Unit 7: Jefferson to Jackson
In this unit we will compare the two rivals in the election of 1800 - Hamilton and Jefferson. We will note how their opposing views gave rise to the country's first political parties and led to a new way of electing the president. We will also be following the foreign policy debates as the young America faces threats from powerful European nations. We will learn which presidents were willing to risk war and which preferred to keep their nation at peace. Next, we will learn how developed a national identity the first half of the 19th century. We will take a look at the politics, art, music and literature that helped define what it meant to be an American. Lastly we will evaluate Andrew Jackson, one of the nations most colorful presidents, through the eyes of his contemporaries. We will understand why some thought he was a villain and others considered him a hero.
Unit 8: Sectionalism and Reform
In this unit we will trace the expansion of America across the continent. We will discover why many Americans believed it was both their right and their duty to spread their way of life across the west. We will join the explorers, the trappers, the missionaries and other pioneers on their difficult journey to settle the rugged west. We will discover the unique contribution each group made to American culture. Lastly, we will discover the deep divisions over slavery that would threaten to tear the nation apart. We will join the search for compromises on the issues that divided the nation.
Unit 9: The Civil War
In this unit we will visit the battlegrounds to relive the Civil War and face the terrors and hardships of those who suffered through America's bloodiest war.