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History 8
The world since 1945: the end of European empires, the Cold War from Truman to Gorbachev, the American civil rights movement, Vietnam and Watergate, the modern Middle East, and Canada and Mexico, plus a civics capstone on the Constitution. Many topics get a quick first look and a deeper return.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
Civics capstone
Constitution, Bill of Rights, how laws pass
Standards
Core Knowledge Grade 8 history & geography
What's taught, unit by unit
Empires end and the Cold War beginsDays 1–15
Britain's empire, Indian independence and Partition, Gandhi's nonviolence, Mao's Chinese revolution, African independence and the challenges of new nations; then containment, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, McCarthyism and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- 1 · Welcome to History 8: The End of European Empires
- 2 · The Breakup of the British Empire
- 3 · Indian Independence and Partition
- 4 · Mohandas Gandhi and Nonviolent Resistance
- 6 · The Chinese Communist Revolution
- 7 · Independence Movements in Africa: A Closer Look
- 8 · The Challenges of New Nations
- 9 · Comparing Independence Movements Worldwide
- 11 · The Origins of the Cold War: Containment
- 12 · NATO and the Warsaw Pact
- 13 · McCarthyism and the Red Scare
- 14 · The Cuban Missile Crisis
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Civics capstone: the ConstitutionDays 16–30
Origins of the Constitution, the Preamble, three branches and checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, Marbury v. Madison, federalism, how a bill becomes law, elections, civic duties and weighing a Supreme Court case.
- 16 · The Origins of the US Constitution
- 17 · The Preamble and Its Purpose
- 18 · The Three Branches of Government
- 19 · Checks and Balances
- 21 · The Bill of Rights
- 22 · The First Amendment in Depth
- 23 · Marbury v. Madison and Judicial Review
- 24 · Federalism: Balancing State and National Power
- 26 · How a Bill Becomes a Law
- 27 · The Electoral Process
- 28 · Civic Responsibilities
- 29 · Evaluating a Supreme Court Case's Impact
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
A first look: civil rights, Korea, space and the Middle EastDays 31–45
Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock Nine and the March on Washington; the Korean War, Sputnik and the Moon landing, judging Cold War strategy; and the Middle East's geography, modern history and oil.
- 31 · The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement
- 32 · The Montgomery Bus Boycott in Depth
- 33 · The Little Rock Nine
- 34 · The March on Washington
- 36 · The Korean War: A Closer Look
- 37 · The Space Race and the Moon Landing
- 38 · Evaluating Cold War Strategy: Successes and Failures
- 39 · Connecting Civics to the Cold War Era
- 41 · Geography of the Middle East
- 42 · The Modern History of the Middle East: An Overview
- 43 · Oil and the Middle East's Global Importance
- 44 · Connecting Middle East Geography to Global Trade
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
The Civil Rights Movement in depthDays 46–61
Brown v. Board, Emmett Till, sit-ins and SNCC, Freedom Riders, Birmingham and King's Letter, the Civil Rights Act, Freedom Summer, Selma, the Voting Rights Act, Malcolm X, Black Power, King's final campaigns, and the movement's legacy.
- 46 · Brown v. Board of Education: The Case in Depth
- 47 · Emmett Till and Massive Resistance
- 48 · The Sit-In Movement and SNCC
- 49 · The Freedom Rides and the Integration of Ole Miss
- 51 · Birmingham 1963 and the Letter from Birmingham Jail
- 52 · Passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- 53 · Freedom Summer and the Twenty-Fourth Amendment
- 54 · Selma and the March to Montgomery
- 56 · The Voting Rights Act of 1965
- 57 · Malcolm X
- 58 · Black Power and the Urban Uprisings
- 59 · Dr. King's Final Campaigns
- 61 · The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Vietnam, Watergate and new movementsDays 62–81
The Vietnam War from French colonialism through escalation, the Tet Offensive, 1968, the draft and antiwar protest, Nixon and the war's end; Watergate and the Constitution; the women's movement, Title IX and ERA; Silent Spring and environmental laws.
- 62 · The Vietnam War: A Closer Look
- 63 · Protest Movements and Free Speech
- 64 · The End of the Cold War: A Closer Look
- 66 · The Roots of the Vietnam War
- 67 · Escalation: From Advisers to Combat Troops
- 68 · The Tet Offensive
- 69 · 1968: A Year of Upheaval
- 71 · The Draft, the Antiwar Movement, and the 26th Amendment
- 72 · Nixon's War and the Pentagon Papers
- 73 · The End of the Vietnam War and Its Legacy
- 74 · Watergate: The Break-In and the Cover-Up
- 76 · Watergate: The Constitution Under Pressure
- 77 · The Women's Movement: Origins
- 78 · The Women's Movement: Title IX and the ERA
- 79 · The Environmental Movement Begins
- 81 · Environmental Laws and Their Limits
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
The Middle East since 1948Days 82–100
The creation of Israel, the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars, the 1973 oil embargo, Camp David, Iran's revolution and hostage crisis, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, September 11, the Iraq War, and the region's countries, peoples, water and land.
