This is part one of a three part series covering the History of the United States Government. This is a unique approach to studying US government and is not your typical Civics course! Though we will briefly discuss different aspects of government, such as what "democracy" means or how power is divided up, we will not spend much time focusing on the inner workings of US government. Instead, we will determine what democracy means by analyzing Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," Frederick Douglass's criticism of American Democracy, Susan B. Anthony's interpretation of the Constitution, JFK's beliefs on what the US should be doing for democracy, and Barack Obama's thoughts on how the US wasn't a perfect union just quite yet.

If all three parts are taken, this is a full year course. There are in-class assignments each week. If a student completes all in class assignments, reading, and any homework, this three part class could be used a credit on a high school transcript depending on your state's homeschool requirements. This may also qualify as either a Civics or a US History course, depending on what your state's homeschool accepts for each subject. 

All of my classes, especially my US History classes, are inclusive and anti-racist. We will be covering tough subjects and tackling tough topics from the point of view of the people involved, particularly the marginalized groups involved.

Each of the three parts of this course are structured the same but we will cover different topics. In each part, we will tackle two big aspects of US government, one for the first five weeks and the other for the last five weeks. Over those five weeks, we will work to analyze primary documents that span from the founding of the country to present day. Through reading documents, answering guiding questions, and class discussion, learners will gain an understanding of that aspect of US government over the five weeks. I have included a full breakdown of the topics we will cover in the syllabus, along with probable assignments, but assignments are subject to change depending on time/pace once we start the class.

This is a self-paced class, which means that there will be no live meetings. Instead, I will post a lecture video for students to watch, as well as links to additional resources, additional videos explaining assignments where necessary, and discussion questions for students to answer. In addition, students will complete and turn in their assignments on the classroom wall or via message to me.

I will provide a lecture video each week on the topic we are studying before students work on their assignments. Each week, materials will be posted inside the classroom for students to print or upload to the Kami App to be able to use them online without printing. Students will be responsible for completing and turning in all work by the due dates.