US History Beginnings through 1850 (Grade 7)

Civics

Economics

Geography

History

Understand the impact of origins, structures, and functions of institutions and laws on society and citizens. This includes personal civic rights, roles, responsibilities, and processes by which laws are made and amended.

Understand the impact of economic decision-making. This includes the exchange of goods and services; role of producers, consumers, and government in the marketplace; and growth, stability, and interdependence within a global economy.

Understand the purpose of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) to understand, analyze, and explain human interaction with each other and with the environment. This includes the spatial characteristics and patterns of human settlement and connections between global regions.

Understand key historical periods from the United States' Beginnings (Era 1) through 1850 (Era 4). This includes the patterns of social, economic, and political change over time and the ways people view, construct, and interpret the history of the United States.

Examine foundational documents of the United States government and the impact they had on the development of a new nation:<ul><li>Magna Carta</li><li>English Bill of Rights</li><li>Mayflower Compact</li><li>Declaration of Independence</li><li>Articles of Confederation</li><li>United States Constitution</li></ul>

Examine the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, including their checks and balances and separation of powers.

Explain and compare origins, functions, and structures of different systems of government, including those created by the Arkansas and U.S. Constitutions:<ul><li>Federalism</li><li>State powers and national powers</li><li>Concurrent and reserved powers</li></ul>

Examine how the 9th and 10th Amendments entrust social organizations and institutions (e.g., individuals, families, religious/secular groups) with unenumerated rights not listed in the Constitution. Unenumerated rights may include:<ul><li>Parental rights</li><li>Right to travel</li><li>Right to an education</li><li>Rights of religious organizations</li></ul>

Evaluate various ways early historical figures fostered American citizenship and civic virtues. Historical figures may include:<ul><li>Phillis Wheatley</li><li>James Armistead</li><li>Peter Salem</li><li>George Washington</li><li>John Adams</li><li>Abigail Adams</li><li>Salem Poor</li><li>Thomas Jefferson</li><li>Thomas Paine</li><li>Patrick Henry</li><li>Alexis de Tocqueville</li></ul>

Demonstrate proper etiquette for interacting with the Arkansas and American flags and evaluate the use of various flags during the early American period (e.g., Betsy Ross flag, Flag of the Green Mountain Boys, First Navy Jack, Great Garrison Flag during War of 1812).

Analyze rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizens and non-citizens in the United States:<ul><li>14th Amendment</li><li>15th Amendment</li><li>19th Amendment</li><li>26th Amendment</li></ul>

Examine historical developments that contributed to the rise of civic virtues in the United States, including colonial self-government and individual liberties. Some notable developments that contributed to the rise of self-government include:<ul><li>Mayflower Compact</li><li>Colonial charters</li><li>House of Burgesses (Virginia)</li><li>Great Awakening</li><li>Salutary neglect</li><li>Trial of John Peter Zenger</li><li>Influence of the Iroquoi Confederacy/Six Nations</li></ul>

Compare processes for creating rules and laws at the local, state, and federal levels such as city council, county quorum court, Arkansas General Assembly, and Congress.

Evaluate ways rules and laws change society and reasons why people repeal or amend them at local, state, and federal levels:<ul><li>Article V of the U.S. Constitution</li><li>Arkansas Constitution voter-approved amendment process</li><li>Repeal process</li></ul>

Explain the development of policies under the Articles of Confederation to address public problems after the Revolutionary War:<ul><li>Northwest Ordinance (1787)</li><li>Articles' weaknesses</li><li>Shay's Rebellion</li></ul>

Analyze historical developments in the interdependent system of commerce between the thirteen colonies, Great Britain, and the rest of the world:<ul><li>European exploration and colonization of the Americas</li><li>Taxation (e.g., Stamp Act, Townshend Duties)</li><li>Conflict (e.g., French and Indian War, American Revolution)</li><li>Trade (e.g., triangular trade, Columbian Exchange, Navigation Act of 1651)</li></ul>

Examine the economic characteristics of the colonial regions (New England, Middle, and Southern), including their diverse labor force, use and trade-offs of natural resources, and human and capital resources used to deliver goods and services.

Evaluate the development of a free market system within the thirteen colonies and early United States:<ul><li>Mercantilism</li><li>Property rights</li><li>Free enterprise</li></ul>

Analyze the forms and purposes of currency in early America through the Revolutionary period:<ul><li>Continental currency vs. state currency</li><li>Early forms of currency in Indigenous nations</li></ul>

Discuss roles of early financial institutions on the economy of the United States:<ul><li>National Bank by Alexander Hamilton</li><li>Jackson's veto of the National Bank</li><li>State banks</li></ul>

Explain ways state and federal governments paid for the goods and services they provided through the early 1800s:<ul><li>Taxation to provide for an army</li><li>Postal services</li><li>Building of roads</li><li>Tariffs</li></ul>

Discuss the effects of war and conflict on the economy of the United States from the colonial period to the early 1800s, including government printing of money, inflation, scarcity of resources, and smuggling.

