Unit Checkpoint
Overview
This checkpoint assesses your mastery of the key skills developed throughout this unit: understanding 20th and 21st century US history, analyzing primary sources, interpreting maps and data, and constructing evidence-based arguments.
Skills Assessed
- Content Knowledge: Key events, figures, and themes from 20th Century and Modern America
- Primary Source Analysis: Using the SOAPS method to evaluate historical documents
- Data Interpretation: Reading maps, charts, graphs, and statistical data
- Claim-Evidence Writing: Constructing arguments using the CER framework
- SAT/ACT Readiness: Applying skills to standardized test-style questions
Checkpoint Format
This checkpoint includes three sections:
- Section A: Multiple choice and short answer (Tests content and analysis skills)
- Section B: Source-based questions (Tests primary source and data skills)
- Section C: Extended response (Tests claim-evidence writing)
Section A: Content and Analysis
Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of US history and analytical skills.
1. Which of the following best describes the significance of the Progressive Era (1890-1920)?
- It marked the beginning of American industrialization
- It represented a reform movement addressing social and political problems caused by industrialization
- It was primarily focused on territorial expansion
- It ended government regulation of business
2. The policy of containment during the Cold War was based on the belief that:
- Communism would collapse if prevented from spreading
- Military conflict with the Soviet Union was inevitable
- The United States should remain isolated from world affairs
- Economic competition was more important than military strength
3. Explain two ways the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s used nonviolent direct action to achieve its goals. Provide specific examples.
4. How did the September 11, 2001 attacks change American foreign policy? Identify at least two specific policy changes.
Section B: Source-Based Questions
Use the sources provided to answer the following questions.
Source 1: Excerpt from President Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" Speech (1964)
"The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents... It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community."
5. Using the SOAPS method, analyze Source 1. Identify the Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and Subject.
6. What vision of government's role does Johnson present in this speech? How does it compare to earlier views of limited government?
Source 2: Data on US Military Personnel in Vietnam
| Year | Troops Deployed |
|---|---|
| 1962 | 11,300 |
| 1965 | 184,300 |
| 1968 | 536,100 |
| 1970 | 334,600 |
| 1972 | 24,200 |
7. Describe the pattern shown in the data. What historical events or policies explain the changes between 1965 and 1968? Between 1968 and 1972?
8. What limitations does this data have for understanding the full impact of the Vietnam War?
Section C: Extended Response
Write a well-developed response to one of the following prompts. Your response should include a clear claim, specific evidence, and reasoning that connects your evidence to your claim.
Option 1: To what extent did the New Deal represent a fundamental shift in the role of the federal government? Support your argument with specific evidence from the 1930s.
Option 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in achieving its goals. Consider both successes and limitations in your response.
Option 3: How did the end of the Cold War reshape American foreign policy in the 1990s and 2000s? Use specific examples to support your argument.
Scoring Rubric
| Criteria | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | Clear, arguable, addresses complexity | Clear and arguable | Present but weak or vague | Missing or just restates prompt |
| Evidence | Multiple specific, accurate examples | Accurate and relevant | Limited or partially accurate | Missing or inaccurate |
| Reasoning | Clear explanation connecting evidence to claim | Adequate connection | Weak or incomplete connection | No reasoning provided |
| Complexity | Addresses counterarguments or nuance | Some acknowledgment of complexity | Oversimplified | One-sided or superficial |
After the Checkpoint
- Review your responses: Check the answer key and identify areas for improvement
- Revisit challenging lessons: Return to specific lessons for skills that need strengthening
- Apply to SAT/ACT prep: Use these skills in timed practice sections
- Continue to the next unit: Build on these foundations in Government and Economics
Answer Key: Section A
Show Answers
1. B - The Progressive Era was a reform movement addressing problems caused by industrialization, including political corruption, unsafe working conditions, and social inequality.
2. A - Containment was based on George Kennan's theory that if communism could be prevented from spreading, internal weaknesses would eventually cause the Soviet system to collapse.
3. Sample response: The Civil Rights Movement used sit-ins (like the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins of 1960) to desegregate public accommodations and freedom rides to challenge segregated interstate transportation. Both strategies created confrontations that drew national attention and pressured the federal government to act.
4. Sample response: The 9/11 attacks led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act expanding surveillance powers, and the launch of military operations in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) as part of the "War on Terror."
Answer Key: Section B
Show Answers
5. SOAPS Analysis:
- Speaker: President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Occasion: May 22, 1964, commencement address at University of Michigan
- Audience: Graduates, but also the American public
- Purpose: To outline his domestic policy vision and build support for ambitious social programs
- Subject: A vision for American society that addresses poverty, education, environment, and quality of life
6. Johnson presents government as an active force for improving citizens' lives beyond basic services. This contrasts with earlier limited government views that favored minimal federal intervention in social and economic matters.
7. The data shows rapid escalation 1962-1968, peaking in 1968, followed by withdrawal. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) and Johnson's escalation explain the 1965-1968 increase. Nixon's Vietnamization policy and peace negotiations explain the 1968-1972 decrease.
8. Limitations: Does not show casualties, costs, Vietnamese perspective, impact on soldiers, domestic opposition, or long-term consequences. Troop numbers alone don't capture the war's full human and social costs.