United States History

The purpose of United States History is to explore the people and events which are relevant to American history from pre-colonial times to the present day. This course, in conjunction with English 11, will combine topics from United States history, geography, and American literature.   This course is relevant to understanding current events in the United States and abroad.  Some of the skills students will develop include critical thinking, reading comprehension, note-taking, research and writing skills, analysis of current events, group and cooperative learning, and public speaking.

United States History is a one-year college preparatory course that is designed to develop students’ understanding of sophisticated topics and concepts related to the study of the history and development of the United States. The course will focus on extending students’ knowledge of historical facts and geography topics and developing their understanding of new topics including but not limited to the following: European exploration and Colonial America, Puritan heritage and the revolutionary spirit, the constitution and federalism, slavery and the Civil War, immigration and industrialization, the American Dream, the roaring twenties, Harlem Renaissance, World War I and II, the Cold War (1950’s, Music, Popular Culture, Vietnam), civil rights (African Americans, Woman’s Suffrage) and the role of the President.

The reading list:  East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien, Hiroshima by John Hersey, All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Marie Remarque

Textbook(s): The American Vision, Student Edition, Edition: 1st, Author(s): Appleby, which will be supplemented with handouts and other reading materials

Prerequisites: 9th Grade Social Sciences Course (Humanities) or the equivalent, and 10th Grade Social Sciences Course (World History) or the equivalent.

Instructor:  Laurel Colborn