This inquiry leads students through an investigation of total war tactics, rationale, and consequences during World War II. Source material covers total war elements including the targeting of civilians, the Holocaust, the racism encountered by Japanese Americans, the effect of atomic warfare, and the military decision-making behind these practices. In addressing the compelling question “Is total war justified?” students will work with both primary and secondary sources to evaluate the use of “total war” in an historical context.
US History
The Heart of Social Studies
Inquiries
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of total war tactics, rationale, and consequences during World War II. Source material covers total war elements including the targeting of civilians, the Holocaust, the racism encountered by Japanese Americans, the effect of atomic warfare, and the military decision-making behind these practices. In addressing the compelling question “Is…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the argument over whether or not raising the minimum wage will really help workers during recent trends in the U.S. In addressing the compelling question students will evaluate the impact of a minimum wage increase through the secondary source analysis of historical trends related to wage fluctuations…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Civil Rights movement and the methods used to challenge social injustices in the United States. Students will analyze the disagreements between Civil Rights leaders on how best to accomplish shared goals. Students will work with primary sources and secondary sources to evaluate the methods by which…
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The goal of this inquiry is to present the social movements of the 1960s as an interconnected whole, not just isolated causes. Doing so helps students understand the significance of the era and the mindset of people at the time. 1960s activists– and their critics– often spoke about change as a revolution.
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Out of the Shadows seeks to guide students to an understanding of the experiences of underrepresented groups of servicemen and servicewomen. In particular, the focus is placed on underrepresented groups of Korean War Veterans, including Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and women. Listening to the voices of select veterans, students will gain new…
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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the conflict between the institution of slavery and the new nation’s founding ideals. Black voices are noticeably absent in the early United States’ narrative, but by investigating Black geniuses such as John Parker, Charlotte Dupuy and Lewis, and Harriett Hayden we can honor their resistance, perseverance and…
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This inquiry focuses on the question of whether Antebellum technology made life better overall for people and how certain inventions impacted groups of people differently. Four innovations—the cotton gin, mechanical reaper, steamboat, and steam locomotive—were particularly impactful in the 19th century. These inventions came about quickly as part of the First Industrial Revolution, which was…
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This inquiry focuses on the causes of the American Revolution in light of feelings of injustice among social classes. Students typically learn about the experiences of people during the American Revolution in simple categories such as loyalist and patriots. In reality, there were varied experiences that reflect social class, gender, race, and ethnicity. In this…
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This inquiry leads students to examine the ways that African Americans were leading voices in an ongoing effort to guarantee equal rights and freedoms for all people in the United States. Contrary to the oft repeated narrative that the US Government benevolently granted freedoms to African Americans, the questions, tasks, and sources in this inquiry…
This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the concept of “courage” in general, and the actions of those who responded to the 9/11 attacks, more specifically. Those attacks, over 10 years ago, have now passed from current event to history. By focusing on a relatively recent event, students should see that history is not…