Kristen Borges
Johann Knets
Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School
Founding of the American Colonies
Historical Context and background
The focus four our unit is the motivation behind the founding of the American
colonies. This seven day series of lesson plans is the first unit in an Advance Placement
US History class. Starting in the late 16th century, the Europeans who settled the New
World were from Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the various
German states.
These settlers were inspired by a variety of motives.
This unit
emphasizes the particular European leaders who helped establish these settlements in
North America. Some were adventurers seeking fortune; others were Christians seeking
to establish their religion.
Convicts, debtors, indentured servants and political and
religious exiles all sought new opportunities in the New World. Many sought to escape
hardships in their country of origin. For example, the people of late 16th century England
suffered from costly European wars, religious strife, and the harsh economic
transformation of the countryside. Because students will have completed a summer
reading assignment, they will already have a general understanding of the enclosure
movement and the worldwide demand for wool. England also had a group of ambitious
leaders who participated in the colonization of Ireland. Part of the attraction of the new
world to the English was its contrast to its own troubled land. Students will recognize the
impact the enclosure movement and Irish colonization had on Tudor England prior to
class.
The question of labor was central to the newly founded settlements. News of the
many risks facing the European settlers made it difficult to attract enough workers to
keep up with the expanding colonial economies. Therefore, Europeans relied heavily on
forced labor.
First Native Americans were used; however, many were rebellious,
susceptible to disease, or escaped. Europeans then turned to the African slave trade for
their labor needs. This began a trans-Atlantic slave trade that would bring millions of
Africans to the Americas.
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A central idea of this unit is to examine this time period in the context of the
“Atlantic World”. The idea of the Atlantic World focuses on the connections between
Western Europe, Africa and the Americas. The expansion of commerce and travel
intimately connects the three continents. Religion and intellectual life also connected the
three continents. Instead of thinking of early American history as the story of thirteen
colonies along the Atlantic seaboard, the idea of the “Atlantic World” encourages
students to think of early American history as a pattern of exchange and interactions. The
mixture of peoples, cultures, and ecosystems from the continents of Africa, Europe and
North America led to a distinctive American colonial society.
The economies that
emerged were diverse and dependent upon the various geographical regions of North
America. As the original settlements grew into prosperous colonies, the transplanted
Europeans created political systems and social institutions to manage the growth.
The leaders of the New World had to respond to the major challenges found in the
new environments. Often their goals crashed into harsh realities. Imperial rivalries in the
New World led to costly wars that proved to be devastating. Many of the leaders faced
dilemmas over alliances and trade relations. Leaders seized opportunities to consolidate
power and accommodate for new systems and institutions. This unit highlights the
following specific leaders: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Jean Ribault, Rene de
Laudonniere, Richard Hakluyt, John Smith, William Bradford and John Winthrop.
Their leadership will be examined within the historical context of the characteristics of
the permanent settlements established by Spain, and Great Britain. Particular attention
will be paid to the goals and motives behind colonization and the relationship between
the settlers and Native Americans during the early 17c. Thus a comparison will be drawn
between the Spanish and British settlements.
A follow up unit will focus more specifically on European encounters with Native
Americans. Native American cultures were profoundly affected by the arrival of peoples
from Europe and Africa. Native Americans were more than passive victims; many
became trading partners, allies, and formidable enemies of the new arrivals.
The
interaction between Europeans, Native American and Africans was complex and will be
examined more specifically in a separate unit.
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Written Narrative

If you worked on this with a partner, how was the work divided in creating
this unit?
All of the planning was done collaboratively as a partnership. We planned the
overall ideas of the unit, scope and sequence, final assessment, and daily lesson
plans. We divided up small tasks such but everything was reviewed together.
The types of activities that were done separately included typing specific
directions for lesson plans, gathering images for Power Point presentations and
the development of worksheets.

When and how do you plan to teach this unit during the academic year?
1. This unit of study will be the first unit in the 12th Grade Advance Placement
United States History curriculum at Hamilton Wenham Regional High School.
We will connect this in-depth study of early colonial leadership, motivations
behind colonization and interactions between Native Americans and Europeans to
the founding of the United States and its political systems and social institutions.
It will fit in perfectly with part of the summer reading assignment which was
Chapters 2 - 4 from their Advance Placement United States History textbook. The
textbook we use is:
Boyer, Paul S.. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
Students also were required to read Founding Myths by Ray Raphael as part of
their summer reading. Although this book focuses on the American Revolution
era, it will help the students in their analysis of Plymouth and the landing of the
Pilgrims.

