History Standard Four:

Students will develop historical knowledge of major events and phenomena in world, United States, and Delaware history [Content].

An organized mental framework of events, people, trends, and other historical phenomena is essential to understanding, evaluating, and constructing historical interpretations. Such a framework allows us to draw logical inferences concerning the continuing impact of the past on the present. Individual periods, regions, or events should not be studied in isolation but rather in comparison to one another. Nor should the broad sweep of events or an emphasis on leaders, great works, and pivotal events obscure the importance of seeking to understand the everyday life of ordinary people in other times and places.

The complexity of the standard will increase at each succeeding grade cluster:

• K-3:
  • Students will develop an understanding of the similarities between families now and in the past, including:
    • Daily life today and in other times
    • Cultural origins of customs and beliefs around the world
  • Students will develop an awareness of major events and people in United States and Delaware history:
    • Who live here and how did they get here? (immigrants, demographics, ethnic and religious groups)
    • Important people in our past
    • Different kinds of communities in Delaware and the United States.
• 4-5:
  • Students will develop an understanding of Delaware history and its connections with United States history, including:
    • Native American inhabitants before European contact
    • Exploration and settlement (1609-1775)
    • From the First State to the Civil War (1776-1865)
    • Growth of commerce, industry, transportation, and agriculture (1865-1945)
    • Modern Delaware (1945-present)
  • Students will develop an understanding of selected themes in United States history, including:
    • Who are the American people? (demographics, immigration)
    • How did the United States develop its form of government?
    • How have advances in technology changed our lives?
    • Important people in American history
• 6-8:
  • Students will develop an understanding of pre-industrial United States history and its connections to Delaware history, including:
    • Three worlds meet (Beginnings to 1620)
    • Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
    • Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
    • Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
    • Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
  • Students will develop an understanding of ancient and medieval world history, and the continuing influence of major civilizations, including:
    • The beginnings of human society
    • Early civilizations and pastoral people (4,000-1,000 BC)
    • Classical traditions, major religions, and great empires (1,000 BC-300 AD)
    • Expanding zones of exchange and encounter (300-1,000 AD)
    • Intensified hemispheric interactions (1,000-1,500 AD)
• 9-12:
  • Students will develop an understanding of modern United States history, its connections to both Delaware and world history, including:
    • Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
    • Development of an industrialized nation (1870-1900)
    • Emergence of modern America (1890-1930)
    • Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
    • Postwar United States (1945-early 1970s)
    • Contemporary United States (1968-present)
  • Students will develop an understanding of recent modern world history and its connections to United States history, including:
    • Intensified hemispheric interactions (1,000-1,500 AD)
    • Explorations, contact, and interactions across the world (1450-1770)
    • Revolutions, ideologies, and technological change (1750-1914)
    • The 20th Century world (1900-present)