American History 2: Modern American & World History

Prerequisite: American History 1 (Columbus – 1800’s)

Textbook: –

Materials: Historical Fiction books (see course description),
binder with paper for notes,
pen/pencil

Supply Fee: $30 per year

Length: 1 hour Class

Class Description: This class covers Modern American and World History from the Civil War to the early 2000’s.

We’ll examine key events during the modern era, including…
⦁ Civil War and Reconstruction
⦁ World War’s I and II
⦁ Korean and Vietnam War
⦁ Civil Rights Movement
⦁ 9/11 and the War on Terror

We’ll take a few pit stops as we examine the roaring 20’s, Great Depression, and Dust Bowl, as well as the culture shift of the 50’s and 60’s.

Please note, there are difficult topics discussed in this class. We’ll be reading books which discuss slavery, segregation, the Holocaust, and terrorism. Please review the required items below and feel free to reach out to me for any questions or concerns.

In class we will have a lecture with in class discussion and complete worksheets together from the lecture.

Homework will consist of reading the historic novels, 1 research project each semester, and completing worksheets about the reading.

Historic Novels required: All students will need a copy of each book. These may be found through your local library, e-books such as Kindle, eBay, or paperback from Amazon,thriftbooks.com, or bfbooks.com.

For 2026-2027 I will use 2 options of reading. This will allow parents to choose based on reading level/readiness. Books marked with HS are traditionally upper high school material but any student can choose them.

9/11 – “Ground Zero” I don’t have an alternate
Civil War – “Across 5 Aprils” or HS “Red Badge of Courage”
Industrialization – “Theodore” or HS “The Jungle”
Reconstruction – “Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry” or HS “Up from Slavery”
WWI – “Sergeant York” or HS “The Yanks are Coming”
WWII pt 1 – “Number the Stars” or HS “Night”
WWII pt 2- “Air Raid Pearl Harbor” or HS “Unbroken”
Civil Rights- “Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry” or HS “To Kill a Mockingbird”