Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What are the seven continents?

Continents

·         North America

·         South America

·         Africa

·         Asia

·         Australia

·         Antarctica

·         Europe*

  *Europe is considered a continent even though it is not entirely surrounded by water.  The land mass is frequently called Eurasia.

To create a local link, students may like to find the latitude and longitude of their own town/neighborhood. Try: http://www.boatsafe.com/kids/mercator.htm

To learn how to create your own navigational maps and also satelite maps online: http://maps.google.com/

Or compare/contrast continents by physical features: . http://www.topozone.com/

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Where are the geographic regions of North America located?

What are some physical characteristics of the geographic regions of North America?

Geographic regions—locations and physical characteristics

Coastal Plain

·         Located along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

·         Broad lowland providing many excellent harbors

Appalachian Highlands

·         Located west of Coastal Plain extending from eastern Canada to western Alabama; includes the Piedmont

·         Old, eroded mountains (oldest mountain range in North America)

Canadian Shield

·         Wrapped around Hudson Bay in a horseshoe shape

·         Hills worn by erosion and hundreds of lakes carved by glaciers

·         Holds some of the oldest rock formations in North America

Interior Lowlands

·         Located west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Great Plains

·         Rolling flatlands

Great Plains

·         Located west of Interior Lowlands and east of the Rocky Mountains

·         Flat land that gradually increases in elevation westward; grasslands

·         with many rivers, broad river valleys, and grassy hills

Proposed Activity to connect to Virginia: State offers five various regions with wide range of topographical features from the coastal plains of the Tidewater region to the Appalachians. Using a progressive mapping activity, draw parallels and make conclusions about state geography and nation’s geographical character.

Maps: http://www.archaeology.org/9911/etc/thumbnails/map2.gif

http://www.history.org/History/museums/online_exhibits.cfm#

1)       http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefVirg.html

This link provides a digital text of Thomas Jefferson’s “Notes on Virginia,” that outlines his various information on Virginia, from geographical accounts, to government expenses and First American tribes in the state, wonderful primary source.

2)      Recommended activity: “Progressive Mapping,” idea submitted by Kevin Jones and Michelle Kirkpatrick. Using a poster, or bed sheet, create a basic outline map of Virginia.  For progressive maps, allow students to populate the map with details that strike at the heart of SOLs: riverways, topographical information, native societies, etc., while using hand-made symbols/key. Mr. Jones made the local connection by using the 1682 map of Norfolk, available online at:

http://www.willoughbyontheweb.com/Celebrate%20Willoughby/original_town_of_norfolk%20map.htm

and asks that students find familiarities to Norfolk today as a means of review and introduction to maps. Mrs. Kirkpatrick uses clip art images to velcro or attach to the maps. The clip art represents different industry, natrual resources, etc.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Rocky Mountains

·         Located west of the Great Plains and east of the Basin and Range

·         Contains the Continental Divide, which determines the directional flow of rivers

Basin and Range

·         Located west of Rocky Mountains and east of the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades

·         Area of varying elevations containing isolated mountain ranges and Death Valley, the lowest point in North America

Coastal Range

·         Rugged mountains along the Pacific Coast that stretch from California to Canada

·         Contains fertile valleys

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What are the major bodies of water in the United States?

What are some ways bodies of water in the United States have supported interaction and created links to other regions?

Major bodies of water

·         Oceans: Atlantic, Pacific

·         Rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Columbia, Colorado, Rio Grande

·         Lakes: Great Lakes

·         Gulf: Gulf of Mexico

Trade, transportation, and settlement

·         The location of the United States, with its Atlantic and Pacific coasts, has provided access to other areas of the world.

·         The Atlantic Ocean served as the highway for explorers, early settlers, and later immigrants.

·         The Ohio River was the gateway to the west.

·         Inland port cities grew in the Midwest along the Great Lakes.

·         The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were the transportation arteries for farm and industrial products. They were links to ports and other parts of the world.

·         The Columbia River was explored by Lewis and Clark.

·         The Colorado River was explored by the Spanish.

·         The Rio Grande forms the border with Mexico.

·         The Pacific Ocean was an early exploration route.

·         The Gulf of Mexico provided the French and Spanish with exploration routes to Mexico and  other parts of America.

Norfolk and Portsmouth are great launching points for this SOL. Students are familiar with the waterfront and industry that occupy the Elizabeth River. Shipbuilding, Norfolk and Portsmouth International Terminals, the cranes for waterfront construction, recent emphasis on tourism reflect the growth of port cities on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The international nature of a global economy are easily seen with a brief look at the cargo containers that are imported and exported from our waterways each day. For pictures of local waterfront activity, visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccampbell/

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

In which areas did the American Indians (First Americans) live?

Inuit inhabited present-day Alaska and northern Canada. They lived in Arctic areas where the temperature is below freezing much of the year.

Kwakiutl inhabited the Pacific Northwest coast, characterized by a rainy, mild climate.

Sioux inhabited the interior of the United States, called the Great Plains and characterized by dry grasslands.

Pueblo inhabited the Southwest in present-day New Mexico and Arizona, where they lived in desert areas and areas bordering cliffs and mountains.

Iroquois inhabited northeast North America, the Eastern Woodland, which is heavily forested.

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/cultmap.html provides a map of all North American Indians. Teachers may consider opening with a discussion about the Chesapeans who lived in present-day Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The tribe was destroyed by Powhatan by 1609. While preparing for the 1907 Jamestown celebration held at Sewell’s point, workers found human remains that measured up to 9 feet in height. They were sent to Washington DC for futther analysis, but it is suspected that these were from the Chesapeans.

