Course Outline

The Earliest Americans

• Describe current theories of migration from Asia to the Americas
• Identify characteristics of major societies in North America before 1492
• Compare and contrast types of shelter and acquisition of food
• Compare and contrast customs and beliefs
• Describe the roles and duties of men and women
• Describe major accomplishments of Native Americans in North America before 1600
• Review and practice use of maps, globes, latitude, and longitude
• Identify and locate on a map the major physical features of North America
• Locate on a map the Bering Sea and land bridge
• Trace the migration routes of early Native Americans
• Identify and describe major climate regions of the United States
• Describe the impact of climate and geography on the way Native Americans lived
• Give examples of the ways in which Native Americans traded with each other
• Analyze the change in economics and ways of life that occurred as a result of the Spanish introduction of the horse to North America

European Exploration

• Describe the reasons for European exploration in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
• Identify the technological advances that allowed exploration
• Identify Spain, France, Holland, and England as the major countries involved in exploration
• Identify major explorers and their accomplishments
• Analyze the effect of exploration on Native American and European societies
• Describe the beginning of African slavery in the Americas
• Use a variety of maps and explain their purposes
• Identify on a map the routes and land claims of European explorers
• Describe motives for exploration
• Identify cultural clues to the history of a place
• Explain the different ways Native Americans and Europeans viewed the concept of land ownership
• Describe the economic goals of European explorers
• Analyze the reasons for the use of slave labor in the Americas

Thirteen Colonies, Part 1

• Compare and contrast the early English colonies of Jamestown, Plymouth, and Massachusetts Bay
• Identify the House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact as the beginnings of representative government in the colonies
• Give examples of cooperation between Native Americans and colonists
• Describe the beginnings of African slavery in the colonies
• Recognize the characteristics and accomplishments of the West African kingdoms before 1600
• Use a variety of maps to locate places and make comparisons
• Determine the significance of relative location
• Identify physical characteristics of the eastern seaboard
• Describe and apply the concept of region in terms of the Chesapeake and New England
• Describe the migration of Puritans and of Africans to the colonies
• Explain the influence of geography and climate on the ways of life of the people who settled in the Chesapeake and New England regions
• Describe the reasons for the development of small farms and plantations
• Explain the reasons for indentured servitude and slavery
• Describe the significance of the House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact as they relate to self-government

Thirteen Colonies, Part 2

• Identify the major groups and individuals responsible for the founding of the thirteen colonies, and describe the reasons for the founding of the colonies
• Compare and contrast the southern, middle, and New England regions
• Describe life in the colonies for members of various social groups
• Give examples of conflict between colonists and Native Americans before 1775
• Give examples of religious toleration and intolerance in the colonies before 1775
• Locate on a map the major physical features of the North American eastern seaboard
• Locate major cities of colonial times on a map
• Define region, and explain the division of southern, middle, and New England colonies
• Describe the characteristics of the major culture groups that populated the thirteen colonies
• Explain the effect of geography and climate on the development of the thirteen colonies
• Describe the magnitude of African migration to the colonies before 1775
• Describe the economic systems that developed in the thirteen colonies
• Explain the routes, products, and motives for triangular trade
• Give examples of representative government in the colonies
• Give examples of separation of church and state in the colonies

Road To Revolution

• Describe the factors leading to the French and Indian War and the territorial changes that resulted from it
• Recognize the problems Britain faced at the end of the French and Indian War
• Define salutary neglect, and describe its consequences before 1763
• Identify chronologically major examples of conflict and misunderstanding between colonists and the British government between 1763 and 1775
• Identify individuals who led the revolutionary movement
• Describe the significance of political organization and cooperation between 1763 and 1776
• Define patriot and loyalist
• Identify on a map the major sites of the French and Indian War
• Compare historical and contemporary maps
• Practice using map scales
• Define and give examples of free market and private property issues between 1763 and 1776
• Trace the steps the colonies took toward self-government and independence before 1776
• Explain the origins of no taxation without representation
• Recognize the main arguments and influence of Common Sense
• Identify the Declaration of Independence as a key document in American history and political thought, and explain its main arguments
• Recognize the origins of the theories presented in the Declaration of Independence

The American Revolution

• Describe the roles of major military and political leaders during the American Revolution
• Recognize the contributions of France and other nations and foreign individuals to the American Revolution
• Describe the roles of women and African Americans in the American Revolution
• Describe the impact of the war on families and the economy of the new nation
• Explain the problems the new government faced in financing the war and maintaining a military
• Give examples of the social, political, and economic impacts of the American Revolution
• Locate major battles of the American Revolution on a map
• Explain the importance of relative location in developing strategies
• Describe the economic problems and solutions the nation faced during the American Revolution
• Identify ways in which the ideals of democracy were expanded or restricted during the American Revolution

