Lessons, Tips, and Resources for Early America in United States History Since 1877.

Many teachers struggle with how much they should review from U.S. History prior to 1877 in a post-1877 class. There are no clear answers and this is definitely something that is on a school by school basis, especially with the different standards held by different states. However, I want to help in any way that I can. So here is what I cover in U.S. History Since 1877 in my Early America unit, or Unit 1.

I use the Gallery Walk/PowerPoint that I created for early America to introduce the unit. Click Here to purchase this resource if you’re interested.

I briefly cover the various countries that sought to colonize North America along with the French and Indian War. We spend some time talking about the American Revolution but we do not go as in-depth as we would for a class that is Pre-Columbian to 1877 for U.S. History. We cover the first few paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. This is a great resource to get students used to historical documents. We read the first three paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. I helped the students to break down what it is saying line by line and then summarize the paragraph. I do this individually for the first three paragraphs. It might seem tedious but students are not used to the language used in the Declaration of Independence and explaining line by line what it is saying really helps them to understand what it is saying to them.

We cover a few people in this period, not many. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexis de Tocqueville are the main ones. Others get honorable mention like John Hancock.

The U.S. Constitution is important to cover. I explain why the Articles of Confederation failed to provide what was needed for the federal government to function and other reasons why it needed to be replaced. We then spend some time talking about what the U.S. Constitution is and go over the preamble. Again, this is an excellent opportunity to help students break down primary sources when the language isn’t something their familiar with.

Of course, the Bill of Rights is super important. I explain why they were added to the U.S. Constitution. Then we go over each of the amendments individually. I provide examples of how each amendment has been used that affects their lives today. Some teachers do the song and hand gestures, but to be honest I can’t remember them all. I use some other activities that help to reinforce the Bill of Rights. One of my favorites is the Bill of Rights Mystery Texts. If you’re interested, they can be purchased from my store by Clicking Here. With this activity, students read fake text messages with different scenarios. Each set of messages has a violation of the Bill of Rights. Students must identify which amendment is being violated in the messages and sort them. Some amendments have multiple scenarios like the 6th Amendment which covers many things like juries, lawyers, etc. Students really enjoy this activity because it’s in a fun and engaging format, something we all struggle with our lessons. I also provide them with a quick reference sheet that they can keep in their folders if interested Click Here. In addition, I have posters of all 27 amendments on my wall. I purchased a set off Amazon, linked here. However, I do believe that they are too small so I made my own set that is larger. If you’re interested in the larger easier-to-read from a distance set that I created Click Here to purchase. I also take the time to explain the three different branches and their roles as well as checks and balances.

With Alexis de Tocqueville we cover the five concepts of why he believed democracy worked in America including egalitarianism, individualism, populism, liberty, and laissez-faire. Students often struggle with these concepts so it’s important to provide examples of these in their lives today. For example, with individualism, they have the right to determine what to do with their lives. Should they go to college? What careers will they pursue? Etc.

The Civil War is covered very briefly, with the main focus on reconstruction. In particular, the Reconstruction Amendments as they come into play with future Civil Rights Movements.

Finally, we talk about the two mottos for the U.S. E Pluribus Unum and In God We Trust. I explain that E Pluribus means out of many comes one in Latin for the 13 colonies coming together to make one. For In God We Trust, I explain that it was around for a while before it became the official motto of the U.S. to separate the U.S. from communist countries that were atheists in the 1950s.

One of my favorite activities to review the unit and help with comprehension of vocabulary terms is what I call “Picture Cards.” This activity has been the biggest game-changer for my class. This resource helps everyone from many different levels including Sped and ELL. I created slides that I print out several to a page with groupings of pictures to represent the vocabulary terms for the unit. Then I created a worksheet with a word bank for students to reference. Each set of pictures represents a vocabulary term. Students must look at the context clues from within the images to determine which vocabulary term each set represents. Students absolutely love this activity and are excited when they see the cards on the desk, year after year this has not changed. I let the students discuss what they see with each other and what term they think each set represents. I want to hear what other people see and think, but I don’t just let them copy answers from each other. You can make this on your own, it does take some time. If you want to purchase my Early America Picture Card set ready-made to go, Click Here.

Early America or pre 1877 is a short unit in my class, but definitely important to provide a refresher for students. This is especially true to remind them about how our government is set up including the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments in general, etc. Remember this is just a quick overview as the focus of the course is after 1877. I hope that this helps you get started for the year in U.S. History Since 1877. Be sure to check back for my post on Westward Expansion.

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