grade 8 us history i - haverhill public schools maps... · reasons for the american victory and the...

HAVERHILL PUBLIC SCHOOLS Grade 8 US History I Curriculum Map

August Week 4/ September Week 1 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. Why was owning land so important to American Colonists? 2. What were the effects of the Great Awakening? 3. How did John Locke apply the Enlightenment’s idea of natural laws to

human societies? 4. What rights did Englishmen come to expect as citizens from the Magna

Carta and English Bill of Rights? 5. How had the colonists been governed through the first half of the 18th

century? 6. How did the fur trade contribute to the French and Indian War? 7. Why did the British government issue the Proclamation of 1763?

Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 5, sections 1-3) - The Great Awakening - The Enlightenment - Colonial rights & government - The French and Indian War

Skills/Standards (Frameworks)

USI.1 Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution.

A. the impact of the colonies of the French and Indian War, including how the war led to an overhaul of British imperial policy from 1763 to 1775.

B. how freedom from European feudalism and aristocracy and the widespread ownership of property fostered individualism and contribute to the Revolution.

USI.2 Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the Amerian Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government.

A. the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome. B. the political theories of such European philosophers as Locke and

Montesquieu. USI.3 Explain the influence and ideas of the Declaration of Independence and the political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson.

Assessments (How you assess)

Standard multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions. Use of maps, charts and graphs. Open response and text-referenced questions. Data-based questions.

Activities (Required)

1. Read Creating America, Chapter 5, Sections 1 through 3. 2. Draw a map of American colonies in the 18th century labeling major cities,

natural resources and economic activities. 3. Discuss and list what rights colonists expected in the 18th century that we

still expect today. 4. Discuss why colonists were upset by the Proclamation of 1763 follwing the

French and Indian War. Instructional Resources

School-provided teacher’s materials to accompany student text, Creating America. Teachers are encouraged to use other outside resources available to them in addition to the provided text. School libraries and computer laboratories.

Interdisciplinary Connections

Reading/Language Arts skills Geography

1. Revised July 2008


September Week 2

Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. Why did the Proclamation of 1763 anger the colonists? 2. How did the colonists react to new laws like the Quartering Act, Sugar Act,

and Stamp Act? 3. What were the goals of secret societies such as the Sons of Liberty? 4. Why did colonists oppose the Townshend Acts? 5. How did colonists protests these new British controls 6. Why were British troops sent to Boston? 7. How did the Boston Massacre increase anger among the colonists toward

British troops? 8. What were the causes of the Boston Tea Party?


(Creating America chapter 6, sections 1 & 2.) - The Quartering Act - The Sugar Act - The Stamp Act - The Townshend Acts - Colonial Protests & the Boston Massacre - The Tea Act & the Boston Tea Party


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. USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the Revolution, including important events that took place in Massachusetts and important leaders from Massachusetts.

A. the Boston Massacre B. the Boston Tea Party D. Sam Adams, John Adams, and John Hancock




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 6, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Discuss Americans’ reaction to the Quartering Act, Sugar Act and Stamp

Act. How did Americans get Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act?

Instructional Resources



Reading/Language Arts skills



September Week 3 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. Why did the British pass the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts? 2. What occurred at the First Continental Congress? 3. What was the cause and purpose of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride? 4. What happened at the Battles of Lexington and Concord?


(Creating America chapter 6, section 3.) - The Intolerable Acts - The First Continental Congress - Paul Revere’s Midnight Right - The Battles of Lexington and Concord


USI.4 USI.5 C. the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 6, Section 3. 2. On a map of Massachusetts draw the route of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride. 3. Read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.




Reading/Language Arts skills. Geography Reading poetry suggested reading – Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes (an excerpt of this book is found in Creating America, on page 158.)

September Week 4


1. What were the results of the Battle of Bunker Hill 2. How did the colonists try to avoid going to war with Great Britain in 1775? 3. How was George Washington able to force the British to retreat from Boston? 4. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? What was its purpose?


(Creating America chapter 6, section 4.) - The Battle of Bunker Hill - The Declaration of Independence


USI.3 USI.4 USI.5




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 6, Section 4. 2. Read Creating America, pg. 166, The Declaration of Indepence. How did it

defend the actions of the American colonists? Instructional Resources






October Weeks 1 & 2 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. Why were some Americans divided over the issue of separating from Great Britain?

