Oklahoma Social Studies USH.C.6.3.B
The Standard
- USH.C.6
- Analyze foreign events and policies during the early Cold War Era.
- USH.C.6.3
- Analyze the escalation of international tensions by examining the series of events and their long- term foreign and domestic consequences during the height of the Cold War.
Explain President Dwight Eisenhower’s concern regarding the power of the military industrial complex to influence American foreign policy (e.g., Eisenhower’s Farewell Address).
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · USH.C.6.3
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why Eisenhower worried about the growing ties among the military, weapons companies, and government officials. They describe how those ties could affect decisions about defense spending and foreign policy.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can name who might benefit from a weapons program and explain how that interest could shape a policy choice. They can also explain that Eisenhower supported national defense but wanted the public to watch for undue influence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Eisenhower wanted to get rid of the military. Others assume he claimed that weapons companies controlled every foreign policy decision, rather than warning that they could gain too much influence.
How to Assess It
- Ask on an exit ticket: “Why might a weapons company favor a new bomber program, and why would Eisenhower want voters to pay attention to that decision?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups cards labeled military leaders, weapons companies, Congress, and voters; have them arrange the cards and draw arrows showing possible influence.
Read a paragraph from Eisenhower’s farewell address, then ask students to write why a president who supported defense would warn about its influence.
Give pairs three proposed weapons programs; have them mark who benefits from each and what evidence would justify the spending.
Use a printed Defense Department contract notice to identify the company, dollar amount, and one question voters could ask about the purchase.
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