- 82 · The Creation of Israel, 1948
- 83 · The Suez Crisis of 1956
- 84 · The Six-Day War of 1967
- 86 · The Yom Kippur War of 1973
- 87 · The 1973 Oil Embargo and the Energy Crisis
- 88 · The Camp David Accords
- 89 · The Iranian Revolution and the Hostage Crisis
- 91 · The Soviet War in Afghanistan
- 92 · The Persian Gulf War
- 93 · The Present-Day Middle East: Countries and Capitals
- 94 · The Present-Day Middle East: Peoples, Languages, and Religions
- 96 · September 11 and Its Aftermath
- 97 · The Iraq War, 2003
- 98 · The Present-Day Middle East: Water and Land
- 99 · The Present-Day Middle East: Four Country Close-Ups
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
The Cold War in depthDays 101–130
Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe, the Berlin Blockade and Wall, the arms race, the Red Scare, Hungary, Cuba and the Bay of Pigs, the U-2, the Moon race, Kennedy and Johnson's Great Society, Mao, Prague Spring, Nixon's detente, Latin America and non-alignment.
- 101 · The Soviet Takeover of Eastern Europe
- 102 · The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
- 103 · Life Behind the Iron Curtain
- 104 · The Nuclear Arms Race
- 106 · The Red Scare Beyond McCarthy
- 107 · The Cold War at Home
- 108 · Truman Fires MacArthur
- 109 · Khrushchev and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
- 111 · The Cuban Revolution
- 112 · The Bay of Pigs Invasion
- 113 · The U-2 Incident
- 114 · The Berlin Wall Goes Up
- 116 · The Road to the Moon
- 117 · Stepping Back from the Brink: Arms Control After 1962
- 118 · The Kennedy Years
- 119 · Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
- 121 · Mao's Rise and the Long March
- 122 · The Great Leap Forward
- 123 · The Cultural Revolution
- 124 · Deng Xiaoping's Reforms, 1978-1988
- 126 · The Prague Spring
- 127 · Nixon and Détente
- 128 · The Cold War in Latin America
- 129 · The Non-Aligned Movement
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Independence in Africa and Asia, then the Cold War endsDays 131–150
Ghana, Kenya's Mau Mau, Algeria, the Congo, Southeast Asia, India and Pakistan, Portugal's and Britain's last colonies; then Reagan, Gorbachev and Chernobyl, Solidarity, the INF Treaty, Tiananmen, 1989, German reunification and the Soviet collapse.
- 131 · Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah
- 132 · Kenya and the Mau Mau Uprising
- 133 · Algeria's War of Independence
- 134 · The Congo Crisis
- 136 · Independence in Southeast Asia
- 137 · India and Pakistan After Partition
- 138 · The End of Portugal's Empire
- 139 · The Last Chapters of the British Empire
- 141 · Reagan's Cold War
- 142 · Gorbachev's Reforms: Chernobyl and Change
- 143 · Poland and Solidarity
- 144 · Reagan, Gorbachev, and the INF Treaty
- 146 · Tiananmen Square, 1989
- 147 · The Revolutions of 1989
- 148 · German Reunification
- 149 · The August Coup and the Breakup of the Soviet Union
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Apartheid, American rights movements, Canada and MexicoDays 151–170
South African apartheid and Mandela's presidency; Cesar Chavez, Native American activism, disability rights and the Warren Court; then the geography, government and language of Canada, and Mexico's geography, NAFTA and the border.
- 151 · The Origins of Apartheid
- 152 · Resistance: The ANC, Sharpeville, and the Rivonia Trial
- 153 · Soweto, Steve Biko, and World Pressure
- 154 · The End of Apartheid and Mandela's Presidency
- 156 · César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and the Farmworkers
- 157 · Native American Activism
- 158 · The Disability Rights Movement
- 159 · The Warren Court and the Rights of the Accused
- 161 · Canada's Physical Geography
- 162 · Canada's Provinces, Territories, and Government
- 163 · Quebec and Canada's Two Languages
- 164 · The United States and Canada: Neighbors and Partners
- 166 · Mexico's Physical Geography
- 167 · Mexico's States, Cities, and People
- 168 · NAFTA: The North American Free Trade Agreement
- 169 · Maquiladoras and the US-Mexico Border
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Government in depth & year-end synthesisDays 171–180
A closer look at Congress, the presidency, the federal courts and amending the Constitution, then four synthesis days pulling the year's themes together (empires, the Cold War, rights movements, government) and a final celebration day.
- 171 · Congress in Depth
- 172 · The Presidency in Depth
- 173 · The Federal Courts in Depth
- 174 · Amending the Constitution
- 176 · Year-End Synthesis: The End of Empires
- 177 · Year-End Synthesis: The Cold War from Beginning to End
- 178 · Year-End Synthesis: Movements for Rights and Change
- 179 · Year-End Synthesis: Government, the Middle East, and North America
- 180 · Congratulations! You Completed History 8!
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Explain how and why European empires gave up their colonies after 1945
- Describe the major events of the Cold War and how it ended
- Explain how the three branches of government share power through checks and balances
- Describe the main strategies and victories of the Civil Rights Movement
- Explain the causes and results of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal
- Locate the countries of the Middle East, Canada and Mexico on a map
Other 8th Grade subjects: Math 8 · Reading 8 · Writing 8 · Science 8