Course Syllabus

United States History, Part I Instructor: Randy Vice

randy_vice@ecboe.org

256 328 4406

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I hope your child is looking forward to the current school year, as I am. I sincerely wish to provide each student with a positive and educational experience through this course by providing high expectations and rigor.

Feel free to reach out to me by email should you have any concerns about your child. 

Thank you,

Randy Vice

Course Syllabus

UNITED STATES HISTORY Part I

Instructor: Randy Vice

Course Description:

United States History-Beginnings to the Industrial Revolution (Grade 10 Course) 36 weeks/1 credit

Studies critical issues and events in United States history from Colonial America through 1900. Studies include changing social, political, economic, & cultural forces at work within the nation.

Course Objectives:

Students should obtain a fundamental knowledge of American History from Discovery through Reconstruction era. This foundation and historical analysis should create an understanding of concepts which are critical to interpreting history for this course and next as well as relating concepts to issues which are relative today.

Classroom Rules and Expectations: 

BE Punctual-BE Prepared-BE Respectful

Accommodations: Requests for accommodations for this course or any school event are welcomed from students and parents. (The request of does not guarantee the issuance of)

Concerning Computer Utilization: 

1. Student laptops should not be hard-wired to the network or have print capabilities. Student laptops or Tablets can only access the “GUEST” WIFI which has more limitations.  The School System provides Chromebooks which have primary WIFI network access. 

2. Neither the teacher, nor the school is responsible for broken, stolen, or lost personal devices. 

3. Laptops and other electronic devices will be used at the individual discretion of the teacher.

Schoology: While many resources and assignments will be accessed/completed through Schoology, not all will be.

Academic Integrity: Cheating in any form will result in a ZERO for that assignment and possibly further disciplinary action taken. Academic honesty should be of the highest importance regardless of the format (digital or otherwise). Any student suspected of cheating will be penalized. Be sure to protect yourself and your work by adhering to the policies and guidelines set by the school/instructor for each assignment.

Grading Policy:

Test grades will account for 60% of the 9-weeks grade, Quiz / Daily grades count 40% of the 9-weeks grade.. 

The grading scale is as follows: A (90-100%), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (65-69), F (below 60). Grades will be a reflection of mastery of the standards.

Make sure all absences are excused as class work can be made up and graded for excused absences only, if done so within the allotted time frame of the absence.

Make-Up Work Policy:

Will follow the policy outlined in the School Policy (3 Days for excused absence)

*Certain exceptions may be made at Instructor's discretion due to circumstances.

Course Materials:

Students will need to bring the following Materials with them to class Every Day:

-Computer / Chromebook / Device

-Notebook / Binder

-Pen or Pencil

Texts/Required Readings:

Textbook use will be done through electronic access. Textbook Chapters can be accessed at out class website, http://www.coachvice.com

**I hope that Students feel comfortable coming to me with any issues, suggestions, concerns, or otherwise in this class. I sincerely wish for each student to succeed in all aspects of school and hope to foster that success with high expectations and support of each individual.

PACING GUIDE

UNITED STATES HISTORY  2024-2025

Instructor: Randy Vice

36 - WEEK PLAN*

WEEK 1

Pre-Columbian Era

WEEK 2-3

Exploration & Discovery 

1 ) Compare effects of economic, geographic, social, and political conditions before and after European explorations of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries on Europeans, American colonists, Africans, and indigenous Americans. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A. 1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Describing the influence of the Crusades, Renaissance, and Reformation on European exploration

•  Comparing European motives for establishing colonies, including mercantilism, religious persecution, poverty, oppression, and new opportunities

•  Analyzing the course of the Columbian Exchange for its impact on the global economy

•  Explaining triangular trade and the development of slavery in the colonies

WEEK 4-5

Colonial America

2 ) Compare regional differences among early New England, Middle, and Southern colonies regarding economics, geography, culture, government, and American Indian relations. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Explaining the role of essential documents in the establishment of colonial governments, including the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower Compact

•  Explaining the significance of the House of Burgesses and New England town meetings in colonial politics

•  Describing the impact of the Great Awakening on colonial society

WEEK 6-7

Emerging American Society

WEEK 8-9

The Road to Revolution 

3 ) Trace the chronology of events leading to the American Revolution, including the French and Indian War, passage of the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, passage of the Intolerable Acts, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the publication of Common Sense, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Explaining the role of key revolutionary leaders, including George Washington; John Adams; Thomas Jefferson; Patrick Henry; Samuel Adams; Paul Revere; Crispus Attucks; and Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

•  Explaining the significance of revolutionary battles, including Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown

•  Summarizing major ideas of the Declaration of Independence, including the theories of John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

•  Comparing perspectives of differing groups in society and their roles in the American Revolution, including men, women, white settlers, free and enslaved African Americans, and American Indians

•  Describing how provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 affected relations of the United States with European nations and American Indians

WEEK 10-11

The American Revolutionary War - SAME AS ABOVE

WEEK 12-13

The United States Constitution  4 ) Describe the political system of the United States based on the Constitution of the United States. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Interpreting the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States; separation of powers; federal system; elastic clause; the Bill of Rights; and the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments as key elements of the Constitution of the United States

•  Describing inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation

•  Distinguishing personalities, issues, ideologies, and compromises related to the Constitutional Convention and the ratification of the Constitution of the United States, including the role of the Federalist papers

•  Identifying factors leading to the development and establishment of political parties, including Alexander Hamilton's economic policies, conflicting views of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, George Washington's Farewell Address, and the election of 1800

WEEK 14-15

Early American Republic - 5 ) Explain key cases that helped shape the United States Supreme Court, including Marbury versus Madison, McCulloch versus Maryland, and Cherokee Nation versus Georgia. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.g., A.1.i.]

