Oklahoma Social Studies MWH.C.2

Standard Cluster

Analyze patterns of social, economic, political, and cultural changes during the Late Middle Ages to the Age of Exploration. Describe the impact of medieval English legal and constitutional practices, as established in the Magna Carta, on the rise of modern democratic principles (e.g., common law, limitation of a monarch’s power, and concepts related to the rule of law). Assess the origins and the significance of the Italian Renaissance and the revival of classical learning. Examine intellectual development and advances (i.e., vernacular literature and expanded literacy, the arts, engineering, human anatomy) focusing on selected historical figures (e.g., Machiavelli, Michelangelo, daVinci, Raphael, Erasmus). Describe how humanism furthered the values of republicanism, liberty, and individualism. Summarize the causes of and influence of the theological movements of the Reformation and how those movements subsequently transformed society. Explain reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin, and the role of William Tyndale. Explain new ways of disseminating information, such as Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press and the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. Describe tensions between religious and secular authorities contributing to the English Reformation. Trace the spread of Protestantism across Europe, including Lutherans, Reformed (Calvinist) Church of England, Anabaptists, and the effects on European society (e.g., idea and practice of religious tolerance, Calvinist work ethic). Explain the purposes and policies of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Evaluate the legacy of the Scientific Revolution on society, focusing on major theories and discoveries. Explain how the scientific method and new technologies, such as the telescope and microscope, led to new theories of the universe. Describe the accomplishments of major figures of the Scientific Revolution (e.g., Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton) as well as the impact of Islamic and Hindu learning on global scholarship and scientific thought. Analyze migration, settlement patterns, and the impact on indigenous peoples caused by a competition among European nations during the Age of Exploration. Explain the economic and religious motivations that prompted European exploratory expeditions into the Western Hemisphere and describe how these expeditions led to the expansion of the Spanish and Portuguese empires in Latin America. Examine how the Doctrine of Discovery was used to legitimize European colonization of lands and Indigenous peoples. Explain how the origins of modern capitalism and mercantilism in Europe impacted international trading patterns, prompting global exploration and rivalry. Describe the major economic and cultural effects of the Columbian Exchange and explain how the enslavement of Indigenous peoples and Africans was used for the development of colonial economies. Explain how overseas expansion led to the development of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026)