Instructional Support

Search By Subject

Start with a subject area and narrow search results from there.

Which subject?

  • Academic
  • VOCTech
Which grade?
(Optional)
Which topic?
(Optional)



Standards for History and Social Science Practice
  1. Demonstrate civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
  2. Develop focused questions or problem statements and conduct inquiries.
  3. Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources.
  4. Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source; distinguish opinion from fact.
  5. Evaluate the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of each source.
  6. Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence.
  7. Determine next steps and take informed action, as appropriate.
 

History and Social Science | Grade 5: United States History to the Civil War and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
 

Topic 1: Early colonization and growth of colonies
  
HSS.5.T1.01

Explain the early relationships of English settlers to Native Peoples in the 1600s and 1700s, including the impact of diseases introduced by Europeans in severely reducing Native populations, the differing views on land ownership or use, property rights, and the conflicts between the two groups (e.g., the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars in New England).
  
HSS.5.T1.02

Compare the different reasons colonies were established and research one of the founders of a colony (e.g., Lord Baltimore in Maryland, William Penn in Pennsylvania, John Smith in Virginia, Roger Williams in Rhode Island, John Winthrop in Massachusetts).
  
HSS.5.T1.03

Analyze the reasons why English colonists had the strongest influence on the language, political institutions, and political principles of the country that became the United States of America, even though other major European nations also explored North America (e.g., the relatively small number of colonists from other nations, England’s history of self- government, high rates of literacy, and strong economic, and military position in the world).
  
HSS.5.T1.04

On a map of the United States, locate the first 13 colonies and describe the impact of regional differences in climate on the types of crops that could be grown or harvested profitably in the Northern, mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies; describe varied sources of labor (e.g., self-employed colonists, apprentices, employees, indentured servants, free and enslaved Africans).
  
HSS.5.T1.05

Describe the origins of slavery, its legal status in all the colonies through the 18th century, and the prevalence of slave ownership, including by many of the country’s early leaders (e.g., George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason.)
  
HSS.5.T1.06

Describe the Triangular Trade and the harsh conditions of trans-Atlantic voyages (called the Middle Passage) for enslaved Africans.
  
HSS.5.T1.07

Compare and contrast the living and working conditions of enslaved and free Africans in the colonies in the 18th century, and explain how some enslaved people sought their freedom.

a. Enslaved African Americans were property that could be bought, sold, and separated from their families by their owners; they were generally not taught to read or write, and generally owned no property; they suffered many kinds of abuse and could be punished if they were caught after running away from their masters. A number of slave rebellions resulted from these harsh conditions.
b. Many enslaved Africans became skilled artisans, such as cabinetmakers, coopers, and ironworkers and could be hired out to work.
c. Some Africans came to America as indentured servants or sailors and were freed when their service was completed; some former slaves were granted freedom and some in the North took legal action to obtain their freedom (e.g., in Massachusetts, Elizabeth Freeman, Quock Walker, and Prince Hall).
d. States in the North adopted gradual emancipation (for example, Massachusetts outlawed slavery in 1783 and no enslaved people appear in the 1790 Massachusetts census); free African Americans could have families, own property, hold jobs, and earn a living.Suggested Primary Sources for Topic 1 in Appendix D Colonial Williamsburg: History and Citizenship (1700s)George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Slavery (c. 1790s)Slavery at Monticello: Paradox of Liberty (c. 1790s)
 

Topic 2: Reasons for revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the formation of government
  
HSS.5.T2.01

Explain the reasons for the French and Indian War and how its costs led to an overhaul of British imperial policy; explain key British policies and the colonial response to them.

a. policies: the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), the Townsend Duties (1767), the Tea Act (1773), the Intolerable Acts (1774)
b. the slogan, “no taxation without representation”
c. the roles of the Stamp Act Congress, the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea (1773), the Suffolk Resolves (1774), in which Massachusetts declared a boycott of British goods, the early battles between Massachusetts colonists and the British soldiers in Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill (1775) and the evacuation of the British from Boston (1776)d. the role of women in the boycott of British textiles and tea, in writing to support liberty, in managing family farms and businesses, raising funds for the war, and supporting the Continental Army (1760s-1780s)
  
HSS.5.T2.02

On a historic map of the Boston area in the 1770s, locate important sites in the pre- Revolutionary and Revolutionary period and analyze the role and the significance of Massachusetts people such Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, John Hancock, James Otis, Paul Revere, John and Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Phillis Wheatley, Peter Salem.
  
