MICHIGAN
TEST OBJECTIVES
FIELD 609: HISTORY

Concepts and Skills
Social Studies and Citizenship
World History
United States and Michigan History

CONCEPTS AND SKILLS

Understand historical terms and concepts.

Includes defining basic historical terms and concepts (e.g., culture, nation-state, revolution); using historical terms to analyze historical developments; and demonstrating awareness of the existence of various schools of historical interpretation.

Apply research skills.

Includes demonstrating a familiarity with a variety of source materials (e.g., diaries, oral histories, paintings, artifacts); recognizing the uses of basic reference tools (e.g., encyclopedias, atlases, bibliographies); and distinguishing between primary and secondary sources.

Analyze and evaluate historical information.

Includes analyzing cause-and-effect relationships; drawing inferences from a variety of sources; comparing and contrasting different interpretations of historical developments; evaluating the reliability and potential biases of historical sources; and determining whether historical generalizations are supported by verifiable evidence.

Interpret visual representations of historical information.

Includes deriving historical information from audio-visual sources such as maps, graphs, charts, tables, paintings, political cartoons, photographs, and music; and using that information to analyze general historical developments and specific historical events.

SOCIAL STUDIES AND CITIZENSHIP

Understand the U.S. system of government.

Includes identifying the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution and the amendment process, which has allowed the Constitution to meet the demands of a changing society; analyzing the structure and decision-making processes of the U.S. system of government; understanding the role and function of law in a democracy; and recognizing the rights and responsibilities of participating in a democratic system.

Understand economic concepts and the U.S. economic system.

Includes recognizing and applying basic economic terms and concepts; analyzing the organization and operation of the U.S. economic system; examining the relationship of government to the U.S. economy; and comparing different types of economic systems (e.g., market, command, traditional).

Understand issues related to immigration and cultural diversity.

Includes demonstrating a basic knowledge of the histories and cultures of different ethnic groups (e.g., Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans); understanding the history of immigration to the United States; recognizing the obstacles that immigrants have faced (e.g., language, religion, fear); and identifying the contributions of different ethnic groups to the development and growth of U.S. society and culture.

Understand the relationships between geography and history.

Includes demonstrating a familiarity with major international Iandforms and waterways; analyzing how geographical factors have influenced the development of human civilizations; and recognizing the effect of human modifications of the physical environment on the development of nations and societies.

Understand major global social, political, and economic issues.

Includes examining the causes and consequences of important environmental, social, and economic issues; analyzing interdependence among nations of the world; and recognizing the international ramifications of decisions made by specific communities and nations.

WORLD HISTORY

Understand the effects of scientific and technological developments.

Includes identifying major scientific and technological innovations that have influenced the development of human civilizations; analyzing the factors that have encouraged or discouraged scientific discovery and technological innovation; and evaluating the effects of the agricultural, scientific, industrial, and information revolutions on human society.

Understand ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations.

Includes recognizing important political, economic, and religious characteristics of ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations (e.g., Sumer, Greece, Rome, Babylonia, Phoenicia); analyzing the economic links, political and military interactions, and cultural exchanges among ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern societies; and examining the factors that influenced the evolution of these major civilizations.

Understand early civilizations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Includes recognizing important political, economic, and religious characteristics of early civilizations in Asia (e.g., China, India), Africa (e.g., Kush, Ghana), and the Americas (e.g., Maya, Inca); identifying significant achievements of these cultures and their impact; and analyzing the factors that influenced the evolution of these major civilizations.

Understand world civilizations of the Middle Ages.

Includes analyzing the development of feudal societies in Europe; recognizing important political, economic, and cultural characteristics of Byzantine and Muslim societies; identifying major achievements of the Islamic Empire; and examining the revival of trade and the rise of towns in Europe during the later Middle Ages.

Understand the Renaissance and the Reformation.

Includes analyzing factors that influenced the emergence of modern nation-states; recognizing the causes and accomplishments of the Renaissance; understanding the ideas of leading religious reformers of the sixteenth century; and examining major events of the Reformation (e.g., formation of the Protestant church) and the Counter-Reformation (e.g., the Spanish Inquisition).

Understand European expansion.

