Addendum: American History I: The Founding Principles

On June 23, 2011, the North Carolina General Assembly passed The Founding Principles Act (SL 2011-273). This act calls for local boards of
education to require, as a condition of high school graduation, students to pass a course, American History I The Founding Principles. As a result,
the State Board of Education approved a name change of the United States History I course to American History I: The Founding Principles on
October 6, 2011 and the United States II course to American History II.
This addendum reflects the name change of the United States History I course to American History I: The Founding Principles. The last column has
been added to show the alignment of the Essential Standards to the content enumerated in the Act. No standards have been changed.

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Addendum Approved October 6, 2011

North Carolina Essential Standards

Social Studies American History Course I: The Founding Principles
There will be two required American History courses at the high school level. American History I: The Founding Principles will begin with the
European exploration of the new world through Reconstruction. Students will examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States
from European exploration and colonial settlement to the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. Students will learn about the important political and
economic factors that contributed to the development of colonial America and the outbreak of the American Revolution as well as the consequences
of the Revolution, including the writing and key ideas of the U.S. Constitution. American History I: The Founding Principles will guide students
as they study the establishment of political parties, Americas westward expansion, the growth of sectional conflict, how that sectional conflict led to
the Civil War, and the consequences of the Civil War, including Reconstruction.
American History II: The Founding Principles will guide students from the late nineteenth century time period through the early 21st century.
Students will examine the political, economic, social and cultural development of the United States from the end of the Reconstruction era to present
times. The essential standards of American History II: The Founding Principles will trace the change in the ethnic composition of American
society; the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities and women; and the role of the United States as a major world power. An emphasis is
placed on the expanding role of the federal government and federal courts as well as the continuing tension between the individual and the state. The
desired outcome of this course is for students to develop an understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship between past and present events,
recognize patterns of interactions, and understand the impact of events on in the United States in an interconnected world.
The essential standards of American History I: The Founding Principles have been designed to provide a framework for studying political, social,
economic, and cultural issues, and for analyzing the impact these issues have had on American society over time. Students will continue to build
upon previous studies of American History, the fundamental concepts in civics and government, economics, culture and geography taught in grades
kindergarten through eight and use skills of historical analysis as they examine American history. This course goes beyond memorization of isolated
facts to the development of higher level thinking skills, encouraging students to make historical assessments and evaluations.
The essential standards for American History I: The Founding Principles have been developed to serve as the framework that will guide each local
school district in the development of the curriculum for their standard and honors level American History courses. These standards are not intended
to be the curriculum, nor do they indicate the whole of the curriculum that will be written by an LEA. Written conceptually, standards for this course
have been developed with an historical approach and identify the most critical knowledge and skills that students need to learn in this course.

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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

American History Course I: The Founding Principles

Key to identifying strands: H-History

History
Essential Standard
AH1.H.1

Apply the four

interconnected
dimensions of
historical thinking to
the American History
Essential Standards
in order to
understand the
creation and
development of the
United States over
time.

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
AH1.H.1.1

Use Chronological thinking to:

1. Identify the structure of a historical
narrative or story: (its beginning, middle
and end).
2. Interpret data presented in time lines and
create time lines.

AH1.H.1.2

Use Historical Comprehension to:

1. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a
historical passage.
2. Differentiate between historical facts and
historical interpretations.
3. Analyze data in historical maps.
4. Analyze visual, literary and musical
sources.

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Aligns to:
Section 2. (3a) excerpts or portions
of writings, documents, and records that
reflect the history of the United States,
including, but not limited to,
i. the preamble to the North Carolina
Constitution,
ii. the Declaration of independence,
iii. the United States Constitution,
iv. the Mayflower Compact,
v. the national motto,
vi. the National Anthem,
vii. the Pledge of Allegiance,
viii. the writings, speeches, documents,
and proclamations of the founding
fathers and Presidents of the United
States,
ix. decisions of the Supreme Court of

Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives

the United States, and

x. acts of the Congress of the United
States, including the published text
of the Congressional Record.
AH1.H.1.3

Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation

to:
1. Identify issues and problems in the past.
2. Consider multiple perspectives of various
peoples in the past.
3. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and
multiple causation.
4. Evaluate competing historical narratives
and debates among historians.
5. Evaluate the influence of the past on
contemporary issues.

Aligns to:
Section 2. (3a) excerpts or portions
of writings, documents, and records that
reflect the history of the United States,
including, but not limited to,
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

ix.
x.