2. What problems did George Washington encounter while trying to build the Continental Army?

3. Why was the Battle of Saratoga a turning point in the Revolution? 4. Why did France agree to help the Americans in their war with Great Britain? 5. What challenges did George Washington’s army face while camped at Valley

Forge? 6. How did France’s help allow George Washington to force Lord Cornwallis to

surrender at the Battle of Yorktown? 7. Why were the Americans able to defeat the vastly superior British military?

(think about: leadership, foreign aid, knowledge of the land, and motivation) 8. What were the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1863)?


(Creating America chapter 7, sections 1 - 4.) The Revolutionary War

- public opinion & challenges - the Battle of Saratoga - colonial relationship with France - the winter at Valley Forge - the Battle of Yorktown

Reasons for victory - better leadership - foreign aid - knowledge of the land - motivation

The Treaty of Paris (1863) Skills/Standards (Frameworks)

USI.4




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 7, Sections 1 - 4. 2. Write a journal entry or a letter home from the point of view of a Continental

soldier at Valley Forge. 3. Debate the different positions of Loyalists and Patriots. 4. Write a patriotic song or poem telling the story of why the colonists won the

Revolution. Instructional Resources



Reading/Language Arts skills Creative writing Music/Poetry



October Weeks 2 & 3


1. Why was the national government under the Articles of Confederation given few powers? What powers were the Confederate Congress given?

2. Why was the Northwest Ordinance important for the future growth of the United States?

3. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? 4. What led Daniel Shays to lead Shays’s Rebellion in 1787? 5. How did Shays’s Rebellion make Americans feel about the strength of the nation? 6. According to James Madison, what was the problem in framing a government? 7. Name the most famous delegates at the Constitutional Convention 8. Compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. How did these plans

distribute power between the states and federal governments. 9. What was the “Great Compromise”? 10. How did the Three-Fifths Compromise settle the slavery debate? What was

decided about the slave trade? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 8, sections 1 & 2.) - The Articles of Confederation - The Northwest Ordinance - Shay’s Rebellion - The Founding Fathers - The Constitutional Convention - The New Jersey and Virginia Plans - The Great Compromise & Three-Fifths Compromise


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. 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. Major Debates

A. the distribution of political power D. slavery

Founders A. Benjamin Franklin B. Alexander Hamilton D. George Washington




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 8, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Read Creating America, pages 210 – 211, “The Northwest Territory” and answer

the accompanying questions on page 211. 3. Debate the need to allow slavery to exist in the South in order to get the

Constitution accepted by all of the delegates at the convention. Instructional Resources






October Week 4 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. How is power distributed between the states and central government under federalism?

2. How did the Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagree over ratifying the Constitution? 3. Why did the Federalist Papers say the Constitution should be ratified? 4. How were some states finally convinced to ratify the Constitution?


(Creating America chapter 8, section 3.) - Federalism - Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists - Federalist Papers - The Constitution - The Bill of Rights


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. USI.9 Explain the reasons for the passage of the Bill of Rights.

A. the influence of the British concept of limited government. B. The particular ways in which the Bill of Rights protects basic freedoms,

restricts government power, and ensures rights to persons accused of crimes. USI.10 On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution. USI.11 Describe the purpose and functions of government. USI.12 Explain and provide examples of different forms of government, including democracy, monarchy, oligarchy theocracy, and autocracy. USI.13 Explain why the United States government is classified as a democratic government. 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. USI.15 Explain the varying roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments in the United States. USI.16 Describe the evolution of the role of the federal government, including public services, taxation, economic policy, foreign policy, and common defense. USI.17 Explain the major components of Massachusetts’ state government, including the roles and functions of the governor, state legislature, and other constitutional officers. USI.18 Explain the major components of local government in Massachusetts, including the roles and functions of school committees, town meetings, boards of selectmen, mayors and city councils. USI.19 Explain the rights and 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. USI.21 Describe how decisions are made in a democracy, including the role of legislatures, courts, executives, and the public.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 8, Section 3. 2. On a map of North America, identify the first 13 states to ratify the Constitution. 3. Read Creating America, page 226 to 231, “Seven Principles of the Constitution.”

Answer the accompanying questions, a-c. 4. Read Creating America, page 250 to 252, “The Bill of Rights.” Answer the

accompanying questions, a-c. 5. Read Creating America, page 264 to 270, “The Citizenship Handbook.”







November Week 1 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. What were the first three departments of the government created under President Washington?

