Academic U.S. & Virginia History
Mr. Briscoe & Mr. Null
Name: _______________________________
Block: _______
UNIT GUIDE: COLONIAL AMERICA
This is the first of eight unit guides we will work with for the year. Each guide is structured to help you
study content and prepare for the unit test. After we set up course binders in our next class, you will be
able to keep this guide in the “UNIT GUIDES” section of the binder. Please refer to it before each and
every class session.
Unit Description
The first unit of the course will trace the origins of the United States from the first European explorers up
through the mid-1700s. The conquest of the Americas by Europeans, along with the forced migration of
Africans, resulted in the emergence of a unique cultural mix in the Western Hemisphere. The British
North American colony of Virginia played a leading role during this period, eventually giving rise to a set
of cultural institutions that would help to shape the independent American nation. Along with Virginia,
each of the original thirteen colonies contributed politically, economically, and culturally to what would
eventually become one of the most revolutionary experiments in human history - the creation and
development of the United States of America.
Schedule of Classes and Topics
While subject to change due to unanticipated school events, drills, delays, and cancelled days, the
schedule offered in each unit guide is a good indicator of what we will be doing in each class session
throughout the unit. Note that the homework sheets provided separately are numbered in sequential order
(H1, H2, H3) to help keep you organized throughout the year. Please keep homework with the unit guide
in the appropriate section of your binder.
TH Sep 5
Focus 1: American Identity; Unit Introduction; Benchmark Pre-Assessment;
Focus 2: U.S. Geography (Part I)
DUE: 1. Student Questionnaire
2. Focus 1: American Identity
M Sep 9
Focus 2: U.S. Geography (Part II); Materials Check; Course Binder Set-up;
Introduction to Primary Sources and Historical Thinking Skills;
Focus 3: Primary Source – “Where in Time?”
DUE: 1. Materials check (see listed class materials on page 2 of the syllabus)
2. Focus 2: U.S. Geography (Part I completed prior to class)
W Sep 11
Focus 3: Primary Source – “Where in Time?”; Chronology of U.S. History
DUE: Focus 3 (completed in class)
F Sep 13
Focus 4: The Columbian Exchange; The New World
DUE: 1. Complete Homework 1 (H1) attached
2. Focus 4 (completed in class)
T Sep 17
Quiz 1: U.S. Geography & Chapter 1 (20 minutes); Virginia vs. New England
DUE: 1. Review Focus 2 & 4 and Homework 1 for the quiz
(20 multiple-choice items)
2. Complete Homework 2 (H2) attached
TH Sep 19
Focus 5: The Thirteen Colonies; Colonial Regions
DUE: 1. Complete Homework 3 (H3) attached
2. Focus 5 (completed in class)
M Sep 23
Focus 6: The Great Awakening; Religion in Colonial America; Test Preview
DUE: Focus 6 (completed in class)
Note that unit test review sessions will be offered on Monday, September 23 both before school
(from 8:10-8:50 a.m.) and after school (from 4:00-4:40 p.m.) in room 208
W Sep 25
Unit Test: Colonial America (60 minutes); Quiz 1 Retake offered (20 minutes)
Focus 7: New England & Mid-Atlantic Geography
DUE: 1. Review all unit materials for the unit test, including the test guide
2. Binder check (in class during the test)
Important Note on Homework
For some class sessions, you are asked to complete a reading from the textbook and related homework.
The readings and homework will help introduce you to the unit content and will also prepare you for each
class. The vocabulary and questions will help prepare you for the quiz and especially for the unit test.
Homework will be checked during the indicated class session for a homework credit. Incomplete
homework will receive a percentage grade (25, 50, or 75) or will be marked in Clarity with a “Z”
(meaning a zero for an assignment that was not attempted).
At the end of the unit, the unit guide will be turned in as part of the unit binder check. At that
time, any homework grade that was less than 100% (or even a “Z”) can be adjusted up to 100% if
the work has been subsequently completed. The important thing is that you have prepared for the unit
assessments and any retake opportunities.
Important Note on Retake Testing
Unit guides are critical for the retake process. Homework in the unit guide and relevant focus
activities must be completed prior to any retake opportunity. The unit guide and focus activities
serve as good evidence that you have done your part to prepare for a quiz or test both in and outside of
class time.
For example, in order to retake Quiz 1 on Wednesday, September 25, you would need to have completed
Homework 1, as well as Focus 2 & 4.
Note on Study Help
If you have any questions about the course or need help in any way outside of class, Mr. Briscoe will be
available on most A days from 8:15-8:50 a.m. in the social studies workroom and from 3:50-4:15 p.m. in
the classroom (room 208). On B days and at other times, you are always welcome to contact him by email at kevin.briscoe@lcps.org and he will try to get back to you within 24 hours or by Monday morning
if it’s a weekend. Unit guides, focus assignments, and class notes will always be posted on Mr. Briscoe’s
web page on the PFHS web site (just check under the staff directory). A sample course binder will also
be kept up to date on the back table of the classroom.
