PERIOD 8: 1945–1980
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.1 — The United States responded to an uncertain
and unstable postwar world by asserting and working to maintain
a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and
international consequences.
WXT-2.0: Explain how
patterns of exchange, markets,
and private enterprise have
developed, and analyze
ways that governments have
responded to economic issues.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons
for, and results of, U.S.
diplomatic, economic, and
military initiatives in North
America and overseas.
I. United States policymakers engaged in a cold war with the authoritarian
Soviet Union, seeking to limit the growth of Communist military power
and ideological influence, create a free-market global economy, and build
an international security system.
A. As postwar tensions dissolved
the wartime alliance between
Western democracies and the
Soviet Union, the United States
developed a foreign policy
based on collective security,
international aid, and economic
institutions that bolstered non-
Communist nations.
B. Concerned by expansionist
Communist ideology and
Soviet repression, the United
States sought to contain
communism through a variety
of measures, including major
military engagements in
Korea and Vietnam.
C. The Cold War fluctuated
between periods of direct and
indirect military confrontation
and periods of mutual
coexistence (or détente).
D. Postwar decolonization and
the emergence of powerful
nationalist movements in
Asia, Africa, and the Middle
East led both sides in the
Cold War to seek allies
among new nations, many of
which remained nonaligned.
E. Cold War competition
extended to Latin America,
where the U.S. supported
non-Communist regimes
that had varying levels of
commitment to democracy.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.1
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 84
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.1 — The United States responded to an uncertain
and unstable postwar world by asserting and working to maintain
a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and
international consequences.
NAT-3.0: Analyze how ideas
about national identity changed
in response to U.S. involvement
in international conflicts and
the growth of the United States.
GEO-1.0: Explain how
geographic and environmental
factors shaped the development
of various communities, and
analyze how competition
for and debates over natural
resources have affected both
interactions among different
groups and the development of
government policies.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons
for, and results of, U.S.
diplomatic, economic, and
military initiatives in North
America and overseas.
II. Cold War policies led to public debates over the power of the federal
government and acceptable means for pursuing international and
domestic goals while protecting civil liberties.
A. Americans debated policies
and methods designed
to expose suspected
communists within the
United States even as both
parties supported the broader
strategy of containing
communism.
B. Although anticommunist
foreign policy faced little
domestic opposition in
previous years, the Vietnam
War inspired sizable and
passionate antiwar protests
that became more numerous
as the war escalated and
sometimes led to violence.
C. Americans debated the merits
of a large nuclear arsenal, the
military-industrial complex,
and the appropriate power
of the executive branch in
conducting foreign and
military policy.
D. Ideological, military, and
economic concerns shaped
U.S. involvement in the
Middle East, with several oil
crises in the region eventually
sparking attempts at creating
a national energy policy.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.1
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 85
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
NAT-1.0: Explain how ideas
about democracy, freedom, and
individualism found expression
in the development of cultural
values, political institutions,
and American identity.
NAT-2.0: Explain how
interpretations of the
Constitution and debates over
rights, liberties, and definitions
of citizenship have affected
American values, politics, and
society.
NAT-4.0: Analyze relationships
among different regional, social,
ethnic, and racial groups, and
explain how these groups’
experiences have related to U.S.
national identity.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
I. Seeking to fulfill Reconstruction-era promises, civil rights activists and
political leaders achieved some legal and political successes in ending
segregation, although progress toward racial equality was slow.
A. During and after World
War II, civil rights
activists and leaders, most
notably Martin Luther
King Jr., combatted racial
discrimination utilizing a
variety of strategies, including
legal challenges, direct action,
and nonviolent protest tactics.
B. The three branches of
the federal government
used measures including
desegregation of the armed
services, Brown v. Board
of Education, and the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 to promote
greater racial equality.
C. Continuing resistance slowed
efforts at desegregation,
sparking social and political
unrest across the nation.
Debates among civil rights
activists over the efficacy
of nonviolence increased
after 1965.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 86
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
NAT-4.0: Analyze relationships
among different regional, social,
ethnic, and racial groups, and
explain how these groups’
experiences have related to U.S.
national identity.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
CUL-3.0: Explain how ideas
about women’s rights and
gender roles have affected
society and politics.
CUL-4.0: Explain how different
group identities, including
racial, ethnic, class, and
regional identities, have
emerged and changed over
time.
GEO-1.0: Explain how
geographic and environmental
factors shaped the development
of various communities, and
analyze how competition
for and debates over natural
resources have affected both
interactions among different
groups and the development of
government policies.
II. Responding to social conditions and the African American civil rights
movement, a variety of movements emerged that focused on issues of
identity, social justice, and the environment.
