United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict
The framing of the Constitution, the founding principles, regional differences, the Civil War, WWI and the rise and effects of industrialization
- The relationship between the moral and political ideas of the Great Awakening and the development of revolutonary fervor
- The philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence, with an emphasis on government as a means of securing individual rights (e.g., key phrases such as "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights")
- How the American Revolution affected other nations, especially France
- The nation's blend of civic republicanism, classical liberal principles and English parliamentary traditions
8.2 THE POLITICAL PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND A COMPARSION BETWEEN THE ENUMERATED AND IMPLIED POWERS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
- The significance of The Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights and the Mayflower Compact
- The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and the success of each in implementing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence
- The major debates that occurred during the development of the Constitution and their ultimate resolutions in such areas as shared power among institutions, divided state-federal power, slavery, the rights of individuals and states (later addressed by the addition of the Bill of Rights), and the status of American Indian nations under the commerce clause
- The political philosophy underpinning the Constitution as specified in the Federalist Papers (authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) and the role of such leaders as Madison, George Washington, Roger Sherman, Gouveneur Morris and James Wilson in the writing and ratification of the Constitution
- The significance of Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom as a forerunner of the First Amendment and the origins, purpose and differing views of the founding fathers on the issue of the separation of church and state
- The powers of government set forth in the Constitution and the fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights
- The principles of federalism, dual sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, the nature and purpose of majority rule and the ways in which the American idea of constitutionalism preserves individual rights
8.3 THE FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE WAYS IN WHICH CITIZENS PARTICIPATE IN IT
- The principles and concepts codified in state constitutions between 1777 and 1781 that created the context out of which American political institutions and ideas developed
- How the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 privatized national resources and transferred federally owned lands into private holdings, townships and states
- The advantages of a common market among the states as foreseen in and protected by the Constitution's clauses on interstate commerce, common coinage and full-faith and credit
- How the conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton resulted in the emergence of two political parties (e.g., view of foreign policy, Alien and Sedition Acts, economic policy, National Bank, funding and assumption of the revolutionary debt)
- The significance of domestic resistance movements and ways in which the central goverment responded to such movements (e.g., Shays' Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion)
- The basic law-making process and how the Constitution provides numerous opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process and to monitor and influence government (e.g., function of elections, political parties, interest groups)
- The functions and responsibilities of a free press
8.4 THE ASPIRATIONS AND IDEALS OF THE PEOPLES OF A NEW NATION
- The country's physical landscapes, political divisions and territorial expansion during the terms of the first four presidents
- The policy significance of famous speeches (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, Jefferson's 1801 Innaugural Address, John Q. Adams' 1821 Fourth of July Address)
- The rise of capitalism and the economic problems and conflicts that accompanied it (e.g., Jackson's opposition to the National Bank; early decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court that reinforced the sanctity of contracts and a capitalist economic system of law)
- Daily life, including traditions in art, music and literature, of early national America (e.g., through writings by Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper)
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