United States History to 1877

Skills

USI.1

The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to

a) identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history to 1877;
b) make connections between the past and the present;
c) sequence events in United States history from pre-Columbian times to 1877;
d) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;
e) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
f) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events;
g) distinguish between parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude;
h) interpret patriotic slogans and excerpts from notable speeches and documents.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Display a variety of photographs downloaded from various Web sites (see photography Web sites below). Ask students to look at the photos and tell what they see. Were the photographs taken in the present day? How do you know? What do you see that is specifically different from what we see today? Guide students to focus on these elements: clothing, transportation, streets, housing, recreation, facial expressions, and occupations.
Record student responses on a chart by topic. Lead a group discussion about how these photographs are a form of historical documentation. At a later date, these photographs can be organized by students on a bulletin board as a "Lens Into The Past" photo gallery with title, artist, and date recorded beneath each photo.
Have the students complete a comparison chart of present day locations of the following cultures (i.e. what was the life style then and now, similarities and differences): Inuit, Kwakiutl, Sioux, Pueblo, and Iroquois. Graphic organizers can be found at: http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm.
Review the impact on modern cultures of the religion, foods, economy, and customs of Spain, France, England, Portugal, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai by completing comparison charts. A collection of graphic organizers can be found at:http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/ .
Compare the impact of English colonial rule and early historical figures on current laws such as taxation, legislation, John Locke, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Phillis Wheatley.
Compare the growth of political parties under Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to the issues surrounding present day political parties.
Examine the current state boundaries that grew out of the territories of Louisiana.
Compare the attitude countries had toward the United States as a result of the War of 1812 to today's attitudes.

WEB SITES

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
The Library of Congress American Memory Project

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
This Web site was designed and developed to support the teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges and is supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at the University of Houston.

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History maintains this Web site to serve as a portal for American history on the Web; to offer high-quality educational material for teachers, students, historians, and the public; and to provide up-to-the-minute information about the Institute's programs and activities.

http://www.cr.nps.gov
Links to the Past from the National Park Service is rich in American history and culture, which The National Park Service is responsible for preserving and protecting. This web site contains vast amounts of information on these important topics.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/fw.html
Library of Congress Learning Page: Framework for Using Primary Sources with Students

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
Resources for grades kindergarten through 12 from James Madison University about Colonial America from 1600-1775

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
This Web site is brought to you from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the largest library in the world and the nation's library.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3
"EDSITEment" is a Web site for humanities education developed for the benefit of parents, students, and teachers by the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal government agency, in partnership with: WorldCom Foundation, a corporation; The Council of the Great City Schools, a non-profit corporation; and the National Trust for the Humanities, a non-profit corporation (collectively "the sponsors").

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