Unit Topic: World War II
Instructional Time: 2 Weeks
Clarifying State Standards
•C.1.3-Summarize the contributions of particular groups to the development of North Carolina and the United States (e.g. women, religious groups, and ethnic sectors such as American Indians, African Americans, and European immigrants).
•H.14- Use historical inquiry to evaluate the validity of sources used to construct historical narratives (e.g. formulate historical questions, gather data from a variety of sources, evaluate and interpret data and support interpretations with historical evidence).
•H.2.3- Summarize the role of debate, compromise, and negotiation during significant periods in the history of North Carolina and the United States.
Vertical Alignment
Coming into this unit, students should have a strong foundation in:
•The effectiveness of New Deal programs in the Great Depression
•The land management practices that led the demise of the Midwestern economy
•The effectiveness of government during the Great Depression
•Overproduction, deflation, the Stock and the Great Depression
Essential Understanding(s)
The students will understand that…
•The political ideologies of communism, fascism, democracy caused conflicts that lead to World War II
•The economic condition of various nations post World War I allowed non democratic ideologies to emerge as world powers.
•World War II impacted the economy and contributions, roles and treatment of various groups of the United States
Essential Question(s)
•How can varying political ideologies create conflicts, impact the economy, and treatment of minority groups of people?
Essential Vocabulary
Students will know…
•The global depression gave rise to many charismatic leaders in struggling nations around the world, who in many cases looked to expand the possessions of their country through armed force.
•Attempts at appeasement proved to be short-sighted and did little to slow the acts of these aggressors. Soon, alliances were formed, which led to the eventual declaration of war in Europe.
•The Axis powers expanded to a point where both Europe and East Asia were at risk, but America was largely unaffected and, aside from the Lend-Lease Act, officially took an isolationist stance in the war.
•The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. in and began a huge domestic shift to a wartime economy. Rationing, Victory Gardens and the buying of War bonds became ways for Americans to do their share without getting directly involved.
•A number of torpedo attacks by German U-boats took place off the Outer Banks in what became known as Torpedo Junction.
•The door was open for women and minority groups to also become involved, as was evidenced by the image of Rosie the Riveter, the work of the Braceros, the direct involvement of the Tuskegee Airmen, and the ability of A. Phillip Randolph to convince FDR to ban discrimination in the defense industries. At the same time, the U.S. began a practice of Japanese internment as a reaction to fears about Japanese spies within American borders.
•The U.S. combined with the Allies to slowly push the Axis powers back in areas where they had expanded. The key turning point came at D-Day, where General Dwight D. Eisenhower led forces onto the northern European mainland at Normandy.
•The Allied powers met twice in 1945, at the Yalta conference and the Potsdam conference, to discuss plans for the postwar world. Later in the year, a larger collection of countries would meet in San Francisco to create the United Nations.
•In the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur led an island hopping campaign aimed at winning isolated battles in a move towards the Japanese mainland.
•The war eventually ended after Hitler's suicide and the culmination of the Manhattan Project, which led to the dropping of two Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which forced the unconditional surrender of Japan.
•World War II went down as the bloodiest and costliest war in the history of mankind.
Instructional Time: 2 Weeks
Clarifying State Standards
•C.1.3-Summarize the contributions of particular groups to the development of North Carolina and the United States (e.g. women, religious groups, and ethnic sectors such as American Indians, African Americans, and European immigrants).
•H.14- Use historical inquiry to evaluate the validity of sources used to construct historical narratives (e.g. formulate historical questions, gather data from a variety of sources, evaluate and interpret data and support interpretations with historical evidence).
•H.2.3- Summarize the role of debate, compromise, and negotiation during significant periods in the history of North Carolina and the United States.
Vertical Alignment
Coming into this unit, students should have a strong foundation in:
•The effectiveness of New Deal programs in the Great Depression
•The land management practices that led the demise of the Midwestern economy
•The effectiveness of government during the Great Depression
•Overproduction, deflation, the Stock and the Great Depression
Essential Understanding(s)
The students will understand that…
•The political ideologies of communism, fascism, democracy caused conflicts that lead to World War II
•The economic condition of various nations post World War I allowed non democratic ideologies to emerge as world powers.
•World War II impacted the economy and contributions, roles and treatment of various groups of the United States
Essential Question(s)
•How can varying political ideologies create conflicts, impact the economy, and treatment of minority groups of people?
Essential Vocabulary
Students will know…
•The global depression gave rise to many charismatic leaders in struggling nations around the world, who in many cases looked to expand the possessions of their country through armed force.
•Attempts at appeasement proved to be short-sighted and did little to slow the acts of these aggressors. Soon, alliances were formed, which led to the eventual declaration of war in Europe.
•The Axis powers expanded to a point where both Europe and East Asia were at risk, but America was largely unaffected and, aside from the Lend-Lease Act, officially took an isolationist stance in the war.
•The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. in and began a huge domestic shift to a wartime economy. Rationing, Victory Gardens and the buying of War bonds became ways for Americans to do their share without getting directly involved.
•A number of torpedo attacks by German U-boats took place off the Outer Banks in what became known as Torpedo Junction.
•The door was open for women and minority groups to also become involved, as was evidenced by the image of Rosie the Riveter, the work of the Braceros, the direct involvement of the Tuskegee Airmen, and the ability of A. Phillip Randolph to convince FDR to ban discrimination in the defense industries. At the same time, the U.S. began a practice of Japanese internment as a reaction to fears about Japanese spies within American borders.
•The U.S. combined with the Allies to slowly push the Axis powers back in areas where they had expanded. The key turning point came at D-Day, where General Dwight D. Eisenhower led forces onto the northern European mainland at Normandy.
•The Allied powers met twice in 1945, at the Yalta conference and the Potsdam conference, to discuss plans for the postwar world. Later in the year, a larger collection of countries would meet in San Francisco to create the United Nations.
•In the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur led an island hopping campaign aimed at winning isolated battles in a move towards the Japanese mainland.
•The war eventually ended after Hitler's suicide and the culmination of the Manhattan Project, which led to the dropping of two Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which forced the unconditional surrender of Japan.
•World War II went down as the bloodiest and costliest war in the history of mankind.