Literature-based American History (I): Prehistory through 1812.

The weather is gorgeous, and it's the first real week of summer vacation, but I have one seven-year-old with pneumonia, and so we're all more or less stuck around the house this week. 

I guess the timing isn't too bad, since I have a number of things I want to do to put the school year properly to bed.  I'm writing up a little summary of the year for the two older kids -- sort of a report card -- and trying to put together a final summary of my three-year literature-based American History survey, which I finished just a couple of weeks ago.

There's another place where the timing is good.  I'm going to be starting all over again in the fall teaching "Prehistory through 1812" to  another crop of children.

Anyway, I've posted on this before, but I thought I'd share my American history curriculum choices.  This is the first year:  Pre-history through 1812.  I've provided some links to other posts I've written.  Incidentally, beside what's here, we also used appropriate pages in a good history encyclopedia -- Usborne has one, for example.

I should note that I used a couple of materials from Seton in order to supplement the program with some Catholic heritage (such as, for example, the notion that converting Mexico to Christianity was on balance a good thing).   When I started this program I was not working with any other families on it -- so I still have to run the Catholic materials by the parents of the other children I'm teaching, who are not Catholics, in order to find out whether I should use them with their children, or save them for use just in our own family.  I will likely draw heavily, too, from Joy Hakim's The History of US,  which I didn't discover till I was doing the second year.

So here goes...

American History I

Unit 1. First Immigrants and Native Peoples   (4 weeks).  More detail in this post.

• Fradin, Hiawatha, Messenger of Peace       
• Yue, The Wigwam and the Longhouse   [Note:  There are a number of books by Yue about historical housing structures.  They are all good.]
• Bauer, Story of the World, Volume II, Ch 32 "The American Kingdoms"
• Seton, The Catholic Faith Comes to the New World, Chapter One, "The Dawn of History"
• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter Two, "The Norsemen"
• SOTW, part of chapter 14, "The Arrival Of The Norsemen"
• SOTW, Chapter 33 "Spain, Portugal, and the New World"

Unit 2.  Europeans Get Interested In The Americas  4 weeks.  More detail here.  Particularly if you want to know how I handled the "Columbus problem."

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter Three, "The Holy Land and Beyond"
• SOTW Chapters 31, 41, 33, 28
• A Child's History of the World Chapters 62, 63
• Maestro, The Discovery of the Americas      
• Optional:  Fritz, Around The World in a Hundred Years:  From Henry the Navigator to Magellan
• Optional:  Fritz, Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?

Unit 3.  The Spanish, French, Dutch, and English Settlers  (4 weeks).  More detail here.  Including what I decided not to use, and why.

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 5 "The Spanish Influence"
• Jones, Protector of the Indians (novel length)  -- finding this is my pride and joy.  It is a biography of Fray Bartolome de las Casas.  Even if you can't find the biography, studying him would be totally worthwhile.  
• Whiting, Junipero Jose Serra 
• Seton, American History for Young Catholics, Chapter 3, "The Conversion of Mexico" 
• Seton, AHFYC, Chapter 4, "St. Augustine, Oldest City in the U. S."     
• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 6, "The English Settlers"
• SOTW Chapters 40, 41:  "New Ventures to the Americas," "Explorations in the North"
• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 7, "The French, Dutch, and English Settlers"
• Orfeo, St. Isaac Jogues:  With Burning Heart
• Foster, 1620:  Year of the Pilgrims    
• Dalgliesh, America Builds Homes     
• Fritz, Who's Saying What in Jamestown, Thomas Savage? <--Note:  Includes non-sucky story of Pocahontas

 Unit 4.  Colonial Expansion and the Western Frontier  2 weeks.  

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 8, "Colonial Expansion"
• Foster, The World of William Penn (1660-1718)   
• Daugherty, Daniel Boone (fairly long)     
• Gridley, Pontiac           

 Here's more detail, including a discussion of the surprisingly balanced treatment that Daugherty gives the Shawnee.

