FIFTH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES 
PART 1: The History of the United States: Industrialization to the Civil Rights Movement 
PART 2: Tennessee History

Part 1: Course Description: Fifth grade students will learn about challenges facing the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries, with an emphasis on major American wars and events that changed our history. Students will study industrialization and significant events of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Students will explore the nation’s growing role in world affairs during World War I and World War II. In addition, students will analyze structures of power and authority. Finally, students will examine and describe the key events and accomplishments of the post-war period and Civil Rights Movement. Students will use geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people, places, and environments in Tennessee and the U.S. 

This course can be used for compliance with T.C.A. § 49-6-1028, in which all districts must ensure that a project-based civics assessment is given at least once in grades 4–8 and once in grades 9–12

PART 2: Tennessee History Course Description: Students will examine the history of Tennessee, including the cultural, geographic, economic, and political influences on the state and its development. Students will discuss Tennessee’s indigenous peoples as well as the arrival of European-American settlers. Students will analyze and describe the foundation of the state of Tennessee. Students will identify and explain the origins, impact, and aftermath of the Civil War on Tennessee. Students will discuss the rise of a manufacturing economy within our state. Finally, students will examine and discuss the Civil Rights Movement and Tennessee’s modern economy and society. Students will utilize primary source documents, geographic tools, analysis, and critical thinking within this concentrated study of Tennessee history. 

This course follows the same organization as Section VI from the Tennessee Blue Book. This course is mandated by the Senator Douglas Henry Tennessee History Act (Pub. Ch. 482). 

Demographic Information

Are you a current Tennessee resident?Mandatory field

Industrialization, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era (1870s-1910s)

5.01: Explain the need for the South’s move toward industrialization after the Civil War.


5.02: Examine the appeal and challenges of settling the Great Plains from various cultural perspectives, including: settlers, immigrants, Buffalo Soldiers, and American Indians.


5.03: Analyze the ideas and events of the Gilded Age, including economic disparity (e.g., mistrust of money) and industrial capitalists (e.g., John D. Rockefeller).


5.04: Explain the role of labor unions and the American Federation of Labor in changing the standards of working conditions.


5.05: Examine the contributions and impact of inventors on American society, including: Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, and Thomas Edison.


5.06: Examine the impact of important entrepreneurs on American society, including: Andrew Carnegie, Henry T. Ford, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.


5.07: Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Spanish-American War, including: • Imperialism • Rough Riders • USS Maine • Yellow journalism


5.08: Describe the challenges of the journey and process for successful entry into the U.S. through Ellis Island and Angel Island, and examine the role of immigrants in the development of the U.S.


5.09: Analyze the major goals, struggles, and achievements of the Progressive Era, including: Prohibition (18th Amendment), women’s suffrage (19th Amendment), and the lack of child labor laws.


World War I and Between the Wars (1920s-1940s)

5.10: Summarize the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I, including the attack on the RMS Lusitania and the Zimmerman Telegram.


5.11: Identify and locate the major countries of the Central and Allied Powers during World War I, including: • Austria-Hungary • France • Germany • Great Britain • Russia


5.12: Describe the impact of U.S. involvement on World War I.


5.13: Explain the aims of world leaders in the Treaty of Versailles and why the U.S. Senate rejected President Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations.


5.14: Examine the growth of popular culture during the “Roaring Twenties” with respect to the following: • Music, clothing, and entertainment • Automobiles and appliances • Harlem Renaissance


5.15: Identify the causes of the Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover’s role, and its impact on the nation, including: • Consumer credit and debt • Hoovervilles • Mass unemployment • Soup kitchens


5.16: Describe how New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt impacted American society with government-funded programs, including: Social Security, expansion and development of the national parks, and creation of jobs.


World War II (1930s-1940s)

5.17: Explain the structures and goals of the governments in Germany and Japan in the 1930s.


5.18: Determine the significance of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and its impact on the U.S.


5.19: Identify and locate the Axis and Allied Powers, including: • Germany • Italy • Japan • France • Great Britain • Soviet Union


5.20: Examine the reasons for the use of propaganda, rationing, and victory gardens during World War II.


5.21: Analyze the significance of the Holocaust and its impact on the U.S.


Post-World War II and the Civil Rights Movement (1940s-1960s)

5.22: Examine the growth of the U.S. as a consumer and entertainment society after World War II, including: • Suburbs • Increased access to automobiles • Interstate Highway System • Television, radio, and movie theaters


5.23: Examine how Cold War events impacted the U.S., including: • Arms race • Berlin Wall • Cuban Missile Crisis • Space Race


5.24: Analyze the key people and events of the Civil Rights Movement, including (T.C.A. § 49-6- 1028): • Martin Luther King Jr. and non-violent protests • Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks • Brown v. Board of Education and Thurgood Marshall • Freedom Riders and Diane Nash


5.25: Explain the impact of John F. Kennedy’s presidency on the country, including: passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the space program, and his assassination.


