In this activity students will analyze documents that span the course of American history to determine their connection to the U.S. Constitution. Students will then make connections between the documents they have examined and the big ideas found within the Constitution.

U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

Who was Christopher Columbus? In this video, Kim explores Columbus's background, his search for royal patronage, and his first voyage in 1492. [5:08]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

In this video, Kim discusses how mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years of interaction and trade as each group sought to make sense of the other. [7:09]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

In the years after Columbus's first voyage, Spanish adventurers known as conquistadores began to colonize the surrounding areas of the Caribbean and the Americas. In this video, Kim explores the social changes that Spanish colonization created in the New World. [11:40]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Columbus's voyage connected the Americas, Europe, and Africa in a web of exchange that transformed the environments of the Old World and the New World. [9:16]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

The US Constitution established three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. In this video, Kim discusses how the Framers employed the concepts of separation of powers and checks and balances to limit the power of government. [9:23]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

How and why did the Northern and Southern parts of the United States begin to develop distinctive regional attitudes about the institution of slavery? In this video, Kim discusses how the economic systems and ideas of each region evolved over time, leading to two very different societies. [9:33]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Modern American political culture began to emerge in the early nineteenth century. In this video, Kim discusses the transition from the United States' earlier aristocratic political culture to a more democratic one as the right to vote was extended to a broader segment of American citizens. [5:49]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Rematch! Kim discusses the presidential election of 1828, when Andrew Jackson once again ran against John Quincy Adams and won. This election was the first to employ many modern election tactics, such as mudslinging. [6:21]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

In the final video in this series, Kim discusses Andrew Jackson's presidency and how he attempted to increase the power of the executive branch. A growing movement of opposition to Jackson coalesced into the Whig Party, which employed many of the same tactics as Jackson in the election of 1840. [12:42]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

The Market Revolution of the early nineteenth century changed the way Americans worked and did business. In this video, Kim discusses the inventions that brought new productivity and forms of work to American business - the Industrial Revolution. [11:30]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

What happened to the nineteenth-century temperance movement? Becca discusses the rise of the American Temperance Society, teetotalism, and the temporary pause in the movement that accompanied the Civil War. [6:19]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

In 1820, James Monroe articulated the US foreign policy goal of ending European colonization in the Americas. [14:32]

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Canals, railroads, steamboats, telegraphs! Kim talks about the transportation and communication revolutions of the early 19th century and how they changed American business. [10:24]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

The end of the Civil War, including Lee's surrender at Appomattox and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. [10:38]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Learn about early phases of the Civil War, from Bull Run to Antietam. [10:16]

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KA's historian Kim discusses the year 1864 of the Civil War, including Sherman's March to the Sea and the election of 1864. [8:49]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

During Reconstruction, three new amendments to the Constitution redefined freedom, citizenship, and democracy in the United States. But how much really changed? In this video, Kim examines continuity and change over time in the lives of African Americans in the South before and after Reconstruction. [6:48]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Kim and Sal talk about increased tensions between slave and free states as new territory is added after Mexican-American War and from Compromise of 1850 (especially the Fugitive Slave Act). [11:46]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.