Grade 8 Curriculum


SOCIAL STUDIES
U.S. History I
The Revolution through Reconstruction, 1763-1877

Students in eighth grade study the following units:

U.S. Constitution and its Origins
Problems of the New Republic
Slavery, Industrialism and Expansion
Civil War
Facing History and Ourselves

Students examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States during the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. They learn about the important political and economic factors that contributed to the outbreak of the Revolution as well as the consequences of the Revolution, including the writing and key ideas of the U.S. Constitution. Students also study the basic framework of American democracy and the basic concepts of America government such as popular sovereignty, federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights. Students study America’s westward expansion, the establishment of political parties, and economic and social change. Finally, students will learn about the growth of sectional conflict, how sectional conflict led to the Civil War, and the consequences of the Civil War, including Reconstruction.

The reading of primary source documents is a key feature of the two-year set of U.S. history standards.