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The Civil War and Reconstruction

Theme: the Civil War was a long, bitter struggle that resulted in victory for the Union, defeat for the Confederacy, and enormous casualties for both sides. The moderate approach to Reconstruction proposed by Abraham Lincoln was eclipsed by a harsher reality advocated by Radical Republicans.

Lesson 1: The War Begins

Lesson 2: Freeing the Slaves

Lesson 3: The Home Fronts

Lesson 4: The Last Years

Lesson 5: Restoring a Divided Nation

Lesson 6: The Reconstructed South

Lesson 7: The End of Reconstruction

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand the development and progress of the Civil War
• investigate key turning points in the Civil War in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant
• map information about people, places, and environments
• describe the relationship between people and places
• collect and analyze information related to the Civil War from primary and secondary sources
• understand how the Civil War affected the development of postwar United States
• consider the sources of historic documents, narratives, or artifacts and evaluate their reliability
• describe how ordinary people and historic figures have advanced fundamental democratic values, beliefs, and traditions expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the United States and New York State Constitutions, the Bill of Rights and other important historic documents
• value the principles, ideals, and core values of the American democratic system based upon the premises of human dignity, liberty, justice, and equality

Suggested Activities

• "what if" activity
• make a diorama or mural of an event in this topic
• create a gallery of notable individuals
• develop charts / maps / computerized database of major battles
• create a graphic organizer of strengths and weaknesses of North and South
• keep a journal explaining reasons for joining, describing daily life, doubts, fears, etc.
• design a Civil War trivia game
• create a time line of the daily activities of a soldier
• design a newspaper page highlighting selected topics
• create graphs based on selected topics
• analyzing political cartoons
• search the Internet for a list of civil-war-related museums: make a map showing names and locations of museums
• analyze Winslow Homer’s painting Sunday Morning in Virginia
• organize a debate between supporters of the Lincoln Plan and the Radical Republicans
• prepare a table of contents for a booklet to help ex-slaves make an easier transition to freedom
• write a song to express the feelings of African Americans to the passage of the Civil Rights Act and its elimination of black codes
• create a collage to illustrate the changes that took place in the South during Reconstruction
• plan a speech to illustrate the changes needed in the South new Public schools
• write an editorial from either the Southern or the Northern point of view
• organize a panel discussion on Reconstruction from the point of view of a Confederate veteran, a plantation owner, a Freedman’s Bureau representative, a scalawag, a carpetbagger, an ex-slave, and a black senator
• using a word processor, write a brief radio announcement about Lincoln’s assassination
• design a brochure that encourages citizens to register to vote

Suggested duration of unit: 5 weeks

The Gilded Age

Theme: men and women during the Gilded Age made significant contributions to the arts in America. The political scene was relatively uneventful, but women and blacks struggled onward to gain their rights.

Lesson 1: Politics During the Gilded Age

Lesson 2: Black Americans During the Gilded Age

Lesson 3: Women in the Gilded Age

Lesson 4: The Arts in the Gilded Age

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand the social, economic. and artistic changes which occurred in the United States and New York State in the late 19^th century
• identify and explain literary trends revealing a new national pride
• define the new role of women in an increasingly industrialized society
• explain the impact of post-reconstruction political climate and the increasing loss of civil rights by black Americans
• explain the prevailing "laissez-faire" attitude of governmental non interference on the economic scene

Suggested Activities

• "what if" activity
• use textbook and outside sources to create a timeline showing important dates in the history of women in American politics
• analyze examples of local colorists and American painters
• compare different types of American art
• discuss the meaning and impact of "separate but equal"
• take a sample literacy test

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Last Frontier

Theme: the miners, cowhands and farmers came to dominate life in the West, supplanting Native Americans who were forced to reservations in the final four decades of the 19^th century.

Lesson 1: The Indians Last Stand

Lesson 2: The Mining Frontier

Lesson 3: The Cattle Kingdom

Lesson 4: The Farming Frontier

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand the political and economic implications on native populations of the American westward the expansion
• understand how industrialization led to significant changes in the economic patterns for producing, distributing and consuming goods and services
• explain the changes in the methods of production and distribution of manufactured and farms goods
• understand the impact of the development of railroads on the economy of the United States
• investigate the changing patterns of agricultural organization and activity in New York State and the United States
• describe the nature of and the reasons behind the economic rivalry between cattle ranchers and farmers in the west
• analyze the impact of the mining frontier on the development of western towns

Suggested Activities

• "what if" activity
• continuous mural showing scenes from each section above
• create a three-dimensional aspect of Plains Native American culture
• create a graphic organizer showing the importance of the buffalo in the culture of the Plains Indians
• research Indian resistance leaders
• debate the advantages and disadvantages of frontier justice
• develop a graphic organizer showing the mining-related jobs that grew because of the mining bonanzas
• write a first person account of one of the character associated with mining life, i.e., a prospector in Colorado, an early settler of Denver, Henry Comstock, Levi Strauss, a small business person, a horse thief, a brewery owner in Virginia City
• research "cowboy lingo" on the Internet
• compare the life of the cowboy as the "romantic" Hollywood figure and the reality of a cowhand’s life
• research examples of brands used in the 19^th century to mark cattle, then create a personal brand
• research black cowhands, wild west show performers
• listen to, and analyze, cowboy songs
• research inventions that helped settle the west
• after reading about the conflict between farmers and ranchers, propose a peaceful solution to the problem
• build a model sod house
• design a poster that the Unites States government might have used to encourage western settlement
• activities centered around reproductions of Sears or Montgomery Ward cata

Suggested duration of unit: 3 weeks

Industrial Growth

Theme: led by the steel and railroad industries and aided by an abundant labor supply, the United States became the industrial giant of the world in the late 19^th century

Lesson 1: Carnegie and Steel

Lesson 2: Railroads

Lesson 3: People, Money, and Resources

Lesson 4: The Oil Industry

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• explain how societies and nations attempts to satisfy their basic needs and wants by utilizing capital, natural, and human resources
• define basic economic concepts such as scarcity, supply and demand, markets, resources, and economic growth
• understand how scarcity requires people and nations to make choices which involve costs and future considerations
• understand how people in the United States and throughout the world are both producers and consumers of goods and services
• understand and explain the growth of corporations as a form of business
• explain the response of labor and farmers to industrialization

Suggested Activities

• make a business plan to market a new invention
• write an advertisement for a newly developed invention
• make a life line of Andrew Carnegie
• use an almanac to compare US steel production today with that of the rest of the world
• "what if" activity
• design a poster attracting people to use railway services to go west
• reading a time zone map
• make a flowchart showing how steel is made
• chart the growth of United States population from 1860 to 1910
• use a local business directory to survey the types of local businesses
• research the US Patent Office

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

Cities and Immigrants

Theme: : movement of Americans from rural to urban areas and of immigrants to urban centers in the late 19^th century caused cities to grow rapidly and face new problems.

Lesson 1: Urban Growth

Lesson 2: People in the Cities

Lesson 3: Urban Problems

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand how industrialization altered the traditional social pattern of American society
• give evidence of the growth and interdependence of communities caused by the advancements in technology
• understand the impact of technology on the environment
• describe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there
• differentiate between the two major waves of immigration into the United States based on national origins, causes, cultural patterns and religion
• explain initial clashes of immigrant groups with established cultural pattern followed by eventual acculturation
• understand how immigration and industrialization led to a need for reevaluating and changing the traditional roles of government in relation to the economic and social conditions

Suggested Activities

• brainstorm developments in technology on the farm and in the city that would motivate people to leave the farm and move to the city
• use the internet to produce a collage of images documenting urban transportation, housing, social services, social problems, architecture
• write a postcard a recent immigrant might have written home. Illustrate it with a city scene
• create a three-column table illustrating social problems, their solutions, and alternatives
• organize a panel show in which students ask questions of a southern black, a New England farmer, and a New Immigrant
• write a letter home
• research examples of discrimination faced by immigrants in neighborhoods, at jobs, from government officials

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Progressive Movement

Theme: in the early 20^th century, major strides were made in regulating big business and making the government responsive to all persons.