The following two activities were submitted by Jacquelynn Wyman, jwyman@nps.k12.va.us

1)       Middle School – Grade Six

Native American Self-Guided Tour

Through participation in this project, various modalities are enhanced, thus creating a worthwhile experience for all. Five Indian tribes are addressed through five interactive stations. At each station, a student guide, (verbally & dramatically expressive) gives an overview of the region, including climate, food, animals, etc., - describes the housing, using models ( tactile, kinesthetic, artistic creativity)

        Visitors to the region are encouraged to browse through (students) brochures (again, artistic creativity, research, and computer technology) and ask questions. Upon completion at each station, signaled by music (auditory) students are given a direction sheet with directions such as “Go North,” pass the polar bears… pictures of regional descriptions taken from National Geographic Magazines or can be drawn and placed accordingly throughout the auditorium. Signs reading “North, South, East, West” are also placed accurately on the walls.

For the local history: Add one tribe unique to Virginia (with all descriptive amenities). The American Indian lead guide – teacher (?) speaks to the visitors in advance, explaining the voyage, the need for nature to be respected and directions to be followed to avoid conflicts with hostile natives. “A lot of fun!”

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did geography and climate affect the way American Indian (First American) groups met their basic needs?

The American Indians (First Americans) fished, hunted, and harvested crops for food. Clothing was made from animal skins and plants. Their shelter was made of resources found in their environment (e.g., sod, stones, animal skins, wood).

The way to determine who the hunters were was by their hair cuts and facial painting. For instance, for the Powhatans, most men had the right side of their heads shaved (the original mohawk) so they could keep the arrow from getting tangled in their hair when they hunted.

In the area of southeast Virginia, deer were plentiful and this was what Powhatan offered John Smith during their tremendous feast. IN fact, Helen Roundtree suggested that Smith was captured not as a deliberate act, but by a hunting party as the natives came across Smith and his men (only 3) near present day Bottoms Bridge.

The following was submitted by Glenn Markle

Project: Construct model of Native American Housing Prior to 1800.

Preferred: Use natural materials such as twigs, leaves, flour water, etc

Steps: 1) research living environment and living behaviors

2)       write one page summary describing your assigned tribe’s environment, living conditions and purpose of housing construction.  Include source o materials in their environment and how you duplicated those materials in your project

3)        Present your project and read/paraphrase your paper

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Why did European countries compete for power in North America?

What were the obstacles faced by the explorers?

What were the accomplishments of the explorations?

What regions of North America were explored and settled by France, England, and Spain?

What regions were explored by Portugal?

Motivating forces for exploration

·         Economic—Gold, natural resources, and trade

·         Religious—Spread of Christianity

·         Competitions for empire and belief in superiority of own culture

Obstacles to exploration

·         Poor maps and navigational tools

·         Disease/starvation

·         Fear of unknown

·         Lack of adequate supplies

Accomplishments of exploration

·         Exchanged goods and ideas

·         Improved navigational tools and ships

·         Claimed territories (see individual countries below)

Regions of North America explored by Spain, France, and England

·         Spain

–         Francisco Coronado claimed southwest United States for Spain.

·         France

–         Samuel de Champlain established the French settlement of Quebec.

–         Robert La Salle claimed the Mississippi River Valley.

·         England

–         John Cabot explored eastern Canada.

Regions explored by Portugal

The Portuguese made voyages of discovery along West Africa.

Ø       A good “local” example of obstacles to exploration may be the Starving Time, or starving winter in Jamestown 1609-1610. Captain John Smith “…he that will not work, shall not eat!” 1608

Ø       The first Africans who came to North America were likely Spanish or Portuguese slaves/servants. Arriving in 1619 on a Dutch ship at Old Point Comfort, the ship muster recorded names such as Don Pedro and Isabella, Africans. These names suggest they had been converted to Catholicism, common for Spanish and Portuguese colonies.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did the American Indians (First Americans) and Europeans interact with each other?

Cultural interaction

·         Spanish

–         Conquered and enslaved American Indians (First Americans)

–         Brought Christianity to the New World

–         Brought European diseases

·         French

–         Established trading posts

–         Spread Christian religion

·         English

–         Established settlements and claimed ownership of land

–         Learned farming techniques from American Indians (First Americans)

–         Traded

Areas of cooperation

·         Technologies (transportation of weapons and farm tools)

·         Trade

·         Crops

In 1619, 57 year old missionary, George Thorpe, emigrated to the new Jamestown colony. In his attempts to Christianize the native Powhatans, he built Opecacanough a traditional English home, which included a locking front door. It was observed that Opecacanough would open, close, lock and unlock the door 100 times a day!

Of course it was Opecacanough that participated in the 1622 massacre agains the British colonists that nearly destroyed Jamestown. He was also carried to the battlefield as an old man for the 1644 Powhatan attack against the colonists.

Governor Berkely’s “tributary tribes,” or friendly Natives were often used in business deals in the mid-1600s. The Susquehannas to the North for instance, provided furs to the colonists.

Business growing with population, 1640: 8,000 Virginians, by 1660: 33,000

(Stewart, Durable Dominion)

Proposed Activity: by Celestina Whittlesy Using materials such as jewelry, artifacts, tools, fur swatches, blue beads, corn, baskets, arrowheads and pottery, have students role play in small groups. IN preparation of this trading session, have students view www.unitedstreaming.com on colonial forms of exchange. In close, students should write an essay that compare/contrasts colonial and modern methods of currency & exchange.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What was the importance of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?

