DOCUMENT RESUME ED 430 839 SO 029 662 AUTHOR Bernstein, Richard B. TITLE Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum. Essays in American History.[Part One--I.] INSTITUTION Council for Citizenship Education, Troy, NY.; Niskayuna School District, NY.; Sage Colleges, Troy, NY. SPONS AGENCY Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (ED/OERI), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1995-00-00 NOTE 120p.; For related items, see SO 029 663 667. AVAILABLE FROM Council for Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College, Troy, NY 12180; Tel: 518-244-2363. (Part One, $17.50; complete curriculum, $65) PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Cultural Context; *Curriculum Development; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; *History Instruction; Social Studies; Thematic Approach; *United States History IDENTIFIERS Philosophy of History ABSTRACT This U.S. history curriculum guide is divided into five main components. The first component is titled "Essays in American History," and is accompanied by a bibliographic essay. The guide represents the "crossroads" model of curriculum development that begins with three strategic junctures of history education:(1) at grades 7 and 8, where a natural "crossroads" already exists between elementary and secondary education, between childhood and adolescence, and between an interest in the concrete and a capacity to grapple with the abstract;(2) in the first year of postsecondary education, where students are taking surveys of U.S. history, government, and education that can provide a critical juncture between secondary and postsecondary education; and (3) in capstone experiences of postsecondary education, notably social studies methods and student teaching. Essays in Part One-I examine the substantive themes of continuity and change that knit together the 12 chronological periods of U.S. history. Following an introduction, the essays are: (1)"A World of Their Own: The Americas to 1500"; (2) "Contact: Europe and America Meet, 1492-1620"; (3) "The Founding of New Societies, 1607-1763"; (4)"What Was the American Revolution? 1760-1836"; (5) "The Ambiguous Democracy, 1800-1848"; (6) "'Now We Are Engaged in a Great Civil War,' 1848-1880"; (7) "'What, Then, Is This American?' 1865-1900"; (8) "Waves of Reform, 1880-1921"; (9) "Boom and Bust, 1921-1933"; (10) "The Age of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945";(11) "Leader of the Free World, 1945-1975"; and (12)"A Nation in Ouandary, 1975-." (BT) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** CROSSROADS A K-16 American History Curriculum ESSAYS IN AMERICAN HISTORY by Richard B. Bernstein A joint project of the Niskayuna School District and The Sage Colleges Made possible with the assistance of the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) of the United States Department of Education N U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLI Ofhce of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY .12157i; document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. C)* Julie.E....1-lerIAncis 0Minor changes have been made to Nimprove reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 Council for Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College Troy, New York CI) BEST COPY AVAILABLE CROSSROADS: A K-16 American History Curriculum Copyright 0 1995 by the Council for Citizenship Education. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced for classroom use and other educational purposes without prior permission so long as no commercial profit is gained from it and so long as full credit is given. The proper citation for this material is as follows: CROSSROADS: A K-16 American History Curriculum, Troy, NY: Council for Citizenship Education, Russell Sage College, 1995. Project Directors: Henry E. Mueller, Social Studies Coordinator, Niskayuna School District Stephen L. Schechter, Director, Council for Citizenship Education 3 . Contents CROSSROADS Essays in American History Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Essay I. A WORLD OF THEIR OWN: THE AMERICAS TO 1500 Essay II. CONTACT: EUROPE AND AMERICA MEET, 1492-1620 Essay III. THE FOUNDING OF NEW SOCIETIES, 1607-1763 Essay IV. WHAT WAS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION? 1760-1836 Essay V. THE AMBIGUOUS DEMOCRACY, 1800-1848 Essay VI. "Now WE ARE ENGAGED IN A GREAT CIVIL WAR," 1848-1880 Essay VII. "WHAT, THEN, Is Tms AMERICAN?" 