Unit 5.  Life in Colonial America  (4 weeks)

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 9, "Life in Colonial America"
• Foster, George Washington's World:  I, "When George Washington Was A Boy"
• Haskins, Building a New Land:  African Americans in Colonial America (covers wider time period, though.)  James Haskins is an author I returned to again and again over all three years for material about experiences of African-Americans.  
• Schaun, Everyday Life in Colonial Maryland
• Benjamin Franklin, The Whistle     
• D'Aulaire, Benjamin Franklin   
• Meadowcroft, Benjamin Franklin  (optional; novel-length)  
• Pinkney, Dear Benjamin Banneker
• Benjamin Franklin, "A Narrative of the Late Massacres, in Lancaster County, of a Number of Indians, Friends of this Province, by Persons Unknown" 1764 

 More detail here.

Unit 6.  The French and Indian War (1 week)

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 10, "The French and British Struggle"
• Foster, George Washington's World:  II, "When George Washington Was A Soldier"

 

Unit 7.  Setup of the American Revolution   (5 weeks)

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 11, "Liberty and Justice For All"
• Foster, George Washington's World, III.  "When George Washington Was A Farmer"
• Fritz, Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?  
• Schanzer, George vs. George        
• Fradin, The Boston Tea Party      
• Fritz, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
• Fritz, Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?      
• Henry, Patrick, speech:  "The War Inevitable"
• Fritz, Why Don't You Get A Horse, Sam Adams?  <--- my very very very favorite Jean Fritz book
• Jefferson, "A Summary of the View of the Rights of British America"

 More detail here including some discussion of other good books that I didn't use for one reason or another.

Unit 8.  The American Revolutionary War  (4 weeks)

• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 12, "The American War of Independence"
• Millender, Crispus Attucks, Boy of Valor (selected chapters)  
• Seton, TCFCTTNW, Chapter 13, "The Tide Turns"
• Foster, George Washington's World, IV.  "When George Washington Was The Commander"
• Morris, The American Revolution (for coverage of major battles)  
• Ferris, Remember the Ladies:  A Story about Abigail Adams
• Holbrook, The Swamp Fox of the Revolution (optional; novel length) 

 Unit 9.  How the Government Began  (3 weeks)

• Foster, George Washington's World, V.  "When George Washington was Just A Citizen"
• Fritz, Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution!  (note, this is longer than most Fritz books) 
• Morris, First Book of the Constitution (to supplement Fritz above)  
• Fisher, Our Independence and the Constitution  
• Madison, Hamilton, and Jay, Federalist Papers (selected)
• Constitution of the United States (selected, particularly the entire Bill of Rights)
• Brindze, All About Courts and the Law

 Unit 10.  Early U. S. Expansion and War  (4 weeks)

• Foster, George Washington's World, VI. "When George Washington Was President"
• Yero, The Bill of Rights (National Geographic)      l
• Keller, Alexander Hamilton (second half)       l
• Falkner, John Adams:  Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution
• Harness, Thomas Jefferson
• Optional alternative:  Fradin, Who Was Thomas Jefferson?  (This intermediate reader may be used if parents judge its brief but frank discussion of Sally Hemings to be appropriate)
• Tallant, The Louisiana Purchase (some)       bought $5
• Daugherty, Of Courage Undaunted
• Fritz, The Great Little Madison (for the War of 1812; selected passages)   l

 

Postscript:  The American Legend and overview 1 week

• Fritz, Who's That Stepping On Plymouth Rock?

 I like the last book because it's Jean Fritz, of course, but also because it's the story of how historical facts got distorted into a myth and a local legend.  Something to keep in mind as they continue to encounter historical information!

Comments

[MrsDarwin]

Oh, this is excellent. We're on to American History this year, and I'm so over Story of the World. I soured on her when we hit Luther in Volume 2. I'm going to print out this list and study it. Thanks!

[bearing]

I still use SOTW for world history, but it does have serious flaws (especially from a Catholic perspective). I got around it by using other sources when necessary.

[Amber]

Thanks so much for posting this! I've been poking along on US History and I feel like I need to be a little *ahem* more focused. In about two years we've only managed to get through the Revolutionary War! (and actually, I still have some read-alouds I want to do, but that'll work just fine over the summer) But we've had a lot of fun with it and read some wonderful books. And my oldest only just finished 3rd grade... so perhaps that's ok. But still!

[Christian]

Hey, you may like this Song of Hiawatha by Michael Oldfield of "Tubular Bells" fame. Along with some beautiful illustrations in a book I read as a kid, this song means Hiawatha to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n7LbmTyhMg

[joy]

Is there a particular grade you're using for _American History for Young Catholics_?

[joy]

Sorry, I see now Grade 1!