Explain effects of increasing economic interdependence between the United States and other nations and regions:<ul><li>Growth: (e.g., First Industrial Revolution, Louisiana Purchase, population growth, westward expansion, triangular trade, increased wealth, cooperation with other nations)</li><li>Conflict: (e.g., competition with other nations, Barbary Wars, Tecumseh's War, War of 1812)</li></ul>

Describe locations, environmental characteristics, and cultures of pre-Columbian Indigenous populations using maps and geographic representations.

Analyze human movement and economic activities over time using maps and other geographic representations:<ul><li>Pre-Columbian Indigenous Nations' settlement patterns</li><li>Triangular trade and other trade routes</li><li>Columbian exchange</li><li>Regions of European exploration</li><li>Colonial settlement</li></ul>

Synthesize information from a variety of sources to construct maps and other geographic representations of the United States from the original thirteen colonies to 1850.

Analyze ways cultural and environmental characteristics influenced population, settlement, and movement of goods in the American colonies:<ul><li>Cultural (e.g., religious affiliations, language and ethnic groups, locations of various Indigenous nations)</li><li>Economic (e.g., sources of labor)</li><li>Geographic (e.g., environmental characteristics, climate, topography, soil type, water access, etc.)</li><li>Governance (e.g., royal, charter, proprietary)</li></ul>

Examine the relationships between American colonists and various Indigenous societies, considering the location and use of natural resources and changes to the physical environment. This may include pelt and fur trading, large-scale farming, use of timber, increased resource consumption, hunting and fishing, and differences on the view of land ownership.

Examine reasons for population shifts in early America and the effects on various regions:<ul><li>European immigration and colonization</li><li>Diseases in both colonial and Indigenous populations</li><li>Indentured servitude</li><li>Transatlantic slave trade</li></ul>

Analyze cooperation among the colonies and Indigenous communities during and after natural and human-made disasters such as the French and Indian War, American Revolution, disease outbreaks, famine, and weather phenomena.

Era 1: United States Beginnings to 1620

Era 2: 1585-1763, Colonization and Settlement

Era 3: 1754 through the 1820s, Revolution and the New Nation

Era 4: 1801 through 1850, Expansion and Reform

Research and compare cultural characteristics of major pre-Columbian Indigenous societies within North America through a variety of artwork, journals, archaeological findings, and other artifacts. Pre-Columbian Indigenous societies might include:<ul><li>Mesoamerican groups (e.g., Olmec, Maya, Aztec)</li><li>Mound builders</li><li>Cliff dwellers</li><li>Southwest</li><li>Great Plains</li><li>Pacific Northwest</li><li>Woodland peoples</li><li>Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and Subarctic</li><li>Mississippians in Arkansas</li></ul>

Examine economic, political, and religious reasons for European exploration in the Americas:<ul><li>Trade and trade routes</li><li>Wealth</li><li>Colonies for empire expansion</li><li>Religious influence and freedom</li></ul>

Evaluate short- and long-term effects of European exploration and settlement ventures in the Americas and Arkansas, including why some experienced hardship and failure. Reasons may include:<ul><li>Conflict with other nations (including Indigenous nations)</li><li>Disease</li><li>Poor climate conditions</li><li>Economic issues such as the failure of the common store system in Jamestown and Plymouth Colony</li></ul>

Research and compare cultural characteristics of major pre-Columbian Indigenous societies within North America through a variety of artwork, journals, archaeological findings, and other artifacts. Pre-Columbian Indigenous societies might include:<ul><li>Mesoamerican groups (e.g., Olmec, Maya, Aztec)</li><li>Mound builders</li><li>Cliff dwellers</li><li>Southwest</li><li>Great Plains</li><li>Pacific Northwest</li><li>Woodland peoples</li><li>Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and Subarctic</li><li>Mississippians in Arkansas</li></ul>

Examine economic, political, and religious reasons for European exploration in the Americas:<ul><li>Trade and trade routes</li><li>Wealth</li><li>Colonies for empire expansion</li><li>Religious influence and freedom</li></ul>

Evaluate short- and long-term effects of European exploration and settlement ventures in the Americas and Arkansas, including why some experienced hardship and failure. Reasons may include:<ul><li>Conflict with other nations (including Indigenous nations)</li><li>Disease</li><li>Poor climate conditions</li><li>Economic issues such as the failure of the common store system in Jamestown and Plymouth Colony</li></ul>

