Unit 1: Colonization through the Constitution
Assessment in this domain focuses on key events, historical figures, and themes related to the history of the
United States from the first settlement of British North America to the presidency of John Adams.
Standards: SSUSH1 through SSUSH5
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Students will describe the settlement of North America in the 17th century.
Students will describe the economic and social development of British North America.
Students will explain the causes of the American Revolution.
Students will explain ideological, military, and political developments during the American
Revolution.
Students will explain the adoption and implementation of the United States Constitution.
EQ’s:
1. Explain Virginia’s development; include the Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation, relationships with Native
Americans such as Powhatan, development of the House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the development of
slavery.
2. Describe the settlement of New England; include religious reasons; relations with Native Americans (e.g., King
Phillip’s War); the establishment of town meetings and development of a legislature; religious tensions that led to
colonies such as Rhode Island; the half-way covenant; Salem Witch Trials; and the loss of the Massachusetts
charter.
3. Explain the development of the mid-Atlantic colonies; include the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and
subsequent English takeover, and the settlement of Pennsylvania.
4. Explain the reasons for French settlement of Quebec.
5. Explain the development of mercantilism and the trans-Atlantic trade.
6. Describe the Middle Passage, growth of the African population, and African-American culture.
7. Identify Benjamin Franklin as a symbol of social mobility and individualism.
8. Explain the significance of the Great Awakening.
9. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition as seen in the French-Indian War and the 1763 Treaty
of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
10. Explain colonial response to such British actions as the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable
Acts as seen in Sons and Daughters of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence.
11. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.
12. Explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence; include the writing
of John Locke and Montesquieu, and the role of Thomas Jefferson.
13. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and foreign assistance and the roles of Benjamin
Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette.
14. Analyze George Washington as a military leader; include the creation of a professional military and the life of a
common soldier, and describe the significance of the crossing of the Delaware River and Valley Forge.
15. Explain Yorktown, the role of Lord Cornwallis, and the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
16. Explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellion led to a call for a stronger
central government.
17. Evaluate the major arguments of the anti-Federalists and Federalists during the debate on ratification of the
Constitution as put forth in The Federalist concerning form of government, factions, checks and balances, and the
power of the executive, including the roles of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
18. Explain the key features of the Constitution, specifically the Great Compromise, separation of powers, limited
government, and the issue of slavery.
19. Analyze how the Bill of Rights serves as a protector of individual and states’ rights.
20. Explain the importance of the Presidencies of George Washington and John Adams; include the Whiskey Rebellion,
non-intervention in Europe, and the development of political parties (Alexander Hamilton).
Vocabulary:
Colonization (Due _____)
1. Quebec
2. Jamestown (44)
3. Tobacco (46)
4. House of Burgesses (46)
5. Bacon’s Rebellion (48)
6. New England Colonies (50)
7. Puritans (51)
8. Mayflower Compact (51)
9. Salem Witch Trials (53)
10. Half-way covenant
11. King Phillip’s War (57)
12. Salutary Neglect (73)
13. Mercantilism (71)
14. Triangular Trade (75)
15. Middle Passage (84)
16. The Great Awakening (92)
17. The Enlightenment (119)
Revolution (Due _____)
18. French-Indian War (104)
19. Treaty of Paris 1763 (108)
20. Proclamation of 1763 (109)
21. Stamp Act (111)
22. Sons of Liberty (112)
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
Committees of Correspondence
Boston Tea Party (114)
Intolerable Acts (115)
Lexington and Concord (116)
Common Sense (118)
Declaration of Independence (119)
Battle of Trenton (131)
Battle of Saratoga (132)
Valley Forge
Battle of Yorktown (135)
Treaty of Paris 1783 (136)
New Country (Due _____)
34. Articles of Confederation (145)
35. Shay’s Rebellion (148)
36. The Constitution (150)
37. The Great Compromise (153)
38. The 3/5ths Compromise (153)
39. Federalists (158)
40. Anti-Federalists (159)
41. The Federalist(159)
42. The Bill of Rights (161)
43. The Whiskey Rebellion (204)
44. XYZ Affair (207)
45. Alien and Sedition Acts (208)
46. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (208)
Key People:
John Rolfe
Powhatan
Nathaniel Bacon
Roger Williams
Anne Hutchinson
William Penn
Benjamin Franklin
Samuel Adams
George Washington (General)
Thomas Paine
Project:
Facebook Project.
John Locke
Montesquieu
Thomas Jefferson
Marquis de Lafayette
Lord Cornwallis
Daniel Shay
James Madison
George Washington (President)
Alexander Hamilton
John Adams (President)