We begin our course with the origins of the nation. We will learn the different theories of how Native Americans first arrived on the continent. We will also look at the causes and consequences of European colonization of North America. The first unit traces the foundations of American democracy with the American Revolution and the US Constitution. We will follow the expansion of the US in its first century US including the Mexican American War, American slavery, the division between North and South, leading to the Civil War.
Reading from American Visions Textbook
Presentations
- Native Americans and the Arrival of the Europeans
- Declaration
- Declaration Organizer
- TheNewNation
- Federalism Organizer
- Government Buildings organizer
- The Expansion of the US
- The Mexican American War
- American Slavery
- The CivilWar
Activities
- A Trip to the Mall
- Mall Matching
- Brainpop username: 12x129 password: 9335976
- The Middle Passage
- Video on the American Constitution - Crash Course
- Shipwrecked
- Video on Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American Ware - Crash Course
- The UnderGround Railroad Website
- The UnderGround Railroad Worksheet
- Slavery Crossword Puzzle
- Causes of the Civil War
Review Materials
- FoundationsUTReview