U.S. History.
Many people view history merely as a set of dates or facts to be memorized and regurgitated, but history is much more. Events in history have different interpretations and viewpoints. Who writes history? Is history bias towards those in power? This course will look at history not as “dates” or “facts” but a series of stories, debates and different viewpoints about what happened and why it happened. It’s not enough to learn history itself; one must learn from history the true essence of the human experience.
This course is divided into periods of time and emphasizes themes throughout American history. Some of the themes and readings will correspond and interrelated with English 11: American Literature. Themes will include the following: the American identity and the American Dream, the history of slavery and its legacies, war and diplomacy, social reform movements and the role of religion in the making of the United States.
Units will include the following:
Unit 1: Colonial History, 1492-1763
Unit 2: American Independence
Unit 3: The Republican Experiment (Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution)
Unit 4: Jefferson Republicanism: Jefferson, Madison, the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, the Monroe Doctrine, the Missouri Compromise
Unit 5: Jacksonian American: “Trail of Tears”, the Democratic Party, elections of 1824-1840 and Wars with Native Americans during this time.
Unit 6: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War.
Unit 7: The Civil War
Unit 8: The Gilded Age
Unit 9: WWI and the Roaring 20s.
Unit 10: The Great Depression
Unit 11: World War II
Unit 12: The Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam and the 60s Protest.
If we have enough time we will briefly cover the 70s and 80s.
TEXTBOOKS
Appleby, Joyce., et al. The American Journey. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper Perennial,
2005.
Additional Readings
Boyer, Paul S., and al. The Enduring Vision. Fifth Edition. Toronto: D.C. Houghton
Mifflin Company, 2004.
Davidson, James W., and Mark M. Lytle. After the Fact: The Art of Historical
Detection. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover
Publications, 1995.
Grafton, John, ed. Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches. New York: Dover Publications,
1991.
The will also be various articles and handouts from the teacher from time to time.
GRADING and EVALUATION
Students will be given a variety of assignments including tests, quizzes, homework, essay assignments and projects. Tests will include essay questions, short answer and multiple-choice questions. Essay and projects will be grade on a rubric.
Break Down of Grades:
TESTS – 25%
Projects -25%
Essays – 25%
Homework and Quizzes – 25%
