Course Content
Lesson Plans
The American Nation: A History of the United States ©2000
by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes
Focus Lesson 25
Chapter 32: "Running on Empty: The Nation Transformed"
Chapter 33: "Crimes and Misdemeanors"
AP* Course Description
- The United States Since 1974
- The New Right and the conservative social agenda
- Ford and Rockefeller
- Carter
- Deregulation
- Energy and inflation
- Camp David Accords
- Iranian hostage crisis
- Reagan
- Tax cuts
- Defense buildup
- New disarmament treaties
- Foreign crises: the Persian Gulf and Central America
- Society
- Old and new urban problems
- Asian and Hispanic immigrants
- Resurgent fundamentalism
- African Americans and local, state, and national politics
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual:
Chapter 32, pp. 323–340
Chapter 33, pp. 341–354 - Study Guide, Vol. II:
Chapter 32, pp. 275–294
Chapter 33, pp. 295–318 - Test Bank:
Chapter 32, pp. 539–555
Chapter 33, pp. 556–574
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.
- Ronald Wilson Reagan
- The History Place
- George Herbert Walker Bush
- William Jefferson Clinton
- CNN: Investigating the President: The Trial
- The Gulf War: An In-Depth Examination of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf Crisis
Key Words and Terms
Chapter 32
- malaise
- glasnost
- strategic defense initiative
- undocumented aliens
- junk bonds
- cost of living index
- Yom Kippur War
- Anwar Sadat
- Geraldine Ferraro
- human rights
- Sandinistas
- stagflation
- perestroika
- space shuttle
- HIV
- rust belt
- Camp David Accords
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Walter Mondale
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Iran-Contra
- SALT II
Chapter 33
- affirmative action
- "don't ask, don't tell" policy
- impeachment
- Operation Desert Storm
- Kosovo
- Manuel Noriega
- Muammar al-Qaddafi
- fall of the Berlin Wall
- entitlements
- block grants
- ethnic cleansing
- Whitewater
- Boris Yeltsin
- Saddam Hussein
- Contract with America
- H. Ross Perot
Suggested Pacing
Allow one week to teach Chapters 32 and 33. Although students should not race through these two chapters, they will meet only a few multiple-choice questions in the AP* exam on recent history. No DBQ or free-response essay questions will deal solely with U.S. history from 1975 on.
Test Strategy
In writing their essays, students should remember to use the vocabulary of U.S. history. For example, if students are writing about the work of members of Congress, they should use the term constituents rather than the more generic term voters in referring to those whom the members of Congress represent. If students are discussing the return of functions and responsibilities to the states from the federal government, they should use the term devolution, not just return. This use of vocabulary is one way to demonstrate that students have internalized the concepts.
Key Concepts
- Conservative politics
A major point that students should remember about the election of 1980 is the swing in the nation toward conservatism. Ronald Reagan was the first avowedly conservative politician to be elected President since Calvin Coolidge. Reagan came to power through a coalition of the New Right and Christian fundamentalist groups. - Third parties in U.S. politics
The influence of third parties is one of those important concepts that students should have traced through the course. The elections of 1992 and 1996 present another example of a third party based on a personality—H. Ross Perot, first as the candidate of the Independent Party in 1992 and then of the Reform Party in 1996. Although Perot espoused both liberal and conservative views, in 1992 he outpolled all third-party candidates since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
Summing Up Student Understanding
Refer students to the text's Appendix and have them locate pp. A14–A18. Review with students the Presidential elections and the important issues of the major Presidential elections. Point out that very recent elections will not be on the exam since the College Board tests questions before using them on the test for credit. Use this class discussion to encourage students and build up their confidence for the test.
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—Chapters 15, 18, and 20
- The Power of Words: Vol. II From 1865, edited by Breen—Chapters 14, 15, and 16
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. II, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 14
- American Experiences: Vol. II From 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part Seven