HSS.5.T2.03

Explain the development of colonial governments and describe how these developments (e.g., legislative bodies, town meetings, and charters on individual freedoms and rights) contributed to the Revolution.
  
HSS.5.T2.04

Read the Declaration of Independence (1776), explain its main argument, the reasons given for seeking independence, the meaning of the key ideas on equality and natural and legal rights, and the rule of law.
  
HSS.5.T2.05

Describe the impact of events as the Revolutionary War continued; locate the sites of events on a map, and explain the factors leading to American victory and British defeat.

a. The Battles of Trenton in New Jersey (1776) and Saratoga in New York (1777)
b. The winter encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge in Delaware (1777-1778)
c. The battle of Yorktown in Virginia (1781)
  
HSS.5.T2.06

Explain that many Americans remained loyal to the British Crown or remained neutral in the conflict and that Native Peoples and free and enslaved Africans fought on both sides in the Revolution.
  
HSS.5.T2.07

Compare and contrast the impact of the actions of important leaders (e.g., John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, King George III, Edmund Burke, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette) during the Revolution and the early years of the United States Republic.
  
HSS.5.T2.08

Explain the reasons for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, the weaknesses of the Articles as a plan for government, and the reasons for their failure.
  
HSS.5.T2.09

Analyze the causes of Shays’ Rebellion of 1786-1787 and explain why it was one of the crucial events leading to the Constitutional Convention.Key Primary Sources for Topic 2 in Appendix DLetter from Abigail Adams to John Adams 31 March-5 April 1776 (“Remember the Ladies…”); An accurate map of the country round Boston in New England from the best authorities (1776) or a similar map of Massachusetts from the periodThe Declaration of Independence (1776)Suggested Primary Sources for Topic 2 in Appendix D John Singleton Copley, Paul Revere (1768), portrait, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
 

Topic 3: Principles of United States Government
  
HSS.5.T3.01

Read the Preamble to and sections of the Constitution and explain how these writings reflect the following political principles: individual rights and responsibilities, equality, the rule of law, general welfare, limited government, representative democracy.
  
HSS.5.T3.02

Explain how the framers of the Constitution divided and shared powers among the three branches of the United States government; describe the function of each branch and the system of checks and balances.
  
HSS.5.T3.03

Describe the responsibilities of government at the federal, state, and local levels (e.g., protection of individual rights and the provision of services such as law enforcement and the building and funding of schools.
  
HSS.5.T3.04

Analyze the significance of the major issues debated by members of the Constitutional Convention (e.g., the distribution of political power, the rights of individuals, rights of states, tensions between states with large and smaller populations, the make-up of the Senate and electoral college, slavery and the question of how slaves were to be counted in the Census); explain why the framers agreed to the 3/5 Compromise in order to keep the states united and how the decision reinforced the institution of slavery and the power of states in which slavery was particularly prevalent.
  
HSS.5.T3.05

Explain that voting rights and property rights did not extend to women in the new Constitution.
  
HSS.5.T3.06

Read the Bill of Rights and explain the freedoms it guarantees; research the historical background of one of the first ten Amendments and make an argument using evidence for its inclusion in the Bill of Rights in 1791.Clarification Statement: These standards are designed to be introductory. Students will study United States government in a Grade 8 Civics course and will revisit principles of government as part of high school courses U. S. History I and II. Key Primary Sources for Topic 3 in Appendix DThe Constitution of the United States (1787) The United States Bill of Rights (1791)
 

Topic 4: The growth of the Republic
  
HSS.5.T4.01

Identify the first three Presidents of the United States (George Washington, 1787-1797, John Adams, 1797-1801, and Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809); summarize key developments during their time (e.g., the founding of political parties in the 1790s; the first Bank of the U.S., the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798; the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Haitian Revolution in 1804), and evaluate their leadership of the new nation.
  
HSS.5.T4.02

Evaluate the importance to the nation of the Louisiana Purchase and trace the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, with Sacagawea and the Corps of Discovery, from 1803 to 1806.
  
HSS.5.T4.03

Describe the causes of the War of 1812 and how events during the war contributed to a sense of American nationalism.

a. British restrictions on trade and impressment
b. Major battles and events of the war, including the role of the USS Constitution, the burning of the Capitol and the White House, and the Battle of New Orleans
  
HSS.5.T4.04

On a map of New England, locate cities and towns that played important roles in the development of the textile and machinery industries, whaling, shipping, and the China trade in the 18th and 19th centuries and give examples of the short- and long-term benefits and costs of these industries.
  