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the preamble to the North Carolina

Constitution,
the Declaration of independence,
the United States Constitution,
the Mayflower Compact,
the national motto,
the National Anthem,
the Pledge of Allegiance,
the writings, speeches, documents,
and proclamations of the founding
fathers and Presidents of the United
States,
decisions of the Supreme Court of
the United States, and
acts of the Congress of the United
States, including the published text
of the Congressional Record.

Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard
AH1.H.1.4

AH1.H.2

Analyze key political,

economic and social
turning points in
American History
using historical

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives

AH1.H.2.1

Use Historical Research to:

1. Formulate historical questions.
2. Obtain historical data from a variety of
sources.
3. Support interpretations with historical
evidence.
4. Construct analytical essays using historical
evidence to support arguments.

Analyze key political, economic, and social

turning points from colonization through
Reconstruction in terms of causes and effects
(e.g., conflicts, legislation, elections,
innovations, leadership, movements, Supreme
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Aligns to:
Section 2. (3a) excerpts or portions
of writings, documents, and records that
reflect the history of the United States,
including, but not limited to,
i. the preamble to the North Carolina
Constitution,
ii. the Declaration of independence,
iii. the United States Constitution,
iv. the Mayflower Compact,
v. the national motto,
vi. the National Anthem,
vii. the Pledge of Allegiance,
viii. the writings, speeches, documents,
and proclamations of the founding
fathers and Presidents of the United
States,
ix. decisions of the Supreme Court of
the United States, and
x. acts of the Congress of the United
States, including the published text
of the Congressional Record.
Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
b. Structure of government, separation

Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
Court decisions, etc.).

thinking.

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
AH1.H.2.2

Evaluate key turning points from colonization

through Reconstruction in terms of their
lasting impact (e.g., conflicts, legislation,
elections, innovations, leadership, movements,
Supreme Court decisions, etc.).

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of powers with checks and balances.

Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
Rule of law.
Equal justice under the law.
Private property rights.
Federalism.
Due process.
Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
Individual responsibility.

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
b. Structure of government, separation
of powers with checks and balances.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard
AH1.H.3

Understand the
factors that led to
exploration,
settlement,
movement, and
expansion and their
impact on United
States development
over time.

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
AH1.H.3.1

Analyze how economic, political, social,

military and religious factors influenced
European exploration and American colonial
settlement (e.g., Reformation, mercantilism,
improvements in navigation technology,
colonization, defeat of Spanish Armada, Great
Awakening, etc.).

AH1.H.3.2

Explain how environmental, cultural and

economic factors influenced the patterns of
migration and settlement within the U.S.
before the Civil War (e.g., economic diversity
of regions, mercantilism, cash crops, triangular
trade, ethnic diversity, Native American Indian
beliefs about land ownership, Lewis & Clark
expedition, farming, Industrial Revolution,
etc.).

AH1.H.3.3

Explain the roles of various racial and ethnic

groups in settlement and expansion through
Reconstruction and the consequences for those
groups (e.g., Germans, Scotch-Irish, Africans,
Native American Indians, Irish, Chinese, etc.).

AH1.H.3.4

Analyze voluntary and involuntary

immigration trends through Reconstruction in
terms of causes, regions of origin and
destination, cultural contributions, and public
and governmental response (e.g., Puritans,
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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
Pilgrims, American Indians, Quakers, ScotchIrish, Chinese, Africans, indentured servants,
slavery, Middle Passage, farming, ideas of the
Enlightenment, etc.).

AH1.H.4

Analyze how conflict

and compromise have
shaped politics,
economics and
culture in the United
States.

AH1.H.4.1

AH1.H.4.2

Analyze the political issues and conflicts that

impacted the United States through
Reconstruction and the compromises that
resulted (e.g., American Revolution,
Constitutional Convention, Bill of Rights,
development of political parties, nullification,
slavery, states rights, Civil War).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
b. Structure of government, separation
of powers with checks and balances.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.
Analyze the economic issues and conflicts that Aligns to:
impacted the United States through
Section 2 (1)
Reconstruction and the compromises that
b. Structure of government,
resulted (e.g., mercantilism, Revolutionary era
separation of powers with checks
taxation, National Bank, taxes, tariffs,
and balances.
territorial expansion, Economic Panics, Civil f. Private property rights.
War).
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
i.
j.

Individual rights as set forth in the

Bill of Rights.
Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.4.3

Analyze the social and religious conflicts,

movements and reforms that affected the
United States from colonization through
Reconstruction in terms of participants,
strategies, opposition, and results (e.g., Second
Great Awakening, Transcendentalism,
abolition, temperance, mental illness, prisons,
education, etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.4.4

Analyze the cultural conflicts that impacted the

United States through Reconstruction and the
compromises that resulted (e.g., displacement
of American Indians, manifest destiny, slavery,
assimilation, nativism).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.

