ChatGPT Image Nov 30, 2025, 08_53_57 AM.png

US History Curriculum Map

Designed for grades 7–12 social studies

Unit 1: Pre-Columbian to First Contact

ChatGPT Image Nov 30, 2025, 04_49_53 PM.png

This unit introduces students to the major Native civilizations, early European exploration, and the first waves of contact that reshaped the continent. Lessons focus on culture, exchange, and early conflict.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Native Peoples of North America
Lesson 2: Beliefs, Trade Networks, and Daily Life
Lesson 3: First Explorers to the Americas

Lesson 4: Motivations for Colonization

Lesson 5: First Contact
Lesson 6: Struggles of Early Settlements

What You Will Learn

How different Native cultural regions adapted to their environments through housing, food, technology, and trade.
What Native belief systems valued, including family, community, and connections to the land.
Who the earliest European explorers were and what motivated them.
How first contact reshaped life for Native peoples and Europeans, especially through disease and the Columbian Exchange.
Why early settlements struggled and what determined whether they survived or collapsed.

This US History Curriculum Map gives teachers a full-year, unit-by-unit pacing guide designed for grades 7–12. It outlines major topics, essential questions, and recommended lesson flow from the first civilizations in North America through modern America. Teachers can use this map as a scope and sequence guide, a planning tool, or a roadmap for integrating interactive lessons, simulations, and primary source analysis.

Unit 2:Colonial America

Lessons

Lesson 1: Jamestown Colony

Lesson 2: Plymouth Colony

Lesson 3: Life in the Thirteen Colonies

Lesson 4: New England Colonies

Lesson 5: Middle Colonies

Lesson 6: Southern Colonies

Lesson 7: Triangular Trade

Lesson 8: Beaver Wars

What You Will Learn

How early English settlements like Jamestown and Plymouth took root, struggled with disease and starvation, and adapted through cooperation, labor systems, and local conditions.
How relationships between colonists and Native nations shifted from uneasy alliances to tension and conflict as settlements expanded.
How the colonies developed regional identities—New England, Middle, and Southern—shaped by geography, climate, resources, and community structure.
How economic systems such as tobacco farming, maritime trade, indentured servitude, and the rise of slavery shaped life in the colonies.
How laws, town meetings, assemblies, and religious communities laid early foundations for self-government and future democratic ideas.

Unit 3: Countdown to Revolution

This unit shows how new taxes, protests, and rising tensions pushed the colonies from frustration to open resistance. Students follow the major events that slowly turned disagreement with Britain into a path toward revolution.

Lessons

Lesson 1: French and Indian War

Lesson 2: Pontiac's Rebellion

Lesson 3: Trouble Over Taxes

Lesson 4: Sons of Liberty

Lesson 5: Boston Massacre

Lesson 6: Boston Tea Party
Lesson 7: Battle of Lexington

What You Will Learn

How the end of the French and Indian War created new debts, new borders, and new pressure on Britain to tighten control over the colonies.
Why colonists reacted strongly to taxes like the Stamp Act and why “no taxation without representation” became a rallying cry.
How events such as the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party turned local conflicts into a larger movement for resistance.
How groups like the Sons of Liberty organized boycotts, protests, and pressure campaigns that spread from town to town.
How Britain’s crackdowns, harsher laws, and military presence convinced many colonists that compromise was slipping away.

Unit 4: American Revolution

This unit follows the road from declaring independence to fighting a full-scale war. Students will explore why the colonies broke from Britain, how the Revolution was fought, and how the conflict divided communities. They’ll also see what life looked like for real people, Patriots, Loyalists, and soldiers, caught in the struggle for a new nation.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Declaring Independence

Lesson 2: Fighting the Revolution

Lesson 3: Loyalists in the Revolution

Lesson 4: Soldiers in the Revolution

What You Will Learn

How events and tensions between Britain and the colonies led to the decision to declare independence.
The major ideas in the Declaration of Independence and how they challenged traditional views of government.
How the Continental Army and militia fought the Revolution despite shortages, setbacks, and a powerful enemy.
Why some colonists remained loyal to Britain and how the war affected their lives and communities.
What everyday experiences looked like for soldiers—training, equipment, hardships, and motivations.
How different groups (Patriots, Loyalists, enslaved people, women, and Native nations) were impacted by the Revolution.

Unit 5: A New Nation

This unit explains how the United States moved from the shaky Articles of Confederation to a stronger federal government. Students explore the Constitutional Convention, how the Constitution works, and why debates over power and rights shaped the early nation.

