Grade Eight Social Studies U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand History Topic Colonization to Independence European countries established colonies in North America as a means of increasing wealth and power. As the English colonies developed their own governments and economies, they resisted domination by the monarchy, rebelled, and fought for independence. Pacing Content Statement 3. Competition for control of territory and resources in North America led to conflicts among colonizing powers. Learning Targets: I can explain how competition for control of territory and resources in North America led to conflicts among colonizing powers. . Content Elaborations National rivalries spurred the powerful European countries to make land claims and to exploit the resources of the Western Hemisphere. The British, French, Spanish, Swedes, and Dutch struggled with each other to control settlement and colonization of North America. One consequence was a series of wars involving colonial powers, colonists, and American Indians (e.g., King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, King George’s War, the French and Indian War). Content Vocabulary competition territory colonizing resources Academic Vocabulary explain Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies Grade Eight Social Studies Theme U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand History Colonization to Independence European countries established colonies in North America as a means of increasing wealth and power. As the English colonies developed their own Pacing
Grade Eight Social Studies U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand History Topic Expansion The addition of new territories and economic and industrial development contributed to the growth of sectionalism in the United States. Pacing Content Statement 9. The United States added to its territory through treaties and purchases. Learning Targets: I can describe how the United States added to its territory through treaties and purchases. . Content Elaborations The United States negotiated treaties with and purchases from other countries in an effort to expand its territory and to solidify its borders. Treaties were negotiated with Spain, Great Britain, and Mexico (e.g., Treaty, Webster-Ashburton Treaty, Oregon Treaty, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo). The U.S. expanded its territory through purchases from France, Mexico, and Russia (e.g., Louisiana Purchase, Gadsden Purchase, Alaska purchase). Content Vocabulary territory treaties purchases Academic Vocabulary describe Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies Grade Eight Social Studies Theme U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand History Expansion The addition of new territories and economic and industrial development contributed to the growth of sectionalism in the United States. Pacing Content Statement Content Elaborations
compiled, organized, stored, and made visible using traditional and geospatial technologies. Students need to be able to access, read, interpret, and create maps and other geographic representations as tools of analysis. Content Statement 13. Modern and historical maps and other geographic tools are used to analyze how historic events are shaped by geography. Learning Targets: I can analyze the ways in which historical events are shaped by geography using modern and historical maps and other geographic tools. Content Elaborations Modern and historical maps, as well as other geographic tools (e.g., GPS, GIS, Internet-based mapping applications, aerial and other photographs, remote sensing images) can be used to analyze how historical events have been influenced by the distribution of natural resources and geographic location. These tools can be used to understand changes over time. They may be used to help illustrate sectionalism, unification, or movement. Content Vocabulary historical geography modern Academic Vocabulary analyze shaped tools Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies Grade Eight Social Studies Theme U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand Geography Topic Human Systems Human systems represent the settlement and structures created by people on Earth’s surface. The growth, distribution, and movements of people are driving forces behind human and physical events. Geographers study patterns in culture and the changes that result from human processes, migrations, and the diffusion of new cultural traits. Pacing Content Statement 14. The availability of natural resources contributed to the geographic and economic expansion of the United States, sometimes resulting in unintended environmental consequences. Content Elaborations The expansion of the United States, both geographically and economically, was influenced by the availability of its natural resources. This expansion sometimes resulted in unintended consequences.
Learning Targets: I can analyze how the availability of natural resources contributed to the geographic and economic expansion of the United States. I can explain how geographic and economic expansion sometimes resulted in unintended environmental consequences. . Forest resources and the abundance of fish and fur-bearing animals stimulated the growth of industries in the Northeast. The soil and climate of Virginia was conducive for growing tobacco. Although England originally settled Virginia to discover gold and silver and to trade with Indians for fur, the cultivation of tobacco helped make the colony prosper. Likewise, rice became an important crop in South Carolina, although originally it was thought to be an area for growing sugarcane. Cotton became a primary crop in the South. Intensive cotton cultivation, however, drained southern soils of essential nutrients and helped force the westward expansion of plantation agriculture. Expansion westward encouraged the building of canals and railroads, in turn influenced further western migration. The stagnant waters of the canals often caused diseases and sparks from railroad engines sometimes caused prairie fires. The new settlers in the West affected the environment by destroying native vegetation to cultivate land for farming and by carving up the open plains with barbed-wire fences to protect cropland from animals. Content Vocabulary natural resources economic expansion environmental consequences geographic Academic Vocabulary analyze availability contributed unintended explain Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies Eight Social Studies Theme U.S. Studies from 1492 to 1877: Exploration Through Reconstruction Strand Geography Human Systems Pacing
Topic Roles and Systems of Government The purpose of government in the United States is to establish protect the rights of individuals, and to promote the common good. Governments may be organized in different ways and have limited or unlimited powers. Pacing Content Statement 20. The U.S. Constitution established a federal system of government, a representative democracy, and a framework with separation of powers and checks and balances. Learning Targets: I can describe and give examples of how the U.S. Constitution created a federal system, representative democracy, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Content Elaborations The federal government established by the U.S. Constitution divides power among a central government and territorial subdivisions – the national and state governments. This allows both levels of government some degree of independence. The United States is a republic or representative democracy in which elected officials representing the people make laws and public policy. The U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches of government (e.g., the legislative branch has the power to impose taxes and declare war, the executive branch has the power to command the military and grant pardons, the judicial branch has power to hear cases involving maritime law and controversies between the states). The U.S. Constitution also provides for a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government. These checks and balances include the: Power of the president to veto acts of Congress (e.g., Jackson’s veto of the re-charter of the Bank of the United States in 1832) Power of the Senate to approve presidential appointments (e.g., the approval of Daniel Webster as secretary of state in 1841) Independence of Supreme justices who hold their offices “during good behavior” (e.g., the impeachment of Samuel Chase in 1805) Content Vocabulary Constitution federal system representative democracy separation of powers checks and balances Academic Vocabulary describe example Formative Assessments Summative Assessments Resources Enrichment Strategies Integrations Intervention Strategies