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GOAL: To address the
civics standards in the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum
Framework
Civics
and Government
- Define and use correctly words
related to government: citizen,
suffrage, rights, representation, federal, state, county, and municipal.
- Give examples of the
responsibilities and powers associated with major federal and state
officials (the President, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,
governor, state senators, and state representatives).
- Explain the structure of the
student’s city or town government.
Pre-Columbian Civilizations of the New World
and European Exploration, Colonization, and Settlement to
1700.
- Identify some of the major leaders
and groups responsible for the founding of the original colonies in North America.
- Lord Baltimore in Maryland
- William Penn in Pennsylvania
- John Smith in Virginia
- Roger Williams in Rhode Island
- John Winthrop in Massachusetts
- Identify the links between the
political principles and practices developed in ancient Greece
and such political institutions and practices as written constitutions
and town meetings of the Puritans.
- Explain the reasons that the
language, political institutions, and political principles of what
became the United States of America were largely shaped by English colonists
even though other major European nations also explored the New World.
- the relatively small number of
colonists who came from other nations besides England
- long experience with
self-government
- the high rates of literacy and education
among the English colonial leaders
- England’s strong economic,
intellectual, and military position
The Political, Intellectual and Economic
Growth of the Colonies, 1700-1775
- Explain the causes of the
establishment of slavery in North America. Describe the harsh conditions of
the Middle Passage and slave life, and the responses of slaves to their
condition. Describe the life
of free African Americans in the colonies.
- Explain the development of colonial
governments and describe how these developments contributed to the
Revolution.
- legislative bodies
- town meetings
- charters on individual freedom and
rights
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- Explain the reasons for the French
and Indian War, how it led to an overhaul of British imperial policy,
and the colonial response to these policies.
- Sugar Act (1764)
- Stamp Act ( 1765)
- Townsend Duties (1767)
- Tea Act (1773) and the Intolerable
Acts (1774)
- the slogan, “no taxation
without representation”
- the roles of the Stamp Act
Congress, the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea Party (1773)
The Revolution and the Formation of a
Federal Government under the Constitution, 1775-1789
- Explain the meaning of the key ideas
on equality, natural rights, the rule of law, and the purpose of
government contained in the Declaration of Independence.
- Describe the life and achievements
of important leaders during the Revolution and the early years of the United States.
- John Adams
- Benjamin Franklin
- King George III
- Alexander Hamilton
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
- George Washington
·
Identify
the Constitution of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts,
including its date, its primary author (John Adams), and the basic rights it
gives to citizens of the Commonwealth.
·
Explain
the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781 and for
its later failure.
·
Describe
Shay’s Rebellion of 1786-1787 and explain why it was one of the crucial
events leading to the Constitutional Convention.
·
Identify
the various leaders of the Constitutional Convention and describe the major
issues they debated.
A. distribution of political power
B. rights of individuals
C. rights of states
D. the Great Compromise
E. slavery
The Principles and Institutions of
American Constitutional Government
- Describe the responsibilities of
government at the federal, state, and local events (e.g., protection of
individual rights and the provision of services such as law enforcement
and the building and funding of schools).
- Describe the basic political
principles of American democracy and explain how the Constitution and
the Bill of Rights reflect and preserve these principles.
- individual rights and
responsibilities
- equality
- the rule of law
- limited government
- representative democracy
- Identify the three branches of the United States
government as outlined by the Constitution, describe their functions and
relationships. and identify what features of the Constitution were
unique at the time (e.g., the presidency and the independent judiciary).
- Identify the rights in the Bill of
Rights and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution in
1791.
- Explain how American citizens were
expected to participate in, monitor, and bring about changes in their
government over time, and give examples of how they continue to do so
today.
The Growth of the Republic
- Identify the changes in voting
qualifications between 1787 and 1820 (e.g., the abolition of property
requirements), and compare who could vote in local, state, and national
elections in the U.S.
with who could vote in England,
France, and Russia.
- Explain the events leading up to,
and the significance of, the Louisiana Purchase
of 1803.
- Explain the reasons that pioneer
moved west from the beginning to the middle of the 19th
century, and describe their lives on the frontier.
- wagon train journeys on the Oregon and Santa
Fe Trails
- their settlements in the western
territories
Enduring Understandings:
- The Constitution
and the Bill of Rights form the framework of U.S. Society.
- The Constitution and
the Bill of Rights reflect and preserve the basic political principles
of American democracy:
- equality
- the rule of law
- limited government
- representative
democracy
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