What did you add to this unit that you would not have thought of if you
hadn’t participated in TAH?
There are a number of components added to this unit from the content of the TAH
summer institute. For starters, the focus on leaders such as Pedro Menéndez de
Avilés would not have been incorporated if not highlighted during Professor Sean
Congdon’s module during the summer institute. Far too often United States
history begins with the arrival of the English, when in actuality they were late
comers to the New World. We chose to expand our unit on the founding colonies
to emphasize the role the Spanish played particularly in Florida. We also adapted
the National Archives visual analysis sheet as provided for us during Professor
Pat Fontaine’s module. When assigning primary sources, we used the primary
document questions provided by Professor Sean Congdon. These are questions
that can be asked of any primary source; and are questions that we have both
already incorporated into our classrooms since the first year of the grant. The fact
we emphasized leadership is also a product of the TAH grant. Further examples
of applications from the TAH grant are various items of content. There are a
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number of leaders and specific content details from different presenters that are
utilized within our unit. The variety of information that we have learned and
received during the TAH grant has in many ways supplemented our existing
knowledge and enhanced it with new material.

What did you want your students to understand about leadership in terms of
dilemmas and opportunities?
Over the course of our unit we focused on a number of different leaders and the
dilemmas and opportunities that they faced. One of the major themes within our
unit includes the idea of motivating factors for the different entities involved. By
focusing on these ideas, we want students to evaluate the decisions made by the
leaders within our unit. We would like our students to be able to analyze and
evaluate the dilemmas and opportunities faced by leaders such as Pedro Menéndez
de Avilés, Jean Ribault, Rene de Laudonniere, Richard Hakluyt, John Smith,
William Bradford and John Winthrop. Therefore, we tried to create a unit that
encourages students to think critically about the issues the leaders faced during the
time period. We have also tried to stress the complexities that existed within this
time period. In particular, we asked that students focus on the complex relations and
interactions that existed between leaders and settlers and as well as imperial rivalries
particularly between Spain and England.

Which historical thinking standards did you find were essential in developing
an understanding of your topic?
Although each of the five historical thinking standards could be applied in some
way to our unit, standards 2, 3, and 5 were especially important in developing
understanding of our topic. Historical Standard 2, Historical Comprehension,
involves important skills that are essential to understanding the many primary
documents used in our unit. For example, items within this standard included the
following: recognizing historical interpretation, understanding of central
questions, considering perspectives, and drawing upon visual sources. These
types of skills played a key role in understanding the material in our unit. In
addition, Historical Standard 3, Historical Analysis and Interpretation, also fit
well into understanding of our unit. Items within this standard that played a
central role in our unit included the following: comparing and contrasting
different sets of ideas, considering of multiple perspectives, and analysis of cause
and effect relationships. It was especially important to incorporate the idea of
comparing and contrasting differing sets of ideas as a major focus of our unit was
the different motivating factors behind colonization. Finally, Historical Thinking
Standard 5, Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision Making, was essential to
understanding of our unit for a number of reasons. We incorporated the use of
skills including each of the following: evaluate alternative courses of action, the
formulation of a position or course of action on an issue, and the evaluation of
implementation of a decision. These three aspects of this standard were essential
to understanding our unit because we focused in particular on the dilemmas and
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opportunities faced by the different leaders involved in the founding of the
Colonies.
Goals of Unit:
Students will understand…
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the motivations for settlement and how that shaped the future of the colonies.
Spanish, French, and English areas of conquest and the interaction with native
groups.
the emergence of “cash crops” (tobacco).
the challenges of a labor system.
the Puritan foundation.
the impact of the environment and indentured servitude on the economic, social,
political, and cultural development of the American colonies.
Essential Questions for Unit:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
3. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
4. What role did geography play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
5. What role did culture play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
6. How are historical interpretations developed?
7. What do historical interpretations say about the time period in which they
emerge?
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Lesson Plan Day One
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History, 12th Grade
State framework standard:
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Comprehension
B. Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses and the purpose,
perspective, or point of view from which it has been constructed.
