Unit Overview
During the course of our unit, we will be discussing the opportunities and challenges facing the United States in the time period immediately following the Constitution. On the first day of instruction, we will introduce the unit and examine Washington’s administration. On this day we will teach the importance of setting a precedent for future administrations, such as Washington’s willingness to use force during the whiskey rebellion and his decision to step down after two terms. On the second and third instructional days, we will further examine the competing political philosophies between the Federalists and Republicans. We will compare and contrast their main beliefs, such as whether the federal government or state governments should have most of the power, the wealthy or the common people should rule, and whether or not the economy should be based on manufacturing or agriculture. In addition to direct instruction and graphic organizers, students will participate in an online activity to help them decide whether they agree more with Hamilton’s positions or Jefferson’s positions. Using this, students will have to complete a homework assignment where they write about which party they would belong to and why. On the fourth day, we will continue with this discussion by examining the Adams administration. On this day, we will discuss the importance of the Alien and Sedition Acts, examining the controversial nature of the laws. We will discuss whether or not the laws were constitutional, how the common people reacted to them, and whether or not there are instances in which it is good for the government to curtail freedom of speech. To help students understand how people of this time period felt about the laws, we will participate in a classroom activity where students criticize rules of the school. When students criticize the school, they will be told that they are losing points on the next quiz. We will use this to explain how the people at the time felt that this was unfair. This will lead us into the election of 1800, where we will discuss how this was significant because this type of power shift had never occurred before. On the fifth and sixth days, we will move into the Jefferson Administration, spending a significant amount of time on the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition. In terms of the Louisiana Purchase, we will discuss how it changed the size of the United States, contributed to its growth, how it may not have been Constitutional by Jefferson’s standards of a strict interpretation of the Constitution, and discuss how this could affect the future of the United States. When we discuss Lewis and Clark, we will discuss the importance of the mission, what challenges they may come across, and what types of things they were looking for. To help understand the challenges, students will participate in an activity where they will write journal entries as if they were William Clark, using placards with pictures of the actual mission. On days seven, eight, and nine, the class will discuss the causes and effects of the War of 1812. In addition to watching part of the History Channel’s video on the War of 1812, students will participate in a two day activity that will examine the United States options prior to the War of 1812. Students will receive the arguments for each of the options and will have to argue in favor of their option. Following this activity, we will discuss the results of the war, where students will have to decide whether or not they feel the objectives of the war were met. This will be done by showing the conclusion of the History Channel video, where historians discuss how it affected the United States going forward and the class will discuss whether or not the war was worth it. Finally, we will introduce the Monroe Doctrine, which will be used to start a broader discussion on how the United States changed between 1789 and 1824, when Monroe’s Administration ended.
List of Knowledge to be acquired during this Unit:
- Washington implemented the new government, setting a precedent for future administrations
- During Washington’s Administration, a divide emerged between federalists and anti-federalists over the strength of the new government
- Students will be able to define and analyze the philosophies of both the federalists and anti-federalists
- Students will be able to identify the Alien and Sedition acts, and analyze whether or not they were Constitutional
- Students will be able to explain the importance of the election of 1800
- Students will be able to define the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark expedition, and Manifest Destiny
- Students will be able to identify the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase
- Students will be able to identify the reasons the United States and France agreed to the Louisiana Purchase
- Students will be able to identify the challenges facing Lewis and Clark and explain why their mission was importance
- Students will be able to identify and examine the causes of the War of 1812
- Students will be able to identify and examine the effects of the War of 1812
- Students will be able to compare and contrast the role of the government in the United States at the beginning of Washington’s first administration and at the end of the War of 1812
- Students will be able to see how the United States position in the world changed between the beginning of the Washington’s first administration and the end of the War of 1812
List of Skills to be acquired during the Unit
- Students will enhance their writing ability through journal entries, homework assignments, and class work
- Students will enhance their critical thinking ability by analyzing the causes and effects of various policy decisions by early Presidents, as well as by examining how those decisions related to different interpretations of the Constitution
- Students will enhance their social skills by participating in collaborative learning activities
- Students will enhance their public speaking ability by doing short presentations
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