Tennessee Prior to Statehood (pre-1796)

5.26: Explain how the name “Tennessee” originated from the Yuchi language, referring to where the rivers come together.


5.27: Identify the cultures of the major indigenous settlements in Tennessee, including: the Paleo (Coats-Hines Site), Archaic, Woodland (Old Stone Fort, Pinson Mounds), and Mississippian (Chucalissa Indian Village).


5.28: Identify the pre-colonial American Indian tribes residing in Tennessee (e.g., Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Shawnee), and analyze their various customs and traditions.


5.29: Explain how the Cumberland Gap and Wilderness Road influenced migration into the Tennessee region following the Proclamation of 1763.


5.30: Explain the significance of the Watauga Settlement on Tennessee history, including the following: Watauga Compact, Dragging Canoe, John Sevier, and Nancy Ward.


5.31: Describe the founding of and the obstacles faced with the establishment of the Cumberland Settlements, including: the Battle of the Bluffs, John Donelson, and James Robertson.


5.32: Explain the importance of Tennesseans (i.e., Overmountain Men) in the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution.


5.33: Identify the Lost State of Franklin as Tennessee’s first attempt at statehood, and explain the reasons for its failure.


5.34: Locate the Territory South of the River Ohio (i.e., Southwest Territory), identify its leaders, and explain how it was the first step to Tennessee’s statehood.


Statehood and Early Tennessee History (1796-1849)

5.35: Describe the steps that Tennessee took to become a state (i.e., population requirement, vote by the citizens, creation of a state constitution, and Congressional approval). (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)


5.36: Identify the year Tennessee became a state, its first governor, and the original capital.


5.37: Describe Tennessee’s involvement in the War of 1812, including: Andrew Jackson, the Tennessee volunteers, and Battle of Horseshoe Bend.


5.38: Analyze the impact of Andrew Jackson’s presidency on the American Indian population of Tennessee, including: the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, Treaty of Echota, and John Ross.


5.39: Explain how the western boundary of Tennessee was expanded with the Jackson Purchase.


5.40: Identify the impact of important Tennesseans prior to the Civil War, including: • David Crockett and Sam Houston (Texas War for Independence and the Alamo) • President James K. Polk (Manifest Destiny) • Sequoyah (Cherokee syllabary)


Tennessee in the Civil War Era (1850s-1900)

5.41: Examine the issue of slavery in the three grand divisions and the impact their differences had on Tennessee’s secession from the Union.


5.42: Describe the significance of the following Civil War events and battles on Tennessee: • Siege of Fort Donelson • Battle of Stones River • Battle of Franklin • Battle of Nashville


5.43: Explain the impact of the Tennessee Constitutional Convention of 1870, including: poll taxes, segregation, and funds for public education. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)


5.44: Explain the development and efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau in helping former slaves begin a new life, including Fisk University. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)


5.45: Identify how the rise of vigilante actions (e.g., Ku Klux Klan), black codes, and Jim Crow laws impacted Tennessee and the nation. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)


5.46: Explain how the end of Reconstruction impacted Tennessee’s African American elected officials. (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)


Tennessee in the 20th Century (1900-present)

5.47: Identify Tennessee’s role in the passage of the 19th Amendment, including the impact of Anne Dallas Dudley and Harry Burn.


5.48: Describe the effects of the Great Depression on Tennessee and the impact of New Deal policies in the state (i.e., Tennessee Valley Authority and Civilian Conservation Corps).


5.49: Describe Tennessee’s contributions during World War I and World War II, including: the conversion of factories to wartime production, the importance of Oak Ridge, and the influence of Tennesseans (i.e., Cornelia Fort, Cordell Hull, and Alvin C. York).


5.50: Identify Tennessee’s significant contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): • Highlander Folk School • Tent City Movement of Fayette County • Nashville Sit-Ins • The Clinton Twelve


5.51: Discuss the development of the music industry in Tennessee, including (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028): • Country music (e.g., Grand Ole Opry, WSM, and the Carter family) • Blues music (e.g., W.C. Handy and Bessie Smith) • Rock ‘n’ roll (e.g., Elvis Presley, Stax Records, and Sun Studio)


5.52: Identify influential Tennesseans from the late 20th century, including: • Al Gore, Jr. • Alex Haley • Dolly Parton • Wilma Rudolph • Oprah Winfrey


5.53: Compare and contrast the three grand divisions of Tennessee in terms of the following: • Major industries (e.g., Eastman, FedEx, and Nissan) • Tourism (e.g., Bristol Motor Speedway, Civil War sites, and Graceland) • Agriculture and livestock (e.g., soybeans in West TN, tobacco in Middle TN, and dairy in East TN) • Geography (i.e., Gulf Coastal Plains, the Nashville Basin, the Highland Rim, the Cumberland Plateau, the Great Valley, and the Great Smoky Mountains)


5.54: Describe the structure of Tennessee’s government, including the role of each of the three branches, the governor, and state representatives.


Additional Standards