How did West African empires impact European trade?

Ghana, Mali, and Songhai became powerful by controlling trade in West Africa.

The Portuguese carried goods from Europe to West African empires, trading metals, cloth, and other manufactured goods for gold.

First Africans would arrive at Old Point Comfort in 1619, with Spanish or Portuguese names such as Dom Pedro and Isabella for instance, demonstrating their conversion (albeit likely forced) to Catholicism in the Caribbean islands.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Why did Europeans establish colonies in North America?

Colonies and the reasons they were established

·         Roanoke Island (Lost Colony) was established as an economic venture. The first permanent English settlement in North America (1607), Jamestown Settlement, was an economic venture by the Virginia Company.

·         Plymouth colony was settled by separatists from the Church of England who wanted to avoid religious persecution. Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled by the Puritans for the same reasons.

·         Pennsylvania was settled by the

Quakers, who wanted to have freedom to practice their faith without interference.

·         Georgia was settled by people who had been in debtor’s prisons in England. They hoped to experience a new life in the colony and to experience economic freedom in the New World.

·         Great local example of why to come to Virginia is Adam Thorougood and his wife Sarah. Thorogood, first came to Virginia as an indentured servant in 1621 and by 1630 he served on the first established “court” in then Norfolk County. By the time of his death in 1640, Adam was only 35 years of age, but had title to over 7,000 acres of land on the Lynnhaven River… an economic success! Read more:

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/explorers/sitec55.htm

·         “Tiger Girls” These were the women that came to Virginia to become wives of early settlers in 1619. The Virginia Company thought that if the settlers had wives, then Jamestown would have a better chance to become a PERMANENT settlement! Settlers paid for the passage of these women in tobacco notes. 90 women set sail, “Young maids to make wives for former tenants…” (Mapp, 56)  So for 150 pounds of your best tobacco, former indentured servants could purchase a wife!

Proposed Activity: Many teachers such as Brian Leiberman from the  elementary level to Mary Korty at the high school level suggested that students create an advertisement poster to entice people to come to Colonial Virginia.

And while the Library of Congress has some images/documents pertaining to early colonial era, so too does the following, which also could be used to demonstrate the broader English motivations for colonization:

http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/exhibns/Americana/17th_century.html

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did climate and geographic features distinguish the three regions from each other?

How did people use the natural resources of their region to earn a living?

How did political and social life evolve in each of the three regions?

Interactions of people and environment

New England

·         Geography and climate

–         Appalachian Mountains, Boston harbor, hilly terrain, rocky soil, jagged coastline

–         Moderate summers, cold winters

·         Economy

–         Fishing, shipbuilding industry and naval supplies, trade and port cities

–         Skilled craftsmen, shopkeepers

·         Social life

–         Village and church as center of life

–         Religious reformers and separatists

·         Political and civic life

–         Town meetings

Mid-Atlantic

·         Geography and climate

–         Appalachian Mountains, coastal lowlands  (harbors and bays, wide and deep rivers), rich farmlands

–         Moderate climate

·         Economy

–         Livestock and grain, trading

–         Unskilled and skilled workers and fishermen

·          Social life

–         Villages and cities

–         Varied and diverse lifestyles

–         Diverse religions

·         Political and civic life

–         Market towns

1)       Historian Thomas J. Wertenbaker claimed that sending a man to Virginia was “…like condemning a man to death.”

2)       Starving Winter, 1609-1610: 90% of the population died from starvation because unlike the First Americans, Englishmen did not understand their environment and were unable to adapt to ensure their survival.

3)       People like Thomas Willoughby and Adam Thorogood preferred properties that included mini-penninsulas, so that they could raise livestock without building too many fences. Barter and trade were common, a Norfolk merchant pawned his wfe’s sterling and diamond ring with Thorogood for nine head of catte.

Proposed activity: throw some papers (the amount of students you have)  in a basket or hat, and on 10% of the papers, write “You live,” and on all others write “You died!” Then have the few that survived the winter stand before the class. You may make it more interesting to have one paper marked with “executed,” to reveal the story of a man who was caught trying to salt his dead wife and eat her! Captain Smith would not allow cannibalism and the man was executed as a result!

See Also: “Would I Survive Jamestown Game,” by Tom Martin at www.exploretidewaterhistory.org. Designed for high schoolers, this game can easily be adapted for all levels.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

South

·         Geography and climate

–         Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, Atlantic Coastal Plain, good harbors, rivers

–         Humid climate

·         Economy

–         Large farms/plantations, cash crops, wood products, small farms

–         Slavery

·         Social life

–         Plantations (slavery), mansions, indentured servants, few cities, few schools

–         Church of England

·         Political and civic life

–         Counties

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did people’s lives vary among different social groups in colonial America?

Large landowners 

·         Lived predominately in the South

·         Relied on indentured servants and/or slaves for labor

·         Were educated in some cases

·         Had rich social culture

Farmers

·         Worked the land according to the region

·         Relied on family members for labor

Artisans

·         Worked as craftsmen in towns and on the plantation

·         Lived in small villages and cities

Women

·         Worked as caretakers, house-workers, homemakers

·         Could not vote

·         Had few chances for an education

Indentured servants

·         Consisted of men and women who did not have money for passage to the colonies and who agreed to work without pay for the person who paid for their passage

·         Were free at the end of their contract

Submitted by Paul Xenakis

Have students “think-pair-share,” about what different groups of people may have lived in Norfolk and Portsmouth. Have students write a one-page letter to a 12 year old counterpart in another group (large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, servants, slaves) to ask about what their life is like. The students will also draw two images; one that depicts their own colonial life, and another that depicts the life of whom they are writing.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Slaves

·         Were captured in their native Africa and sold to slave traders, then were shipped to the colonies where they were sold into slavery

·         Were owned as property for life with no rights

·         Were often born into slavery (Children of slaves were born into slavery.)