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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
j.

AH1.H.5

Understand how
AH1.H.5.1
tensions between
freedom, equality and
power have shaped
the political,
economic and social
development of the
United States.

Summarize how the philosophical, ideological

and/or religious views on freedom and equality
contributed to the development of American
political and economic systems through
Reconstruction (e.g., natural rights, First Great
Awakening, Declaration of Independence,
transcendentalism, suffrage, abolition,
slavery as a peculiar institution, etc.).

AH1.H.5.2

Explain how judicial, legislative and executive

actions have affected the distribution of power
between levels of government from
colonization through Reconstruction (e.g., the
Marshall Court, Jacksonian era, nullification,
secession, etc.).

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Individual responsibility.

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
c. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
d. Structure of government, separation
of powers with checks and balances.
e. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
f. Rule of law.
g. Equal justice under the law.
h. Private property rights.
i. Federalism.
j. Due process.
k. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
l. Individual responsibility.

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
b. Structure of government, separation
of powers with checks and balances.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives

f. Private property rights.

g. Federalism.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
AH1.H.6

AH1.H.7

Understand how and

why the role of the
United States in the
world has changed
over time.

Understand the
impact of war on
American politics,
economics, society

AH1.H.6.1

Explain how national economic and political

interests helped set the direction of United
States foreign policy from independence
through Reconstruction (e.g., treaties,
embargo, tariffs, Proclamation of Neutrality,
Monroe Doctrine, etc.).

AH1.H.6.2

Explain the reasons for involvement in wars prior

to Reconstruction and the influence each
involvement had on international affairs (e.g.,
French and Indian War, War of 1812, Mexican
War, Civil War).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
b. Structure of government, separation
of powers with checks and balances.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
d. Rule of law.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.
Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.

AH1.H.7.1

Explain the impact of wars on American

politics through Reconstruction (e.g., Issues of
taxation without representation, Proclamation
of 1763, Proclamation of Neutrality, XYZ

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.

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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
Affair, Alien & Sedition Acts, War Hawks,
Hartford Convention, slavery Compromises,
scalawags, carpetbaggers, etc.).

Structure of government, separation

of powers with checks and balances.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.7.2

Explain the impact of wars on the American

economy through Reconstruction (e.g.,
colonial debts, salutary neglect, protective
tariffs, inflation, profiteering, Hamiltons
economic plan, embargo, American System,
Homesteaders, etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process

AH1.H.7.3

Explain the impact of wars on American

society and culture through Reconstruction
(e.g., salutary neglect, slavery, breakup of the
plantation system, carpetbaggers, scalawags,
KKK, and relocation of American Indians,
etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.

and culture.

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b.

Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives
j.

AH1.H. 8

Analyze the
relationship between
progress, crisis and
the American
Dream within the
United States.

Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.8.1

Analyze the relationship between innovation,

economic development, progress and various
perceptions of the American Dream through
Reconstruction (e.g., inventions, Industrial
Revolution, American System, etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.8.2

Explain how opportunity and mobility

impacted various groups within American
society through Reconstruction (e.g., City on a
Hill, Lowell and other mill towns, Manifest
Destiny, immigrants/migrants, Gold Rush,
Homestead Act, Morrill Act, Exodusters,
women, various ethnic groups, etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

AH1.H.8.3

Evaluate the extent to which a variety of

groups and individuals have had opportunity to
attain their perception of the American
Dream through Reconstruction (e.g., various
ethnic, religious, racial, socio-economic groups
of people; plantation society;

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
c. Frequent and free elections in a
representative government.

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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010

History
Essential Standard

Alignment To The Founding

Principles Act

Clarifying Objectives

AH1.H.8.4

transcendentalism; 49ers; etc.).

e. Equal justice under the law.

f. Private property rights.
h. Due process.
i. Individual rights as set forth in the
Bill of Rights.
j. Individual responsibility.

Analyze multiple perceptions of the American

Dream in times of prosperity and crisis
through Reconstruction (e.g., Hamiltons
Financial Plan; Embargo of 1807; Manifest
Destiny, phases of Reconstruction; various
ethnic, religious, racial, socio-economic groups
of people, etc.).

Aligns to:
Section 2 (1)
a. The Creator-endowed inalienable
rights of the people.
e. Equal justice under the law.
f. Private property rights.
g. Federalism.
j. Individual responsibility.

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Essential Standards Approved December 2, 2010