An overview of Early American History

Grade 10

Mr. Welle

Course Description

This course will offer an overview of early American history including major events and themes from Colonization up to Reconstruction. This course is designed to make you the student think more critically about events in history. Although time will be spent on building knowledge on the topics being studied, the main focus of this course is to view history through multiple perspectives. This year we will be asking the question Why? Concerning history, and will view how events are related as well as why they happened. You will be encouraged to look at the main themes objectively and see that they offer various different interpretations than you may have been exposed to in the past.

Learner Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the material covered in the class through the various unit tests, which will be partially multiple choice, and partially essay.
• Students will display their critical thinking skills in a series of reflection papers with a selection of questions presented by the teacher.
• Every student will demonstrate their group skills and develop their consensus building skills in the group work and group discussions, where participation will be assessed by the group.
• Students will develop a mental timeline of events as they happened, and highlight this in an individual project on change over time.
• Students will keep a running journal of thoughts concerning events discussed in class, and writing at least one entry a week on any topic discussed in class.
• Students will develop an understanding of how various events can be looked at from various perspectives, and see that there is always more than one interpretation of a historical event. This will be assessed in a mini- research project.
• Students will come to a conclusion of what history is and what variables affect what it will be. This should be a personal view and a culmination of thoughts developed throughout the course.

Outline

Settlement and Colonization (Weeks 1 - 4)

In this unit we will be looking at HOW the U.S. was first settled, and WHY the early settlers chose to come to this new land. As a class we will be looking at the conditions that the settlers had to endure to stake their place in American history. We will also be discussing what life would have been like for the average settler, as well as the socioeconomic differences that these people faced. This unit will be centered around the main question: What did the early colonists come to the new world to accomplish, and at what price did this come at?

American Revolution (Weeks 5 - 12)

This unit will present views of the American Revolution, and how they shaped what would become the United States. We will explore what the revolution meant to the colonies as well as what it meant to Great Britain. The class will be looking at main themes including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Revolutionary War, and finally our Constitution. While exploring these themes we ask ourselves: What difficulties did our new nation face upon its creation? and Why was the revolution successful?

Expansion Westward (Weeks 13 - 15)

Throughout this unit we will be looking at America’s interests in expanding westward, and why it was inevitable. Our main themes will be the Gold Rush, border war with Mexico, and Manifest Destiny. Questions to be discussed in this unit will include: Why did America grow westward so quickly? Were the methods that the U.S. used to obtain territories fair to all parties?, and

Industrial Revolution (Weeks 16 - 20)

This unit will focus on how inventions in industry helped forge the U.S. ahead in technology in the world. We will look at the major inventions of the time, and discuss what affect they had both on the economy, and the life of an average American. This new surge in technology led to a more efficient use of manpower, and a question that will be looked at in this unit will be: How did this industrial revolution effect the slavery issues? also, Did this industrial revolution effect different parts of the country in different ways?

Sectional Crisis (Weeks 21 - 25)

In this unit we will begin to look at how the country is beginning to split in half. We will look at the roots of this division, and discuss how politics played an important role in the sectional division. Key concepts in this unit will be: State vs. National Government, Slavery, and Values of North vs. South. Important questions to consider are: What were the warning signs or indications pointing to an eventual Civil War? Why did the states votes sway so drastically in political parties from the North and South? Why was the controversy over slavery such a loaded issue for the South, and seemed less so for the North?

Civil War (Weeks 26 - 32)

This unit will go into detail of the battles in the war, and how they affected the country as a whole as well as individuals. Some main concepts to be covered will be: the Emancipation Proclamation, Unconditional Surrender, Confederacy vs. Union Governments, Wartime Technology, and High Casualties. Important questions discussed will be: What organizations or movements came out of the Civil War? What role did slaves, or free slaves play in the role? How did the war affect the North differently from the South?

Reconstruction (Weeks 33 - 36)

This the last unit of the course will discuss how the U.S. recovered from the destruction of the Civil War. We will look at why the economic structures and how they changed after the Civil War. In class we will discuss the significance of the assassination of the President, and how it affected the country. The main questions that will be looked at in this unit will be: What happened to the slaves now that they were free? What kind of work was there for the free slave population? Compare the conditions that free slaves faced during this time with those they faced as slaves.

Evaluation

Students will be assessed on a percentile system of the work that is submitted. Assessments will be very objective, and open for discussion. Because much of the material graded will consist of students’ personal thoughts and conclusions, students must learn to develop critical thinking skills. In the end, it is the students’ critical thinking skills that will contribute to the amount learned in the course, and the grade the student will earn in the course.

Grading System

Journals - 15%

Daily Homework - 15%

Reflection Papers - 20%

Mini Projects - 10%

Exams - 20%

Final Explanation of History - 10%

Daily Participation - 10%

90 – 100% = A

80 – 89% = B

70 – 79% = C

60 – 69% = D

below 60% = F

Any student with a disability or special needs should meet with the instructor so your needs can be met, and you can get the most education value from the course.