2. How did Alexander Hamilton get Thomas Jefferson to support his financial plan? 3. How did Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton disagree in their

interpretations of the Constitution? 4. What is a political party? What political parties formed in the Early 1800s? 5. How were the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party different? 6. What were the Alien and Sedition Acts? Why were they passed?


(Creating America chapter 9, sections 1 & 3.) - Washington’s presidency - Strict vs. loose Constructionism - Political parties - Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans - The Alien and Sedition Acts


USI.20 Explain the evolution and function of political parties, including their role in federal, state, and local elections. 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).

A. the origins of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the 1790s. B. the conflicting ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. C. The Alien and Sedition Acts




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 9, Sections 1 & 3. 2. Research modern political parties. Write a paragraph describing the leaders,

goals, and supporters of one modern political party. Instructional Resources






November Week 2


1. How did Congress break the tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr in the Election of 1800?

2. Why was President Jefferson frustrated by the Judiciary Act of 1801? 3. What principle was established by the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison?

What does this principle state? 4. Why did President Jefferson offer to buy the port of New Orleans from France? 5. What effect did the Louisian Purchas have on the size of the United States? 6. How did Thomas Jefferson intend to learn about the United States’ newest

acquisition? What was learned? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 10, sections 1 & 2.) - The Election of 1800 - The Louisiana Purchase - The Lewis and Clark Expedition


USI.22 D. The Louisiana Purchase USI.23 Analyze the rising levels of political participation and the expansion of suffrage in antebellum America. 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).




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 10, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Trace the route of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark expedition on a

map. Label important landmarks the expedition passed on its way. 3. Imagine you were a member of the Corps of Discovery. Write a one-week

journal of your findings in the West. Instructional Resources



Reading/Language Arts skills Creative Writing Geography



November Weeks 3 & 4


1. What were some of the problems the United States saw with France and England during the early 19th century?

2. How did President Jefferson hope to avoid getting involved in the war between France and England?

3. How did the American Navy perform against the British in the early years of the War of 1812?

4. What gains had the British made in the second half of the war? 5. What effects did the War of 1812 have on the United States?


(Creating America chapter 10, sections 3 & 4.) - The War of 1812


USI.22 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.

A. the War of 1812




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 10, Sections 3 & 4.







US History I Grade 8

December Week 1 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. What occurred during the Industrial Revolution in the United States? 2. Describe the factory system. Why was New England a good place for

factories? 3. Why did women move to cities like Lowell to work in the textile factories?

What were conditions like for them? 4. What technological advances made life easier for Americans during this time?


(Creating America chapter 11, section 1.) - The Industrial Revolution - The factory system - The Lowell, Massachusetts mills


USI.28 Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America.

A. the technological improvements and inventions that contributed to industrial growth.

B. the causes and impact of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850s.

C. the rise of a business class of merchants and manufacturers. D. the roles of women in New England textile factories.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 11, Section 1. 2. Research working conditions in the Lowell Mills. What changes have been

made in the workplace to protect today’s workers? Instructional Resources






December Weeks 2 & 3


1. In what ways did the cotton gin influence Southern life? 2. How did the growth of cotton farming cause an increase in the use of slave

labor? 3. What kinds of work would a slave perform on a cotton plantation? 4. In what ways did African-American slaves deal with their situation? In what

ways did they resist? 5. Why did Henry Clay think it was important to improve transportation as part of

his American System? 6. In what ways did transportation improve during the Transportation Revolution?

(think about: roads, canals, and railroads) 7. What role Andrew Jackson play in the United States’ purchase of the Florida

Territory in 1819? 8. Why was the country divided over the issue of allowing Missouri to become a

state in 1820? How did Congress settle the issue? 9. What prompted President Monroe to issue his famous Monroe Doctrine? What

did he declare? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 11, sections 2 & 3.) - The cotton gin - Slavery - The Transportation Revolution - The Florida purchase - The Missouri Compromise - The Monroe Doctrine


USI.26 B. the purchase of Florida in 1819. C. the 1823 Monroe Doctrine. 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. 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. USI.36 Summarize the critical developments leading to the Civil War. A. the Missouri Compromise.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 11, Sections 2 & 3. 2. Read Creating America, pages 344 to 345, “The Monroe Doctrine.” Answer

the “Main Ideas” questions a-c. Instructional Resources






January Weeks 1 & 2 Essential Questions (What you teach)