D. Evidence historical perspectives--the ability (a) to describe the past on its own terms,
through the eyes and experiences of those who were there, as revealed through their
literature, diaries, letters, debates, arts, artifacts, and the like; and (b) to "presentmindedness," judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
C. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations, but acknowledge
also that the two are related: that the facts the historian reports are selected and reflect
therefore the historian's judgment of what is most significant about the past.
Leadership: No specific leader for this lesson.
Enduring understandings:
Students will …
understand myths that surround early European settlement of North America.
recognize how these myths evolved.
determine whether there is bias in the traditional interpretations.
Essential Questions:
How are historical interpretations developed?
What do historical interpretations say about the time period in which they
emerge?
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Students are assigned Chapters 2 - 4 from their Advance Placement United States
History textbook as part of their summer reading. The textbook we use is:
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Boyer, Paul S.. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
This reading assignment gives students a solid background on the colonial era.
2. Ask students to pair up with each other and brainstorm words or ideas they
associate with early European settlement in the New World.
3. Have students share their lists with the rest of the class. Look for similarities
between lists and write those on the board. Save this list so that students can go
back to it throughout the unit.
4. Assign the class two articles. Half the class should read the article “The Pilgrims:
The Stuff of Myths” (Handout #1), and the other half should read an excerpt from
the book “The Pilgrims and Pocahontas: Rival Myths of American Origin”
(Handout #2). As they read the articles, have them focus on the essential
questions.
How are historical interpretations developed?
What do historical interpretations say about the time period in which they
emerge?
5. Students then form groups of four with two students representing each article. In
a small group discussion, compare articles and answers to the essential questions.
6. Give each group one image from Debunking Myths: Images of English
Colonization Power Point. (Power Point #1)
7. Have students complete the Painting Analysis worksheet (Handout #3) as they
examine the image.
8. Direct students back to their original list. What words or ideas from the list
reinforce some of the historical myths they learned about?
Content:
Historical Interpretations of Plymouth Plantation
Homework Assignment:
1. Students are to read Chapter 1 The Lost Century from A Voyage Long and Strange
by Tony Horwitz.
Horwitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. New
York: Henry Holt and Company, 2008.
Questions to accompany reading:
1. What does Horwitz say about historical interpretations of the early American
colonies?
2. What is the significance of the title of this chapter?
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Lesson Plan Day Two
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History, 12th Grade
State framework standard:
5.5 Describe the goals and extent of the Spanish settlements in Florida. (H)
5.6 Explain the early relationship of the settlers to the indigenous peoples, or Indians, in
North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and the
conflicts between them (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England). (H, G,
E)
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Comprehension
A. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage by identifying who was
involved, what happened, where it happened, what events led to these developments, and
what consequences or outcomes followed.
B. Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses and the purpose,
perspective, or point of view from which it has been constructed.
D. Evidence historical perspectives--the ability (a) to describe the past on its own terms,
through the eyes and experiences of those who were there, as revealed through their
literature, diaries, letters, debates, arts, artifacts, and the like; and (b) to "presentmindedness," judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
Leadership: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Enduring Understandings:
Students will …
 identify the motivation behind the Spanish settlement in the North America.
 determine the obstacles and challenges faced by leaders of both Spanish and
British settlements.
Essential Questions:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
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3. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Begin class by debriefing the reading assignment from the night before. Focus
students on the following questions:
What does Horwitz say about historical interpretations of the early American
colonies?
What is the significance of the title of this chapter?
Students should hypothesize as to why many students do not learn about preMayflower America.
2. Ask students why did some Europeans choose to come to North America to
establish colonies? What made these early colonists come to the New World?
3. Show students a map of Florida. Ask them why the Spanish would be interested
in Florida? Hold a short discussion focused on motivating factors.
4. Give each student a copy of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Letter to King Philip II of
Spain (Handout #4). As a class read the background information. Then ask
students to partner up and read the excerpt from the letter and answer the
following question:
Using specific evidence from the letter, what motivated Menéndez to settle
on the Florida coast?
4. Students should then discuss the Primary Source Questions with each other.
5. Wrap up the lesson by bringing the class back together for a debriefing of their
answers.
6. Have students keep track of the motivating factors in their notebook. Tell them
they will continue to add to this list as the unit progresses.
Content:
Spanish motivation for settlement in Florida.
Homework Assignment:
Students are to read Chapter 10 Florida: Fountains of Youth, River of Blood from A
Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz, and answer the questions that
accompany that chapter. (Handout #5)
Horwitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. New
York: Henry Holt and Company, 2008.
