American History

Upper School American History: Humanitas is a year long course that surveys American history and thought by going through American Origins and American Republic of the Humanitas curriculum. From the curriculum description, the Humanitas series is “geared towards history, humanities, and humane letters courses” and “offers a continuous, unfolding narrative of Western Civilization through a series of carefully curated primary source documents that trace the founding and beginnings of the American experiment.” The books culminate in the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and other important people and events are filled out with a supplementary American history survey book that takes us into more recent decades.

While this course primarily features historical study, it also integrates some studies from American literature, helping students to see and enjoy the integration of history and literature. This class is paired with our upper-school American literature course and scheduled back-to-back with that course in a “block.” Students who take both courses receive a discount. This course may also be taken as a standalone history study. Along with this, it also parallels the stand alone American Government Course.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

Humanitas: American Origins (books 1 and 2)
- ISBN: 978-1600514791
Humanitas: American Republic (books 1 and 2)
- ISBN: 978-1600514821

Note: a majority of each volume will be read, with some chapters being skipped for time.

Alison Johansen

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Alison Grace Johansen is a Scholé Academy instructor, tutor, and host of our poetry club. While tutoring in grammar and writing, she is teaching Classic Children’s Literature VII and Art of Poetry during the 2025-2026 academic year. Alison earned her Juris Doctor from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pa., and her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Richmond. She worked as a legal journalist in Washington, D.C., for over 13 years before pursuing writing and editing in all forms of media: legal and academic publishers, startups and larger companies, magazines, newsletters, websites, books, and social media platforms. She hopes to inspire her students to discover the many ways that they can use their own words to express themselves with truth, goodness, and beauty.
Alison lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Her dedication to her faith and children influences every part of her life, from teaching Sunday school and writing a children’s picture book about food allergies, to exploring the beauty of God’s world with her family. If they aren’t birdwatching and enjoying a walk outside with their dog Nugget, you might find them reading together or playing the piano, flute, guitar, ukulele, and drums!

Tisha Frost

[email protected]

Tisha Frost has been teaching in a variety of settings over the last 20 years after following one of the best pieces of advice she was ever given, “Be who God created you to be and you will set the world on fire” - St. Catherine of Siena. This inspired her to study both history and theology during her undergraduate years. She obtained a B.A. in American Studies, with a minor in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. She also holds a Master of Education from the University of Notre Dame, specializing in Middle School and High School Social Studies. Through her experiences of teaching many students, including her own children, she has seen the need for restful education that is focused on the true, good, and beautiful.

Tisha resides in Northern Minnesota with her husband and seven children. When she has a moment to herself, she enjoys children’s literature, British mysteries, good movies, and baking.

Quarter 1

Humanitas American Origins Book 1: Indigenous Americans to the Colonies
Toward New World, Coming to America, Life in the Colonies

Week 1: Indigenous Americans (1-2)
Week 2: The Authority and Limits of Human Government (3-4)
Week 3: The House of Tudor, or the Demise of Ancient Institutions (5-7)
Week 4: The House of Stuart, or the Overthrow of Tyrannical Kings (8-10)
Week 5: Settling New England and Jamestown (11-14)
Week 6: Life in Colonies: Indian and Settler Relations; Religious Life (15-18)
Week 7: Life in Colonies: Slavery; Church and State Challenges (19-22)
Week 8: Life in Colonies: Intellectual Life; Review; Response to the quarter

Quarter 2

Humanitas American Origins Book 2: Enlightenment to Revolution
New Thought, American Revolution

Week 1: Inalienable Rights, Separation of Powers; Social Contract; Enlightened Economics (25-28)
Week 2: American Distinctives, Background of the Revolution (29-31)
Week 3: Offending the Colonists (32-34)
Week 4: Patriot Arguments (35-37)
Week 5: Loyalist Arguments (38-40)
Week 6: The Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence (41-44)
Week 7: General George Washington, Valley Forge (45-48)
Week 8: France, Yorktown, End of War (49-50); Review; Response to the quarter

Quarter 3

Humanitas American Republic Book 1: Founding Fathers to Westward Expansion

Week 1: Blueprints of the Proposed Constitution; The Great Debate (1-4)
Week 2: Emergence of American Culture: Inalienable Rights, Slavery, Emigrants, Education (5-8)
Week 3: Emergence of American Culture: Machines, Oregon Trail (8-10)
Week 4: Clash of Civilizations, Native Americans (11-13)
Week 5: Enslavement and Emancipation (14-16)
Week 6: Religious Practices (17-20)
Week 7: Questions Surrounding Enlightenment and Equality (21-23); Literature (24-25)
Week 8: Expansion of American Experiment (26-28); Review; Response to the quarter

Quarter 4

Humanitas American Republic Book 2: Civil War and Reconstruction

Week 1: Threats to the Republic (29-31)
Week 2: Legal and Political Apparatuses of Slavery (32-33)
Week 3: The Constitution and Slavery (34-36)
Week 4: Secession and War Stories (37-40)
Week 5: War Stories continued (41-44)
Week 6: Reconstruction (45-48)
Week 7: American Centennial (49-50): Review; Response to the quarter
Week 8: Review year; Capstone Presentations on American History

Note: An “Honors Track” will be an option for students. This track will require additional reading and assignments. Specifics will be laid out in the course syllabi.

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

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