Alabama Social Studies SS24.US2.20a
The Standard
- SS24.US2.20
- Evaluate how federal policies and legislation have shaped American society since 1988.
Assess how political events beginning with the Clinton presidency and into the early 2000s contributed to growing political polarization.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how events from the Clinton presidency through the early 2000s widened political divisions. They use evidence to show how parties and voters responded, rather than just listing events.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can connect the Clinton impeachment and the 2000 election recount to disputes over political legitimacy. They can also explain that the unity after September 11 did not end later divisions over the Iraq War.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume the country was divided in the same way throughout this period, missing the brief unity after September 11. They may also treat the 2000 recount as proof of fraud rather than a dispute over how to count ballots.
How to Assess It
- Ask students to choose the 1998 impeachment or the 2000 recount. In three sentences, explain how it may have widened party divisions and cite one piece of evidence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Place event cards for the 1994 midterms, 1998 impeachment, 2000 recount, and Iraq War on a wall timeline; add party responses.
Read two short editorials about the Clinton impeachment, then write which claims might deepen distrust between parties.
Play a claim sort: match statements about the recount, impeachment, and Iraq War to supporting evidence, then defend one match.
Compare a current House vote tally with the 1998 impeachment vote; calculate each party's yes percentage and discuss what the totals show.
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Related Standards
- SS24.US2.19
Evaluate how political developments and technology shaped economic trends and fluctuations from the 1990s into the early twenty-first century.
- SS24.US2.18
Analyze the shifts in United States foreign policy and challenges to it after the Cold War and into the twenty-first century.
- SS24.US2.20
Evaluate how federal policies and legislation have shaped American society since 1988.
- SS24.USG.10b
Assess the impact of political parties on citizens and elected officials, including the increase of political polarization, rise of independent voters, and disi...
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