History Is Monumental -8th Grade
Big Ideas: Savannah’s Monumental People and Events in History, Colonial - 1865
SS8H1: Students will evaluate the development of Native American cultures and the impact of European exploration and settlement on the Native
American cultures in Georgia.
c. Explain reasons for European exploration and settlement of North America, w/ emphasis on the interests of the French, Spanish and British in the Southeast.
SS8H2: Students will analyze the colonial period of Georgia’s history
a. Explain the importance of James Oglethorpe, the Charter of 1732, reasons for settlement (charity, economics, and defense), Tomochichi, Mary Musgrove and
the city of Savannah.
b. Evaluate the Trustee Period of Georgia’s colonial history, emphasizing the role of the Salzburgers, Highland Scots, malcontents, and the Spanish threat from
Florida.
c. Explain the development of Georgia as a royal colony with regard to land ownership, slavery, government, and the impact of the royal governors.
SS8H3: Students will analyze the role of Georgia in the American Revolution.
a. Explain the immediate and long-term causes of the American Revolution and their impact on Georgia; include the French and Indian War (Seven Years
War), Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, and the Declaration of Independence.
b. Analyze the significance of people and events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War; include Loyalists, patriots, Elijah Clarke, Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart,
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Battle of Kettle Creek, and Siege of Savannah.
SS8H5: Students will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840
c. Explain how technological developments, include the cotton gin/ railroads, had impact on Georgia’s growth.
SS8H6: Students will analyze the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Georgia.
a. Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War; include slavery, states’ rights, nullification, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of
1850 and the Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case, election of 1860, the debate over secession in Georgia, and the role of Alexander
Stephens.
b. State the importance of key events of the Civil War; include Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Union blockade of
Georgia’s coast, Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and Andersonville.
c. Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia and other southern states, emphasizing Freedmen’s Bureau; sharecropping and tenant farming;
Reconstruction plans; 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution; Henry McNeal Turner and black legislators; and the Ku Klux Klan.
Essential Questions
Who are James Oglethorpe and Tomochichi and what are the reasons for the settlement of the colony of Georgia?
How did Georgia become a royal colony and what impact did it have on the City of Savannah?
How did the American Revolution and the Siege of Savannah affect the colony of Georgia?
How did the invention of the cotton gin and development of railroads impact Georgia’s growth?
What impact did the Civil War and key events, such as the Emancipation Proclamation and Sherman’s March to the Sea, have on Savannah and the
Reconstruction in Georgia?
Essential Topical Understandings Students will understand monumental developments that occurred in Savannah during the Colonial, Revolutionary, and
Civil War Periods, with particular emphasis on key figures, the colonization of Georgia and other historical events. Famous Savannah Historical figures include
Nathanael Greene, William Washington Gordon, Tomochichi, James Oglethorpe, William Jasper, and Count Casmir Pulaski.
Key Vocabulary Colony, Declaration of Independence, Mulberry Grove, Nathanael Greene, cotton gin, Tomochichi, Central Railroad of Georgia, Royal
Colony, James Oglethorpe, William Sherman, slavery, Emancipation Proclamation, Field Order #15, 13th amendment, Civil War, Reconstruction, Siege of
Savannah, William Jasper, Count Casmir Pulaski.
Student Outcomes:
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5.
I can compare James Oglethorpe and Tomochichi and explain the primary purposes behind the colonization of Georgia.
I can explain why Georgia transitioned from a Trustee colony into a Royal colony and its impacts.
I can analyze how the American Revolution and the Siege of Savannah affected the colony of Georgia.
I can compare Georgia’s growth before and after the invention of the cotton gin development of railroads.
I can describe the impact the Civil War, Sherman’s March to the Sea and Emancipation Proclamation had on Savannah.
Resources for Background and Pre/Post Activities
 http://schools.bibb.k12.ga.us/Page/27219 (fact sheets, power points, webquests)
 www.brainpop.com (short videos, info and quiz on various events and people in American history)
 www.teacherweb.com/ga/mountainview/msreardon/CivilWar.ppt (power point)
 http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/ (copy of 1861 Cornerstone Speech)