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Skills available for Tennessee eighth-grade social studies standards

Standards are in black and IXL social studies skills are in dark green. Hold your mouse over the name of a skill to view a sample question. Click on the name of a skill to practice that skill.

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Tennessee Academic Standards (adopted in 2024): Grade 8 Tennessee Academic Standards (adopted in 2024): Grade 8
Tennessee Academic Standards: Eighth Grade - United States History and Geography: Colonization of North America to Reconstruction Tennessee Academic Standards: Eighth Grade - United States History and Geography: Colonization of North America to Reconstruction
Tennessee Social Studies Practice Standards: Grades 6-8 Social Studies Practices Tennessee Social Studies Practice Standards: Grades 6-8 Social Studies Practices
Tennessee Curriculum Standards (2013) Tennessee Curriculum Standards (2013)

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Social Studies Practices

SSP.01 Collect data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including: printed materials; graphic representations; artifacts; media and technology sources; oral history.
SSP.02 Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to: extract, summarize, and paraphrase significant ideas and relevant information; distinguish the difference between fact and opinion; recognize author's purpose and point of view, and potential bias; draw logical inferences and conclusions; assess the strengths and limitations of arguments.
- Source analysis: the Declaration of Independence (8-L.10)
- Source analysis: the Gettysburg Address (8-P.5)
SSP.03 Synthesize data from multiple sources in order to: recognize differences among multiple accounts; establish validity by comparing and contrasting multiple sources; frame appropriate questions for further investigation.
- Source analysis: the Boston Massacre (8-L.9)
SSP.04 Construct and communicate arguments by citing supporting evidence to: demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas; compare and contrast viewpoints; illustrate cause and effect; predict likely outcomes; devise new outcomes or solutions; engage in appropriate civic discourse.
SSP.05 Develop historical awareness by: recognizing how and why historical accounts change over time; perceiving and presenting past events and issues as they might have been experienced by the people of the time, with historical empathy vs. present mindedness; evaluating how unique circumstances of time and place create context and contribute to action and reaction; identifying patterns of continuity and change over time, making connections to the present.
SSP.06 Develop geographic awareness by: using the geographic perspective to determine relationships, patterns, and diffusion across space at multiple scales; determining the use of diverse types of maps based on their origin, structure, context, and validity; analyzing locations, conditions, and connections of places and using maps to investigate spatial relationships; analyzing interaction between humans and the physical environment; examining how geographic regions and perceptions of the regions are fluid across time and space.

Colonization (1607–1750)

8.01 Compare and contrast the British, Dutch, French, and Spanish colonies in North America, including their geographic location, economic focus, and treatment of American Indians.
8.02 Explain the religious and/or economic motivations for the founding of the Thirteen English Colonies.
8.03 Describe hardships experienced by the early colonists, including the first years of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies.
8.04 Identify and locate on a map the physical and political features of the Thirteen English Colonies, including: location of each colony; three colonial regions (i.e., New England, Middle, and Southern); Mississippi River; Appalachian Mountains; Ohio River.
8.05 Compare and contrast the religious groups in the Thirteen English Colonies, including the Puritans and the Quakers.
- New England Colonies: founding and government (8-K.5)
- Middle Colonies: founding and government (8-K.7)
8.06 Compare types of government in the Thirteen English Colonies, including self-government, representative government, and theocracy.
8.07 Explain the development of democratic ideologies that developed in the Thirteen English Colonies, including expansion of voting rights (e.g., Connecticut), freedom of religion, town meetings, and separation of church and state (e.g., Rhode Island).
8.08 Describe the three colonial regions, and explain the relationship between the geography and economy in the development of each area (e.g., resources and industries).
8.09 Describe the labor systems of the colonial period, including indentured servants, apprenticeships, and African enslavement.
- Middle Colonies: economy and society (8-K.8)
- Southern Colonies: economy and slavery (8-K.10)
8.10 Examine the origins and growth of African enslavement in the colonies, including the conditions of the Middle Passage, the impact of Bacon's Rebellion, and the slave codes.
- Middle Colonies: economy and society (8-K.8)
- Southern Colonies: economy and slavery (8-K.10)
8.11 Explain the economic impact of the triangular trade.
8.12 Describe the significance of the First Great Awakening, including its role in unifying the colonies and the growth of religious tolerance.