1. Why was Andrew Jackson upset with the results of the Election of 1824? 2. What is Jacksonian Democracy? How had it developed from the early 1800s? 3. What made Andrew Jackson appeal to the common man in the Election of

1828? 4. What was the spoils system? How did President Jackson apply it to his

presidency? 5. Why did many Americans in the Southeast think that the Native Americans

should move? 6. What made the Cherokee Nation different from other tribes? 7. What was President Jackson’s policy toward Native Americans? How did he

defend this policy? How did Congress enforce it? 8. What was the Trail of Tears? Describe what life was like for a Native

American family on the trail. Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 12, sections 1 & 2.) - The Elections of 1824 & 1828 - Jacksonian Democracy - The spoils system - Indian Removal - The Trail of Tears


USI.23 USI.24 Describe the election of 1828, the importance of Jacksonian democracy, and Jackson’s actions as president.

A. the spoils system. B. Jackson’s policy of Indian Removal.

USI.26 D. the Cherokees’ Trail of Tears. Assessments (How you assess)



1. Read Creating America, Chapter 12, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Compare and contrast Jeffersonian Democracy to Jacksonian Democracy. 3. Draw a map of the Trail of Tears. Include pictures that show what life was like

on the trail. Instructional Resources






January Week 2


1. Why did the South call the tariff passed in 1828 the Tariff of Abominations?

2. What is the doctrine of nullification? How did Congress settle the debate over nullification after South Carolina threatened to secede?

3. What reasons did President Jackson have to dislike the Second National Bank? Why did he believe it was unconstitutional?

4. How did President Jackson respond when Congress renewed the Second National Bank’s charter?

5. What did the Election of 1832 show about public opinion of President Jackson’s war on the bank?

6. What were the short- and long-term effects of the fall of the Second National Bank? How did they affect the Election of 1840?


(Creating America chapter 12, sections 3 & 4.) - President Jackson’s war on the Second National Bank - The Panic of 1837 - The Election of 1840


USI.24 B. Jackson’s veto of the National Bank. USI.36 B. the South Carolina nullification crisis.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 12, Sections 3 & 4. 2. Analyze the various political cartoons that were circulated about President

Jackson and his war on the bank. According to these cartoons, how do Americans feel about them?







January Weeks 3 & 4


1. Why were Americans drawn to the West in the middle of the 19th century? 2. What trails brought people West? Where did these trails lead? What kinds

of people followed these trails? Why did they follow them? 3. How did growing tensions between Tejanos and Americans living in Texas

lead to a revolution? 4. What did the Republic of Texas ask the United States Congress to do

almost immediately after it was formed? Why did Congress refuse? 5. What is Manifest Destiny? 6. Why does the admission of Texas into the Union ultimately lead to the war

between the United States and Mexico? 7. Besides Texas, what territories were also won by the United States in the

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo? 8. What land acquisition completed the contiguous United States as it exists

today? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 13, sections 1-3.) - Westward expansion - The Texas Revolution - The Mexican War - The Gadsden Purchase


USI.26 F. the concept of Manifest Destiny and its relationship to westward expansion. G. the acquisition of the Oregon Territory in 1846. H. the territorial acquisitions resulting from the Mexican War. J. the Gadsden Purchase of 1854.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 13, Sections 1 - 3. 2. Create a poster that encourages people to settle in the West. 3. Debate whether or not to allow Texas into the Union as a slave state. 4. Draw before-and-after maps of United States territory and the Mexican

War. Instructional Resources



Reading/Language Arts skills Geography Art



January Week 4


1. Who were the forty-niners? How did they earn this name? 2. What kind of people worked in the mining camps? What was life like

there? 3. How did California change as a result of the Gold Rush?


(Creating America chapter 13, section 4.) - California Gold Rush


USI.26 I. the search for gold in California.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 13, Section 4. 2. Read and discuss the chart, “Cause and Effect: U.S. Expansion, 1846-

1853,” in Creating America. Answer the two accompanying questions.







February Weeks 1 & 2


1. Why did people from all over the world move to the United States during the mid-19th century?

2. What have these immigrants contributed to American culture and society? 3. Why did some Americans oppose immigration? 4. How were American writers influenced by the European style known as

Romanticism? 5. What kinds of paintings did Hudson River School artists produce? 6. How did Transcendentalism affect the work of writers like Ralph Waldo

Emerson and Henry David Thoreau? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 14, sections 1 & 2.) - Immigration - Romanticism/Transcendentalism - Civil disobedience


USI.28 B. USI.34 Analyze the emergence of the Transcendentalist movement through the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and American literature, including the contributions of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 4, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Interview someone who has moved to the United States from another

country. Why did they come to the United States? What are some of the differences between this country and their home country? How are things better? How are things worse? Would they go back?

