Download SS5H1 – Civil War (what you need to know): There were several

SS5H1 – Civil War (what you need to know):
 There were several events that led to the start of the Civil War:
o Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It showed
people the evils of slavery.
o John Brown led a gun raid at Harper’s Ferry, (West) Virginia. This showed that
people were willing to get violent to prevent slavery from happening.
o The South (Confederacy) believed in state’s rights – that is, states should have
more rights than the federal government.
o Slavery was illegal in the North, and was supported in the South.
 There were several important battles fought during the Civil War:
o The Battle of Fort Sumter (South Carolina) in 1861 was the beginning of the Civil
War.
o The Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) in 1863 was considered the bloodiest
battle of the Civil War, and was the turning point where the Union started
winning the war.
o The Atlanta Campaign in 1864 was the destructive march by Union soldiers from
Tennessee to Atlanta.
o The March to the Sea in 1864 was when General Sherman led soldiers on a
destructive path from Atlanta to Savannah, and destroyed everything along the
way.
o The Civil War ended at the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865.
 The important leaders of the Civil War included:
o Abraham Lincoln – President of the United States elected in 1860.
o Robert E. Lee – Commander of the Confederate Army (South).
o Ulysses S. Grant – Commander of the Union Army (North).
o Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederacy.
o Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson – Confederate general who was important to
Confederate victories; died during the war (Lee’s right hand man).
 Effects of the Civil War on both sides:
o While the war was fought in both the North and South, the majority of the war
was fought in the South.
o Southern land was destroyed, slavery was outlawed, and this affected the South’s
economy (agriculture) negatively.
o The North’s economy was manufacturing (factories), and while some factories
were destroyed during war, they were rebuilt.
o Families on both sides faced the loss of male family members.
SS5H2 – Reconstruction (what you need to know):
 Amendments that were added to the Constitution after the Civil War:
o The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery.
o The 14th Amendment defined citizenship, and those who were born in the
United States were citizens of the US.
o The 15th Amendment gave African American males over the age of 21 the
right to vote.
 The Freedmen’s Bureau was a government agency that was created in 1865, and
was only intended to last for one year. It was not disbanded until 1872 (seven
years). The purpose of Freedmen’s Bureau was to:
o Help former slaves transition into “freed” life, by providing assistance for:
 Education
 Labor (employment)
 Housing
 Food
 Medical care
 Sharecropping was the process of landowners “renting” out part of their land to
former slaves. This was one of the only ways former slaves could find
employment. The problem with this system was that landowners could charge
whatever they wanted for rent, and many took advantage of former slaves.
 Jim Crow Laws were created during Reconstruction, and they were the laws that
kept whites and blacks separate in public places. Public places that required
segregation included:
o Schools
o Restaurants
o Movie Theaters
o Shops
o Transportation
o Other Public Areas
SS5H3 – Turn of the Century (what you need to know):
 Cattle at the Turn of the Century were more profitable in the East ($40/head)
than in Texas ($4/head). In order to make more money, cattle were herded along
trials (Chisholm Trail, Great Western Cattle Trail) to railroads in order to move
the cattle to places where they were worth more.
 Black Cowboys found work on the cattle trails. While there was still
discrimination, it was a far better environment than sharecropping.
 There were several important inventors and inventions that developed during the
Turn of the Century, including:
o The Wright Brothers – invented the first motorized airplane (in Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina).
o Alexander Graham Bell – invented the telephone.
o Thomas Edison – invented the light bulb (among other inventions).
o George Washington Carver – helped to develop several products from
sweet potatoes and peanuts.
 The Spanish-American War was a conflict between Spain and Cuba. The president
at the time was William McKinley. The United States sympathized and ultimately
helped Cuba in the conflict. Spain lost the war, and as a result, the US acquired the
territories Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
 The Panama Canal was constructed during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.
The importance of the canal was to encourage trade (economics) and military
presence by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
 At the Turn of the Century, many immigrants were coming to America. The
majority of people came from Europe, and came for a variety of reasons, such as:
o Hope for better opportunities
o Religious freedom
o Escape from cruel and unfair governments
o Adventures
SS5H4 – World War I and Postwar America (what you need to know):
 At the beginning of World War I, the United States tried to take an attitude of
isolationism – they wanted to stay neutral, and stay out of what they thought was
a conflict among European nations. They did help out Great Britain by sending
supplies to them at the start of the war.
 There were two events that happened that caused the US to get involved in
World War I (WWI):
o The Lusitania was a British ship that was attacked by a German submarine.
There were approximately 1,200 who were killed in the attack, including
128 Americans.
o The Zimmerman Note was a note from Germany to Mexico. The Germans
promised to help Mexico in taking over land from the US in exchange for
their help in the war.
 The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I, and punished Germany for their part
in causing the start of the war. The Treaty included the following conditions:
o Accept full responsibility for causing the war.
o Not be allowed to make or export weapons.
o Gave up many of its territories.
o Pay countries hurt by the war
 Postwar America was a time of abundance in both money and entertainment.
