Lessons – Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
82 items
Question Formulation Technique (QFT): Map of 1491 vs. 1754
Lesson
Lesson
55 Min
It is recommended that this Lesson be completed to introduce the first unit of AP U.S. History. This Lesson will benefit from students having limited prior knowledge about the course content. This Lesson can also be used in conjunction with the Native People Narrative and The Oral Tradition of the Foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy Primary Source.
Ship Technology
Lesson
Lesson
55 Min
This Lesson can be taught any time during the chapter but would be best connected to the Narratives on exploration and settlement, particularly Henry Hudson and Exploration, Hernando de Soto, and Columbian Exchange.
Richard Hakluyt and the Case for Undertaking Sea Voyages
Lesson
Lesson
75 Min
This Lesson should come after students have learned about Spanish explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Hernando de Soto, and Hernan Cortes. This Lesson could come before or after the Ship Technology Lesson.
Paideia Seminar: Christopher Columbus
Lesson
Lesson
95 Min
A prerequisite to this activity is the completion of the Columbus's Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, 1494 Primary Source activity, which should immediately precede this lesson. This Lesson should be implemented after students have explored the motivations for European exploration and the consequences of the Columbian Exchange, through resources such as the First Contacts Narrative, the Columbian Exchange Narrative, and the Should We Remember Christopher Columbus as a Conqueror or Explorer? Point-Counterpoint. This Lesson should be followed by the Cortes's Account of Tenochtitlan Primary Source activity, the Las Casas on the Destruction of the Indies Primary Source activity, and/or the Life in the Spanish Colonies Narrative.
Colonial Comparison: The Rights of Englishmen
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
This Lesson will provide additional context for the Colonial Identity: English or American? Point-Counterpoint.
Benjamin Franklin Mini DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
55 Min
This Lesson should follow the Colonial Identity: English or American? Point-Counterpoint.
Mercantilism
Lesson
Lesson
45 Min
This Lesson should come at the end of Unit 1 as a preview of the problems in the British colonies leading up to the American Revolution.
Unit 1 Civics Connection: The Colonial Origins of American Republicanism
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
This Lesson should be used near the end of Unit 1 to review the significance of constitutional principles in the context of the events students have studied.
Unit 1 Essay Activity
Lesson
Lesson
Students will be able to construct an AP-Style Long Essay using resources from Unit 1 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness to practice constructing a historical argument.
Acts of Parliament
Lesson
Lesson
85 Min
Use this lesson as the foundation for the Stamp Act Resistance Narrative, The Boston Massacre Narrative, and The Boston Tea Party Narrative.
Abigail Adams: “Remember the Ladies” Mini DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
85 Min
Use this lesson with the Mercy Otis Warren Narrative and the Judith Sargent Murray Primary Source "On the Equality of the Sexes" to allow students to discuss gender roles and expectations in the founding period.
The Path to Independence
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson after students have read the Stamp Act Resistance Narrative, The Boston Massacre Narrative, and The Boston Tea Party Narrative. This lesson should be followed by the Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence Narrative and the Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776 Primary Source analysis.
Constitutional Convention
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson with The Constitutional Convention Narrative and after students have done The Articles of Confederation, 1781 Primary Source activity.
Argumentation: The Process of Compromise
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson after reading The Constitutional Convention Narrative and/or the Constitutional Convention Lesson.
Federalist/Anti-Federalist Debate on Congress’s Powers of Taxation DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
Use this lesson with The Ratification Debate on the Constitution Narrative and the Were the Anti-Federalists Unduly Suspicious or Insightful Political Thinkers? Point-Counterpoint to have students analyze the debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
State Constitution Comparison
Lesson
Lesson
70 Min
Use this lesson following direct instruction in the constitutional principles that the British colonies derived from their experience and their legal and constitutional history. This instruction should include, but not necessarily be limited to, natural rights, rule of law, popular sovereignty, republicanism, separation of powers, and checks and balances.
Argumentation: Self-Interest or Republicanism?
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson following The Ratification Debate on the Constitution Narrative.
The Global Impact of the American Revolution DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
This Lesson can be used at the beginning of Chapter 4 to reinforce and review the key events of the American Revolution covered in Chapter 3. This activity will also introduce students to the effects the Revolution had on the world stage in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Actions of the First Congress
Lesson
Lesson
95 Min
Students should have a solid foundation of the regional differences in the former colonies, now states, as well as an understanding of the ratification of the Constitution. This Lesson is best used after students have read The Constitutional Convention and The Ratification Debate on the Constitution Narratives in Chapter 3. The James Madison and the Bill of Rights Narrative in Chapter 4 can be used as background for the Lesson or can be assigned as homework after the Lesson to reinforce main ideas.
