Eighth
Grade Curriculum
History - Social Science
United States History and Geography: Growth
and Conflict
| Students in grade eight
study the issues and events from the framing of the Constitution
up to World War I, with an emphasis on America’s role in the
war. After reviewing the development of America’s democratic
institutions, students trace the development of American politics,
society, culture, and economy. They learn about the challenges
facing the new nation, and the cause, course, and consequences
of the Civil War. Some examples of specific concepts and skills
which students are expected to master are provided in the topic
areas below: |
Historical
Literacy: United States History and Growth
- understand the major
events preceding the founding of the nation and explain their
significance to the development of American democracy
- explain the significance
of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower
Compact
- analyze the political
and economic cause and consequences of the War of 1812
- analyze the divergent
paths of the American people from 1800 to the mid-1800’s
- analyze the early and
steady attempts to abolish slavery and recognize the ideals of
the Declaration of Independence
Civics and Economics:
United States Government and Economy
- analyze the political
principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the explicit
and implied powers of the federal government
- describe the major debates
that occurred during the development of the Constitution on areas
such as divided state and federal power, slavery, the rights of
individuals and states and the status of Native American nations
- explain the philosophy
of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence
- explain the rise of capitalism
and the economic problems and conflicts that arose in the early
history of America
Cultural Diversity: Economic
Interaction among Civilizations
- compare the daily lives
of people, including traditions in art, music, and literature
of early national America with the ideals of the new nation
- describe the origins
and development of slavery
- analyze the transformation
of the American economy in response to the Industrial Revolution
Geographical Literacy:
Regional Differences
- describe the changing
boundaries and the relationships between the United States, Mexico,
Canada, and Europe and how those relationships influenced westward
expansion and the Mexican American War
- describe the development
of the agrarian economy in the South, the location of the cotton
producing states, and the role of cotton and the cotton gin
- explain how the boundaries
constituting “the North” and “the South” developed and the geographical
differences between the two regions
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