Central Question: To what extent was Ronald Reagan’s presidency revolutionary?
In 1980, Americans were disheartened following the malaise of the previous decade: A scandal, a poor economy, and international crises resulted in an American public ready for change. In the election that year, Republican Ronald Reagan promised to bring that change, ushering in a new era of small government, supply-side economics, and strong foreign policy as well as the support of the emerging evangelical religious movement.
For more background, read “Conservatism” on the University of Groningen website, read “Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required), read “The Real Origins of the Religious Right” on the Politico website, and watch “Crash Course: The Reagan Revolution” on YouTube.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the presidency of Ronald Reagan and can determine the extent to which his presidency was revolutionary.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (1 minute)
Read (4 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: To what extent was Ronald Reagan’s presidency revolutionary?
Scholars can explain whether or not the economic and social changes of Ronald Reagan’s presidency were revolutionary and convincingly present their perspectives in a debate.
Preparation
Homework
Central Question: To what extent did the government adequately address the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s?
During Reagan’s presidency, the United States experienced an AIDS epidemic. The disease was first noticed en masse by doctors who treated gay men in Southern California, San Francisco, and New York City in 1981. When cases of AIDS first emerged in the United States, they tended to originate among either men who had sex with other men, hemophiliacs, and heroin users. The fact that the disease was also prevalent among Haitians led to the “Four-H Club” of groups at high risk of AIDS. The prevalence of the disease among gay men in the United States in the ’80s and ’90s initially resulted in a stigma against homosexuals and general fear and misunderstanding regarding how AIDS was spread. The government exacerbated this hysteria initially with its avoidance of the topic and then later with legislation that prohibited targeting the specific populations suffering the most from the disease in campaigns to educate citizens. However, as such celebrities as Rock Hudson and Freddie Mercury revealed that they had the disease, and Magic Johnson came forward as HIV positive and dedicated his retirement to educating others about the virus, attitudes began to change. In 2010, a U.S. travel ban on HIV-positive people that had been in effect since 1987 was lifted, allowing them to finally enter the country without a waiver.
For more background, read “AIDS in the ’80s: The Rise of a New Civil Rights Movement” on the CNN website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Term:
Scholars understand the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and can explain the extent to which the government adequately addressed this conflict.
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (10 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Why did the Soviet Union collapse?
Throughout his presidency, Ronald Reagan maintained a firm hand with the Soviet Union, attempting to limit its continued growth and power. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet Union’s leader.
Unlike the Soviet Union’s previous leaders, Gorbachev was much more willing to work with the United States as well as establish reforms within the Soviet Union. When George H.W. Bush took over as president in 1989, he continued a strong relationship with Gorbachev, ultimately easing Cold War tensions. Within the Soviet Union, Gorbachev’s reforms led to instability, and nationalism within the empire inspired uprisings. As a result, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Cold War came to a close.
For more background, read “The Soviet Union Is Gone, but It’s Still Collapsing” on the Foreign Policy magazine website and “Mikhail Gorbachev: The Man Who Lost an Empire” on the BBC website, and watch “Crash Course History: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War” on YouTube.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the changes in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and can explain the factors that caused its collapse.
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (14 minutes)
Discuss (4 minutes)
Watch (17 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Why did the United States get involved in the Gulf War?
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighboring Kuwait in early August 1990. Alarmed by these actions, fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on the United States and other Western nations to intervene. Hussein defied United Nations Security Council demands to withdraw from Kuwait by mid-January 1991, and the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. After 42 days of relentless attacks by the allied coalition in the air and on the ground, U.S. President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28; by that time, most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled.
For more background, read “Technology in the Persian Gulf War” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required) and “Why the Gulf War Served the National Interest” on the Atlantic website, and browse “Frontline’s The Gulf War” on the PBS website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the meaning of George H.W. Bush’s declaration of a “New World Order” and can explain why the United States got involved in the Gulf War.
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (2 minutes)
Discuss (6 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: Why did the American workforce evolve in the 1980s and 1990s?
The 1980s and 1990s were a time of great change in American society. Although various forms of computer technology had existed since the 1950s, in the 1970s the first personal computer was invented, infiltrating homes and offices by the 1980s. With the invention of the World Wide Web in 1991, technology was rapidly changing the way Americans lived, worked, communicated, and consumed. The workforce was changing during this era, thanks to an influx of immigrants, especially from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, following the Immigration Act of 1965 and the sharply increasing number of women entering the workforce in the 1980s. While the U.S. economy grew, certain sectors, such as manufacturing, were quickly disappearing.
For more background, read “The Digital Revolution’s Important Moments” on the Vanity Fair website, browse the graphs in “Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups over Time, 1960–Present” on the Migration Policy Institute website, and skim the study “A Century of Change: the U.S. Labor Force, 1950–2000” on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:
Scholars understand the makeup of the American workforce in the 1980s and 1990s and can explain why it was changing during these decades.
Preparation
Launch (2 minutes)
Watch (5 minutes)
Discuss (3 minutes)
Homework
Central Question: To what extent was Clinton’s presidency a time of national prosperity?
George H.W. Bush, a Republican, served as president for only one term. Despite his foreign policy successes and the end of the Cold War, Democrat Bill Clinton defeated him in the election of 1992. The 1990s were one of the most economically prosperous decades since World War II: The economy grew, unemployment dropped, and the U.S. government had a surplus for the first time in decades. However, inequality was growing during this era, and controversial measures such as welfare reform and “tough on crime” legislation did not positively affect everyone, with their consequences still debated today. Even so, despite an extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky and an impeachment trial, Clinton left office as one of the more popular U.S. presidents.
For more background, read “Bill Clinton” on the History Channel website and “Legacy of the Clinton Administration” on the PBS website.
Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:
Scholars can apply their knowledge of U.S. history to interpret original sources and use these sources to write clear, concise, and compelling claims about the legacy of President Bill Clinton.
Read and Write (8 minutes)
Discuss (10 minutes)
Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Central Question: To what extent was Clinton’s presidency a time of national prosperity?
Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.
Outline (15 minutes)
Draft (15 minutes)
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Central Question: To what extent was Clinton’s presidency a time of national prosperity?
Scholars revise their essays based on individualized teacher feedback to make their essays stronger and clearer and to understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.
Preparation
Homework
Teacher Feedback Guidance
Prompts: Scholars may choose one of the following prompts about Big Ideas in American history.
Project Menu: Scholars may then choose to respond to the prompt chosen above with one of the formats outlined below.
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