Louisiana Social Studies Standards — Grade 12

Describe reasons why government is necessary, explaining competing ideas about the role of government in society

Compare and contrast the structure and leadership of different forms of government in various nations

Analyze the influence of the Magna Carta, English common law, and the English Bill of Rights in creating a limited form of government in the United States

Explain the influence of Enlightenment philosophers, the Great Awakening, and the American Revolution on the American founding documents

Explain the issues involved in various compromises or plans leading to the creation of the United States Constitution

Analyze the underlying principles and concepts embodied in primary documents that influenced the creation of the United States Constitution

Analyze ways in which the purposes of the United States government, as defined in the United States Constitution, are achieved

Describe the structure and functions of the federal government as stated in the United States Constitution

Explain the distribution of powers, responsibilities, and limits on the United States government

Cite the qualifications, terms of office, roles, and duties for appointed and elected officials

Explain the processes and strategies of how a bill becomes a law at the federal level

Differentiate between loose and strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution by examining the meaning and implications of the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments

Explain the role of regulatory and independent government agencies in American society

Compare and contrast the functions of various state and local governments in terms of tax code, political structure, and election procedures

Evaluate the five basic goals of United States foreign policy and explain the role of government in their implementation

Examine the ways that nations work to cooperate with international organizations politically and economically

Assess the extent to which United States foreign policy, domestic policy, constitutional principles, economic behaviors, and culture affect relations with other nations

Describe ways in which ideas, events, and policies of other nations impact the United States

Describe the elements of United States domestic policy

Explain how government is financed

Evaluate various forms of taxes at each level of government based on principle, incidence, and type

Describe the major revenue and expenditure categories and their respective proportions of local, state, and federal budgets

Predict how federal spending and taxation affect budget deficits and surpluses and the national debt

Evaluate government programs by their cost and benefits to society

Explain how macroeconomic policies of the Federal Reserve System and the federal government affect American citizens

Describe the Federal Reserve System, its functions, and its role in the United States economy

Distinguish between personal, political, and economic rights of citizenship

Differentiate between civic duties and responsibilities, including various forms of civic participation

Describe how civil rights have evolved over time to include diverse groups of citizens

Evaluate the role of the media and public opinion in American politics, including the use and effects of propaganda techniques

Analyze the effects of campaigns, campaign finance, elections, the Electoral College, and the United States census in the American political system

Describe key platform positions of the major political parties and evaluate the impact of third parties in election outcomes

Explain historical and contemporary roles of special interest groups, lobbyists, and associations in United States politics

Explain the basic problem of scarcity and how it drives economic decision-making

Describe the role of the factors of production as part of the circular flow of goods and services model

Assess factors that influence productivity and evaluate the relationship between productivity and standard of living and GDP

Apply principles of supply and demand to predict how changes in the market affect prices and incentives for buyers and sellers

Evaluate how different economic systems allocate resources in terms of their benefits to society

Analyze the four market structures (perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly) in terms of size of market, ease of entry, similarity of product, and control over price

Explain how competition affects both producers and consumers

Interpret information about a current economic system undergoing change from a largely command or traditional system to a more mixed system

Explain the effects of technology and innovation on global economic interdependence and competition

Evaluate how various types of unemployment affect the economy

Explain the relationship between education, training, and career options to future earning potential

Create a family budget and explain its importance in achieving personal financial goals and avoiding negative financial consequences

Compare and evaluate types of credit, savings, investment, and insurance services available to the consumer from various institutions

Apply given financial data to real life situations such as reconciling a checking account, reading bank and credit card statements, purchasing major goods, and avoiding consumer fraud

Analyze the benefits and risks of using credit and examine the various uses of credit scores

Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by: conducting short and sustained research evaluating conclusions from evidence (broad variety, primary and secondary sources) evaluating varied explanations for actions/events determining the meaning of words and phrases from historical texts analyzing historians points of view

Compare and/or contrast historical periods in terms of: differing political, social, religious, or economic contexts similar issues, actions, and trends both change and continuity

Propose and defend a specific point of view on a contemporary or historical issue and provide supporting evidence to justify that position

Discriminate between types of propaganda and draw conclusions concerning their intent

Analyze historical periods using timelines, political cartoons, maps, graphs, debates, and other historical sources

