Unit Title: Atlantic Revolutions
UNIT LOGISTICS
Teaching Details
● Grade Level: 11th Grade
● Course: U.S. World History
● Unit Duration: 7 lessons
● Instructional Format: In-Person
UNIT OVERVIEW
UNIT Overarching Problem
What are human rights?
Problem Space
What historical circumstances
lead to the Enlightenment?
How did the rise of racial slavery
shape Enlightenment thinking
about natural rights?
Were the origins of the
American Revolution economic
or ideological?
UNIT Objective(s)
SWBAT explain how
Enlightenment ideas, like
natural rights, stoked revolution
across the 18th and 19th
century Atlantic World (i.e.,
what did various groups hope to
gain by advancing the concept
of natural rights?).
SWBAT create a list of human
rights for the modern world.
SWBAT write a justification for
three of their chosen rights
using historic and contemporary
examples to support their
position.
Central Concept(s)
Concept #1: Natural Rights
Key Attributes
● They are universal (as
opposed to legal rights
granted by the
government).
● They are inalienable.
● They are fundamental.
Examples
● “Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of Happiness”
UNIT Summative Assessment(s)
Students will update the Rights
of Man for the 21st Century.
Working in small groups, they
will draft a list of essential
rights. They may also revise
rights listed in the text. After
each group finalizes their list,
each student will annotate three
rights on the list. In their
annotations, students must
explain the historical and
contemporary significance (e.g.,
why did the authors include this
right? what was its political
impact at the time?) of their
chosen rights.
Procedural Knowledge Focus
SWBAT analyze primary sources.
SWBAT support claims with
evidence-based reasoning.
SWBAT create criteria to
evaluate ideas and concepts.

Was the French Revolution
egalitarian?
Did the Haitain Revolution
succeed or fail?
Non-Examples
Why didn’t democracy take root
in Latin America?
from the Declaration of
independence.
● The right to own
property.
● The right to free speech.
● Freedom of religion.
● Tax codes.
● Laws against speeding.

Discussion Question: are

human rights the same as
natural rights?

Concept #2: Revolution

Key Attributes
● Must produce changes
in the social, economic,
and political structures
of a society.
● Change must be
sudden.
● It must be radical.
● Its impact must be
long-lasting and
wide-ranging.
Examples
● Industrial Revolution
● Digital Revolution
● American Revolution
● The Sexual Revolution

Non-Examples
● The Michigan
Legislature passes
legislation to raise the
sales tax.
● Joe Biden is elected
president.

UNIT STANDARDS (include full text of standards):

6.2 Interregional or Comparative Expectations Analyze and compare the interregional patterns of
nationalism, state building, and social reform and imperialism.
6.2.1 Political Revolutions – Analyze the Age of Revolutions by comparing and contrasting the
American Revolution, the French Revolution, and one other revolution that occurred in a region
external to Europe from the standpoint of political, economic, and social causes and consequences.

UNIT NARRATIVE:

In previous units, we explored the rise of global trade networks after the 14th century. These networks
laid the foundation for the modern world by tying disparate parts of the globe into an emerging
capitalist system. At the same time, industrialization increased the speed and magnitude of change,
disrupting notions of stability and tradition the world over. In this unit, we examine how a series of
political revolutions across the Atlantic gave rise to another tenant of modernity: liberalism. Indeed, it
was through revolution in America, France, and Haiti that the concept of natural rights first became
concrete. The lessons of this unit will chart the expansion (and limits) of human freedom in the 18th
century Atlantic. Two questions will drive our investigation: what are natural rights and who decides?
By the end, students will be prepared to update the Rights of Man for the modern world. To that end,
several lessons in the unit will help students build the background knowledge and skills to determine
the historical significance of the Rights of Man. In lesson five, for example, students will examine how
enslaved Haitians claimed the “rights of man” for themselves, igniting the first, and only, successful
slave rebellion in modern history. Throughout the unit, students will learn how to develop criteria to
evaluate abstract concepts like natural rights. In lesson six, for example, they will determine which
historical factors thwarted democratic reform in Latin America. By the end of the unit, students will
apply this skill to create and justify a list of essential human rights for the 21st century.

