United States · Common Core State Standards
8th Grade American History
The story of the United States from colonial settlement through the Progressive Era. US 8th Grade Social Studies covering colonization, revolution, the Constitution, expansion, the Civil War, and industrialization.
Colonial Foundations & Tensions
European settlement, diverse colonial regions, the origins of slavery, and the growing tensions that would eventually spark a revolution.
Jamestown, Plymouth, and beyond: why Europeans came to North America and how they established colonies with distinct identities.
Daily life, social structures, and cultural practices across the colonies, from New England town meetings to Southern plantations.
The Atlantic slave trade and the establishment of race-based slavery in the colonies.
A global conflict that changed the map of North America and the relationship between Britain and its colonies.
How new religious fervor and scientific reasoning challenged traditional authority in the colonies.
The Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Boston Massacre: how colonists organized to protest British taxes.
Revolution & Independence
From protest to war to a new nation: the American Revolution and the bold experiment of creating a government.
The impact of Thomas Paine's pamphlet and the shift toward wanting full independence.
Thomas Jefferson's statement of human rights and the formal break from Great Britain.
Key battles, the Continental Army, and the military strategies of Washington and the British.
The roles and experiences of women, African Americans, and Native Americans during the war.
The diplomatic end to the war and the challenges of establishing a new national boundary.
The Constitution & Governing
The struggle to create a lasting framework for government that balances power and liberty.
The first attempt at a national government and why it ultimately failed to provide stability.
The debates over representation, slavery, and the presidency at the Constitutional Convention.
The core concepts of Federalism, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances.
The fierce national debate over the ratification of the Constitution.
The first ten amendments and their protection of individual liberties.
Establishing the cabinet, the court system, and the precedents for future leaders.
The birth of the first political parties and their differing visions for the nation.
Expansion, Nationalism & Sectionalism
The growth of the United States across the continent and the internal divisions that grew alongside it.
Thomas Jefferson's doubling of the nation's size and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The "Second War for Independence" and its impact on American identity.
America's bold statement against European colonization in the Western Hemisphere.
The rise of the "common man," the spoils system, and the expansion of democracy.
The forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes and the impact on Native American sovereignty.
The Erie Canal, steamboats, and the early factory system in the North.
Reform, Manifest Destiny & Sectional Crisis
The push for social change and the territorial expansion that led to a divided nation.
The organized effort to end slavery, featuring leaders like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.
The early struggle for suffrage and legal equality led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The belief in American exceptionalism and the annexation of the Lone Star Republic.
A conflict over borders that resulted in the acquisition of the American Southwest.
The 1849 migration and its impact on the economy, environment, and diversity of the West.
Bleeding Kansas, the Dred Scott decision, and the rise of the Republican Party.
The Civil War & Reconstruction
The breakdown of the Union, the struggle of the war, and the attempt to rebuild a unified nation.
The victory of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent secession of Southern states.
Comparing the strengths/weaknesses of the Union and the Confederacy.
Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and the shift in Union leadership.
Lincoln's wartime executive order and its impact on the purpose of the war.
Sherman's March, the surrender at Appomattox, and the assassination of Lincoln.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and the definition of citizenship.
The rise of Jim Crow, the Compromise of 1877, and the legacy of the era.
Industrialization, Immigration & Reform
The transformation of America into an urban, industrial giant and the push to fix the resulting problems.
The rise of big business, monopolies, and the "Robber Barons" like Carnegie and Rockefeller.
Workers organizing for better pay, shorter hours, and safer conditions.
The wave of immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.
The rapid growth of cities and the challenges of sanitation, housing, and crime.
Muckrakers, trust-busting, and the expansion of the federal government's role.
The final push for the 19th Amendment and the different tactics used by activists.
The movement to protect America's natural resources and the creation of National Parks.
The era of Plessy v. Ferguson and the movement of African Americans to Northern cities.