Brief excerpt:

http://www.law.du.edu/russell/lh/alh/docs/virginiaslaverystatutes.html

Primary Source, Slave Laws:

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/laws.html

PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p268.html

Local Historical Accounts/Images:

http://historichamptonroads.com/

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did England impose its political and economic control over the colonies?

Economic relationships

·         England imposed strict control over trade.

·         England taxed the colonies after the French and Indian War.

·         Colonies traded raw materials for goods.

Political relationships

·         Colonists had to obey English laws that were enforced by governors.

·         Colonial governors were appointed by the king or by the proprietor.

·         Colonial legislatures made laws for each colony and were monitored by colonial governors.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What steps did England take to increase control over its colonies?

Why did many colonists become dissatisfied with England’s control over the colonies?

England’s reasons for control

·         England desired to remain a world power.

·         England imposed taxes, such as the Stamp Act, to raise necessary revenue to pay the cost of the French and Indian War.

England’s reasons for taxation

·         To help finance the French and Indian War

·         To help with the maintaining of English troops in the colonies

Sources of colonial dissatisfaction

·         Colonies had no representation in Parliament.

·         Some colonists resented power of colonial governors.

·         England wanted strict control over colonial legislatures.

·         Colonies opposed taxes.

·         The Proclamation of l763 hampered the western movement of settlers.

Ø       Dissolving the Virginia Company and establishing Virginia as a royal colony in 1624 is a prime example here. This was in response to the 1622 massacre and the inability of settlers to protect themselves adequately against native threat. 

Ø       Over the course of the late 17^th and early 18^th century, Americans experienced a period of salutary neglect, in which government affairs were run locally, without intrusion from Enland.

Ø       Reestablishment of British rule as a result of the French and Indian War would result in taxation policies.

Ø       Norfolk merchants would join forces to oppose King George III’s taxation policies in the colonies.

Ø       Both Norfolk & Portsmouth would boycott British goods in 1774-1775.

1713 the building of tobacco warehouses was instituted and government appointed local inspectors to determine the quality of the notes

Portsmouth’s Town Trustees were established in 1763

Inner-colonial relations troubling at times. The story of Edward Teach, or better known as Blackbeard,  reveals the varying perceptions of government responsibility.

Blackbeard was hiding off the Carolina coast, with what VA Governor Spotswood suspected was the protection from the NC Governor. Spotswood dispatched several sloops who successfully captured, and beheaded the dreaded pirate. 13 others were tried and executed in Virginia, while the NC governor complained that Virginians had invaded his colony without permission! (autonomy from King!)

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What ideas/philosophies about government were expressed in the Declaration of Independence?

Ideas of John Locke

·         People have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

·         Government is created to protect the rights of people and has only the limited and specific powers the people consent to give it.

Key philosophies in the Declaration of Independence

·         People have “certain unalienable rights” (rights that cannot be taken away)—life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

·         People establish government to protect those rights.

·         Government derives power from the people.

·         People have a right and a duty to change a government that violates their rights.

Local taverns would become meeting places for political discussion in the colonial era and Norfolk was no exception. Landless and impoverished men, many of whom were former indentured servants, would come to Norfolk County looking for work and land. These men were sympathetic to Nathaniel Bacon ‘s rebellion and resented the Governor and the Indians for their plight. An early example of an American lower class to believe in “natural rights.”

Proposed Activity Submitted By Roderick Manabat

To begin a lesson about the causes and results of the American Revolution, with emphasis on key individuals, Mr. Manabat begins the class by reading the following memo from the school principal:

“Funding for education has been drastically reduced due to shortfalls in state revenue. As a result, monies that ordinarily would be granted to Azalea Gardens Middle School will not be forthcoming. The school faces sever financial problems and the administration has been forced to consider alternative funding sources. Therefore, a new policy is in immediate effect. Each student in social studies classes will be required to pay for all photocopied materials. The fee will be 10cents per page. There will be no exceptions. Any student who does not pay the 10-cent fee will receive a zero for the assignment. While this may seem a burden, it is absolutely necessary. We must all work together to solve this temporary financial problem.”

Ø       Take a quiz, collecting 10 cents from each student. Those who do not have it must write an IOU and have a volunteer collect the fee. (Then announce the volunteer does not have to pay!)

Ø       Remind students that those who do not have the 10 cents receive a zero for the quiz – and after a minute, return student’s money and explain the memo was pretend.

Ø       Class discussion should ensue, addressing the following questions: How did you feel when the memo was read? What seemed unfair about it? Did you understand the principal’s reasons? What were your feelings toward the principal? What were your feelings toward the volunteer fee collector? Why did some pay and others did not?

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Who were some of the key individuals in the Revolutionary War?

What role did key individuals play in the Revolutionary War?

What were some of the key events that occurred during the Revolutionary War period?