People were both making and spending more money, products were becoming
more affordable and available, and people were getting out so they could be
entertained. This time was also called the Roaring Twenties.
 Several Americans were experiencing success during this time period, including:
o Louis Armstrong – famous Jazz musician from New Orleans
o Langston Hughes – Harlem Renaissance writer
o Babe Ruth – baseball player for the New York Yankees
o Henry Ford – created a newer, faster, and more affordable way for
automobiles to be mass produced
o Charles Lindbergh – first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in his plane
“The Spirit of St. Louis”
SS5H5 – The Great Depression and New Deal (what you need to know):
 While the 1920s brought a time of wealth to the United States, the 1930s brought a time
of economic hardship.
 The Great Depression included several events that led to the downturn of the economy:
o People spent money that they didn’t have, but promising to pay for it later
(credit).
o The Stock Market Crash of 1929 – people who invested their money lost money,
banks who invested lost their money, and people who put their money into banks
for safe-keeping lost their money when the stock market crashed.
o The Dust Bowl – farmers who wanted to make money off the lack of wheat
production in Europe plowed up their topsoil and grasslands in the Midwest. That
combined with the drought and wind in the Midwest created dust storms that
ruined crops. The ruined crops affected food supply, jobs, health, among other
things.
o Soup kitchens were created as a charity that helped people have a hot meal – for
many people, this would be their only meal.
 Herbert Hoover was president during the Great Depression, and was blamed for the
depression becoming as bad as it was. He was only president for one term, because
people voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of Hoover’s first term.
 Franklin D. Roosevelt created The New Deal, several government agencies and
programs, that would help get the United States out of the Great Depression.
 There were many New Deal programs, but most notably:
o Works Progress Administration (WPA) – helped employ people to help build
public buildings and facilities.
o Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) – helped to employ young men to conserve
natural resources and build dams.
o Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – helped to provide electrical power in the
Tennessee Valley region, and helped to build dams in that area.
 While the majority of the people in the United States were facing economic hardships,
some people did experience success during this time. They included:
o Jesse Owens – Olympic gold medalist.
o Duke Ellington – Jazz musician, and leader of a new sound called Big Band.
o Margaret Mitchell – Author who wrote the book Gone with the Wind.
SS5H6 – The United States & World War II (What you need to know):
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Before the start of World War II, Germany had a weakened economy and government because
of the Treaty of Versailles. This made Germans angry, and they elected a leader who would
help the country become a world superpower again.
Adolf Hitler became dictator of Germany and quickly gained popularity with his ideas of world
domination. Hitler believed in imperialism – that is, he wanted to take over land.
Two other countries – Italy and Japan – had this same belief, and began taking over land as
well.
The Imperialist countries formed the Axis Powers side of World War II:
o Germany – Adolf Hitler was the leader
o Japan – Emperor Hirohito was the leader
o Italy – Benito Mussolini was the leader
The Allied Powers were the countries who opposed this belief, and these countries. There were
many countries on the side of the Allied Powers, but they included:
o The United States – Franklin D. Roosevelt started as president, but he died during office.
Harry Truman became president when FDR died.
o Great Britain – Winston Churchill was the leader
o Soviet Union – The Soviet Union never officially joined the Allied Powers, but by the
end of the war they were helping out the Allies. Their leader was Joseph Stalin.
The United States tried to stay out of the war (isolationism), but made the decision to join the
war when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor – a United States naval base.
While men from the US were joining the military to help out the war efforts, women went to
work in factories for the first time. The symbol for this was Rosie the Riveter.
A group of African American pilots fought during World War II. They were called the Tuskegee
Airmen.
People in the United States began rationing food items in the United States in order to keep the
economy stable, and support war efforts.
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Several significant events happened during World War II, but some of the most notable include:
o D-Day – when the Allied troops surprise attacked the German soldiers on the beaches of
Normandy, France.
o The atomic bombs – Harry Truman struggled with the decision to drop the atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but knew it was the best way to end the war quickly
and prevent more Americans from dying.
o VE Day – stands for Victory in Europe Day, occurring on May 8, 1945.
o VJ Day – stands for Victory in Japan Day, occurring on September 2, 1945.
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The United States helped to form the United Nations (UN). The purpose of the UN was to
promote peace, and to prevent another world war from happening.
SS5H7 & SS5H8 – The Cold War & Communism (what you need to know):
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After World War II (WWII), there was a divide among countries who believed in and supported
communism, and those who did not.
The countries that supported democracy (where people vote for representatives who make
laws) were a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These countries included:
o Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The countries who supported communism (government having complete control) and agreed
to become a part of the Soviet Union under the Warsaw Pact were:
o Poland, Czechoslovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, and East
Germany
Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of Great Britain) called this divide among the countries the
“iron curtain” because it separated the countries that supported democracy from the countries
that supported communism.
