Social Studies - United States History II
Lesson Plans

U.S. II Strand 4: TRADITIONS AND SOCIAL CHANGE

(Ca. 1920-1970)

Traditions and cultural norms help bind people and nations together; sometimes, those holding fast to traditions find themselves in tension with others who push for reform. The 20th century was a time when these tensions were evident in many aspects of American culture, including the changes in social mores in the "roaring '20s" and the subsequent emergence and ascendency of social change and civil rights movements. Various counter-cultural movements have similarly questioned traditional values and governmental policies. Balancing tradition and reform continues to challenge Americans into the 21st century.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• How have opportunities and personal freedoms changed over time for different groups of Americans?
• How do historians determine causal factors that lead to social changes?
• What functions do traditions serve in communities and cultures?
• Why do historians refer to the 1920s as "roaring"?
• To what degree have the main objectives of the various civil rights movements from this period been attained?
• Why did the Vietnam War inspire counter-cultural movements?

U.S. II Standard 4.2:

Students will use case studies involving African-American civil rights leaders and events to compare, contrast, and evaluate the effectiveness of various methods used to achieve reform, such as civil disobedience, legal strategies, and political organizing.

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
  Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education. Dealing with the principle of Equal Protection, this lesson asks students to assess the role played by the Court as the protector of individual rights against the tyranny of the majority.

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