Unit Overview

The United States of America is unique among nations in that it was founded upon an idea. What unites us as Americans is our shared commitment to those ideas and ideals. Any analysis of the structure of American government requires that students first understand the foundational concepts that are the rationale for a constitutional democracy. These include the ideas of the social contract, civic duty, rule of law, consent of the governed and the belief that the government exists to protect the human rights of its people. This unit will ask students to explore the origins of democratic ideals, as well as, key concepts and principles upon which the government of the United States was established. 

Essential Questions & Enduring Understandings:

• What is history, and how do we study it? 

• What are the key themes of U.S. history?

• How did Indigenous groups adapt to their environment?

• How did Europeans colonize the Americas?

• What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?

• What was life really like in the colonies?

• Understand why people study history. 

• Recognize that the past influences later periods, including the present and future. 

• Identify the steps of the inquiry process. 

• Construct compelling and supporting questions as part of the inquiry process. 

• Identify key themes throughout U.S. history. 

• Describe how themes can connect different time periods and events throughout history. 

• Explore the ways historical themes are related to one another.  

• Trace the migration routes of the first groups to the Americas. 

• Describe how Indigenous people viewed their environment. 

• Connect artifacts to hypotheses about the origins of Indigenous artifacts. 

• Analyze ways in which Indigenous people in different cultural regions adapted to their environments. 

• Identify the motives behind European exploration of the Americas. 

• Explain how Europeans established territorial claims in the Americas. 

• Compare the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch settlements in the Americas. 

• Describe the impact of European exploration and settlement of the Americas on Indigenous peoples and West Africans. 

• Identify the various reasons for the settlement of the British colonies. 

• Compare religious practices and the different government systems—including the system set up in the Mayflower Compact—among the colonies. 

• Collaborate with others to showcase the economic, political, and religious features of a colony. 

• Synthesize key information about a colony by writing a postcard from the perspective of an American colonist.

Skills and Knowledge Objectives:

• Analytical Thinking:

  • Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to identify the causes of the American Revolution.

  • They will evaluate the reliability and bias of historical documents and interpretations.

• Historical Inquiry:

  • Students will formulate research questions related to specific events, figures, or aspects of the pre-American Revolution colonies.

  • They will utilize a variety of historical sources to construct well-supported arguments.

• Critical Reading:

  • Students will critically read and interpret excerpts from key document

  • They will analyze the language and rhetoric used by colonial leaders to garner support for the revolution.