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American History

Week One

Your Book is Designed to be


Useful
Features include:
Table of Contents
An overview of the book itself including study
methods (which we will discuss today)
A list of Presidents
Important Supreme Court cases
A Gazetteer
A Glossary (included words are bolded and
underlined)
An Index

How to Use This Book


Chapter Time Line:
Compares U.S. and global
events
Build on What You Know:
Acts as a bridge between
previously read material and
new material
You Be the Historian: Three
general statements about the
chapter; think about them
before you begin reading

Read to Discover: Questions that


serve as a guide
Define and Identify: Terms from
your reading that will be defined in
the chapter
Reading Strategy: Will help you
connect new information to what you
already know
The Story Continues: A specific
story from American History
History Matters Speak: Quotes
from actual people who made history
Interpreting the Visual Record:
Captions for images that enhance
your reading
Reading Check: Questions designed
to help you check your reading
comprehension

Geography

United States has a vast and diverse geography


This geography provides numerous resources for
the country
These resources have shaped our economy, society,
and politics

Themes in
American
History

Economics

America has a free-enterprise economic


system, which has influenced the countrys
domestic and global politics
Economics has also influenced the
relationship between government, business
and labor
A wise and frugal Government, which shall
restrain men from injuring one another, shall
leave them otherwise free to regulate their
own pursuits of industry and improvement,
and shall not take from the mouth of labor
the bread it has earned. This is the sum of
good government Thomas Jefferson, First
Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

Government
This theme will explore
the founding of our
country from the
Declaration of
Independence to the
Articles of Confederation
to the Constitution, all
the way to the present.
It will also examine the
relationship between
federal, state, and local
governments.

We the People of the


United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility, provide
for the common defence,
promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our
Posterity, do ordain and
establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.

Citizenship
Our government is a
constitutional republic
where the heads of state
are representatives of the
people and are beholden
to a constitution and a
body of laws. For such a
governmental system to
function, the citizens
must participate. This
book will explore the
rights, freedoms, and
responsibilities of
citizenship.

The Gettysburg Address


November 19, 1863

that we here highly


resolve that these dead
shall not have died in
vain -- that this nation,
under God, shall have a
new birth of freedom -and that government of
the people, by the
people, for the people,
shall not perish from the
earth.

Science
The
Transcontinental
Railroad, bridges,
the highway system,
skyscrapers,
computers, etc., all
have played a role
in the development
of our nation. This
theme will explore
these developments

Culture
This theme will
explore our
nations unique
cultural heritage
that comes from
its ethnic,
religious, and
racial diversity

Constitutional Heritage

This theme will help


you understand the
constitutions
origins and how it
has evolved
through
constitutional
amendments,
Supreme Court
rulings, and
congressional
action.

Global Relations

This theme will


explore the ways
in which our
nations political,
social, and
economic
development has
affected, and has
been affected by,
other countries
and their people.

Critical Thinking
- Analyze Information break it down
- Sequence place events in order
- Categorize place things in categories for
clarity
- Identify Cause and Effect (action to
outcome)
- Compare (similarities) and Contrast
(differences)
- Find the Main Idea
- Can you summarize what youve read?
- Make Generalizations and Predictions
- Draw Conclusions and Inferences

Critical Thinking
-

Identifying Points of View


Supporting a point of view
Identifying Biases
Evaluation: Assess the importance of
something
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making review a situation
and make decisions and
recommendation for the best possible
outcome

Becoming a
Strategic
Reader
Anticipate
Information:
Each chapter of the
book asks you to
explore the main
themes of the chapter
before you start
reading

Becoming a
Strategic Reader
Preview and
Predict:
If you take the time
to preview and
predict before you
read, the text will
make more sense
to you during your
reading

Becoming a
Strategic Reader
Use and Analyze
Visual Information:
The pictures, charts,
graphs, cartoons, time
lines, and diagrams
that occur throughout
this book are placed
strategically to
increase your
understanding

Becoming a
Strategic Reader
Organize Information:
Graphic organizers help you
understand important
relationships, such as cause
and effect,
compare/contrast, sequence
of events, and
problem/solution. Concept
maps provide a useful tool to
help you focus the texts
main ideas and organize
supporting details.

Standardized Test-Taking
Strategies
Tips for Answering Multiple-Choice
Questions
Tips for Answering Short-Answer
Questions
Tips for Answering Composition
Questions

Internet Support
At the end of each chapter, there is a box
called Internet Connect.
In this box is a website address (go.hrw.com)
and a keyword.
Go to that webpage and then add the
keyword.
This will bring you to the supporting materials.
Not all of the materials are available any
longer, but many are.

How This Class Will Work


Each week:
You will read a chapter from your book (put your
name in your book), paying close attention to
the text and all the accompanying features
You will complete the corresponding chapter
assignment in your workbook (the workbook will
be turned in each Monday and returned before
the end of the day)
There is an FCAT practice session at the end of
each chapter. Do these problems as a self-test
for your own skills. Later in the semester, these
pages will become more difficult and there will
be assignments from them.

