US History

Learners study the major turning points in American history from the establishment of the Colonies to Reconstruction. Learners will analyze ideas and concepts pertinent to the ratification of the US constitution and the addition of the Bill of rights.  Following a review of the nation’s beginnings and the impact of the Enlightenment on U.S. democratic ideals, learners build upon the middle school study of global industrialization to understand the emergence and impact of new technology and a new world economy, including the social and cultural effects.  Learners will trace the movement of populations from rural America to urban settlements.  Learners will understand the political implications of new immigrant populations on the traditional party system. Learners trace the change in the ethnic composition of American society, the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities, and the role of the United States as a major world power. Learners understand the effects of the political programs and activities of the progressive era. An emphasis is placed on the expanding role of the federal government and federal courts as well as the continuing tension between the individual and the state. In addition, learners consider the major social problems of our time and trace their causes in historical events.  Learners will discover that the United States has served as a model for other nations and that the rights and freedoms we enjoy are not by coincidence, but the result of a carefully designed set of political principles, that are absent to many other nations.


Learners will understand that the rights under the U.S. Constitution comprise a precious inheritance that depends on an educated citizenry for their preservation and protection. Learners will analyze the significant events surrounding the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence. Learners will compare and contrast the relationship among the rise of industrialization, large-scale rural to urban migration, and the massive immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe to the US.  Learners will explain the role religion played in the founding of America, its lasting moral, social and political impact and issues regarding religious exploration of how that meaning is affected by reading practices that are culturally defined and by the circumstances of production and reception. A wider aim of the course is the development of an understanding of “critical literacy” in learners