Epic U.S. History From America's Founding to the Cold War

This class will explore interesting topics in U.S. History and feature student interaction, Q and A, kahoot quizzes. Some training in historical research will also be included. 

Below is the schedule of topics to be explored:

Theme: European Settlement in North America

Lesson 1: Roanoke Island: America's Lost Colony. 
Theme: European Settlement 

Based on,  Lee Miller's book,  Roanoke: The Mystery of the Lost
 Colony. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction, 2007.


Lesson 2: The Thirteen Colonies: Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania


Lesson 3, The Thirteen Colonies: New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 

Theme: The American Revolution 

Lesson 4: The American Revolution and George Washington's Spies: How Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War

Lesson 5: Overview of The American Revolution, Benedict Arnold, and other key events and people. 

Based on  Thomas B. Allen, and Cheryl Harness's book, George Washington: Spymaster. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2007.

Theme: Slavery and Civil Rights

Lesson 6: Stealing Freedom: The Underground Railroad. 

Lesson 7: Stealing Freedom: Ann Maria Weems and the Underground Railroad: One young girl’s escape to freedom. 

Based on Elisa Carbone's book, Stealing Freedom. New York: Dell Yearling, 2001.

Theme: The U.S. Civil War

Lesson 8: The Killing of Lincoln and Chasing John Wilkes Booth: The criminal conspiracy to assassinate the president. 

Lesson 9: An Overview of the Civil War, 1854-1865: A high-level overview of the U.S. Civil War. Theme: The Civil War

Based on James L. Swanson's book, Chasing Lincoln's Killer. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009.

Theme: Reconstruction

Lesson 10: Chasing Jefferson Davis: The Manhunt for the Confederate President. 

Lesson 11: Reconstruction in America: Bringing the South back into the United States after the war. 

Based on James L.  Swanson's book, Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson

Theme: Gilded Age America
  
Lesson 12: The Great Chicago Fire: A Colossal Disaster in American History. 

 Based on Jim Murphy's, The Great Fire. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2006.

Theme: Odd moments in history
	
Lesson 13: Catching Lincoln's Grave Robbers: The bizarre tale of the men who tried to steal Lincoln's body, and the men who captured them. 

Based on Steve Sheinkin's book, Lincoln's Grave Robbers. 2018.

Theme: World War II

Lesson 14: World War II and the Nazi Hunters: Overview of World War II in Europe. 

Lesson 15: World War II and the Nazi Hunters: Hunting Adolph Eichmann

Based on Neil Bascomb's book, The Nazi Hunters. 2013.

Theme: The Cold War

Lesson 16:  President Kennedy has been shot: Kennedy, Oswald, and the events of November 22, 1963. 

Based on James L. Swanson's book, The President Has Been Shot!: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. Scholastic, 2016.

Theme: Civil Rights Movement

Lesson 17: Chasing Dr. King's Killer: Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement

Lesson 18: Chasing Dr. King's Killer: The pursuit of James Earl Ray	

Based on, James L. Swanson's book, Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin, 2018.