The American Revolution (1700–1783)

8.13 Explain the significance of the Ohio River Valley leading to the French and Indian War and the events and consequences of the conflict, including the Treaty of Paris of 1763, war debt, and the Proclamation Line of 1763.
- Causes of the American Revolution: the French and Indian War (8-L.1)
8.14 Identify the influence of the Cumberland Gap in the settling of Tennessee.
8.15 Analyze the influence of Benjamin Franklin as a revolutionary thinker, including the "Join or Die" cartoon, the Albany Plan of Union, and serving as an ambassador.
8.16 Analyze the events, ideas, and groups that led to the American Revolution, including: mercantilism; Navigation Acts; The Sugar Act, 1764; The Quartering Act, 1765; The Stamp Act, 1765; The Boston Massacre, 1770; The Boston Tea Party, 1773; Intolerable/Coercive Acts, 1774; Sons of Liberty; "taxation without representation"; influence of colonial protests (e.g., boycotts).
8.17 Explain the significance of the battles of the American Revolution prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, including Lexington and Concord and Bunker (Breed's) Hill.
8.18 Explain the historical purposes and consequences of Thomas Paine's Common Sense.
- The Revolutionary War: struggle for independence (8-L.6)
8.19 Analyze and interpret the Declaration of Independence, and determine the historical and present-day significance of the document.
- Source analysis: the Declaration of Independence (8-L.10)
8.20 Examine various perspectives of men and women during the American Revolution including, loyalists, patriots, neutral colonists, and persons of African descent.
- The Revolutionary War: preparing for war (8-L.5)
- The Revolutionary War: struggle for independence (8-L.6)
8.21 Identify and explain the significance of the following during the American Revolution: struggles of the Continental Army (e.g., Valley Forge); Battles of Trenton and Princeton; Battle of Kings Mountain; Battles of Saratoga; Battle of Yorktown; guerrilla warfare.
- The Revolutionary War: turning the tide of war (8-L.7)
- The Revolutionary War: conclusion and aftermath (8-L.8)

The New Nation (1775–1800)

8.22 Describe the significance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and its impact on the process of gaining statehood, the spread of public education, and the banning of slavery in the territory.
8.23 Identify the Articles of Confederation as America's first constitution, and explain its weaknesses as exemplified by: government structure (e.g., one branch, no power to tax); The Lost State of Franklin; Shays' Rebellion.
- The Articles of Confederation (8-M.1)
8.24 Describe the influence of James Madison during the Constitutional Convention, and analyze the major issues debated, including the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
- The Constitutional Convention (8-M.2)
8.25 Examine the principles and purposes of government listed in the Preamble and stated in the Constitution, including: checks and balances; federalism; limited government; popular sovereignty; separation of powers.
- The Constitution: structure and principles (8-B.1)
8.26 Describe the origins of the presidential election process, including the electoral college.
8.27 Describe the conflict between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
8.28 Analyze the major events of George Washington's administration, including the precedents he set, the Whiskey Rebellion, and ideas presented in his farewell address.
- Washington's presidency: part I (8-M.3)
- Washington's presidency: part II (8-M.4)

Growth of a Young Nation (1800–1820)

8.29 Explain how conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton resulted in the emergence of two political parties, and examine their viewpoints on issues such as foreign policy, economic policy, a national bank, and strict versus loose interpretation of the Constitution.
- Washington's presidency: part II (8-M.4)
- The first party system: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans (8-M.5)
8.30 Explain the significant domestic and international events that impacted the administration of John Adams, including trade conflicts with Great Britain and France.
8.31 Identify how westward expansion led to the statehood of Tennessee and the importance of its first state constitution (1796).
8.32 Analyze the effects of the election of 1800, including: peaceful transition of power; midnight judges; Marbury v. Madison (e.g., judicial review).
- The Marshall Court (8-M.6)
8.33 Explain the major events of Thomas Jefferson's administration, including: conflict with Barbary Pirates; Embargo Act; Lewis and Clark Expedition; Louisiana Purchase.
- The Louisiana Purchase (8-M.7)
8.34 Evaluate the effectiveness of negotiations between the U.S. government and American Indians during the time period.
- Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears (8-N.3)
8.35 Explain the causes, course, and consequences of the War of 1812, including: use of impressment and trade restrictions between the United States and Great Britain; roles of Andrew Jackson and Tecumseh; impact on American Indians; rise of nationalism in the United States.
- The War of 1812 (8-M.8)
8.36 Explain the purpose and provisions of the Monroe Doctrine.
8.37 Determine the role played by Chief Justice John Marshall, including key decisions of the Supreme Court, such as Gibbons v. Ogden (i.e., impact on interstate commerce) and McCulloch v. Maryland (i.e., impact on the national bank).
- The Marshall Court (8-M.6)
8.38 Examine the importance of the elections of 1824 and 1828, including expansion of voting rights, the corrupt bargain, the spoils system, and Jacksonian Democracy.
- Jacksonian Democracy (8-N.1)
8.39 Determine the historical significance of key events of Andrew Jackson's administration, including the battle with the Bank of the United States and the Nullification Crisis.
- Tariff, nullification, and bank war (8-N.2)
8.40 Describe the impact of the Indian Removal Act and the struggle between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. government, including the significance of Worcester v. Georgia and the Trail of Tears.
- Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears (8-N.3)
8.41 Identify changes to voting rights under the Tennessee Constitution of 1834, including the expansion of voting rights to non-property owners and the removal of voting rights for free African-American men.

