U.S. History I
From the Age of Exploration through Reconstruction. These pages are aligned to the Utah Core Standards for United States History I (Course 6420), covering American Indian life, European exploration, colonization, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, expansion, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
Course Standards
United States History I includes events and issues from the Age of Exploration through Reconstruction, emphasizing the 18th and 19th centuries. Each strand below contains specific standards that guide classroom instruction.
Three Worlds Meet
Prehistory – Ca. 1650
American Indian Nations
Analyze evidence, including artifacts and other primary sources, to make evidence-based inferences about life among several American Indian nations prior to European exploration.
European Exploration
Compare and evaluate historians' interpretations of the motivations and conditions that led to European exploration.
Effects of Exploration
Draw from multiple perspectives and cite evidence to explain the effects of European exploration on Africa, the Caribbean, and North and South America.
Human Geography Today
Identify how the period of exploration has affected the current human geography of the Americas, including the role of students' own cultural backgrounds.
Lesson plans coming soon — being developed now
Colonization
1607 – 1763
Colonial Powers
Identify the economic, social, and geographic factors that influenced the colonization efforts of the Dutch, English, French, and Spanish.
13 English Colonies
Compare and contrast the economic, political, and social patterns evident in the development of the 13 English colonies.
Daily Life in the Colonies
Use primary sources to contrast the daily life of individuals of various classes — gentry, planters, women, indentured servants, African slaves, landowners, and American Indians.
Regional Differences
Explain historic and modern regional differences rooted in the colonial period — slavery, urban vs. rural life, and regional economies.
Lesson plans coming soon — being developed now
The American Revolution
1763 – 1783
Revolutionary Movement
Use primary sources to identify significant events, ideas, people, and methods used to justify or resist the Revolutionary movement.
American Victory
Compare historians' interpretations of the factors affecting the course of the war and contributing to American victory.
Key Figures
Use primary sources to compare contributions of key people — Paul Revere, Thomas Paine, Abigail Adams, the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, and Thomas Jefferson.
American Identity
Explain how the ideas and events of the American Revolution continue to shape American identity.
The U.S. Constitution
1787 – 1791
Ideas & Compromises
Explain how the ideas, events, and compromises which led to the development and ratification of the Constitution are reflected in the document itself.
Structure of Government
Describe the structure and function of the government that the Constitution creates.
Rights Over Time
Use historic case studies and current events to trace how and explain why the rights, liberties, and responsibilities of citizens have changed over time.
Transformative Document
Use evidence to explain how the Constitution is a transformative document that contributed to American exceptionalism.
Development of Political Institutions & Reform
1790s – 1850s
Political Party System
Use evidence to document the development and evolution of the American political party system and explain the historic and current roles of political parties.
Reform Movements
Identify the conditions that gave rise to, and evaluate the impact of, social and political reform movements such as Jacksonian Democracy, the women's rights movement, the Abolitionist movement, and anti-immigration reform.
Expanding Democracy
Use case studies to document the expansion of democratic principles and rights over time.
Expansion
1803 – 1860
Territorial Expansion
Compare historians' interpretations of the ideas, resources, and events that motivated territorial expansion of the United States.
Conflicts of Expansion
Use primary sources to interpret conflicts during expansion — American Indian displacement and tensions over free and slave territory.
Industrial Revolution
Identify the economic and geographic impact of new inventions and transportation methods — the Erie Canal, transcontinental railroad, steam engines, telegraph, cotton gin, and interchangeable parts.
Impact of Expansion
Make a case for the most significant cultural, political, and economic impacts of territorial and/or industrial expansion.
The Civil War & Reconstruction
1861 – 1877
Causes of the Civil War
Explain how slavery and other geographic, social, economic, and political differences between the North, South, and West led to the Civil War.
The War & Union Victory
Use evidence to interpret the factors most significant in shaping the war and Union victory — Lincoln, Grant, Lee, industry, demographics, and military strategies.
Reconstruction Goals
Compare historians' interpretations of the competing goals of Reconstruction and why many of those goals were left unrealized.
Contemporary Implications
Use current events to evaluate the implications of the Civil War and Reconstruction for contemporary American life.
Related Resources on This Site
Controversial History Directory
Explore complex figures and events — from Jim Crow to the Iraq War, from Cold War coups to the War on Terror.
Browse DirectoryCritiques of Textbooks
Research analyzing how textbooks portray controversial historical events — and what gets left out.
Read the ResearchEssential Documentaries
Curated documentary films for classroom use — Citizenfour, The Fog of War, Dark Money, and more.
View DocumentariesThese standards are from the Utah Core Standards — United States History I (Course 6420). Full standards document available from the Utah Education Network.
Need a specific lesson plan?
We're building these out one standard at a time. Tell us what you need.
Request a Lesson Plan