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Unit
Two: America is Independence
COLONIAL SOCIETY
OBJECTIVES:
Identify the peoples that immigrated to the English colonies of North
America.
Describe colonial society.
Identify the regions of the English colonies.
Tell how the colonies of each region differed from one another politically,
economically, and socially.
Identify the factors that united the English colonists.
Identify the read bar and circle graphs.
Recognize and read economic maps.
Interpret points of view.
Trace routes on a map.
Select features appropriate to a map's theme.
I. PEOPLE OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES
A. Various people in the English colonies came from England, Scotland,
Ireland, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Finland, France, and countries of
west Africa.
B. The people of different national backgrounds settled in respective
colonies: English settled along the Atlantic coast, Scots in Pennsylvania
and the Appalachians, Germans in Pennsylvania, Dutch in New York, Swedes
and Finns in the Delaware Valley, and Africans and French throughout
the colonies.
C. The blacks' trip to the New World differed from that of whites in
that slave ships were greatly crowded, slaves were poorly fed, and
thousands died.
II. LIFE IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES
A. Land was the economic base of colonial America.
B. Cities were important to colonial America as centers of trade.
C. Indentured servants and slaves were important in the English colonies
as they provided a large work force.
D. The family was the cornerstone of colonial society.
E. Religion was one of the important influences on colonial life.
III. REGIONS IN THE COLONIES
A. Geographic regions of the colonies were different from one another
in climate, soil, land formation, political system, economic system,
and social patterns.
B. Early colleges established in each region during colonial times
include: Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth established in New England; the
College of New Jersey (Princeton), Philadelphia College (University
of Pennsylvania), Columbia, and Rutgers in the Middle Colonies; William
and Mary in the Southern Colonies.
C. Colonial products in demand in England were tobacco, rice, and indigo.
D. Southern planters were able to make large profits because they did
not pay the slaves.
E. Life on the frontier was rugged, with no luxuries, manners, or fancy
clothes. Settlers lived isolated lives and supplied their own material,
educational, and spiritual needs.
IV. FROM CONFLICT TO UNITY
A. There was conflict between Indians and colonists because the settlers
were taking Indian land.
B. Differences developed between the colonies and the king of England
include: English government set up stricter regulations on the colonies.
Colonial business leaders looked for ways to avoid them.
C. Mercantilism affected the colonies as it hurt the economy, but created
colonial monopolies on the sale of tobacco, rice, and indigo.
D. The colonial governors and the king rejected Benjamin Franklin's
Plan of Union because neither wished to give up or share power.
E. The results of the Treaty of Paris after the French and Indian War
were: Britain received Canada and the lands east of the Mississippi
River from France, and Florida from Spain.
WINNING FREEDOM
OBJECTIVES:
Describe British colonial policies after 1763.
Order the events that led to the American Revolution.
Discuss the Declaration of Independence.
Name major American and British leaders during the American Revolution.
Identify the major events of the American Revolution.
List the changes brought about by the American Revolution.
Recognize primary and secondary sources.
Read military maps.
Compare regional maps.
I. THE ROAD TO REBELLION
A. The British placed restrictions of Western movement, trade, and
manufacturing on the colonies after 1763.
B. The colonists objected British taxes as they felt the British actions
were improper and illegal and an attempt to ruin the colonial economy.
C. Colonists favored direct representation because they believed they
were not represented by virtual representation.
D. Patriots tarred and feathered loyalist who did not support the boycott
of British goods.
E. Events that led to the outbreak of war include an attempt by English
soldiers to seize the patriots' military supplies and resulted in fighting
with minutemen at Lexington and Concord.
II. WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
A. The commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution
was George Washington.
B. The Battle of Saratoga was important to Americans because it brought
France into the war on the side of the colonies.
C. The part women played in the American Revolution: some women served
in the Continental Army; others cooked and cared for the ill near battlefields;
most remained at home to run farms and businesses.
D. The last major battle that took place during the American Revolution
was Yorktown.
E. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the war between the colonies and
Great Britain and established American Independence.
III. THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
A. Americans limited the authority of new state governments created
during the war because of fear of limitless authority.
B. The American Revolution had no effect on rights of women.
C. Many slaves fought in the war, but few benefited from the American
Revolution.
D. Economic problems the government faced after the war for Independence
include: it was in debt to its allies, and an abundance of printed
money lowered the value of money already in use.
