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Middle School Social Studies 3 (U.S. History)/Middle School Social Studies 3 (U.S. History) Advanced (Grade 8)
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Learning about history allows us to see how far we have come and what awaits us on our path to the future. In this course, you will explore the history of the United States and analyze the cause and effect in historical events. You will investigate history by using the tools of a historian to examine the historical, geographic, political, economic, and sociological events that influenced the development of the United States. You will imagine what it was like to live in the past by reading the stories from the people who experienced it. This course begins with the engaging stories that brought the earliest American colonists to the New World and ends with the struggles to repair the United States following the Civil War. Engaging in this study will allow you to recognize the themes of history that span across centuries and will lead to a greater appreciation of the development of the United States and the resulting impact on world history.
Major Topics and Concepts
- Early settlement
- Colonization of America
- French and Indian War
- Historian’s Tools
- Colonial protest against British policies
- American Revolution
- Declaration of Independence
- Founding Fathers
- Articles of Confederation
- Constitutional Convention
- Early Challenges to the New Nation
- Louisiana Purchase
- War of 1812
- Westward expansion
- Manifest Destiny
- Indian Removal
- Expansion of slavery
- The Mexican-American War
- The Industrial Revolution
- Expansion of democracy
- Second Great Awakening
- Transcendentalism
- Women’s Suffrage
- Abolition
- Civil War
- Reconstruction
Competencies
Early Colonization
Students will demonstrate an understanding of colonization by describing factors that led to the colonization of North America, explaining characteristics of colonial regions, and analyzing the impact of slavery on colonial America’s economy.
Effects of Colonization
Students will demonstrate an understanding of America’s independence by explaining the effects of colonization on the Native Americans, explaining the consequences of the French and Indian War, analyzing events related to the American Revolution, and describing the contributions the Founding Fathers had on America’s independence.
Nationalism
Students will demonstrate an understanding of nationalism by describing contributions made to colonial America, analyzing the features of the Articles of Confederation, and explaining factors contributing to the creation of the United States Constitution.
Factors for Growth in the United States
Students will demonstrate an understanding of factors for growth in the United States by explaining the impact of early presidents, summarizing societal perspectives on the Revolutionary Era, and describing factors surrounding the War of 1812.
United States Expansion
Students will demonstrate an understanding of United States expansion by analyzing the impact of the westward expansion, describing western settlement experiences, and explaining the effect transportation growth had on United States society.
Industrialization
Students will demonstrate an understanding of industrialization by analyzing the effects of the Industrial Revolution on United States society, explaining the effects of growing cities on society, and analyzing the impact of Jackson’s presidency on society.
Reform Movements
Students will demonstrate an understanding of reform movements by analyzing the influence of the Second Great Awakening on social reform, describing the influence of antislavery efforts on abolition, and explaining the influence of key women on the women’s rights movement.
Sectionalism and Reconstruction
Students will demonstrate an understanding of sectionalism and reconstruction by analyzing the division of states and territories, explaining effects of the Civil War, and describing the impact of reconstruction on United States society.
