CMS
CMSCurriculum Companion
SOCIAL STUDIES
EighthGrade
SOCIAL STUDIES
Course Description: Eighth grade students will study the European exploration of North America, along with the geographic features that influenced early settlements and colonies. This course will emphasize the development and maturation of the British colonies, and the political, cultural, and economic influences that led to the American Revolution. The major events and outcomes of the American Revolution will be analyzed, along with the individuals that played influential roles in the development of the new nation.
JouRNEy
AcRoSs
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SOCIAL STUDIES
By John Gadsby Chapman, 1839. The ceremony in which Pocahontas, daughter of the influential Algonkian chief Powhatan, was baptized and given the name Rebecca in an Anglican church. It took place in 1613 or 1614 in the colony at Jamestown.
By John Trumbull, 1818. This painting depicts the moment on June 28, 1776, when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress.
The painting Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull is on display in the Rotunda of the US Capitol. The subject of this painting is the surrender of the British army at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, which ended the last major campaign of the Revolutionary War.
By John Gadsby Chapman, 1839. The ceremony in which Pocahontas, daughter of the influential Algonkian chief Powhatan, was baptized and given the name Rebecca in an Anglican church. It took place in 1613 or 1614 in the colony at Jamestown.
LEARNING FOR
SOCIAL IMPACT
The study of these civilizations will include the impact of geography, early history, cultural development, and economic change. The geographic focus will include the study of physical and political features, economic development and resources, and migration patterns.
Colonialism (1600-1750)
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"Wild Duck Shooting- On the Wing" by William T. Ranney, 1850. In early American colonialism, hunting was common for food. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Development of a New Nation (1720-1787)
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The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17,1775, by John Trumbull, 1786. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Read more at: Smithsonian The True Story of the Battle of Bunker Hill
The Constitution and Foundation of the American Political System (1777-1789)
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It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787. Read more at: Constitution Trivia
Growth of the Young Nation (1789-1849)
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"American Progress" by John Gast, 1872. An allegory for American expansion. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons An expression of "Manifest Destiny", read more at: "Stabbing Westward: An Analysis of John Gast's "American Progress"
The United States’ Role on the World Stage (1789-1849)
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Congress met in Philadelphia in Congress Hall, from 1790-1800. Take a walking tour of this historic area. credit: U.S. Senate Historical Office [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The Sectionalism of the American North, South, and West (1800- 1850)
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William S. Jewett, The Promised Land—The Grayson Family, 1850, Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1999.79. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Slavery in America (1800-1850)
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"Slaves Waiting for Sale" by Eyre Crowe, Richmond, Virginia. Oil, 20¾ x 31½ inches. Painted upon the sketch of 1853, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Civil War (1830-1865)
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Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, "Let Us Have Peace," 1865, c. 1920, oil on canvas, 23 x 30 inches; collection Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia.. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
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William Wallace Wotherspoon (American painter, 1821-1888) Scene Outside Southern Schoolhouse (perhaps during Reconstruction). [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Westward Expansion after the Civil War (1865-1890)
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"Assiniboine hunting buffalo," by Paul Kane, between 1851 and 1856. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Historical Role Models...
Many notable American historical figures are considered role models -- but why? George Washington was devilishly smart, and Abraham Lincoln was a brave leader, but have you heard of Sybil Ludington or Beriah Green? Amy Bissetta expounds on the lessons of character we can learn from these historical giants, whether you've heard of them or not. Lesson idea...
Tour the States - Official Music Video
Music by Renald Francoeur
Drawing by Craighton Berman
