Course Title: US History I 

Course Description: This class is an in-depth study of the time period in U.S. History from Pre-Revolutionary America to 1870. Students will discuss the thirteen colonies, the role of independence from Great Britain, the American Revolution, the Constitution, the Early National period, the issue of slavery, including the Civil War and Reconstruction. Political, economic and social aspects of the era are included as topics for discussion. Additional outside readings and research papers are integral components of the course.

Unit 1 The Revolution

The French & Indian War

Causes of the Revolution

Declaration of Independence

The Revolutionary War

Americans Win the Revolution

Unit 2 The Constitution

The Articles of Confederation

The Constitutional Convention

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Understanding the Constitution

Unit 3 The New Nation

George Washington Becomes the First President 

Hamilton’s Plan

John Adams becomes the Second President 

Political Parties Emerge

Thomas Jefferson becomes the Third President 

Louisiana Purchase

Jefferson’s policies

Marbury v. Madison

McCulloch v. Maryland

James Madison’s War of 1812

Foreign & Domestic Policies

The Monroe Doctrine

Unit 4 Expansion (1801-1832)

Jacksonian Democracy

The Election of 1824

The Election of 1828

Trail of Tears

Nullification Crisis

Unit 5 Expansion(1832-1861)

Westward Expansion

Manifest Destiny

Texas-Mexican War

Gold Rush

Unit 6 Reform Movements (1801–1861)

The Second Great Awakening

Public Education Reform

Social Reform Movements

The Abolition Movement

Women’s Reform Movement

The Beginning of the Industrial Revolution

Differences between the North & South

The Missouri Compromise

Unit 7 Civil War (1850–1865)

Compromise of 1850

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The Abolition Movement

Women’s Reform Movement

Compromise of 1850

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Birth Of the Republican Party

Dred Scott Decision

Lincoln & Douglas Debate

Harper’s Ferry

Election of 1860

The Collapse of the Union

Key Battles

Emancipation Proclamation

Gettysburg Address

Unit 8 Reconstruction (1865-1877)

13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

Southern Economy After the War

Reconstruction Plan

Johnson’s Impeachment

New opportunities for freed people, women & children

The Impact of Reconstruction