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Lesson Plan Day Three
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History, 12th Grade
State framework standard:
5.5 Describe the goals and extent of the Spanish settlements in Florida. (H)
5.6 Explain the early relationship of the settlers to the indigenous peoples, or Indians, in
North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and the
conflicts between them (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England). (H, G,
E)
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and
institutions
Leadership: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Jean Ribault, and Rene de Laudonniere
Enduring understandings:
Students will…
 compare and contrast the motivation behind the Spanish and French settlements in
the New World
 identify two major motivations for the colonization of St. Augustine
 determine the obstacles and challenges faced by leaders of both Spanish and
French settlements.
Essential Questions:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
3. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Ask students what qualities they would want to see in a leader of an expedition to
the New World. Why? Have students record their answers in their notebooks.
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2. Have students pair up with each other and discuss the previous night’s reading
assignment. After they go through the questions, ask them to create a list of the
motives/reasons behind French and Spanish colonization.
3. Students should also focus on the leaders from last night’s reading as well
(Handout #5).
4. Seminar: Have students move from their partners into a larger circle for a
seminar discussion on the Horwitz reading. Use the essential questions to focus
the students for seminar. Students should follow seminar rules.
SEMINAR RULES
1. Criticize ideas NOT people.
2. No interruptions or side conversations.
3. Support position with evidence from the reading.
5. Particular attention should be paid to the historical interpretations of the St.
Augustine settlement and the problems that are associated with it. Students
should discuss how people learn history and ways historical interpretations can
become distorted. Ask them to reflect back on the very first list they compiled
about European settlement in the New World. Have them recall the essential
questions from the beginning of the unit:
How are historical interpretations developed?
What do historical interpretations say about the time period in which they
emerge?
6. Have students assess the leadership qualities of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Jean
Ribault, and Rene de Laudonniere. Ask them what role they believe the leaders
played in the outcome of the settlement of Florida.
7. End class with a short PowerPoint presentation (Power Point #2) of the
engravings of Theodore de Bry after watercolors by Jacques Le Moyne de
Morgues, artist with the French expeditions to Florida under Jean Ribault (1562)
and René Goulaine de Laudonnière (1564). This publication Jacques Le Moyne
de Morgues, A Huguenot Artist in France, Florida, and England was excerpted
by the National Humanities Center, can be found at:
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/amerbegin/exploration/text4/lemoyne.pdf
Ask students how these images might have been used in Europe to attract settlers
to the New World.
Content:
French and Spanish motivation for settlement in North America.
Homework Assignment:
1. Decision Making Problem:
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a. Distribute excerpt from Richard Hakluyt’s, "A Discourse Concerning
Western Planting." (1584) (Handout #7). Tell students they are Queen
Elizabeth I. Young Richard Hakluyt has brought her an essay he has
written entitled, Discourse of Western Planting. In it he argues that
England should start colonies in America. Hakluyt asks for the English
government to financially sponsor him (pay the costs) to start colonies in
America. Previous colonial ventures have been very expensive, so this one
will probably cost the government a significant amount of money if she
decides to sponsor it. Will you, Queen Elizabeth, fund this venture?
Answer the primary source questions and explain the reasoning behind
your decision.
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Lesson Plan Day Four
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History, 12th Grade
State framework standard:
5.5 Describe the goals and extent of the English settlement in Virginia and the Spanish
settlement in Florida. (H)
5.6 Explain the early relationship of the English settlers to the indigenous peoples, or
Indians, in North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and
the conflicts between them (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England).
(H, G, E)
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and
institutions
D. Consider multiple perspectives of various peoples in the past by demonstrating their
differing motives, beliefs, interests, hopes, and fears.
F. Challenge arguments of historical inevitability by formulating examples of historical
contingency, of how different choices could have led to different consequences.
Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making
A. Identify issues and problems in the past and analyze the interests, values, perspectives,
and points of view of those involved in the situation.
D. Evaluate alternative courses of action in terms of ethical considerations, the interests
of those affected by the decision, and the long- and short-term consequences of each.
E. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue by identifying the nature of the
problem, analyzing the underlying factors contributing to the problem, and choosing a
plausible solution from a choice of carefully evaluated options.