Key individuals

·         King George III: British king during the Revolutionary era

·         Lord Cornwallis: British general who surrendered at Yorktown

·         John Adams: Championed the cause of independence

·         George Washington: Commander of the Continental Army

·         Thomas Jefferson: Major author of the Declaration of Independence

·         Patrick Henry: Outspoken member of House of Burgesses; inspired colonial patriotism with “Give me liberty or give me death” speech

·         Benjamin Franklin: Prominent member of Continental Congress; helped frame the Declaration of Independence

·         Thomas Paine: Journalist, author of Common Sense

Other important individuals

·         Phillis Wheatley: A former slave who wrote poems and plays supporting American independence

·         Paul Revere: Patriot who made a daring ride to warn colonists of British arrival

Key Events

·         Boston Massacre: Colonists in Boston were shot after taunting British soldiers.

·         Boston Tea Party: Samuel Adams and Paul Revere led patriots in throwing tea into Boston Harbor to protest tea taxes.

·         First Continental Congress: Delegates from all colonies except Georgia met to discuss problems with England and to promote independence.

Proposed Activities:

Submitted by Rebecca Dilosa, Azalea Gardens Middle School. “Famous Faces Plates” Students design paper plates that include name of individual, and a symbol to describe that person’s contributions. The plates are presented to class with written and oral explanation. Display plates around the room!

Submitted by Robert Richardson, Lake Taylor Middle School.

Role play with and/or write epitats for  historical figures

Have groups of students examine primary sources such as Gilbert Stuart’s portraits of Washington, letters to Martha, images of GW as a farmer, soldier, & president found at http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/education/kids/teacher.html while asking each group “Why Would Washington be a father and to whom?” Each group should be given different documents/images and then collaborate as a class on their findings. This activity was presented by Michelle Kirkpatrick, Nancy Ruben, Angela Peterson and Norman Colpitts.

Online resources:

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/page2.html

http://research.history.org/Historical_Research/Key_Points/KeyPointsRevolution.cfm

Online games/review for Virginians in Revolution:

http://www.quia.com/custom/42084main.html

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

·         Battle of Lexington and Concord: This was the site of the first armed conflict of the Revolutionary War.

·         Approval of the Declaration of Independence: Colonies declared independence from England (July 4, 1776).

·         Battle of Saratoga: This American victory was the turning point in the war.

·         Surrender at Yorktown: This was the colonial victory over forces of Lord Cornwallis that marked the end of the Revolutionary War.

·         Signing of the Treaty of Paris: England recognized American independence in this treaty.

British expeditionary forces returned to Portsmouth as part of the British last ditch “southern strategy”.

The main force ( 8000 men under General Cornwallis) came up from the Carolinas and encamped at Portsmouth as a communications link  with the main British force in New York City.

Because Cornwallis thought  that Portsmouth was too unhealthy an area, he moved his force up river to Yorktown.

There are a number of markers along the seawall in Portsmouth at Hospital Point that detail the return of the British, first under Benedict Arnold, and then Cornwallis.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What advantages helped the American colonists win the Revolutionary War?

Colonial advantages

·         Colonists’ defense of their own land, principles, and beliefs

·         Support from France and Spain

·         Strong leadership

Battle of Great Bridge, Dec 9, 1775 when the Patriots defeated the British with help from William Flora, African-American volunteer for Virginia militia.

(this was a very small but important battle thast caused the British to abandon Norfolk, also if you are counting African-Americans, a couple of hundred fought for the British as part of the short lived Ethiopian Regiment. )

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the basic weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Articles of Confederation

·         Provided for a weak national government

·         Gave Congress no power to tax or regulate commerce among the states

·         Provided for no common currency

·         Gave each state one vote regardless of size

·         Provided for no executive or judicial branch

The following was presented by Paula Williams, Azalea Gardens Middle School

The Spirit of Compromise: Mock Constitutional Convention

1.        Students research the principles of democracy and create a hand… on each finger, they record the history of the major documents  (see example: pictures depicts palm of hand as “roots of democracy” with pinky finger being weakest and unable to operate alone, [I suppose?] as Articles of Confederation, next, TJ (Dec of Independence) & George Mason (Bill of Rights) , next Montesquieu with separation of powers, [?] and John Locke on index finger, with thumb that could be [I suppose] one of the following: magna carta, VA charters, VA Statute for Religious Freedom, Mayflower Compact

2.        Students produce songs to remember each finger by… for instance, in the tune of “row, row, row your boat…” John John John the Locke, unalienable human rights are here… natural, natural, natural, natural… life and liberty we share!

3.        students adopt a founding father gathering information about the person’s life, home, political info, viewpoints

4.        they have to create a colonial outfit – make  a sign with the founding father’s picture on it and include local history about the founding father they picked [leaving it to the student?]

5.        the classroom is changed into a constitutional convention

6.        place feathers on top of pencils

7.        they “destroy” [?] articles and create a new constitution – with role play all the while

The purpose is to let the student develop an understanding of how difficult it was for 55 delegates to compromise and agree on writing a new constitution for our new democracy. The mock convention should be filmed and played back for the students to evaluate the activity.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the basic principles of governments stated in the Constitution of the United States of America and Bill of Rights?

Terms to know

Federal system of government: A system that divides governmental powers between national government and the governments of the states

Basic principles of government

Separation of powers

·         The structure of the new national government was based on James Madison’s “Virginia Plan,” which called for three separate branches of government:

–         Legislative Branch (Congress) makes the laws. Congress is a two-house legislature in which all states are represented equally in the Senate (two Senators per state) and people are represented in the House of Representatives (number of a state’s representatives is based on state’s population).

