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History Standards for Grades 5-12
United States
Era 3
Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
Standard 1
The causes of the American Revolution, the ideas and interests involved in
forging the revolutionary movement, and the reasons for the American
victory
Standard 2
The impact of the American Revolution on politics, economy, and
society
Standard 3
The institutions and practices of government created during the
Revolution and how they were revised between 1787 and 1815 to create the
foundation of the American political system based on the U.S.
Constitution and the Bill of Rights
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Overview
The American Revolution
is of single importance in the study of American history. First, it
severed the colonial relationship with England
and legally created the United
States. Second, the revolutionary
generation formulated the political philosophy and laid the institutional
foundations for the system of government under which we live. Third, the
Revolution was inspired by ideas concerning natural rights and political
authority that were transatlantic in reach, and its successful completion
affected people and governments over a large part of the globe for many
generations. Lastly, it called into question long-established social and
political relationships--between master and slave, man and woman, upper
class and lower class, officeholder and constituent, and even parent and
child--and thus demarcated an agenda for reform that would preoccupy
Americans down to the present day.
In thinking about the
causes and course of the Revolution, it is important to study the
fundamental principles of the Declaration of Independence; the causes for
the outbreak of the war; the main stages of the Revolutionary War and the
reasons for the American victory; and the role of wartime leaders, from
all strata of society, both on the battlefield and on the
homefront.
In assessing the outcomes
of the American Revolution, students need to confront the central issue
of how revolutionary the Revolution actually was. In order to reach
judgments about this, they necessarily will have to see the Revolution
through different sets of eyes--enslaved and free African Americans,
Native Americans, white men and women of different social classes,
religions, ideological dispositions, regions, and occupations. Students
should also be able to see pre- and post-Revolutionary American society
in relation to reigning political institutions and practices in the rest
of the world.
Students can
appreciate how agendas for redefining American society in the postwar era
differed by exploring how the Constitution was created and how it was
ratified after a dramatic ideological debate in virtually every locale in
1787-88. The Constitution of 1787 and the Bill of Rights should be
broached as the culmination of the most creative era of constitutionalism
in American history. In addition, students should ponder why the Constitutional
Convention sidetracked the movement to abolish slavery that had taken
rise in the revolutionary era. Nor should they think that ratification of
the Constitution ended debate on governmental power or how to create
"a more perfect union." Economic, regional, social,
ideological, religious, and political tensions would spawn continuing
debates over the meaning of the Constitution for generations.
In studying the
post-Revolutionary generation, students can understand how the embryo of
the American two-party system took shape, how political turmoil arose as
Americans debated the French Revolution, and how the Supreme Court rose
to a place of prominence. Politics, political leadership, and political
institutions have always bulked large in the study of this era, but
students will also need to understand other less noticed topics: the
beginnings of a national economy, the exuberant push westward, the
military campaigns against Native American nations; the emergence of free
black communities; and the democratization of religion.
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STANDARD 1
The causes of the American Revolution, the ideas and interests
involved in forging the revolutionary movement, and the reasons for the
American victory.
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Standard 1A
The student understands the causes of the American
Revolution.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Explain
the consequences of the Seven Years War and the overhaul of English imperial
policy following the Treaty of Paris in 1763. [Marshal evidence of antecedent circumstances]
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5-12
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Compare
the arguments advanced by defenders and opponents of the new imperial
policy on the traditional rights of English people and the legitimacy of
asking the colonies to pay a share of the costs of empire. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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5-12
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Reconstruct
the chronology of the critical events leading to the outbreak of armed
conflict between the American colonies and England. [Establish temporal order]
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7-12
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Analyze
political, ideological, religious, and economic origins of the
Revolution. [Analyze multiple
causation]
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9-12
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Reconstruct
the arguments among patriots and loyalists about independence and draw conclusions
about how the decision to declare independence was reached. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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Standard 1B
The student understands the principles
articulated in the Declaration of Independence.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Explain
the major ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and their
intellectual origins. [Marshal evidence
of antecedent circumstances]
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7-12
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Demonstrate
the fundamental contradictions between the ideals expressed in the
Declaration of Independence and the realities of chattel slavery. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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9-12
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Draw
upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence to construct a
sound historical argument regarding whether it justified American
independence. [Interrogate historical data]
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5-12
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Explain
how key principles in the Declaration of Independence grew in importance
to become unifying ideas of American democracy. [Evaluate the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Compare
the Declaration of Independence with the French Declaration of the Rights
of Man and Citizen and construct an argument evaluating their importance to
the spread of constitutional democracies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
[Compare and contrast differing
sets of ideas]
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Standard 1C
The student understands the
factors affecting the course of the war and contributing to the American victory.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Appraise
George Washington's military and political leadership in conducting the
Revolutionary War. [Assess the
importance of the individual]
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5-12
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Compare
and explain the different roles and perspectives in the war of men and
women, including white settlers, free and enslaved African Americans, and
Native Americans. [Evaluate the
influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Analyze
the problems of financing the war and dealing with wartime inflation,
hoarding, and profiteering. [Identify
issues and problems in the past]
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7-12
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Explain
how the Americans won the war against superior British resources. [Analyze multiple causation]
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5-12
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Analyze
United States relationships
with France, Holland, and Spain during the Revolution
and the contributions of each European power to the American victory. [Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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7-12
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Analyze
the terms of the Treaty of Paris and how they affected U.S. relations with Native Americans and
with European powers that held territories in North
America. [Consider
multiple perspectives]
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STANDARD 2
The impact of the American Revolution on politics, economy, and
society.