A. Feminist and gay and lesbian
activists mobilized behind
claims for legal, economic,
and social equality.
B. Latino, American Indian, and
Asian American movements
continued to demand social
and economic equality and a
redress of past injustices.
C. Despite an overall affluence in
postwar America, advocates
raised concerns about the
prevalence and persistence of
poverty as a national problem.
D. Environmental problems and
accidents led to a growing
environmental movement
that aimed to use legislative
and public efforts to combat
pollution and protect natural
resources. The federal
government established new
environmental programs and
regulations.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 87
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
POL-1.0: Explain how and
why political ideas, beliefs,
institutions, party systems, and
alignments have developed and
changed.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
POL-3.0: Explain how different
beliefs about the federal
government’s role in U.S. social
and economic life have affected
political debates and policies.
III. Liberalism influenced postwar politics and court decisions, but it
came under increasing attack from the left as well as from a resurgent
conservative movement.
A. Liberalism, based on
anticommunism abroad and
a firm belief in the efficacy of
government power to achieve
social goals at home, reached
a high point of political
influence by the mid-1960s.
B. Liberal ideas found expression
in Lyndon Johnson’s Great
Society, which attempted to use
federal legislation and programs
to end racial discrimination,
eliminate poverty, and address
other social issues. A series
of Supreme Court decisions
expanded civil rights and
individual liberties.
C. In the 1960s, conservatives
challenged liberal laws and
court decisions and perceived
moral and cultural decline,
seeking to limit the role of
the federal government and
enact more assertive foreign
policies.
D. Some groups on the left
also rejected liberal policies,
arguing that political leaders
did too little to transform the
racial and economic status
quo at home and pursued
immoral policies abroad.
E. Public confidence and trust in
government’s ability to solve
social and economic problems
declined in the 1970s in the
wake of economic challenges,
political scandals, and foreign
policy crises.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 88
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
III. Liberalism influenced postwar politics and court decisions, but it
came under increasing attack from the left as well as from a resurgent
conservative movement.
F. The 1970s saw growing
clashes between
conservatives and liberals
over social and cultural
issues, the power of the
federal government, race,
and movements for greater
individual rights.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 89
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.3 — Postwar economic and demographic changes
had far-reaching consequences for American society, politics, and
culture.
WXT-3.0: Analyze how
technological innovation has
affected economic development
and society.
MIG-1.0: Explain the causes
of migration to colonial
North America and, later, the
United States, and analyze
immigration’s effects on U.S.
society.
MIG-2.0: Analyze causes of
internal migration and patterns
of settlement in what would
become the United States, and
explain how migration has
affected American life.
I. Rapid economic and social changes in American society fostered a sense
of optimism in the postwar years.
A. A burgeoning private sector,
federal spending, the baby
boom, and technological
developments helped spur
economic growth.
B. As higher education
opportunities and new
technologies rapidly
expanded, increasing social
mobility encouraged the
migration of the middle class
to the suburbs and of many
Americans to the South and
West. The Sun Belt region
emerged as a significant
political and economic force.
C. Immigrants from around the
world sought access to the
political, social, and economic
opportunities in the United
States, especially after the
passage of new immigration
laws in 1965.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.3
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 90
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.3 — Postwar economic and demographic changes
had far-reaching consequences for American society, politics, and
culture.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
CUL-1.0: Explain how religious
groups and ideas have
affected American society and
political life.
CUL-2.0: Explain how artistic,
philosophical, and scientific
ideas have developed and
shaped society and institutions.
CUL-3.0: Explain how ideas
about women’s rights and
gender roles have affected
society and politics.
II. New demographic and social developments, along with anxieties over the
Cold War, changed U.S. culture and led to significant political and moral
debates that sharply divided the nation.
A. Mass culture became
increasingly homogeneous in
the postwar years, inspiring
challenges to conformity
by artists, intellectuals, and
rebellious youth.
B. Feminists and young people
who participated in the
counterculture of the 1960s
rejected many of the social,
economic, and political
values of their parents’
generation, introduced greater
informality into U.S. culture,
and advocated changes in
sexual norms.
C. The rapid and substantial
growth of evangelical
Christian churches
and organizations was
accompanied by greater
political and social activism
on the part of religious
conservatives.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.3
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 91
Concept Outline
PERIOD 9:
1980–PRESENT
1491–1607 1607–1754 1754–1800 1800–1848 1844–1877 1865–
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.1 — The United States responded to an uncertain
and unstable postwar world by asserting and working to maintain
a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and
international consequences.
WXT-2.0: Explain how
patterns of exchange, markets,
and private enterprise have
developed, and analyze
ways that governments have
responded to economic issues.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons
for, and results of, U.S.
diplomatic, economic, and
military initiatives in North
America and overseas.