Sectionalism and Reform (1790s–1850s)

8.42 Describe the development of the agrarian economy in the South, including: the location of the Cotton Belt; the significance of cotton and the cotton gin; the growth of enslavement; the significance of the planter class and yeoman farmers.
- Slavery in the South (8-O.5)
8.43 Describe the daily life and culture of enslaved persons in the South prior to the Civil War, such as jobs performed, punishments and consequences, oral history, and the influence of religion and music.
- Slavery in the South (8-O.5)
8.44 Explain how enslaved persons resisted bondage in their daily lives, including passive and overt resistance and Nat Turner's Rebellion.
8.45 Explain the development of the American Industrial Revolution, including: Eli Whitney and interchangeable parts; role of the textile industry; mass production; introduction of women in the work force.
- Industrial and Transportation Revolutions (8-O.1)
- Comparing the North and the South (8-O.2)
8.46 Explain how technological developments affected the growth of the industrial economy and cities in the North, including working and living conditions.
- Comparing the North and the South (8-O.2)
8.47 Identify the push-pull factors for Irish and German immigrants, and describe the impact of their arrival in the United States prior to the Civil War.
- Antebellum immigration (8-O.4)
8.48 Analyze the development of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats throughout the United States, including the Erie Canal.
- Industrial and Transportation Revolutions (8-O.1)
8.49 Describe the significance of the Second Great Awakening and its influence on reform in the 19th century.
- Antebellum reform movements (8-O.3)
8.50 Analyze the development of the Woman Suffrage Movement, including the Seneca Falls Convention, and the ideals of reform leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and Sojourner Truth.
- Antebellum reform movements (8-O.3)
8.51 Analyze the significance of leading abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, and the methods they used to spread the movement.
- The abolitionists (8-O.6)

Expansion and Division of the Nation (1820s–1860s)

8.52 Analyze the concept of Manifest Destiny and its impact on the development of the nation, including economic incentives for westward expansion, impact on American Indians, and the territorial expansion of slavery.
- The U.S.-Mexican War (8-O.8)
8.53 Explain the reasons for and the provisions of the Missouri Compromise (i.e., Compromise of 1820) and its impact on expansion.
- Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise to Bleeding Kansas (8-O.9)
8.54 Describe the motivations for American settlements in Mexican-ruled Texas after 1821 and the causes of the Texas War for Independence, and determine the legacy of the Alamo, including Davy Crockett and Sam Houston.
- Texas independence and annexation (8-O.7)
8.55 Analyze the reasons for and outcomes of groups moving west, including the significance of: fur traders; Mormons; families on the Oregon Trail; opportunities for women and African Americans.
8.56 Identify the major events and impact of James K. Polk's administration, including: settlement of the Oregon boundary; the annexation of Texas; border disputes over the Rio Grande River; Mexican-American War; Mexican Cession.
- Texas independence and annexation (8-O.7)
- The U.S.-Mexican War (8-O.8)
8.57 Analyze the discovery of gold in California, its social and economic impact on the United States, and the major migratory movements including the forty-niners and Asian immigrants.
8.58 Explain the reasons for and the impact of the Compromise of 1850, including: Henry Clay's role as "The Great Compromiser"; Fugitive Slave Act; Harriet Beecher Stowe's influence with Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise to Bleeding Kansas (8-O.9)
8.59 Analyze the motivations and divisional effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, including: Rise of the Republican Party; "Bleeding Kansas"; Preston Brooks' attack on Charles Sumner; John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry.
- Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise to Bleeding Kansas (8-O.9)
- Causes of the Civil War: Dred Scott to secession (8-O.10)
8.60 Analyze the impact of the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision on the debate over slavery in the United States.
- Causes of the Civil War: Dred Scott to secession (8-O.10)
8.61 Explain the arguments presented by Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on slavery in the Illinois Senate race debates of 1858.

