Download USI.10 On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify

United States History Curriculum Guide
Grade 8
United States History Curriculum Guide
Course Description:
The success of our democracy lies in the principles found in the United States Constitution. The Grade 8 program examines this
living document in the context of its historical evolution. Students will learn about the foundation, creation and preservation of the
ideals upon which our government is based. In the context of the history of the times, central themes that will be explored at varying
depths may include: the Constitution, principles of compromise, inequities and class struggles, federalism, westward expansion,
regionalism, human civil rights, and the role of the individual in history. The ultimate goal of the course is to create an excitement and
appreciation for American history that will develop an interest in civic engagement and nurture full participation as American and
global citizens.
Common Products: To insure that students from both school systems share similar experiences, two common assignments (in
addition to three end-of-trimester exams) will include:
Trimester One – Voice of Democracy Essay
Trimester Two - Historical Figure Assignment
Grade 8 United States History Trimester Guidelines
Trimester One- The Road to Independence
Colonial America
Events Leading to War for Independence
War for Independence
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
15 days
20 days
20 days
***Voice of Democracy Essay***
Trimester Two- Establishing the Government
The Constitution
Challenges to the New Government
Establishing a Place in the World
The Jacksonian Era
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
22 days
10 – 12 days
10 – 12 days
10 – 12 days
***Important Person in History Poster***
Trimester Three- Challenges to the Constitution
Westward Expansion
Events Leading to the Civil War
The Civil War
Reconstruction
Chapters 12 – 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
15 days
15 days
15 days
10 days
Course: Grade 8 United States History
Trimester I
Unit
The Road to Independence (12 weeks)
MA Standard/Strands
The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789
USI.1 Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution.
(H, C)
USI.2 Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework
of the American government. (H, C)
USI.3 Explain the influence and ideas of the Declaration of Independence and the political philosophy of Thomas
Jefferson. (H, C)
USI.4 Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775 and analyze the reasons for the American victory
and the British defeat during the Revolutionary war. (H)
USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the revolution, including important events that took place in Massachusetts
and important leaders from Massachusetts. (H)
Time Frame
I. Colonial America
II. Events Leading to War for Independence
III. War for Independence
***Voice of Democracy Essay***
Text Chapter(s)/pages
The American Nation: Chapters 4 – 6
15 days
20 days
20 days
Essential Questions
What religious principles influenced the earliest colonists and the Founding Fathers?
What motivated Europeans to colonize the new World?
What were the British colonies in America like in the 1770s?
How can we organize government to prevent abuse?
How did constitutional government evolve in Great Britain?
What experiences led to the American Revolution?
What basic ideas about government are in the Declaration of Independence?
What happened during the American Revolution? How did the government function?
What individuals left their impact upon colonial America and how did they do this?
Targeted Skill(s)
Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation
of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect,
debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, analysis of news
sources, civic engagement. mastery of essential questions
Other Resources
History Channel Presents: The American Revolution
Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder
This is America
Available
Assessment(s)
End-of-trimester exam
Voice of Democracy Essay
Issues to Consider
Primary Source documenters of Reference:
Magna Carta
Mayflower Compact
Common Sense
Declaration of Independence
Colonial America
Chapter 4
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
Lord Baltimore
John Winthrop
Mary Dyer
Thomas Hooker
Roger Williams
James Oglethorpe
Jonathan Edwards
William Penn
Anne Hutchinson
Pilgrims
Puritans
Toleration
Great Migration
General Court
New England
“City upon a Hill”
New Netherlands/York
Proprietary Colony
Middle Colonies
Holy Experiment
Quakers
Equality
Delaware
Great Wagon Road
Mason-Dixon Line
Act of Toleration
Comparison of colonies
Bacon’s Rebellion
Apprentice
Great Awakening
Roanoke
Jamestown
Carolinas
Georgia
Mayflower Compact
“Fundamental Orders
of Connecticut “
“Sinners in the Hands
of an Angry God”
Key Terms/Events
(continued)
Raw Goods
Maryland
Public Schools
Indentured Servants
The Enlightenment
Tobacco
Cash Crops
Slave Codes
Plantations
Gentry
Manufactured Product
Middle Passage
Mercantilism
Import
Export
Triangle Trade
Navigation Acts
Legislature
Slaves
Events Leading to the War for Independence
Chapter 5
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Major Washington
Crispus Attucks
John Adams
Sam Adams
Benjamin Franklin
Governor Hutchinson
Fort Necessity
William Pitt
Chief Pontiac
Paul Revere
General Thomas Gage
Ohio River Valley
Boston Massacre
Fort Duquesne
Boycott
Appalachian Mountains
French & Indian War/
(Seven Years War)
Albany Plan of Union
Parliament
The Intolerable Acts
Boston Tea Party
Tea Act
Battle for Quebec
Continental Congress
Treaty of Paris
Stamp Act
Proclamation of 1763
Minutemen
Sugar Act
Townshend Acts
“The British are coming!”