Lesson 1: Working for Reform

Lesson 2: The First Modern President

Lesson 3: The Wilson Presidency

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• investigate key turning point in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant
• gather and organize information about the important achievement and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States
• describe the social ills prevalent in New York State and the United States and the role played by muckrakers and political reformers in exposing abuses and corruption in government, industry and urban living condition
• understand and give examples of the attempts to reform the government, politics and economy of New York State and the United States

Suggested Activities

• write a protest poem. Choose the topic of tenement life, corruption in city government, the power of trusts, the struggle for women’s suffrage, or problems in race relations.
• analyze political cartoon
• make a campaign poster with a slogan for a progressive candidate
• stage the political campaign of 1912 between Wilson, Taft, and Roosevelt
• create word puzzle and word searches with appropriate definitions
• create a map of our 37 national parks
• analyze young Roosevelt’s qualities as a child and a young man and their impact on his adulthood and political career
• create a time line of Theodore Roosevelt’s career
• draw a political cartoon to illustrate a progressive reform
• compile a list of words / phrases that characterize Roosevelt and Wilson
• "what if" activity

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

Expansion Overseas

Theme : the United States, joining other imperialistic nations of the world in the late 19^th century, gained an empire in the Pacific and a much larger role in Latin America.

Lesson 1: America Looks Outward

Lesson 2: War and Empire

Lesson 3: American Interests in Asia

Lesson 4: Controlling the Caribbean

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand how and why the United States grew during the 19^th century
• recognize that American territorial and economic expansion had widespread political, economic, and social impacts both at home and abroad
• understand the relationship between the relative importance of United States domestic and foreign policies over time
• analyze the role played by the United States in international politics, past and present
• account for the growth of imperialist sentiments in the United States over time
• explain how the Spanish-American War signaled the emergence of the United States as a world power
• understand how victory in the Spanish-American War signaled the need for new directions in foreign policy with Europe and in the western hemisphere
• understand the development of American relations with foreign countries between the end of the Civil War and World War I
• explain the rationale of American expansionism in the Pacific and in Asia
• recognize the economic and military reasons that led to the building of the Panama Canal
• understand the enormous technological achievement represented by the building of the Panama Canal

Suggested Activities

• locate on a world map William Seward’s vision of an American Empire
• research the natural resources of Alaska. Draw a resource map
• organize a debate of imperialists vs. anti-imperialists
• give a pop listening quiz
• locate the two fronts of the Spanish-American War. Discuss the importance of both to the US
• "what if" activity
• report the same news story in two ways: in an objective manner and in "yellow journalism" style
• use a map to figure out some of the problems experienced by the United States during the Spanish-American War
• analyze Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden as it relates to imperialism
• research and report on the origins of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in this country and the various aspects of their treatment and accomplishments
• create a bulletin board display of Theodore Roosevelt’s related cartoons
• make report cards of the United States foreign policy at the turn of the century. Each grade should be explained and defended
• locate a diagram of a lock and explain how it works

Suggested length of unit: 3 weeks

World War I

Theme : after 3 years of neutrality, the United States entered the Great War and had a significant impact on the war effort of Great Britain and France against Germany and the Central Powers.

Lesson 1: Europe Goes to War

Lesson 2: America’s Reactions

Lesson 3: Waging the War

Lesson 4: Making the Peace

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• explain the growth of nationalism and militarism in Europe as a primary cause for World War I
• analyze the impact of the power struggle among European nations and the different factors leading to the European conflict
• understand the policy of neutrality pursued by the United States at the outset of World War I
• evaluate the events leading to the United States intervention in the European conflict
• evaluate the significance and long term effects of new technology in World War I
• analyze the impact and the contribution of American intervention in the European conflict
• understand the Treaty of Versailles and its long term effects on world policy
• evaluate American reaction to The Treaty of Versailles

Suggested Activities

• acquaint students with WW1 songs
• prepare an oral report on significant individuals of the period
• make a list of reasons students consider valid reason to go to war. Compare with actual causes
• make a list of immediate and underlying causes of the Great War
• make a list of steps the government would have to take if the United States were to be involved in a major war
• record an interview with a veteran
• "what if" activity
• discuss the importance of war effort on the home front
• ask students to identify the goals of a peace treaty and to determine whether retribution and world peace are simultaneously possible
• research the impact of new weapons during WW1
• analyze the messages and impact of posters encouraging public support for the war
• share several national anthems. Discuss how pride in one’s own country expressed positively in an anthem can eventually lead to war
• discuss interventionism and neutrality. Prepare a slogan to express each side.
• prepare spokespeople to present each point of view
• write an editorial proclaiming the wisdom of each position
• make a list a recruit would miss most about civilian life
• prepare a map / diagram / chart / report showing the decisive impact of American intervention
• read and analyze poetry by Rupert Brooke or Stephen Spender
• design a propaganda poster
• research war technology
• chart war casualties
• create a multimedia presentation of the Great War using George M. Cohan’s lyrics and music and excerpts of soldier’s writing

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Golden Twenties

Theme: the 1920s were characterized by an automobile revolution, a legalized prohibition on alcohol, unprecedented prosperity for many, prejudice against minorities, prominent heroes, a prolific output of literature, and pro-business administrations.

Lesson 1: A Time of Prosperity

Lesson 2: Social Tension and Social Change

Lesson 3: The Political Scene

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand the economic, social, and political development of America in the period between World War I and World War II
• analyze the role played by the United States in international politics, past and present
• understand the "back to normalcy" and the relative isolation pursued by the United States during the decade of the 1920s
• explain the rising standard of living in the United Stated which resulted in the growth of a consumer economy and the rise of a middle class
• explain how the general prosperity did not affect all segments of the population and why and how minorities and farmers were left outside the general prosperity
• develop conclusions about the changing of traditional roles for women and the emerging of the modern family pattern
• analyze the impact of Prohibition on the social fabric of American society
• analyze the impact of the automobile on American society
• the emergence of xenophobic reactions to immigrants as illustrate by the Sacco and Vanzetti trial and by the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan
• understand and appreciate the growth of black art, music, and cultural identity expressed by the Harlem Renaissance

Suggested Activities:

• locate and present statistics about the 1920s
• create a graph based on statistics on automobile registration in the United States
• create a graph based on statistics on automobile prices
• create an advertisement for a new and improved credit card
• research the slang of the 1920s
• read and analyze Harlem Renaissance poets such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes or James Weldon Johnson
• assume the role of a person accused of being a communist during the Red Scare. Write five diary entries describing their feelings and experiences
• make a list of several adjectives that describe the mood of the 1920s. Draw or paint these adjectives in a way that conveys the word’s meaning
• "what if" activity
• create a headline that might have appeared during the Harding Administration
• create a graphic organizer illustrating the economic factors that fueled the American economy in the 1920sChoose a new technological development and identify its target audience. Write a jingle, design a magazine or radio advertisement for it
• make a list of interview questions that might be asked of a 1920s assembly line worker, farmer, advertising executive, Henry Ford, engineer, gas station attendant
• compare a Ford Model T to a modern car and describe the major differences
• create and describe a fad that would have become popular in the 1920s
• make a mural that illustrates people and events of the Jazz Age. Include musicians, writers, sports figures, and other entertainers
• make a chart describing traditional and new ideas and lifestyles of the 1920s
• compose a humorous song that might have been written in the 20s poking fun at the fads of the time
• research Izzy and Moe, FBI agents
• keep a record of how and when the people in your household use the automobile. Compare your use of the automobile to that of people who lived in the 1920s

• create a bulletin board entitled The 1920s through the eyes of its artists and writers

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Great Depression and the New Deal

Theme: the Great Depression brought hardship to millions of Americans. They found hope in the egalitarian leadership and supportive legislation of President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration.

