Social Studies – 8th Grade
Title: United States Beginnings to 1914
Grade Level(s):
8th
Objectives: All students will:
 Analyze how the United States came to be by examining the role Europeans played in establishing land claims that later formed the basic
foundation of the country.
 Read, analyze, and interpret the major historical events that occurred in the United States from the beginnings to 1914.
 Establish the causation for declaring independence and fighting to become the United States of America.
 Develop and express personal thoughts and opinions in a clear and concise manner through reflective writings and classroom discussions
 Apply economic, political and social concepts to the development of the United States of America.
 Develop various projects throughout the course of the year that demonstrate students’ knowledge and comprehension of the major
concepts presented in class.
 Listen actively to the opinions of other classmates and demonstrate respect for different values and beliefs
 Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of research, formulation, and expression of one’s own opinion by completing various
written assignments throughout the year that apply students’ knowledge and understanding of fact versus opinion within historical
constraints.
 Develop a basic understanding and appreciation of the ideology, structure, and practical workings of the United States Constitution.
 Develop an appreciation for being a citizen of the United States of America by applying previous historical situations that have created
the country as it is today.
 Utilize technology resources to enhance and expand upon student understanding of core concepts discussed in class.
 Incorporate newly learned vocabulary into daily writings and discussions.
Essential Questions/Core Concepts:
 How did different cultures and traditions develop around the world? Concepts: civilization/culture/trade/continuity.
 What were the causes and effects of European exploration of the Americas? Concepts: economic growth/power/conflict/alliance.
 How did the English start colonist with distinct qualities in North America? Concepts: self-government/rights/mercantilism/influence.
 How did colonial life take shape? Concepts: rights/colony/slavery/Enlightenment
 How did the relationship between Britain and the colonies fall apart? Concepts: power/colony/rights/protest.
 How did the American colonists gain their independence? Concepts: Enlightenment/Revolution/Independence/Sovereign
 How did the U.S. Constitution overcome the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and provide for the organization of the new
government? Concepts: constitution/compromise/values.
 How did Americans respond to internal and external challenges? Concepts: loose and strict construction/conflict/revolution/states’ rights.
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
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How did Jefferson and Madison deal with unresolved problems? Concepts: limited government and judicial
review/expansion/conflict/nationalism.
How did the nation reflect a growing sense of national pride and identity? Concepts: compromise/trade/power/migration/states’ rights.
Why did Americans take different paths in the early 1800s? Concepts: mass production/technology/slavery/power.
How did reformers and writers inspire change and spark controversy? Concepts: reform/slavery, abolition/democracy/nationalism.
How did westward expansion change the geography of the nation and demonstrate the determination of its people? Concepts:
nationalism/migration/conflict/diversity.
How did the nation try but fail to deal with growing sectional differences? Concepts: constitution/compromise/region/secession.
How did people, places, and things affect the outcome of the Civil War? Concepts: sectionalism/technology/emancipation/civil war.
Reconstruction and the New South: What were the short-term and long-term effects of the Civil War? Concepts:
reconstruction/impeachment/segregation.
Standards
Content (What the Student Will Know)
Performance (What the Student will Do)
Activities/Assessments
8.1.9.A
How the New England, Middle, Southern
colonies developed from first colonization
to the American Revolution era?
Provide examples from each colonial region and
what makes each distinct.
-Label 13 original colonies on
a map including any
geographical features and
key features such as crops,
ship-building, etc.
-Create a brochure or other
form of advertisement for a
randomly assigned colony
that persuades colonists to
settle in the colony.
-Direct instruction and class
discussions.
-Textbook and other source
readings.
Compare/Contrast colonial regions.
How the 13 original colonies developed
their own unique identities apart from
England which moved the colonies
towards independence?
Correctly identify specific colonies within colonial
regions.
Apply knowledge of the colonial regions developing
unique identities apart from what Britain expects
from the colonies.
