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Lesson Plans
Out of Many: A History of the American People ©2000
by Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, and Armitage
Focus Lesson 3
Chapter 5: "The Cultures of Colonial North America, 1700–1780"
AP* Course Description
- Colonial Society in the Mid-Eighteenth Century
- Social Structure
- Family
- Farm and town life; the economy
- Culture
- Great Awakening
- The American Mind
- "Folkways"
- New immigrants
- Social Structure
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 22–26
- Study Guide, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 37–49
- Documents Set, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 52–62
- Test Item File: pp. 36–44
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check PHSchool.com for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- mission system
- long lots
- Toleration Act
- French Crescent
- New Spain
- Enlightenment
- Half-Way Covenant
- Great Awakening
Suggested Pacing
Chapter 5, "The Cultures of Colonial North America," begins the comparison and contrast of different cultures in what will become the United States. This chapter's information can be completed in two to three class sessions, depending on whether you are on a traditional bell schedule or teaching on a block schedule.
Test Strategy
The inclusion, where appropriate, of cultural comparisons as examples in student essays can strengthen an essay by demonstrating synthesis of information on the part of the writer. The comparisons may be among and between British colonies or between British and French or Spanish colonies.
Key Concepts
- Comparing and contrasting colonies
A major focus of the multiple-choice questions on the test that deal with the colonial period is the differences between the various British colonies and, to a lesser extent, between the British and French and Spanish colonies. Students should understand the different political, economic, and religious developments of the individual colonies and then use this information to build their view of the larger regions of the British colonies, New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern as well as the divisions within the regions (i.e., frontier, Piedmont, Tidewater, and Chesapeake).
Creating tables that list the colonies across the top and the various factors—political, economic, and religious—down the left side will help students categorize relevant information. Factors they should consider for each colony include the form of charter, the form of government, the environmental factors (location and climate) that influenced the type of economy that developed, and the religion that predominated.
To enlarge the comparisons, students should relate this information to what they learned about the French and Spanish in Chapters 2 and 3.
Summing Up Student Understanding
As part of their assignment while reading the chapter, have students complete the Study Guide tables on pp. 40, 47, 48, and 49. These tables will help students to make connections between Chapters 3 and 5. The tables span the period from 1588 to 1780 and compare Spanish, French, and British colonial developments.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- The Power of Words: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Breen—Chapter 5
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. I, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 4