United States History

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  • Instructor: Mr. Blair

Welcome to my United States History course! This course will focus on the “encounter” of Europeans to the New World. Native American society and culture will be examined in the face of European colonialism and what can only be described as the greatest land theft in human history: The taking of North America for European settlement and profit. The course will then proceed to analyze settlement patterns and colonial economies. The struggle for independence will be covered as will the beginnings of nation building.

As settlers move west and illegally seize Native American lands, Native American resistance will be examined. By the 1800’s the US was transformed into a free-market economy which facilitated even more growth, settlement and development. The status of African Americans and women will also be analyzed as will the persecution of other ethnic and religious minorities such as Germans and Mormons. The growing sectional split between North and South will be examined as will the outbreak and course of the Civil War.

From there on, we will discuss life in the early 1900s as well as both World Wars, the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold Wars. Throughout this entire course, we will be taking a look at each President throughout history and continue onto the 21st century.

Coursework will consist of assignments and lectures, with a test at least once a week. However, those who are actually participating in this course should be independent and motivated learners. Completion of most of the coursework in this class requires a very decent command of the English language.

Grades will be based on participation, work ethic, and exam scores. If at anytime, you would like to know what your current grade is, please just send me a message on my talk page or on Engrade and I will give you a full report of where you stand in the course. The grade scale for this course is as such:

  • A = 100% - 93%
  • B = 92% - 85%
  • C = 84% - 74%
  • D = 73% - 64%
  • F = 63% - 0%

I will always be available at anytime to answer questions that you may have. If you need help, you can simply just post to my talk page or on the course talk page. Alternatively, you can message me on Skype at the address of austinteacher.

Contents

Course Outline [edit]

To participate in this, please just leave your name in the class roster below and you will be sent a message explaining what to do. This course will be given out in lessons through a virtual classroom where you will have assignments, quizzes, and tests given out to you. These will be graded through Engrade and sent back to you.

Semester I [edit]

  • Week 1: The World Before The Opening of the Atlantic (Beginnings - 1500)
  • Week 2: New Empires In The Americas (1400 - 1750)
  • Week 3: The English Colonies (1605 - 1774)
  • Week 4: The American Revolution (1774 - 1783)
  • Week 5: Forming A Government (1777 - 1791)
  • Week 6: Citizenship & The Constitution (1787 - Present)
  • Week 7: Launching the Nation (1789 - 1800)
  • Week 8: The Jefferson Era (1800 - 1815)
  • Week 9: A New National Identity (1812 - 1830)
  • Week 10: The Age of Jackson (1828 - 1840)
  • Week 11: Expanding West (1800 - 1855)
  • Week 12: The North (1790 - 1860)
  • Week 13: The South (1790 - 1860)
  • Week 14: New Movements In America (1815 - 1850)
  • Week 15: A Divided Nation (1848 - 1860)
  • Week 16: The Civil War (1861 - 1865)
  • Week 17: Reconstruction (1865 - 1877)

Semester II [edit]

  • Week 18: An Industrial Nation (1860 - 1920)
  • Week 19: The Progressives (1898 - 1920)
  • Week 20: Entering the World Stage (1898 - 1917)
  • Week 21: The First World War (1914 - 1920)
  • Week 22: From War To Peace (1919 - 1928)
  • Week 23: The Roaring Twenties (1920 - 1929)
  • Week 24: The Great Depression Begins (1929 - 1933)
  • Week 25: The New Deal (1933 - 1940)
  • Week 26: World War II Erupts (1939 - 1941)
  • Week 27: The United States In World War II (1941 - 1945)
  • Week 28: The Cold War Begins (1945 - 1953)
  • Week 29: Postwar America (1945 - 1960)
  • Week 30: The New Frontier and the Great Society (1961 - 1969)
  • Week 31: The Civil Rights Movement (1954 - 1975)
  • Week 32: The Vietnam War (1954 - 1975)
  • Week 33: A Time of Social Change (1963 - 1975)
  • Week 34: A Search For Order (1968 - 1980)
  • Week 35: A Conservative Era (1980 - 1992)
  • Week 36: Into the 21st Century (1992 - Present)