-Direct instruction and class
discussions.
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
-Textbook and other source
readings.
8.1.9.B
Analyze the “road to the Revolution.”
Why the colonists declared independence
and fought for their freedom in the
American Revolution.
Describe Manifest Destiny.
8.1.9.C:
The steps that led Americans to declaring
independence and the American
Revolution.
-Identify the causes of the colonies declaring
independence from Britain.
-Establish the economic reasons behind colonial
independence and why Britain did not want the
colonies to be free.
-Establish the cause/effect of the theory of Manifest
Destiny.
-View Manifest Destiny from multiple perspectives,
ex.: settlers moving West, Native Americans,
businessmen.
Students will be able to construct a written essay
supporting colonists’ decision to declare
independence, or England’s decision to wage war to
keep the colonies under English control.
-Direct instruction and class
discussions.
-Textbook and other source
readings.
-Discovery Education’s
United Streaming clip:
Causes of the American
Revolution
-Timeline of Events: steps
towards the Revolution,
identifying key causes and
why they led to the
Revolution.
________________________
-View painting by John Gast.
Discuss the meaning.
Students will annotate
various characters from the
painting with historically
relevant information.
-PowerPoint on Manifest
Destiny with corresponding
notes.
-Conduct primary and
secondary readings on the
events that led to
Revolution.
-Conduct outside research
with library resources
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
-Write a 5 paragraph essay
with factual support for the
side students believe
8.3.9.A:
Early explorers from various European
countries paved the way for the
establishment of colonization in the
Americas.
8.3.9.B:
-The Declaration of Independence
-The Articles of Confederation
-New Jersey Plan/VA Plan/Great
Compromise
-The U.S. Constitution
-Lewis/Clark Exploration-the Louisiana
Purchase
-Direct instruction and class
Students will analyze maps of the various routes
discussions.
that explorers took to reach the Americans and
-Textbook and other source
understand the impact of their explorations on the
readings.
native people and land. Students will then apply the -Map analysis
explorations to the establishment of colonization in -Map activity-tracing routes
the Americas, specifically the Spanish, English,
of explorers from home
Dutch and French settlements.
country to New World and
land that was
claimed/established
-Discovery Education clips on
early explorers
-Students will read the Declaration of Independence
and acknowledge the fundamental principles
outlined that shaped the U.S.
-Students will understand the definition of a
confederation when viewing the Articles. Students
will note the strengths and weaknesses of the
Articles to then apply to the Constitution.
-Students will understand the structure (similarities
and differences) of the New Jersey and Virginia
Plans that led to the formation of the United States
Constitution, taking into consideration the strengths
and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
-Review the D.O.L. in
textbook with margin
support
-Class discussion, direct
instruction
-Define key terms/concepts
-“The Declaration of
Independence in the eyes of
a 3rd grader” activity
-Class discussion, direct
instruction
-Reading:
strengths/weaknesses of the
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
The Great Compromise is then formed which leads
to the basic formation of the US Constitution.
Students will have a working knowledge of the basic
foundation of the United States Constitution. They
will understand the structure and the
responsibilities of the leaders of government, as
well as the rights outlined in the Constitution and
the Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments.
-Students will understand that Jefferson’s purchase
of the Louisiana Territory was a huge gain for the
United States, and it was the best land deal in
history.
AOC.
-graphic organizer format of
the Articles of Confederation
-Discovery Education clips on
the formation of the NJ/VA
Plans
-Class discussion, direct
instruction
-Readings on both plans
-Population of states chart
analysis
-Position support of VA/NJ
Plan when assigned a certain
state
-Discovery Education clips on
the Constitution
-Direct instruction, class
discussion
-Define key terms/concepts
-Various activities to
supplement content
-Class Constitution
-Discovery Education clips on
the LA Purchase and Lewis
and Clark
-Was it Constitutional?
Reading and debate.
