United States History Curriculum Guide Course Description: Grade 8 United States History Curriculum Guide The success of our democracy lies in the principles found in the United States Constitution. The Grade 8 program examines this living document in the context of its historical evolution. Students will learn about the foundation, creation and preservation of the ideals upon which our government is based. In the context of the history of the times, central themes that will be explored at varying depths may include: the Constitution, principles of compromise, inequities and class struggles, federalism, westward expansion, regionalism, human civil rights, and the role of the individual in history. The ultimate goal of the course is to create an excitement and appreciation for American history that will develop an interest in civic engagement and nurture full participation as American and global citizens. Common Products: To insure that students from both school systems share similar experiences, two common assignments (in addition to three end-of-trimester exams) will include: Trimester One Voice of Democracy Essay Trimester Two - Historical Figure Assignment
Grade 8 United States History Trimester Guidelines Trimester One- The Road to Independence Colonial America Chapter 4 15 days Events Leading to War for Independence Chapter 5 20 days War for Independence Chapter 6 20 days ***Voice of Democracy Essay*** Trimester Two- Establishing the Government The Constitution Chapter 7 22 days Challenges to the New Government Chapter 8 10 12 days Establishing a Place in the World Chapter 9 10 12 days The Jacksonian Era Chapter 11 10 12 days ***Important Person in History Poster*** Trimester Three- Challenges to the Constitution Westward Expansion Chapters 12 14 15 days Events Leading to the Civil War Chapter 15 15 days The Civil War Chapter 16 15 days Reconstruction Chapter 17 10 days
Course: Grade 8 United States History Trimester I Unit The Road to Independence (12 weeks) MA Standard/Strands The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789 USI.1 Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution. (H, C) USI.2 Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government. (H, C) USI.3 Explain the influence and ideas of the Declaration of Independence and the political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. (H, C) USI.4 Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775 and analyze the reasons for the American victory and the British defeat during the Revolutionary war. (H) USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the revolution, including important events that took place in Massachusetts and important leaders from Massachusetts. (H) Time Frame I. Colonial America 15 days II. Events Leading to War for Independence 20 days III. War for Independence 20 days ***Voice of Democracy Essay*** Text Chapter(s)/pages The American Nation: Chapters 4 6
Essential Questions What religious principles influenced the earliest colonists and the Founding Fathers? What motivated Europeans to colonize the new World? What were the British colonies in America like in the 1770s? How can we organize government to prevent abuse? How did constitutional government evolve in Great Britain? What experiences led to the American Revolution? What basic ideas about government are in the Declaration of Independence? What happened during the American Revolution? How did the government function? What individuals left their impact upon colonial America and how did they do this? Targeted Skill(s) Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect, debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, analysis of news sources, civic engagement. mastery of essential questions Other Resources History Channel Presents: The American Revolution Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder This is America Available Assessment(s) Issues to Consider End-of-trimester exam Voice of Democracy Essay Primary Source documenters of Reference: Magna Carta Mayflower Compact Common Sense
Declaration of Independence
Colonial America Chapter 4 Lord Baltimore Pilgrims Mayflower Compact John Winthrop Puritans Fundamental Orders Mary Dyer Toleration of Connecticut Thomas Hooker Great Migration Sinners in the Hands Roger Williams General Court of an Angry God James Oglethorpe New England Jonathan Edwards City upon a Hill William Penn New Netherlands/York Anne Hutchinson Proprietary Colony Middle Colonies Holy Experiment Quakers Equality Delaware Great Wagon Road Key Terms/Events Mason-Dixon Line (continued) Gentry Act of Toleration Raw Goods Manufactured Product Comparison of colonies Maryland Middle Passage Bacon s Rebellion Public Schools Mercantilism Apprentice Indentured Servants Import Great Awakening The Enlightenment Export Roanoke Tobacco Triangle Trade Jamestown Cash Crops Navigation Acts Carolinas Slave Codes Legislature Georgia Plantations Slaves
Events Leading to the War for Independence Chapter 5 Major Washington Ohio River Valley Crispus Attucks Boston Massacre John Adams Fort Duquesne Sam Adams Boycott Benjamin Franklin Appalachian Mountains Governor Hutchinson French & Indian War/ Fort Necessity (Seven Years War) William Pitt Albany Plan of Union Chief Pontiac Parliament Paul Revere The Intolerable Acts General Thomas Gage Boston Tea Party Tea Act Battle for Quebec Continental Congress Treaty of Paris Stamp Act Proclamation of 1763 Minutemen Sugar Act Key Terms/Events (cont) Townshend Acts The British are coming! The shot heard round the world! Nonimportation Agreements Quartering Act Sons of Liberty Lexington/Concord Red Coat Daughters of Liberty