–         Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) determines if laws made by Congress are constitutional.

–         Executive Branch (President) carries out the laws.

Checks and balances

·         Each branch can check the power of the other.

·         These checks keep any one branch from gaining too much power.

Bill of Rights

·         James Madison was the author of the Bill of Rights.

·         The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America provide a written guarantee of individual rights (e.g., freedom of speech, freedom of religion).

Proposed Activity: Submitted by Schwartz, Stead and McCarthy [CW1] 

These teachers review information about the three branches of government, the Articles of Confederation and the Bill of Rights. They also ask students if they have ever seen a parade? They begin asking what constitutes a parade and discuss the idea of making a float. Students are responsible for designing a parade float that explains how the Constitution solved problems that arose from the Articles of Confederation. Using a shoebox, students construct a miniature float.

[May make a local connection to the Marquis de Lafayette’s three day visit to Norfolk and Portsmouth in which parade led by a military guard was met by crowds of onlookers. The towns lit 42 bonfires in what was a “general illumination” to welcome this French hero of the American Revolution, the date, Friday, October 22, 1824 cmc]

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the major differences between Hamilton and Jefferson?

Major party differences

·         Alexander Hamilton

–         Leader of Federalists

–         Favored strong national government

–         Favored limits on states’ powers

–         Favored development of industry on a national scale

–         Favored a national bank

·         Thomas Jefferson

–         Leader of the Democratic Republicans

–         Favored a weak national government

–         Supported states’ powers

–         Favored small business and farmers

–         Opposed a national bank

Proposed Activity: The Electoral College

Submitted by Paul Xenakis, E. Elijah and R. Richardson

These teachers use an Electoral College map from 2000 and compare it to a student-created 1824 electoral college map. A good visual compliment to this lesson is the 1825 American flag, and ask students how may stars are on it and close the lesson with a one page compare/contrast between the 1824 and 2000 elections.  (See also http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/electoral-tally/ and http://politicalgraveyard.com/offices/pres-vp-1824.html. [Could make the local connection by inquiring why Virginia did not elect Andrew Jackson]

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the major national issues and events faced by the first five presidents?

All of the first five presidents were Virginians except John Adams.

Accomplishments during first five presidencies

George Washington

·         Federal court system was established.

·         Political parties grew out of the disagreements between Hamilton and Jefferson over the proper role of the national government.

·         The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution of the United States of America.

·         Plans were initiated for development of the national capital in Washington, D.C. Benjamin Banneker, an African American astronomer and surveyor, helped complete the design for the city.

John Adams

·         A two-party system emerged during his administration.

Thomas Jefferson

·         He bought Louisiana from France (Louisiana Purchase).

·         Lewis and Clark explored this new land west of the Mississippi River.

 James Madison

·         The War of l812 caused European nations to gain respect for the United States.

James Monroe

·         He introduced the Monroe Doctrine warning European nations not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere.

George Washington, prior to his presidency would come to South side Hampton Roads to map/survey the Great Dismal Swamp, thus demonstrating the various roles/background of a president!

The US Chesapeake was firind on and boarded by the HMS Leopard off Hampton Roads in 1807. This was an incident that illustrated the conflict over rights to the high seas that led to the War of 1812.

The Battle of Craney Island in 1814, an American victory, saved the area (Hampton had been burned by the British) and may have been the first use of “rockets” by the British in history!

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What new territories became part of the United States between 1801 and 1861?

New territories added to the United States after 1801

Louisiana Purchase

·         Jefferson bought land from France (the Louisiana Purchase), which doubled the size of the United States.

·         In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Louisiana Purchase from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

Florida

·         Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty.

Texas

·         Texas was added after it became an independent republic.

Oregon

·         The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and Gre at Britain.

California

·         War with Mexico resulted in California and the southwest territory becoming part of the United States.

Proposed Activity:

Submitted by Sonja Hale, Rodney Richardson, Paula Williams, Ebony Elijah and Christonya Brown

Materials: Images/photos  of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Westward migration pictures (George Catlin, Saint Louis From the River Below, and Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way)

[For online images and audio files, go to:  http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2006-04/2006-04-04-voa3.cfm?CFID=28963965&CFTOKEN=91500325 and for additional activities using Catlin works: http://www.nga.gov/kids/catlin/catlin6.htm]

Activity: Have students create a brief headline/caption to the images with emphasis on why people travel west, locally and nationally. Next, create a newspaper account and compare/contrast past with present westward migration.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What factors influenced westward migration?

Geographic and economic factors that influenced westward movement

·         Population growth in the eastern states

·         Availability of cheap, fertile land

·         Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush), logging, farming, freedom (for runaway slaves)

·         Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and canals (Erie Canal), steamboats

·         Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)

·         Belief in the right of “Manifest Destiny”—The idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did the inventions affect the lives of Americans?

New technologies

·         The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. It increased the production of cotton and thus increased the need for slave labor to cultivate and pick the cotton.

·         Jo Anderson (a slave) and Cyrus McCormick worked to invent the reaper. The reaper increased the productivity of the American farmer.

·         The steamboat was improved by Robert Fulton. It eventually provided faster river transportation that connected Southern plantations and farms to Northern industries and Western territories.

·         The steam locomotive provided faster land transportation.

Hampton Roads was used as a strategic naval base to help enforce the Monroe Doctrine.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the main ideas expressed by the abolitionists?

What were the main ideas expressed during the suffrage movement?

Abolitionist movement

·         Most abolitionists demanded immediate freeing of the slaves.

