Unit 1 Foundations: Background to American History (3 weeks / should go up to Constitution Day)
Big Picture Questions / Details:
In what ways did the Declaration of Independence establish our beliefs about American freedom?
French and Indian War
American Revolution
Second Continental Congress
George Washington
Committee of Five
Thomas Jefferson
July 4, 1776
John Locke
Unalienable Rights
Text of the first 3 paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence
Describe the contributions of significant individuals who aided in the independence of the
American colonies.
Founding Fathers such as:
Benjamin Rush
John Hancock
John Jay
John Witherspoon
John Peter Muhlenberg
Charles Carroll
Jonathan Trumbull Sr.
In what ways did the designers of the Constitution think that this document would protect the
survival of the American nation while still protecting individual and state rights?
Articles of Confederation
Constitutional Convention
1787
U.S. Constitution
Text of the Preamble
Principles of the U.S. Constitution
John Jay
Federalist papers
Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution, and how does it protect Americans? How
have these rights expanded to be more inclusive?
Amendments 1-10
Other Amendments protecting America's freedom - Amendments 13-15
How does each of Alexis de Tocqueville 5 American characteristics; Egalitarianism (equality),
populism (popular sovereignty), liberty, individualism, and laissez-faire; influence who we are as
Americans? Are these still relevant today?
Hector St. John de Crevecour Letters to an American Farmer
Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America
Egalitarianism (equality)
Populism (popular sovereignty)
Liberty
Individualism
Laissez-faire
“E Pluribus Unum”
“In God We Trust”
Instructional Focus: Although there is a lot of content that could be covered in this unit, students simply
need a refresher of this information. The focus of this unit is a background to U.S. History since 1877 and
meeting the state requirements of Constitution week. Instruction will focus around three key documents
that influence and shape who we are as Americans and the development of our nation – the Declaration of
Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. As we study these documents we will also
introduce various learning strategies that will follow the students throughout the year (optics, soaps, quick
writes, etc…). Students will also learn about key individuals who participated in the American Revolution
and the values forged during these years that continue to guide us into the future. This unit will culminate
with students being introduced to essay writing in history by writing an essay about these American values
during constitution week that will reflect back on these three documents to prove their assertion to the
prompt.
Suggested Resources:
Alexander Hamilton- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE
Too Late to Apologize (Declaration of Independence)- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg
Hamilton-Burr duel - Orignial "Got Milk" commercial (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OLSsswr6z9Y)
1776 the Musical (excerpt)
Youtube video of Barney Fife reciting Preamble