• Transcends time and place,
  • Helps students understand and explain causal relationships in history,
  • Influences many subsequent events,
  • Affects a large number of people,
  • Helps us discern patterns to explain the world around us,
  • Has many clear and related examples,
  • Helps students see history from many different perspectives,
  • Helps students understand the past motivations and actions within the historical context of the time the event occurred, and
  • Illustrates that many different narratives or stories can be told in American and Michigan History.

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.4LE1, III.5LE2

Definition: Seventy five million people populated the Western Hemisphere by 1492, most of them living in present day Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands and Peru.

Explanation: In North America native peoples grouped themselves into several hundred nations and tribes speaking many languages. They lived in every ecological region. They flourished and transformed the landscape. They created a web of trails and roads, and built hunting camps and villages, and cleared land for cornfields. Their ability to see themselves as acting with nature rather than conquering nature was a unifying philosophy of very diverse people.

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE1, I.2LE2, II.4LE2, II.4LE6, III.1LE2, IV.2LE1, IV.4LE1, V.2LE1

Definition: The Iroquois League was comprised of five Iroquois tribes. Each tribe retained its own system of self-government. They came together as a league to settle matters such as war and trade. Matters of mutual importance were decided by a Great Council which was composed of members of all five tribes. The oldest women of each tribe chose the male council member to represent them. All had to agree, unanimously, before any action was taken. The Iroquois League was also known as the Iroquois Confederation.

Explanation: A comparison of the Iroquois with other groups allows students to see how people adapted to their circumstances. The Iroquois provide an example of how a non-European culture organized politically. This union made the Iroquois a formidable force relative to other tribes that did not unite politically. Students can gain understanding from the comparison of how Europeans and non-Europeans living in North America solved governance problems.

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.2LE4, II.3LE3, II.3LE4, III.5LE2, IV.5LE3

Definition: North American Native Americans are generally grouped by shared cultural characteristics into ten groups. Often identified as Arctic, Sub Arctic, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Great Basin, California, Southwest, Eastern Woodlands (Northeast), and Eastern Woodlands (Southeast).

Explanation: The region in which Native Americans lived often determined much about their way of life such as clothing, food, and housing. Many aspects of Native American culture were the same independent of geographic region, like the maintenance of trade networks, adoption of the bow and arrow and ceramic pottery, a preference for seasonal food procurement and for communities based on kinship.

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.2LE4, II.3LE3, II.3LE4, III.5LE2, IV.5LE3

Definition: Seeking a western water route to Asia, Columbus' voyages to the Caribbean Islands and Central America launched the exploration and exploitation of the Americas.

Explanation: Columbus' journeys initiated the transfer of people, ideas, plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Gold, silver, and other resources taken from the Americas made European nations wealthy and powerful.

Columbus' voyages to the New World began an era of cultural exchanges and cultural diffusion that makes America what it is today. Columbus' journeys , called the Columbian Exchange, provides many clear examples of how the meeting of different peoples will change their lifestyles, cultural practices, ideas, laws and the tools they use. A careful study of this event will help students understand how this movement of people to the New World changed forever the groups that interacted with one another. It will also help students explain what changes occurred during the process of cultural diffusion among these groups.

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.4LE1, III.5LE2

Vasco da Gama & Magellan

Definition: 1497-1499 Vasco da Gama successfully navigated an eastern sea route to Asia, and his exploration helped expand the Portuguese trade in African slaves. 1519-1522 Ferdinand Magellan was the first to circumnavigate the world while seeking a westward route to Asia, and initiated European navigation along the Pacific coast.

Explanation: The exploits of Vasco da Gama and Magellan are examples of the European drive to claim the world's resources as their own and master nature. The dreams of discovering a practical trade route to the Far East was a driving force for many of the early European explorers. To access the resources available in the Far East, these explorers had to overcome many challenges posed by geography and nature.