•  Explaining concepts of loose and strict interpretations of the Constitution of the United States

WEEK 16-17

American Growth & Expansion - Manifest Destiny

7 ) Describe causes, courses, and consequences of United States' expansionism prior to the Civil War, including the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the Northwest Ordinance of 1785, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the Louisiana Purchase, the Indian Removal Act, the Trail of Tears, Manifest Destiny, the Mexican War and Cession, Texas Independence, the acquisition of Oregon, the California Gold Rush, and the Western Trails. 

WEEK 18-19

Sectionalism and Nationalism in America: 8 ) Compare major events in Alabama from 1781 to 1823, including statehood as part of the expanding nation, acquisition of land, settlement, and the Creek War, to those of the 

developing nation. (Alabama) 9 ) Explain dynamics of economic nationalism during the Era of Good Feelings, including transportation systems, Henry Clay's American System, slavery and the emergence of the plantation system, and the beginning of industrialism in the Northeast

WEEK 20-21

Reform Movements 10 ) Analyze key ideas of Jacksonian Democracy for their impact on political participation, political parties, and constitutional government.

11 ) Evaluate the impact of American social and political reform on the emergence of a distinct culture. 

•  Explaining the impact of the Second Great Awakening on the emergence of a national identity

•  Explaining the emergence of uniquely American writers

Examples: James Fenimore Cooper, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allen Poe

•  Explaining the influence of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Dorothea Lynde Dix, and Susan B. Anthony on the development of social reform movements prior to the Civil War

WEEK 22-23

BLACK HISTORY MONTH EXERCISES

WEEK 24-25

Road to Civil War 12 ) Describe the founding of the first abolitionist societies by Benjamin Rush and Benjamin Franklin and the role played by later critics of slavery, including William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Angelina and Sarah Grimké, Henry David Thoreau, and Charles Sumner. [A.1.a., A.1.c., A.1.e., A.1.f., A.1.g., A.1.i., A.1.j.]

•  Describing the rise of religious movements in opposition to slavery, including objections of the Quakers

•  Explaining the importance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 that banned slavery in new states north of the Ohio River

•  Describing the rise of the Underground Railroad and its leaders, including Harriet Tubman and the impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, on the abolitionist movement

13 ) Summarize major legislation and court decisions from 1800 to 1861 that led to increasing sectionalism, including the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Acts, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision. [A.1.a., A.1.c., A.1.e., A.1.f., A.1.g., A.1.i., A.1.j.]

•  Describing Alabama's role in the developing sectionalism of the United States from 1819 to 1861, including participation in slavery, secession, the Indian War, and reliance on cotton (Alabama)

•  Analyzing the Westward Expansion from 1803 to 1861 to determine its effect on sectionalism, including the Louisiana Purchase, Texas Annexation, and the Mexican Cession

•  Describing tariff debates and the nullification crisis between 1800 and 1861

•  Analyzing the formation of the Republican Party for its impact on the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States

WEEK 26-27

American Civil War 14 ) Describe how the Civil War influenced the United States, including the Anaconda Plan and the major battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Vicksburg, and Gettysburg and Sherman's March to the Sea. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Identifying key Northern and Southern Civil War personalities, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, and William Tecumseh Sherman

Example: President Abraham Lincoln's philosophy of union, executive orders, and leadership

•  Analyzing the impact of the division of the nation during the Civil War regarding resources, population distribution, and transportation

•  Explaining reasons border states remained in the Union during the Civil War

•  Describing nonmilitary events and life during the Civil War, including the Homestead Act, the Morrill Act, Northern draft riots, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address

•  Describing the role of women in American society during the Civil War, including efforts made by Elizabeth Blackwell and Clara Barton

•  Tracing Alabama's involvement in the Civil War (Alabama)

WEEK 28-29

Reconstruction Era: 15 ) Compare congressional and presidential reconstruction plans, including African-American political participation. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Tracing economic changes in the post-Civil War period for whites and African Americans in the North and South, including the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau

•  Describing social restructuring of the South, including Southern military districts, the role of carpetbaggers and scalawags, the creation of the black codes, and the Ku Klux Klan

•  Describing the Compromise of 1877

•  Summarizing post-Civil War constitutional amendments, including the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments

•  Explaining causes for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson

•  Explaining the impact of the Jim Crow laws and Plessey versus Ferguson on the social and political structure of the New South after Reconstruction

•  Analyzing political and social motives that shaped the Constitution of Alabama of 1901 to determine their long-term effect on politics and economics in Alabama (Alabama)

WEEK 30-31

Industrial Revolution - 16 ) Explain the transition of the United States from an agrarian society to an industrial nation prior to World War I. [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.h., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

•  Describing the impact of Manifest Destiny on the economic and technological development of the post-Civil War West, including mining, the cattle industry, and the transcontinental railroad

•  Identifying the changing role of the American farmer, including the establishment of the Granger movement and the Populist Party and agrarian rebellion over currency issues

•  Evaluating the Dawes Act for its effect on tribal identity, land ownership, and assimilation of American Indians between Reconstruction and World War I

•  Comparing population percentages, motives, and settlement patterns of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, including the Chinese Exclusion Act regarding immigration quotas

WEEK 32-33

MAKE-UP / REVIEW / CATCH UP

REVIEW AND EXAMS 

Exam Prep & FINAL EXAMS

* This syllabus serves as a guide for both the teacher and student; however, during the term it may become necessary to make additions, deletions or substitutions.