US History Part 2--Reading and Writing Workshop
Modern America and Social Movements (1970–Present)
Essential Questions
Students work in rotating expert groups:
Session 1: Environmentalism and Government Regulation (1970s)
Focus
Environmental protection as a modern social movement
Group Reading 1: President Richard Nixon – Message to Congress on the Environment (1970)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The 1970s must be the years when America pays its debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its waters, and its living environment. It is literally now or never.”
Source: American Presidency Project
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-the-environment
Group Reading 2: Environmental Protection Agency – Founding Purpose (1970)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The primary mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment… to ensure that all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment.”
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/history/origins-epa
Group Writing Task
Session 2: Women’s Rights and Reproductive Freedom
Focus
Legal challenges and gender equality
Group Reading 1: Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972
Group Reading 2: Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Opinion (1973)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The right of privacy… is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.”
Source: National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/roe-v-wade
Group Writing Task
Session 3: Disability Rights and Accessibility
Focus
Expanding civil rights definitions
Group Reading 1: Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Nation’s proper goals regarding individuals with disabilities are to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.ada.gov/resources/ada-introduction/
Group Reading 2: U.S. Senate Report on Disability Discrimination (1989)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Discrimination against individuals with disabilities persists in critical areas such as employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, and access to public services.”
Source: U.S. Senate
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/legislative-history-titles-i-and-v-americans-disabilities-act
Group Writing Task
Session 4: LGBTQ+ Rights and Equal Protection
Focus
Marriage equality and constitutional interpretation
Group Reading 1: Obergefell v. Hodges, Supreme Court Opinion (2015)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons to define and express their identity.”
Source: Supreme Court of the United States
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf
Group Reading 2: Department of Justice Statement on Equal Protection
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination by government which burdens a fundamental right.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/crt/constitutional-provisions
Group Writing Task
Session 5: Racial Justice and Policing Reform
Focus
Civil rights enforcement in the 21st century
Group Reading 1: U.S. Department of Justice – Ferguson Report (2015)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the city’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs, resulting in patterns of unconstitutional policing.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-findings-investigation-ferguson-police-department
Group Reading 2: Voting Rights Act Reauthorization Findings (2006)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Racial and language minority citizens remain politically vulnerable and continue to face barriers to voting.”
Source: U.S. Congress
https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/9
Group Writing Task
Session 6: Security, Protest, and Civil Liberties
Focus
Balancing rights and security after 9/11
Group Reading 1: USA PATRIOT Act (2001)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The purpose of this Act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools.”
Source: U.S. Congress
https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/3162
Group Reading 2: Barack Obama – Inaugural Address (2009)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”
Source: National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-barack-obama-inaugural-address
Group Writing Task
Final Group Writing Task: Synthesis Essay
Prompt
How have social movements since 1970 reshaped the meaning of rights and citizenship in the United States?
Requirements
Modern America and Social Movements (1970–Present)
Essential Questions
- How have Americans used social movements to expand rights since 1970?
- What role has the federal government played in advancing or limiting social change?
- How do courts, legislation, and protest interact in modern movements?
- What patterns of continuity and change appear across movements?
Students work in rotating expert groups:
- Context Group – historical background and causes
- Text Analysis Group – close reading and key language
- Movement Strategy Group – goals, tactics, and outcomes
- Writing Group – claims, evidence, and synthesis
Session 1: Environmentalism and Government Regulation (1970s)
Focus
Environmental protection as a modern social movement
Group Reading 1: President Richard Nixon – Message to Congress on the Environment (1970)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The 1970s must be the years when America pays its debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its waters, and its living environment. It is literally now or never.”
Source: American Presidency Project
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-the-environment
Group Reading 2: Environmental Protection Agency – Founding Purpose (1970)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The primary mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment… to ensure that all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment.”
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/history/origins-epa
Group Writing Task
- Context Group: What problems led to federal environmental action?
- Writing Group: Claim explaining why environmentalism became a national movement.
Session 2: Women’s Rights and Reproductive Freedom
Focus
Legal challenges and gender equality
Group Reading 1: Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972
Group Reading 2: Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Opinion (1973)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The right of privacy… is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.”
Source: National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/roe-v-wade
Group Writing Task
- Text Analysis Group: Identify constitutional language used by the Court.
- Writing Group: Paragraph explaining the role of the judiciary in social change.
Session 3: Disability Rights and Accessibility
Focus
Expanding civil rights definitions
Group Reading 1: Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Nation’s proper goals regarding individuals with disabilities are to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.ada.gov/resources/ada-introduction/
Group Reading 2: U.S. Senate Report on Disability Discrimination (1989)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Discrimination against individuals with disabilities persists in critical areas such as employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, and access to public services.”
Source: U.S. Senate
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/legislative-history-titles-i-and-v-americans-disabilities-act
Group Writing Task
- Strategy Group: Explain how disability activism reframed civil rights.
- Writing Group: Evidence-based paragraph on inclusion and access.
Session 4: LGBTQ+ Rights and Equal Protection
Focus
Marriage equality and constitutional interpretation
Group Reading 1: Obergefell v. Hodges, Supreme Court Opinion (2015)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons to define and express their identity.”
Source: Supreme Court of the United States
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf
Group Reading 2: Department of Justice Statement on Equal Protection
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The Equal Protection Clause prohibits discrimination by government which burdens a fundamental right.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/crt/constitutional-provisions
Group Writing Task
- Text Analysis Group: Identify how liberty is defined.
- Writing Group: Claim explaining why courts were central to this movement.
Session 5: Racial Justice and Policing Reform
Focus
Civil rights enforcement in the 21st century
Group Reading 1: U.S. Department of Justice – Ferguson Report (2015)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the city’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs, resulting in patterns of unconstitutional policing.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-findings-investigation-ferguson-police-department
Group Reading 2: Voting Rights Act Reauthorization Findings (2006)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Racial and language minority citizens remain politically vulnerable and continue to face barriers to voting.”
Source: U.S. Congress
https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/9
Group Writing Task
- Context Group: Explain why federal oversight was necessary.
- Writing Group: Paragraph connecting race, law, and activism.
Session 6: Security, Protest, and Civil Liberties
Focus
Balancing rights and security after 9/11
Group Reading 1: USA PATRIOT Act (2001)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“The purpose of this Act is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools.”
Source: U.S. Congress
https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/3162
Group Reading 2: Barack Obama – Inaugural Address (2009)
Excerpt (Public Domain)
“Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”
Source: National Archives
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-barack-obama-inaugural-address
Group Writing Task
- Strategy Group: Identify tensions between liberty and security.
- Writing Group: Analytical paragraph on protest and government power.
Final Group Writing Task: Synthesis Essay
Prompt
How have social movements since 1970 reshaped the meaning of rights and citizenship in the United States?
Requirements
- Clear thesis
- Evidence from at least four sessions
- At least two Supreme Court or legislative sources
- Explanation of continuity and change over time