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2.3: Celebrate Freedom Week- Foundations of the United States (5 Days)

  • Page ID
    1949
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    Learning Objectives

    TEKS Regional Unit 02 Human Geographic Systems; Chapter 2.3 Celebrate Freedom Week

    US.1A Analyze and evaluate the text, intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

    US.1B Analyze and evaluate the application of these founding principles to historical events in US history.

    US.1C Explain the meaning and historical significance of the mottos "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust"

    WG.14C Analyze the human and physical factors that influence the power to control territory and resources, create conflict/war, and impact international political relations of sovereign nations such as China, the United States, Japan, and Russia and organized nation groups such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU.

    WG.21C Create and interpret different types of maps to answer geographic questions, infer relationships, and analyze change.

    WG.22D Use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.

    Vocabulary Terms

    Chapter 2.3 Celebrate Freedom Week: Foundations of the United States

    1. Abdicate: Give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors
    2. Absolve: Grant remission of a sin to
    3. Allegiance: Act of binding yourself to a course of action
    4. Assent: Agree or express agreement
    5. Civil: Of or occurring between or among citizens of the state
    6. Declaration: Statement that is emphatic and explicit
    7. Despotism: Dominance through threat of punishment and violence
    8. Dissolve: Pass into a solution
    9. Jurisdiction: Territory within which power can be exercised
    10. Jury: Body of citizens sworn to give a verdict in a court of law
    11. Legislative: Relating to a lawmaking assembly
    12. Levy: Impose and collect
    13. Liberty: Freedom of choice
    14. Mercenary: Person hired to fight for another country than their own
    15. Naturalization: Proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship
    16. Plundered: Wrongfully emptied or stripped of anything of value
    17. Representation: Standing in for someone and speaking on their behalf
    18. Sufferance: Patient endurance especially of pain or distress
    19. Tyranny: Government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
    20. Unalienable: Incapable of being repudiated

    The Geography of the American Revolution

    Geography played a major role in the American Revolution. Watch this video and see the Revolutionary War unfold on an animated map. As you view this video, think of the ways in which geography was a factor in the American Revolution. Draw or print the Bubble Map Diagram, and complete the bubbles with facts on how geography aided the colonists in their victory. Write the term American Revolution in the center bubble and complete the remaining bubbles with the geography facts. Share your findings with your classmates.

    Now that you have brainstormed the importance of geography in the American Revolution, you will create a map using Google My Maps. Your assignment is to imagine that you are a tour guide for a battle that took place during the American Revolution and your map is one you will give to tourists. First, you will research the different battles that took place in the American Revolution. Get started with your research at the Revolutionary War: Major Battles and Campaigns page at the Lloyd Sealy Library. Second, you will choose a battle that interests you. Third, you will design a map that depicts the location of the American Revolution battle. Fourth, save and/or print your document.

    Below is a tutorial that teaches you how to create a map using Google My Maps:

    This tutorial from Google will show you how to design your own map using Google My Maps.

    The Declaration of Independence

    Listen to and understand this reading of the Declaration of Independence.

    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

    Go to the Declaration of Independence page at the National Archives website and examine the document. Then, click the links on the right-hand-side of the page titled "What Does It Say?" and "How did It Happen?" Read the information and then answer the following question:

    Consider what the Declaration of Independence meant to the early colonists. What does it mean to you in the 21st century?

    If you would like to add your signature to the Declaration of Independence, go here.

    The Founding Fathers

    Watch this video by the Aspen Institute to learn and understand information about the Founding Fathers of the United States.

    Go to the Framers of the Constitution page at the National Archives website and read the paragraph at the top of the page. Then, choose one of the Founding Fathers who were present at the Constitutional Convention and read his biography.

    Compare and contrast your choice with yourself using the Venn Diagram below (click the link). Draw or print the Venn Diagram. How are you the same as a Founding Father you chose? How are you different?

    Venn Diagram

    The US Constitution

    Watch this video by Khan Academy to learn about and understand the Constitution of the United States.

    Go to the Constitution of the United States page at the National Archives website and examine the document. Then, click the links on the right-hand side of the page titled "What Does It Say?" and "How Did It Happen?" Read the information and then assess your knowledge of the US Constitution below. Choose a study mode.

    The Bill of Rights

    Watch this video to learn about and understand the Bill of Rights of the United States.

    Go to the Bill of Rights page at the National Archives website and examine the document. Then, click the links on the right-hand side of the page titled "What Does It Say?" and "How did It Happen?" Read the information and then complete the activity below:

    Visit the National Archives Building and the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. The Google Arts and Culture page states: "Architect John Russell Pope's design for the National Archives Building incorporates symbols of American unity, freedom, protection, and democracy to convey the importance of the National Archives' mission to preserve America's historical documents. Learn more about the history of the building's interior and the symbolism found in its paintings, sculptures, and decorations."

    Think about your virtual visit and answer the following questions:

    What are your thoughts on this building and the symbolism found in its paintings, sculptures, and decorations? What do you think it means to citizens of the United States of America? What do you think it means to individuals who would like to become citizens of the United States of America?

    The Abolitionist Movement

    Watch this video by the James H. Smith Center for the Constitution to learn about and understand the history of the Abolitionist Movement.

    Go to American Experience: The Abolitionists webpage and click a topic of interest to you. Watch the video. Then, click "Support Materials." Read the background article and answer the discussion questions.

    Watch the next three videos and complete the assignment that follows.

    The Civil Rights Amendments

    Watch this video to learn about and understand the Civil Rights amendments.

    Civil Rights Laws

    Watch this video to learn about and understand the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

    The Emancipation Proclamation

    Watch and interpret this reenactment of the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

    After watching these videos, go to the National First Ladies Library "The Debate on Slavery" and follow the instructions.

    Equality for Women

    Watch this video by the National Women's History Museum to learn about and understand the history of women's suffrage.

    Consider the history of women, especially in the last 100 years. Complete the following assignment: Find three women from three different generations (for example, a woman in her 20s, a woman in her 40s, and a woman in her 60s, etc.). Ask each woman the following question: What is your interpretation of women's rights? Write down and analyze the information from your interviews. How are the responses of these women the same? How are they different? Consider the information you have learned about women's rights from the video. Do you think that the women you interviewed are aware of the history of women's rights in the United States? Why or why not? Share your findings with your classmates.

    Scholarly Internet Resources

    The Library of Congress "Women's Suffrage" primary documents page.

    The National Park Service "The American Revolution" page.

    Smithsonian Magazine "Myths of the American Revolution" article.

    The American Revolution website provides comprehensive materials on topics in the American Revolution, from a timeline to representations of artifacts from the war, to backgrounds of important people, and much more.

    Yale University "The American Revolution" course.

    The PBS "Liberty: The American Revolution" site chronicles the American Revolution with a comprehensive narrative about the war, a teacher's guide, and resources.

    The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute website by Stanford University offers a lesson plan titled "Civil Rights or Human Rights". Included in this lesson are an introduction, an essential question, sub-questions, and lesson activities.


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