U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A

The history of America, or as Columbus would say, India.

  • Credit Recovery Enabled
  • Course Length: 18 weeks
  • Course Type: Basic
  • Category:
    • History and Social Science
    • Middle School

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all U.S. history courses should possess certain inalienable qualities, that among these they should be engaging, sprinkled with puns and pop-culture references, and filled to the brim with fun facts that will allow you to dominate at Jeopardy. They should also contain at least one montage video of baby animals sneezing.

This 8th grade U.S. history course, aligned to Florida and California Social Studies standards, possesses all these qualities and more. This semester covers the period of "first contact" between Europe and the Americas up to the First Industrial Revolution of the antebellum North. On the way we'll see debates and compromises, territories bought and fought over, and a growing rift between North and South that's going to keep growing all the way through Semester B.

Hop onto the Shmoopflower and sail through 350 years of history, where you'll

  • examine the actions of the large-and-in-charge groups of every era, from conquistadors to captains of industry.
  • participate in a ton of varied and creative activities, like writing a speech to a crowd of angry "Mill Girls" and creating an advertising pitch for the First Amendment.
  • fill out enough charts to wallpaper your bedroom—and help you keep all your shiny new knowledge organized, of course.
  • study the lives of people who've been pushed to the margins of history books: Native Americans, slaves, women, children, and immigrants.
  • learn how to break down primary sources like a pro, even the ones written in Ye Olde Englishe.
  • find out how our government actually works, or at least how it's supposed to work.

Unit Breakdown

1 U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A - First Contact: Spanish Colonization

The Niña, the Pinta, and the worst thing ever for the inhabitants of the Americas. This unit covers the period of Spanish colonization in North and South America, and the resulting devastation for indigenous people.

2 U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A - The Formation of the Thirteen Colonies

Hey Puritans, your modesty is showing. This unit covers early colonial settlements in what is now the eastern United States—uber-pure New England, the tolerant Middle Colonies, and the cash-crop-lovin' Southern Colonies.

3 U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A - Setting the Scene for Independence

"No taxation without representation" is only one of the many catchy slogans to come out of this period. This unit covers the French and Indian War, the tax-ridden aftermath, and the Revolutionary War, with a hearty dose of "liberty or death" swirled in.

4 U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A - Constitution to the Rescue!

Tyranny was no fun, but life without a functioning government was no picnic either. This unit covers the birth of the Constitution, and all the compromises that made it possible. We also cover the Bill of Rights, the organization of government, and the philosophical underpinnings of the whole shebang.

5 U.S. History: 1492-1877—Semester A - America Comes of Age

Remember that one time Canadians burned the White House? In this unit, we see the trials and tribulations of early presidents as they dealt with war, foreign entanglements, and a massive expansion of territory. Take Texas and half of Mexico? Don't mind if we do.


Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 6.04: Immigration is no Small Potatoes

A picture of potatoes.
Behold, the mighty potato of destiny!
(Source)

Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato chips, Mr. Potato Head—any way you slice it, spuds are amazing. Not only are there a bazillion (really) ways to cook potatoes, they play a pretty important role in American history.

Betcha didn't see that coming.

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced the Great Irish Potato Famine. Potatoes were the number one crop in Ireland, and millions of their poorest citizens survived on potatoes alone. In 1845, the potato crop failed. No potatoes meant no food, and no food meant a truly terrible time. The famine lasted for six years and killed 1 million men, women, and children. Another whole million left Ireland to escape the famine.

And that migration is where American History comes into the picture…


Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 6.6.04: Coming to America

Luck of the Irish-American

Many of those Irish immigrants came to America during the 1840s and 1850s. By the year 1860, America had a population of 31 million, with 1 in every 8 citizens being foreign-born.

Before the 1830s, immigration into the United States was relatively light. There were no restrictions or methods for processing immigrants and few records were kept about who was coming from where.

Starting in the 1830s immigration increased dramatically. How dramatically? Take a look at the numbers.

  • In 1820 only 8,385 people moved to the U.S. from elsewhere. 
  • By 1832 that number had reached over 50,000 people per year. 
  • Immigration finally peaked in 1854, with 428,000 people coming to America.

That's a lot of people, and about 40 percent of them were coming from Ireland. The Potato Famine, combined with faster and more reliable forms of overseas transportation (you know…boats), meant that huge numbers of people were getting out of Ireland. While the U.S. population was surging in the 1840s, the population of Ireland was cut in half. Whoa, think about that. Half of the people living in Ireland either died of starvation or moved to the United States. A generation after the famine, there were more Irish-Americans than there were people living in Ireland.

Yowza—no wonder Americans love St. Patrick's Day so much.

The Irish faced harsher prejudice than other groups during this period because they were the first Catholic wave of immigrants. Prior to their arrival, immigrants had been mainly Protestant, some even coming to escape religious persecution in Europe. Long-held stereotypes about Catholics and even ideas that being Catholic could undermine democracy made life difficult for newly arrived Irish.

However, by 1850 Catholicism was the single largest religious body in the U.S. and Irish-Americans had made huge impacts on American life. It was predominantly Irishmen who built the Erie Canal and the railroads of the Northeastern U.S., while Irish women worked as servants or in factories. Later generations of Irish would dominate police forces and politics in cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Founding Germantown

Even though the Irish were the biggest immigrant group during the First Industrial Revolution, they certainly weren't the only group to enter the U.S. during these decades. German, British, Scandinavian, and Chinese immigrants flooded to America as well. They left their homelands in search of the prosperity and change that America promised as a free nation.