Nonimportation Agreements
Sons of Liberty
Red Coat
Primary Sources
Key Terms/Events (cont)
“The shot heard ‘round the world!”
Quartering Act
Lexington/Concord
Daughters of Liberty
The War for Independence
Chapter 6
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
Ethan Allen
Benedict Arnold
Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion
General Cornwallis
King George III
Admiral de Grasse
Thomas Paine
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Abigail Adams
John Hancock
General Howe
George Washington
General Burgoyne
King Louis XVI
Nathan Hale
John Paul Jones
Molly Pitcher
Redcoats
Green Mountain Boys
Hessians
Blockade
Olive Branch Petition
Yorktown
Patriot
Continental Army
Olive Branch Petition
Causes of the Revolution
Second Continental Congress
Loyalist
Bunker Hill
British Evacuation
Dorchester Heights
Fort Ticonderoga
Battle of Long Island
Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
Treaty of Paris
Effects of Victory
Battle of Trenton
Valley Forge
Saratoga
Common Sense
Washington’s Farewell
The Crisis
Declaration of Independence
Key Terms/Events (cont)
African Americans in Revolution
Women in Revolution
Navy
Vincennes
Course: Grade 8 United States History
Trimester II
Unit
Establishing the Government (12 weeks)
MA Standard/Strands
The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789
USI.6 Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, including why its drafters created
a weak central government; analyze the shortcomings of the national government under the Articles; and describe the
crucial events (e.g., Shays’s rebellion) leading to the Constitutional Convention. (H, C)
The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation: the Revolution and the Constitution, 1763-1789
USI.7 Explain the roles of various founders at the Constitutional Convention. Describe the major debates that occurred
at the Convention and the “Great Compromise” that was reached. (H, C)
USI.8 Describe the debate over the ratification of the Constitution between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and
explain the key ideas contained in the Federalist Papers on federalism, factions, checks and balances, and the
importance of an independent judiciary. (H, C)
USI.9 Explain the reasons for the passage of the Bill of Rights. (H, C)
USI.10 On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution. (H, G)
The Formation and Framework of American Democracy
USI.11 Describe the purpose and functions of government. (H, C)
USI.12 Explain and provide examples of different forms of government, including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy,
theocracy, and autocracy. (H, C)
USI.13 Explain why the United States government is classified as a democratic government.
(H, C)
USI.14 Explain the characteristics of American democracy, including the concepts of popular sovereignty and
constitutional government, which includes representative institutions, federalism, separation of powers, shared powers,
checks and balances, and individual rights. (H, C)
MA Standard/Strands
(continued)
USI.15 Explain the varying roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments in the United States. (H,
C)
USI.16 Describe the evolution of the role of the federal government, including public services, taxation, economic
policy, foreign policy, and common defense. (H, C)
USI.19 Explain the rights and the responsibilities of citizenship and describe how a democracy provides opportunities
for citizens to participate in the political process through elections, political parties, and interest groups. (H, C)
USI.20 Explain the evolution and function of political parties, including their role in federal, state, and local elections.