·         Abolitionists believed that slavery was wrong.

–         Morally wrong

–         Cruel and inhumane

–         A violation of the principles of democracy

·         Abolitionist leaders included both men and women.

–        Harriet Tubman

–        William Lloyd Garrison

–        Frederick Douglass

Suffrage movement

·         Supporters declared that “All men and women are created equal.”

·         Supporters believed that women were deprived of basic rights.

–         Denied the right to vote

–         Denied educational opportunities, especially higher education

–         Denied equal opportunities in business

–         Limited in rights to own property

·         The movement was led by strong women who began their campaign before the Civil War and continued after the war had ended.

–         Isabel Sojourner Truth

–         Susan B. Anthony

–         Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Proposed Activity, VS.1: “Women’s History Month,” submitted by Celestina Whittlesey

o       Introduce Women’s History Month using www.nwhp.org, and select national figures names to throw in a basket

o       Have students draw a name who they will research provide written and/or oral report to class.

o        Suggested local link: pair national figures with their local counterpart. (Maggie Walker, http://www.nps.gov/malw/details.htm and Norfolk/Portsmouth born African-American women, http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/scripts/jimcrow/women.cgi?state=Virginia) and http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/civilrights.html#list

o        http://www.cmgww.com/sports/ashe/about/bio.htm

o        http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/wilder.htm

The “Underground Railroad” had stations in the Dismal Swamp.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did cultural, economical, and constitutional issues create bitter divisions between the North and the South?

Issues that divided the nation

Slavery

·         While there were several differences between the North and the South, the issues related to slavery increasingly divided the nation and led to the Civil War.

Cultural

·         The North was mainly an urban society in which people held jobs.

·         The South was primarily an agricultural society in which people lived in small villages and on farms and plantations.

·         Because of their cultural differences, people of the North and South found it difficult to agree on social and political issues.

Economic

·         The North was a manufacturing region, and its people favored tariffs that protected factory owners and workers from foreign competition.

·         Southerners opposed tariffs that would cause prices of manufactured goods to increase.  Planters were also concerned that England might stop buying cotton from the South if tariffs were added.

Constitutional

·         A major conflict was states’ rights versus strong central government.

Cotton was the “number one” US export at this time and made up almost 60% of all exports. Much of it was shipped through the great natural harbor of Norfolk.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

How did the issues of states’ rights and slavery increase sectional tension between the North and South?

Issues that divided the nation

·         An important issue separating the country related to the power of the Federal government. Southerners believed that they had the power to declare any national law illegal. Northerners believed that the national government’s power was supreme over that of the states.

·         Southerners felt that the abolition of slavery would destroy their region’s economy. Northerners believed that slavery should be abolished for moral reasons.

Compromises attempting to resolve differences

·         Missouri Compromise (1820): Missouri was a slave state; Maine, a free state.

·         Compromise of l850: California was a free state. Southwest territories would decide about slavery.

·         Kansas-Nebraska Act: People decided the slavery issue (“popular sovereignty”).

Southern secession

·         Following Lincoln’s election, the southern states seceded from the Union. Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, in South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War.

·         Lincoln and many Northerners believed that the United States was one nation that could not be separated or divided. Most Southerners believed that states had freely created and joined the union and could freely leave it.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Which states seceded from the Union?

Which four slave states stayed in the Union?

Where were the other states that remained in the Union located?

States that seceded from the Union

·         Alabama

·         Arkansas

·         Florida

·         Georgia

·         Louisiana

·         Mississippi

·         North Carolina

·         South Carolina

·         Tennessee

·         Texas

·         Virginia

States remaining in the Union

·         Border states (slave states)

–         Delaware

–         Kentucky

–         Maryland

–         Missouri

·         Free States

–         California

–         Connecticut

–         Illinois

–         Indiana

–         Iowa

–         Kansas

–         Maine

–         Massachusetts

Virginia did not leave the Union until the call for 75,000 volunteers. There was a fair amount of pro-Union feeling among the Whig merchants of Hampton Roads.

Virginia Digitized Images:

http://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/browse.php?folio_ID=/cw

Local History:

http://historichamptonroads.com/history_tour.htm

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

–         Michigan

–         Minnesota

–         New Hampshire

–         New Jersey

–         New York

–         Ohio

–         Oregon

–         Pennsylvania

–         Rhode Island

–         Vermont

–         West Virginia (Western counties of Virginia that refused to secede from the Union)

–         Wisconsin

Proposed Activity:

Submitted by Paula Williams, Jacqueline Wyman, Michael Lazarus and Sonya Hale

Using Letter to Grant from Lincoln,

[http://www.everythinglincoln.com/articles/WildernessLtrGrant.html]

And images from key figures throughout the Civil War (Grant, Lee, Lincoln, Davis) have students conduct a primary source analysis to interpret letter and images. Students will then write one of two proposed assignments: a response from Grant to President Lincoln, or a letter from Jefferson Davis to General Lee. 

[A local connection could easily be made here by requiring students to discuss the situation of federal troops in Norfolk/Portsmouth, Fort Monroe, the burning of Hampton, Gosport Shipyard, or the battle of the Ironclads cmc]

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Who are considered leaders of the Civil War?

How did Lincoln’s view of the nature of the Union differ from Lee’s?