HSS.5.T4.05

Explain 19th century conflicts between Native Peoples and national, state, and local governments in the United States over land ownership and rights to self-government.

a. Shawnee leader Tecumseh’s call for Native Peoples to unify in resistance to the taking of their land (1810)
b. President Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal Act (1830), which forced native communities to move from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to territory west of the Mississippi River
c. the Mashpee Revolt (1833), a dispute over self-government in the Mashpee Indian district in Massachusetts
d. the significance of the Trail of Tears (1838) for the Cherokee and other native communities in the Southeast Key Primary Source for Topic 4 in Appendix D Tecumseh, Call for Pan-Indian Resistance (1810 )Suggested Primary and Secondary Sources for Topic 4 in Appendix D The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806)The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired a Nation (1814)Asian Export Art (18th-19th centuries), Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Whaling History (19th century), New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport
 

Topic 5: Slavery, the legacy of the Civil War, and the struggle for civil rights for all
  
HSS.5.T5.01

Trace the state-by-state abolition of slavery in the Northern states in the 18th and 19th centuries and the expansion of slavery into western states; explain the effects of the 1808 law that banned the importation of slaves into the United States and explain how a robust slave trade nonetheless continued within the United States until the mid-19th century.
  
HSS.5.T5.02

Identify the major reasons for the Civil War (e.g., slavery, political and economic competition in Western territories, the emergence of the Republican Party) and the war’s most important outcomes (e.g., end of slavery, Reconstruction, expanded role of the federal government, industrial growth in the North).Clarification Statement: In Grade 4, students were introduced to the Civil War as they learned about states of the Confederacy and the Union; they will study the Civil War in greater depth in high school.
  
HSS.5.T5.03

Explain the ideas and roles of some of the people of the pre-Civil War era who led the struggle against slavery (abolitionism) and for voting and property rights for African Americans (e.g., Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe).
  
HSS.5.T5.04

Identify the major military leaders and battles of the Civil War (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman, Stonewall Jackson; Battles of Bull Run, Shiloh, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Appomattox).
  
HSS.5.T5.05

Describe the role of Abraham Lincoln in the development of the Republican Party and his actions as President during the Civil War, including the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.
  
HSS.5.T5.06

Explain the consequences of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments for the rights of African Americans. a. advocacy for women’s rights surrounding the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments and its relationship to the later movement for women’s rightsb. women’s attainment of the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment of 1920
  
HSS.5.T5.07

Describe living conditions for African Americans following the Civil War, during the Jim Crow era, including limited educational and economic opportunities, separate public facilities (e.g., segregated schools and colleges, neighborhoods, sections in buses, trains, restaurants, and movie theaters), the organized perpetuation of white supremacist beliefs and the threat of violence from extra-legal groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Describe the role African American churches, civic organizations, and newspapers played in supporting and unifying African American communities.
  
HSS.5.T5.08

Research and analyze one of the people, organizations, events, or legislative acts from the-20th century that contributed to expanding civil rights of African Americans, women, and others in the United States. Clarification Statement: In addressing this standard, students and teachers may choose to focus on any of the following:People such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Thurgood Marshall, Edward Brooke, Jackie Robinson, Marian Anderson, Bayard Rustin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Lorraine Hansberry, Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Geraldine Ferraro, César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Organizations such as the National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) the National Organization for Women (NOW); events such as the 1963 March on Washington, efforts of the 1960s and 1970s to desegregate city public school systems in Massachusetts; legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1963), the campaign for, and eventual defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment (1970s), the enactment of Title IX (prohibition of discrimination on the account of gender, 1972)
  
HSS.5.T5.09

Explain how the 20th century African American Civil Rights movement served as a model for other movements for civil rights (e.g., the second phase of the women’s movement in the 1960s and 1970s, the disability rights movement, the LGBTQ movement).Clarification Statement: These 20th century standards are designed to make students aware that the movement to extend equality to all has roots in 18th century ideas and is the reason the foundational documents are relevant to all periods of United States history. The links among liberty, justice, and equality remain central in the collective civic life of the nation today.Key Primary Sources in Appendix DParading for Progress: Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington DC (1913)Excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream” speech (1963)Suggested Primary Source in Appendix DMaps of Women’s Voting Rights in 1880 and 1910

Last Updated: April 3, 2024

Top