U.S. History and Government 7

The seventh grade U.S. History and Government course begins with a unit reviewing the geography  of the United States. An examination of what history is and why we study it is followed by an in-depth look at European explorers and their interactions with various Native tribes. Students debate what role guns, germs and steel had in the extermination, as well as pacification, of the Native Americans. They also explore the important social, economic, religious, and political issues of the Thirteen Colonies with a focus on slavery and the triangle trade. Students examine all three branches of the federal government, focusing on presidential power, influential Supreme Court cases and how a bill makes its way through Congress. They also analyze the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and how various groups can and still do interpret them. The class then explores westward expansion and the major events that helped tear the country apart from 1820-1860 leading to the Civil War. We look at the pros and cons of Reconstruction and what it meant for different social groups. Jim Crow laws and the eventual Civil Rights movement are analyzed during this section as well. Students then debate captains of industry vs. robber barons as we analyze the Gilded Age and the gap between the rich and the poor. This leads us into the 20th century and a detailed exploration of progressivism. We then explore the causes of World War I, how it led to World War II and the crippling Great Depression and Dust Bowl that occurred in between. Finally, we look at World War II from the view of five different countries to better understand the massive impact it had on not just the United States, but the entire world.