1.1 Antebellum America Lesson Essential Question: How closely did the United States in 1850 reflect the founders’ vision for the nation?

Objectives: Describe the early evolution of the U.S. political system during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Describe key trends that changed the U.S. economy and society during the middle of the 1800s.

Common Misconceptions The United States was not always an industrial nation. As a result of new technology and a wealth of natural resources, the nation, especially cities in the North, became more focused on manufacturing and processing goods during the early 1800s. The U.S. Supreme Court has the power to interpret the Constitution. Several Supreme Court decisions have affected the development of the nation’s laws. The political system in the United States has not always been the same democratic system that it is today. This system has evolved over time as the U.S. economy and society have changed.

Prior Knowledge You should already have knowledge of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. You should also have a working knowledge about why the United States revolted under British rule in order to examine the significance of why the Founders established a limited government and split the powers between the state and federal levels, as well as the separate branches of government.

ENGAGE TAB 1. Spend three to four minutes reading the quote from “The Declaration of Independence, 1776”. 2. Think-pair-share: 1. What does the passage from the Declaration of Independence mean? 2. Based on this passage, what do you think was the Founders’ purpose for writing the Declaration of Independence? 3. Why do you think the Founders included the assertion that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence?

ENGAGE TAB Spend one or two minutes reading the “Abraham Lincoln, 1857” quote Think-pair-share: Discuss this quote and its relationship to the Declaration of Independence with one another. As part of this discussion, have the think-pair-share groups consider why Abraham Lincoln might have thought the assertion that “all men are created equal” was reserved for “future use.” Do you think that all men were treated equally in the United States when the nation was first founded? How about today? Give them time to discuss their reasoning and to think of a few examples of where they see that “all men are created equal” in the United States today.

View the video segments Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments (1848) (2:37) and Battle Over Equal Rights (6:21) These were two social developments in the United States, one in the mid-1800s and one in the 1970s, that sought to expand the Founders’ vision that “all men are created equal” by guaranteeing equal rights for all people, including women. 1. How did the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments help people establish a movement for equal rights of women, based on the Founders’ vision? 2. Do you think the Founders would have passed the Equal Rights Amendment? Why or why not?

Antebellum America: Change Over Time Spend 15 minutes taking notes as you read the text and view the media under the headings “Roots of a Nation,” “Protecting Rights,” and “Separation of Powers.” Each student in a group choose a different piece of media on each page and share its significance with group members.

Antebellum America: Change Over Time You will watch short clips of the video segment “Federal Law Over State Law”. After each clip, you will write down a list of everything you can remember from the segment for 60 seconds without lifting their pen/pencil from the paper. Use the information from the video segment, along with EXPLORE resources, to complete the Timeline by outlining the important Supreme Court decisions during the early 1800s as they finish reading the text and viewing the multimedia on “Marbury v. Madison” and “Government of the People?” Remind groups to divide up the video segments so that each student chooses a different one and explains its significance to the others, sharing their notes.

Understanding the meaning and historical significance of the mottos “E Pluribus Unum” and “In God We Trust,” complete the Symbols of the United States Assignment on page 1 of the EXPLORE tab. Assignment Objective: Students analyze the meaning and historical significance of past and present mottos and symbols of the United States. Proficient student responses will include the following: accurate evidence to support each analysis reasonable analyses of past and present mottos of the United States, as well as another symbol of the country a detailed board explaining the history and current meanings each motto/symbol Antebellum America: Change Over Time