Full course description
Course Description
U.S. History B is the second semester in a two-semester series that traces the story of the United States from the end of the Civil War to beginning of the 21st century. Students will examine how the role of the federal government has changed over the time at home and abroad as well as how different groups of people sought to achieve the equality of opportunity promised by the Founding Fathers. In U.S. History B, students analyze how the United States responds to the global conflicts of World War II and the Cold War. Additionally, students will uncover the factors that contributed to the emergence and spread of the civil rights movement for various groups during the 20th century. Finally, students will have the opportunity to develop skills such as making comparisons, determining causation, and analyzing change over time.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
UTHS courses are designed in alignment to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) which define the skills and content to be taught in each course and grade level in the state of Texas.
Semester Topics
- Unit 10: The Road to War (1931-1941)
- Unit 11: World War II (1941-1945)
- Unit 12: Communist Expansion and the Early Stages of the Cold War (1953-1961)
- Unit 13: 1950s Society
- Unit 14: 1960s Politics
- Unit 15: 1960s Society
- Unit 16: The Presidencies of Nixon, Ford, and Carter
- Unit 17: From Reagan to Obama
- Unit 18: The United States in Your Lifetime
Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, you will be able to—
- identify reasons for U.S. involvement in World War II, including Italian, German, and Japanese dictatorships and their aggression, especially the attack on Pearl Harbor;
- analyze major issues of World War II, including the Holocaust; the internment of German, Italian, and Japanese Americans, and Executive Order 9066; and the development of conventional and atomic weapons;
- describe U.S. responses to Soviet aggression after World War II, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Berlin airlift, and John F. Kennedy’s role in the Cuban Missile Crisis;
- describe the roles of political organizations that promoted civil rights, including ones from African American, Chicano, Women’s, and other civil rights movements;
- explain reasons and outcomes for U.S. involvement in foreign countries and their relationship to the Domino Theory, including the Vietnam War;
- describe presidential actions and congressional votes to address minority rights in the United States, including the Civil Rights acts of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
- describe how litigation in courts helped protect the rights of minority groups and analyze the effects of these cases;
- explain the public reaction to the Vietnam War and Nixon’s belief of the support of the silent majority;
- understand how the end of the Cold War was a turning point in history;
- identify the impact of international events, multinational corporations, government policies, and individuals on the 21st century economy.
Required Course Materials
Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses.
Unless otherwise noted, students are responsible for purchasing or securing all the following course materials:
- Textbook: A textbook is not required for this course.
- Interactive Notebook: A paper or digital composition book is acceptable. For paper composition books, please also have the following items on hand:
- Pens or Pencils
- Tape or Glue
Course Organization
Students must complete the course in sequence: You will not be able to access the next unit until all work in the preceding unit is completed. You may take your final exam only after completing all units and submitting all graded assignments.
- Units: Each unit includes multiple lessons and graded assignments as well as ungraded practice quizzes to help you check your understanding of the material.
- Summative Assessments: Each course includes two online, virtually proctored summative assessments testing your understanding of the material presented in the preceding 2-3 Units.
- Format: Online, Multiple-choice
- Time Allowed: 1 hr 30 min
- Final Exam: Each course includes an online, virtually proctored final exam testing your knowledge of all material presented in the course.
- Format: Online, Multiple-choice
- Time Allowed: 3 hrs 20 min
Course Grade Weighting
Your final course grade is calculated by weighting the three assignment groups displayed in the table below:
| Assignment Group | Total Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Graded Assignments | 12-18 | 50% |
| Summative Assessments | 2 | 25% |
| Final Exam | 1 | 25% |
Online Proctored Exams
All course exams, including both summative assessments and the final exam, must be completed online. Students must test online with Proctorio and are required to add the Proctorio extension to either their Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browser—installation instructions are provided in the student's course. Proctorio uses a student's computer, web camera, and microphone to record video of both the student and their desktop during the exam. Then, UTHS instructors review the student's exam video data collected by Proctorio. Only authorized UTHS staff and instructors can view the exam recordings. Student data is not shared with any persons or organizations outside of UTHS and are deleted after one year. We encourage you to visit Proctorio's Data Security and Privacy site pages to learn more about how we protect student date.