US I Enriched Syllabus, 2016-2017

Mr. Bernich, Madison High School

OVERVIEW

This course focuses on the history of the United States from 1607 to 1898, exploring the political, economic and social factors that have influenced the development of this nation from colonial outpost to global power. Students will explore the course via five thematic strands which include a focus on the United States as an emerging multiracial/multicultural society, engine of technological and economic growth, participant in global affairs, evolving democratic republic and agent of social change. Students will explore each unit through a variety of teaching methods and assessments aimed at the development of appropriate thinking, research and communication skills with an emphasis on documentary analysis and interpretation. This will allow students to gain a deep understanding of the complex issues surrounding historical events and make strong connections to current events that will shape the future of this nation.

The curricular units are organized to allow an introduction to the five recurrent themes that will form the lens through which the history of the nation is explored. Subsequent units feature thought-provoking essential questions which will drive the process of instruction and assessment. In an effort to prioritize depth of coverage that will yield more meaningful understanding of the past, each unit will feature boldfaced essential questions that represent required “deep dives” that aim to provoke a thoughtful and comprehensive look at critical developments within a particular era. Instructors are encouraged to select from the specified unit content to provide examples and insights relative to the essential questions and related learning objectives. Additional essential questions within each unit provide suggested pathways to additional study of a given time period, however teachers are encouraged to follow their own intellectual passions and student interest when developing topics of further interest within a given instructional unit.

GOALS

This course aims to:

  • produce apprentice historians who are able to use historical facts and evidence in the service of creating deeper conceptual understandings of critical developments in U.S. history.
  • strengthen habits of citing specific evidence to support analyses of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the historical issue as a whole.
  • develop the ability to determine the central ideas or information of a sources and provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
  • improve the ability to evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the information leaves matters uncertain.
  • enable students to become positive citizens in a democratic society and contributing members of a global community.
  • increase students understanding of the world to enhance career readiness in the 21st century.

THEMATIC STRANDS

Theme 1: The Peopling of the United States

Focus Question: How did the United States become a multiracial/multicultural society?

  • What is an American?
  • What factors contributed to ethnic and racial diversity within the United States?
  • How have Americans responded to the challenges of living in a diverse society?
  • How has cultural diversity contributed to the development of the United States economy?

Theme 2: Technology, Environment, and the Economy of the United States

Focus Question: How did the United States evolve economically?

  • How has the availability of natural resources impacted American economic thought?
  • How important have economic considerations been in the development of American political life?
  • What has been the relationship between a capitalist economic system and a democratic political system in the American system?
  • To what extent have the emphases on equality and success been mutually achievable?

Theme 3: The United States and the World

Focus Question: How have relations with foreign nations shaped the history of the United

States?

  • To what extent has American involvement in the world reflected domestic concerns?
  • What tensions have emerged due to economic and political influences in American foreign policy?
  • How and why have American wars resulted from desire or need?
  • To what degree has American foreign policy been determined by national ideals/

Theme 4: An Evolving Democracy

Focus Question: How has the government of the United States changed?

  • How have particular understandings of human nature affected American democratic development?
  • How has the tension between community and individual been addressed over time?
  • To what extent have the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution remained relevant?
  • Why and in what manner has the relationship between the individual and the government changed over time?
  • To what degree has the American political system evolved toward fulfillment of the principles embodied in the nation's founding documents?

Theme 5: Social Change

Focus Question: How did individuals or groups initiate change in American life?

  • Why have some groups needed to fight for their rights?
  • What methods have been used to achieve social change?
  • In what ways have the goals of different groups been related?
  • To what extent have individual and group demands affected American politics and traditions?

REQUIRED RESOURCES

Boyer’s The American Nation - 1998

Danzer’sThe Americans - 2002

Kennedy, The American Pageant, Cengage Learning - 2015

A Forgotten History: The Slave Trade and Slavery in New England, The Choices Program, 2008

The American Revolution: Experiences of Rebellion, The Choices Program, 2016

A More Perfect Union: American Independence and the Constitution, The Choices Program, 2005

Westward Expansion: A New History, The Choices Program, 2011

The DBQ Project

  • What Caused the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria in 1692?
  • How Revolutionary Was the American Revolution?
  • How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson?
  • The California Gold Rush: A Personal Journal
  • What Caused the Civil War?
  • How Violent Was the Old West?