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Articles of Confederation

Lesson 2: Constitutional Convention

Lesson 3: How the Constitution Works

Lesson 4: The Bill of Rights

Lesson 5: Why We Have Political Parties

Lesson 6: The Debate Over Federal Power

Lesson 7: War of 1812

What You Will Learn

Why the Articles of Confederation struggled to hold the new nation together.
How delegates at the Constitutional Convention argued, compromised, and created a new system of government.
How the Constitution divides power, creates checks and balances, and outlines the roles of each branch.
Why the Bill of Rights was added and how it protects individual freedoms.
How political parties emerged from early disputes over the role of federal power.
How conflicts with foreign nations, including the War of 1812, tested the strength of the new government.

Unit 6: Westward Expansion

This unit shows how the United States expanded west and how that movement created new opportunities, hardships, and conflicts. Students look at major land deals, long journeys, and the impact of expansion on settlers and Native nations.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Louisiana Purchase

Lesson 2: Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lesson 3: Manifest Destiny

Lesson 4: Oregon Trail

Lesson 5: Trail of Tears

Lesson 6: Texas Becomes a States

Lesson 7: Donner Party

Lesson 8: California Gold Rush

What You Will Learn

How the Louisiana Purchase changed the size and future of the United States.
Why the Lewis and Clark Expedition mattered for mapping and understanding the West.
How the idea of Manifest Destiny encouraged Americans to push toward new lands.
What life was like on the Oregon Trail and why so many risked the trip.
How forced relocation—especially the Trail of Tears—affected Native nations.
How Texas became a state and how stories like the Donner Party reveal the dangers of westward travel.
How the Gold Rush reshaped the West and sped up migration.

Unit 7: Slavery in America

This unit examines the growth of slavery in America, the lives of enslaved people, and the ways they resisted the system. Students learn how the slave trade operated, how slavery shaped daily life and the economy, and how individuals and movements fought for freedom.

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Middle Passage

Lesson 2: Slavery in America

Lesson 3: Nat Turner's Rebellion

Lesson 4: Abolitionists

Lesson 5: The Underground Railroad

Lesson 6: Frederick Douglass

What You Will Learn

How the Middle Passage worked and what conditions enslaved Africans faced.
How slavery developed in America and how it shaped the country’s economy and society.
How enslaved people resisted through acts of courage, including Nat Turner’s Rebellion.
How abolitionists worked to expose slavery and push for its end.
How the Underground Railroad helped people escape to freedom.
How Frederick Douglass used his voice, writing, and life story to fight slavery.

Unit 8: The American Civil War

This unit covers how the Civil War started, how it unfolded, and what factors shaped its outcome. Students examine major events, leadership decisions, new technologies, and the experiences of soldiers on both sides.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Countdown to Civil War

Lesson 2: Lincoln Elected

Lesson 3: The Confederacy

Lesson 4: How the Union Won the War

Lesson 5: Civil War Soldiers

Lesson 6: Civil War Tech

What You Will Learn

Why the election of Abraham Lincoln triggered Southern secession and the creation of the Confederacy.
How the U.S. Constitution and the Confederate Constitution differed—and how those differences explain both why Southern states seceded and why the Confederacy struggled to fight an effective, united war.
How the attack on Fort Sumter pushed the nation into open war.
What happened at key early battles like Bull Run and what they revealed about the conflict.
How the Union’s advantages in manpower, industry, strategy, and leadership helped it win the war.
What daily life was like for Civil War soldiers, including hardships, supplies, and camp routines.
How new Civil War technology—from rifles to railroads—changed warfare.

Unit 9: Reconstruction

This unit explores what happened after the Civil War as the nation struggled to rebuild the South, protect the rights of freedpeople, and decide how far the federal government should go to enforce change. Students examine the progress, the pushback, and the unraveling of Reconstruction.

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Struggle to Rebuild

Lesson 2: After Emancipation

Lesson 3: Radical Reconstruction

Lesson 4: Terror in the South

Lesson 5: Quitting Reconstruction

What You Will Learn

How the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments ended slavery, defined citizenship, and expanded voting rights.
How Andrew Johnson’s lenient approach to Reconstruction clashed with Congress and slowed progress for freedpeople.
How Radical Reconstruction used federal power and new state governments to expand civil rights in the South.
How the KKK and race riots used violence and terror to stop Black political participation and weaken Reconstruction.
Why Reconstruction ultimately collapsed and how its failure shaped life in the South for decades.

Unit 10: The Last Frontier

This unit looks at how westward expansion transformed life on the Great Plains. Students learn about the wars, forced removals, boarding schools, and cultural changes that reshaped Native nations, as well as the myths and realities of life in the “Wild West.”