The National Bank Debate
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
This activity should be completed after students have completed the Actions of the First Congress Lesson, The Compromise of 1790 Decision Point, and George Washington, First Inaugural Address, 1789 Primary Source Activity. This Lesson should be followed by the Alexander Hamilton and the National Bank Narrative or the "Strict" or "Loose": Was the National Bank Constitutional? Point-Counterpoint, either of which can be completed as a homework assignment to follow this Lesson.
Methods of Slave Resistance DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson to have students examine how enslaved men and women resisted slavery during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
George Washington in American Art
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
This Lesson is best used at the end of the unit, after students have studied Washington's leadership during the Revolutionary War in Chapter 3 and the major events of his presidency in Chapter 4.
George Washington’s Views on Slavery
Lesson
Lesson
Before completing this Lesson, students should be familiar with the societal, cultural, and economic conditions of eighteenth-century American life that sustained the institution of slavery. Anti-slavery sentiment can be explored in the Benjamin Franklin and the First Abolitionist Petitions Narrative.
The Founders’ Failure to End Slavery
Lesson
Lesson
Students should be familiar with the debates surrounding slavery in the Constitutional Convention in Chapter 3. Students should read the James Madison and the Bill of Rights Narrative and Benjamin Franklin and the First Abolitionist Petitions Narrative for context before reading this Lesson.
Using Political Cartoons to Understand History
Lesson
Lesson
Students can further explore the context surrounding the Jay Treaty in the George Washington and the Proclamation of Neutrality Decision Point, The Jay Treaty Narrative, and in the excerpt from the treaty itself in The Jay Treaty, 1795 Primary Source. The Alexander Hamilton and the National Bank Narrative and The National Bank Debate Lesson provide more context on the founding of the bank.
Be Washington: Whiskey Rebellion
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson as a supplement to The Whiskey Rebellion: Unjust Taxation or Enforcing the Rule of Law? Point-Counterpoint.
Unit 2 Civics Connection: An Apple of Gold in a Frame of Silver
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson as a unit summary activity to have students evaluate the link between constitutional principles and the content from Unit 2.
John Marshall’s Landmark Cases DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
70 Min
This Lesson should follow the Marbury v. Madison Decision Point.
Changing Views of Slavery Mini-DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson to help students understand the role of slavery in the rise of sectionalism, also examined inThe Missouri Compromise Decision Point.
Responses to the Cherokee Removal Mini DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
95 Min
This Lesson can be used alongside The Trail of Tears Narrative to highlight the plight of American Indians during the Jackson presidency.
American Indians in American Art
Lesson
Lesson
Students should be familiar with the increasing tensions between American Indians and U.S. settlers discussed in the Chapter 5 Introductory Essay: 1800-1828 and the following Narratives: The Lewis and Clark Expedition ,Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans , and Tecumseh and the Prophet.
The Women’s Movement and the Seneca Falls Convention
Lesson
Lesson
55 Min
This Lesson should follow the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Struggle for Women's Suffrage Narrative.
Unit 3 Civics Connection: Liberty and Union
Lesson
Lesson
115 Min
Use this lesson at the end of Unit 3 to discuss the different ways that the Founding principles were interpreted during the nation's first fifty years.
Irish and German Immigration DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
50 Min
Introduce students to the push and pull factors that led to high levels of immigration from Germany and Ireland from 1830 to 1860. Facilitation Notes: This activity is designed for groups of five students. The activity works best if each student only sees their printed primary source. The students should have some background knowledge on the European industrial revolution and its impact on urban growth and immigration in the United States.This lesson targets the foundational skills of analyzing documents, grouping documents, and constructing a thesis as required of the DBQ essay on the AP exam.
Dred Scott v. Sandford DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
What attempts were made to resolve the issue of slavery in the U.S. territories?
John Brown: Hero or Villain? DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson alongside theJohn Brown and Harpers Ferry Narrative to allow students to fully evaluate John Brown's approach to abolitionism. Facilitation Notes: Use available classroom technology to display a United States map so that they are within view throughout the lesson. Also, write theKey Questionon the board so that it is in view throughout the lesson.
The Election of Lincoln and the Secession of Southern States DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this Lesson with The Election of 1860 Narrative and the South Carolina Secession Debate, 1860 Primary Source to allow students to analyze the motivations of South Carolina to secede from the United States.
