Unit
Unit 6: America in Transition (1815-1860)
Guiding question
How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
This unit invites students to analyze the rapid changes of the 19th century and explore how various groups, including women, immigrants, and religious communities, responded. It emphasizes how Americans and democratic institutions responded to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century.
Lessons
How did democratic participation expand in the United States?
How did reform movements in the early nineteenth century address the social and economic challenges of the era?
How did industrialization and urbanization transform the economy, society, and culture of the United States in the nineteenth century?
How did reform movements in the early nineteenth century address the social and economic challenges of the era?
How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early 19th century?
How did Andrew Jackson's presidency reshape American politics?
How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Unit resources
How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early 19th century?
An activity to help students identify expansions and restrictions of voting rights over time.
Help students sort primary sources into categories to illustrate understanding of nineteenth century social movements.
Help students analyze the different reform movements from the nineteenth century.
Analyze cause and effect relationships using primary sources and historical reasoning.
An interactive political cartoon of Andrew Jackson.
How did Andrew Jackson's presidency reshape American politics?
Student Response Handout that helps students analyze a political cartoon to build background knowledge for the deconstructed DBQ.
Scaffolded Document Set that addresses the question: How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
Analyze primary sources to answer a historical prompt.
Document Set that addresses the question: how did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?
What were the key events of Jackson's presidency and how did they impact on our constitutional system?
Standards
Related content
Guiding Question: How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century? About the Video Series: Our video resources in the Building a Self-Governing People middle school curriculum integrate primary source analysis with Document-Based Question (DBQ) skills to deepen student learning. Use them to launch your assessment lesson or to support students who need a refresher on DBQ strategies. Each video features two young professionals: a museum curator leading a gallery tour and an educator accompanying students on a field trip. The curator models how to analyze primary sources such as historical documents and artwork. Then, the educator demonstrates how to use that analysis to answer a compelling historical question. For guidance on how to use the videos within your lessons, refer to the unit’s Deconstructed DBQ Lesson Plan.