American History

Upper School American History: Humanitas is a yearlong 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. While this American History Class will incorporate 20th Century History topics where relevant, please note 20th Century History is now offered as a separate course at Scholé Academy.

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 standalone American Government course.

Please note: This course is the equivalent of one high school credit in history.

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:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. 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.