Course Objectives:

Unit 1: Understanding the Course Themes (see above)

This unit will introduce students to the course themes, which they will then use throughout the school year. The themes address the main issues in United States History and are applicable to all units. Students will learn how to apply the themes to course content through analytical reading, writing and focused cooperative activities.

  • The essential thematic questions can be utilized to better understand any period of United States history.
  • United States history can be analyzed through a thematic approach.
  • These five themes are universal to our analysis of United States history and its relationship to contemporary events.

Unit Two: 1607-1754 Slavery and the Colonial Economy

This unit explores the origins and development of the institution of slavery as an American phenomenon from its origins in the British colonies to the pre-Revolutionary period. In addition, students will analyze the creation of an American identity separate from their British colonial heritage. Students will engage in an analytical study of the beginnings of involuntary servitude that led to slavery as a function of the American economy and its different regional manifestations, including slavery as both a Northern and Southern phenomenon. Students will examine slavery’s impact on the British mercantile economic system. Students will also explore early attempts by individuals to both abolish slavery as an institution and resist racial subjugation. Teachers will incorporate a variety of instructional approaches that seek to make clear connections between the unit focus and contemporary events.

Unit Essential Questions:

  • Did British mercantilism create or limit opportunity for the American colonists?
  • Was slavery an inevitable phenomenon in the economy of the colonial America and later United States?
  • What factors contributed to ethnic and racial diversity within the United States and what unexpected challenges and benefits arose from ethnic diversity?
  • Was racism in America a cause or product of the slave labor system?
  • What qualities or characteristics transformed colonial British citizens into “early” citizens of the United States?
  • How did the various works of art, literature and cultural identity begin to provoke the British colonial citizen into thinking of him/herself as an American colonial citizen?

Unit Three: 1754-1800: From Revolution to New Nation

In this unit, students will will analyze the causes and consequences of the American Revolution. Beginning with the French & Indian War and the ensuing economic crisis, students will explore how economic, social and political differences would lead to the drive for independence. Students will also examine of the American Revolution as an agent of change in North America and the attempts of the new citizens of the United States to establish a sound and lasting government culminating in the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution. Finally, students will examine the foreign and domestic challenges which faced the new nation. Teachers will incorporate a variety of instructional approaches that seek to make clear connections between the unit focus and contemporary events.

Unit Essential Questions:

  • In what ways was the Declaration of Independence a product of the colonist’s experiences under British rule?
  • Was the American Revolution motivated more by colonial political, social or economic grievances?
  • Could the United States Constitution have been created and accepted without compromise?
  • In what ways is the United States Constitution a “living document”?
  • Does the system of check and balances provide our nation with an effective and efficient government?
  • How was the Revolution and creation of the United States of America reflected in the art and literature of the people?
  • Did Federalist efforts to strengthen the new government and the national economy undermine democracy?
  • Should the political opposition have the right to criticize a president’s foreign policy during wartime? Is the suppression of civil liberties during times of crisis ever justified?

Unit Four: 1800-1848 Expansion and Reform

This unit will analyze the economic and political development of the United States as a nation with growing territorial ambitions. Student will examine the emergence of a stronger national identity following the War of 1812 and our consequent efforts to project force within and beyond the North American continent. In addition, students will look at internal struggles that would emerge as a result of rapid technological and economic change, and efforts by reformers to establish new social and political institutions to cope with the forces of industrialization. Teachers will incorporate a variety of instructional approaches that seek to make clear connections between the unit focus and contemporary events.

Unit Essential Questions:

  1. Was the United States “destined” to expand its geographic borders?
  2. Was the Monroe Doctrine a “disguise” for American imperialism?
  3. Were reformers of this era successful in addressing the problems of American society?
  4. Are political parties good for our nation?
  5. Is economic coercion an effective method of achieving our national interest in world affairs?
  6. Did Andrew Jackson advance or retard the cause of democracy?
  7. Should the United States have allowed the Indians to retain their tribal identity?
  8. Were abolitionists responsible reformers or irresponsible agitators?

