The Mindspring "U. S. History" curriculum adheres to state standards for most states' eighth grade English language Arts and Social Studies standards.  It is always suggested by Mindspring that parents review their child's curriculum regardless of the source or service employed.  Educational freedom provides parents with opportunities and responsibilities as the foundational providers of family guidance.  Feel free to enhance, replace, or omit sections of this curriculum. Mindspring is here to support you in this endeavor.

English Language Arts 8 & Social Studies 8 Syllabus
American History

Unit 1: North America Before the Declaration of Independence
-Native Peoples
-The Explorers
-The Colonies
Unit 2:  The American Revolution
-Under the Rule of the British Crown
-The Desire for Independence
-The Beginning of the Revolutionary War
-The Declaration of Independence
-Important Battles of the Revolutionary War
-Women of the Revolution
-The End of the Revolutionary War
-Project Assessment #1

Unit 3: The Constitution and The U. S. Government
-The Birth of the United States Constitution
-What is a Republic?
-The Articles
-The Amendments
-The Legislative Branch
-The Executive Branch
-The Judicial Branch
-Project Assessment #2

Unit 4:  The Civil War and Reconstruction
-Slavery, States Rights, and The Road to War
-Secession
-The Civil War Begins
-Important Battles
-Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
-Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee
-Black Soldiers of the Civil War
-Women of the Civil War
-The End of the War and the Assassination of President Lincoln
-The Reconstruction of the South
-The Civil Rights Act of 1866
-The Fourteenth Amendment
-The Fifteenth Amendment
-Jim Crow and Segregation
-Project Assessment #3

Unit 5: Westward Expansion
-The Louisiana Purchase
-Moving West
-The California Gold Rush
Unit 6: Industrialization
-Industrialization Comes to America
-Improvements in Transportation
-Rapid Expansion of Technology
-Growth of Business
-Cultural Change
Unit 7: The Twentieth Century
-World War I
-The Great Depression
-The New Deal
-World War II
-Post WWII to Ronald Reagan
-The End of the Millennium
-Project Assessment #4

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