Modern American History Lectures

This course is meant to cover the history of modern America from 1945-Present.

This course is designed for all ages, but the homework and essays are divided into three tiers or categories: 7th grade, 10th grade, and 12th grade Advanced Placement. Please choose whichever is appropriate for you.

If you would like feedback & grading on homework or essays, please contact me on my talk page and I will be happy to provide that for you.

Modern American History Curriculum

Modern American History Lectures

Background & Terms

End of WW2, Death of FDR, the New World Order, 1945

Harry Truman and the Republican Congress, 1945-1952

Alger Hiss, Soviet Espionage, Senator McCarthy and the End of the New Deal, 1948-1954

The Korean War and Douglas MacArthur, 1949-1952

The Eisenhower Era, 1950-1960

JFK, Camelot, and the Cold War, 1960-1964

Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society, 1960-1968

The Vietnam War, 1950-1975

Abortion Rights and Wrongs, Culture Wars from 1940-Present

The Conservative Movement as Political Insurgency, 1940-Present

Sexual Politics, Television, Mass Media, Movies, the Internet, 1940-Present

The Warren Court, Judicial Activism, and the ever-evolving Supreme Court, 1955-Present

The Age of Nixon, Public Ethics, and Watergate, 1948-1976

The Civil Rights Movement, Segregation, Busing, Integration, Separatism, 1964-1980

Jimmy Carter, Hostages, Inflation, Malaise, 1976-1980

Reagan, Reaganism, Reaganomics, 1980-1988

The Abrupt End of the Cold War, 1985-1991

The Rise and Fall of the Bush Family, 1975-2020

Clinton, NAFTA, New Democrats, 1992-2000

Monica Lewinsky, Y2K, Millenialism, Hanging Chads, and the Dot-Com Bust, 1998-2002

The 9/11 Terror Attacks, Invasion of Iraq, and the Global War on Terror, 2001-2010

Barack Obama and Racial Politics, 2006-2016

Tea Parties, Donald Trump and Making America Great Again, 2010-Present

COVID, The Summer of Floyd, Voter Fraud, Escalating Institutional Distrust, 2020-2022

The Assassinations of the 1960s

Immigration and the Transformation of America, 1965-Present

Religion and the Rise of the Right

Environmentalism and Climate Politics

Gun Rights, Gun Crime, and Gun Control

The Decline of Organized Labor

The Administrative State and the Growth of Federal Power

Intelligence Agencies, COINTELPRO, and the Post-Watergate Reforms

The Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, PATCON, and fears of Domestic Terror

Globalization, China, and the Loss of Manufacturing

The 2008 Financial Crisis

The Evolution of Conservatism from Goldwater to Trump

The Life and Death of MTV from 1981-2025

Technology and the Transformation of Daily Life, 1945-Present

Sports, Celebrity, and the Rise and Fall of a Shared American Culture, 1945-Present

Civic Virtue, Public Service, Celebrity Candidates, and the Transformation of America's Representative Democracy, 1850-Present

The Decline of Mainline Protestantism and the Rise of Evangelical America, 1945-Present

The Decline of Trust in Institutions, 1963-Present

The Rise and Fall of the American Middle Class, 1945-Present

Crime, Punishment, and the Politics of Fear, 1960-Present

Conspiracy Theories, Secret Societies, and the Growth of Alternative History, 1963-Present

The American Family in Turmoil & Transition, 1945-Present

Experts, Intellectuals, Elites, and Populists: Who Should Govern America?, 1945-Present

Higher Education, Credentialism, and America's Ruling Class, 1945-Present

The Transformation of Journalism and the Death of Local News, 1945-Present

Modern American History Exams

• Modern American History: Exam: Multiple Choice
• Modern American History: Exam: Multiple Choice Answers
• Modern American History: Exam: Short Answer
• Modern American History: Exam: Short Answer Answers
• Modern American History: Exam: Essay Prompts
• Modern American History: Exam: Essay Answer Outlines

Modern American History Essays

Miscellaneous

• Essay:Greatest Mysteries of World History
• Essay:Greatest Myths of World History
• Essay:Liberal Denials about History