Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 18, Lesson 4

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 18, Lesson 4: Impact of the War (pp. 547-553)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Conflict World War I created new conflicts and new opportunities for people in the United States.

Create a chart listing positive and negative effects of the war for Americans, such increased job opportunities for some groups, restricted civil rights, and labor and racial unrest. Include events that took place during the war and those that occurred in the years following it.

Review Wilson's main goal for the Treaty of Versailles and discuss why he failed to convince the Senate to ratify the treaty. Ask students why isolationism would have been a popular view at the end of the war.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Organize students into working groups and assign each group one of the following: The Sedition and Espionage Acts, labor unrest, anti-black violence, or the Red Scare. Have each group prepare and present an oral report on the unrest or conflict, reasons why it occurred, and its effects on American citizens.
Have each student design a newspaper advertisement encouraging Americans to support or oppose the Treaty of Versailles and U.S. membership in the League of Nations.

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