3. Read Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience and discuss how the idea has influenced modern history (i.e. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s).







February Weeks 2 & 4


1. What lessons of the Second Great Awakening appealed to many Americans?

2. What reform movements arose during the time of the Second Great Awakening? How were they related to the Second Great Awakening?

3. Why did Horace Mann believe that education was so important in America? 4. How did education in the United States change during the 19th century?


(Creating America chapter 14, section 3.) - The Second Great Awakening - The Temperance movement - The early labor movement - Dorothea Dix’s work for the needy - Horace Mann and public education


USI.30 Summarize the growth of the American education system and Horace Mann’s campaign for free compulsory education. USI.32 Describe important religious trends that shaped antebellum America.

A. the increase in the number of Protestant denominations. B. the Second Great Awakening. C. the influence of these trends on the reaction of Protestants to the

growth of Catholic immigration. Assessments (How you assess)



1. Read Creating America, Chapter 14, Section 3. 2. (Teacher should organize students into groups) Each group represents one

of the reform movements of the mid-19th century (Temperance, labor, education, and care for the needy) and designs a pamphlet that promotes its cause. Pamphlets should include key reasons reform was necessary, dangers that one might face should reform not occur, as well as the names of any movement leaders.







February Week 4


1. What is abolition? Who were the early abolitionists in the United States? 2. What was the Underground Railroad? How did its conductors help escaped

slaves to reach safety? 3. What was Harriet Tubman’s role in the Underground Railroad? 4. What contributions did Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton make to

the abolition movement? How did this lead to the beginnings of the Women’s Rights movement?

5. What happened at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention? 6. How did Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony contribute to the Women’s

Rights movement? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 14, section 4.) - Abolition - The Underground Railroad - The Women’s Rights movement - The Seneca Falls Convention


USI.31 Describe the formation of the abolitionist movement, the roles of various abolitionists, and the response of southerners and northerners to abolition.

A. Frederick Douglass. B. William Lloyd Garrison. C. Sojourner Truth. D. Harriet Tubman. E. Theodore Weld.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 14, Section 4. 2. Debate why the delegates at the Seneca Falls Convention would or would

not support a resolution calling for voting rights for women. 3. Read Creating America, pages 430-431, “The Underground Railroad.”

Answer the accompanying questions 1 & 2. Instructional Resources






March Week 1


1. What did the Wilmot Proviso propose? What were its effects? 2. What were the terms of the Compromise of 1850? 3. What law prompted Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

What were the effects of this book? 4. What is popular sovereignty? How did the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska

Act lead to violence in Kansas? 5. What roles did John Brown and Charles Sumner play in the violence

surrounding “Bleeding Kansas”? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 15, sections 1 & 2.) - The Wilmot Proviso - The Compromise of 1850 - Popular sovereignty - The Kansas-Nebraska Act/Bleeding Kansas


USI.36 C. the Wilmot Proviso. D. the Compromise of 1850. E. the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-

1852). F. the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854).




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 15, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Read Creating America, page 448, “Free and Slave States and Territories,

1820-1854,” and answer the accompanying questions. Instructional Resources






March Weeks 2 & 3


1. What common goal led to the formation of the Republican Party? 2. What widespread opinion of African-Americans was confirmed in the Dred

Scott Supreme Court case? 3. How did the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas

highlight the split in the United States over the issue of slavery? 4. How did John Brown add to the tensions between the North and South in

1859? 5. How did the split in the Democratic party over popular sovereignty help

Abraham Lincoln win the Election of 1860? 6. Why was the South unwilling to remain in the Union with Abraham

Lincoln as president? 7. Who were the first states to secede? What did they all have in common?

Who led these states? What did they call themselves? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 15, sections 3 & 4.) - The Dred Scott v. Sandford, Supreme Court Case - The Lincoln-Douglas debates - John Brown’s Raid - The Election of 1860 - Secession - The Confederate States of America


USI.36 F. G. the Dred Scott Supreme Court case (1857). H. the Lincon-Douglas debates (1858). I. John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. J. the election of Abraham Lincoln (1860).