With this Event, teachers can help students see how the challenges posed by geographic limitations were faced by explorers of new lands. It will help them explain the cultural influences that made these new discoveries a goal for Europeans. It will also help them answer the question of what motivated them to face these challenges.

de Soto and Champlain

Definition: Hernando de Soto, Spanish explorer who from 1539-1543 searched the area from Florida North to the Appalachians and west to Southern Texas for gold. Samuel de Champlain, French explorer who founded Quebec in 1608 and the first enduring French Settlement on Canadian soil.

Explanation: The contrast between the two explorers helps to explain the goals of France and Spain. De Soto sought gold and would settle for nothing else. He cruelly mistreated the Native Americans while spreading disease amongst them. Champlain by contrast immediately began trade with the Huron and assured the survival of the Settlement at Quebec by making even more alliances with other tribes including the powerful Iroquois confederacy.

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE3, I.2LE1, III.5LE1, III.1LE2, III.1LE3, III.2LE1, III.2LE3

Definition: The French, Dutch, Spanish and English all claimed land in North America.

Explanation: By 1625 while thousands of Europeans had come to North America only 1800 actually were living there. Two thirds of those Europeans lived in Virginia. Huge tracts of land were being awarded to royal friends and business partners as efforts to colonize North America continued.

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.4LE1, III.5LE2

Definition: The development of early colonies by European naval powers was shaped by location and natural resources.

Explanation: St. Augustine, Quebec, New Amsterdam, and Massachusetts all represent different perspectives of a common set of questions. Why did these people move from their original homes? Why did they settle in those specific locations? What did they hope to gain by moving there? How did they cope with the physical and human environment in there new locations? Students who can answer these questions will begin to understand the relationships between the climate and location of these settlements, the natural resources they offered, and the cultures of the people who lived there. This interaction helps explain the influence these factors had on the developing culture.
St. Augustine established by the military - Spanish
Quebec established a center for trade and exploration - French
New Amsterdam established for trade - Dutch
Massachusetts establish colonies for religious communities English

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE3, I.2LE1, III.5LE1, III.1LE2, III.1LE3, III.2LE1, III.2LE3

Definition: The House of Burgesses was the Virginia Colonys first elected legislature. The Mayflower Compact document set up an early plan of self government in the colonies.

Explanation: Two more examples of the relationship between historical events and changing ideas and beliefs are the House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact. The House of Burgesses was created to help address problems faced by the Jamestown settlers. It planted the seeds of representative government in America. It was the first self-governing body in the English colonies. The Mayflower Compact was another instance of the English colonists' determination to live under a rule of law. In both cases early settlers organized themselves to survive the many challenges faced in the New World. These Events provide good examples how the ideas, values and beliefs of those early European settlers would influence American politics and institutions.

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE1, I.2LE2, II.4LE2, II.4LE6, III.1LE2, IV.2LE1, IV.4LE1, V.2LE1

Definition: Each region in colonial America had unique characteristics that related to its location, climate, and the people who settled there. The Southern Colonies commitment to cash crops distinguished them from the agricultural centers of the Middle Colonies, and the ship building and fishing industries of the New England Colonies.

Explanation: By studying similarities and differences between life in New England, the Middle and Southern colonies students can gain an understanding of the factors that shaped the lives of early colonists and insights into their own lives. Making these comparisons helps students explain why these different groups lived as they did and how they managed to prosper in their time and location. By looking at similarities and differences in these three important regions of colonial development, students can see patterns that might remain hidden if studied in isolation.

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.4LE1, I.3LE2, I.3LE3, VI.1LE1, VI.1LE2

Definition: All people of African decent living in North America were not enslaved, some had status of indentured servants others were free men.

Explanation: Slavery as an institution while universally abhorrent did not operate under a single set of rules. Some enslaved Africans were allowed to raise crops, poultry and hogs to be sold for cash and earned through their own skill money enough to pay for their freedom. Others were given freedom as a condition of the settlement of the will of their owners. These free blacks were often skilled artisans who moved to cities to practice their trade.