Evaluate the social, political, and economic antagonism that occurred between ethnic and cultural groups as a result of westward expansion

Describe the economic changes that came about on the western frontier as a result of the expansion of the railroad, cattle kingdoms, and farming

Describe the causes of the political, social, and economic problems encountered by farmers on the western frontier and critique the solutions developed by the Populist movement

Examine the effect of the governments laissez-faire policy, innovations in technology and transportation, and changes in business organization that led to the growth of an industrial economy

Illustrate the phases, geographic origins, and motivations behind mass immigration and explain how these factors accelerated urbanization

Describe the challenges associated with immigration, urbanization, and rapid industrialization and evaluate the governments response

Examine the social, political, and economic struggles of a growing labor force that resulted in the formation of labor unions and evaluate their attempts to improve working conditions

Identify the goals of Progressivism; describe the influence of the Muckrakers, political leaders, and intellectuals; and evaluate the movements successes and failures

Analyze the causes of U.S. imperialistic policies and describe both the immediate and long term consequences upon newly acquired territories

Describe the influence of U.S. imperialistic foreign policies upon Latin America and the Pacific region

Describe the root causes of World War I and evaluate the reasons for U.S. entry into the war

Explain how the U.S. government financed WWI, managed the economy, and directed public support for the war effort

Analyze how key military leaders, innovations in military technology, and major events affected the outcome of WWI

Describe the goals of political leaders at the Paris Peace Conference and analyze the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles

Use examples to show how population shifts, artistic movements, Prohibition, and the womens movement of the Roaring Twenties were a reflection of and a reaction to changes in American society

Describe how key political and military leaders affected the outcome of World War II and led to the beginning of the Cold War

Examine the economic policies, attacks on civil liberties, and the presidential administrations of the 1920s and explain how each reflected a return to isolationism

Describe the impact of major technological innovations and scientific theories of the 1920s on American society

Examine the causes of the Great Depression and its effects on the American people, and evaluate how the Hoover administration responded to this crisis

Classify the key New Deal programs according to Relief, Recovery, and Reform programs and describe their impact on the social, economic, and political structure of the United States

Examine the causes of World War II and explain the reasons for U.S. entry into the war

Explain how the U.S. government financed World War II, managed the economy, and encouraged public support for the war effort

Examine the role of minority groups, including women, on the homefront and in the military and describe how it changed their status in society

Analyze the major events, turning points, and key strategic decisions of World War II and describe how they affected the outcome of the war

Analyze the impact of U.S. domestic and foreign policy on Cold War events during the 1940s and 1950s and explain how these policies attempted to contain the spread of communism

Cite evidence that links domestic events and foreign policies of the 1960s and 1970s to escalating Cold War tensions

Explain how the post-war social movements caused change by analyzing the methods used by the leaders, the effectiveness of legislation, and the impact of key events

Describe the role and importance of the Civil Rights movement in the expansion of opportunities for African Americans in the United States

Explain how the leaders personalities, events, and policies of the 1980s combined to bring about an end to the Cold War

Compare and contrast the domestic policies of the post-Cold War presidencies

Describe advances in medicine, technology, and the media during the modern era and explain how these advances have altered society

Trace the evolution of United States relationships with Middle East countries and explain how these interactions have defined our image in the region

Describe events that changed American peoples perceptions of government over time

Identify landmark Supreme Court decisions from the Warren Court to the present, categorize the ideology of the decisions, and assess the impact on political and social institutions

Trace the rise in domestic and foreign terrorism and analyze its effect on Americas way of life

Describe the impact of technology on the study of geography and gather geographic information using technological tools

Explain Earths grid system, using latitude and longitude to locate key places and to answer geographic questions about that place

Compare and contrast various types of maps and map projections and evaluate distortions associated with each map projection

Use geographic representations to locate the worlds continents, major landforms, major bodies of water and major countries and to solve geographic problems

Describe and categorize elements of the natural environment as belonging to one of the four components of Earths physical systems: atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, or hydrosphere

Identify and locate world climate regions and evaluate the impact of the Earth/Sun relationship, ocean currents, wind currents, and elevation on each climate region

Compare and contrast regions of the world by analyzing the plant and animal life indigenous to the region (ecosystems)

