Course Content
Lesson Plans
The American Nation: A History of the United States ©2000
by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes
Focus Lesson 13
Chapter 17: "In the Wake of War"
AP* Course Description
- New South and the Last West
- Politics in the New South
- White and African Americans in the New South
- Subordination of freed slaves: Jim Crow
- Cattle Kingdom
- Open-range ranching
- Day of the cowboy
- Building the Western railroad
- Subordination of American Indians: dispersal of tribes
- Farming the plains: problems in agriculture
- Mining bonanza
- Politics in the New South
- Industrialization and Corporate Consolidation
- Laissez-faire conservatism
- Gospel of Wealth
- Myth of "self-made man"
- Social Darwinism: survival of the fittest
- Social critics and dissenters
- Laissez-faire conservatism
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 167–176
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 15–32
- Test Bank: pp. 280–296
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- graduated income tax
- "survival of the fittest"
- "waving the bloody shirt"
- Dawes Severalty Act
- logrolling
- "pasturage" lands
- Grand Army of the Republic
- Plessy v. Ferguson
- Burlingame Treaty
- Homestake Mining
- Pacific Railway Act
- Desert Land Act
- John Wesley Powell
- Joseph G. McCoy
- Charles Goodnight
- W.J. Fetterman
- literacy tests
- "rich man's club"
- greenbacks
- "sagacious silence"
- "sickly conciliation"
- "bonanza" farms
- "Custer's Last Stand"
- Bozeman Trail
- Sand Creek Massacre
- Black Hills
- Comstock Lode
- Webb's The Great Plains
- Nelson A. Miles
- Joseph G. Glidden
- Charles Crocker
- Philip Sheridan
Suggested Pacing
Although the period represented by the growth of the cattle industry and the settling of the West is an exciting time in U.S. history, the teaching of this chapter should focus on the federal government's policies toward Native Americans and settling the West. One 90-minute class period or two 45-minute class sessions are adequate.
Test Strategy
The multiple-choice section of the AP* U.S. history exam is divided into clusters of six to ten or 12 questions that move through U.S. history from the earliest to the most recent time periods. One way for students to eliminate answer choices in the multiple-choice section is to locate the question in time and then do the same for each of the choices given in the list of answers for the question. For example, if a question shows a map of the United States and asks students to identify a shaded area, students should determine the time frame of both the preceding question and the following question to determine what time frame the map may be showing. If the previous question is about the War of 1812 and the subsequent question is about the election of 1828, then the map may be showing the area involved in the Missouri Compromise (1820).
Key Concepts
- Misguided reform efforts
In an effort to protect Native Americans from corrupt Bureau of Indian Affairs agents and traders, reformers like Helen Hunt Jackson lobbied the federal government to end recognition of Indian nations and help Native Americans assimilate into the larger society. The Dawes Act of 1887 broke up tribal holdings and gave 160 acres to individuals. Unfortunately, not all Indians were farmers. The lands they received were ill-suited to farming, and the new farmers were given little help or equipment for farming. Instead of aiding Native Americans, the new law resulted in the end of traditional ways of life. - Different leaders, different views
Three leaders stand out in the movement for African American rights prior to the mid-twentieth century. In Chapter 17, students read about Booker T. Washington; in Chapter 22 they will meet W.E.B. Du Bois; and in Chapter 25, they are introduced to Marcus Garvey. Students should compare and contrast the three men in terms of their backgrounds, public and private agendas, and influence—both on whites and on fellow African Americans. Creating a chart to analyze this information will provide students with a useful review tool for the AP* exam.
Summing Up Student Understanding
There are only a few questions about visuals on the AP* exam, and they usually ask very basic questions about the information on the graphic. Have students view the visuals in this chapter: the painting that opens the chapter on pp. 466 and 467, the cartoon on p. 470, and the maps on pp. 480 and 491. Then have students make up their own five-answer multiple-choice questions about each visual. Have volunteers share their questions with the class on overheads and have the class try to answer the questions. Discuss with students what the criteria should be for a "good" multiple-choice question.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. II Since 1865, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 3
- The Power of Words: Vol. II From 1865, edited by Breen—Chapter 2
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. II, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapters 1 and 3
- American Experiences: Vol. II From 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part One