Class overview:
This class covers the beginning of the United States of America and its history through the period of reconstruction after the Civil War. We will open our study of this history by having a two day crash course over the period Western Hemisphere exploration and the colonization of the North American continent. We will learn/relearn about the contact between North America, Europe, and Africa - and the complex societies and cultures each developed. We will end our year just after the bloodshed of the American Civil War and the efforts to heal the nation. Along the our journey, we’ll see the rise and fall of empires, the clash and encounter of cultures, plagues, religious fervor, and political intrigue and many many wars. If you think early American history is all about men in wigs, tea, and declarations – you’re in for a surprise. Two interrelated themes will guide our study as we sweep toward the nineteenth century: the collision and encounters of cultures and contested ideas about free and unfree labor. Our goal is to discover the complex interactions of American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in different regions of North America during our study of the first 100+ years of the United States of America.
Course Objectives
The student will demonstrate:
Knowledge of a basic narrative of American history; political, economic, social, and cultural, including knowledge of unity and diversity in American society.
Knowledge of common institutions in American society and how they have affected different groups.
Understanding of America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world.
Knowledge of the major events, ideas, trends, and problems in American history to 1877.
An ability to explain how the past has shaped the present.
An ability to think critically by analyzing and evaluating historical events and ideas in American history.
Ability to question and rethink his/her preconceived notions regarding American history.
An ability to conduct/evaluate historical research.
8th period:
Click on the book to access Table of Contents
Exploration/Discovery (Voyages of European Explorers, The Iroquois Confederacy, The Columbian Exchange, The Triangle Trade, The Middle Passage and Transatlantic Slave Trade)
Comparing and Contrasting the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies
Final Exam and Course Review
Quarter One Syllabus and Course Syllabus