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New YorkUS History

Module 6: Civil rights and modern America

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did the Great Society, Vietnam, and Watergate reshape Americans' trust in government?

Explain the Great Society, the Vietnam War and its effects (the War Powers Resolution), and Watergate, and how Vietnam and Watergate produced a crisis of trust in government (NYS Framework 11.9, civic participation; power).
A Framework-level answer on the 1960s and 1970s for the New York US History and Government Regents: the Great Society, the Vietnam War and the War Powers Resolution, and the Watergate scandal, and how Vietnam and Watergate produced a lasting crisis of trust in government.
12 min answer →

How did the civil rights movement challenge segregation and win legal equality?

Explain the civil rights movement: the legal challenge to segregation (Brown v. Board of Education), nonviolent protest (Montgomery, sit-ins, the March on Washington), and the landmark legislation (the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965) (NYS Framework 11.9, civic participation; inequality).
A Framework-level answer on the civil rights movement for the New York US History and Government Regents: the legal challenge to segregation in Brown v. Board of Education, nonviolent protest from Montgomery to the March on Washington, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.
12 min answer →

How did conservatism resurge in the 1980s, and how did the Cold War end?

Explain the conservative resurgence under Reagan (tax cuts, deregulation, a smaller domestic government) and the end of the Cold War (the arms buildup, detente and its breakdown, the collapse of the Soviet Union) (NYS Framework 11.9, economics; power).
A Framework-level answer on the 1980s for the New York US History and Government Regents: the conservative resurgence under Reagan (tax cuts, deregulation, smaller domestic government) and the end of the Cold War with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
11 min answer →

How do you answer the Part III A constructed-response (scaffold) questions on the 6 documents?

Apply the technique for the Part III A constructed-response questions (CRQs): read each of the 6 documents and answer the short scaffold questions (identify, explain, cause and effect, sourcing) using the document, as preparation for the Civic Literacy Essay (NYS Framework, gathering, interpreting and using evidence).
An exam-skills answer for the New York US History and Government Regents: how to answer the Part III A constructed-response (scaffold) questions on the 6 documents, identifying main ideas, explaining cause and effect, and analyzing sourcing, as preparation for the Civic Literacy Essay.
12 min answer →

How did rights expand beyond the civil rights movement to other groups and through the courts?

Explain the broader expansion of rights: the Warren Court's protection of the rights of the accused (Miranda, Gideon), the women's movement, and the rights movements of other groups (Latino, Native American, disability) (NYS Framework 11.9, civic participation; inequality).
A Framework-level answer on the expansion of rights for the New York US History and Government Regents: the Warren Court's protection of the rights of the accused (Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright), the women's movement, and the rights movements of Latino, Native American, and other groups.
11 min answer →

How have globalization, technology, terrorism, and constitutional debates shaped modern America?

Explain the modern era: globalization and the information economy, the September 11 attacks and the renewed security-versus-liberty debate, and ongoing constitutional debates (NYS Framework 11.10, interconnectedness; ideas and beliefs).
A Framework-level answer on the modern era for the New York US History and Government Regents: globalization and the information economy, the September 11 attacks and the renewed debate over national security and civil liberties, and ongoing constitutional debates that connect to the course's Enduring Issues.
11 min answer →