Lesson 1: The Great Depression

Lesson 2: The New Deal

Lesson 3: Hard Times

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand the economic, social, and political impacts of the Great Depression on the United States
• understand the social, economic, and political changes which took place in the world in the 1930s
• evaluate economic data by differentiating fact from opinion and identifying frames of reference
• develop conclusions about economic issues and problems by creating broad statements which summarize findings and solutions
• explain the factors contributing to the stock market crash
• identify the differences and similarities in the responses to the depression by the Hoover and the Roosevelt administrations
• identify and analyze the elements of FDR’s New Deal
• analyze the effects of the Great Depression on work, family and community

Suggested activities:

• research the accomplishments of Roosevelt’s Brain Trust or the more prominent members of Roosevelt’s Cabinet
• conduct pro-and-con forums on Roosevelt’s related issues
• have students find articles for a bulletin board display concerning recent developments in New Deal innovations
• graph the dramatic stock losses after the crash of 1929
• using a historical newspaper do additional research on sports, fashion, advertisement, weather, and other important stories that might have appeared in a newspaper published the day after the stock market crashed
• identify quotes from Roosevelt’s speeches and analyze their meaning and significance
• read excerpts of the Grapes of Wrath and discuss the plight of the dust bowl farmers
• research the causes of the Dust Bowl
• "what if" activity
• on tape or notebooks, collect anecdotes from people who experience the Great depression
• research the life of a hobo and write five personal diary entries
• write a poems or the lyrics to a song about life on the rails
• create pictorial messages in "hobo picture writing" that might have been used to communicate among hobos during the depression
• make a chapter mobile depicting major events in the chapter through illustrations
• create a live time line in which each student on the line gives a brief account of an important event
• using food prices from 1932 to 1934, make a grocery list of what you could buy on a budget of $3.00 a week
• compare 1932-1934 food prices to current prices
• create a class chart under the headings of Agricultural Relief, Industrial Relief, and Help for the Unemployed
• make a list of ten question a reporter might ask of someone who lived through the Great Depression
• create a Jeopardy-style game using New Deal program name, program initials, and program purpose
• create a booklet depicting how the Great Depression affected the following groups: women, children, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans
• create a cause and effect chart for the Dust Bowl
• write a two-minute oral presentation highlighting skills and experiences students feel would entice a prospective employer to hire them
• write a letter from Eleanor or Franklin Roosevelt responding to a plea for jobs, money, food, or clothing

Suggested length of unit: 2 weeks

World War II

Theme: by serving in the military, working in the war industries, and rationing goods at home, Americans joined with the Allies to help defeat the Axis powers in World war II.

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• understand how World War II began and how it changed the lives of millions of people
• identify key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why these events and developments are significant
• analyze the origins of the war, the rearming of Germany and the failure of peace
• understand the events that led the United States from its traditional neutrality on the road to war
• understand the war on the home front and on the battlefield
• investigatethe new technological, political, and economic aspects of World War II
• assimilate the impact and the devastation of post-war world through an understanding of the concepts of total war, genocide, and the Holocaust

Suggested activities

• construct a model airplane
• compile a report on the use of different kinds of fighter planes from WW2 era
• write a war diary
• construct parallel time lines showing events of WW2 on both the European and the Pacific fronts
• research items of interest in the history of aviation, i.e. Gen. Billy Mitchell, barnstorming, mail service, passenger service, etc.
• map military strategies of WW2
• map the effects of the war by drawing pre- and post-war maps using acetate sheets
• construct charts or graphs comparing world wars (duration, casualties, number of soldiers, duration of service, etc) or comparing war effort of different countries.
• listen to songs popular during WW2 and analyze their content and significance
• gather oral histories from veterans or people who lived through the periods
• research the role of entertainers in selling bonds, performing for the USO, and fighting
• create propaganda posters
• make a time line of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power
• display and analyze such paintings as Embarkation, by Barse Miller and The Withdrawal from Dunkirk, by Charles Cundall
• write and record a 15 seconds radio news bulletin announcing the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
• "what if" activity
• research, or create own slogans and posters encouraging people to perform various patriotic acts
• research the efforts of children on the home front
• write a journal entry from the point of view of a woman’s first day on the job in a defense factory
• research topics such as: Kristallnacht, the Warsaw ghetto, German use of slave labor, artwork stolen during the war
• research the work of Charles Drew
• read Maus I, and Maus II
• create a bulletin board entitled Voices of World War II by locating on the Internet memoirs and/or excerpts from writings of veterans and civilians
• on a map, chart the name and locations of Nazi concentration camps
• create a class courtroom in which the following people are tried for crimes against humanity: Adolf Hitler, a German military officer, and General Hideki Tojo

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Cold War

Theme: under the leadership of Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy, the United States attempted to check Communist acts of aggression (real and perceived) and expansion throughout the world by using diplomatic, economic, or military means.

Lesson 1: An End to Wartime Cooperation

Lesson 2: Cold War and Hot War

Lesson 3: Containment and Coexistence

Lesson 4: New Threats, New Hopes

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify and discuss the operations of various agencies of the United Nations
• name The Big Three leaders at Yalta
• evaluate the decisions made at Yalta
• differentiate a "cold war" from a "hot war"
• understand the elements that played a part in post-war worldwide tensions
• explain the origin of the United States containment policy
• evaluate the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
• explain the causes and the effects of the Berlin airlift
• compare NATO and the Warsaw Pact
• assess the role of the United States in Japan and the Philippines after WW2
• account for the changes in the government of China that took place after WW2
• explain the causes and the effects of the Korean "police action"
• compare SEATO and NATO
• account for the relaxation of Cold War tensions during the 1950s
• evaluate the U-2 incident
• identify the Eisenhower Doctrine
• identify and evaluate the new ideas brought to American foreign policy by President Kennedy
• evaluate the Bay of Pigs fiasco
• understand the significance of the Berlin wall as a physical barrier and as the symbol of a political reality
• identify the causes and the effects of the Cuban missile crisis

Suggested Activities

• locate and reproduce articles from newspapers or newsmagazines of the Cold War era
• locate and interview people who lived during the significant periods of the Cold War
• write to the United Nations to obtains information on its various agencies
• find evidence and anecdotes and share first hand accounts of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin airlift.
• write an editorial commenting on the United States involvement in the affairs of Japan, the Philippines, and Korea
• construct a chart comparing NATO and SEATO’s purpose, geographic location served, member nations, extent of commitment made
• "what if" activity
• prepare a mock election presidential campaign for Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower
• formulate an investigative report (60 Minutes-style) on the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile crisis

Suggested length of unit: 2 weeks

The following topics can be taught independently of the chronological approach used in this document.

Civil Rights Movement

Theme: in the 1950s African American activism became more intense and organized in an effort to secure equal rights in education and other issues.

Lesson 1: The Background

Lesson 2: Equality in Education

Lesson 3: Gains on Other Fronts

Lesson 4: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lesson 5: Other Forms of Protest

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• explain the causes and the effects of such Supreme Court rulings as Plessy v. Ferguson, Separate But Equal, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
• compare and evaluate the impact of black leaders such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois
• summarize and assess the major steps taken to advance the civil rights of blacks and other minorities in the 1950s and early 1960s
• evaluate the philosophy of nonviolent resistance
• identify and evaluate the contributions made by Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, John Kennedy, Freedom Riders, Malcom X, and others to the civil rights movement

Suggested Activities

• analyze and write about period photographs
• analyze, discuss, and write about Norman Rockwell’s poster Problem We All Live With
• research the philosophy of "civil disobedience" as espoused by Thoreau, and practiced by Ghandi and King
• write a journal entry or a poem from the point of view of a Freedom Rider, a black student attending a previously all-white school, a participant in a non-violent march,
• make a time line showing the progress made in the United States toward desegregation
• read and interpret an excerpt of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
• analyze and interpret the[painting Her World by Philip Evergood
• "what if" activity

Suggested duration of unit: 1 week

Women’s Movement

Theme: working individually and in groups, women in the 1800s and early 1900s made considerable progress toward equality.

Lesson 1: Women and Reform

Lesson 2: Progress by American Women

Lesson 3: Women’s Rights

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• explain the roots and motivations behind the Women’s Movement
• assess the significance of the Seneca Falls Convention
• compare the wording and format of the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiment
• identify the major figures in the Women’s Movement and their contributions
• evaluate the contributions of women to various civil rights groups
• identify the major historic events which contributed to the eventual success of the Suffrage Movement
• identify and evaluate the progress made by American women in the 20^th century

Suggested Activities

• role-play the Seneca Falls Convention or a women’s rights convention of the early 1840s
• draw political cartoon to illustrate pro and con positions on the Seneca Falls Convention, on the abolitionist movement, and the temperance and suffrage movements
• read and analyze Sojourner Truth’s speech Ain’t I a woman?
• research how women’s fashion reflects their progress toward freedom
• research the women’s movement in countries other than the United States
• "what if" activity
• write (and record?) a song designed to win support for the women’s rights movement
• using the computer, develop banners supporting the women’s suffrage movement, prohibition, or women’s rights
• research the role of women in sports

Suggested duration of unit: 1 week

The Earliest Americans

Theme: Although they probably came from a common Asian sources, several groups of Native Americans lived in pre-Columbian America, where they developed environmentally dependent cultures.

