South Dakota

American History: 1763-1820

• 4.SS.6 The student demonstrates knowledge of events leading to the American Revolution.

  • 4.SS.6.A The student explains why and how Great Britain asserted new authority in the colonies after the French and Indian War and why the colonists contested Britain's new claims to control as violations of their rights and freedom.

    • The American Revolution: the Thirteen Colonies under British rule (4-C.1)

  • 4.SS.6.B The student defines self-government as requiring the rulers to have the permission of the ruled in order to have power to protect the people.

  • 4.SS.6.C The student explains the ways in which the colonists responded to Great Britain's new claims of power over them.

    • The American Revolution: New British taxes (4-C.2)
    • The American Revolution: the Boston Tea Party (4-C.3)
    • The American Revolution: the rebellion begins (4-C.4)

  • 4.SS.6.D The student tells the story of the Boston Massacre and John Adams's defense of the British soldiers in the murder trial that followed.

    • The American Revolution: New British taxes (4-C.2)

  • 4.SS.6.E The student tells the story of the Boston Tea Party, and explains Great Britain's responses to the Boston Tea Party and the colonists' argument that these actions were tyrannical.

    • The American Revolution: the Boston Tea Party (4-C.3)

  • 4.SS.6.F The student tells the stories of the following military events prior to a formal declaration of independence, including Paul Revere's ride, the battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

    • The American Revolution: the rebellion begins (4-C.4)
    • The American Revolution: preparing for war (4-C.5)
    • The American Revolution: struggle for independence (4-C.6)

• 4.SS.7 The student demonstrates understanding of the Declaration of Independence based on the arguments of leading founders.

  • 4.SS.7.A The student reads and discusses the meaning of the first, second, and final paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence.

  • 4.SS.7.B The student explains the meaning of "created equal," including the founders' argument that each human being has the same dignity and natural rights on account of being human, and that the existence of human slavery was understood by most, but not all, of the founders to be a contradiction of the principle of human equality.

    • Southern colonies: economy and slavery (4-B.6)

  • 4.SS.7.C The student explains the meaning of "natural rights" and "unalienable," including the founders' argument that each person has certain freedoms to act that are simply part of being a human person, and that cannot be taken away unless the person has used them to violate the rights of another.

  • 4.SS.7.D The student explains the meaning of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," in particular the founders' argument that each human being has the right by nature to their own life, to their liberty and the general freedom of thought and action, and to seek the happiness appropriate to human liberty as long as it does not violate the rights of others.

  • 4.SS.7.E The student explains the meaning of 'the consent of the governed,' including the founders' argument that a government can only tell people what to do if the people have a say over who in the government gets to make those decisions, which is called "self-government."

  • 4.SS.7.F The student explains how the purpose of government as outlined in the Declaration of Independence is to "secure these rights."

  • 4.SS.7.G The student explains the different positions on slavery among the founders and their generation, including those who did not hold slaves and worked for its abolition, those who held slaves but wished for its abolition, and those who were in favor of slavery and its continuation.

  • 4.SS.7.H The student explains why the delegates to the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain, including the list of grievances and other historical events since 1763.

    • The American Revolution: struggle for independence (4-C.6)

  • 4.SS.7.I The student explains how America's founding based on these words of the Declaration of Independence was unprecedented in human history: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

• 4.SS.8 The student demonstrates knowledge of the War of Independence.

  • 4.SS.8.A The student tells the biography of George Washington, including: his upbringing; his fighting in the French and Indian War; his ownership of slaves at Mount Vernon; his crossing of the Delaware River, leadership at Valley Forge, and command at the battles of Trenton and Yorktown; his presiding at the Constitutional Convention; his freeing of slaves at Mount Vernon upon his death and that of his wife, Martha; the building of the Washington Monument.

  • 4.SS.8.B The student tells the biography of Benjamin Franklin, including: his upbringing, his scientific experiments and inventions prior to the Revolution, his roles in uniting the colonies in the Revolution.

    • Benjamin Franklin (4)

  • 4.SS.8.C The student tells the biography of Thomas Jefferson, including: his upbringing; his ownership of slaves at Monticello; his writing of the Declaration of Independence; his purchase of Louisiana from France, including present-day South Dakota; the building of the Jefferson Memorial.

    • Thomas Jefferson (4)

  • 4.SS.8.D The student explains the roles of key figures and the life, fighting, and background of common soldiers in the War of Independence.

    • The American Revolution: the rebellion begins (4-C.4)
    • The American Revolution: struggle for independence (4-C.6)
    • The American Revolution: turning the tide of the war (4-C.7)

  • 4.SS.8.E The student explains the meaning of the symbols on the American flag, the proper ways to respect the American flag, and the reasons for this respect.

    • The American flag (4-P.4)

  • 4.SS.8.F The student explains the meaning of the symbols on the Great Seal of the United States.