How This Class Will Work


Each Monday, you will watch a PowerPoint
presentation on the reading that youve
just completed. This will include
supporting material from other sources
including videos.
After each presentation, there will be a ten
question verbal contest between two
teams.
On some weeks, there will be a short
written quiz.

World History Review


From the Ancient World
to the Middle Ages

The Basics

History: The study of past events,


particularly in human affairs
Prehistoric means before written
records
Prehistory, Ancient, Medieval (Middle
Ages), and Modern History
Archeology is the study of human
artifacts and other remains
The Century vs. The Year
BC and AD vs. BCE and CE

Nomads
Lived in Caves or
other natural habitats
Domesticated the
dog; helped in the
hunt and was
satisfied with a minor
share
Domesticated Goats;
portable food source
(milk and meat), noncompetitive (ate
grasses)
Human population
grew

The Glaciers
Recede
Land masses
became isolated
(Australia:
Tasmanian devil,
emu, sea dragon,
and ancestors of
Perry)
No ice meant plant
life began to
flourish

Agriculture
Plant cultivation began in
what is now Northern Iraq
Hard work: Planting,
watering, weeding, scaring
off animals, harvesting,
roasting and grinding the
grain, replanting
It provided a reliable
source of food year after
year
As the population grew, it
became mandatory
Plots were developed and
protected the idea of
property was born

Once farms were established,


nomadic tribes would covet
the crops or food stores. In
the past, when two nomadic
tribes argued over territory,
the fights were relatively
minor. One would simply
retreat to a new area. With
the introduction of
agriculture, such retreat
wasnt possible. Farmers
began grouping together on
hills with their valuables
between them; walls were
built and the city was born
less freedom for more
security

The City

Specialized Labor
After farming was established and
a city built, some people could do
things other than farm or hunt.
Artisans, tool makers, home
builders, soldiers, etc.
Development of reed baskets and
pottery (liquids) and flax fibers
used to weave linen cloth
Rivers were a logical place for
farming because of ready water
supply, though it was also a labor
intensive task to build irrigation
ditches and levees to protect the
fields; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
and the Nile River (boats were
developed)

Necessity is the Mother of Invention


Stone Age the use of rocks for
weapons, tools, containers, etc.
Chipping, scraping, difficult to use;
Bronze Age the discovery of rocklike pebbles that changed shape
when struck with a stone hammer
instead of shattering or breaking into
pieces as stone would; the three
most common metals that existed in
their pure form were copper, silver
and gold, though they were quite
rare. At first these metals were used
for ornamentation. When copper and
tin were mixed, bronze was the
result, which was hard enough to use
for weapons.

Sumerians

Tigris-Euphrates River
Valley
Developed Agriculture
Invented the plow
Invented the Wheel,
possibly from the
potters wheel
Used boats and
invented oars
The rulers associated
themselves with the
gods so their authority
was beyond question

Sumerians
As more cities developed
and trade began, the people
had to keep track of the
things they traded. They
developed a counting
system that was based on
12, 60 and 360. Why?
Created a writing system
called cuneiforms, a mostly
picture-based method where
the images were pressed
into clay with a stylus, which
was then baked hard so it
would become semipermanent.

This allowed for the development


of a population of scribes, or
people who were expert in writing
and reading the thousands of
symbols. It made more permanent
records of financial transactions
and anything else the people
wanted to remember.
Writing
enables a people to transfer
knowledge from one generation to
the next more easily and more
completely. The Sumerians are the
first historic people in the strict
definition of the word history as
written communication. The world
was becoming divided into two
groups: The city dwellers and the
nomads.

Cuneiforms

Egypt
Egypt had the Nile River
great for farming because it
flooded annually, fertilizing
the soil; flows north and
prevailing wind blows south
perfect for travel by boat. No
forests but Egypt had papyrus
to build boats from; the easy
travel allowed the various
cities along the Nile to
develop a common language,
culture and world outlook.
The people traded materials
and ideas and the region
enjoyed long stretches
of peace and prosperity

Hieroglyphics
The Egyptians
too had
writing, called
hieroglyphics
(maybe picked
up from
Sumerians),
which were
brushed onto
papyrus
sheets; both
pictorial and

TigrisEuphrates
River Valley
Numerous kingdoms
would come and go
from this area, each
advancing human
civilization. The
Babylonians, under
Hammurabi would
create a law code on a
stone stele in 1728BC
that still exists today.

Around 2000BC, tribes east of the Caspian Sea


put the horse to a new use pulling chariots.
A chariot had two wheels, was light, and
carried two men, one to control the horse and
the other to hurl weapons (spears and bow
and arrow); this is invention in the arena of
warfare

The Chariot

The Hittites ruled Asia Minor for a


time but it was their
development of the technique of The Hittites and
the Iron Age
smelting iron ore (about 1200BC)
that gave them a place in history.
The iron needed a hotter fire to
melt and they used charcoal, or
wood that was pre-burnt in a
special way. The iron was then
hammered and kept in contact
with the hot charcoal until it
hardened. The Egyptians
developed the bellows to blow air
on the fire to make it hotter and
the Greeks discovered quenching
the metal or putting it in cold
water to harden it further.