USI.37 On a map of North America, identify Union and Confederate States at the outbreak of the war. USI.39 Analyze the roles and policies of various Civil War leaders and describe the important Civil War battles and events. Leaders A. Jefferson Davis.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 15, Sections 3 & 4. 2. Hold a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate over the issue of slavery in the United

States, specifically, who should have the power to allow or prohibit slavery in the states and territories (rights of states vs. rights of the federal government).







March Week 4


1. Why did Lincoln choose to send supplies to Fort Sumter? What were the effects of this choice? How did the South respond?

2. What made Robert E. Lee choose to fight for the Confederacy? 3. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South at the

start of the Civil War. 4. What were “King Cotton” and the “Anaconda Plan”? What problems did

they encounter early in the war? 5. How did the First Battle of Bull Run take the North by surprise? 6. Who fought in the Union and Confederate armies? Why did they fight? 7. What was life like for a soldier in a Civil War camp? What hardships did

soldiers have to endure? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 16, sections 1 & 2.) - The attack on Fort Sumter - King Cotton and the Anaconda Plan - Civil War camp life


USI.38 Analyze Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), his views on slavery, and the political obstacles he encountered. USI.39 Leaders C. Robert E. Lee. USI.40 Provide examples of the various effects of the Civil War.

A. physical and economic destruction. B. the increased role of the federal government. C. the greatest loss of life on a per capita basis of any U.S. war before or

since. Assessments (How you assess)



1. Read Creating America, Chapter 16, Sections 1 & 2. 2. Read Creating America, pages 470-471, “from Across Five Aprils, by Irene

Hunt,” and answer the accompanying questions. 3. Research Civil War photos online and create a scrapbook of images that

portray life as a Civil War soldier. Instructional Resources






April Week 1


1. How was Ulysses S. Grant able to help the Union effort in the West? 2. How many Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives at the Battle of

Shiloh? 3. Why was New Orleans such an important city for the Union to take? 4. In what ways was Robert E. Lee successful against George MacClellan in

the East? 5. Describe why the Battle of Antietam is known as the bloodiest day in

American history. How did this battle convince President Lincoln to fire General MacClellan?


(Creating America chapter 16, section 3.) - Ulysses S. Grant - The Battle of Shiloh - The Battle of New Orleans - The Seven Days’ Battle - The Battle of Antietam


USI.39 Leaders B. Ulysses S. Grant. C. Battles B. Antietam.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 16, Section 3. 2. Discuss the map on pages 478-479 in Creating America, “The Civil War,

1861-1862,” and answer the accompanying questions. Instructional Resources






April Weeks 2 & 4


1. Why was Abraham Lincoln reluctant to abolish slavery during the Civil War? What made him change his mind?

2. Why did many Northerners criticize the Emancipation Proclamation? What was Lincoln’s response to these criticisms?

3. What role did African-Americans play in the war after the Emancipation Proclamation?

4. What made the Massachusetts 54th Regiment unique? Describe their bravery at the Battle of Fort Wagner.

5. Why did many Southerners believe the Civil War was a “rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight?”

6. How did the North convince people to volunteer for the war? 7. What were the economic effects of the Civil War on the North? On the

South? 8. In what ways did slaves help the Union war effort? How did women

contribute? 9. What were conditions like for soldiers in the prison camps?


(Creating America chapter 17, sections 1 & 2.) - The Emancipation Proclamation - The Massachusetts 54th Regiment - The economic effects of the Civil War on the North and South - The roles of slaves and women in the Civil War - Conditions of civil war prison camps


USI.38 USI.39 Battles

A. the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and the Battle at Fort Wagner. USI.40




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 17, Sections 1 & 2. 2. As a class, brainstorm the effects of the Civil War on the North and South.

Compile responses onto a class poster divided in political, social, and economic categories.







April Week 4 & May Week 1


1. Why did Robert E. Lee attempt a second invasion of the North at the Battle of Gettysburg?

2. Why was Pickett’s Charge at the battle of Gettysburg a turning point for the Union army?

3. Why was Lincoln frustrated after the Union won the Battle of Gettysburg? 4. How was Ulysses S. Grant’s siege of Vicksburg an important part of the

Anaconda Plan? 5. How did Sherman’s total war and his March to Atlanta help the Union

cause – and Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign in the Election of 1864?

6. How was Ulysses S. Grant able to win Richmond from Robert E. Lee? 7. What were the terms of Lee’s surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse?