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Great Plains Wars

Lesson 2: From Homelands to Reservations

Lesson 3: Carlisle Indian School

Lesson 4: The Wild West

Lesson 5: Pioneers on the Plains

What You Will Learn

Why the Great Plains Wars erupted and how Native nations defended their land and way of life.
How federal policies forced Native peoples from homelands to reservations.
How the Carlisle Indian School and similar institutions attempted to erase Native cultures.
How the Wild West became a mix of reality and myth shaped by cowboys, lawmen, media, and western migration.
How pioneers and homesteaders changed the Plains—and how they depended on and conflicted with Native communities already living there.

Unit 11: Gilded Age & Industrialization

This unit looks at how rapid industrial growth changed work, cities, and daily life in America. Students explore factory conditions, immigration waves, the rise of big business, and how workers organized to demand better treatment.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Industrial Revolution

Lesson 2: Life in the Mills

Lesson 3: Ellis Island & Immigration

Lesson 4: The Gilded Age

Lesson 5: The Rise of Labor Unions

Lesson 6: Transcontinental Railroad

Lesson 7: Age of Electricity

What You Will Learn

How the Industrial Revolution transformed production, technology, and the American economy.
What life was like in mills and factories, including long hours, low wages, and unsafe conditions.
Why millions of immigrants came through Ellis Island and how they shaped American cities.
How wealth, corruption, and inequality defined the Gilded Age.
How workers formed labor unions to fight for safer conditions and fair pay.
How the Transcontinental Railroad connected the country and boosted industry.
How inventions during the Age of Electricity changed homes, businesses, and communication.

Unit 12: Progressive Era

This unit explores how Americans responded to corruption, unsafe working conditions, and social problems in the early 1900s. Students learn how reformers, journalists, and activists pushed for change in politics, workplaces, cities, and public health.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Progressive Era & Dirty Politics

Lesson 2: Fight for Women's Suffrage

Lesson 3: Prohibition

Lesson 4: Tenement Slums

Lesson 5: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Lesson 6: Dirty Food & Fake Medicine

What You Will Learn

How the Progressive Era challenged political corruption and pushed for government reforms.
How women fought for the right to vote and built the suffrage movement.
Why reformers pushed for Prohibition and what conflicts it created.
What life was like in tenement slums, and how journalists exposed unsafe, crowded conditions.
How the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire revealed dangerous factory practices and led to major safety reforms.
How the government and reformers cracked down on dirty food, fake medicine, and false advertising.

Unit 13: Imperialism & World War 1

This unit looks at how the United States expanded its power at the turn of the 20th century—first across the Pacific and then throughout Latin America. Students learn how overseas wars, new territories, and foreign policy doctrines reshaped America’s role in the world and set the stage for World War I.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Expansion Overseas

Lesson 2: Expanding Power in the Western Hemisphere

Lesson 3: Causes of WW1

Lesson 4: The Western Front

Lesson 5: America Joins the War

Lesson 6: Treaty of Versailles

What You Will Learn

Why the U.S. annexed Hawaii and what happened in the Spanish-American War.
How the U.S. gained control of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
How the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary expanded American power in Latin America.
How Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy” and Wilson’s “Moral Diplomacy” shaped foreign policy.
What caused World War I and how the war unfolded on the Western Front.
Why the U.S. entered the war and how the Treaty of Versailles attempted to rebuild Europe.

Unit 14: Boom & Bust

This unit explores how the 1920s brought explosive economic growth, new cultural trends, and rising social tensions—followed by the devastating crash of 1929, the collapse of the economy, and the Dust Bowl. Students will see how Americans adapted, struggled, and rebuilt through the New Deal.

Lessons

Lesson 1: The Roaring 20s

Lesson 2: A Supercharged Economy

Lesson 3: The New American Lifestyle

Lesson 4: Racism & Nativism

Lesson 5: The Crash of '29

Lesson 6:The New Deal

Lesson 7: Dust Bowl

What You Will Learn

How the 1920s reshaped American culture through new music, fashion, technology, and entertainment.
Why the economy boomed—and why it was built on shaky foundations.
How racism and nativism influenced politics, immigration policy, and everyday life.
What caused the stock market crash and how it triggered the Great Depression.
How the New Deal attempted to stabilize the economy and support struggling Americans.
How the Dust Bowl uprooted families, transformed the Great Plains, and deepened the crisis.