The Constitution

• Describe the development and significance of state constitutions written during the American Revolution
• Explain the importance of the land policies under the Articles of Confederation
• Recognize the Articles of Confederation as the government of the United States before 1789 and describe its weaknesses
• Identify the major individuals involved in the writing and ratification of the US Constitution
• Locate the Northwest Territory on a map, and describe its major features
• Analyze the importance of the Northwest Territory
• Explain why people wanted to migrate to the Northwest Territory American History Before 1865
• Describe the economic factors in the migration to the Northwest Territory
• Describe the economic factors involved in the decision to write a new constitution in 1787
• Describe earlier concepts of government that influenced the writing of the US Constitution
• Explain the role of compromise in establishing the United States government
• Describe the role and powers of the three branches of government
• Define and describe the system of checks and balances and the concept of separation of powers
• Define federalism
• Describe the principles of the Bill of Rights
• Give examples of the ways in which democracy has expanded or been restricted over time
• Define First Amendment rights
• Summarize the duties and responsibilities of citizens

A New Nation

• Identify George Washington as the first president and describe his contributions
• Identify the first six presidents and give examples of their accomplishments and problems
• Summarize the problems faced by Native Americans as the United States expanded
• Explain the causes and results of the War of 1812
• Locate the Louisiana Territory on a map and list the states that were formed from it
• Identify the physical characteristics of the Louisiana Territory
• Trace the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition
• Identify the states added to the Union between 1790 and 1815
• Explain the role of trade in foreign policy decisions between 1789 and 1815
• Describe the economic results of the War of 1812
• Describe the role of compromise in establishing the new nation
• Identify the precedents set by George Washington in defining the role of the president
• Explain major constitutional issues that faced the first three presidents
• Analyze "The Star-Spangled Banner"

A New Age and New Industries

• Identify Andrew Jackson, and describe the significance of his election in terms of the expansion of democracy
• Become familiar with the eight presidents who served between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln
• Describe new forms of transportation between 1800 and 1860 and their influence on the nation and on people's lives
• Recognize the innovations in industry, agriculture, and communications between 1790 and 1860 and their influence on the nation and on people's lives
• Describe the potential benefits and problems of growing cities of the early nineteenth century
• Recognize the importance of natural resources in patterns of settlement and conflict
• Use a variety of maps to assess changes over time
• Make connections between geographic factors and economic decisions
• Explain the role of labor in the development of economic systems
• Identify individuals who helped expand the ideals of democracy
• Recognize limitations on democracy in the early nineteenth century

Americans Take New Land

• Explain Manifest Destiny
• Identify the major immigrant groups of the early nineteenth century and describe their experience
• Identify individual and group motives for going West, and describe the experience of the pioneers
• Assess the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans and on slavery
• Describe the ways in which new territories were acquired between 1783 and 1860
• On a map, locate and identify the states added to the United States between 1815 and 1860
• Describe the physical features of the territories gained between 1815 and 1860
• Explain the shifting regions of the United States as the nation grew
• Identify push and pull factors in the migrations of the early nineteenth century
• Trace migration routes of the time
• Relate physical geography and climate to the ways in which people can make a living
• Explain the role of profit motive in U.S. expansion
• Give examples of economic interdependence
• Describe the law of supply and demand as it relates to resources and opportunity
• Give examples of the ways in which democracy was expanded or restricted between 1800 and 1850

Reform and Reflection

• Describe the goals, achievements, and difficulties of major reform movements before 1860
• Give examples of nationalism in American literature and art of the early nineteenth century
• Identify individuals who helped expand the ideals of democracy American History Before 1865

Slavery and Sectionalism

• Explain the growing divisions between North and South between 1820 and 1860
• Describe the goals, achievements, and problems of the abolition movement
• Describe the shifting regions of the United States as cotton and slavery moved West
• Explain the role and nature of slavery in the economic system of the South
• Identify individuals who played a role in expanding or restricting the ideals of democracy

The Road to Civil War

• Trace the sequence of events between 1850 and 1861 that increased sectional tension and led to the Civil War
• Identify the changing regions of the United States in the years before the Civil War
• Use maps to identify the provisions of major legislation between 1820 and 1860
• Describe the arguments over the nature of federalism in the years before the Civil War
• Identify individuals who worked to expand democracy between 1850 and 1861

The Civil War

• Identify major political and military leaders on both sides of the Civil War
• Recognize the major strategies, battles, and outcomes of the Civil War
• Summarize the reasons for and results of the Emancipation Proclamation
• Describe the roles of women and African Americans in the war effort
• Describe the human and economic cost of the war and its effect on families, slaves, and soldiers
• Use maps to locate major battles and strategies of the Civil War
• Recognize the significance of relative location in battle plans
• Identify the Emancipation Proclamation and the thirteenth Amendment in expanding democracy
• Recognize key passages of the Gettysburg Address and Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
• Analyze the words of selected Civil War songs
• Become familiar with selected monuments

Reconstruction

• Describe the impact of Abraham Lincoln's assassination on the effort to rebuild the nation
• Discuss the successes and failures of Reconstruction in terms of the economic, political, and social problems facing the nation between 1865 and 1877
• Describe the ways in which human actions during the Civil War affected the South's agriculture and economy long after the war
• Analyze graphs of economic output before, during, and after the war
• Explain the origins and purpose of the sharecropping system
• Summarize the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments

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