The Civil War (1860–1865)

8.62 Describe how sectional division of the United States led to Abraham Lincoln's victory in the election of 1860.
- Causes of the Civil War: Dred Scott to secession (8-O.10)
8.63 Describe the significance of the Battle of Fort Sumter and Tennessee's struggle over the decision to secede.
- The Civil War: the beginning of the war (8-P.1)
8.64 Compare and contrast the Union and Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War, including: military and political leadership; military strategies; infrastructure; agricultural and industrial strengths; population.
- The Civil War: the beginning of the war (8-P.1)
8.65 Examine the goals, strategies, and outcomes throughout the Civil War, including: The Union's Campaign (e.g., General Ulysses S. Grant); The Confederacy's Campaign (e.g., General Robert E. Lee); General William T. Sherman's use of total war; control of Tennessee.
8.66 Analyze the significance and motivations of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address and their relationship to the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Gettysburg, respectively.
- The Civil War: Bull Run to the Emancipation Proclamation (8-P.2)
- The Civil War: Gettysburg to the election of 1864 (8-P.3)
8.67 Describe African American involvement in the Union army, including the Massachusetts 54th Regiment at Fort Wagner.
8.68 Examine the technological and medical advancements during the Civil War, and their impact on the role of women and the daily life of the common soldier.
8.69 Examine the conclusions of the Civil War, including the passing of the 13th amendment, the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, and impact of the assassination of President Lincoln.
- The Civil War: the conclusion of the war (8-P.4)

Reconstruction (1865–1877)

8.70 Explain the structure of Reconstruction under the Radical Republicans, including: 14th and 15th amendments; five military zones; readmittance of Tennessee into the Union; southern reaction to northern presence.
- Radical Reconstruction (8-Q.1)
8.71 Identify the significance of the Tennessee Constitution of 1870, including the right of all men to vote and the authorization of a poll tax.
8.72 Examine the conflict between President Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republicans over Reconstruction, and determine the significance of Johnson's impeachment.
- Radical Reconstruction (8-Q.1)
8.73 Explain the opportunities for and restrictions placed on freedmen, including: racial segregation; Black codes; the efforts of the Freedmen's Bureau; the emergence of vigilante actions by the Ku Klux Klan.
- Radical Reconstruction (8-Q.1)
- The end of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow (8-Q.2)
8.74 Explain the outcome of the Election of 1876, including the Compromise of 1877 and its role in ending Radical Reconstruction.
- The end of Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow (8-Q.2)

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Social Studies Practices

SSP.01 Collect data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including: printed materials; graphic representations; artifacts; media and technology sources; oral history.

SSP.03 Synthesize data from multiple sources in order to: recognize differences among multiple accounts; establish validity by comparing and contrasting multiple sources; frame appropriate questions for further investigation.

SSP.04 Construct and communicate arguments by citing supporting evidence to: demonstrate and defend an understanding of ideas; compare and contrast viewpoints; illustrate cause and effect; predict likely outcomes; devise new outcomes or solutions; engage in appropriate civic discourse.

Colonization (1607–1750)

8.01 Compare and contrast the British, Dutch, French, and Spanish colonies in North America, including their geographic location, economic focus, and treatment of American Indians.

8.02 Explain the religious and/or economic motivations for the founding of the Thirteen English Colonies.

8.03 Describe hardships experienced by the early colonists, including the first years of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies.

8.04 Identify and locate on a map the physical and political features of the Thirteen English Colonies, including: location of each colony; three colonial regions (i.e., New England, Middle, and Southern); Mississippi River; Appalachian Mountains; Ohio River.

