Unit Description: This unit covers the events leading to the Revolutionary War and America's attempts to create a new form of government afterwards.
Stage 1- Desired Results
Essential Questions
Why did the relationship between England and it's colonies become strained to the point of revolution?
How did the new country go about creating a Democratic Republic?
What were the growing pains of the United States of America
Enduring Understandings
Students understand that...
CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS (1763 – 1824): Growing political and economic tensions led the American colonists to declare their independence from Great Britain. Once independent, the new nation confronted the challenge of creating a stable federal republic.
Common Core Standards and Performance Indicators:
Unifying Themes:
Time, Continuity, and Change (TCC)
Power, Authority, and Governance (GOV)
Civic Ideals and Practices (CIV)
Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems (ECO)
Social Studies Content Area Standards:
World History
Geography
Economics
Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Social Studies Practices (begin on page 3)
Common Core Learning Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,and Technical Subjects (begins on page 76)
Knowledge
Students know that...
11.2a Following the French and Indian War, the British government attempted to gain greater political and economic control over the colonies. Colonists resisted these efforts, leading to increasing tensions between the colonists and the British government.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Students will examine British efforts to gain greater political and economic control, such as the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, the Townsend Acts, the Tea Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Coercive Acts, and colonial reactions to these efforts.
Students will examine the purpose of and the ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence and consider its long term impacts.
11.2b Failed attempts to mitigate the conflicts between the British government and the colonists led the colonists to declare independence, which they eventually won through the Revolutionary War, which affected individuals in different ways.
11.2c Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to a convention whose purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation but instead resulted in the writing of a new Constitution. The ratification debate over the proposed Constitution led the Federalists to agree to add a bill of rights to the Constitution.
11.2d Under the new Constitution, the young nation sought to achieve national security and political stability, as the three branches of government established their relationships with each other and the states.
Key Vocabulary
Proclamation of 1763
Stamp Act
Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
Intolerable Acts
Declaration of Independence
Common Sense
Olive Branch Petition
Article of Confederation
Shay's Rebellion
Constitutional Convention
Great Compromise
Electoral College
Federalism
Checks and Balances
Federalist Papers
Bill of Rights
Unwritten Constitution
Farewell Address
Judicial Review
John Marshall
Students will examine the impacts of the Revolutionary War on workers, African Americans, women, and Native Americans.
Students will examine the weaknesses and successes of government under the Articles of Confederation.
Students will explore the development of the Constitution, including the major debates and their resolutions, which included compromises over representation, taxation, and slavery.
Students will examine the structure, power, and function of the federal government as created by the Constitution, including key constitutional principles such as the division of power between federal and state government, the separation of powers at the federal level, the creation of checks and balances, the sovereignty of the people, and judicial independence.
Students will examine the key points of debate expressed in the Federalist Papers and the Antifederalist Papers, focusing on the protection of individual rights and the proper size for a republic.
Students will examine the rights and protections provided by the Bill of Rights and to whom they initially applied.
Students will identify presidential actions and precedents established by George Washington, including those articulated in his Farewell Address.
Students will examine Hamilton’s economic plan, the debate surrounding the plan, and its impacts on the development of political parties.
Students will examine the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power established in the presidential election of 1800 and compare it to the presidential election of 2000, focusing on the roles of the Electoral College and Congress in 1800 and the Electoral College and the Supreme Court in 2000.
Students will examine Supreme Court cases, including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Gibbons v. Ogden, and analyze how these decisions strengthened the powers of the federal government.
Stage 2- Assessment Evidence
Summative Tasks
Formative Tasks
Hamilton's financial plan chart: Students read a four part financial plan and categorize it and write about the outcomes
Checks and Balances Power Grab Game: Students learn checks and balances by blocking "power grabs" by using the Constitution
Interactive Timeline of events leading to Revolutionary War (Gilder Lehrman with good links)
Proclamation of 1763 and discussion questions asking students to evaluate the fairness, the relationship with Britain, and treatment of Native Americans
Boston Massacre-Paul Revere engraving: Compare with other sources' accounts of Massacre; multiple perspectives; discussion questions
Election of 1800 reading and worksheet: includes asking the students to take a position
Declaration of Independence lithograph source reliability questions from Beyond the Bubble
CRQ: Articles of Confederation: excerpt with questions asking students to locate examples in the Articles, proove a statement's accuracy, and evaluate how well the Constitution fixed the Articles' shortcomings.
DBQs
Causes of the Revolutionary War (page 10)
Ratifying the Constitution (page 15)
Growth of Political Parties (page 19)
End of Unit Multiple Choice Exam: 30 questions from New Visions
End of Unit Synthesis activity: Students create an annotated timeline, followed by an essay on the evolution of the United States
Stage 3- Related Lessons
Lesson Plans and Content
INQUIRY BASED
INQUIRY BASED
GILDER LEHRMAN
Our Constitution-The Bill of Rights: 3 lessons. Asks students to explain amendments in their own words. Also includes section on Supreme Court cases
SHEG
Videos, Documents, and Resources
MOCK ELECTION SIMULATION
12th Amendment and Election of 1800: Role play and collaboration
Federalist Papers Activity: Examine vocabulary, create a flow chart
Declaration of Independence-Original and "Rewritten" as a modern day translationUsing Primary Sources in US History(Go to Unit 2: Sam Adams and the American Revolution)
Suggestions for Diverse Learners:
Declaration of Independence in Plain English
Separation of powers-Including a simple game,the purpose of this lesson is to teach students about our 3-branch government and the basic principles of the system of checks and balances.
Which founding father are you?: 5 question quiz