1865-1900 Essay VIII. WAVES OF REFORM, 1880-1921 Essay IX. Boom AND Bug'', 1921-1933 Essay X. THE AGE OF FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, 1933-1945 Essay XI. LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD, 1945-1975 Essay XII. A NATION IN QUANDARY, 1975-- Preface In 1992, The Sage Colleges (Troy, NY) and the Niskayuna School District (Niskayuna, NY) received a three-year grant from the Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) of the U.S. Department of Education to develop a seamless K-16 curriculum in American history. The curriculum, calledCrossroads,is composed of thirty-six units equally distributed among elementary, middle, and high school grade levels, as well as course syllabii for preservice social studies educators on the subjects of American history and history education. The curriculum is chronologically organized into twelve historical periods-- each covered by a unit at each of the three grade levels. Each unit begins with an essay on the history and historiography of the period written by the project historian, Richard B. Bernstein, an Associate of the Council for Citizenship Education at The Sage Colleges and an adjunct faculty member at New York Law School and distinguished historian. The unit plans were then written by teams of Niskayuna and Sage teachers after a year-long seminar in American history and historiography with Professor Bernstein. Following their preparation, elementary and middle school units were field tested within the Niskayuna District and in the Albany City School District. The middle school curriculum was also field tested in two Ohio districts. All units were reviewed by an advisory panel. The project is directed by Stephen L. Schechter, a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Council for Citizenship Education at The Sage Colleges, and by Henry E. Mueller, Niskayuna Middle School Social Studies Coordinator. The project is administered by the Council for Citizenship Education. Developed by the Niskayuna-Sage partnership, the "crossroads" model of curriculum development begins with three strategic junctures of history education: (1) at grades seven and eight, where a natural "crossroads" already exists between elementary and secondary education, between childhood and adolescence, and between an interest in the concrete and a capacity to grapple with the abstract; (2) in the first year of postsecondary education, where students are taking surveys of American history, government, and education which can provide a critical juncture between secondary and postsecondary education; and (3) in capstone experiences of postsecondary education, notably social studies methods and student teaching, in which students experience another transition, this time between their undergraduate experience in postsecondary education and the prospect of a teaching career rich in lifelong learning experiences. 5 Acknowledgments Project Staff Field Testers Henry E. Mueller, Project Director Albany City School District Stephen L. Schechter, Project Director Elementaty Richard B. Bernstein, Project Historian Ann Marie DeMarco, Supervisor Julie Herlands, Project Manager Gail Harris Edward Crotty, High School Team Laura McCarthy Leader Linda Willigan Curriculum Authors Middle School Niskayuna School District Sherry Cross Elemental)? Earl Davis Jacqueline J. Albanese Robert J. Van Amburgh, Supervisor Eleanor P. Colby Judith G. De Pasquale High School Judy Loucks Daniel Liebert Gloria J. Seymour Abigail C. Weber Other Field Testers Sharon L. Wilson Middle School Shawn Brown, Lima North Middle 110 Middle School School, Lima, OH Susan Burke Linda Dams Clark, St. Thomas More Donna Cavallaro School, Brooklyn, OH Holly Dell Aquila Robin Lyle, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Patricia Hamilton Middle School, Burnt Hills, NY Char line Hoffmann Raymond A. Le Bel Advisory Board Henry E. Mueller Edwin J. Cook, Russell Sage College, Karen Polsinelli Troy, IVY Stephanie A. Schechter Michael G. Fischer, Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA The Sage Colleges John J. Patrick, Indiana University, High School Bloomington, IN Richard B. Bernstein Paul J. Vermette, Niagara University, Edwin J. Cook Niagara Falls, NY Judith S. Wooster, Bethlehem Central Postsecondaty School District, Delmar, NY Richard B. Bernstein Edwin J. Cook Julia Johnson Rothenberg INTRODUCTION Tell them that the old man says that writing any history is just pulling a tomcat by his tail across a Brussels carpet. Charles A. Beard to Eric F. Goldman' I. THE CHALLENGE This Introduction -- like this whole project -- is an exercise in bridge-building. Most students encounter history, social studies, and government (as subjects for intellectual inquiry) for the last time in courses taught in elementary and secondary schools