8.05 Compare and contrast the religious groups in the Thirteen English Colonies, including the Puritans and the Quakers.

8.06 Compare types of government in the Thirteen English Colonies, including self-government, representative government, and theocracy.

8.07 Explain the development of democratic ideologies that developed in the Thirteen English Colonies, including expansion of voting rights (e.g., Connecticut), freedom of religion, town meetings, and separation of church and state (e.g., Rhode Island).

8.08 Describe the three colonial regions, and explain the relationship between the geography and economy in the development of each area (e.g., resources and industries).

8.09 Describe the labor systems of the colonial period, including indentured servants, apprenticeships, and African enslavement.

8.10 Examine the origins and growth of African enslavement in the colonies, including the conditions of the Middle Passage, the impact of Bacon's Rebellion, and the slave codes.

8.11 Explain the economic impact of the triangular trade.

8.12 Describe the significance of the First Great Awakening, including its role in unifying the colonies and the growth of religious tolerance.

The American Revolution (1700–1783)

8.13 Explain the significance of the Ohio River Valley leading to the French and Indian War and the events and consequences of the conflict, including the Treaty of Paris of 1763, war debt, and the Proclamation Line of 1763.

8.14 Identify the influence of the Cumberland Gap in the settling of Tennessee.

8.15 Analyze the influence of Benjamin Franklin as a revolutionary thinker, including the "Join or Die" cartoon, the Albany Plan of Union, and serving as an ambassador.

8.17 Explain the significance of the battles of the American Revolution prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, including Lexington and Concord and Bunker (Breed's) Hill.

8.18 Explain the historical purposes and consequences of Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

8.19 Analyze and interpret the Declaration of Independence, and determine the historical and present-day significance of the document.

8.20 Examine various perspectives of men and women during the American Revolution including, loyalists, patriots, neutral colonists, and persons of African descent.

8.21 Identify and explain the significance of the following during the American Revolution: struggles of the Continental Army (e.g., Valley Forge); Battles of Trenton and Princeton; Battle of Kings Mountain; Battles of Saratoga; Battle of Yorktown; guerrilla warfare.

The New Nation (1775–1800)

8.22 Describe the significance of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and its impact on the process of gaining statehood, the spread of public education, and the banning of slavery in the territory.

8.23 Identify the Articles of Confederation as America's first constitution, and explain its weaknesses as exemplified by: government structure (e.g., one branch, no power to tax); The Lost State of Franklin; Shays' Rebellion.

8.24 Describe the influence of James Madison during the Constitutional Convention, and analyze the major issues debated, including the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise.

8.25 Examine the principles and purposes of government listed in the Preamble and stated in the Constitution, including: checks and balances; federalism; limited government; popular sovereignty; separation of powers.

8.26 Describe the origins of the presidential election process, including the electoral college.

8.27 Describe the conflict between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

8.28 Analyze the major events of George Washington's administration, including the precedents he set, the Whiskey Rebellion, and ideas presented in his farewell address.

Growth of a Young Nation (1800–1820)

8.29 Explain how conflicts between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton resulted in the emergence of two political parties, and examine their viewpoints on issues such as foreign policy, economic policy, a national bank, and strict versus loose interpretation of the Constitution.

8.30 Explain the significant domestic and international events that impacted the administration of John Adams, including trade conflicts with Great Britain and France.

8.31 Identify how westward expansion led to the statehood of Tennessee and the importance of its first state constitution (1796).

8.32 Analyze the effects of the election of 1800, including: peaceful transition of power; midnight judges; Marbury v. Madison (e.g., judicial review).

8.33 Explain the major events of Thomas Jefferson's administration, including: conflict with Barbary Pirates; Embargo Act; Lewis and Clark Expedition; Louisiana Purchase.

8.34 Evaluate the effectiveness of negotiations between the U.S. government and American Indians during the time period.

8.35 Explain the causes, course, and consequences of the War of 1812, including: use of impressment and trade restrictions between the United States and Great Britain; roles of Andrew Jackson and Tecumseh; impact on American Indians; rise of nationalism in the United States.

8.36 Explain the purpose and provisions of the Monroe Doctrine.

8.37 Determine the role played by Chief Justice John Marshall, including key decisions of the Supreme Court, such as Gibbons v. Ogden (i.e., impact on interstate commerce) and McCulloch v. Maryland (i.e., impact on the national bank).

