US/Honors US History
Mr. Hasdovic, Room E-10
Learning Targets
Unit #1: Founding & Early Growth of the USA
Learning Targets Overview: These are the targets
you will be assessed upon for this unit. Some of these
targets will be covered in class exclusively; some will be
covered in homework exclusively. Most will be covered
both in class and in homework. Be aware of which
targets you need to learn!
Targets to be covered in class…
SECTION ONE: The Founding Fathers
o #1 I can identify and describe the contributions to the founding of the United States and
its democracy made by the following people: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams.
o #2 I can describe and elaborate upon the following different reasons why the American
colonies sought independence:
 French and Indian War
 The Olive Branch Petition
 Some Colonials’ Debt
 Colonials’ Sense of Inequality
 Intolerable Acts
 The Boston Massacre
 Closure of Boston Harbor
 The Boston Tea Party
 John Locke and Natural Rights
o #3 I can identify and explain how France got involved in the Revolutionary War and the
role it played in securing US independence.
o #4 I can identify and explain early controversies over the use of presidential power
especially through the XYZ Affair and The Alien & Sedition Acts.
SECTION TWO: The Declaration of Independence
o #5 I can identify and describe the Declaration’s three main parts.
o #6 I can identify at least four different human rights described in the Declaration.
o #7 I can identify and describe numerous different colonial complaints against England in
the Declaration.
o #8 I can connect the relationships between targets 2 and 7, showing how colonists’
complaints were illustrated in the Declaration.
SECTION THREE: The Constitution
o #9 I can explain how these debates shaped the US Constitution: The Virginia Plan; The
New Jersey Plan; The Great Compromise; The 3/5 Compromise.
o #10 I can define federalism and explain how the US government functions as a federal
system.
o #11 I can describe the purpose of the US Constitution
o #12 I can explain the general purposes of the Preamble and Articles 1, 2, 3 & 5.
o #13 I can explain what an Amendment is and the general process for adding them into
the Constitution.
o #14 I can identify and explain the significance of the Elastic Clause.
o #15 I can explain the significance of the Bill of Rights – and describe at least five of the
rights it contains, as well as least five other Amendments outside of the Bill of Rights.
o #16 I can explain what “checks and balances” are and describe at least four of the
checks/balances built into the Constitution.
o #17 I can identify and describe different attitudes the Founding Fathers had regarding
the Constitution.
o #18 I can identify and differentiate the political parties that grew out of the Constitution
– the Federalists and Anti-Federalists (aka Democratic-Republicans) – and identify their
early leaders.
SECTION FOUR: US Expansion
o #18 I can explain what the American System was and Henry Clay’s significance to it.
o #19 I can define Manifest Destiny and describe several actions the US took to achieve
Manifest Destiny.
o #20 I can explain the impact Manifest Destiny had upon Native Americans.
o #21 I can identify and describe the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine.
SECTION FIVE: Causes & Consequences of the Civil War
o #22 I can explain the several contributing factors to causing the Civil War, especially the
3/5ths Compromise, Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott v Sanford, Lincoln’s Election, and
secession.
o #23 I can identify and explain what the Electoral College is and identify the roots it has
with regards to slavery in the United States.
o #24 I can explain and describe each of the following consequences of the Civil War: Jim
Crow laws, Reconstruction, & The Industrial Revolution.
o #25 I can identify and describe the Civil War Amendments.