(Creating America chapter 17, section 3.) - The Battle of Gettysburg - The Siege of Vicksburg - Sherman’s March to the Sea - Grant’s Virginia campaign - Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse


USI.39 Leaders B. C. Battles C. Vicksburg. D. Gettysburg.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 17, Section 3. 2. Read Creating America, pages 508-509, “The Gettysburg Address and

Second Inaugural Address,” and answer the accompanying questions.







May Week 2


1. What were the human costs of the Civil War? What were the economic costs of the war?

2. How did the Thirteenth Amendment correct the problems of the Emancipation Proclamation?

3. Who assassinated President Lincoln? How did Americans react to his death?

4. How did the war change perceptions of Americans about the country as a whole?

5. In what ways did the federal government become more powerful as a result of the Civil War?

6. What were the effects of the war on Northern industry? On Southern farming?


(Creating America chapter 17, section 4.) - The costs of war - The Thirteenth Amendment - Increasing strength of the federal government - The immediate- and long-term effects of the war


USI.40 USI.41 Explain the policies and consequences of Reconstruction. C. the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 17, Section 4. 2. Write a newspaper article describing the assassination of President Lincoln.

How might Northern newspaper articles differ from Southern newspaper articles? (teachers have students write articles from each perspective)

3. Read Creating America, page 507, “Cause and Effect: The Civil War, 1861-1865,” and answer the accompanying questions.







May Week 3


1. What was the goal of the Radical Republicans during Reconstruction? For how long did Reconstruction last?

2. Why did President Johnson and Congress disagree over the issue of Reconstruction?

3. How did Southern states resist Reconstruction? What were the effects of the Civil Rights Act?

4. What does the Fourteenth Amendment state? 5. Under what conditions were Southern states allowed to re-enter the Union? 6. Why and how did the Radical Republicans try to remove President Johnson

from office? Content (Topics covered)

(Creating America chapter 18, section 1.) - Reconstruction - The Radical Republicans - The Civil Rights Act - The Fourteenth Amendment - The impeachment of President Johnson


USI.41 A. Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction. B. the impeachment of President Johnson. C. the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. D. the opposition of Southern whites to Reconstruction. G. the rise of Jim Crow laws.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 18, Section 1. 2. Discuss with students how they would rebuild a society like the United

States after a war. What jobs need to be done to restore every-day life? What do you do with all the newly-freed slaves?







May Week 4 & June Week 1


1. How did newly-freed slaves adjust to their new lives? 2. How did Freedman’s Bureaus help to prepare African-Americans for work? 3. What does the term, “40 acres and a mule,” refer to? 4. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the Contract System that

developed in the South? 5. What was the Sharecropping System? What were some of its problems? 6. Who were the Ku Klux Klan?


(Creating America chapter 18, section 2.) - African-American response to Reconstruction - The Contract & Sharecropping Systems - The Ku Klux Klan


USI.41 D. E. the accomplishments and failures of Radical Reconstruction.




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 18, Section 2. 2. Write a brief research paper on the Ku Klux Klan of the mid-19th century.

Who were its leaders? What were their goals? How did they keep African-Americans from voting in the South? How did the federal government oppose – or support – their violence against blacks? Do the Ku Klux Klan still exist? What gives them that right?







June Weeks 1 & 2


1. Why did many African-Americans vote for Ulysses S. Grant in the Election of 1868?

2. What does the Fifteenth Amendment guarantee? 3. How did President Grant deal with the Ku Klux Klan? 4. How did scandals in the Republican Party hurt Reconstruction? 5. What effects did the Panic of 1873 have on the Republicans and

Reconstruction? 6. What were the causes and terms of the Compromise of 1877?


(Creating America chapter 18, section 3.) - The Elections of 1868 & 1876 - Grant’s Presidency - The Panic of 1873 - The Compromise of 1877 - The Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case


USI.41 D. E. F. the presidential election of 1876 and the end of Reconstruction. H. the Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).




1. Read Creating America, Chapter 18, Section 3. 2. Read Creating America, page 549, “Segregation and Discrimination,”

(chapter 19, section 2). How did the Supreme Court allow segregation of blacks and whites to continue in the South after Reconstruction had ended?

3. List the successes (13th-15th amendments, etc.) and failures (black codes, the KKK, etc.) of Reconstruction.






grade 8 us history i - haverhill public schools maps... · reasons for the american victory and the...

Documents