The Emergence of Black Codes DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this Lesson once students have a strong understanding of the rights of African Americans both before and after the passing of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. It would also be helpful for students to have read the O. O. Howard and the Freedmen’s Bureau and The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls Narratives.
The Rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
85 Min
Use this Lesson in conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation Decision Point to have students analyze Abraham Lincoln's rhetoric throughout his presidency.
Comparing Impeachments across U.S. History
Lesson
Lesson
75 Min
Use this Lesson alongside The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Decision Point to introduce students to the concept of impeachment and how it has been used throughout U.S. history.
Unit 4 Civics Connection: Equality, the Civil War, and Reconstruction
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
This lesson should be used at the end of the unit to review key events and ideas from the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
The Annexation of Hawaii DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
100 Min
Use this Lesson with The Annexation of Hawaii Narrative to show how American policymakers and businesses looked outside U.S. borders to continue expanding American influence.
Industry and Immigration in the Gilded Age
Lesson
Lesson
85 Min
Use this Lesson with the Cartoon Analysis: Immigration in the Gilded Age, 1882–1896 Primary Source to highlight the way immigrants were regarded and treated during the Gilded Age.
Debating Industrial Progress: Andrew Carnegie vs. Henry George
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
Use this Lesson with the Andrew Carnegie and the Creation of U.S. Steel Narrative and the Were the Titans of the Gilded Age "Robber Barons" or "Entrepreneurial Industrialists"? Point-Counterpoint to highlight the impact businessmen like Carnegie had on industry and philanthropy in the Gilded Age.
Populists and Socialists in the Gilded Age
Lesson
Lesson
75 Min
Use this Lesson with the Ignatius Donnelly and the 1892 Populist Platform Narrative and the William Jennings Bryan, "Cross of Gold," speech 1896 speech Primary Source to give students a deeper understanding of Gilded Age political platforms.
Debating Strategies for Change: Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Du Bois
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
Use this Lesson with the Booker T. Washington, "Speech to the Cotton States and International Exposition," 1895 Primary Source to allow students to analyze and compare arguments for the early African American civil rights movement.
Unit 5 Civics Connection: Civil Rights and Economic Freedom
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
If this is the first time your students have considered constitutional principles, have them use the Principles and Virtues Glossary and focus specifically on checks and balances, due process, federalism, freedom of contract, liberty, and private property.
Women’s Suffrage and the Nineteenth Amendment
Lesson
Lesson
75 Min
Use this Lesson with Alice Paul and the Struggle for Women's Suffrage Narrative, the Elihu Root vs. William Jennings Bryan on Women's Suffrage, 1894-1914 Primary Source, and the Carrie Chapman Catt, Open Address to the U.S. Congress, 1917 Primary Source to further explore the journey of the women's suffrage movement.
The Progressive Movement DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson with the Wilsonian Progressivism Narrative and the Did the Progressive Movement Diverge from Founding Principles and Did It Affect the Purpose of Government? Point-Counterpoint to understand the Progressive Era.
Schenck v. United States DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson withThe Espionage Act of 1917 Primary Source to explore how domestic groups who spoke out against U.S. involvement in World War I were treated. Facilitation Notes: Students should know how to approach primary sources, as well as some factual background regarding the events and time period of World War 1.
Ernest Hemingway and the Lost Generation
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this Lesson to have students analyze the effect of WWI on western culture and how this was dealt with by authors such as Ernest Hemingway.
The KKK during Reconstruction vs. the KKK in the 1920s
Lesson
Lesson
85 Min
Use this Lesson with the Postwar Race Riots Narrative, The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s Narrative, and Marcus Garvey, "Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World," 1920 Primary Source to highlight the struggles of African Americans during the 1920s.
The Blues and the Great Migration
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson with the Langston Hughes, "I, Too" and "The Weary Blues," 1920 and 1925 Primary Source and the Andy Razaf (lyrics), Thomas "Fats" Waller and Harry Brooks (score), "Ain't Misbehavin'," Jazz and the Radio, 1929 Primary Source to show students how migration influence art and literature through the Harlem Renaissance movement. In this lesson, developed by and included with the permission of Teach Rock , students will analyze various accounts of the Great Migration to address the following question: How did the Great Migration spread southern culture and help give the blues a central place in American popular music?