(H, C)
Political Democratization, Westward Expansion, and Diplomatic Developments, 1790-1860
USI.22 Summarize the major policies and political developments that took place during the presidencies of George
Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), and Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809). (H, C)
USI.23 Analyze the rising levels of political participation and the expansion of suffrage in antebellum America. (C, H)
USI.25 Trace the influence and ideas of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and the importance of the doctrine
of judicial review as manifested in Marbury v. Madison (1803). (H, C)
USI.26 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America’s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic
assertiveness. Use a map of North America to trace America’s expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the
Santa Fe and Oregon trails. (H, E, G)
MA Standard/Strands
(continued)
Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860
Time Frame
I. The Constitution
22 days
II. Challenges to the New Government
10 – 12 days
III. Establishing a Place in the World
10 – 12 days
IV. The Jacksonian Era
10 – 12 days
***Important Person in History Assignment***
Text Chapter(s)/pages
The American Nation: Chapters 7 – 11 and Overview of Constitution (pp 214 – 239)
We the People as a supplementary resource
Essential Questions
How did the states govern themselves after the revolution?
How did the Articles of Confederation organize the first national government?
What defined human in the eyes of the founding fathers?
Why do we need government?
What is republican government?
What is constitutional government?
What were the failures of the Articles of Confederation?
Who attended the Philadelphia Convention?
How did the Framers resolve the conflict about representation in Congress?
How did the Framers resolve the conflict about the powers of the three branches of government?
USI.29 Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on
plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and
Southern agriculture. (H)
What powers should be given to the legislative, executive and judicial branches?
Essential Questions
(continued)
How was balance of power achieved?
What was Hamilton’s plan and how was it received?
What is federalism?
How did the Constitution create a federal system of government?
How did the people approve the new constitution?
How did Congress organize the new government?
How did political parties develop?
How does the US Supreme Court use the power of judicial review?
How does the US Supreme Court determine the meaning of the words in the Constitution?
Why were Washington’s actions as president so important to the future of the United States?
Describe the cultural differences between the Northern, Middle and Southern states.
How did sectional differences influence westward expansion and the road to Civil War?
How did westward expansion challenge the Constitution?
How was the issue of slavery in the western states resolved?
How does man’s tendency to dehumanize lead to war?
Describe the philosophies towards the indigenous population.
What individuals left their impact upon the new nation and how did they do this?
Targeted Skill(s)
Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation
of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect,
debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, mock trial,
independent research, use of Internet, analysis of news sources, civic engagement,
mastery of essential questions
Other Resources
Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder
Supreme Court DVD series
Gettysburg (Ken Burns)
This is America
Other resources
(continued)
Roots
The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson (DVD)
The War if 1812 (DVD)
Available
Assessment(s)
End-of-Trimester Examination
Individual in History Assignment (in progress)
Issues to Consider
Primary Sources documenters of Reference:
Articles of Confederation
Washington’s Farewell Address
The Federalist Papers
US Constitution
Bill of Rights
Monroe Doctrine
Missouri Compromise
Preambles to the US Constitution
Key Court Cases:
Marbury vs. Madison
The Constitution
Chapter 7
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
James Madison
George Washington
Shay’s Rebellion
John Locke
Montesquieu
John Adams
Abigail Adams
Impeachment
Northwest Ordinance
Federalists
Electoral College
Veto
Due Process
Constitutional Convention
Antifederalists
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise
Legislative
Executive
A more perfect union?