Unit Five: 1844-1877 The Crucible: Slavery, Civil War, Reconstruction

The 1840s marked the beginning of the irrevocable split between North and South. The United States annexed vast amounts of territories to its holdings, which magnified the dispute between North and South over slavery. As attempts to compromise faltered, events spun out of control leading to bloody conflicts in Kansas which would spread throughout the fractured union. The election of Abraham Lincoln resulted in the secession of the southern states and the nation’s bloodiest war. In the aftermath, the country attempted a long and painful process of reconstruction--the social, political and economic effects of which are still being felt today. Teachers will incorporate a variety of instructional approaches that seek to make clear connections between the unit focus and contemporary events.

Unit Essential Questions:

  1. In what ways did the Mexican War challenge the country’s view of itself as one committed to democracy and freedom?
  2. Was the Civil War inevitable? Can legislative compromises solve moral issues?
  3. To what extent did the rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln expand the concept of American democracy and freedom?
  4. Was Reconstruction a success or failure?
  5. Was slavery the primary cause of the Civil War?
  6. Was the Civil War worth its costs?
  7. Was it possible to have peace and reconciliation after the Civil War?
  8. Does racial equality depend upon government action?

Unit Six: 1865-1898: The Gilded Age

The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized society brought about dramatic economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural change. Technological developments and unregulated business practices revolutionized transportation, manufacturing, and consumption and changed the daily lives of Americans. Changing workplace conditions had a powerful impact on relations between capital and labor. Urbanization and vast immigration contributed to urbanization and cultural transformation, often leading to tensions between ethnic and social groups. The legacies of this industrial and social growth are still evident in United States culture today. Teachers will incorporate a variety of instructional approaches that seek to make clear connections between the unit focus and contemporary events.

Unit Essential Questions:

  1. How did the “second wave” immigrants, such as the Italians, Jews and Eastern Europeans, incorporate themselves into American life?
  2. In what ways did the creation and distribution of vast wealth challenge underlying principles of democracy?
  3. Has the West been romanticized?
  4. To what extent did technological invention and innovation improve transportation and the infrastructure of the United States during the nineteenth century?
  5. Should the government have focused on establishing economic equality or equality of economic opportunity during the Gilded Age?
  6. Did America fulfill the dreams of immigrants?
  7. Were big business leaders captains of industry or robber barons?
  8. Did Populism provide an effective solution to the nation’s problems?
  9. In what ways did the rise and power of American industry affect our diplomatic, military and economic relationships with other countries?

STRATEGIES

The US History I curriculum will employ a "depth" over "breadth" approach in which topics of enduringinterest will be pursued thematically and in greater detail, through a variety of methods, including:

  • Cooperative learning groups
  • Teacher presentation
  • Film
  • Guided Reading
  • Student research projects
  • Primary source analysis
  • Role play simulation
  • Individual and group presentations
  • Think, Pair and Share
  • Discussion (class and graded)
  • Geographic analysis
  • Debate

Particular emphasis will be given to reading, interpreting and analyzing a variety of primary sourcematerials. Activities will target a variety of learning styles. They will be structured to enable students toread comprehensively, communicate analytically, and think systematically about how the past interactionsof individuals and groups have shaped the American experience.

Students will use the textbook in conjunction with a variety of supplementary materials to acquire afoundation of knowledge to be applied to the reading, interpretation and analysis of primary sourcematerials. Teachers will provide instructional supports (for example organizers, guided reading questions,etc.) in order to help students acquire both the knowledge and skills required to successfully respond to theessential questions associated with each unit of study. One course objective is that over time students willinternalize these study skills such that they become stronger independent learners who can advocate forthemselves and their learning needs.

EVALUATION

Assessment of student mastery of the material will take a variety of forms. Assessments will be bothformative and summative in design and will be keyed to the thematic strands and essential questions foreach unit. There will be an emphasis on measuring student ability to read, interpret and analyze a varietyof primary source materials, and assessments shall include: writing assignments, reading assignments,completion of study guides, analysis of primary sources, projects, tests and quizzes, and essays. Attendance and student responsibility for make-up work will also play a role in determining courseevaluation. With regard to assessment, scaffolding and support will be provided commensurate withstudent ability levels.

At the beginning of the year, the teacher should distribute a course expectations sheet regarding conductclassroom procedures and grading system as well as make this information available on the teacher’s webpage. Major assignments should be accompanied by guidelines for their completion as well as criteriareflecting how the assignment will be graded.