    • Identify American symbols (4-P.1)

  • 4.SS.8.G The student tells the story of how the Americans won the War of Independence, including the battles of Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.

    • The American Revolution: struggle for independence (4-C.6)
    • The American Revolution: turning the tide of the war (4-C.7)
    • The American Revolution: conclusion and aftermath (4-C.8)

• 4.SS.9 The student demonstrates knowledge of the United States Constitution.

  • 4.SS.9.A The student explains the purpose of a constitution, the history of constitutions, and the differences between unwritten and written constitutions.

  • 4.SS.9.B The student explains why the Constitutional Convention was assembled.

    • The Constitution (4-O.4)

  • 4.SS.9.C The student explains how a majority can tyrannize over the rights of the minority.

  • 4.SS.9.D The student explains the representative or republican form of government compared to a direct democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy.

  • 4.SS.9.E The student explains how representation prevents tyranny through the following means: encouraging the selection of the country's most trusted citizens to make the laws, using reason instead of passion, holding power only with the consent of the people.

  • 4.SS.9.F The student explains how federalism prevents tyranny by dividing governing power among many levels of governments.

  • 4.SS.9.G The student reads and discusses the meaning of the Preamble and selections from the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

    • The Constitution (4-O.4)
    • The Bill of Rights (4-O.5)

  • 4.SS.9.H The student explains the difference between legislative (law making), executive (law enforcing), and judicial (law interpreting and judging) powers.

    • Federal government (4-O.3)
    • The Constitution (4-O.4)

  • 4.SS.9.I The student explains how the separation of powers prevents tyranny from the federal government by dividing legislative, executive, and judicial power into three separate branches.

    • Federal government (4-O.3)
    • Checks and balances (4-O.6)

• 4.SS.10 The student demonstrates knowledge of American citizenship and civic participation.

  • 4.SS.10.A The student explains the different roles and responsibilities of each house of Congress, the Presidency, and the Judiciary.

    • Federal government (4-O.3)

  • 4.SS.10.B The student explains how a law is made.

  • 4.SS.10.C The student explains the legal meaning of "citizen" in the United States, the legal process for becoming a citizen, and the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of citizenship at the different levels of government.

  • 4.SS.10.D The student explains the importance of a well-informed, virtuous, and industrious citizenry within representative self-government.

  • 4.SS.10.E The student identifies the ways in which citizens engage in politics beyond voting, including through political parties, meeting with elected officials, petitions, attending public meetings, writing, speaking, and assembling.

  • 4.SS.10.F The student explains the role of charity, volunteerism, and philanthropy in a self-governing country.

  • 4.SS.10.G The student names and explains the Bill of Rights amendments that guarantee each of the following: free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, and right to trial by jury.

    • The Bill of Rights (4-O.5)

• 4.SS.11 The student demonstrates knowledge and understanding of American history from the presidency of George Washington through the War of 1812.

  • 4.SS.11.A The student explains the differences between Alexander Hamilton's and Thomas Jefferson's visions for America's future.

  • 4.SS.11.B The student explains how the invention of the cotton gin reinvigorated the practice of slavery and the slave-owning interest.

    • Antebellum Period: economies of the North and South (4-D.5)

  • 4.SS.11.C The student tells of the major events in George Washington's presidency, including his efforts to remain neutral in the conflict between revolutionary France and Great Britain and the precedents he set for the presidency.

  • 4.SS.11.D The student reads and discusses the meaning of George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation.

  • 4.SS.11.E The student explains George Washington's warnings about parties and unnecessary involvement in foreign affairs, as expressed in his Farewell Address.

  • 4.SS.11.F The student tells of the major events in John Adams's presidency.

  • 4.SS.11.G The student tells of the major events in Thomas Jefferson's presidency, including: the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, war with the Barbary pirates, efforts to remain neutral in the conflict between Napoleonic France and Great Britain, the end of the international slave trade.

    • Thomas Jefferson (4)
    • The Louisiana Purchase (4-D.1)

  • 4.SS.11.H The student tells the story of the Corps of Discovery exploring the Louisiana Territory.

    • The Lewis and Clark Expedition (4-D.2)

  • 4.SS.11.I The student identifies and explains how history from 1763-1820 is recorded by Native American tribes through winter counts, petroglyphs, and Shirt Wearers shirts.

  • 4.SS.11.J The student explains select standards from Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings 2-5.

  • 4.SS.11.K The student tells the stories and explains the effects of major military events, figures, and common soldiers from the War of 1812.

    • The War of 1812: causes (4-D.3)
    • The War of 1812: events and effects (4-D.4)

  • 4.SS.11.L The student reads and explains the meaning of the first stanza to "The Star-Spangled Banner."

    • The War of 1812: events and effects (4-D.4)