Lesson 1: Origins of the Native Americans

Lesson 2: Agriculture in the Americas

Lesson 3: The Mound Builders

Lesson 4: Life-Styles and Cultures of the North American Indians

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• gather and organize information about the important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States
• classify major developments into categories such as social, political, economic, geographic, technological, scientific, cultural, or religious
• discuss and evaluate historic and archaeological evidence regarding the land bridge theory of migration
• name and explain alternate theories concerning the arrival of the first Americans
• formulate and defend a position concerning the migration of Asians to the Americas
• read a map showing the migratory routes of the ancestors of the Native Americans
• analyze the relationship of agriculture to the beginning of civilization
• describe Mayan, Aztec, Inca, and Pueblo civilizations
• describe the Mound Builders’ civilization
• identify the four types of mounds constructed
• compare the culture of the Mound Builders with that of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas
• identify the main Native American cultures of North America
• compare and contrast common elements of the North American Indian cultures
• evaluate the interdependency of the Native American life-styles on environment
• analyze differences between the Native American and Western cultures
• appreciate the contributions of Native American cultures

Suggested Activities

• construct different types of time lines
• organize a Native American festival
• "what if" activity
• create a mural depicting an accurate picture of a migratory group crossing the land bridge into North America
• organize a simulated archeological dig allowing students to draw inferences from objects
• organize a "real" archeological dig
• read and analyze a myth or legend from The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
• use a time machine to explore and write a news account of a trip back in time
• on a map of the state or region, locate place names that are of Indian origin. Research the meaning of the words
• research and create a totem, then discuss its significance
• draw a topographic map to gain an appreciation of the difficulty involved in producing hand-drawn maps
• create a large map of the prehistoric migration through America. Add illustrations to tell a story
• create a communications system: create a calendar, an alphabet, a way of counting
• build a huehuetl drum and decorate with aztec symbols
• make a chart that lists some of the accomplishments of the Maya, Aztecs, and Inca in the areas of communications. Science, and math
• create a diorama to show the unique characteristics of a Native American culture. Each student should choose one part of the culture, such as dwellings, clothing, environment, or artifacts
• create a Plains Indian shield
• analyze the physical characteristics of various sections of the country. Students should design dwellings adapted to different geographical locations
• draw a model of a home a Native American might have built in your area: use local natural materials and label them on your diagram
• write a shopping list of items that would have been valuable to Native Americans
• create a Native American artifact

Suggested duration of unit: 2 week

Colonization Begins in the Americas

Theme: The voyage of Christopher Columbus led directly to the exploration and colonization of the New World by some European countries and by individuals from Africa.

Lesson 1: Columbus Leads the Way

Lesson 2: Spain Builds and Empire

Lesson 3: The French in North America

Lesson 4: The Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia Claim Land

Lesson 5: Africans in America

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• classify early explorers and their areas of exploration
• explain economic motives that encouraged Columbus and other Europeans to explore
• compare Columbus’ role and the Viking’s role in the discovery of the New World
• identify Spain’s goals in the New World
• distinguish different types of Spanish settlements in the New World
• differentiate four distinct social classes in the Spanish settlements
• appreciate Spanish influence in America
• explain the importance of water routes and the "water highway" system to French settlement and industry in the New World
• evaluate French colonization policy
• compare French and Spanish New World settlements
• appreciate French influence in America
• identify areas in North America claimed by the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia
• list the influences of the Dutch, the Swedish, and the Russians in the New World
• appreciate the role of blacks in exploration and colonization
• compare the treatment of blacks by various colonial powers
• explain the motivation s for enslavement in the New World

Suggested Activities

• write a play about explorers from another planets
• research the American origin of common foods
• write a journal entry about how heritage affects the lives of individuals and families
• create and analyze maps of Columbus’ voyages
• research examples of the different cultures studied in this unite: include examples of architecture, food, language, and recreation
• "what if" activity
• write a diary entry from the point of view of one of Columbus’crew members
• create a menu that includes foods introduced by the Native Americans to the Europeans
• establish a barter system based on items popular among the students..Decide on a value system
• write a letter to an explorer giving directions on how to find a water passage through northern Canada to the Pacific Ocean
• develop five laws that would ensure that explorers would treat people they encountered in other lands fairly
• analyze the physical characteristics of various sections of the country. Students should design dwellings adapted to different geographical locations
• draw a model of a home a Native American might have built in your area: use local natural materials and label them on your diagram
• write a shopping list of items that would have been valuable to Native Americans
• create a Native American artifact
• determine the historical validity of legends, i.e. Pocahontas

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

England Establishes Colonies

Theme: Despite tremendous obstacles, a total of 13 colonies - the New England, middle, and southern colonies - were developed by the English in North America along the Atlantic coast.

Lesson 1: The First English Settlements

Lesson 2: The New England Colonies

Lesson 3: The Middle Colonies

Lesson 4: The Southern Colonies

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• describe the founding of the New England, middle, and southern colonies
• discuss economic and cultural aspects of colonial life
• identify the explorer whose voyages gave England its initial New World claim
• evaluate the significance of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
• compare the joint-stock company and the modern corporation
• identify by name and date the first permanent English colony
• analyze the roles of John Smith and John Rolfe in the survival and growth of Jamestown
• appreciate the contributions of the Virginia colonial government
• define royal colony
• name the New England Colonies
• identify and compare the settlers and types of settlements in the New England colonies
• appreciate the influence of New England democracy and education
• name and locate the middle colonies
• explain the origin of each middle colony
• evaluate the appropriateness of the term middle colonies
• name and locate the southern colonies
• explain the origin of the southern colonies
• define proprietary colony

Suggested activities

• present to students examples of early American vocal music
• find and analyze examples of work by colonial traveling artists
• write journal entries as an enslaved person. The first one should reflect your fears on the day you are sold. The second describe your life one year later
• make a diorama of a fort or an early settlement
• develop and present a short radio program "The Roanoke Mystery"
• "what if" activity
• make a poster to attract early settlers
• make a colonial craft of choice quilling, silhouette making, patchwork, samplers, hooked or braided rugs, tops, whirlygigs, kites, rag/cornhusk dolls, pomander balls, gourd rattles or bowls, cornhusk hot pads, mats, baskets
• make a bulletin board display comparing colonial and modern technology (kitchen implements, shop tools, cloth making equipment, farm tools)
• draw large illustrated maps of the British colonies
• design a flag for one of the colonies
• draw a map of North America and label the areas claimed by the British, French, and Spanish
• on the Internet, pick a trade that a colonist might have practiced, then research related topics to that trade
• choose one of the colonies you would have preferred to live in. Explain your reasons

Suggested length of unit: 3 weeks

Life in the English Colonies

Theme: As an increasing number of people came to America in the 1700s for political, economic, social, or religious opportunity, the English colonies grew and flourished.