Academic U.S. & Virginia History
Mr. Briscoe & Mr. Null
Name: _______________________________
Block: _______
HOMEWORK 1 (H1) – Colonial America
Please complete the following for the start of class on Friday, September 13 (very auspicious, eh?):
1. Read Ch. 1, “Three Worlds Meet” (all) and Ch. 2, “The American Colonies Emerge” (section 1
only – “Spain’s Empire in the Americas”)
2. Complete the vocabulary and questions below. Feel free to write out your answers on notebook
paper if you need more room. A sample has been provided for you in each case.
Vocabulary Term
kinship
division of labor
plantation
lineage
hierarchy
Christopher Columbus
colonization
Columbian Exchange
conquistadors
(include two specific
examples)
What/who is it?
Strong ties among family members
that ensure the continuation of
traditional customs
Significance in U.S. history?
A significant element in both Native
American and African cultures that helped
to ensure strong family/tribal bonds and
passing down of customs
mestizos
encomienda
Short Responses
1. Why did Western Europeans explore and discover the New World in the 1400s? Consider the
following factors: interest in Eastern (Asian) trade goods, the influence of the Renaissance, and
the “Maritime Revolution” in navigation technology led by Portugal. See Ch. 1, section 4.
Sample Answer: Western Europeans launched the “Age of Discovery” in the 1400s primarily
because they were increasingly interested in obtaining Eastern luxuries such as silks, spices, and
porcelain. European monarchs sought new trade routes to Asia to increase their own wealth and
power and to avoid the higher prices charged by Italian and Muslim Middle Eastern merchants.
The Renaissance cultural movement encouraged a spirit of exploration and discovery that
prompted explorers to take risks. Prince Henry the Navigator, ruler of Portugal, encouraged
innovations in navigation technology, such as the construction of ocean-going caravels and the
use of the astrolabe and compass, which allowed European explorers to travel around the coast of
Africa and eventually across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World by the 1490s.
2. For each of the three groups listed below, briefly explain whether the Columbian Exchange had
a positive or negative impact. Offer at least two reasons to support your conclusions in each case.
Americans: ____________________________________________________________________
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Africans: ______________________________________________________________________
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Europeans: ____________________________________________________________________
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Academic U.S. & Virginia History
Mr. Briscoe & Mr. Null
Name: _______________________________
Block: _______
HOMEWORK 2 (H2) – Colonial America
Please complete the following for the start of class on Tuesday, September 17:
1. Read Ch. 2, “The American Colonies Emerge” (sections 2 & 3 only – “An English Settlement at
Jamestown” and “Puritan New England”)
2. Complete the vocabulary and questions below. Feel free to write out your answers on notebook
paper if you need more room.
Vocabulary Term
John Smith
joint-stock companies
Jamestown
Powhatan
indentured servants
royal colony
House of Burgesses
(see pg. 48 box)
Puritans
John Winthrop
What/who is it?
Significance in U.S. history?
Plymouth Colony
Massachusetts Bay
Colony
Short Reponses
1. How did the Jamestown colony survive despite such a disastrous start? Who played key roles in
ensuring the colony’s survival? (section 2)
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2. What role did religion and family life play in the lives of New England Puritans? How did Roger
Williams and Anne Hutchinson challenge Puritan society? (section 3)
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Academic U.S. & Virginia History
Mr. Briscoe & Mr. Null
Name: _______________________________
Block: _______
HOMEWORK 3 (H3) – Colonial America
Please complete the following for the start of class on Thursday, September 19:
1. Read Ch. 2, “The American Colonies Emerge” (section 4 only – “Settlement of the Middle
Colonies”) and Ch. 3, “The Colonies Come of Age” (sections 1, 2, & 3 only – “England and Its
Colonies,” “The Agricultural South,” and “The Commercial North”)
2. Complete the vocabulary and questions below. Feel free to write out your answers on notebook
paper if you need more room.
Vocabulary Term
William Penn
proprietor
Quakers
mercantilism
Navigation Acts
salutary neglect
cash crop
triangular trade
Middle Passage
What/who is it?
Significance in U.S. history?
Enlightenment –
link to Ben Franklin
Great Awakening –
Link to Jonathan Edwards
Short Response
Based on the readings, list four general characteristics for each of the three major colonial regions:
New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire):
1. Heavily influenced by Puritan values, although less so after the Salem witchcraft hysteria
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________
Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware)
1. Major commercial centers, such as New York and Philadelphia
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________
Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia)
1. Dominated by cash crop agriculture (tobacco, rice, and indigo)
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________
Which region appeals to you most and why?: ________________________________________________
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