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 Chapter 4 15 days
Events Leading to War for Independence Chapter 5 20 days
War for Independence Chapter 6 20 days
***Voice of Democracy Essay***
Trimester Two- Establishing the Government
The Constitution Chapter 7 22 days
Challenges to the New Government Chapter 8 10 – 12 days
Establishing a Place in the World Chapter 9 10 – 12 days
The Jacksonian Era Chapter 11 10 – 12 days
***Important Person in History Poster***
Trimester Three- Challenges to the Constitution
Westward Expansion Chapters 12 – 14 15 days
Events Leading to the Civil War Chapter 15 15 days
The Civil War Chapter 16 15 days
Reconstruction Chapter 17 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 15 days
II. Events Leading to War for Independence 20 days
III. War for Independence 20 days
***Voice of Democracy Essay***
Text Chapter(s)/pages / The American Nation: Chapters 4 – 6
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 Pilgrims Mayflower Compact
John Winthrop Puritans “Fundamental Orders
Mary Dyer Toleration of Connecticut “
Thomas Hooker Great Migration “Sinners in the Hands
Roger Williams General Court of an Angry God”
James Oglethorpe New England
Jonathan Edwards “City upon a Hill”
William Penn New Netherlands/York
Anne Hutchinson Proprietary Colony
Middle Colonies
Holy Experiment
Quakers
Equality
Delaware
Great Wagon Road Key Terms/Events
Mason-Dixon Line (continued) Gentry
Act of Toleration Raw Goods Manufactured Product
Comparison of colonies Maryland Middle Passage
Bacon’s Rebellion Public Schools Mercantilism
Apprentice Indentured Servants Import
Great Awakening The Enlightenment Export
Roanoke Tobacco Triangle Trade Jamestown Cash Crops Navigation Acts
Carolinas Slave Codes Legislature
Georgia Plantations Slaves
Events Leading to the War for Independence
Chapter 5
Important People Key Terms/Events Primary Sources
Major Washington Ohio River Valley
Crispus Attucks Boston Massacre
John Adams Fort Duquesne
Sam Adams Boycott
Benjamin Franklin Appalachian Mountains
Governor Hutchinson French & Indian War/
Fort Necessity (Seven Years War)
William Pitt Albany Plan of Union
Chief Pontiac Parliament
Paul Revere The Intolerable Acts
General Thomas Gage Boston Tea Party
Tea Act
Battle for Quebec
Continental Congress
Treaty of Paris
Stamp Act
Proclamation of 1763
Minutemen
Sugar Act Key Terms/Events (cont)
Townshend Acts
“The British are coming!” “The shot heard ‘round the world!”
Nonimportation Agreements Quartering Act
Sons of Liberty Lexington/Concord
Red Coat Daughters of Liberty
The War for Independence
Chapter 6
Important People Key Terms/Events Primary Sources
Ethan Allen Redcoats Common Sense
Benedict Arnold Green Mountain Boys Washington’s Farewell
Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion Hessians The Crisis
General Cornwallis Blockade Declaration of Independence
King George III Olive Branch Petition
Admiral de Grasse Yorktown
Thomas Paine Patriot
Thomas Jefferson Continental Army
John Adams Olive Branch Petition
Abigail Adams Causes of the Revolution
John Hancock Second Continental Congress
General Howe Loyalist
George Washington Bunker Hill
General Burgoyne British Evacuation
King Louis XVI Dorchester Heights
Nathan Hale Fort Ticonderoga
John Paul Jones Battle of Long Island
Molly Pitcher Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
Treaty of Paris Key Terms/Events (cont)
Effects of Victory African Americans in Revolution
Battle of Trenton Women in Revolution
Valley Forge Navy
Saratoga Vincennes
Course: Grade 8 United States History
Trimester II
Unit / Establishing the Government (12 weeks)MA Standard/Strands
MA Standard/Strands
(continued)
MA Standard/Strands
(continued) /
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)
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)
Economic Growth in the North and South, 1800-1860
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)
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
Essential Questions
(continued) / 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?
What powers should be given to the legislative, executive and judicial branches?
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
Other resources
(continued) / Teaching American History Grant Resources Binder
Supreme Court DVD series
Gettysburg (Ken Burns)
This is America
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 Impeachment Articles of Confederation
George Washington Northwest Ordinance Preamble
Shay’s Rebellion Federalists Bill of Rights
John Locke Electoral College Mass. Constitution
Montesquieu Veto
John Adams Due Process
Abigail Adams Constitutional Convention Antifederalists
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
The Great Compromise
Legislative
Executive Key Terms/Events (continued)
A more perfect union? Federalism
Judicial Posterity Bicameral Legislature Amendment process
Checks and Balances Separation of powers
Bill
Three-Fifths Compromise
Law
Slave Trade
Fugitive Slave Act
Republic
Challenges to the New Government
Chapter 8
Important People Key Terms/Events Primary Sources
President Washington Political Factions (parties) Washington’s Farewell Address
James Madison Democratic
Alexander Hamilton Republicans
John Adams Judiciary Act
Napoleon Bonaparte Election of 1796
Thomas Jefferson Government bonds
National debt
XYZ Affair
Speculator
High Federalists
Convention of 1800
Alien Act
Federalists Key Terms/Events (continued) Sedition Act
Anti-Federalists Neutrality Proclamation