Germans were the second-largest group to immigrate in the mid 1800s. They left their homeland not because of starvation or extreme poverty, but because the United States offered a stable, democratic government and economic opportunities unlike any that could be found in Europe. Plus, even though we know from the course that America wasn't exactly the land of the free and had a lot of discrimination going down, it was still better than many countries in Europe—specifically in regards to more religious acceptance.

This desire to leave, combined with cheap land, brought most Germans to the Midwestern U.S. Unlike the Irish who stayed mainly in cities, Germans sought farms and smaller towns to settle down. They were mainly Protestant and culturally similar to previous waves of immigrants from Europe, making their transition into American life easier.

Wave After Wave

Immigrants came to America in hopes of being able to own their own land or secure a job in America's growing cities. Turns out those mill girls had some competition on the job front. Most immigrants entered the U.S. through New York, feeding the growth of eastern cities. More population in turn encouraged more industry in the North. We're sensing a pattern here…

(It's important to keep in mind that this was only the first wave of immigration since the United States had become a nation. Late in the 1800s after the Civil War, another even larger influx of immigrants would enter the U.S. facing many of the same challenges and discrimination as their predecessors. Don't worry, you'll read about it in Unit 12.)

Unfortunately, not all Americans were ready and willing to wrap their arms around the newcomers as their new brothers. Immigrants faced discrimination and poverty in many cases as they struggled to make new lives for themselves in America. It's a hard knock life, that's for sure.

Some of the resentment against immigrants was religious, as we've mentioned toward Irish-Catholics. Some of it was racism against Asian and Hispanic Americans in the Western United States, but as America changed, there were other causes for hatred. Many people in the United States lived in small farming communities. There was already a proud tradition of agriculture and living in rural areas. Immigration was changing that. Farmers in the countryside disliked the growth of cities and saw the masses of immigrants as threatening to their ideal way of life.

Immigrants flooded to America in hopes of changing their fortunes, but often all they found was low-paying factory work, filthy living conditions, and persecution. Read about Irish and German immigration, jobs for immigrants, and tenement houssing at these web pages.

As you can already tell, it was not all roses for immigrants entering the U.S. during this period. They faced resentment from many Americans with nativist attitudes, who proclaimed their patriotism for America through their hatred of foreigners.

Whether Nativists liked it or not, however, immigrants were here to stay and they filled up America's port cities in the North, leaving a permanent mark on America's culture.


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 6.04a: Irish Newsletter

We all have a favorite book or magazine. Some of us like to catch up on our celebrity gossip (can you believe what Justin Bieber is doing with his hair lately!?), while others are in it for the sports stats, or maybe even the love story.

Your job is to put together a newsletter that is going to speak to Irish immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s in America. Remember, these immigrants have just arrived in America from Ireland, are living in big, unknown cities, and are missing home. Your newsletter should be chockfull of stuff that is going to interest them.

Your newsletter will need the following things:

  • A title, like "The Daily Irishman" or something catchy that relates to Irish-Americans. 
  • A news story that Irish immigrants would be interested in. Be creative here, but make it relate to something you have studied about Irish immigrants. For example, your news story could be an update about the Potato Famine, a story about tenement housing, life in factories, or an event in which Irish immigrants have been persecuted by Americans. Your story will be made up, but it should be rooted in what we've studied, believable, and relevant to the issues important to Irish immigrants. Your news story should be 150 (or so) words
  • A letter to the editor, written from an Irish immigrant, about what his or her new life in one of America's big cities is like. Mention his/her job (or unemployment), what city he/she lives in, and what his/her housing situation is like. Again, 150-ish words should do it.
  • A picture from the Library of Congress that shows Irish immigrants leaving Ireland or coming to America, with a caption you write about why immigrants are leaving Ireland to come to America. Make sure you copy and paste the web address under your picture to give proper credit where it's due. 
  • A help wanted section that advertises two or three jobs that would typically be held by an Irish immigrant. The advertisement should specify what the job is and provide details about what the job is like. Here are some examples of help wanted ads you can model yours after.

With all of these goodies, no Irish immigrant will be able to pass your newsletter up! You can structure it like a newspaper, with two columns after your title. It will likely be two pages once you finish, but you have two days to complete this project.


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 6.04b: The Germans Are Coming

Now that you've written all about the Irish experience coming to America, let's take a look at that other big group to immigrate in the mid 1800s: the Germans.

  1. Part One

    Below is a secondary source—you know, since it's a drawing—of Germans boarding a ship sometime in the 1800s.

    1. Try to imagine what the people boarding this ship might be thinking about. What factors might have pushed many of these people into wanting to emigrate away from their homeland?

    2. What factors might have pulled them to the United States? What might they be hoping to find when they arrive?

  2. Part Two

    Below, another drawing shows German immigrants crossing the United States in wagons. Ah, manifest destiny…

    1. Try to imagine what the people on these wagons might be thinking about. Why have they chosen to move West instead of settling in large cities on the East Coast of the United States?

    2. What kind of community do you think these people will form once they arrive where they're going? What jobs and responsibilities will they have?


Sample Lesson - Activity

  1. Which of the following was not a reason that European immigrants came to America?

  2. How did immigration affect the growth of America's cities?

  3. The Erie Canal was a huge success because

  4. Lowell Mill girls brought about changes in women's rights in the area of

  5. Which of the following was not a reason that big cities were found in the North?