Course Content
Lesson Plans
The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society ©2001
by Gary B. Nash and Julie Roy Jeffrey John B. Howe, Peter J. Frederick, Allen F. Davis, Allan M. Winkler
Focus Lesson 25
Chapter 30: "The Revival of Conservatism"
AP* Course Description
- The United States since 1974
- 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
- Reagan
Key Components
- Instructor's Guide: pp. 143–147
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 130–137
- Test Bank: pp. 487–502
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- recession
- Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)
- Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
- Nelson Mandela
- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
- impeachment
- Saddam Hussein
- Boris Yeltsin
- perestroika
- supply-side economics
- AIDS
- Immigration Reform and Control Act
- Iran-Contra affair
- savings and loan bailout
- Immigration Act of 1990
- Persian Gulf War
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- Jerry Falwell
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Moral Majority
- glasnost
- Reaganomics
Suggested Pacing
Allow one week to teach this chapter.
Test Strategy
When answering the essay questions, students should answer the question asked, not the one they think is being asked. In order to be clear about what is being asked, students need to read the question prompt carefully, underlining, bracketing, or in some way highlighting the core components of the question. They should then restate the question in their own words and check this restatement against the original question prompt to be sure they understand what is being asked. A minute or two spent clarifying the question will reap the reward of a focused essay.
Key Concepts
This chapter describes the difficult economic times of the 1980s and early 1990s. The effects were especially felt by people of color, who were becoming an increasingly large part of the American population. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union placed the United States in a new relationship with its former enemy and in a new role in the world as the single superpower.
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.
Summing Up Student Understanding
Refer students to pp. A11 to A13 in the Appendix. Review the presidential elections with them and the important issues of the major presidential elections. Point out that the most recent election will not be on the exam since the College Board tests questions before using them on the test for credit.
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 18 and 20
- The Power of Words: Vol. II From 1865, edited by Breen—Chapters 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