Unit 1: Foundations of the American Republic
Unit Overview: Foundations of the American Republic
This unit covers the Pre-colonial Era up to the eve of the American Revolution. Some important themes covered in this unit:
The Age of Exploration and the Commercial Revolution
The Protestant Reformation and rise of Calvinism
The Colombian Exchange and Mercantilism
Distinct colonial character of the various regions of North American settlement.
French and Indian War and its implications
Unit Essay: The Thirteen Colonies
For this project you must write an essay on the following topic:
The Thirteen Colonies
By 1750 English settlement in North America had formed into two very different and distinct regions: New England/Middle Colonies and the Chesapeake/Southern Colonies. Although all Thirteen colonies were officially under English control, the people, the local government, and the economies of the regions were profoundly different and the deep divisions between the two would eventually break the United States apart in the 19th century. Write a five-paragraph essay of 500-750 words that describes and analyzes the economies, governments, and societies of these two regions in order to point out their similarities and differences.
Helpful links for this essay:
The Colonial History of the United States
At left is a map of the original 13 Colonies showing the various regions. Although on this map there are 4 distinct regions, New England and the Middle Colonies, both settled by Calvinists of one stripe or another, would eventually become "The North" during Antebellum times, and the Chesapeake and Southern Colonies "The South". For this essay, consider the four regions to be two regions.
Unit Videos:God in America: A New AdamWe Shall Remain Part 1: After the MayflowerLast of the MohicansUnit Lectures:The European RenaissanceAge of ExplorationThe Protestant ReformationThe Agricultural and Commercial Revolutions13 Colonies Essay ClassUnit Primary Sources:Puritan Values Document-based QuestionThe Mayflower Compact, 1620. Oil-on-canvas, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
US History Foundations A Unit 1 Key Terms
For this project you must define the terms listed below and explain each term's significance to the unit/era being studied. Your definition should be 2-3 sentences long and may be copied and pasted from a source like Wikipedia, but the significance of the term must be in your own words and based on your own understanding. To fill out a term's significance, ask yourself, "Why is this item included in my study of this unit? Why is this term in a history book?" The answer to this question is your term's significance.
Unit 1 Key Terms:
Age of Discovery
Spanish Empire
Virginia Colony
Quakers
Commercial Revolution
Reformation
Massachusetts Bay Colony
William Penn
Columbian Exchange
Puritans
Roger Williams
Lord Baltimore
mercantilism
joint stock companies
New England
Proprietary Colonies
triangular trade
Jamestown
New Netherlands
Toleration Act of 1649
Below is an example of a key term done with the proper format:
William the Conqueror: William I (c. 1028[2] – 9 September 1087), also known as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II. Before his conquest of England, he was known as William the Bastard because of the illegitimacy of his birth.To press his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen (from Paris andÎle-de-France) to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.[3] (I copied and pasted this definition from Wikipedia)
Significance: William the Conqueror is significant because his conquest of England created the first nation state in Europe. His rearrangement of English feudal territories to give himself dramatically more power than the the barons and nobles around him caused him to be the most powerful monarch in Europe and eventually led to the rise of other nation states over the next few centuries. (These are my words based on my knowledge of English and European history.)