Welcome to 8th grade U.S. History!

Three Branches of Government

When the Founding Fathers created the Constitution, they fashioned the system that is still in place today. See this YouTube video below as my daughter and I illustrate and explain the three branches of government:

Pre-Civil War

Leading up to the Civil War, the issue of slavery was far from resolved as territories applied for statehood. During U.S. expansion westward, these tensions came to a head during a time known as Bleeding Kansas (1854 - 1861). Watch as 8th grade students help Mr. Page explain and re-enact some of the events of this time period!

(created by: Mr. Page with the help of 2014 - 2015 8th graders

published on Mr. Page's NMSBobcat YouTube channel)

Featuring NMS's Civil War Soldiers:

March 6, 2014 - We had a special visitor at NMS: George Washington came to re-enact the Constitutional Convention

Students' Roles: To prepare, all students researched a chosen delegate and wrote quotes (in their own words) as if they were their representatives. Each learner came with a note card, ready to participate in the debate. The challenge? Students had to play the part of their delegate. They had to speak in character and use the vocabulary their representative would have used.

The results: Each class did a fantastic job! After awhile many students even set aside their notecards and adlibbed the issues of the Convention. It was amazing to hear them accurately debating the topics of the times. Some discussion points in Philadelphia, 1787: Will states get fair treatment with a stronger federal government? Should Congress be chosen with representatives based on state population? Should each state get equal representation in Congress no matter the size? Is it possible for power to be shared between large and small states, southern states and northern states? Finally, how best to achieve compromise?