Through this course, students will make connections across time between the challenges and issues in America today to a wide variety of historical events. This course offers a comprehensive overview of the history of the United States from the writing of the Constitution to the end of Reconstruction.
Students will begin the course by examining the founding documents of the U.S. and the ideals they set forth. They will learn about the challenges of a new nation, examine the factors leading to the Civil War, the bold goals of Reconstruction, and the impact of its failure. Throughout the course, students will learn about the ongoing struggle for many groups to gain civil rights and increased opportunity.
Students will use a variety of sources, including an online textbook and primary source documents, to gain a rich understanding of major events, turning points, and important figures in American history. Students will apply their growing knowledge and interpretation of American history through written responses demonstrating their synthesis of multiple perspectives. Students will choose and research selected topics in order to gain a deeper understanding of how the ideals in the founding documents have been realized throughout our history.
About the Self-Paced Course Model
Self-Paced courses are designed for students who need flexibility in their academic schedule. Teachers answer questions and interact with students in Private Topics, provide feedback on work, and host weekly office hours. Students work independently on course activities; the course does not include class discussion assignments or other collaborative work.
This course has start dates on each Wednesday throughout the year. Students must maintain enrollment for a minimum of 4 weeks and have up to 16 weeks to complete all assignments in the course. It is expected that students will work for approximately 90 hours to complete this course, though the amount of time may vary depending on a student’s work habits and comfort with the material.
