion in favor of the United States siding with the Allies and entering World War I. Domestic responses to World War I limited civil liberties within the United States.
8.4b.1. Students will examine an overview of the causes of World War I, focusing on the factors leading to United States entry into the war.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
8.4b.2. Students will examine examples of war propaganda and its effects on support for United States involvement in the war.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
8.4b.3. Students will examine the restrictions placed on citizens after United States entry into the war, including the Espionage Act (1917) and the Sedition Act (1918).
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
8.4d. Following extensive political debate, the United States refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles. The United States then sought to return to prewar policies by focusing on domestic rather than international matters.
8.4d.1. Students will examine Wilson’s Fourteen Points and investigate reasons why the United States Senate refused to support the Treaty of Versailles, focusing on opposition to the League of Nations.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
8.4e. After World War I, the United States entered a period of economic prosperity and cultural change. This period is known as the Roaring Twenties. During this time, new opportunities for women were gained, and African Americans engaged in various efforts to
8.4e.1. Students will investigate the efforts of women suffragists and explain the historical significance of the 19th amendment.
8.5. GREAT DEPRESSION: Economic and environmental disasters in the 1930s created hardships for many Americans. Amidst much debate about the appropriate role of government, President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped to create intensive government interventions in t
8.5a. Risky investing, protectionism, and overproduction led to the collapse of the stock market, a wave of bank failures, and a long and severe downturn in the economy called the Great Depression.
8.5a.1. Students will examine how the economic practices of the 1920s contributed to the coming of the Great Depression.
8.5b. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl affected American businesses and families.
8.5b.1. Students will examine the effects of the Great Depression on American families in terms of the loss of jobs, wealth, and homes, noting varying effects based on class, race, and gender. Students will explore the conditions in New York City and other commun
8.5c. President Roosevelt issued the New Deal in an attempt to revive the economy and help Americans deal with the hardships of the Great Depression. These New Deal reforms had a long-lasting effect on the role of government in American society and its economic
8.5c.1. Students will identify key programs adopted under the New Deal, including the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the adoption of the Social Security Act.
8.6. WORLD WAR II: The aggression of the Axis powers threatened United States security and led to its entry into World War II. The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from to
8.6b. From 1939 to 1941, the United States government tried to maintain neutrality while providing aid to Britain but was drawn into the war by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States fought a war on multiple fronts. At home, the economy was conv
8.6b.1. Students will examine American involvement in World War II, including the American strategy in the Pacific and the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
8.6c. The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from total warfare and human atrocities, including the Holocaust, led to a call for an international organization to prevent futu
8.6c.1. Students will examine the role of air power by the allies, including the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
8.6c.2. Students will investigate the Holocaust and explain the historical significance of the Nuremberg trials.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
8.6c.3. Students will examine the structure and work of the United Nations.
8.7. FOREIGN POLICY: The period after World War II has been characterized by an ideological and political struggle, first between the United States and communism during the Cold War, then between the United States and forces of instability in the Middle East.
8.7b. The United States based its military and diplomatic policies from 1945 to 1990 on a policy of containment of communism.
8.7b.1. Students will examine the policy of containment and its application in the postwar period, including the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Vietnam War.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideThe Cold War
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideThe Vietnam War
8.7c. Following the end of the Cold War, the United States sought to define a new role in global affairs, but the legacies of Cold War actions continue to affect United States foreign policy today.
8.7c.1. Students will examine the changing relationships between the United States and foreign countries such as:
8.7d. Terrorist groups not representing any nation entered and reshaped global military and political alliances and conflicts. American foreign and domestic policies responded to terrorism in a variety of ways.
8.7d.1. Students will examine the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, its effects on national security and the United States responses to it, including the USA Patriot Act, the formation of the Department of Homeland Security, the War on Terror, and military
8.7e. Increased globalization has led to increased economic interdependence and competition.
8.7e.1. Students will examine the increased economic interdependence in terms of globalization and its impact on the United States and New York State economy, including the workforce.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideEconomics
8.9. DOMESTIC POLITICS AND REFORM: The civil rights movement and the Great Society were attempts by people and the government to address major social, legal, economic, and environmental problems. Subsequent economic recession called for a new economic program.
8.9a. The civil rights movement began in the postwar era in response to long-standing inequalities in American society, and eventually brought about equality under the law, but slower progress on economic improvements.
8.9a.1. Students will compare and contrast the strategies used by civil rights activists, such as Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCivil Rights
8.9a.2. Students will explain the significance of key civil rights victories, including President Truman’s desegregation of the military, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCivil Rights
8.9a.3. Students will examine the extent to which the economic situation of African Americans improved as a result of the civil rights movement.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCivil Rights
NY.8P.Grade 8: Social Studies Practices
Grade 8: Social Studies Practices
8P.A. Gathering, Interpreting, and Using Evidence
8P.A.1. Define and frame questions about the United States and answer them by gathering, interpreting, and using evidence.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
8P.B.6. Recognize, analyze, and evaluate dynamics of historical continuity and change over periods of time.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWomen's Rights
8P.B.8. Relate patterns of continuity and change to larger historical processes and themes.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWomen's Rights
8P.D. Geographic Reasoning
8P.D.1. Use location terms and geographic representations, such as maps, photographs, satellite images, and models to describe where places are in relation to each other and connections between places; evaluate the benefits of particular places for purposeful act
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideGeographic Tools
8P.D.2. Distinguish human activities and human-made features from “environments” (natural events or physical features—land, air, and water—that are not directly made by humans) and describe the relationship between human activities and the environment.
8P.E.1. Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society; evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to economic issues in terms of benefits and costs for different groups of people.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideEconomics
8P.F. Civic Participation
8P.F.3. Identify and explain different types of political systems and ideologies used at various times in United States history and explain the roles of individuals and key groups in those political and social systems.
NY.RH.5-8.Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies
Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies
Craft and Structure
RH.5-8.4. Determine the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient China
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Greece
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Israel
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Rome
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCanada
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideThe Vietnam War
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWomen's Rights
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War I
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideWorld War II
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RH.5-8.10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 5-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient China
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Greece
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Israel
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideAncient Rome
Quiz, Flash Cards, Worksheet, Game & Study GuideCanada