The War for Independence Chapter 6 Ethan Allen Redcoats Common Sense Benedict Arnold Green Mountain Boys Washington s Farewell Francis Swamp Fox Marion Hessians The Crisis General Cornwallis Blockade Declaration of Independence King George III Olive Branch Petition Admiral de Grasse Yorktown Thomas Paine Patriot Thomas Jefferson Continental Army John Adams Olive Branch Petition Abigail Adams Causes of the Revolution John Hancock Second Continental Congress General Howe Loyalist George Washington Bunker Hill General Burgoyne British Evacuation King Louis XVI Dorchester Heights Nathan Hale Fort Ticonderoga John Paul Jones Battle of Long Island Molly Pitcher Battle of Moore s Creek Bridge Treaty of Paris Key Terms/Events (cont) Effects of Victory African Americans in Revolution Battle of Trenton Women in Revolution Valley Forge Navy Saratoga Vincennes
Course: Grade 8 United States History Trimester II Unit Establishing the Government (12 weeks) MA Standard/Strands The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789 USI.6 Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, including why its drafters created a weak central government; analyze the shortcomings of the national government under the Articles; and describe the crucial events (e.g., Shays s rebellion) leading to the Constitutional Convention. (H, C) The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789 USI.7 Explain the roles of various founders at the Constitutional Convention. Describe the major debates that occurred at the Convention and the Great Compromise that was reached. (H, C) USI.8 Describe the debate over the ratification of the Constitution between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and explain the key ideas contained in the Federalist Papers on federalism, factions, checks and balances, and the importance of an independent judiciary. (H, C) USI.9 Explain the reasons for the passage of the Bill of Rights. (H, C) USI.10 On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution. (H, G) The Formation and Framework of American Democracy USI.11 Describe the purpose and functions of government. (H, C) USI.12 Explain and provide examples of different forms of government, including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy,
theocracy, and autocracy. (H, C) USI.13 Explain why the United States government is classified as a democratic government. (H, C) USI.14 Explain the characteristics of American democracy, including the concepts of popular sovereignty and constitutional government, which includes representative institutions, federalism, separation of powers, shared powers, checks and balances, and individual rights. (H, C) MA Standard/Strands (continued) USI.15 Explain the varying roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments in the United States. (H, C) USI.16 Describe the evolution of the role of the federal government, including public services, taxation, economic policy, foreign policy, and common defense. (H, C) USI.19 Explain the rights and the responsibilities of citizenship and describe how a democracy provides opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process through elections, political parties, and interest groups. (H, C) USI.20 Explain the evolution and function of political parties, including their role in federal, state, and local elections. (H, C) Political Democratization, Westward Expansion, and Diplomatic Developments, 1790-1860 USI.22 Summarize the major policies and political developments that took place during the presidencies of George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), and Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). (H, C) USI.23 Analyze the rising levels of political participation and the expansion of suffrage in antebellum America. (C, H) USI.25 Trace the influence and ideas of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and the importance of the doctrine of judicial review as manifested in Marbury v. Madison (1803). (H, C) USI.26 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness. Use a map of North America to trace America s expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. (H, E, G)
MA Standard/Strands (continued) Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860 USI.29 Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture. (H) Time Frame I. The Constitution 22 days II. Challenges to the New Government 10 12 days III. Establishing a Place in the World 10 12 days IV. The Jacksonian Era 10 12 days ***Important Person in History Assignment*** Text Chapter(s)/pages The American Nation: Chapters 7 11 and Overview of Constitution (pp 214 239) We the People as a supplementary resource Essential Questions How did the states govern themselves after the revolution? How did the Articles of Confederation organize the first national government? What defined human in the eyes of the founding fathers? Why do we need government? What is republican government? What is constitutional government? What were the failures of the Articles of Confederation? Who attended the Philadelphia Convention? How did the Framers resolve the conflict about representation in Congress? How did the Framers resolve the conflict about the powers of the three branches of government? What powers should be given to the legislative, executive and judicial branches?
