Critical Issues in United States History explores the growth of the United States from the colonial period through the present day. Students explore major themes in American History, including how race, class and gender have impacted economic, political and social development, and the role that the United States has played on the global stage. Students consider the tension between growth and human rights by exploring conflicts from colonial America through the present. They deepen their understanding of the role of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in unifying (and dividing) the country, considering the Civil War, Reconstruction, and 20th and 21st century struggles for civil rights. Students explore relationships between labor and capital and debate the role that the government should play in the economy.