Belleville Mennonite School Scope and Sequence

 

American History I and II

 

Grade level: 11-12

 

Articles of Confederation

Differing ideas of the republicanians; basic issues debated in drafting the Articles of Confederation; political and economic problems faced by the Confederation

Constitutional Convention

Reasons for the convention; key conflicts at the convention and how they were resolved; form of government established by the Constitution

Ratification of the Constitution

Federalist and anti federalist arguments over ratification of the Constitution; how and why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution

Administration of George Washington

Washington transformed the idea of the Constitution into a real government; compare the political differences of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and how these differences evolved into a two- party system

The United States and European Countries

The nation’s development of foreign policy with France, Great Britain, and Spain; the Jay and Pinckney Treaties

US and Native Americans

Causes and consequences of government policies toward Native Americans; causes and consequences of the Battle of Fallen Timbers

Jefferson Presidency

Simplification of the Presidency; factors that lead to the decline of the Federalist Party; the Judicial review of the Louisiana Purchase; the Lewis and Clark Expedition

War of 1812

Events that led to the war; the course of the war; the role of Andrew Jackson; provisions of the Treaty of Ghent

Regional Economics

Effects of the Industrial Revolution on the US; different economic systems of the north and south; the American Plan

Nationalism in the Early 1800’s

Influence of nationalism on the courts; foreign affairs; westward expansion

Age of Jackson

Expanding democracy under Jackson; Jackson’s presidential style; Indian Removal Act of 1830; Trail of Tears; tariffs and the issue of states’ rights; economic policies and their impact on Jackson’s successor

Religious Movements

Second Great Awakening; African-American church; transcendentalism; civil disobedience; Unitarianism; utopian communities

Social Reforms

Schools; mental hospitals; prisons; abolition of slavery; temperance; women’s rights

The Changing Workplace

New manufacturing techniques; shift from home production to factory production; working conditions in factories

The Market Revolution

Impact of inventions; improvement of transportation and communication systems

Manifest Destiny

Westward movement during the mid 1800’s; impact of westward expansion on Native Americans; discovery of gold in California

Expansion in Texas

Mexican encouragement of settlement in Texas; Texan independence

 

War with Mexico

Conflicting attitudes on waging war with Mexico; key battles and results

Politics of Slavery

Northern and southern economics and way of life; Wilmot Preciso; Compromise of 1850; Fugitive Slave Law; underground railroad; Kansas-Nebraska Act; John Brown

New Political Parties

Republican know-nothing; Free Soil Party; 1856 election

Slavery and Secession

Dred Scott Decision; John Brown’s Raid; Lincoln- Douglas debates; election of Abraham Lincoln; southern secession

The Civil War

Causes of the war; war strategies; military and political leadership; technological innovations; the Emancipation Proclamation; opposition to the war; the role of African Americans; war’s impact on northern and southern economics and society; the Gettysburg Address; the legacy of the war

Politics of Reconstruction

Lincoln’s reconstruction policies; Andrew Jackson’s reconstruction policies; Congressional reconstruction policies

Post-War South

Physical damage; social needs; sealaways and carpetbaggers; challenges for former slaves

Reconstruction

Violent actions by opponents of reconstruction; collapse of Congressional Reconstruction; achievements and failures of reconstruction; the election of 1876

Cultures Clash on the Prairie

Development of the cattle kingdom; Plain Indians; culture; government policies toward Native Americans; Battle of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee; end of the open range

Settlement of the Great Plains

Homestead Act; railroads; inventions and new technology; role of women; daily hardships

Populist Movement

Economic problems of farmers rise; contributions and fall of the Populist Party; role of William Jennings Bryan

The Expansion of Industry

New inventions; use of natural resources; new products; emergence and growth of unions; Social Darwinism and its effect on society; success of business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie; union strikes; women in the labor movement

Age of Railroads

Role of railroads in unifying the country; positive and negative effects of railroads on the economy; railroad reform

The New Immigrants

Immigrants’ countries of origin; difficulties immigrants faced on their journey and upon arriving in America; causes and effects of nativists’ anti-immigrant sentiments

Challenges of Urbanization

Housing issues; transportation issues; sanitation issues; safety issues; help for urban immigrants; emergence of political machines and political losses; local and national corruption; political reform

Science and Urban Life

Impact of technological advances on urban life; communication advances; urban planning

Public Education

Expansion and improvements in public education; educational experiences for African Americans and immigrants

Segregation and Discrimination

Race relations in the north and south; Supreme Court rulings; discrimination in the west

Mass Culture

Leisure activities; literature; journalism; new artistic movements; mail-order catalogs; advertising

Progressivism

Origins; goals; achievements of progressivism

 

Women

Women in the workplace; women suffrage movement; new opportunities for women in education

Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal

Creation of the modern presidency; public health and the environment; business regulations; civil rights; the muckrakers

Taft Administration

Differences between Taft and Roosevelt; Republican Party split election of 1912

Wilson’s New Freedom

Progressive reform; woman suffrage; civil rights; entry into World War I

Imperialism and America

Policy of imperialism; growth of American imperialism; acquisition of Alaska and Hawaii; Boxer Rebellion; Open Door Policy

Spanish-American War

Events that escalated the conflict between the US and Spain; course of the war and its results; Foraker Act; Platt Amendment

Philippine- American War

Causes and results of the war

America as a World Power

Russo-Japanese War; Panama Canal; Mexican Revolution; dollar diplomacy

World War I

Long term causes and immediate circumstances that led to war; military strategies and leaders; entrance of the US into war and opinions about it; US role in the war; new weapons; conscientious objections; affect on US economy; espionage and Sedition Acts; flu epidemic of 1918; Wilson’s Fourteen Points; Treaty of Versailles; consequences of the war

Maps

Location of countries around the world; location of selected landforms and bodies of water; capitals of countries in Asia and Oceania