Essential Questions (continued) How was balance of power achieved? What was Hamilton s plan and how was it received? What is federalism? How did the Constitution create a federal system of government? How did the people approve the new constitution? How did Congress organize the new government? How did political parties develop? How does the US Supreme Court use the power of judicial review? How does the US Supreme Court determine the meaning of the words in the Constitution? Why were Washington s actions as president so important to the future of the United States? Describe the cultural differences between the Northern, Middle and Southern states. How did sectional differences influence westward expansion and the road to Civil War? How did westward expansion challenge the Constitution? How was the issue of slavery in the western states resolved? How does man s tendency to dehumanize lead to war? Describe the philosophies towards the indigenous population. What individuals left their impact upon the new nation and how did they do this? Targeted Skill(s) Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect, debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, mock trial, independent research, use of Internet, analysis of news sources, civic engagement, mastery of essential questions Other Resources Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder Supreme Court DVD series Gettysburg (Ken Burns)
This is America Other resources (continued) Roots The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson (DVD) The War if 1812 (DVD) Available Assessment(s) End-of-Trimester Examination Individual in History Assignment (in progress) Issues to Consider Primary Sources documenters of Reference: Articles of Confederation Washington s Farewell Address The Federalist Papers US Constitution Bill of Rights Monroe Doctrine Missouri Compromise Preambles to the US Constitution Key Court Cases: Marbury vs. Madison
The Constitution Chapter 7 James Madison Impeachment Articles of Confederation George Washington Northwest Ordinance Preamble Shay s Rebellion Federalists Bill of Rights John Locke Electoral College Mass. Constitution Montesquieu Veto John Adams Due Process Abigail Adams Constitutional Convention Antifederalists Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan The Great Compromise Legislative Executive Key Terms/Events (continued) A more perfect union? Federalism Judicial Posterity Bicameral Legislature Amendment process Checks and Balances Separation of powers Bill Three-Fifths Compromise Law Slave Trade Fugitive Slave Act Republic
Challenges to the New Government Chapter 8 President Washington Political Factions (parties) Washington s Farewell Address James Madison Democratic Alexander Hamilton Republicans John Adams Judiciary Act Napoleon Bonaparte Election of 1796 Thomas Jefferson Government bonds National debt XYZ Affair Speculator High Federalists Convention of 1800 Alien Act Federalists Key Terms/Events (continued) Sedition Act Anti-Federalists Neutrality Proclamation Nullify precedent Hamilton s Compromise Pacificus/Helvidius Letters Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions Unconstitutional Bank of the United States Jay s Treaty Election of 1800 Cabinet Protective tariff French Revolution (cause/effect) Whiskey Rebellion
Establishing a Place in the World Chapter 9 John Marshall Napoleon s Threat The Star Spangled Banner Lewis and Clark Judicial Review William Henry Harrison Marbury V. Madison Andrew Jackson Louisiana Purchase James Madison Tripoli Henry Clay Barbary States Toussaint L Ouverture Embargo Act Sacajawea Election of 1808 Nonintercourse Act War Hawks The War of 1812 Treaty of Ghent Battle of New Orleans Tippecanoe Pinckney s Treaty Laissez-Faire Hartford Convention Monroe Doctrine
The Jacksonian Era Chapter 11 Sequoyah The Election of 1824 John Quincy Adams Secede Henry Clay Trail of Tears Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Act William Henry Harrison The corrupt bargain Martin Van Buren Seminole War Roger Taney Suffrage John C. Calhoun Panic of 1837/causes Daniel Webster Caucus Nominating conventions Whigs Democrats Tippecanoe and Tyler too! Spoils system The Log Cabin Campaign Old Hickory Kitchen Cabinet Mr. Biddle s Bank Pet Banks Tariff of Abominations Nullification Act States Rights The American System
Course: Grade 8 United States History Trimester III Unit Challenges to the Constitution (12 weeks) The Formation and Framework of American Democracy USI.21 Describe how decisions are made in a democracy, including the role of legislatures, courts, executives, and the public. (H, C) MA Standard/Strands Social, Political, and Religious Change, 1800-1860 USI.26 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness. Use a map of North America to trace America s expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. (H, E, G) USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolitionism. (H) Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860 USI.27 Explain the importance of the Transportation Revolution of the 19 th century (the building of canals, roads, bridges, turnpikes, steamboats, and railroads), including the stimulus it provided to the growth of a market economy. (H, E) USI.28 Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America. (H, E)
