Edison School District

Developing a desire for lifelong learning

Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their significance to the development of American constitutional democracy.

Þ Describe the relationship between the moral and political ideas of the Great Awakening and the development of revolutionary fervor.

Þ Analyze the philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

Þ Analyze how the American Revolution affected other nations, especially France.

Þ Describe the nation’s blend of civic republicanism, classical liberal principles, and English parliamentary traditions.

Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government.

Þ Discuss the significance of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower Compact.

Þ Analyze the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and the   success of each in implementing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

Þ Evaluate 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 and the status of American Indian nations under the commerce clause.

Describe the political philosophy underpinning the Constitution as   specified in the Federalist Papers and the role of such leaders as Madison, George Washington, Roger Sherman, Gov.  Morris, and James Wilson in the writing and ratification of the

Þ Constitution.

Þ Understand 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.

Þ Enumerate the powers of government set forth in the Constitution and the fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights.

Þ Describe 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.

Students understand the foundation of the American political system and the

ways in which citizens participate in it.

Þ Analyze 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.

Þ Explain how the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 privatized national resources and transferred federally owned lands into private holdings, townships, and states.

Þ Enumerate 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.

Þ Understand how the conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton resulted in the emergence of two political parties.

Þ Know the significance of domestic resistance movements and ways in which the central government responded to such movements.

Þ Describe 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.

Þ Understand the functions and                     responsibilities of a free press.

Students analyze the aspirations and ideals of the people of the new nation.

Þ  Describe the country’s physical                   landscapes, political divisions, and territorial expansion during the terms of the first four presidents.

Þ Explain the policy significance of famous speeches.

Analyze the rise of capitalism and the economic problems and conflicts that

Þ accompanied it.

Þ Discuss daily life, including traditions in art, music, and literature, of early national America.

Students analyze U.S. foreign policy in the early Republic.

Þ Understand the political and economic causes and consequences of the War of 1812 and know the major battles, leaders, and events that led to a final peace.

Þ Know the changing boundaries of the United States and describe the           relationships the country had with its neighbors (current Mexico and Canada) and Europe, including the influence of the Monroe Doctrine, and how those relationships influenced westward      expansion and the Mexican-American War.

Þ Outline the major treaties with      American Indian nations during the administrations of the first four   presidents and the varying outcomes of those treaties.

Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced, with emphasis on the Northeast.

Þ Discuss the influence of industrialization and technological developments on the region, including human           modification of the landscape and how physical geography shaped human      actions.

Þ Outline the physical obstacles to and the economic and political factors       involved in building a network of roads, canals, and railroads.

Þ List the reasons for the wave of      immigration from Northern Europe to the United States and describe the growth in the number, size, and spatial    arrangements of cities.

Þ Study the lives of black Americans who gained freedom in the North and founded schools and churches to      advance their rights and communities.

Þ Trace the development of the        American education system from its earliest roots, including the roles of religious and private schools and Horace Mann’s campaign for free       public education and its assimilating role in American culture.

Þ Examine the women’s suffrage         movement.

Identify common themes in American art as well as transcendentalism and