US History Unit 2: The American Revolution

We spent a week on this topic just a few months ago in 7th grade, so this unit was focused on filling in a few remaining ideas about the government during the revolution.

My son started with two Crash Course US History videos: #6 “Taxes and Smuggling” and #7 “Who won the American Revolution?” The map activity was a simple map of the colonies. We studied the Declaration of Independence with short answer questions and the Articles of Confederation with a chart detailing limits of power compared to the current Constitution. Both of these assignments came from the textbook we’re using. The last day of the unit was spent watching the second chapter of America: The Story of US (Revolution). These were this unit’s test questions:

1. Explain why the colonists were unhappy with their treatment by England.  Include economic, political, and social issues.  Did all colonists feel this way?
2. There were two opposing views of the direction to take with England at the beginning of the 2^nd Continental Congress.  Describe these sides, including the Olive Branch Petition, and the final outcome of the Congress.
3. What was Common Sense by Thomas Paine?  What were the main arguments of this pamphlet?  How did these influence the Revolution and the Declaration of Independence?

He did a pretty decent job with those questions. I still had to give specific feedback after his first pass, but he did most of the work without help.

This unit we added the weekly states assignments – two states due each Friday. We having a blast reading all the bizarre facts my son’s finding for each state. FYI if you’re ever on a trolley in Rhode Island, don’t throw pickles.