Judicial
Bicameral Legislature
Checks and Balances
Bill
Three-Fifths Compromise
Law
Slave Trade
Fugitive Slave Act
Articles of Confederation
Preamble
Bill of Rights
Mass. Constitution
Key Terms/Events (continued)
Federalism
Posterity
Amendment process
Separation of powers
Republic
Challenges to the New Government
Chapter 8
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
President Washington
James Madison
Alexander Hamilton
John Adams
Napoleon Bonaparte
Thomas Jefferson
Political Factions (parties)
Democratic
Republicans
Judiciary Act
Election of 1796
Government bonds
National debt
XYZ Affair
Speculator
High Federalists
Convention of 1800
Alien Act
Federalists
Sedition Act
Anti-Federalists
Nullify
Hamilton’s Compromise
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Bank of the United States
Election of 1800
Protective tariff
Whiskey Rebellion
Washington’s Farewell Address
Key Terms/Events (continued)
Neutrality Proclamation
precedent
Pacificus/Helvidius Letters
Unconstitutional
Jay’s Treaty
Cabinet
French Revolution (cause/effect)
Establishing a Place in the World
Chapter 9
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
John Marshall
Lewis and Clark
William Henry Harrison
Andrew Jackson
James Madison
Henry Clay
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Sacajawea
Napoleon’s Threat
Judicial Review
Marbury V. Madison
Louisiana Purchase
Tripoli
Barbary States
Embargo Act
Election of 1808
Nonintercourse Act
War Hawks
The War of 1812
Treaty of Ghent
Battle of New Orleans
Tippecanoe
Pinckney’s Treaty
Laissez-Faire
Hartford Convention
Monroe Doctrine
The Star Spangled Banner
The Jacksonian Era
Chapter 11
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Sequoyah
John Quincy Adams
Henry Clay
Andrew Jackson
William Henry Harrison
Martin Van Buren
Roger Taney
John C. Calhoun
Daniel Webster
The Election of 1824
Secede
Trail of Tears
Indian Removal Act
The “corrupt bargain”
Seminole War
Suffrage
Panic of 1837/causes
Caucus
Nominating conventions
Whigs
Democrats
Tippecanoe and Tyler too!
Spoils system
The Log Cabin Campaign
“Old Hickory”
Kitchen Cabinet
Mr. Biddle’s Bank
Pet Banks
Tariff of Abominations
Nullification Act
States’ Rights
The American System
Primary Sources
Course: Grade 8 United States History
Trimester III
Unit
Challenges to the Constitution (12 weeks)
The Formation and Framework of American Democracy
USI.21 Describe how decisions are made in a democracy, including the role of legislatures, courts, executives, and the
public. (H, C)
MA Standard/Strands
Social, Political, and Religious Change, 1800-1860
USI.26 Describe the causes, course, and consequences of America’s westward expansion and its growing diplomatic
assertiveness. Use a map of North America to trace America’s expansion to the Civil War, including the location of the
Santa Fe and Oregon trails. (H, E, G)
USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of
southerners and northerners to abolitionism. (H)
Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860
USI.27 Explain the importance of the Transportation Revolution of the 19th century (the building of canals, roads,
bridges, turnpikes, steamboats, and railroads), including the stimulus it provided to the growth of a market economy.
(H, E)
USI.28 Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally
throughout antebellum America. (H, E)
MA Standard/Strands
(continued)
USI.29 Describe the rapid growth of slavery in the South after 1800 and analyze slave life and resistance on
plantations and farms across the South, as well as the impact of the cotton gin on the economics of slavery and
Southern agriculture. (H)
Social, Political, and Religious Change, 1800-1860
USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of
southerners and northerners to abolitionism. (H)
The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877
USI.35 Describe how the different economies and cultures of the North and South contributed to the growing
importance of sectional politics in the early 19th century. (H)
USI.36 Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War. (H)
USI.37 On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war. (H, G)
USI.38 Analyze Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on
slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered. (H, C)
USI.39 Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and
events. (H)
USI.40 Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War. (H, E)
USI.40 Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. (H, C)
Time Frame
I. Westward Expansion
II. Events Leading to the Civil War
15 days
15 days
III. The Civil War
IV. Reconstruction
15 days
10 days
Text Chapter(s)/pages
The American Nation: Chapters 12 – 17,
Essential Questions
How did the ultimate failure of compromise lead to the Civil War?
What were the immediate goals of the Confederacy and the Union?
What role did the border states play?
