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LouisianaUS History

Module 6: The Modern Age

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did technology and globalization transform the American economy at the turn of the twenty-first century?

Analyze the economic and technological changes of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, including the shift to a service and information economy, the computer and internet revolution, globalization and free trade, and their effects on American workers (Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, US History Standard 6: The Modern Age).
A LEAP-level answer on the modern American economy for the Louisiana US History test: the shift from manufacturing to a service and information economy, the computer and internet revolution, globalization and free-trade agreements such as NAFTA, the effects on workers, and the debate over free trade, with worked source questions.
12 min answer →

How did the September 11 attacks reshape American foreign and domestic policy in the new century?

Analyze the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the war on terror, including the response of the United States, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, homeland security, and the debate over security and civil liberties (Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, US History Standard 6: The Modern Age).
A LEAP-level answer on September 11 and the war on terror for the Louisiana US History test: the 2001 attacks by al-Qaeda, the American response, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of homeland security and the Patriot Act, and the debate between security and civil liberties, with worked source questions.
12 min answer →

How did a conservative movement reshape American politics and government in the 1980s?

Analyze the conservative resurgence of the 1970s and 1980s, including the reaction against the Great Society, the rise of the New Right, and the policies of the Reagan administration (Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, US History Standard 6: The Modern Age).
A LEAP-level answer on the conservative resurgence for the Louisiana US History test: the backlash against the Great Society and the 1960s, the economic troubles of the 1970s, the rise of the New Right, and Reagan's conservative policies of tax cuts, deregulation, and a military buildup, with worked source questions.
12 min answer →

How and why did the Cold War come to an end, and what did it mean for the United States?

Analyze the end of the Cold War, including renewed superpower tension and detente, Soviet reforms, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of the United States as the sole superpower (Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, US History Standard 6: The Modern Age).
A LEAP-level answer on the end of the Cold War for the Louisiana US History test: detente and its breakdown, Reagan's pressure on the Soviet Union, Gorbachev's reforms, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the United States as the sole superpower, with worked source questions.
12 min answer →

What defines the United States in the modern age, and how do the themes of its history come together at the start of the twenty-first century?

Synthesize the major developments of the modern United States, including demographic change and immigration, contemporary political and social debates, the nation's role as a global power, and the enduring themes of American history (Louisiana Student Standards for Social Studies, US History Standard 6: The Modern Age).
A LEAP-level synthesis of the modern United States for the Louisiana US History test: demographic change and the new immigration, contemporary political and social debates, the expansion of rights, the nation's role as a global power, and the enduring themes of American history, with worked source questions.
12 min answer →