Grade 11
Grade 11: United States History & Government
United States history is the history of a great experiment in representative democracy. The basic principles and core values expressed in the Declaration of Independence became the guiding ideas for our nation's civic culture. United States history since the Declaration of Independence has witnessed continued efforts to apply these principles and values to all people. Adoption of the United States Constitution codified these principles, but as the history of our nation shows, that document and its amendments represented only the first step in achieving "liberty and justice for all."
One major goal of the State Social Studies K-12 curriculum calls for students to learn about the structure and function of governments and to learn how to take on their roles as citizens. Students should understand those basic principles and the cultural heritage that support our democracy so that they can become informed, committed participants in our democracy. The core curriculum lists examples that describe how individuals and groups throughout history have challenged and influenced public policy and constitutional change. These examples and this course of study will help students understand how ordinary citizens and groups of people interacted with lawmakers and policy makers and made a difference.
The United States history and government core curriculum is designed to focus on the five social studies standards, common themes that recur across time and place, and seven historical units:
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- Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
- Standard 2: World History
- Standard 3: Geography
- Standard 4: Economics
- Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Please follow the link at the bottom of the page to see how the standards are addressed specifically throughout the curriculum.
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- Change Government
- Citizenship Human Systems
- Civic Values Immigration and Migration
- Constitutional Principles Individuals, Groups & Institutions
- Culture and Intellectual Life Interdependence
- Diversity Systems
- Economic Systems Places and Regions
- Environment Reform Movements
- Factors of Production Presidential Decisions and Actions
- Foreign Policy Science and Technology
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- UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION & GEOGRAPHY
- UNIT TWO: CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
- UNIT THREE: INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES
- UNIT FOUR: THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT: RESPONSES TO THE CHALLENGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION
- UNIT FIVE: AT HOME AND ABROAD: PROSPERITY AND DEPRESSION (1917 - 1940)
- UNIT SIX: THE UNITED STATES IN AN AGE OF GLOBAL CRISIS: RESPONSIBILITY AND COOPERATION
- UNIT SEVEN: WORLD IN UNCERTAIN TIMES: 1950 - PRESENT
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Since the curriculum emphasizes government and basic constitutional principles, students should understand the importance of key United States Supreme Court decisions. The following Supreme Court decisions have had significant impact on our nation's history and are thus required:
Significant Supreme Court Decisions
- Marbury v. Madison (1803)
- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
- Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
- Worcester v. Georgia (1832)
- Dred Scot v. Sanford (1857)
- Civil Rights Cases (1883)
- Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. v. Illinois (1886)
- United States v. E.C. Knight Co. (1895)
- In Re Debs (1895)
- Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
- Northern Securities Co. v. United States (1904)
- Lochner v. New York (1905)
- Muller v. Oregon (1908)
- Schenck v. United States (1919)
- Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States (1935)
- Korematsu v. United States (1944)
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
- Watkins v. United States (1957)
- Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
- Baker v. Carr (1962)
- Engle v. Vitale (1962)
- Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
- Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)
- Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
- Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
- New York Times v. United States (1971)
- Roe v. Wade (1973)
- United States v. Nixon (1974)
- New Jersey v. TLO (1985)
- Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990)
- Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, et. al. v. Casey (1992)
- Vernonia School District v. Acton (1995)
Briefs of these cases are available in U. S. Supreme Court Decisions: A Case Study Review for U.S. History and Government, developed by Project P.A.T.C.H. of the Northport-East Northport U.F.S.D. and the Law, Youth, and Citizenship Program. The briefs and subsequent links to the full text of each case can be accessed for free on the internet from the following link:
SUPREME COURT CASE SUMMARIES