Oklahoma Social Studies USH.C.1

Standard Cluster

Analyze the transformation of the United States of America through its civil rights struggles, immigrant experiences, and settlement of the American West during the Post Civil War Era. Explain the constitutional issues that arise in the post-Civil War era. Summarize the fundamental principles of the United States of America’s constitutional republic and how events of the post-war era affected the Constitution’s balance of the public good with the protection of individual rights. Analyze the Constitution’s concepts of federalism, separation of powers, and the system of checks and balances to changing relationships in American politics as the nation rebuilt following the Civil War. Examine the meaning and effects of the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) and the Civil Rights Act of 1867, assessing the extent to which each enabled social, political, and economic change. Analyze the post-Reconstruction civil rights struggles of African Americans. Identify the significance of Juneteenth in relation to emancipation and modern-day commemorations. Explain the reasons for adoption of Black Codes immediately following the Civil War and their limitations on economic opportunities and property ownership. Describe how some Southerners responded to political and social change brought about by Reconstruction, including the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, its methods of intimidation and terror, including lynching, disenfranchisement, and the passage of segregation laws. Analyze the causes and effects of the continuing westward migration and territorial growth after the Civil War. Explain the impact of the Homestead Act, the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, and the purchase of Alaska on settlement patterns and Native populations. Describe Grant’s Peace Policy including the establishment of reservations and the use of religious organizations to assimilate American Indians through religious instruction and agricultural training. Examine American Indian perspectives on westward expansion and the end of the Indian Wars in the late nineteenth century, including the events at Wounded Knee Massacre, as expressed by leaders such as Red Cloud, Quanah Parker, and Chief Joseph, while also examining the federal government’s goals of territorial expansion and national development. Describe the intent and effects of assimilation policies during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including the establishment of Indian boarding schools and their impact on Native cultures, languages, and community life. Reference context teachers may include: Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Explain how federal policies such as allotment and assimilation contributed to the restructuring of Tribal governments and land ownership in Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood. Analyze the impact of immigration on settlement patterns in American society and economic growth. Summarize the reasons for immigration and the immigrant experiences at processing centers such as Ellis Island and Angel Island. Describe the Americanization programs which sought to integrate and assimilate immigrants (e.g., political party machines, Tammany Hall) through instruction in English and the United States of America’s system of government. Examine the rise and motivations of Nativism against a new wave of Eastern European immigrants. Describe the contributions of Chinese immigrants to the national economy and nativist opposition to their continued immigration. Explain changes in federal immigration policy including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen’s Agreement, and the Supreme Court’s application of the 14th Amendment.

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026)