Assignments [edit]

All assignments will be sent to you at the end of every lecture. Please answer the questions and you are to turn them into me by the beginning of the next week. You are allowed to work with others, but I should see your answers when you turn them into me. To turn your assignments in, you can either put them on either of the talk pages, message them to me on Skype, or (probably the best way) send them to me on Engrade in a message.

Please know that you will begin your course when I see that you have responded to my original message. Once I know that you are serious about attending the course, then we can set up dates from there. If there is late or incomplete work on your part, then that will affect your grade. Here is how your grade will work:

  • Once you sign up for this course, you automatically get 100 points just for signing up. These 100 points can be used to your advantage or to your disadvantage. These are for participation, so if I see that you are on here regularly and turn your assignments in regularly, then you will keep your 100 points. If I don't see that from you, I will start deducting those points.
  • The number of points an assignment is depends on how many questions it is asking.
  • Quizzes are worth 10 points each.
  • Week tests are from 50 - 65 points.
  • Unit tests are from 100 - 115 points.

As stated above, cheating is not tolerated in this course. If I see you cheating or some inkling of it, then you are automatically out of the course. To prevent this, give me your honest scores, stick with your own tests/quizzes, and in no time, you will be highly respected by me and your grade may be go up!

Tests & Quizzes [edit]

You will have a quiz at the end of every lecture and you will be expected to turn that in along with any other assignments by the beginning of the next week. These quizzes will be a basic review of what you have learned throughout the particular lecture. Tests will be given out after you have completed that whole week and will cover everything that you have learned in that particular period. Unit tests are a basic review covering a particular period of time that we have gone over and are given out about every 3-5 weeks.

To get a test, please send me a message and it will be emailed to you either by your email account or usually through Engrade. Once you have your test completed, send it back to me and it will be reviewed and graded. The same goes for quizzes as you just tell me your score and it will be graded.

Writing History [edit]

Let's say that you may be behind on an assignment or two and can't make it up. What you can do to boost your grade a bit (not all the way) is to write a basic essay on whatever topic that we may be studying at that time (or any topic within history). Here's how it works:

You send me a message on Engrade or on my talk page or somewhere telling me that you would like to make something up. I will do this for you and give you an outline. Let's say that one reads:

"You have learned about many cultures across a long span of history. Pick one area that you found the most interesting in the lessons. Organize your thoughts about the kinds of people you would have met and the kind of things you would have done if you had traveled there during the time discussed. Try to include information about a culture’s history, customs, beliefs, practices, economies, political systems, and natural environments. Write a paragraph about what you might have liked or disliked about your trip. Be sure to include a main idea sentence and several sentences that support the main idea with evidence."

You then send me your essay within 2 days and I will look it over and give you your grade.

Communication [edit]

When you get into this course, it may seem that there are quite a few things to do and you may be a bit confused about it. Please know that throughout this course, you can communicate at anytime in our talk page here. In these discussions, we will basically be going through what we did in the week, any questions or comments that you may have, and a bit of feedback and how to improve the course. I would really like to get your full opinions and attention throughout this course because without criticism or feedback, I cannot move much further with these lessons.

So, if at anytime that you have a question or just feel a bit confused, please feel free to contact me at anytime and I will be there as soon as possible!

Throughout these lessons, I will be asking for your feedback and what you think about the course so far, so please refer to the Feedback page here.

Class Roster [edit]

Sign up below if interested. This course is simply an open entry and open exit course. Simply list your name below to enroll in the United States History course. As soon as you have posted your name on this class's page, I will send you a message explaining what to do and how to schedule a quick orientation lesson. Respond to this as soon as possible and we can begin from there.

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