MA Standard/Strands (continued) USI.29 Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and Southern agriculture. (H) Social, Political, and Religious Change, 1800-1860 USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolitionism. (H) The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877 USI.35 Describe how the different economies and cultures of the North and South contributed to the growing importance of sectional politics in the early 19 th century. (H) USI.36 Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War. (H) USI.37 On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war. (H, G) USI.38 Analyze Abraham Lincoln s presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered. (H, C) USI.39 Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and events. (H) USI.40 Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War. (H, E) USI.40 Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. (H, C) Time Frame I. Westward Expansion 15 days II. Events Leading to the Civil War 15 days III. The Civil War 15 days IV. Reconstruction 10 days
Text Chapter(s)/pages The American Nation: Chapters 12 17, Essential Questions How did the ultimate failure of compromise lead to the Civil War? What were the immediate goals of the Confederacy and the Union? What role did the border states play? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each side in the conflict? What was the Emancipation Proclamation? How did Lincoln s view on slavery evolve before and during the war? What were the 13 th, 14 th and 15 th amendments and how were they unfulfilled? What are: Jim Crow laws, Black Codes and Carpetbaggers? What individuals left their impact upon the Civil War Era and how did they do this? Targeted Skill(s) Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect, debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, analysis of news sources, mastery of essential questions Other Resources Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder Supreme Court DVD series Mill Times Gettysburg (Ken Burns) Separate but Equal Eye on the Prize DVD series This is America Roots
Available Assessment(s) End-of-trimester Examination Issues to Consider Primary Source documenters of Reference: Amendments 11 15 Kansas Nebraska Act Missouri Compromise Compromise of 1850 Emancipation Proclamation Gettysburg Address Key Court Cases: Dred Scott Decision
Manifest Destiny Chapter 12 James Polk Westward Expansion Brigham Young Lone Star Republic Joseph Smith Manifest Destiny Bear Flag Republic Utah/Mormons Annexation Mexican Cession Gasden Purchase Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Chapter 13 Eli Whitney Industrialization Know-Nothings Immigration Nativism Cottonocracy Cotton Gin Slave Codes Chapter 14 Frederick Douglas abolitionist Ain t I a woman? Harriet Tubman Henry Lloyd Garrison Sojourner Truth
Events Leading Up to the Civil War Chapter 15 David Wilmot Border Ruffians Uncle Tom s Cabin Abraham Lincoln Arsenal John Brown Popular Sovereignty Henry Clay Sectionalism Franklin Pierce Harper s Ferry Preston Brooks Bleeding Kansas Charles Sumner Fugitive Slave Law William Lloyd Garrison Free Soilers James Buchanan Abolitionists Jefferson Davis Dred Scott Decision Stephen Douglas Lincoln-Douglas Debates John C. Calhoun The Missouri Compromise Daniel Webster The Compromise of 1850 Harriet Beecher Stowe The Kansas Nebraska Act The Republican Party The Election of 1860 Secession Confederate States of America Fort Sumter
The Civil War Chapter 16 Abraham Lincoln Copperheads Battle Hymn of the Republic Edwin Stanton Inflation The Gettysburg Address Jefferson Davis Confederate States of America Emancipation Proclamation George McClellan Habeas Corpus Lincoln s 1 st Inaugural Address Ulysses S. Grant Union Lincoln s 2nd Inaugural Address Clara Barton Border States William Tecumseh Sherman Monitor Robert E. Lee Merrimac Stonewall Jackson Bull Run General Sheridan Antietam Gettysburg Vicksburg Blockade Fort Sumter Andersonville Appomattox Court House Massachusetts 54 th Regiment Arlington National Cemetery
The Reconstruction Chapter 17 Samuel Tilden Freedmen s Bureau Hiram Revels Reconstruction Thaddeus Stevens 10% Plan Charles Sumner Wade Davis Bill Alexander Stephens 13, 14 & 15 th Amendments Abraham Lincoln Impeachment Andrew Johnson Black Codes Charlotte Forten Jim Crow Laws Blanch K. Bruce Sharecropping John Wilkes Booth Radical Republicans U.S. Grant Civil Rights Act Rutherford B. Hayes Election of 1866 Reconstruction Act of 1867 Scalawags Carpetbaggers Ku Klux Klan Grandfather Clause Segregation Election of 1876 Plessy vs. Ferguson Poll Tax Literacy Test