We the People:
A New Nation

Part I traces the founding years of the nation, from the end of the American Revolution to the end of the eighteenth century. There are three lessons aligned with Part I: 1) The Geography of Expansion and Dispossession, 2) Slavery and the Constitution, and 3) Ideals in U.S. Founding Documents.

Part II examines political, social, and economic transformations that took place as the United States expanded during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. There is one lesson aligned with Part II: The Expansion of Slavery and the Cotton Economy.

Part III continues to chart changes that shaped the nation through 1830, from industrialization to controversies over slavery and westward expansion. There is one lesson aligned with Part III: “Invisible” Churches.

Students identify geographical landmarks in the eastern third of the United States and examine U.S. government documents as well as statements by Native people about land treaties from the 1780s.

Students analyze historical documents from the 1787 Constitutional Convention and trace the debate that took place at the convention over the international slave trade.

Students collaborate to identify key principles in the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and U.S. Bill of Rights and consider the importance of founding documents to a nation’s history.

Students analyze and map demographic and economic data to explore the relationship between the expansion of slavery and the cotton boom in the early United States.

The Options Role Play is the key lesson in this unit, and it asks students to examine two distinct options in the debate taking place at the turn of the nineteenth century over the relationship between religion and government in the United States in order to gain a deeper understanding of the range of values and beliefs that were contested.

Using excerpts from first person slave narratives, students learn about “invisible” churches and understand their role in enslaved people’s resistance to slavery. This lesson is available online during October and November 2023 as part of a special promotion for this unit.

Synthesis Lesson: Using primary sources, students analyze how marginalized groups have used the ideals found in U.S. founding documents in order to demand rights.

Synthesis Lesson: Students identify the value and limitations of using different types of sources to draw conclusions about the significance of the Haitian Revolution to the U.S. and integrate their findings into a coherent written response.