Was the Use of the Atomic Bomb Justified? DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
Use this lesson with The Manhattan Project Narrative and the Dropping the Atomic Bomb Decision Point to show the development of the United States' nuclear program and subsequent use in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
Korematsu v. United States and Japanese Internment DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this lesson to have students explore the challenges to civil liberties faced by Japanese Americans in internment camps during WWII.
Unit 6 Civics Connection: The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives
Lesson
Lesson
60 Min
This lesson is best used at the end of the unit as a review of key events of the period and how they connect to Founding principles.
Unit 6 Civics Connection: The Constitution and Foreign Policy, 1898-1945
Lesson
Lesson
70 Min
This lesson is best used at the end of the unit as a review of key events of the period and how they connect to Founding principles.
McCarthyism DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
70 Min
Use this lesson with The Postwar Red Scare Narrative to discuss the impact McCarthy and widespread fear of Communism had during the 1950s. This Lesson can also be used with the Cold War Spy Cases Narrative and the George Kennan ("Mr. X"), "Sources of Soviet Conduct," July 1947 Primary Source.
Kennedy vs. Nixon: TV and Politics
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson with The Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate Narrative and the Richard Nixon, "Checkers" Speech, September 1952 Primary Source to have students analyze the impact television made on the perception of politicians in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Sound of the Suburbs
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson with the Dr. Benjamin Spock and the Baby Boom Narrative and the Levittown Videos, 1947-1957 Primary Source to analyze the impact that the baby boom and urbanization had on American culture.
Civil Disobedience across Time
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source ;The Music of the Civil Rights Movement Lesson; and the Civil Rights DBQ Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s
The Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source; the Civil Disobedience across Time Lesson; and the Civil Rights DBQ Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s.
Civil Rights DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source; the Civil Disobedience across Time Lesson; and The Music of the Civil Rights Movement Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s.
A Civil Rights Investigation: Mississippi Burning
Lesson
Lesson
Why did three civil rights workers disappear during the Freedom Summer of 1964? Engage students with primary source documents to investigate this question. This lesson was developed by and included with the permission the LBJ Presidential Library.
We Shall Overcome: The Fight for Voting Rights
Lesson
Lesson
In this lesson, developed by and included with the permission the LBJ Presidential Library, students will examine primary source documents associated with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Comparing Presidential Campaign Advertising 1964-1980
Lesson
Lesson
95 Min
Use this lesson to have students analyze strategies behind campaign advertising and how current events shape the way campaign advertising is designed.
The New York Blackout of 1977
Lesson
Lesson
80 Min
Use this Lesson at the end of the chapter while discussing Jimmy Carter to have students discuss the impact of urban decline and the U.S. government's intervention.
Vietnam War DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson with the Did U.S. Media Provide Fair and Accurate Coverage of the Tet Offensive? Point-Counterpoint following the Kent State Narrative to discuss the increase of anti-Vietnam War sentiments in the United States into the 1970s.
Unit 7 Civics Connection: Modern Liberalism, Limited Government, and Rights
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
Use this lesson at the end of the unit to review changes and continuities in the philosophy of modern liberation from 1944 to 1972.
Continuity and Change: Immigration in the United States
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson toward the end of the unit with the Barack Obama, Keynote Address at the Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2004 Primary Source to discuss the idea of the "American Dream" and its impact on immigration.
Security, Liberty, and the USA PATRIOT Act LLPH
Lesson
Lesson
90 Min
Use this lesson after covering 9/11 to discuss the post-9/11 United States and the implications for domestic and foreign policy. This lesson can be used with the The USA PATRIOT Act Narrative; the U.S. Military Intervention in Afghanistan Decision Point; the Does the Threat of Terrorism Justify Increased Surveillance? Point-Counterpoint; and the Was the Invasion of Iraq Justified? Point-Counterpoint.
George Washington’ Foreign Policy: Comparisons across U.S. History
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson at the end of the unit to review foreign policy throughout U.S. history.
Executive Power in Times of Crisis
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson at the end of the unit to have students review executive powers throughout U.S. history.
Cold War DBQ (1947-1989)
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson after students have read the introductory essay to introduce foreign policy milestones during Reagan's presidency. This lesson can be used with The Iran-Contra Affair Narrative; the "Tear Down This Wall" Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War Decision Point; and the Ronald Reagan, "Tear Down this Wall" Speech, June 12, 1987 Primary Source.
Unit 8 Civics Connection: Civil Discourse and Contentious Issues
Lesson
Lesson
65 Min
This lesson is best used at the end of the unit as a review of key events of the period and how they connect to Founding principles.
