Mr. Coen
United States History I A
Course Description
This course is a survey course spanning the years from the 1400s to the 1890s The course will focus on developing the essential skills necessary to better understand how our nation’s social, political, economic, and cultural systems have evolved and influenced the world. Chief among these skills is the sourcing, analyzing, and interpreting of primary and secondary source documents with the intention of understanding how individual perspectives and bias have shaped our beliefs and understanding of the events which led to the Modern Era It will examine the the early foundations of American History commencing with the Era of Colonization and the regional differences in the North American Colonies, the rise of the American political system and the creation of a constitution. Additionally, the course addresses the early call for political and social change during the early part of the 19th century, manifest destiny, sectional division, civil war and reconstruction. Lastly, it will explore the benefits of American’s rapid industrialization and the unforeseen problems it created leading up to the 20th century.
This course will also focus on the important individuals and their contributions to the growth of American society, significant events and their impact on American society, key pieces of legislation, and the evolution of the American Republic. This is meant to help students improve their ability to challenge existing narratives, formulate new opinions, appreciate how their life experiences have helped to mold their own personal history, and to better think and write critically.
General Topics of Study
Marking Period 1 (1400s - 1780s )
Colonial Developments
The French and Indian War
Taxation Without Representation
The Declaration of Independence
The American Revolution
Marking Period 2 (1780s - 1828 )
The Articles of Confederation
The Critical Period
The United States Constitution
The Federalist Era
Jeffersonian Democracy
The Era of Good Feelings
Marking Period 3 ( 1828 - 1861 )
Jacksonian Democracy
Political and Social Reform
Manifest Destiny
Sectional Division
The Election of 1860 and the Causes of the Civil War
Marking Period 4 ( 1861 - 1890s )
The Civil War
The Era of Reconstruction and its Effects
The New Age of American Industrialization
Immigration and the Challenges of Industrialization
Politics of the Gilded Age to the turn of the 20th Century