-Class discussion and direct
instruction
-You do the Math! Activity
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
on how much the LA
Purchase cost
-Map activity-shading in the
states that came out of the
LA Purchase, tracing the
route of Lewis/Clark.
8.3.9.C:
Belief Systems/Religions:
-Salem Witch Trials
-Students will describe why the Salem Witch Trials
occurred in colonial Massachusetts.
Commerce/Industry:
-Columbian Exchange
-Mercantilism
-Students will link the Columbian Exchange with the
settlement of the Americas based off of an
economic need of the European home countries for
goods.
Technology:
-Industrial Revolution
8.3.9.D:
- Ethnicity and race: How the institution
of slavery shaped the United States,
especially in the South.
-Military Conflict:
-French/Indian War
-War of 1812
-Students will take their knowledge from the
Columbian Exchange and apply it to the economic
theory of mercantilism, where the colonies exist to
benefit the home country.
The Industrial Revolution changed how America
functioned socially and economically. The U.S.
became more self-sufficient during the Industrial
Revolution, and it led to the further exploration of
the West.
-The students will understand slavery was one cause
that led to the Civil War. However, students will
analyze the economic impact of the institution of
slavery. The South was highly dependent on the
free labor in order to produce the cash crops,
whereas the North had more industrialization and
factories where there was a different type of work
-Salem Witch Trials
WebQuest
-Accusations Role Play
--------------------------------------Map activities
-Define Key terms/concept
-Textbook viewing maps and
annotated drawings
--------------------------------------Discovery Education clips on
Industrial Revolution
-Class discussion, direct
instruction
-Create your own invention
activity
-View charts and graphs
comparing/contrasting areas
of slavery and the numbers
between the years 1800-post
civil war.
-Read a portion of Harriet
Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
-Mexican War
-Civil War
force (young children, immigrants).
French and Indian War:
-Students will acknowledge that the French and
Indian War (also known as the Seven Year’s War in
England) was a leading cause to the American
Revolution because England blamed the colonists
for the war, despite the war not being favored in the
colonies.
Students will understand that conflicts with Native
Americans became more apparent during this time
period because of colonial expansion.
Colonies are growing a sense of independence from
England.
War of 1812:
-Students will analyze why the War of 1812 began
(Britain was not acknowledging the terms of the
Treaty of Paris) and the United States had a growing
sense of nationalism to defeat the British once and
for all.
-The nation gained the national anthem during the
War of 1812.
Mexican War:
-Through the Mexican War students will
acknowledge the United States grew based off of
treaties and land seized through conflict.
Cabin
-View Underground Railroad
multimedia clips
Direct instruction and class
discussions.
-Textbook and other source
readings.
French and Indian War:
-View Discovery Education
clips on French/Indian War
-Map activities
-Use as discussion piece to
precursor of Revolution
War of 1812:
-Analyze Francis Scott Key’s
Star Spangled Banner
-Sing and view Johnny
Horton’s Battle of New
Orleans during discussion of
battle
-Map activities
- Direct instruction and class
discussions.
-Textbook and other source
readings.
Mexican War:
Civil War:
-Direct instruction and class
-Students will determine the main causes of the Civil discussions.
War as states’ rights, slavery and issues over the
-Textbook and other source
tariff. The South and the North grew apart in their
readings.
own distinct ways. Abraham Lincoln tried to keep
-Map activities
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Social Studies – 8th Grade
the country together, but failed at doing so.
Students will analyze the perspective of secession,
and why the South felt it was necessary.
-In depth look at the major battles/turning points of
the Civil War via map studies and how each shaped
the outcome of the Civil War.
-Students will read and understand Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg
Address.
-Discovery Education clips
Civil War:
-Direct instruction and class
discussions.
-Textbook and other source
readings.
-Discovery Education clips
-Compare/Contrast North
versus South before/during
war.
-Civil War “War”
introductory card game
-Map activities
-Reading “Two Miserable
Presidents”
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