The United States did several things to stop the spread of Communism in the world:
o The Berlin Airlift: the city of Berlin was split, while East Berlin was under the control of
the Soviet Union, and West Berlin was not. The Soviet Union blocked off the city so that
no supplies could come in or out, thinking this would force the Allies out of the city. The
United States delivered supplies by plane, and eventually the block was lifted.
o The Korean War: North Korea was trying to spread communism, and wanted to take
over South Korea and make it communist. The US, under the policy of Containment,
wanted to stop the spread of communism, so they sent troops to help South Korea. Both
sides went back and forth with control, but eventually a truce was called, and the border
of the two countries remained nearly exactly the same (at the 38th parallel).
o The Vietnam War: North Vietnam wanted to take over South Vietnam and unite the
country under communism. The United States was afraid of a Domino Theory (if one
country fell to communism, all the other countries around would too). They sent troops
to South Vietnam, despite the protests from people in the US. The Vietnam War was a
different type of war, and the US was not prepared for it. They withdrew troops, and
South Vietnam fell to communism.
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator that spread the fear among citizens that communism would
spread to the United States. He blamed several people of being communists with very little
evidence (this was called McCarthyism), and eventually became unbelievable when he accused
high ranking U.S. officials of being communists.
The leader of the Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin was Nikita Khrushchev. The US and Soviet
Union engaged in an arms race, trying to gather more nuclear weapons than the other. The
Soviet Union, under Khrushchev, stored weapons in Cuba. Once the United States discovered
this, president John F. Kennedy demanded that Khrushchev remove the weapons and ordered a
blockade around Cuba to prevent any ships from leaving or entering. This was called the Cuban
Missile Crisis, and the world feared that an all-out nuclear war between the US and Soviet
Union would break out. In the end, both sides agreed no one would win if that happened, and
both withdrew their weapons.
SS5H8 – The Civil Rights Movement (what you need to know):
 The 1950s and 1960s brought a time of change for African Americans in the Civil
Rights Movement. Jim Crow Laws still existed at this time, and people were
fighting to get rid of them. There were several events that helped bring equal
rights for African Americans:
o Brown vs. Board of Education: Thurgood Marshall fought for the Brown
family, and the Supreme Court determined it was illegal for schools to be
segregated (separated). Schools would eventually move towards integration
after this ruling.
o Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white
man, and was arrested as a result. Martin Luther King encouraged African
Americans to stop riding buses in Montgomery, and they stopped until the
Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal for buses to be segregated.
o March on Washington: a famous civil rights march in Washington D.C., led
by Martin Luther King, Jr. This is where he gave his “I have a dream”
speech.
o Civil Rights Act: this law made it illegal for segregation and discrimination in
public places. This got rid of the Jim Crow Laws.
o Voting Rights Act: this law made literacy tests for African Americans illegal,
and gave African Americans fair rights in voting.
 Several people were instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, including:
o Martin Luther King, Jr. – a famous civil rights leader who encouraged people
to protest peacefully.
o Thurgood Marshall – lawyer in Brown vs. Board of Education; he would
later become a Supreme Court judge.
o Rosa Parks – instrumental in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
SS5H8 & SS5H9 – Events from 1960s to Present (what you need to know):
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There were several assassinations of influential men during the 1960s. They included:
o John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; people were sad because he was thought of as
a great man and president.
o Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968; riots broke out because people were
upset.
o Robert F. Kenney was assassinated in 1968; people were in disbelief that this happened
to the Kennedy family again.
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Another important event happening in the 1960s was the Space Race between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union.
o This allowed for technological advances with computers and satellites.
Television was introduced in the 1950s and became more popular in the 1960s. Families began
to gather around the television for family time. As a result:
o Furniture was made to accommodate this new change.
o News and pop culture became more accessible.
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The 1980s and 1990s saw many events happen:
o Tension in the Middle East grew with the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The US
typically allies itself with Israel while the rest of the Arab world allies with Palestine.
o The collapse of the Soviet Union was brought about by increased freedoms given to the
Soviet Union people by Mikhail Gorbachev. When it collapsed, the country broke apart
into independent nations.
o The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq, Kuwait, and the United States. Iraq
took over the land of Kuwait, mainly for its rich oil supply. The United States has an
invested interest in Middle East oil, and sent troops to Iraq to get them out of Kuwait.
The conflict only lasted for 42 days.
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The War on Terrorism was a direct result of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United
States.
The United States also went to war with Iraq in 2003, because they believed that Iraq and
Saddam Hussein:
o Had weapons of mass destruction
o Supported terrorists
o Was a dangerous place in the Middle East
o Had claims to al Qaeda (the terrorist group responsible for 9/11
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The Internet began to rise in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. The Internet was important to
modern culture because:
o A quicker way to find information
o People and business can work much faster and produce more work
o People are more connected by the Internet
o People are able to shop, gather news, and exchange information more effectively.
o People are more informed.