UNIT STRUCTURE
L1 Problem Is political violence ever justified?

Objective SWBAT evaluate criteria for a “just” rebellion.

Assessment Students will write a paragraph in response to the following question: Do you
agree with the criteria created by the class? Why or why not?

Primary In small groups, students will examine various scenarios involving abusive or
Instructional unresponsive governments. Each group must decide the correct course of
Activity action along with any required conditions or important considerations (e.g. is
political violence ever justified? does the type of government matter? must it
have popular support?). As a class, we will create a master list of criteria for a
“just” rebellion.

L2 Problem What are the origins of political revolution in the Atlantic World?

Objective SWBAT determine the primary causes of political revolution in the 18th and
19th century Atlantic World.

Assessment Students will create a ranked list of the historical factors that contributed to
political revolution across the Atlantic World and write a brief rationale for their
chosen order.
 Primary Students will learn about several important contributing factors to political
Instructional revolutions in the Atlantic (e.g. the Enlightenment, increasing trade, etc.) as
Activity they rotate through several stations. They will use a T-chart note guide to list
the main idea and important details from each station.

L3 Problem What are inalienable rights?

Objective SWBAT explain how Enlightenment ideas, like natural rights, influenced the
Declaration of Independence.

Assessment Students will select one grievance from the Declaration of Independence and
explain how it reflects Enlightenment ideas.

Primary Teacher will provide some direct instruction on the origins of the American
Instructional Revolution (ideological and material). For the remainder of class, students will
Activity source the Declaration of Independence, looking for potential enlightenment
influences. Using a gradual release of responsibility method, the class will read
and annotate the document, highlighting concepts that reflect Enlightenment
ideas.

L4 Problem Did the Rights of Man apply to all?

Objective SWBAT compare the experiences of different groups during the French
Revolution.

**this will be a two part lesson

Assessment Annotate the rights of Man from the perspective of one group within French
society.

Primary Part one: Students will participate in a jigsaw sourcing activity. In small groups,
Instructional students will source a document from one group’s perspective on the
Activity Revolution. After groups thoroughly discuss their document, the members will
form new groups with a representative from each perspective.

Part two: students will annotate the Rights of Man from the perspective of one
group in French society.

L5 Problem Did the Haitain Revolution succeed or fail?

Objective SWBAT evaluate the success of the Haitain Revolution.

Assessment Students will write a paragraph in response to the following question. Did the
Haitain Revolution succeed or fail? Support your answer with at least three
examples.

Primary Students will learn about the impact of the Haitain Revolution on 4 scales of
Instructional experience (individual, local, regional, and global) through a gallery walk
Activity Students will use a graphic organizer to take notes (e.g., who benefited and
who lost from the revolution?).
L6 Problem Why didn’t democracy take root in Latin America?

Objective SWBAT explain how social divisions limited the extent of democratic reform in
Latin America.

Assessment Students will write a response to the following question: what factors limited
the extent of democratic reform in Latin America?

Primary Students will complete a souring activity in small groups. The source packets
Instructional will include visual and textual sources that frame revolution in Latin America
Activity from a comparative perspective (i.e., how did the Latin American experience
differ? Did those differences matter?). It will also highlight the internal factors
that made Latin America’s experience distinct (e.g., the prominent role of the
Catholic Church).

L7 Problem What are our human rights?

Objective SWBAT create a list of human rights for the modern world.

Assessment Students will revise and annotate the Rights of Man for the 21st century (see
description in “Unit Summative Assessment.”

Primary Students will examine a mentor text and begin working on their summative
Instructional assessment for the unit in small groups. For the group activity, they will
Activity highlight human rights listed on the Rights of Man. In the margins, each group
will suggest revisions or additions to the list. After each group finalizes their list
and writes an introduction, students will work independently to annotate the
list.