Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Resource Overview:
Through narratives, primary sources, and point-counter-point debates, students will gain insights into the nature of the American experiment – the ongoing quest for a more perfect union. Containing contributions from over 90 scholars, this 16-unit U.S. History and AP U.S. History yearlong curriculum resource can be used in place of a textbook or as a textbook supplement.
Each Chapter Contains:
- An introductory essay and an Inquiry Organizer to orient students to the topics and questions contained in it.
- Primary Sources that help students build out background or facts for an argument.
- Narratives that further an understanding of history as the connection of people and events in a timeline affected by experiences.
- Decision Points that help students understand actions, consequences, and a chain of events.
- Point-Counterpoints about big historical questions presented as differing sides of an argument by scholars.
- Explore the full resource design.
Teachers Say:
“I appreciated most things about this, but the first thing that jumped out to me was how each topic could be implemented in class without the teacher having to make any adjustments. It’s one of the most user-friendly resources I have come across in my teaching.” Christopher Evans, Arizona teacher
“It was organized well with very good primary and secondary sources. The activities, such as point-counterpoint, were well thought out. I’m always looking for activities like that to do in class. Overall, this is better than the American history textbooks I have seen. Very well aligned to the AP curriculum. I like that it is split into smaller sections for the units rather than one big long text. Excellent.” Carl S., Pennsylvania teacher
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16 Units
UnitChapter 1: 1491-1607
Invite students to explore how the collision of cultures created a "New World" and evaluate the impact of European contact with Native Americans and the Americas.
UnitChapter 2: 1607-1763
Invite students to explore the religious, political, and social movements and events that fostered a sense of autonomy from Great Britain among the American colonists between 1607 and 1763.
UnitChapter 3: 1763-1789
Invite students to identify the causes of the Declaration of Independence, evaluate the causes and effects of key events in the Revolutionary War, and compare various perspectives on constitutional principles and the structure of the new Union under the Constitution.
UnitChapter 4: 1789-1800
Invites students to explore how a nation can stay unified despite divisions.
UnitChapter 5: 1800-1828
Invite students to explore if the early republic was truly an Era of Good Feelings.
UnitChapter 6: 1828-1844
Invite students to explore if the democratization of politics during the Jacksonian era was a shift from Founding era political theory.
UnitChapter 7: 1844-1860
Invite students to explore if the Civil War was inevitable.
UnitChapter 8: 1860-1877
Invites students to explore if the Civil War helped create a more perfect Union.
UnitChapter 9: 1877-1898
Invite students to explore how a changing view of government’s responsibility during the Gilded Age affected American society.
UnitChapter 10: 1898-1919
Invite students to explore how the Progressive vision shaped American politics, society, and foreign policy from 1898 to 1917.
UnitChapter 11: 1920-1932
Invite students to explore how the modernization of the American economy and society led to cultural conflict during the 1920s.
UnitChapter 12: 1932-1945
Invite students to explore how Franklin Roosevelt responded to the crises of the Great Depression at home and the war against tyrannical states during World War II abroad.
UnitChapter 13: 1945-1960
Invite students to explore how anti-communist foreign policy, the liberal welfare state, and American cultural values shaped the postwar world from 1945 to 1960.
UnitChapter 14: 1960-1968
Invite students to explore how internal and external political and cultural tensions shaped the years 1960–1968.
UnitChapter 15: 1968-1980
Invite students to explore how a fracturing of the liberal consensus shaped politics and culture between 1968 and 1980.
UnitChapter 16: 1980-Present
Invite students to explore how the American experiment plays out in the foreign and domestic policy of modern America.