Curriculum
7th Grade Social Studies
Roots of the American People (Prehistory–1500)
Native American, Chief Joseph
Courtesy Corel Professional Photos
Chapter Outline
Section 1: The Earliest Americans
Section 2: Cultures of North America
Section 3: Trade Networks of Asia and Africa
Section 4: The European Heritage
Summary
The roots of the American people started tens of thousands of years ago with the arrival of peoples from Asia, long before people kept records. Descendents of these civilizations would go on to build civilizations in Central and South America. In North America many distinct, Native American, cultures developed. Native Americans were isolated from people on other continents until the arrival of Europeans. The traditions that Europeans would bring to America would become part of the fabric of this country. These traditions included Judeo-Christian beliefs and Greek and Roman democratic ideas.
Europe Looks Outward (1000–1720)
Statue of a Spanish conquistador
Courtesy Corel Professional Photos
Chapter Outline
Section 1: The Age of Exploration
Section 2: Spain's Empire in the Americas
Section 3: Europeans Compete in North America
Section 4: France and the Netherlands in North America
Summary
Christopher Columbus' early expeditions across the Atlantic in the 1400s, marked the beginning of European exploration in the Americas. For the next 300 years, a number of explorers from Spain, England, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands, came to America's shores. Exploration and subsequent colonization played a huge role in the development of America.
Colonies Take Root (1587–1752)
Jamestown, one of the first colonies
Courtesy the Library of Congress
Chapter Outline
Section 1: The First English Settlements
Section 2: The New England Colonies
Section 3: The Middle Colonies
Section 4: The Southern Colonies
Section 5: Spanish Colonies on the Borderlands
Summary
The English were the first Europeans to establish settlements in North America. Religious and political freedoms were key issues drawing these early colonists. Religious beliefs of the Puritans greatly influenced the New England Colonies. A wider range of people was attracted to the Middle Colonies, which offered a haven of religious tolerance. A reliance on slave labor would come to dominate the Southern Colonies. Even today, the freedom to develop ones own religious and political viewpoints draws immigrants to the Untied States.
Life in the Colonies (1650–1750)
Portrait of abolitionist Harriet Tubman
Courtesy the Library of Congress
Chapter Outline
Section 1: Governing the Colonies
Section 2: Colonial Society
Section 3: Slavery in the Colonies
Section 4: The Spread of New Ideas
Summary
The United States' economy relied heavily upon slave labor. The Civil War was a direct outgrowth of the country's divisions over slavery. Compared to Europe, colonists had greater opportunity to change social class. Enlightenment thinkers like Locke and Montesquieu, who emphasized rational thinking, helped inspire the Revolution, the Constitution, and slavery's end. These ideas continue to help shape American democratic thought today.
The Road to Revolution (1745–1776)
Colonists react to Parliament's imposition of tax on tea
Courtesy Corel Professional Photos
Chapter Outline
Section 1: Trouble on the Frontier
Section 2: The Colonists Resist Tighter Control
Section 3: From Protest to Rebellion
Section 4: The War Begins
Summary
The events leading up to the American Revolution began with various actions by the British designed to exert control over the colonies. The Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act, the Quatering Act, and the Stamp Act, all added to the friction between colonists and the British. The colonists grew resentful of having to obey British law, without having any voice in Parliament. The passage of the Tea Act was one of the final acts that finally led to open war between the colonies and Great Britain. The fighting at Lexington and Concord in 1775 marked the beginning of the American Revolution. When the war began, both sides were expecting a very fast resolution.
The American Revolution (1776–1783)
The Boston Massacre: one of many incidents leading up to the American Revolution
Courtesy the Library of Congress
Chapter Outline
Section 1: A Nation Declares Independence
Section 2: A Critical Time
Section 3: The War Widens
Section 4: Winning Independence
Summary
The Declaration of Independence, which was approved by Congress on July 4, 1776, clearly spelled out the reasons the colonies wanted their freedom and independence. Fundamentally, the document charged that King George had violated the colonists' natural rights. The Revolutionary War became a war fought to protect and expand the ideas of rights and self-government that were drawn from the Enlightenment. The American War for Independence was the first time in the history of the world that a colony had successfully rebelled against its ruling country.
Creating the Constitution (1776–1790)
Painting of George Washington heading the Constitutional Convention
Courtesy Collection of the Architect of the Capitol
Chapter Outline
Section 1: Governing a New Nation
Section 2: The Constitutional Convention
Section 3: Debating the Constitution
Summary
Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation convinced leading Americans that the country needed a strong central government. After months of intense debate, delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed on a new plan of government. The states approved the Constitution, but many of the states insisted that it also include a bill of rights
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The Constitution Today