Roles of Civil War leaders

·         Abraham Lincoln

–         Was President of the United States

–         Opposed the spread of slavery

–         Issued the Emancipation Proclamation

–         Determined to preserve the Union—by force if necessary

–         Believed the United States was one nation, not a collection of independent states

–         Wrote the Gettysburg Address that said the Civil War was to preserve a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

·         Jefferson Davis

–         Was president of the Confederate States of America

·         Ulysses S. Grant

–         Was general of the Union army that defeated Lee

·         Robert E. Lee

–         Was leader of the Army of Northern Virginia

–         Was offered command of the Union forces at the beginning of the war but chose not to fight against Virginia

–         Opposed secession, but did not believe the union should be held together by force

–         Urged Southerners to accept defeat at the end of the war and reunite as Americans when some wanted to fight on

·         Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

–         Was a skilled Confederate general from Virginia

·         Frederick Douglass

–         Was a former slave who escaped to the North and became an abolitionist

Diary of Norwegian-born Union soldier, Ole G Hougan, non-published account a copy of which is at Kirn Library. Mr. Hougan was a soldier who was stationed in Portsmouth and also was a part of the Siege of Suffolk.  His journal discussed the Pass House in Portsmouth and the “Negro celebration day!” when African-Americans marched in the streets on January 1, 1862.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

Where did critical events of the Civil War take place?

Where were the major battles fought?

What are the ways location and topography influenced important developments in the war, including major battles?

Major battles and events

·         The firing on Fort Sumter, S.C., began the war.

·         The first Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) was the first major battle.

·         The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation made “freeing the slaves” the new focus of the war.  Many freed slaves joined the Union army.

·         The Battle of Vicksburg divided the South; the North controlled the Mississippi River.

·         The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the war; the North repelled Lee’s invasion.

·         Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865 ended the war.

Influence of location and topography on critical developments in the war

·         The Union blockade of southern ports (e.g., Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans)

·         Control of the Mississippi River (e.g., Vicksburg)

·         Battle locations influenced by the struggle to capture capital cities (e.g., Richmond; Washington, D.C.)

·         Control of the high ground (e.g., Gettysburg)

The Battle of Hamtpon Roads was onreof the most important engagements of the war not because of its size (2 ships) but because of the implications in the evolution of the steel ship navy.

The CSS Virgina was fashioned and deployed from Gosport Yard in Portsmouth.

General McClellan’s “Penninsula Campaign” launced in spring of 1862 assembled the largest army in history on the North American continent. The Army of the Potoamc numbered 125,000 officers and men and launched the invasion from Fort Monroe.

Norfolk and Portsmouth were abandoned without a fight by the Confederates in May 1862 after the CSS Virginia’s power was neutralized by USS Monitor.

President Lincoln himself was rowed over to take the surrender of the city. (oceanview?)

Fort Monroe had long been a refuge for run-a-way slaves. It was there that General Butler hatched the concept of seizing slaves as “contraband”.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What hardships were experienced during the Civil War?

How did the Civil War change the lives of soldiers, women, and slaves?

General effects of the war

·         Families and friends were often pitted against one another.

·         Southern troops became increasingly younger and more poorly equipped and clothed.

·         Much of the South was devastated at the end of the war (e.g., burning of Atlanta and Richmond).

·         Disease was a major killer.

·         Clara Barton, a Civil War nurse, created the American Red Cross.

·         Combat was brutal and often man-to-man.

·         Women were left to run businesses in the North and farms and plantations in the South.

·         The collapse of the Confederacy made Confederate money worthless.

Effects of the war on African Americans

·         African Americans fought in both the Confederate and Union armies.

·         The Confederacy often used slaves as naval crew members and soldiers.

·         The Union moved to enlist African American sailors early in the war.

·         African American soldiers were paid less than white soldiers.

·         African American soldiers were discriminated against and served in segregated units under the command of white officers.

·         Robert Smalls, a sailor and later a Union naval captain, was highly honored for his feats of bravery and heroism.  He became a Congressman after the Civil War.

Norfolk esacaped the worst ravages of the war because it surender so early and became a Union depot for the Blockade of the Confederate coast.

In January 1863, blacks (free and run-a-way) were enlisted into the Union Army as part of the Federal Bureau of Colored Troops.

By the end of the war 180,000 men had served out of a total of 2.2 million (about 8% of the total force) However their 1863-1865 percenatge is more like 12% of the total men serving.

Some of these men are buried in the West Point Cemetary in Norfolk, including Medal of Honor winner Sgt Carney.

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What are the basic provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?

Basic provisions of the Amendments

·         13th Amendment: Bans slavery in the United States and any of its territories

·         14th Amendment: Grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States and guarantees them equal protection under the law

·         15th Amendment: Ensures all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color or previous condition of servitude

These three amendments guarantee equal protection under the law for all citizens.

Former president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was imprisioned at Fort Monroe after the war.

Visit: http://www-tradoc.army.mil/museum/history.asp

Essential Questions

Essential Knowledge

Local History

What were the Reconstruction policies for the South?

Reconstruction policies and problems

·         Southern military leaders could not hold office.

·         Southerners resented northern “carpetbaggers,” who took advantage of the South during Reconstruction.

·         African Americans held public office.

·         African Americans gained equal rights as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which authorized the use of federal troops for its enforcement.

·         Northern soldiers supervised the South.

After the Civil War, the Union Army almost totally disappeared, going from almost 1,000,000 men under arms tin 1865 to only 50,000 by 1866.

This included all the men on staff duty, garrison duty and out west fighting Indians.

Most places in the South were not well policed due to this shortage.

Hampton Roads was probably better supervised due to its importance as a maritime installation and its accessability.