What were the advantages and disadvantages of each side in the conflict?
What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
How did Lincoln’s view on slavery evolve before and during the war?
What were the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments and how were they unfulfilled?
What are: Jim Crow laws, Black Codes and Carpetbaggers?
What individuals left their impact upon the Civil War Era and how did they do this?
Targeted Skill(s)
Reading for understanding, writing, map skills, chronological order, primary source analysis. interpretation
of historical resources (pictures, charts, images, etc), cooperative learning and collaboration, cause & effect,
debating skills, note taking, listening skills, outlining, discussion, compare & contrast, analysis of news
sources, mastery of essential questions
Other Resources
Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder
Supreme Court DVD series
Mill Times
Gettysburg (Ken Burns)
Separate but Equal
Eye on the Prize DVD series
This is America
Roots
Available
Assessment(s)
End-of-trimester Examination
Issues to Consider
Primary Source documenters of Reference:
Amendments 11 – 15
Kansas Nebraska Act
Missouri Compromise
Compromise of 1850
Emancipation Proclamation
Gettysburg Address
Key Court Cases:
Dred Scott Decision
Manifest Destiny
Chapter 12
Important People
James Polk
Brigham Young
Joseph Smith
Key Terms/Events
Westward Expansion
Lone Star Republic
Manifest Destiny
Bear Flag Republic
Utah/Mormons
Annexation
Mexican Cession
Gasden Purchase
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Primary Sources
Chapter 13
Important People
Eli Whitney
Key Terms/Events
Industrialization
Know-Nothings
Immigration
Nativism
Cottonocracy
Cotton Gin
Slave Codes
Primary Sources
Chapter 14
Important People
Frederick Douglas
Harriet Tubman
Key Terms/Events
abolitionist
Primary Sources
“Ain’t I a woman?”
Henry Lloyd Garrison
Sojourner Truth
Events Leading Up to the Civil War
Chapter 15
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
David Wilmot
Abraham Lincoln
John Brown
Henry Clay
Franklin Pierce
Preston Brooks
Charles Sumner
William Lloyd Garrison
James Buchanan
Jefferson Davis
Stephen Douglas
John C. Calhoun
Daniel Webster
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Border Ruffians
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Arsenal
Popular Sovereignty
Sectionalism
Harper’s Ferry
“Bleeding Kansas”
Fugitive Slave Law
Free Soilers
Abolitionists
Dred Scott Decision
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Missouri Compromise
The Compromise of 1850
The Kansas – Nebraska Act
The Republican Party
The Election of 1860
Secession
Confederate States of America
Fort Sumter
The Civil War
Chapter 16
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Primary Sources
Abraham Lincoln
Edwin Stanton
Jefferson Davis
George McClellan
Ulysses S. Grant
Clara Barton
William Tecumseh Sherman
Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson
General Sheridan
Copperheads
Inflation
Confederate States of America
Habeas Corpus
Union
Border States
Monitor
Merrimac
Bull Run
Antietam
Gettysburg
Vicksburg
Blockade
Fort Sumter
Andersonville
Appomattox Court House
Massachusetts 54th Regiment
Arlington National Cemetery
Battle Hymn of the Republic
The Gettysburg Address
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln’s 1st Inaugural Address
Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address
The Reconstruction
Chapter 17
Important People
Key Terms/Events
Samuel Tilden
Hiram Revels
Thaddeus Stevens
Charles Sumner
Alexander Stephens
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Charlotte Forten
Blanch K. Bruce
John Wilkes Booth
U.S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
Freedmen’s Bureau
Reconstruction
10% Plan
Wade Davis Bill
13, 14 & 15th Amendments
Impeachment
Black Codes
Jim Crow Laws
Sharecropping
Radical Republicans
Civil Rights Act
Election of 1866
Reconstruction Act of 1867
Scalawags
Carpetbaggers
Ku Klux Klan
Grandfather Clause
Segregation
Election of 1876
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Poll Tax
Primary Sources
Literacy Test