Enduring understandings:
Students will understand…
 compare and contrast the motivation behind the Spanish and British settlements in
the New World
 identify two major differences and two similarities in the motivations for the
colonization of both Jamestown and St. Augustine
 determine the obstacles and challenges faced by leaders of both Spanish and
British settlements.
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Essential Questions:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
3. What role did geography play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
4. What role did culture play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
5. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
Leadership: Richard Hakluyt
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Begin class with reading excerpts from William Harrison and Richard Hakluyt.
Ask them to pair up and discuss the questions located after Document B excerpt.
(Handout #6) Students should discuss the questions and list problems in England
that would cause people to want to leave.
2. Have students then discuss whether they (as Queen Elizabeth) decided to give
financial support for colonies, as Hakluyt suggests in his essay A Discourse
Concerning Western Planting (Handout #7), and the reasons for their decision.
Move around the room in case there are questions. Then have the whole class
discuss the decisions made. Students who lean toward giving financial help may
have a tendency to stress only the positive results of helping. Ask students to
think about what could go wrong with helping financially. After the discussion,
have students vote on whether to give financial support. Follow the vote by
reading about Queen Elizabeth’s actual decision. (Handout #8) Ask students
what factors they should have thought about in making their decision.
3. Optional: If time allows a brief discussion could focus on when, if ever, the
government today should use taxpayer money to promote national goals (ie. better
transportation, improved medicine, improved education), rather than allow private
investors to decide whether to support these goals?
4. Give students the Investor and Indentured Servant Roles. (Handout # 9) Have
them consider colonization from the two assigned roles. Students should discuss
their decisions with each other.
Ask students: What role might a leader play in shaping their decision?
5. Show students the PowerPoint presentation entitled English Settlements: Investors
and Indentured Servants (PowerPoint #3). Debrief their decisions as a class.
Content:
Role of Investors and Indentured Servants in Jamestown.
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Homework Assignment:
1.
Divide the class into three groups. Have students watch videos found at
the Jamestown Settlement website. (Handout # 10)
2.
Have everyone read The Starving Time by John Smith and answer the
questions. (Handout #11)
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Lesson Plan Day Five
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History 12th grade
State framework standard:
55.5 Describe the goals and extent of the English settlement in Virginia and the Spanish
settlement in Florida. (H)
5.6 Explain the early relationship of the English settlers to the indigenous peoples, or
Indians, in North America, including the differing views on ownership or use of land and
the conflicts between them (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England).
(H, G, E)
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and
institutions
D. Consider multiple perspectives of various peoples in the past by demonstrating their
differing motives, beliefs, interests, hopes, and fears.
E. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships bearing in mind multiple causation including
(a) the importance of the individual in history; (b) the influence of ideas, human interests,
and beliefs; and (c) the role of chance, the accidental, and the irrational.
H. Hold interpretations of history as tentative, subject to change as new information is
uncovered, new voices heard, and new interpretations broached.
Enduring understandings:
Students will…
 compare and contrast the motivation behind the Spanish and British settlements in
the New World
 identify two major differences and two similarities in the motivations for the
colonization of both Jamestown and St. Augustine
 determine the obstacles and challenges faced by leaders of both Spanish and
British settlements.
Essential Questions:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
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3. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
4. What role did geography play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
5. What role did culture play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
Leadership: John Smith
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Ask students to pair up with two other students who watched a different
Jamestown Settlement video than they did. Students should share the information
they learned from the watching the video with each other. Particular attention
should be made to the similarities and differences between English and Spanish
motivating factors.
2. Give students excerpts from The General Historie of Virginia by John Smith.
(Handout #12)
3. With a partner, students should answer the questions at the end of the document
excerpts.
4. Have students connect the document excerpts to the videos. Do the documents
support the interpretation in the videos?
5. Remaining in their groups, have students discuss their answers from The Starving
Time. (Handout #11) Students may want copies of the Optional Handout which
focuses on a recent hypothesis as to why so many people in Jamestown died.
6. Finally, as a class summarize the motivations for European colonization in Florida
and Virginia. Have students focus on the leaders. How did they deal with the
various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that arose? What interactions did the
settlers have with the Powhatan Indians?
Content: Motivation for settlement in Jamestown
Homework Assignment
1.
Interview with Historian
Karen Ordahl Kupperman author of The Jamestown Project (Handout #13)
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/KUPJAM.html
2.