Lesson 1: A Land of Promise

Lesson 2: A Variety of People

Lesson 3: Colonial Economy

Lesson 4: New World Rivalries

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• evaluate a piece of promotional literature
• identify the conditions in Europe that contributed to immigration to America
• recognize the hardships incurred by New World immigrants
• differentiate indentured servitude from slavery
• identify the various non-English groups that settled in the English colonies
• explain the reasons for the predominance of the English language, religious customs, and governmental systems
• state the causes and effects of the population explosion in the English colonies in the 1700s
• account for the increase in slave population
• link the geography of the three groups of English colonies with their distinct economic development
• define mercantilism
• read and draw inferences from, a map showing triangular trade routes
• evaluate triangular trade
• describe the role of colonial women
• chart the conflicts between Britain and France, their causes and results
• describe French military strategy in New France

Suggested Activities

• research colonial crafts and their role in the colonial home
• visit museum displays or arrange for craftsperson visit
• research different types of colonial music by class and purpose
• research colonial justice/punishment systems
• identify and analyze Ben Franklin’s collection of proverbs in Poor Richard’s Almanac. Students should then write their own proverbs dealing with today’s realities
• write a letter home from America as a trusted friend or relative describing the advantages and disadvantages of life in the New World
• develop a poster or pamphlet adverting America do Europeans
• "what if" activity
• create a map showing major nations of origin of immigrants and places that these early immigrants settled
• create a line graph of population growth in a particular colony
• develop a chart showing the relationship between colonial occupations (furniture making, tobacco farming, grain farming, trapping, shipbuilding, fishing and whaling) and geographic characteristics
• compare and contrast the role of colonial and modern women
• research and write a diary entry as a child growing up in the New England, Middle, or Southern colonies
• organize a panel discussion on the merits of French and English territorial claims
• research and share information on the life of religious dissenters in the colonies
• examine the reasons and results of religious dissent in the colonies
• analyze, and give examples of, the different relationship the French established with the native population
• sketch a map of North America and identify the areas occupied by the British, French, and Spanish. Indicate border areas which might potentially be hot spots between rival nations
• lab activity in cooperation with science classes: make soap
• analyze the painting The South Side of St. John’s Street by Joseph B. Smith
• create displays or drawings showing a typical New England village, a Middle Colony city, and a southern plantation
• listen to, and analyze, negro spirituals and their significance
• plant an herb garden
• experiment with dyeing fibers with natural dyes
• make a business plan for a new settlement
• learn a colonial dance
• design, and build a model of, an ideal fort
• prepare a report on the Iroquois League and the legends about its formation

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Road to Independence

Theme: Following the French and Indian War, increasingly restrictive British laws caused the colonists to react in a variety of ways and finally resulted in the War for Independence.

Lesson 1: British Policy Changes

Lesson 2: American Colonists Resist

Lesson 3: Armed Conflict Begins

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the causes of the French and Indian War
• summarize the results of the war
• analyze the impact of the war on the French, the Indians, the English, and the colonists
• evaluate the reasoning behind the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act, the Grenville Acts, and the Proclamation of 1763
• identify the territory affected by the French and Indian War
• define the economic and political differences between the Americans and the British
• identify the role of Native Americans in the war and in the Proclamation of 1763
• list the British laws that the colonists objected to
• evaluate British reasons for the laws and the colonial reasons for objecting to them
• identify the various ways in which the colonists resisted the British
• describe the basic working of colonial government
• list the various actions that brought the colonists progressively closer to armed revolution
• identify leaders of the colonial movement and their importance
• analyze the economic factors involved in British and colonial actions
• trace examples of increasing colonial unity from 1765 to 1775
• draw, trace, or study a map of the Boston area, including the harbor, Bunker Hill, Breeds Hill, the neck, Cambridge, Lexington, and Concord

Suggested Activities

• conduct a trial in which England has brought a suit against the United States in the World Court. England is asking for damages.
• prepare a chart showing actions taken by Americans that upset the British
• write a newspaper account of a key event of the period
• write and editorial on both sides of the issue
• write a letter to the editor of an American or a British newspaper
• make a chart showing British actions and American reactions regarding Britain’s colonial policy
• list all the methods of resistance to British policy. Categorize into legal and illegal by modern standards and justify
• write a chapter of historical fiction about people and events in this section
• "what if" activity
• analyze Paul Revere’s Ride and The Concord Hymn
• draw a map showing the route of Paul Revere, Samuel Dawes, and the other colonial riders as they rode to summon the Minutemen
• identify elements of colonial propaganda
• write "eyewitness" accounts of the events described in the unit
• read all, or excepts from, Johnny Tremain (alternatively, show video)
• collect and display a variety of items that would have been taxed under British law. Students should explained the significance of each item in colonial days and the effect of the tax
• design a poster encouraging colonists to boycott British goods
• organize a television reportage on the Boston Massacre: students should focus on differentiating between fact and propaganda. Coverage could include: a report of events preceding the action, including eyewitness accounts, an interview with a friend of Crispus Attucks, use of Paul Revere engraving, two editorials (a British officer and Samuel Adams)
• write a persuasive argument to convince the East India Company ships captains’ to turn back without unloading their cargo
• draw a cartoon strip showing the story of the Boston Tea Party
• write a poem about one of the events in this section

Suggested duration for the unit: 2 weeks

The War for Independence

Theme: With George Washington’s leadership and help from foreign countries, the 13 colonies won their revolution against British rule and became the United States of America.

Lesson 1: The Break with Britain

Lesson 2: Victories and Defeats

Lesson 3: Independence!

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the function and importance of the Second Continental Congress
• summarize the events and importance of the early campaigns of the war
• trace or draw a map of the 13 colonies, locating the important battle sites
• define the terms Loyalist and Patriot, and state the philosophy of each group
• explain the major concepts of the Declaration of Independence
• evaluate the importance of the Declaration of Independence
• write a character sketch of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
• chart the name, date, leaders, outcome, and significance of each major battle of the Revolution
• summarize the strategies employed by each side
• identify the turning point of the war
• evaluate the motivations of the European nations that aligned themselves with the colonists
• list and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each side in the war
• identify the importance of the western campaign of George Rogers Clark, the war at sea, the southern campaign, and the campaign at Yorktown
• identify the key individuals in the unit
• evaluate the various American strategies and fighting styles used in the war, and explain why the Americans used these strategies
• assess the terms of the Treaty of Paris
• summarize the crucial role colonial women played in the struggle for independence

Suggested Activities

• develop crossword puzzles with a theme related to the American Revolution (i.e., vocabulary lists, words from the Declaration, names of signers, names of American heroes, names of British leaders, names of battles, etc.)
• arrange a classroom display of books, pictures, and other source materials
• chart the reasons Patriots and Loyalists may have had for their choice
• create and act out an imaginary conversation between Thomas Paine and George III
• paraphrase the first, second, and fourth sections of the Declaration of Independence
• write a diary entry or a letter from the point of view of a revolutionary soldier, a British soldier, a mercenary
• dramatize an event in the American Revolution
• "what if" activity
• research and make an oral report on a leading personality of the war (Burgoyne, Howe, Gage, Cornwallis, , Lafayette, Von Steuben, Pulaski, George Rogers Clark, Francis Marion, Nathanael Greene, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, Etc.)
• write a series of diary entries as a civilian in an area of intense warfare
• research in detail the role of colonial women in the war (Molly Pitcher, Deborah Sampson, etc.)
• research in detail the role of blacks in the Revolution (Peter Salem, Salem Poor, Prince Whipple, Oliver Cromwell, Lemmuel Haynes, Pompey Lamb, Henri Christophe, etc.)
• conduct research to find three examples of individuals or groups using the Declaration to promote reform
• write a position statement from the point of view of a Patriot, Loyalist, and Neutral
• design a recruitment poster for the American army
• create a "freedom" concept web to show the kinds of, or lack of freedom discussed in this unit
• make a "survival package" for a soldier over wintering at Valley Forge. List five items you would send to help them get through the winter
• design a symbol or an emblem capturing the spirit of the Patriot soldier
• interview two delegates to the Second Continental Congress
• write a play in which a small group of ordinary men, women, and children in a small town react to the news of the Declaration of Independence
• make a banner or a flag honoring a special event in the New United States
• reasearch and draw uniforms worn by Continental and British forces during the war.
• describe, or draw a picture of, a gift the Continental Congress may have sent to the French government in appreciation of its help

Suggested duration of Unit: 3 Weeks

A Government for the New Nation

Theme: The new government under the Constitution, with George Washington as president, had a stronger central government than the government under the Articles of Confederation.