Unit 15: World War 2

This unit follows how dictatorships rose in Europe and Asia, how war spread across the globe, and how nations resisted occupation. Students trace major turning points in Europe and the Pacific, examine Japan’s expansion and the attack on Pearl Harbor, and evaluate the decision to drop the atomic bomb.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Dictatorship Rising

Lesson 2: Blitzkrieg and the Fall of Europe

Lesson 3: Occupation and Resistance

Lesson 4: Turning Points in Europe

Lesson 5: Japan's Road to Empire

Lesson 6: Pearl Harbor Attacked

Lesson 7: War in the Pacific

Lesson 8: Dropping the Bomb

What You Will Learn

How dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan gained power and threatened global stability.
How Blitzkrieg tactics reshaped early WWII and led to the rapid fall of Europe.
How people in occupied nations resisted Nazi and Axis control.
How major turning points—Stalingrad, Midway, D-Day—shifted the momentum of the war.
How Japan built its empire across Asia and the Pacific.
Why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and how the U.S. entered WWII.
What the Pacific War looked like, including island hopping, kamikazes, and brutal fighting conditions.
Why the U.S. chose to drop the atomic bombs and how that decision ended the war.

Unit 16: Human Rights in Crisis

This unit examines how Nazi Germany targeted Jewish people and other groups, how daily life changed under dictatorship, and how genocide unfolded across Europe. Students will also learn about Japanese wartime atrocities in Asia, the U.S. government’s internment of Japanese Americans, and the global response through the Nuremberg Trials.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Anti-Semitism on the Rise

Lesson 2: Life in Nazi Germany

Lesson 3: The Holocaust

Lesson 4: Japanese Atrocities in Asia

Lesson 5: Japanese Internment

Lesson 6: The Nuremberg Trials

What You Will Learn

How antisemitism intensified in Europe and created the conditions for Nazi ideology to take hold.
What daily life looked like under Nazi rule, including propaganda, surveillance, and loss of rights.
How the Holocaust was carried out — the ghettos, camps, and systematic murder of millions.
How Japan’s imperial expansion led to brutal atrocities across Asia during the 1930s–1940s.
Why Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII and how their rights were violated.
How the Nuremberg Trials set new global standards for justice, war crimes, and accountability.
How the creation of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reshaped global expectations for human rights after the war.

Unit 17: Cold War Nation

Lessons

Lesson 1: USSR vs. USA

Lesson 2: Containing Communism

Lesson 3: Red Scare America

Lesson 4: The Berlin Wall

Lesson 5: The Arms Race

Lesson 6: Duck and Cover

Lesson 7: The Space Race

Lesson 8: Cuban Missile Crisis

Lesson 9: Proxy Wars

Lesson 10: Fall of Communism

What You Will Learn

How the Middle Passage worked and what conditions enslaved Africans faced.
How slavery developed in America and how it shaped the country’s economy and society.
How enslaved people resisted through acts of courage, including Nat Turner’s Rebellion.
How abolitionists worked to expose slavery and push for its end.
How the Underground Railroad helped people escape to freedom.
How Frederick Douglass used his voice, writing, and life story to fight slavery.

Unit 18: Civil Rights Movement

This unit traces the fight for civil rights from Jim Crow segregation to the rise of Black Power. Students will see how activists challenged racist laws in both the South and the North, used boycotts, marches, court cases, and nonviolent protest, and how new voices pushed the movement in bolder directions.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Life in the Jim Crow South

Lesson 2: Redlining: Segregation in the North

Lesson 3: Rosa Parks

Lesson 4: Civil Rights Boycotts

Lesson 5: Freedom Riders

Lesson 6: Freedom Summer

Lesson 7: Martin Luther King Jr.

Lesson 8: Malcolm X

Lesson 9: The Black Panthers

What You Will Learn

How Jim Crow laws controlled daily life in the South and how Northern segregation operated through redlining.
Why individual acts—like Rosa Parks refusing her seat—sparked larger movements.
How grassroots protests such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, and Freedom Summer challenged racist systems.
How leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. shaped a nonviolent movement for equality.
How Malcolm X and the Black Panthers offered more militant approaches to racial justice.
How local, state, and federal responses to activism helped pass major civil rights legislation.

Unit 19: Modern America

This unit explores how America transformed after 1970—from factory decline to the rise of the digital age. Students will examine globalization, climate change, shifting immigration patterns, political polarization, and the impact of new technologies like the internet and artificial intelligence. The unit ties together how these changes reshaped jobs, communities, culture, and daily life.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Post Cold War World
Lesson 2: War on Terrorism

Lesson 3: America's Rust Belt

Lesson 4: Globalization

Lesson 5: The Digital Revolution

Lesson 6: Climate Change

Lesson 7: Immigration & Population Changes

Lesson 8: Growing Political Rifts

What You Will Learn

How the end of the Cold War reshaped America’s role in global affairs.
Why factory closures and job shifts created the Rust Belt.
How globalization connected economies and changed American industries.
How the digital revolution—computers, the internet, smartphones, and AI—transformed daily life.
What scientists say about climate change and how it affects the U.S. today.
How immigration and demographic shifts have changed communities across the country.
Why political polarization has increased in recent decades.
How terrorism—especially the attacks on September 11, 2001—changed national security, foreign policy, and everyday life.