8.38 Examine the importance of the elections of 1824 and 1828, including expansion of voting rights, the corrupt bargain, the spoils system, and Jacksonian Democracy.

8.39 Determine the historical significance of key events of Andrew Jackson's administration, including the battle with the Bank of the United States and the Nullification Crisis.

8.40 Describe the impact of the Indian Removal Act and the struggle between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. government, including the significance of Worcester v. Georgia and the Trail of Tears.

8.41 Identify changes to voting rights under the Tennessee Constitution of 1834, including the expansion of voting rights to non-property owners and the removal of voting rights for free African-American men.

Sectionalism and Reform (1790s–1850s)

8.42 Describe the development of the agrarian economy in the South, including: the location of the Cotton Belt; the significance of cotton and the cotton gin; the growth of enslavement; the significance of the planter class and yeoman farmers.

8.43 Describe the daily life and culture of enslaved persons in the South prior to the Civil War, such as jobs performed, punishments and consequences, oral history, and the influence of religion and music.

8.44 Explain how enslaved persons resisted bondage in their daily lives, including passive and overt resistance and Nat Turner's Rebellion.

8.45 Explain the development of the American Industrial Revolution, including: Eli Whitney and interchangeable parts; role of the textile industry; mass production; introduction of women in the work force.

8.46 Explain how technological developments affected the growth of the industrial economy and cities in the North, including working and living conditions.

8.47 Identify the push-pull factors for Irish and German immigrants, and describe the impact of their arrival in the United States prior to the Civil War.

8.48 Analyze the development of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats throughout the United States, including the Erie Canal.

8.49 Describe the significance of the Second Great Awakening and its influence on reform in the 19th century.

8.50 Analyze the development of the Woman Suffrage Movement, including the Seneca Falls Convention, and the ideals of reform leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and Sojourner Truth.

8.51 Analyze the significance of leading abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, and the methods they used to spread the movement.

Expansion and Division of the Nation (1820s–1860s)

8.52 Analyze the concept of Manifest Destiny and its impact on the development of the nation, including economic incentives for westward expansion, impact on American Indians, and the territorial expansion of slavery.

8.53 Explain the reasons for and the provisions of the Missouri Compromise (i.e., Compromise of 1820) and its impact on expansion.

8.54 Describe the motivations for American settlements in Mexican-ruled Texas after 1821 and the causes of the Texas War for Independence, and determine the legacy of the Alamo, including Davy Crockett and Sam Houston.

8.55 Analyze the reasons for and outcomes of groups moving west, including the significance of: fur traders; Mormons; families on the Oregon Trail; opportunities for women and African Americans.

8.56 Identify the major events and impact of James K. Polk's administration, including: settlement of the Oregon boundary; the annexation of Texas; border disputes over the Rio Grande River; Mexican-American War; Mexican Cession.

8.57 Analyze the discovery of gold in California, its social and economic impact on the United States, and the major migratory movements including the forty-niners and Asian immigrants.

8.58 Explain the reasons for and the impact of the Compromise of 1850, including: Henry Clay's role as "The Great Compromiser"; Fugitive Slave Act; Harriet Beecher Stowe's influence with Uncle Tom's Cabin.

8.59 Analyze the motivations and divisional effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, including: Rise of the Republican Party; "Bleeding Kansas"; Preston Brooks' attack on Charles Sumner; John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry.

8.60 Analyze the impact of the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision on the debate over slavery in the United States.

8.61 Explain the arguments presented by Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on slavery in the Illinois Senate race debates of 1858.

The Civil War (1860–1865)

8.62 Describe how sectional division of the United States led to Abraham Lincoln's victory in the election of 1860.

8.63 Describe the significance of the Battle of Fort Sumter and Tennessee's struggle over the decision to secede.

8.64 Compare and contrast the Union and Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War, including: military and political leadership; military strategies; infrastructure; agricultural and industrial strengths; population.

8.65 Examine the goals, strategies, and outcomes throughout the Civil War, including: The Union's Campaign (e.g., General Ulysses S. Grant); The Confederacy's Campaign (e.g., General Robert E. Lee); General William T. Sherman's use of total war; control of Tennessee.

8.66 Analyze the significance and motivations of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address and their relationship to the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Gettysburg, respectively.

8.67 Describe African American involvement in the Union army, including the Massachusetts 54th Regiment at Fort Wagner.