Lesson 1: The First Union of States

Lesson 2: The Constitutional Convention

Lesson 3: "A More Perfect Union"

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• assess the strengths and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
• evaluate the accomplishments of our first government
• read the maps explaining the Northwest Territory and the conflict over western lands
• discuss the significance and advantages of the equal statehood provisions in the Northwest Ordinance
• identify the roles of the important people of the Constitutional Convention
• explain the issues involved in the Great Compromise
• chart the three branches of government created by the convention
• explain the Three-Fifths Compromise
• list the powers granted Congress by the Constitution
• understand the mechanics of ratification
• explain the position of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists
• identify and evaluate the Bill of Rights
• evaluate the process and importance of amending the Constitution
• summarize the Amendments

Suggested Activities

• make posters, using pictures and diagrams, to illustrate the structure and functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government
• discuss each of the six purposes for government mentioned in the Preamble and let students develop illustrations to show how they work
• organize a classroom constitutional convention
• compile a scrapbook of newspapers and magazine articles related to constitutional issues
• write a few headlines that point to the new nation’s problems
• create a "jigsaw" activity assigning each group of students the task to: prepare a plan for a national government; establish new land policies; pay off war debts; establish relationships with other nations.
• Draw a political cartoon illustrating either the northern or the southern point of view about how slaves should be counted for representation
• create a poster entitled The Face of Liberty by collecting photograph from newspapers or magazines showing the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights
• calculate the odds of an amendment to the Constitution being passed, based on the fact that more than 9,000 amendments have been proposed and only 27, (10 of which are part of the original Constitution), have been passed
• select one of the 10 amendments that make up the Bill of Rights and research its history
• "what if" activity
• develop a set of class rules supported by a two-third majority. Discuss
• students should list 10 states of their choice and rank them in order of geographical size. They should then re-rank them according to their number of representatives to illustrate the value of two kinds of representation
• draw a poster showing how students can get involved in their community’s democratic system

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Federalist Period

Theme: During the Federalist Period, the ideals of the Constitution were put to work in a practical way during the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams.

Lesson 1: The NewGovernment Begins

Lesson 2: The Rise of Political Partie

Lesson 3: Treaties and Troubles

Lesson 4: The Federalist Record

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the first president, vice president, and the first cabinet officials and their duties
• assess the government’s need for and the workings of tariffs
• explain and evaluate the Judiciary Act of 1789
• explain how the location of the capital was determined
• define and evaluate the terms loose interpretation and strict interpretation
• summarize the functions of political parties
• name the first political parties in the United States
• compare the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans
• assess the Whiskey Rebellion
• identify the problems in foreign relations faced by Presidents Washington and Adams
• summarize the terms of Jay’s Treaty and Pinckney’s Treaty
• assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Federalist Party
• assess the achievements of the Federalist Party
• account for the Federalists loss of control of the national government
• identify and evaluate the Alien and Sedition Acts

Suggested Activities

• research and prepare a report on a famous building or attraction in or near the United States capital
• make a scrapbook of pictures and news articles the show the function of a chosen Cabinet position
• research the various levels of the federal court system, their function, and how the court system has changed since 1789
• research the architecture and planning of Washington, D.C.
• write a newspaper report of Washington’s inauguration
• construct a family tree of the Adams family indicating date of birth, date of death and accomplishments
• investigate how cholera and yellow fever were a deadly threat in early citiea
• research and draw the evolution of the American flag
• "what if" activity
• write a job description for the first cabinet members. Interview for the job
• draw a political cartoon about any of the main events in this section
• write a one-paragraph eulogy for President Washington’s funeral
• have students organize a panel discussion attempting to recruit members for the Federalists and the Democratic-Republican
• make a poster for the candidate of your choice in the elections of 1796
• draw a political cartoon aimed at the Alien and Sedition Acts

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

The Frontier Moves West

Theme: During the early nineteenth century, under the leadership of the Virginia Dynasty, the United States expanded in size, in government, and in world opinion.

Lesson 1: Across the Appalachians

Lesson 2: Jefferson Buys Louisiana

Lesson 3: The War of 1812

Lesson 4: An Era of Good Feeling

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• define the term frontier
• state when and where the first permanent white settlement was built west of the Appalachian Mountains
• identify important historical differences between the lands south of the Ohio River and the Northwest Territory
• assess the effects of the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the Treaty of Greenville
• describe life on the frontier
• evaluate the importance of rivers and waterways to the settlement of the West
• assess the constitutionality of the Louisiana Purchase
• interpret a map of the Louisiana Purchase
• use an atlas to discover the states that were once completely or partially contained within the Louisiana Territory
• appreciate the roles of Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, and Zebulon Pike in the exploration of the Louisiana Territory
• summarize the events that led to the Louisiana Purchase
• identify the cause of the war with Tripoli
• assess neutral rights of the United States
• evaluate the Embargo Act
• identify the causes of the War of 1812
• read a map of the battle sites of the War of 1812
• appreciate the origin of the words to The Star Spangled Banner
• analyze the results of the War of 1812
• differentiate between revenue and protective tariffs
• name the three leaders that comprised the Virginia Dynasty
• identify the Hamiltonian policies that were adopted by the Democratic-Republicans
• assess the methods that were used by the United States to gain control over Florida
• explain the important points of the Monroe Doctrine
• evaluate the Missouri Compromise

Suggested Activities

• begin a Hall of Presidents display
• role-play the expansionists and the anti-expansionists in the US Senate on the eve of the War of 1812
• create maps showing the expansion of the U.S. and the routes blazed by settlers and explorers
• write a series of diary entries as a family moves to the Northwest Territory
• research the history of Schenectady or Albany to determine the role of rivers in their early development
• write a eulogy of Tecumseh’s life, deeds, and principles
• debate the merits of other songs, i.e., America the Beautiful or America, instead of The Star Spangled Banner as a national anthem
• prepare a brief report on the facts behind the expression Don’t give up the ship
• as a small group activity, research examples of some of Jefferson’s inventions, and of buildings he designed
• make a line graph showing the values of imports and exports of the United States from 1800 to 1820
• create a board game based on the Lewis and Clark expedition
• "what if" activity
• research Toussaint-Louverture and propose qualities that made him a natural leader
• write a journal entry or make a detailed drawing of plants/animals as if you were a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition
• prepare a campaign to convince President Jefferson that a trade embargo is a bad idea
• rewrite history as if Tecumseh had succeeded in uniting the Native Americans
• make a mural showing various dramatic snapshots of the War of 1812
• analyze the many patriotic songs written during the War of 1812
• write a patriotic song
• write an editorial supporting or rejecting the ideas of the Monroe Doctrine

Suggested duration of unit: 3 weeks

The Jacksonian Era

Theme: Andrew Jackson successfully handled sectional issues and promoted a democratization of America, but inequalities in the treatment of Indians, blacks, and women remained.

Lesson 1: A New Kind of President

Lesson 2: Sectionalism

Lesson 3: Jacksonian Democracy

Lesson 4: Inequalities in the Jacksonian Era

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• contrast Andrew Jackson with previous presidents
• explain how John Quincy Adams became president in 1824
• interpret and compare the graphs showing the popular vote in the presidential elections of 1824 and 1828
• assess the validity of the charge of corrupt bargain
• identify the origin of the term democrat
• assess the dangers of nullification and sectionalism
• chart the major sectional issues during Jackson’s presidency
• evaluate Jackson’s handling of the South Carolina nullification crisis
• identify the Compromise Tariff of 1833
• explain Jackson’s position of the Bank Charter Bill
• tell how the Whigs won the presidential election of 1840
• compare information about presidents Jackson, Van Buren, and Harrison
• evaluate the term Jacksonian democracy
• explain how presidential nomination conventions helped to give more political rights to people
• account for the increase in the number of voters
• distinguish between the Cabinet and the Kitchen Cabinet
• assess the impact of Jacksonian democracy on education and business
• explain the motivation behind Indian removal
• identify the Trail of Tears
• summarize reactions of Indians, women, and blacks to their exclusion from Jacksonian democracy
• distinguish between the goals of gradual abolitionists and extreme abolitionists

Suggested Activities

• find, explain, and display political cartoons that target Andrew Jackson
• conduct an 1832 political campaign for Andrew Jackson
• construct an illustrated time line of events in Jackson’s life and/or presidency
• brain storm, then categorize, a list of character traits that make a good president. Give (and justify) Presidents Adams and Jackson a grade based on he list
• write an essay about the dangers of sectionalism and nullification
• develop a chart presenting the major sectional issues, what sections were for or against them, present Jackson’s position on them, and their resolution
• use reference materials to find four firsts related to the Harrison
• "what if" activity
• write an essay defending the quote "Jefferson formulated the ideals of democracy, Jackson developed the practice of democracy"
• in a debate, assess the advantages and disadvantages of the spoils system
• make a large chart listing all the presidents up to Jackson: give one interesting or fun-to-know fact about each and at least one important accomplishment. Add information about wives and number of children
• search for first hand accounts of Indians involved in the Trail of tears or other removal programs
• research the specific contributions of early abolitionists – David Walker, Levi Coffin, James G. Birney, the Grimke’ sisters, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass
• research the links between the antislavery movement and the women’s rights movement
• research presidential nicknames (i.e., Old Hickory, King Andrew, etc.)
• prepare a list of five interview questions which might have been asked of President Jackson
• research, and write a report about, one of the Five Civilized Tribes – the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek – or their leaders
• identify different primary sources about any of the topics in this unit (written materials, paintings, photographs, artifacts): compare and contrast them
• write a campaign slogan for Van Buren or Harrison in the election of 1840. Design a campaign button that incorporates the slogan
• research and compare the geography of the southeastern United States to that of Oklahoma – the Indian Territory. Write a pamphlet explaining to the Cherokee and other Native Americans what they will find in the new region

Suggested duration of unit: 3 weeks

The American Spirit Grows

Theme: In the first half of the 1800s a distinctively American character developed, marked by reform movements; by emerging American literature, art and music; and by development in industry.