I. United States policymakers engaged in a cold war with the authoritarian
Soviet Union, seeking to limit the growth of Communist military power
and ideological influence, create a free-market global economy, and build
an international security system.
A. As postwar tensions dissolved
the wartime alliance between
Western democracies and the
Soviet Union, the United States
developed a foreign policy
based on collective security,
international aid, and economic
institutions that bolstered non-
Communist nations.
B. Concerned by expansionist
Communist ideology and
Soviet repression, the United
States sought to contain
communism through a variety
of measures, including major
military engagements in
Korea and Vietnam.
C. The Cold War fluctuated
between periods of direct and
indirect military confrontation
and periods of mutual
coexistence (or détente).
D. Postwar decolonization and
the emergence of powerful
nationalist movements in
Asia, Africa, and the Middle
East led both sides in the
Cold War to seek allies
among new nations, many of
which remained nonaligned.
E. Cold War competition
extended to Latin America,
where the U.S. supported
non-Communist regimes
that had varying levels of
commitment to democracy.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.1
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 84
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.1 — The United States responded to an uncertain
and unstable postwar world by asserting and working to maintain
a position of global leadership, with far-reaching domestic and
international consequences.
NAT-3.0: Analyze how ideas
about national identity changed
in response to U.S. involvement
in international conflicts and
the growth of the United States.
GEO-1.0: Explain how
geographic and environmental
factors shaped the development
of various communities, and
analyze how competition
for and debates over natural
resources have affected both
interactions among different
groups and the development of
government policies.
WOR-2.0: Analyze the reasons
for, and results of, U.S.
diplomatic, economic, and
military initiatives in North
America and overseas.
II. Cold War policies led to public debates over the power of the federal
government and acceptable means for pursuing international and
domestic goals while protecting civil liberties.
A. Americans debated policies
and methods designed
to expose suspected
communists within the
United States even as both
parties supported the broader
strategy of containing
communism.
B. Although anticommunist
foreign policy faced little
domestic opposition in
previous years, the Vietnam
War inspired sizable and
passionate antiwar protests
that became more numerous
as the war escalated and
sometimes led to violence.
C. Americans debated the merits
of a large nuclear arsenal, the
military-industrial complex,
and the appropriate power
of the executive branch in
conducting foreign and
military policy.
D. Ideological, military, and
economic concerns shaped
U.S. involvement in the
Middle East, with several oil
crises in the region eventually
sparking attempts at creating
a national energy policy.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.1
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 85
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
NAT-1.0: Explain how ideas
about democracy, freedom, and
individualism found expression
in the development of cultural
values, political institutions,
and American identity.
NAT-2.0: Explain how
interpretations of the
Constitution and debates over
rights, liberties, and definitions
of citizenship have affected
American values, politics, and
society.
NAT-4.0: Analyze relationships
among different regional, social,
ethnic, and racial groups, and
explain how these groups’
experiences have related to U.S.
national identity.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
I. Seeking to fulfill Reconstruction-era promises, civil rights activists and
political leaders achieved some legal and political successes in ending
segregation, although progress toward racial equality was slow.
A. During and after World
War II, civil rights
activists and leaders, most
notably Martin Luther
King Jr., combatted racial
discrimination utilizing a
variety of strategies, including
legal challenges, direct action,
and nonviolent protest tactics.
B. The three branches of
the federal government
used measures including
desegregation of the armed
services, Brown v. Board
of Education, and the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 to promote
greater racial equality.
C. Continuing resistance slowed
efforts at desegregation,
sparking social and political
unrest across the nation.
Debates among civil rights
activists over the efficacy
of nonviolence increased
after 1965.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 86
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
NAT-4.0: Analyze relationships
among different regional, social,
ethnic, and racial groups, and
explain how these groups’
experiences have related to U.S.
national identity.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
CUL-3.0: Explain how ideas
about women’s rights and
gender roles have affected
society and politics.
CUL-4.0: Explain how different
group identities, including
racial, ethnic, class, and
regional identities, have
emerged and changed over
time.
GEO-1.0: Explain how
geographic and environmental
factors shaped the development
of various communities, and
analyze how competition
for and debates over natural
resources have affected both
interactions among different
groups and the development of
government policies.
II. Responding to social conditions and the African American civil rights
movement, a variety of movements emerged that focused on issues of
identity, social justice, and the environment.
A. Feminist and gay and lesbian
activists mobilized behind
claims for legal, economic,
and social equality.
B. Latino, American Indian, and
Asian American movements
continued to demand social
and economic equality and a
redress of past injustices.
