United States - From 13 Colonies to Global Power

• New lesson editor
• History
• 6-9 Grade
• 9-12 Grade

Introduction

How did a group of colonies become the most powerful republic in the world, and who were at the helm?

Instructions

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to…

• explain why the United States became independent from Great Britain.
• place significant events from 250 years of American history in the correct timeline.
• explain how presidents and events have contributed to the growth of the US as a world power.

United States

from 13 colonies to global power

Which word do you think best fits

the history of the US?

1

Freedom

2

War

3

Global Power

4

Inequality

5

Something different . . .

Pre-knowledge activation task:

For each chosen category, have one student explain why they chose it.

Without devices

Hang four A4 sheets in the corners of the classroom: freedom, war, world power, and inequality

Ask on the slide: Which word do you think best fits the history of the US?

Students walk to a corner.

• explain why the United States became independent from Great Britain.
  

• place important events from 250 years of American history in the correct time.
  

• explain how presidents and events have contributed to the growth of the US as a world power.

At the end of

this lesson you can…

Why did the colonists revolt?

• British king increased taxes

• Colonists had no say

• “No taxation without representation”

• Influence of the Enlightenment

The Birth of the United States

Explain:
Before America became a world power, it consisted of 13 British colonies on the East Coast. The colonists became frustrated with the British King George III. Their biggest frustration? “No taxation without representation” (having to pay taxes but having no say in the British Parliament). This led to the American War of Independence (1775-1783).

Guiding questions:
- Why might people find taxation without representation unfair?
- What rights do we consider normal today?

What angered the colonists most?

A

They were not allowed to trade

B

They wanted their own king, not one from England

C

They wanted to belong to France

D

They had to pay taxes without a say

Would you rebel against a government if you had no say? Why or why not?

What do Americans celebrate on 4th July?

• Declaration of Independence

• Birth of a New Nation

• Ideas of Freedom and Equality

July 4, 1776

On 4 July 1776, the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson.

What are they celebrating? Not the end of the war (which lasted for years more), but the birth of the United States as an independent country.

The essence: The document was filled with Enlightenment ideals. Every person had the right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

1776: Declaration of Independence

The US officially breaks with Great Britain based on Enlightenment ideals.

1789: The Constitution

The US becomes a federal republic with the Trias Politica (separation of powers).

1861-1865: The American Civil War

The industrial North fights against the agrarian, slave-holding South. The North wins. Slavery is abolished.

1917-1918: First World War

The US abandons the isolationist course (Monroe Doctrine) and intervenes in Europe.

1929: Wall Street Crash

Great Depression. Worldwide economic crisis.

1941-1945: Second World War

After Pearl Harbor, the US joins the fight. The end of the war marks the beginning of the Cold War and the US as a 'superpower'.

Civil War: North = industry

South = plantations + slavery

Second World War

After Pearl Harbor, the US becomes a true world power.

Cold War

No direct war between the US and the Soviet Union, but a struggle between capitalism and communism.

1947-1991: The Cold War

Strijd tussen het kapitalistische Westen (VS) en het communistische Oosten (SU).

2001: Terrorist attacks (9/11)

The start of the War on Terror and a shift in global security policy.

Put the events in the correct order

World War

I

American Civil War

World War II

Declaration of Independence

The Constitution

The Cold

War

Wall

Street

Crash

9/11

1776

1789

1861–1865

1929

2001

1917-1918

1941-1945

1947-1991

Give students cards with events. Have them arrange themselves in order. Events:

1. Declaration of Independence

2. Constitution

3. Civil War

4. First World War

5. Stock Market Crash

6. Second World War

7. Cold War

8. Civil Rights Movement

9. 9/11

The President of the US is . . .

• head of state and government leader

• commander-in-chief of the military

• influential both domestically and internationally

• eligible for re-election every 4 years

President

But:

• The president does not have all the power.

• The power is distributed.

Link this to the separation of powers:
- President: executive power
- Congress: legislative power
- Supreme Court: judicial power

Question: Why is it wise to distribute power?

Who Can Stop a President?

A

The conference

B

The Judges

C

Both

D

No one

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Ronald Reagan

Abraham Lincoln

Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Presidents Who Shaped America

George Washington

He led the American army to victory over the British in the War of Independence as a general. As the very first president of the US, he established the office and set the blueprint for American democracy.

He guided the US through the bloody American Civil War, preventing the country from permanently falling apart. With the Emancipation Proclamation, he formally ended slavery in the United States.

He pulled the US out of the Great Depression of the 1930s with his economic New Deal. Then he led the country (and the Allies) through the Second World War and laid the foundations for the United Nations. He is the only American president to have been elected four times.

As president, Eisenhower stabilised the Cold War by ending the Korean War and strengthening the containment policy (curbing communism). Domestically, he ensured massive economic growth and the construction of the American highway system.

Reagan profoundly changed the American economy with his market-oriented policies (Reaganomics: lower taxes, less government intervention). Additionally, he put such economic and military pressure on the Soviet Union that it contributed to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

President's Challenge

Who am I?

George Washington

Ronald Reagan

Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt

US Recovery through

the Great Depression (New Deal) and World War II

The very first president and general during the War of Independence

Did the Soviet Union come

under such military and economic pressure that

the Cold War ended?

President during the Civil War, reunited the country and abolished slavery

Below are four descriptions and four images. Match the photo to the president.
- George Washington: The very first president and a general during the War of Independence.
- Abraham Lincoln: President during the Civil War, reunited the country and abolished slavery (assassinated in 1865).
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): Guided the US through the Great Depression (New Deal) and World War II.
- John F. Kennedy (JFK): President during the Cuban Missile Crisis and a symbol of the hopeful 1960s (assassinated in 1963).

Which president, in your opinion, had the greatest influence on the history of the US?

First, have students choose individually, then defend in pairs, and finally discuss as a class.

How is America doing now?

• still a world power

• significant political division

• influence on economy, technology, and culture

• debates on democracy and inequality

The influence of the USA is seen in:

• films and series

• music

• technology

• social media

• fashion

• fast food

Discuss current themes:
- elections
- social media
- economic power
- international role

Across America:

• large fireworks displays

• special museum exhibitions

• reenactments of historical events

• school projects

• debates on freedom and democracy

How is 250 years celebrated?

Not everyone views 250 years of the US the same way.

• Some celebrate freedom and democracy

• Others emphasise slavery, inequality, and exclusion

A Party for Everyone?

Can you celebrate a country and also be critical of its history?

president

war

important ideal

event from

the 20th century

Name 1. . .

president

war

important ideal

event from

the 20th century