Includes examining factors that prompted European expansion; identifying European explorers and their activities; and analyzing the reciprocal social, economic, and political effects between Europe and the indigenous populations of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Understand the Age of Revolution.

Includes examining the intellectual sources of the Age of Enlightenment; understanding the political and economic environments in which revolutions took place in Europe and the Americas; recognizing similarities and differences among various revolutions; and analyzing the spread of democratic ideals within and beyond Europe and the Americas.

Understand the Industrial Revolution.

Includes recognizing the preconditions for industrialization; identifying critical technological innovations of the Industrial Revolution; and analyzing the economic, political, cultural, and environmental consequences of industrialization.

Understand nationalism, imperialism, and modern warfare.

Includes comparing various expressions of nationalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; analyzing economic and political motivations for the acquisition of colonial empires; recognizing the effects of imperialism on indigenous peoples in the colonies; understanding the role of warfare in world history since 1815; and examining twentieth-century independence movements.

Understand political, economic, and social developments since 1850.

Includes understanding major geopolitical developments (e.g., collapse of communism), social movements (e.g., human rights), and political/economic initiatives (e.g., growth in government-provided social services); and analyzing the effect of these developments, movements, and initiatives on the modern world.

UNITED STATES AND MICHIGAN HISTORY

Understand European exploration and immigration.

Includes identifying major characteristics of indigenous populations in North America before European exploration; demonstrating a basic knowledge of the exploration of and immigration to North America; analyzing relations between Native Americans and European settlers; understanding the development of slavery in North American colonies; recognizing the social, economic, and religious characteristics of North American colonies; and examining relations between the colonies and England.

Analyze causes and effects of the American Revolution.

Includes analyzing the social, economic, and political origins of the movement for political independence (e.g., mercantilism, French and Indian Wars); recognizing the ideals that motivated American revolutionaries; understanding the role of various populations in the struggle for independence; and examining the consequences of the Revolution.

Understand the early national and antebellum periods.

Includes assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation; analyzing the debates surrounding the creation and ratification of the Constitution; examining the development of political parties; recognizing the causes and consequences of the War of 1812; and analyzing the reform movements (e.g., women’s rights, antislavery) of the antebellum period.

Understand United States expansion.

Includes analyzing factors that encouraged and hindered westward movement; examining the roles of geography and government land policies in westward expansion; understanding the effect of expansion on indigenous populations; and identifying events that led to major acquisitions and annexations of territory (e.g., Louisiana Purchase, Mexican War, Spanish-American War).

Understand the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Includes examining the effects of slavery on U.S. society; analyzing the causes and consequences of the Civil War; recognizing major political developments and military campaigns of the war; and understanding the social and political contexts and conflicts of the Reconstruction era.

Understand industrialization in the United States.

Includes recognizing technological innovations and their applications to industry, agriculture, communication, and transportation; analyzing the effects of mass production on workers and consumers; examining the social and economic impact of immigration and internal migration on U.S. society; and assessing the significance of business and labor organizations, social organizations, and political movements produced by the industrial experience.

Understand national and international developments from 1900 to 1945.

Includes recognizing the contributions of U.S. writers, scientists, and artists; examining the aims and accomplishments of participants in the Progressive movement; analyzing the causes of the Great Depression; assessing the influence of the New Deal on U.S. society; and analyzing the causes and consequences of the world wars.

Understand national and international developments since 1945.

Includes recognizing the contributions of U.S. writers, scientists, and artists; analyzing the causes and effects of modern social movements (e.g., civil rights, environmental, women’s); evaluating the effect of the cold war on U.S. politics and foreign relations; understanding the impact of the Vietnam War and the growth of executive power upon U.S. politics and society; and examining such economic developments as the decline of U.S. manufacturing industries and the growth of multinational corporations.

Understand Michigan history to 1900.

Includes recognizing important social and cultural characteristics and contributions of the Native American groups that inhabited the region prior to European immigration; examining the events leading to Michigan statehood; and analyzing social, economic, political, and geographical factors that influenced the development of Michigan in the nineteenth century.

Understand Michigan history since 1900.

Includes recognizing the cultural diversity of modern Michigan; analyzing the social and economic changes that have taken place in Michigan since 1900; and examining major political industries, figures, and issues of the period.