C. Despite an overall affluence in
postwar America, advocates
raised concerns about the
prevalence and persistence of
poverty as a national problem.
D. Environmental problems and
accidents led to a growing
environmental movement
that aimed to use legislative
and public efforts to combat
pollution and protect natural
resources. The federal
government established new
environmental programs and
regulations.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 87
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
POL-1.0: Explain how and
why political ideas, beliefs,
institutions, party systems, and
alignments have developed and
changed.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
POL-3.0: Explain how different
beliefs about the federal
government’s role in U.S. social
and economic life have affected
political debates and policies.
III. Liberalism influenced postwar politics and court decisions, but it
came under increasing attack from the left as well as from a resurgent
conservative movement.
A. Liberalism, based on
anticommunism abroad and
a firm belief in the efficacy of
government power to achieve
social goals at home, reached
a high point of political
influence by the mid-1960s.
B. Liberal ideas found expression
in Lyndon Johnson’s Great
Society, which attempted to use
federal legislation and programs
to end racial discrimination,
eliminate poverty, and address
other social issues. A series
of Supreme Court decisions
expanded civil rights and
individual liberties.
C. In the 1960s, conservatives
challenged liberal laws and
court decisions and perceived
moral and cultural decline,
seeking to limit the role of
the federal government and
enact more assertive foreign
policies.
D. Some groups on the left
also rejected liberal policies,
arguing that political leaders
did too little to transform the
racial and economic status
quo at home and pursued
immoral policies abroad.
E. Public confidence and trust in
government’s ability to solve
social and economic problems
declined in the 1970s in the
wake of economic challenges,
political scandals, and foreign
policy crises.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 88
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.2 — New movements for civil rights and liberal
efforts to expand the role of government generated a range of
political and cultural responses.
III. Liberalism influenced postwar politics and court decisions, but it
came under increasing attack from the left as well as from a resurgent
conservative movement.
F. The 1970s saw growing
clashes between
conservatives and liberals
over social and cultural
issues, the power of the
federal government, race,
and movements for greater
individual rights.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.2
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 89
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.3 — Postwar economic and demographic changes
had far-reaching consequences for American society, politics, and
culture.
WXT-3.0: Analyze how
technological innovation has
affected economic development
and society.
MIG-1.0: Explain the causes
of migration to colonial
North America and, later, the
United States, and analyze
immigration’s effects on U.S.
society.
MIG-2.0: Analyze causes of
internal migration and patterns
of settlement in what would
become the United States, and
explain how migration has
affected American life.
I. Rapid economic and social changes in American society fostered a sense
of optimism in the postwar years.
A. A burgeoning private sector,
federal spending, the baby
boom, and technological
developments helped spur
economic growth.
B. As higher education
opportunities and new
technologies rapidly
expanded, increasing social
mobility encouraged the
migration of the middle class
to the suburbs and of many
Americans to the South and
West. The Sun Belt region
emerged as a significant
political and economic force.
C. Immigrants from around the
world sought access to the
political, social, and economic
opportunities in the United
States, especially after the
passage of new immigration
laws in 1965.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.3
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
▲
Return to Table of Contents
© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 90
Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives
(Focus of Exam Questions)
Key Concept 8.3 — Postwar economic and demographic changes
had far-reaching consequences for American society, politics, and
culture.
POL-2.0: Explain how popular
movements, reform efforts, and
activist groups have sought to
change American society and
institutions.
CUL-1.0: Explain how religious
groups and ideas have
affected American society and
political life.
CUL-2.0: Explain how artistic,
philosophical, and scientific
ideas have developed and
shaped society and institutions.
CUL-3.0: Explain how ideas
about women’s rights and
gender roles have affected
society and politics.
II. New demographic and social developments, along with anxieties over the
Cold War, changed U.S. culture and led to significant political and moral
debates that sharply divided the nation.
A. Mass culture became
increasingly homogeneous in
the postwar years, inspiring
challenges to conformity
by artists, intellectuals, and
rebellious youth.
B. Feminists and young people
who participated in the
counterculture of the 1960s
rejected many of the social,
economic, and political
values of their parents’
generation, introduced greater
informality into U.S. culture,
and advocated changes in
sexual norms.
C. The rapid and substantial
growth of evangelical
Christian churches
and organizations was
accompanied by greater
political and social activism
on the part of religious
conservatives.
Period 8: 1945–1980
Key Concept 8.3
TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL
INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR SOURCES FOR
STUDENTS TO EXAMINE THE KEY CONCEPT IN DEPTH
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© 2017 The College Board
AP United States History Course and Exam Description 91
Concept Outline
PERIOD 9:
1980–PRESENT
1491–1607 1607–1754 1754–1800 1800–1848 1844–1877 1865–