Engage in Democratic Processes 

Analyze and Address Authentic Civic Issues 

Acquire, Apply, and Evaluate Evidence 

Read Critically and Interpret Informational Sources 

Engage in Evidence-

Based Writing 

5^th Grade Content Standards

5.1 The student will examine and compare the Jamestown and Plymouth settlements as the foundations of American culture and society.  

5.1.1   Summarize reasons for European colonization of North America and the impact on the development of the American colonies.

5.1.2   Examine the economic and political motivations for English settlements at Roanoke and Jamestown .   

5.1.3   Explain the economic and political motivations of immigrants and indentured servants who came to Virginia.

5.1.4 Explain the early successes and challenges of the Jamestown settlement including the leadership of

John Smith, interrelationships with American Indians, challenges of the Starving Times, and the export of natural resources for profit.

5.1.5 Explain the English commitment to the permanent settlement at Jamestown as evidenced through

the events of 1619 including:

A.  representative government established through the House of Burgesses

B.  private ownership of land

C.  introduction of Africans as slave labor

D.  arrival of women and families

5.1.6  Analyze the religious, economic, and political motivations of immigrants and indentured servants who migrated to Plymouth. 

5.1.7   Explain the early successes and challenges of the Plymouth settlement including:

A.  practice of self-government established by the Mayflower Compact

B.  contributions of American Indians  including Chief Massasoit and Squanto

C.  leadership of William Bradford

5.1.8  Explain how American Indian agricultural practices, such as the Three Sisters, contributed to the early survival of the colonists. 

5.2 The student will compare the developments of the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. 

5.2.1   Explain the contributions of important citizens and groups to the foundation of the colonies including the Puritans and Quakers, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, William Penn, Lord Baltimore, and James Oglethorpe.

5.2.2        Compare the economic development of the three colonial regions including:

A.  agriculture and exports as affected by climate and natural resources

B.  a labor system utilizing indentured servants

C.  slave labor central to the growth of the economy

5.2.3   Explain the international economic and cultural interactions resulting from the triangular trade routes, including the forced migration of Africans through the Transatlantic slave trade and experiences of the Middle Passage. 

5.2.4   Analyze the forms of self-government in the three colonial regions including the role of religion in the establishment of some colonial governments, the Virginia House of Burgesses, and New England town hall meetings. 

5.2.5   Explain the evolving relationships between American Indians and the British colonists involving territorial claims.            

5.2.6   Explain that tribal sovereignty is a tribal nation’s inherent right to self-govern. 

5.2.7   Compare daily life in the colonies as experienced by different social classes, plantation owners, farmers, merchants, craftsmen, artisans, and women and children.            

5.2.8   Compare the experiences of both free and enslaved Africans in the British colonies, including resistance efforts by enslaved peoples and attempts to maintain aspects of African culture. 

5.3 The student will examine the foundations of the American nation established during the Revolutionary Era. 

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5.3.1   Examine the causes and effects of significant events leading to armed conflict between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain including:

A   French and Indian War

B.  Proclamation of 1763

C.  Sugar and Stamp Acts

D.  Townshend Act

E.  colonial arguments regarding taxation and rightful representation in Parliament

F.  boycotts of British goods and the efforts of the Committees of Correspondence

G.  Quartering Act

H.  Boston Massacre

I.    Tea Act and The Boston Tea Party

J.   Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

K.  British raids on Lexington and Concord

L.   publication of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine

5.3.2   Analyze the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted July 4, 1776, used to:

A.  identify natural, unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

B.  declare the equality of all individuals

C.  define the purpose of government

D.  establish the principle of self-government and consent of the governed

E.  explain specific colonial grievances

5.3.3   Explain the importance of the Articles of Confederation as the first American national system of government under which the colonies waged a war in order to gain independence.

5.3.4   Compare the Iroquois Confederacy’s representative government to the early attempts of the colonies to unite as one nation. 

5.3.5   Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the British and the American colonies at the eve and during the Revolutionary War, including political and military leadership, military strength, population, resources, foreign alliances, and motivations for fighting.

5.3.6   Analyze the relationships of significant military and diplomatic events of the Revolutionary War including the leadership of General George Washington, experiences of Valley Forge, impact of the battles of Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga, Yorktown, and the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

5.3.7   Identify the points of view of major groups that remained loyal to Britain, joined the patriot cause, or remained neutral. 

5.3.8   Identify the contributions of key individuals involved in the American Revolution including Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Paul Revere, Nathan Hale, John Paul Jones, Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), Nancy Ward the Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin, Mercy Otis Warren, and Phillis Wheatley. 

5.4 The student will examine the formation of the American system of government following the American Revolution. 

5.4.1   Evaluate issues and events that led to the Constitutional Convention, including a weak national government and Shays’ Rebellion.

5.4.2   Identify key leaders and explain the debates and compromises of the Constitutional Convention, including:

A.  Virginia and New Jersey Plans

B.  Great Compromise

C.  Three-fifths Compromise and its maintenance of the institution of slavery

D.  Father of the Constitution, James Madison

E.  President of the Convention, George Washington

5.4.3   Examine the purposes and basic responsibilities of government as described in the Preamble of  the Constitution of the United States, which established the supreme law of the land.

5.4.4   Describe the relationship between the federal government and sovereign American Indian nations, as established under the Constitution of the United States.

5.4.5   Compare the viewpoints of the Federalists, led by James Madison, and Anti-Federalists, such as George Mason, over the addition of a bill of rights.

5.4.6   Explain how the Constitution of the United States was amended to include the Bill of Rights and summarize the liberties protected in each of the ten amendments.

5.5 The student will describe the structure and responsibilities of the American system of government and the role of the individual citizen.

5.5.1   Examine the key principles of government established in the Constitution of the United States including:

A.  separation of powers among three branches of government

B.  the system of checks and balances

C.  shared powers between the federal and state governments.

5.5.2   Describe the roles of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court in the legislative process.

5.5.3   Describe the responsibilities of United States citizens including:

A.  registration and voting in public elections

B.  becoming informed voters

C.  engagement in civil discourse

D.  service on trial juries 

E.  payment of taxes

F.  obedience to laws

G.  registration for military service