Israelites
Around 1200BC, when Egypt
still had the appearance of
strength, the Israelites managed
to escape from Egypt and under
the leadership of Moses joined
other tribes that were invading
Canaan. For two centuries, the
invading Philistines from the
west and the Israelites from the
east battled over Canaan. For a
while, the Philistines had iron
weapons but the Israelites
gained this technology also and
finally defeated the Philistines
under the leadership of David.

The Canaanites lost control of


their land and survived only
in one small coastal area on
the Mediterranean Sea (the
name Phoenicia came from
the Greeks). Since Crete had
been destroyed by a volcano,
the sea was open and the
Phoenicians took to it and
developed sea trade. They
were the first to venture into
the open sea, having learned
how to use the day and night
sky to navigate. They also
developed the first alphabet
so they could manage trade
with both Egypt and Sumer.

The Phoenicians

The Assyrians
Amorite tribe that entered
the T/E river valley
Battled for control of the
area against still other
invading tribes until fully
outfitting their armies with
iron weapons.
They also learned how to
mount and control a horse
(military advance), gaining
an advantage over the
charioteers
Their kingdom stretched
from the T/E river valley, to
the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean and into
Egypt.

Ancient Greece
Athens and Sparta were two cities, among many, in
Ancient Greece. Sparta was a military culture while
Athens developed the worlds first democracy. It was in
this democratic environment, under the rule of Pericles,
that Athens entered a period of great intellectual and
artistic activity.

The Persian Empire, also in the Tigris/Euphrates River


Valley, became the largest yet seen, under the leadership
of Darius I. It extended from the Aegean Sea to the
borders of India, as well as Egypt, almost 3000 miles
across. The size of the empire, and the difficulty of travel
and communication, caused problems for Darius so he
established 20 satrapies, or states, within the empire,
each led by a satrap. He built roads with relay stations for
horses and better managed the empires finances.

The Persians

Macedonia
Macedonia was a country north of
Greece that was absorbing Greek
culture and Greek dialect. The
thirteen year old brother of the
Macedonian king observed the
Greek phalanx style of fighting
and greatly improved it. When he
became king as Philip II he used
his new phalanx in war against
the Greeks to the south (who
were busy fighting among
themselves), supported by a
cavalry and the catapult, which
allowed for the battering down of
walls and forcing entry rather
than waiting for the city dwellers
to die of starvation.

The son of Philip II, Alexander (the great), carried on


his vision, ultimately defeating Phoenicia, Judea, and
Egypt, establishing the town of Alexandria on the NW
corner of the Nile delta. He continued across Persia
all the way to India but his troops refused to go any
farther east. Alexander would die at the age of 33,
leaving his kingdom to his generals.

Alexander
the Great

Ancient Rome
Rome was founded in the eighth
century BC on the Tiber River in
central Italy. It lasted as a
monarchy until 509 BC when a
popular uprising ended the rule of
kings. Over time, two groups
would be established the
Patricians (wealthy landowners)
and the Plebeians (common
people).
The Roman Republic consisted of:
2 consuls, or leaders, elected
annually (Patricians)
The Senate (300 senators
Patricians)
The Assembly (Plebeians voted
for consuls)

The Roman Republic


Ancient Rome began expanding its empire, defeating Carthage,
destroying its navy and taking all its land possessions in the
western Mediterranean (eventually they would destroy the city
itself and the Phoenicians would disappear from history). The
Romans also defeated the Greeks in Syracuse and the
Macedonians, breaking their country into four republics, 200 years
after Philip II had made it great. By 150BC Rome was the greatest
power in the western world.

The Roman Empire


Julius Caesar took over the
Roman Republic in 45 BC,
declaring himself the
supreme dictator. After
chasing his enemies to
Greece and Egypt he returned
to Rome and began making
changes that favored the
common people. He was
assassinated on March 15, 44
BC. Caesar Augustus
(Caesars great-nephew)
became the first Roman
emperor in 27 BC ending the
Roman Republic and starting
the Roman Empire.

For a time thereafter, The Roman Empire was relatively


peaceful. There were the five good emperors who
ran the empire well. Following these were equally bad
emperors who ruled amidst deadly conspiracies and
wars, especially with the Germanic tribes to the North.
The empire was split in two in the late 3rd century. The
Western Roman Empire ruled from Rome and the
Eastern Roman Empire ruled from Constantinople.

East and West

Constantine
Following the death of
Diocletian, the emperor
who split the empire,
Constantine would seize
control. He was a former
general of Diocletians
who enlisted the help of
the Christians in winning
power. Upon his success,
he awarded the Christians
the right to exercise their
religion freely. On May 11,
330, he established a new
capital on the Black Sea
called Constantinople.

The West Roman Empire Ends


Following Constantines death in 337, a series of rulers, in the
east and west, followed amid a weakening empire. Finally in
476, the West Roman Empire suffered another attack from
the Germans who forced the emperor to abdicate. There was
no successor. The West Roman Empire was at its end.

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