Academic standards list
African American History — Social Studies (2014-2019)
Introduction
Students will examine the life and contributions of African Americans from the early 1600's through modern America. Students will explore the influence of geography on slavery and the growth of slavery on the American continent. Students will consider urban and rural African American communities and institutions in the North and South leading up to and during the Civil War. Students will investigate the rise and effects of Jim Crow and trace the impact of African American migration through the early twentieth century. Students will explore the impact of the Harlem Renaissance and the conditions and contributions of African Americans during the Great Depression and World War II. Students will examine the successes and failures of the Civil Rights Movement and consider the contemporary issues confronting African Americans.
Content Strands: Many academic standards for social studies courses are categorized into content strands as indicated by letter codes. (C=Culture, E=Economics, G=Geography, H=History, P=Politics/Government, TN=Tennessee)
Suggested reading for the course:
- The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro, Frederick Douglass
- Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839, Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (1863)
- The Lincoln - Douglas Debates
- Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, Susie King Taylor
- The Civil Rights of Freedmen, From - Mississippi Laws of the State, 1865 - This is an example of the Black Codes
- Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others (1903), W.E.B. DuBois
- The Black Woman Has Worked All of Her Life (1979), Fanny Christina Hill: This is an interview conducted by Sherna Berger Gluck
- U.S. Constitution - 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
- The Brown vs. Board of Education Opinion
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Influence of Geography on Slavery
Students analyze the influence of geography on the economic, political, and social development of slavery in the United States.
Academic Standards
Analyze the economic, political, and social reasons for focusing the slave trade on Africa, including the role of Africans, Europeans, and colonists.
C,E,H
Identify and explain the Middle Passage as one of the largest forced migrations in human history.
C,H
The Growth of Slavery in America 1619-1860
Students analyze the justifications and ramifications of slavery between 1619 and 1860.
Academic Standards
Analyze the economic, social, religious, and legal justifications for the establishment and continuation of slavery.
C,E,H
Assess the development of the abolitionist movement and its impact on slavery and the nation.
C,H,P
African American Life 1619-1860
Students analyze African American life and cultural contributions through 1860.
Academic Standards
Compare and contrast African American urban and rural communities in the North and the South.
C,G
Describe the development of African American institutions such as religion, education, and benevolent organizations.
C
Identify and explain the contributions of African Americans in science and the arts.
C
African Americans During Civil War and Reconstruction
Students analyze the roles of African Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Academic Standards
Evaluate President Lincoln's views on slavery and the status of freed slaves in the United States.
P
Identify and explain the roles of African American soldiers, spies, and slaves to the war effort in both the North and the South, including the 13th U.S. Colored Troops.
H,TN
Analyze the effects of Reconstruction on the legal, political, social, cultural, educational, and economic life of freedmen.
H,P
Assess the successes and failures of Reconstruction as they relate to African Americans.
H,P
African American Life After Emancipation Thriough World War I
Students analyze the rise of Jim Crow and its effects on the life experiences of African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Academic Standards
Analyze the legal ramifications of segregation laws and court decisions on American society.
H,P
Compare and contrast the political movements that developed in response to Jim Crow laws, including the Niagara Movement, the NAACP, the Urban League, The Atlanta…
H,P
Compare and contrast the African American political and legal personalities of the time period and their impact on American society, including Samuel McElwee, Robert…
P,TN
Describe the development of African American institutions such as religion, education, and benevolent organizations.
C
Evaluate the economic, cultural, political, and social impact of African American migration within and from the South, including the Exodusters, Benjamin Pap…
C,E,G,TN
Describe the impact of African American regiments on the western campaigns, the Spanish American War, and World War I, including Buffalo Soldiers and George Jordan.
C,H,TN
African American and the Harlem Renaissance
Students analyze the cultural contributions made by African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance.
Academic Standards
Describe the contributions of African Americans to the performing arts, including Fisk Jubilee Singers, W.C. Handy, John Work III, and DeFord Bailey.
C,TN
Describe the contributions of African Americans to the visual arts, including Edmondson Williams.
C,TN
African American Life During the Great Depression and World War II
Students analyze the conditions and contributions of African Americans during the Great Depression and World War II.
Academic Standards
Analyze the impact of the Great Depression and the New Deal on the lives of African Americans.
C,H,P
Describe and evaluate the contributions of African Americans during World War II.
C,H
Explain how World War II laid the groundwork for the modern Civil Rights Movement.
C,P
The Modern Civil Rights Movement
Students analyze the successes and failures of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Academic Standards
Explain how legal victories prior to 1954 inspired and propelled the Civil Rights Movement.
P
Describe the impact of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas and evaluate the resistance and reaction to it.
H,P
Identify various organizations and their role in the Civil Rights Movement, including the Highlander Folk School.
C,H,P,TN
Assess the extent to which the Civil Rights Movement transformed American politics and society.
C,H,P
Summarize the Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee, including the integration of Clinton High School, sit-ins in Nashville, and the activities of Diane Nash and Jim Lawson.
C,H,P,TN
African American Issues in Contemporary Times
Students analyze the issues confronting contemporary African Americans in the continuing struggle for equality.
Academic Standards
Compare and contrast the responses of African Americans to the economic, social, and political challenges of contemporary America.
C,E,P
Identify and evaluate major contemporary African American issues confronting society, including affirmative action, the educational achievement gap, the wealth gap,…
C,E,P
Analyze the impact of immigration and migration on the lives of African Americans in contemporary America.
C,G
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