NA Senior High School

I.                   In class during the first meeting

Syllabus explanation and discussion (in-class)

Assignment: What Is History?  Quotation analysis and discussion (in-class, blackboard responses)

II.         Overview – The History of the United States

                        Textbook distribution, In-class pretest: Major historic time periods

III.     The Year 1491

            The American Pageant (hereafter referred to as “Text”) pp 5-11

            Did the Americas “belong” to the Native-Americans that lived there before the coming of the Europeans? Why or why not?

IV.   Columbus Discovers America?

            Text pp 14-16

            In what ways is it legitimate to state that Christopher Columbus discovered America?  In what ways is this incorrect?

V.    A Clash of Cultures: Spain and the Native-Americas

            The American Spirit Volume I (hereafter referred to as “Spirit”): pp 1-2(Vespucci), 3-4(de Sepulveda),  4-6(de Las Casas)

            What misconceptions did the Spanish have about the people of the Americas?  How did these misconceptions affect the relationship between the two groups?

    VI.   Conquistadores and the Black Legend

                  MODERATION

                  Text pp 16-19; 22-24

What positive results emerged from the conquests of the Spanish in the New World?  What negatives resulted?

VII.   The Coming of the English

Text pp 27-30 (top of second column)

What factor is most responsible for motivating the English to engage in exploration and settlement?  Explain.