Evaluate the economic and cultural effects of indentured servitude and slavery in the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies:<ul><li>Conditions of the Middle Passage</li><li>Life and experiences of those who were enslaved versus those who were indentured</li><li>Growth and economic dependence on slavery, especially in Southern colonies</li><li>Early attempts at abolition (e.g., Rhode Island in 1652, Vermont in 1777, Quaker Abolition movement)</li></ul>

Research the development of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies through inquiry and questioning. Inquiry questions may include:<ul><li>Why did people settle where they did?</li><li>How did they solve problems?</li><li>Was life better in the colonies than in England?</li><li>Was life better in some colonies than others?</li><li>How were patterns of settlement influenced by beliefs, economics, and geography?</li></ul>

Analyze causes and ideas leading to the American Revolution:<ul><li>French and Indian War</li><li>Stamp Act, Townshend Duties, and the Intolerable Acts</li><li>Boston Tea Party</li><li>Colonial self-government, representation, and individual liberty</li></ul>

Analyze the Revolutionary movement from the perspective of various groups, which may include patriots, loyalists, British and French leaders, Indigenous people, and indentured or enslaved Americans.

Evaluate how individuals and groups influenced the American Revolutionary movement:<ul><li>Writers & influencers: (e.g., Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" speech, Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die cartoon, Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, Haym Salomon)</li><li>Military & political: (e.g., George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Salem Poor, Peter Salem, Deborah Sampson, Mary Ludgwig Hays, James Armistead)</li><li>Groups: (e.g., Culper Spy Ring, Sons and Daughters of Liberty)</li></ul>

Examine the significance of the Declaration of Independence, including key political concepts of natural rights, natural law, social contract theory, right to revolution, right to self-determination, and tyranny.

Analyze the significance of various battles and military leaders during the American Revolution:<ul><li>Battles: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Yorktown</li><li>Military leaders/groups: George Washington, John Paul Jones, Nathanael Greene, First Rhode Island Regiment</li></ul>

Analyze the effects of the American Revolutionary War on the newly formed United States and the rest of the world:<ul><li>National effects: (e.g., vulnerable young nation, colonial independence, creation of the Articles of Confederation expansion of territory via Treaty of Paris, destruction of farmland, significant casualties, loss of life/livelihood, inflation, scarcity of resources)</li><li>International effects: (e.g., international relations, catalyst for international revolutions, loyalists relocation to Canada, interruption of global trade)</li></ul>

Examine short- and long-term effects of the drafting and signing of the U.S. Constitution:<ul><li>Federalism and the establishment of three branches</li><li>Bicameral house (i.e., the Great Compromise)</li><li>National powers (e.g., coining money, raising an army, power to tax)</li><li>Enumeration of individual rights (e.g., Bill of Rights)</li><li>Amendment process (i.e., design, purpose, and difficulty)</li></ul>

Evaluate how early Presidents and historical events influenced the development of the new nation:<ul><li>Establishment of Washington, D.C., as nation's capital</li><li>Washington's Farewell Address</li><li>Rise of political parties</li><li>Jeffersonian democracy and the Louisiana Purchase</li><li>Judicial power defined through Marbury vs. Madison</li><li>Banking and tariff policy on the national economy</li></ul>

Examine the impact and significance of the War of 1812, including British impressment of American sailors, the role of James and Dolley Madison, and various battles that contributed to an American identity (e.g., Battle of Fort McHenry and "The Star Spangled Banner," Battle of New Orleans).

Analyze the concept of Manifest Destiny and the factors that affected territorial expansion and the development of the nation. Events may include:<ul><li>Louisiana Purchase</li><li>Monroe Doctrine</li><li>Adams-Onís Treaty</li><li>Development of the Erie Canal</li><li>Oregon Trail</li><li>Santa Fe Trail</li><li>California Gold Rush</li><li>Panic of 1837</li><li>Rising conflict between settlers and Indigenous groups</li></ul>

Analyze the development of regional tensions prior to the Civil War:<ul><li>Economic development: (e.g., effects of cotton gin invention, Industrial Revolution, growth of manufacturing and railroads in northern states)</li><li>Political actions: (e.g., tariffs, nullification crisis, compromises, disenfranchisement of free blacks)</li><li>Expansion of slavery, immigration, and westward migration</li></ul>

Analyze major purposes, implementation, and effects of public policies during the Jacksonian presidency, including Jacksonian Democracy, veto of the National Bank, the spoils system, Indian Removal Act, and the Trail of Tears.

Analyze the effects of the Mexican-American War on the United States, including new territory for the United States and expansion of slavery.