HS History: The 19th Century

This fall we began our study of the 19th Century by looking at Washington’s presidency and the precedents he set.  Given the presidential election that occurred,  we looked carefully at the US Constitution, especially Article II which defines the Presidency. On Constitution Day, September 17, we celebrated by reviewing the powers and rights encompassed by that document. We looked at Washington's life and character, exemplified by is actions as President. We also looked at Washington's role as a slaveowner - how he treated "his people" and how he tried to emancipate them. 

Then we turned to Europe, where, at the same moment, France was experiencing their Revolution. We followed the process from the Storming of the Bastille through the Reign of Terror, traced the rise of Napoleon, and studied his conquest of Europe and his fall and exile. And we looked at some of the outcomes of Napoleon’s reign that affected the New World: the Haitian Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase. 

Students completed many individual research projects, looking at important aspects of these topics, and creating presentations about what they found out. In this way, the students are able to share what they have learned with their student colleagues, and we can, together, get a broader view of more aspects of the societies we are studying. These presentations are the fruits of Birch students' self-directed learning.

Students completed a webquest about key figures in the French Revolution and created presentations based on their research

HS History students collaborated on a research project about French people's lives in the Napoleonic period. This research resulted in these presentations:

One of our HS students, Gabe Villegas, has a particular interest in Napoleon Bonaparte. He created this series of presentations about Napoleon's rise and fall. His presentations formed a significant part of our class' learning about Napoleon, and his knowledge of the topic and contributions enriched our classes.