CurriculumGrade 11Social Studies

Modern America to the Present

Aligned to C3.D2.His — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

What this lesson teaches

From the late 20th century to today, the United States has been shaped by the Civil Rights Movement, the end of the Cold War, rapid technological change, and ongoing debates over equality, immigration, and the economy. Recent history helps explain current events.

Worked example

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s–60s ended legal segregation and expanded voting rights. Decades later, the internet and smartphones transformed how Americans work, shop, and communicate.

Practice questions

  1. Name one major change in America since the 1950s.
  2. How did the end of the Cold War change the world?
  3. Pick a current issue and explain one historical root of it.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

La América Moderna hasta el Presente

Desde finales del siglo XX hasta hoy, Estados Unidos ha sido moldeado por el Movimiento de Derechos Civiles, el fin de la Guerra Fría, los rápidos cambios tecnológicos y los debates continuos sobre la igualdad, la inmigración y la economía. La historia reciente ayuda a explicar los eventos actuales.

Ejemplo: El Movimiento de Derechos Civiles de los años 1950–60 terminó con la segregación legal y amplió el derecho al voto. Décadas después, el internet y los teléfonos inteligentes transformaron la manera en que los estadounidenses trabajan, compran y se comunican.

More History lessons

Industrialization to World War IIC3.D2.HisReconstruction & Its AftermathC3.D2.His.1The Gilded Age & Westward ExpansionC3.D2.His.2The Progressive Era & ReformC3.D2.His.3World War I & America's Global EmergenceC3.D2.His.4The Great Depression & the New DealC3.D2.His.5

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