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Standard 2A
The student understands revolutionary government-making
at national and state levels.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Analyze
the arguments over the Articles of Confederation. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Compare
several state constitutions and explain why they differed. [Analyze multiple causation]
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7-12
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Assess
the accomplishments and failures of the Continental Congress. [Compare and contrast differing sets
of ideas]
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7-12
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Assess
the importance of the Northwest Ordinance. [Interrogate historical data]
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Standard 2B
The student understands the economic issues arising out
of the Revolution.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Evaluate
how the states and the Continental Congress dealt with the revolutionary
war debt. [Utilize quantitative
data]
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5-12
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Analyze
the factors that led to Shay's Rebellion. [Analyze multiple causation]
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7-12
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Explain
the dispute over the western lands and evaluate how it was resolved. [Draw upon data in historical maps]
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9-12
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Explain
how the Continental Congress and the states attempted to rebuild the
economy by addressing issues of foreign and internal trade, banking, and
taxation. [Formulate a position or
course of action on an issue]
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Standard 2C
The
student understands the Revolution's effects on different social groups.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Compare
the reasons why many white men and women and most African American and
Native Americans remained loyal to the British. [Consider multiple perspectives]
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5-12
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Compare
the revolutionary goals of different groups—for example, rural
farmers and urban craftsmen, northern merchants and southern
planters—and how the Revolution altered social, political, and
economic relations among them. [Compare
and contrast differing values, behaviors, and institutions]
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5-12
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Explain
the revolutionary hopes of enslaved and free African Americans and the
gradual abolition of slavery in the northern states. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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7-12
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Analyze
the ideas put forth arguing for new women’s roles and rights and
explain the customs of the 18th century that limited women’s
aspirations and achievements. [Examine
the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Explain
how African American leaders and African American institutions shaped
free black communities in the North. [Assess the importance of the individual]
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STANDARD 3
The institutions and practices of government created during the
Revolution and how they were revised between 1787 and 1815 to create the
foundation of the American political system based on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill
of Rights.
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Standard 3A
The student understands the issues involved in the
creation and ratification of the United States Constitution and
the new government it established.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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5-12
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Analyze
the factors involved in calling the Constitutional Convention. [Analyze multiple causation]
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7-12
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Analyze
the alternative plans considered by the delegates and the major
compromises agreed upon to secure approval of the Constitution. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Analyze
the fundamental ideas behind the distribution of powers and the system of
checks and balances established by the Constitution. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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5-12
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Analyze
the features of the Constitution which have made this the most enduring
and widely imitated written constitution in world history. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Compare
the arguments of Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification
debates and assess their relevance in late 20th-century politics. [Hypothesize the influence of the past]
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Standard 3B
The student understands the guarantees of the Bill of
Rights and its continuing significance.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Evaluate
the arguments over the necessity of a Bill of Rights and explain Madison’s role
in securing its adoption by the First Congress. [Assess the importance of the individual]
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5-12
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Analyze
the significance of the Bill of Rights and its specific guarantees. [Examine the influence of ideas]
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9-12
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Analyze
whether the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 threatened First Amendment
rights and the issues the Alien and Sedition Acts posed in the absence of
judicial review of acts of Congress. [Evaluate the implementation of a decision]
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9-12
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Analyze
issues addressed in recent court cases involving the Bill of Rights to
assess their continuing significance today. [Identify relevant historical antecedents]
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Standard 3C
The student understands the development of the Supreme
Court's power and its significance from 1789 to 1820.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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7-12
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Appraise
how John Marshall's precedent-setting decisions interpreted the
Constitution and established the Supreme Court as an independent and
equal branch of the government. [Assess
the importance of the individual]
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9-12
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Trace
the evolution of the Supreme Court's powers during the 1790s and early
19th century and analyze its influence today. [Explain historical continuity and change]
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Standard 3D
The student understands the development of the first
American party system.
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Grade Level
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Therefore, the student is able
to
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9-12
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Explain
the principles and issues that prompted Thomas Jefferson to organize an
opposition party. [Analyze
multiple causation]
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5-12
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Compare
the leaders and social and economic composition of each party. [Compare and contrast differing sets
of ideas]
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7-12
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Compare
the opposing views of the two parties on the main economic and foreign
policy issues of the 1790s. [Compare
and contrast differing sets of ideas]
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7-12
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Assess
the influence of the French Revolution on American politics. [Analyze cause-and-effect
relationships]
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NEXT: Era
4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
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