FORMING A UNION
OBJECTIVES:
Identify the accomplishments of the government under the Articles
of Confederation.
Describe the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Identify the compromises made in the creation of the Constitution.
Distinguish between the views of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.
Tell how the struggle over ratifying the Constitution was resolved.
Read historical maps.
Analyze historical primary sources.
I. THE PERIOD OF CONFEDERATION
A. The Articles of Confederation was the name of the plan for governing
the colonies and was drawn up in 1777.
B. The two major accomplishments of the Congress of the Confederation
were the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
C. Great Britain broke the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 by
stationing forts in the Northwest Territory.
D. Each state controlled its own trade.
E. The basic cause of Shay's Rebellion was state tax laws.
II. MAKING A CONSTITUTION
A. States that sent delegates to the meeting in Philadelphia were all
states except Rhode Island.
B. The Virginia Plan differed from the New Jersey Plan in that the
Virginia Plan called for representation based on size; the New Jersey
Plan called for equal representation for all states.
C. The Great Compromise settled the issue of representation by establishing
two houses of congress, combining parts of the Virginia and New Jersey
Plans.
D. The Three-fifths Compromise stated three-fifths of the number of
slaves would be counted to determine representation and taxation.
E. Protection provided in the Constitution for the slave trade was
Congress could not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years.
F. Nine states had to ratify the Constitution before it went into effect.
III. STRUGGLE FOR RATIFICATION
A. Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because they wanted to
keep their liberties and the rights of the states more secure-a weak
central government seemed safer to them.
B. Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, George Mason, and George Clinton were
some of the Anti-Federalists who had been strong supporters of American
independence.
C. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton,
and John Jay were some of the Federalists who had been strong supporters
of American independence.
D. The purpose of The Federalist Papers was to express support for
the Constitution.
E. The first ten amendments are included in the Bill of Rights.
THE CONSTITUTION
OBJECTIVES:
List the basic principles upon which the American political system
rests.
Identify principles other than the basic ones that relate to the Constitution.
Name the branches of the United States government.
Identify the powers delegated to each branch of government under
the Constitution.
Describe the system of checks and balances.
List the powers of federal and state government under the Constitution.
Describe the methods for changing the Constitution.
Read diagrams, including organizational diagrams and flowcharts.
I. BASIC PRINCIPLES
A. The purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
is to state the general goals of the system of government set up under
the Constitution.
B. The sources of the Constitution are popular sovereignty, limited
government, federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances.
C. Popular sovereignty and limited government are related. Popular
sovereignty suggests that power rests with the people. It follows that
the people give government only those powers they wish it to have.
D. The principles of separation of powers and checks and balances are
related because checks and balances works because powers are separated
among the three branches of government. Each checks and balances the
other.
II. OTHER PRINCIPLES
A. The judicial branch has the power of judicial review.
B. National law is considered supreme over state law.
C. Civilian authority is stronger than military authority under the
Constitution.
D. The obligation of the majority is to respect and protect the rights
of the minority.
III. BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
A. The most important duty of government is to make the people's will
into public policy by means of law.
B. The Senate and House of Representatives are the two houses that
form Congress.
C. To qualify members of the House must be at least 25 years old, citizens
of the United States for 7 years, and residents of the states from
which they were elected. Senators must be at least 30 years old, citizens
for 9 years, and residents of the states from which they were elected.
D. The Electoral College elects the President of the United States.
E. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.
F.The term of office for a federal judge is they are appointed for
life.
IV. DIVISIONS OF POWERS
A. Three kinds of delegated powers given to the federal government
under the Constitution are: expressed, implied, and inherent powers.
B. "Police powers" are used to protect the well-being of
individuals.
C. Powers held by both the federal government and the state governments
are shared or concurrent powers, such as the powers to tax, to try
accused criminals, and to provide money to build roads.
D. Powers held only by the state governments are reserved powers, such
as the power to set up rules for the operation of schools.
V. THE CHANGING CONSTITUTION
A. It is necessary to change the Constitution as changing interpretations
and changes in society resulting from new knowledge and new social
and economic developments may make it necessary to change the Constitution.
B. The Twelfth Amendment altered the Electoral College system.
C. The role of the Supreme Court in changing the Constitution of the
United States is to interpret the Constitution and to decide if laws
or other acts are constitutional.
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