Explain and give examples of natural and human processes that shape Earths surface and identify specific locations where these processes occur

Analyze how cooperation, conflict, and self-interest impact the cultural, political, and economic regions of the world and relations between nations

Determine the unifying characteristics that regions possess and explain changes that they have experienced over time

Explain how human and physical characteristics facilitate or hinder regional interactions

Determine the physical and human characteristics that comprise the identity of a given place

Analyze the distinguishing physical characteristics of a given place to determine their impact on human activities

Identify and analyze distinguishing human characteristics of a given place to determine their influence on historical events

Evaluate the impact of historical events on culture and relationships among groups

Examine the relationship between social, economic, and government systems and describe how each system has changed a given place over time

Describe and classify reasons for human migration in terms of push or pull factors to determine the changes and similarities in these factors over time

Use population pyramids, geographic data and maps to analyze the current impact of population growth and to predict future population trends

Describe and illustrate specific examples of economic interdependence in various regions

Determine the factors that contribute to a countrys standard of living

Explain how changes in technology have contributed to the spread of ideas and information throughout the world

Describe technological advances that have allowed humans to modify the environment and analyze the impact of these advances on the environment

Identify challenges posed by the physical environment and evaluate strategies that will allow humans to more effectively deal with these challenges

Analyze the distribution of resources and describe their impact on human systems (past, present, and future)

Assess the role of government and business in preserving or consuming natural resources and protecting or destroying the physical environment

Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by: conducting historical research evaluating a broad variety of primary and secondary sources comparing and contrasting varied points of view determining the meaning of words and phrases from historical texts using technology to research, produce, or publish a written product

Compare historical periods in terms of differing political, social, religious, and economic issues

Use a variety of sources to analyze the validity of information in terms of facts, opinions, or propaganda

Analyze historical events through the use of debates, timelines, cartoons, maps, graphs, and other historical sources

Identify key people of the Renaissance and explain how their ideas and actions influenced social and cultural change

Analyze the causes and effects of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation

Evaluate the influence technological innovations had on European exploration, conquest, and colonization

Identify key European explorers of the Americas and Asia, and explain the goals and consequences of exploration on society

Identify the major personalities of the Scientific Revolution and describe the effects of their discoveries

Analyze the influence of the Scientific Revolution on the Enlightenment and resulting political ideals.

Analyze the causes of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution and their influence on political change

Identify the key philosophers and ideologies of the Age of Enlightenment and explain their influence on world governments

Analyze the causes and consequences of the French Revolution and the rise and rule of Napoleon

Compare and contrast leaders and key events in the revolutions of the 17th through the 19th centuries and their impact on world political and social developments

Evaluate the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution in England, Western Europe, and its spread throughout the world

Describe how the expansion of industrial economies resulted in social and economic change throughout the world

Analyze various economic philosophies that influenced political and social life in 18th- and 19th- century Europe

Examine the post-Cold War impact on the development of global economies

Explain the rise and development of the European and Asian nation states

Summarize major European conflicts from 1600 to 1900 and their impact on world events

Describe the motives, major events, extent, and effects of European and American imperialism in Africa, Asia, and the Americas

Analyze causes and effects of Japans development as an industrial, military, and imperial power

Identify the key personalities and evaluate the origins, major events, technological advances, and peace settlements of World War I

Explain how art, literature, and intellectual thought that emerged in the postwar world reflect the societal changes and disillusionment brought about by World War I

Analyze the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolutions of 1917

Explain the causes and consequences of the economic conditions of the 1920s and 1930s and how governments responded to worldwide economic depression

Analyze the political conditions that led to the rise of totalitarianism in the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain of the 1920s and early 1930s

Explain the origins, key individuals, battles, and major events of World War II

Evaluate the political, social, and economic consequences of World War II

Summarize the origins of the Cold War, including the major differences in the political ideologies and values of the Western democracies versus the Soviet Bloc

Describe the causes and effects of the Cold War crises and military conflicts on the world

Evaluate the changes that occurred in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as a result of the end of colonial rule

Analyze the role of the United Nations, NATO, and other international organizations in the contemporary world

Explain the causes and consequences of the breakup of the Soviet Union on the world

Analyze terrorist movements in terms of their proliferation and political, economic, and social impact