Lesson 1: The Spirit of Reform

Lesson 2: Educating the Public

Lesson 3: An American Spirit in the Arts

Lesson 4: American Enterprise

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the goals of reformers in the 1830s and 1840s
• create a monument immortalizing a reformer of this period
• name the year and the place of the first women’s rights convention and assess its importance
• compare the wording and format of the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments
• explain, and give examples of, the methods used by reformers
• summarize the causes and the change in attitude toward free public education
• evaluate the impact of free public schools on publishing
• assess the value of a free public education
• explain the phrase intellectual declaration of independence
• identify the distinguishing characteristics and representative writers and painters of the Concord group and the Hudson River School
• name the causes and results of the transportation revolution
• compare travel by canal and railroad
• read a map of canals and railroads
• identify the reasons for the growth of manufacturing in New England
• explain the connection between McCormick’s reaper and the agricultural revolution

Suggested Activities

• research one or more of the following writers (Irving, Cooper, Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne), painters (Cole, Durand, Bingham, Catlin, Doughty, Mount, Audubon, Currier, Ives), Stephen Foster’s music, or folk music such as sea chanteys or spirituals
• visit a museum with displays of regional folk arts and crafts or musical instruments
• research and compare trips from new York City to Chicago in 1800, 1830, 1860, and the present. Keep a diary describing the type of transportation and some events of each trip
• role-play the Seneca Falls convention or any women’s convention of the early 1840s
• draw political cartoons illustrating pro or con positions on the Seneca Falls Convention, the abolitionist movement, or the temperance movement
• construct a time line of major educational innovations of the early 19^th century
• interview an adult who is more than 50years old to find out what they remember about their public school days. Compare with public schools of today
• "what if" activity
• research early educational facilities that admitted women or created for women (Oberlin College, Mt. Holyoke Seminary, Emma Willard, etc.)
• read and analyze some of the stories, novels, or poetry by 19^th century American writers
• locate and analyze reproductions of painting and folk art from the early 1800s
• listen to, and analyze a variety of negro spirituals
• listen to, and analyze several Erie Canal songs
• write new stories based on the following headlines: "Seneca Chief Arrives in New York City", "Horse Beats Tom Thumb", "Enterprise Sets Record", McCormick’s Perfect Reaper"
• research inventions such as the: flying shuttle, spinning jenny, water frame, spinning mule, power loom, cotton gin. Create an illustrated flowchart explaining the relationship between them
• using any of the principal inventions of the Industrial Revolution, create a flowchart illustrating their far reaching political and social effects
• in the South, a rebound in slavery and lack of economic diversity were the direct results of the invention of the cotton gin. Create an illustrated flowchart showing possible effects resulting from each problem
• make an outline map of New York showing its three largest cities and the geographic features that might have contributed to their growth
• make labeled diagrams showing how canal locks or steamboats work
• choose a character of the late 1700s and early 1800s (Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Mike Fink, Jean Lafitte). Present findings to the class as a skit, drawing, written/oral report, or a combination of these

Suggested length of unit: 2 weeks

Spanning the Continent

Theme: As a result of the principle of Manifest Destiny, the United States stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific by 1853, having used war, treaty, and purchase to gain land.

Lesson 1: On to Oregon

Lesson 2: Texas: Republic and State

Lesson 3: A Southwestern Empire

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the Great American Desert
• explain the role played by the Mountain Men and the missionaries in westward expansion
• locate the Oregon Trail
• assess the reason for "Oregon fever"
• describe the provisional government
• evaluate the solution to the "Oregon question"
• identify the role played by Stephen Austin in the settlement of Texas
• explain the causes of conflict between Texas settlers and Mexico
• recount events at the Alamo
• identify the rallying cry for battle against Mexico
• trace the events that led to Texas statehood
• evaluate the causes of the Mexican War
• identify the strategies used in the Mexican War
• assess the results of the war between the United States and Mexico
• list the terms of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• locate the land acquired through the Mexican Cession and the Gadsden Purchase
• identify the settlers of the Utah Territory
• explain the cause and effects of the California gold rush
• compare the reaction of Northerners and Southerners to manifest destiny

Suggested Activities

• develop a chart showing the major land acquisitions of the United States between 1783 and 1853
• make a model of some of the symbols of westward expansion (a covered wagon, the Alamo, Sutter’s mill, etc.)
• keep a journal about a trip to Oregon by covered wagon with a large group
• discuss similarities and differences in the reasons for people coming to the New World and people heading for Oregon
• research present day tensions between the United States and Mexico
• "what if" activity
• develop a map of land and sea routes to California
• create a historical fiction biography for any of the characters in this unit
• build a simple telegraph and use it to send messages in Morse code
• write a poem about a vast, empty place that you know or have read about
• make posters advertising the move to Oregon
• find a biography and write a book report on one of the following people: Jim Beckwourth, Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, John J. Astor, Jedediah Smith, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, John Sager and his family
• write a brief essay expressing the point of view about westward expansion for each of the following people: a young American settler emigrating to Oregon, a frontiersman living in the Rocky Mountains, a Native American living on the Great Plains, a Mexican citizen farming in Texas, and a British ship owner operating off the Oregon coast
• list the quarrels on each side of the Mexican-American conflict. Write an editorial or a letter to the editor describing the quarrels from the Mexican point of view
• research the colorful personality of Santa Ana and prepare a skit dramatizing one event in his life
• imagine you are Stephen Austin, Draw an advertisement attracting settlers to Texas
• use the library resources to gather information for a report on the missions established by Father Junipero Serra and his life
• make a diagram of a typical mission
• create an illustrated map of the Santa Fe Trail
• research the work of painters such as Albert Bierstadt, and Frederick Remington, and photographers such as William H. Jackson or Ansel Adams.
• choose one region of the west and investigate it as a traveling scientist would. List plants and animals you would see there. Draw sketches of characteristics such as leaves or paw prints. Write a "naturalist’s report"
• learn the words and music to a western song and perform
• plan and design the layout of a western town. Construct a model
• organize a debate between the oopsing views of the Mexican War held by Mexicans (and many Americans) and President Polk
• write a diary entry recording the feelings of a Mexican farmer at the time of the Guadadalupe Hidalgo Treaty
• design a chart showing the effects of the discovery of gold in California. Illustrate it
• brainstorm the preparations needed to bring thousands of people across the Mississippi, through the plains, and over the Rocky Mountains to their new desert home
• draw a scene that might have existed in a mining boomtown
• create a business plan detailing what type of product, store, or servive might be most profitable if you and a partner wanted to open a business serving miners. Write a letter to a local bank describing the business, how much money you will need to borrow, and for what you will be using the money
• describe an event in this unit you might consider making a movie about. Make a list of at least three historical characters you would choose and suggest the names of modern actors who would be suitable for those roles
• use the Internet to make a list of historic sites that a Mormon might want to visit during a trip to Salt Lake City
• draw a poster showing the different ways gold and silver ware mined

Suggested duration of Unit: 2 weeks

North and South

Theme: During the mid-1800s, North and South became increasingly divided along economic, political, and cultural lines.

