American History and Government

US HISTORY

The juniors have recently completed their march through the 19th century and have just completed a unit on the rise of industrialization and the Progressive Era. We have now shifted our focus to the rise of nationalism in the US and abroad and the underlying interests involved in the road to WWI. Following our journey through the great war, we will discuss the rise of social tensions here at home during the red summer and the rise of various worker's parties through the "Roaring Twenties" culminating in an in-depth investigation into the factors that led to the Crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. We will be comparing the Roosevelt administration's heavy spending of the New Deal to those being practiced by the current Obama administration. We should be on the doorstep of the second world war around the time of Spring Break.

US GOVERNMENT  

The seniors have navigated thus far through a series of discussions of our background, political structure, functions, and limitations of our government. We began the current semester by looking at the roles of state governments in relation to the Federal level, as well as identifying our local county/municipal governments here and the key elected officials now occupying those positions. This month, so far, the seniors learned who are the current members of the Obama administration and cabinet and their respective job descriptions. We also discussed Obama's first year in office and the issues that have dominated his agenda in 2009 and will continue to do so here in 2010. These range anywhere from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to the rising tensions in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia to more domestic issues like the Stimulus Package and the proposed health care legislation. Now the seniors have began a study of comparative government with a focus on economic systems (capitalism socialism, communism). The seniors will have completed a research project by spring break comparing and contrasting the US method of a mixed economy to various countries and systems around the globe. A geography unit will also be implemented with this project as well!