United States History is a year-long required course for all juniors.  We will examine United States history from the Civil War era through the 20th century.  The people and their experiences are at the heart of our course.  We will encounter the challenges, triumphs, and sacrifices Americans faced, achieved, and made.  We will discover that history is a story of ordinary people who sometimes do extraordinary things, and most often do ordinary things; it is a story of an extended American family, ripe with love, controversy, deceit, betrayal, obedience, disloyalty, risk-taking, prejudice, achievement, mistrust and perseverance.  We will experience the reflective value of history as a vehicle for reviewing the past, to understand our present, so we can positively shape our future.  The main goal of this course is to develop responsible, critical thinking citizens.