Read excerpt from John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charitie (1630)
(Handout # 14)
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Lesson Plan Day Six
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History 12th grade
State framework standard:
5.5 Describe the goals and extent of the English settlements in North America. (H)
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (H, C)
5.9 Explain the reasons that the language, political institutions, and political principles of
what became the United States of America were largely shaped by English colonists even
though other major European nations also explored the New World. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and
institutions
D. Consider multiple perspectives of various peoples in the past by demonstrating their
differing motives, beliefs, interests, hopes, and fears.
H. Hold interpretations of history as tentative, subject to change as new information is
uncovered, new voices heard, and new interpretations broached.
Enduring understandings:
Students will…
 examine the motivation behind the New England British settlements.
 identify two major differences and two similarities in the motivations for the
colonization of both Jamestown and New England.
 determine the obstacles and challenges faced by leaders of both Spanish and
British settlements.
Essential Questions:
1. What were the motives/goals behind colonization (seeking fortune, religious
freedom, getting out of debt, etc.)?
2. What role did historical and immediate context play in decisions and choices
made by early colonial leaders?
3. How did leaders deal with the various challenges, obstacles, and dilemmas that
arose?
4. What role did geography play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
5. What role did culture play in shaping the colonial society that was created?
Leadership: William Bradford and John Winthrrop
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Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Begin debriefing the Kupperman interview questions. Use the questions from
Handout #13 as a guide.
2. Ask the students to recall their summer reading. What differences and similarities
did they find between the Virginia Colony and the New England Colonies? Focus
students on the differences between the Separatists and Puritans. (Handout # 15)
can be very helpful in this discussion.
3. Ask students the following questions:
What were the goals of the Separatists who settled in Plymouth in 1620?
How were the rules made when the colonists landed, at least for the first six
months?
How was the early "Plymouth Plantation" governed?
4. Lead students through a discussion on the above questions. Then have them read
the Mayflower Compact and answer the Primary Source Questions. (Handout
#16)
5. Have students compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the
motivating factors of the Pilgrim Separatists and the Puritans with that of the
investors and colonists in Jamestown.
6. Students should also focus on the opportunities and dilemmas faced by Bradford
and Winthrop.
Content:
Differences between Pilgrim Separatists and Puritans.
Differences between motivations for settlement in Jamestown and New
England.
Homework Assignment
Half the class should read President George W. Bush’s Speech to West Point
(2004) (Handout # 17) and the other half of the class should read President Barak
Obama’s Speech at the Town Hall Meeting in France, 2009 (Handout # 18).
Have them answer the Questions for Analysis.
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Lesson Plan Day Seven
Unit Name: The Founding of the American Colonies
School District: Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District
Date: Summer Institute Project 2009
Class and Grade: Advance Placement United States History, 12th Grade
State framework standard:
5.9 Explain the reasons that the language, political institutions, and political principles of
what became the United States of America were largely shaped by English colonists even
though other major European nations also explored the New World. (H, C)
Historical thinking standard:
Historical Research Capabilities
B. Obtain historical data from a variety of sources, including: library and museum
collections, historic sites, historical photos, journals, diaries, eyewitness accounts,
newspapers, and the like; documentary films; and so on.
C. Interrogate historical data by uncovering the social, political, and economic context in
which it was created; testing the data source for its credibility, authority, authenticity,
internal consistency and completeness; and detecting and evaluating bias, distortion, and
propaganda by omission, suppression, or invention of facts.
Leadership: John Winthrop.
Enduring understandings:
Students will …
understand myths that surround early European settlement of North America.
recognize how these myths evolved.
determine whether there is bias in the traditional interpretations.
Essential Questions:
How are historical interpretations developed?
What do historical interpretations say about the time period in which they
emerge?
Development and selection of activities and resources:
1. Modern Day Connections: Students read speeches delivered by President George
W. Bush and President Barak Obama. Conduct a seminar that focuses on the
questions:
Is America still a “City on a Hill”?
Do Americans believe it is?
Do people from other countries believe it is?
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2. Use the essential questions to focus the students for seminar. Students should
follow seminar rules.
SEMINAR RULES
1. Criticize ideas NOT people.
2. No interruptions or side conversations.
3. Support position with evidence from the reading.
3. Go through directions for final Creative Project (Handout #19) with students.
Field any questions students might have.
Content: Effect the City on the Hill thesis has on modern day American Politics.
Homework Assignment:
Work on Creative Assignment (Final Assessment)