Benchmark Alignment: I.4LE1, I.3LE2, I.3LE3, VI.1LE1, VI.1LE2

Definition: By 1860, nearly 4,000,000 enslaved people were made to labor as farm or plantation workers, miners, carpenters, factory workers, and house servants. While some were treated well, most were not, and all suffered the indignity of being classified as property and shared the inability to act and move freely.

Explanation: The slave population in the United States grew from 800,000 in 1800 to nearly 4,000,000 by 1860. The circumstances in which slaves lived varied widely. Stories from the daily lives of enslaved African Americans help us understand the human and moral side of the slavery issue in America. Studying this Event allows students to see the social and political impact the institution of slavery had on those held in bondage. By studying primary source documents from those who experienced slavery, their voice is more likely to be heard. What did it mean to be thought of as a piece of property in a land where "all men are created equal"? It also provides a broader perspective on the issue of race relations in America. How people coped with these important issues help us explain the changing patterns of ethnic, racial and gender structures in America, even today.

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE3, I.2LE1, III.5LE1, III.1LE2, III.1LE3, III.2LE1, III.2LE3

Definition: Known by several names, the trade in slaves, molasses, and rum represents the interdependence of trade between Africa (slaves), the West Indies (molasses), and the New England Colonies (Rum). Of the many trade routes of the colonial period, this is the most notorious because of the cruelties associated with the trafficking of enslaved Africans.

Explanation: The Triangle Trade represents a case study in economic interdependence. It was driven by supply and demand. The values and beliefs used to justify the trade in and ownership of slaves would interact to shape events in American history for many years to follow.

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.2LE4, II.3LE3, II.3LE4, III.5LE2, IV.5LE3

Definition: While many ventured to North America for their own religious freedom, once in America colonists were often very intolerant of others.

Explanation: Examples are plentiful amongst the colonies, founded to practice religious orthodoxy, of intolerant behavior. The expulsion of Anne Hutchinson and the Salem Witch Trail being only two examples. But as the colonies matured many steps towards religious tolerance were made. The founding of Pennsylvania is one example of the broadening of religious tolerance which becomes legally established in the U.S. Constitution and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786).

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, II.2LE4, II.3LE3, II.3LE4, III.5LE2, IV.5LE3

Definition: By 1733, John Peter Zenger and his newspaper had opened up the issue of freedom of the press.

Explanation: The introduction of printing technology to America had a profound impact on the American's ability to learn about far away events and share ideas with a much broader audience. It strengthened economic ties with England by promoting English goods. During the Revolutionary period, the press provided colonists with a forum for debate. It became the medium that enabled Americans to think of themselves as one people.

Benchmark Alignment: I.2LE1, I.1LE3, I.3LE1, II.5LE1, III.1LE2, III.4LE2, III.5LE2, IV.2LE3, VI.1LE2

Definition: The North American counterpart of the Seven Years War between France and Britain, 1756 to 1763.

Explanation: At the conclusion of the War France ceded all its territories east of the Mississippi to Britain in the Treaty of Paris 1763. Tensions mounted between the Colonists and Britain as a result of the British victory. In England the victory in North American was attributed to the professional soldiers sent from Britain, though only 4,000 additional troops were sent. The British army was augmented by 42,000 colonials mobilized to fight. The promise to repay the colonial assemblies for their military expenses angered the British who saw it as a demand to repay Americans for defending themselves. Pontiacs rebellion caused the British to conclude that they must keep a force of 10,000 soldiers in North America, another expense the British intended to defray through additional taxation of the colonies. The French and Indian War exacerbated the ill feelings between the Colonies and Britain adding fuel to the fires of Independence.

back to top

Benchmark Alignment: I.1LE3, I.2LE1, III.5LE1, III.1LE2, III.1LE3, III.2LE1, III.2LE3

Definition: The English Bill of Rights in 1689 gave the common man the following rights: 1) No taxation without consent of Parliament 2) No cruel or unjust punishment 3) Free speech in Parliament 4) No imprisonment without trial 5) The right to petition 6) The right to bear arms 6) The right to trial by jury.

Explanation: Colonists embraced the English Bill of Rights as their l