brave new world

history for the eighth grade

In American History Part I, the students will travel through about 400 years of development from colonization to industrialization. In Week One, the theme is "A Brave New World," where the British colonists face the challenges of a new environment and learn how to create a new way of life, religions, and government. It ends with the building of the Thirteen Colonies. In Week Two, the theme is "A Fight for Freedom," where sides are drawn between the loyalist British colonists and the separatists, culminating in a fight for independence between the Redcoats and the Rebels. It ends with the drafting of one of the most important documents of our nation: the US Constitution. In Week Three, the theme is "A Nation Divided," and with the fundamental tenet of human freedom hanging in the balance (slavery), it pits brother to brother, North against South, teh Civil War. Lincoln plays a key role in this historical saga that will live on as the bloodiest, costliest war ever fought on American soil. In Week Four, the the theme is "Full Steam Ahead," and after the nation rebuilds itself, it becomes one of the world's leading industrial giants.