Lesson 1: The North’s Economy

Lesson 2: The North’s People

Lesson 3: Southern Cotton Kingdom

Lesson 4: The South’s People

Performance Goals

Students will be able to

• identify the geographical characteristics that generated the dissimilarities between North and South
• summarize ways that advances in technology, transportation, and communication spurred economic growth
• describe the nature of work in the North and how immigration shaped American life
• describe the economy of the pre-Civil War South
• summarize the different lifestyles of the South’s people
• assess and evaluate the conflict generated by dissimilar lifestyles and beliefs
• analyze the economic and social differences between an increasingly urban society in the North and an agricultural society in the South
• assess the strengths and weaknesses of each area
• understand how the combination of new technology, favorable climate, high demand, and drawbacks from other cash crops led to the cotton boom in the Deep South
• evaluate the impact of Henry David Thoreau and his beliefs in abolitionism, freedom of the individual, and civil disobedience

Suggested Activities

• read and prepare a report on the Pony Express
• create a concept web illustrating the interrelationship of technological developments in pre-Civil War United States
• create a mural illustrating the concept web above
• research and present information of the development of the air brake
• create a scrimshaw artifact using a smooth, clean piece of plastic from a soft plastic jug
• read about, and report, on the first attempts and sub successful transatlantic telegraph cable by Cyrus Field
• research the number of acres of wheat harvested in the United States before and after McCormick introduced his reaper. Create a graph or chart to illustrate your findings
• "what if" activity
• write a letter to the editor discussing the problems of one of the following groups: factory workers, African Americans, women, city dwellers, immigrants. Make suggestions for ways to improve conditions
• make a collage showing urban/factory living/working conditions. Use readily available materials
• create a graph showing the changing nature of the United States population from 1790 to the present
• design a campaign poster for a Know-Nothing Party candidate
• find a circle graph related to the economy in the newspaper or magazine. Draw a conclusion about the economy
• listen to, and analyze, some of Stephen Foster’s music. Discuss how the songs paint a rosy picture of that South, in stark contrast with reality
• design an advertisement to sell the newly marketed cotton gin
• create a storyboard depicting various aspects of southern life
• research the influence of African music on other styles of music such as jazz, blues, be-bop, soul, mambo, and reggae
• discuss and analyze the following quote by historian Thomas A. Bailey. The dark taint of slavery also left its mark on whites. It fostered the brutality of the whip, the bloodhound, and the branding iron. White southerners increasingly lived in a state of imagined siege, surrounded by potentially rebellious blacks inflamed by abolitionist propaganda… Their fears bolstered an intoxicating theory of biological superiority and turned the South into a reactionary backwater in an era of progress – one of the last bastions of slavery in the western world. The defenders of slavery were forced to degrade themselves along with their victims. As Booker T. Washington…later observed, whites could not hold blacks in a ditch without getting down there with them."
• draw scenes illustrating the differences between planters and slaves in the 1800s
• research, and, a model of a plantation
• write a conversation between a southerner and a northerner who meet on a train in the mid-1899s

Suggested duration of unit: 2 weeks

Rising Tensions

Theme: The decade prior to the Civil War involved increasing tensions between Northern and Southern life styles, with problems centering on issues of slavery and states’ rights.

Lesson 1: Another Compromise

Lesson 2: Tensions Increase

Lesson 3: A House Divided

Lesson 4: North and South in 1860

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify the roles played by Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster in the Compromise of 1850
• explain the events that led to the Compromise of 1850
• summarize and evaluate the provisions of the Compromise of 1850
• compare the Compromise of 1850 with the Missouri Compromise
• assess the results of the Compromise of 1850
• analyze a map that shows that terms of the Compromise of 1850
• identify new leaders who emerged on the American political scene
• summarize and assess the Dred Scott Decision
• explain the reasons for the birth of the Republican Party
• analyze the causes and the effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
• account for the events that took place in Kansas during the 1850s
• assess the importance of the Lincoln-Douglas debates
• explain the reasons for John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry
• interpret a map that shows the distribution of electoral votes in the presidential elections of 1860
• account for Lincoln’s victory in the presidential elections of 1860
• summarize and evaluate the reasons for the secession of the southern states
• summarize the major social and economic differences between North and South in the 1860s
• explain and assess the slave system
• compare the reactions of northerners and southerners to Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• identify the stereotypes in Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• assess the impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the tensions between North and South
• list arguments on both sides regarding the major issues of contention between North and South

Suggested Activities

• discuss the different levels of loyalty to nation, region , state, county, city, and neighborhood. Create a booklet illustrating each with text or illustrations
• prepare and present debates on one of the following: the Clay, Webster, Calhoun debate over the Compromise of 1850; two congressmen debating the Kansas-Nebraska bill; the Dred Scott case; the Lincoln-Douglas debates; discussion over which life style, northern or southern, was best in 1860; states’ rights
• create a campaign slogan, or song, for Abraham Linclon, Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, or John Bell in the 1860 presidential campaign
• make an illustrated time line of the 1850s decade, beginning with the Compromise of 1850 and ending with Lincoln’s inauguration
• find, read, and share unusual and exciting stories of escaped slaves: William and Ellen Craft, Henry "Box" Brown, or such Underground Railroad workers as levi Coffin, Calvin Fairbanks, Jane Lewis, Elijah Anderson
• discuss the circumstances of the Dred Scott case, stressing how ordinary persons using the legal system can have enormous impact
• "what if" activity
• research other Supreme Court rulings which have changed the course of American history (Plessy v. Ferguson; Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka; Gideon v. Wainwright; Row v. Wade)
• write a poem or short story about which event: the Lincol-Douglas debates, the Dred Scott decision, or John Brown’s raid, had the most impact on your life had you been living in the 1850s
• research the career of cartoonist Thomas Nast
• create a political cartoon illustrating Lincoln’s statement "A house divided against itself cannot stand"
• after listening to The Bonnie Blue Flag and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, write the lyrics to a patriotic song favoring either the North or the South
• trace the history of the problems concerning the issue of slavery: include the constitutional compromises, the Missouri Compromise, the nullification controversy
• read excerpts from Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Find examples of the behavior of Uncle Tom or Simon Legree that explain why these figures have become stereotypes
• create a poster to announce the opening of a stage version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• choose a scene from Uncle Tom’s Cabin and dramatize it

Suggested length of unit: 3 weeks

The following topic can be taught independently of the chronological approach used in this document.

The Constitution of the United States

Performance Goals

Students will be able to:

• identify and explain the purpose of the preamble
• identify the reasons for the Bill of Rights
• explain the need for amendments to the Constitution
• make connections between specific Articles and Amendments and the historic events which prompted their passage

Suggested Activities

• practice substituting the unfamiliar words of the Constitution with their definitions in the margin notes
• analyze the changes in the House of representatives for New York State for the last X years. Discuss how a change in the number of House seats might affect a state
• list the qualifications for serving in Congress as set forth in the Constitution. Discuss if other qualifications should be added, or present ones chnged, in modern days
• after reading Art.I, Section 9, of the Constitution, discuss the importance of the writ of Habeas Corpus, and the Bills of Attainder
• discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two-term limit in the executive branch
• after reading Article II, students should list the powers of the president and categorize them by executive, legislative, diplomatic, military, and judicial
• research the inclusion of minorities in the Supreme Court
• discuss the pros and cons of federal judges being elected rather than appointed
• write a brief biographical sketch of one of the signers of the Constitution
• research the reasons for, and the writing of, the Bill of Rights
• write a paragraph that supports or challenges the statement that the Fifth Amendment is little more than a shield for the guilty
• after a class discussion write a paragraph stating your opinion on whether today’s mass media threatens a defendant’s Sixth Amendment rights
• review the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. Make a poster illustrating how each builds upon the previous one
• review the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction eras. Explain how, in spite of the above Amendments, large numbers of ex-slaves were kept from voting
• construct a time line that includes each of the Amendments, their content, the year of ratification, and significant political, social and economic events that led to their ratification
• debate the pros and cons of Prohibition
• "what if"
• write a paragraph linking the Twenty-fifth Amendments on presidential disability to the historical event that generated it
• create a school constitution that begins with a preamble, including a limitation of powers and a bill of rights, if necessary
• investigate how the Twenty-sixth Amendment may be linked, in some way, to the Vietnam War

Performance Goals

Standards Alignment

&

Activities

Grade 8

Nora Lohmann – Oneida

Performance Goals

Standards Alignment

&

Activities

Grade 7

Nora Lohmann - Oneida