US History

Instructor: Ms. Heather

Course Summary

US History is an introductory 25-week course on US History from the early Americas civilizations through modern day. Throughout this course, students will become familiar with the development of the United States of America and the many cultural influences that have led to modern day America. Students will have the opportunity to explore historical events through many different perspectives and learn how to interpret and draw their own conclusions on

historic events. The course will move at an accelerated pace, with emphasis on analysis and drawing connections and identifying trends between a variety of historic periods.

Assignments

Students will receive weekly writing/reading/research/critical thinking assignments and projects related to the topic, which will be marked and returned with analysis and customized feedback. Students will also be given a rich variety of primary texts, videos, archeological site visits, books and other materials for their own optional self-study on topics of their individual interest.

Materials

Students will be provided all materials and texts for this course. Students will be exploring primary texts and historic artifacts, archaeological sites and other evidence to explore the rich historical record of the United States through time. Students will also be exposed to the art and music of each era to gain a comprehensive perspective on each historical era.

Sessions:

1 The Olmec, Inca, Maya and Aztec (and Other Early American Peoples)

2 The Native Americans

3 The Explorers and Columbus

4 The Lost City, Jamestown and the First Colonists

5 The Virginia Colony, the Middle Atlantic and the South

6 The Road to Revolution

7 The American Revolution

8 The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

9 The New Nation

10 Slavery in the South

11 Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny

12 The Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation

13 Reconstruction

14 The Industrial Revolution

15 Urbanization and Immigration

16 The Labor Movement and The Populist Movement

17 The Roaring 20s

18 WWI and The Great Depression

19 WWII

20 Cold War

21 Eisenhower

22 JFK and LBJ

23 Nixon and Vietnam

24 Carter, Ford and Regan

25 Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Modern America

Note: This syllabus is a general outline, and subject to change as the needs and pace of the class dictate.