
Public learning track
Early American Industry and Global Commerce
4th Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS
8 lessons
Goal
Analyze New England's early industrial revolution, maritime trade networks, and the economic links between northern mills and southern slavery.
8 lessons
0 of 8 done
- 1Waterwheels and Water Power in New England RiversUp nextStart
- 2Samuel Slater and the First Cotton Spinning MillNot started yetStart
- 3The Lowell Mill System: Textile Cities and LaborNot started yetStart
- 4Machinery and Metalworking in Worcester and SpringfieldNot started yetStart
- 5New Bedford, Nantucket, and the Global Whaling IndustryNot started yetStart
- 6Maritime Shipping, Clipper Ships, and the China TradeNot started yetStart
- 7Environmental and Social Costs of Industrial GrowthNot started yetStart
- 8The Cotton Connection: Textile Mills and Southern SlaveryNot started yetStart
Standards Covered
- 5.T4.4Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5On a map of New England, locate cities and towns that played important roles in the development of the textile and machinery industries, whaling, shipping, and the China trade in the 18th and 19th centuries and give examples of the short- and long-term benefits and costs of these industries.
- 5.T1.5Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5Describe the origins of slavery, its legal status in all the colonies through the 18th century, and the prevalence of slave ownership, including by many of the country’s early leaders (e.g., George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason).
Curriculum Framework
4th Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS
1
10 lessons
Geography and Map Skills of North America
Apply geographic tools, spatial thinking, and regional analysis to understand North America's physical and political landscape.
2
10 lessons
Indigenous Nations and Early European Encounters
Analyze the diverse cultures of Indigenous nations and evaluate the multifaceted impacts of European contact and colonization.
3
7 lessons
Founding the Thirteen Colonies: Leaders and Settlements
Examine the establishment, key leaders, and motives behind the founding of early English settlements across North America.
4
5 lessons
Colonial Life: Regional Economies and Labor Systems
Compare the geographic environments, economic systems, and forms of labor across the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies.
5
11 lessons
Slavery, the Middle Passage, and Colonial Labor
Examine the origins, expansion, and institutionalization of slavery across the colonies, the transatlantic slave trade, and forms of Black resistance.
6
11 lessons
The Road to Revolution and the Declaration of Independence
Explain the ideological, economic, and political causes of the American Revolution and analyze the core arguments of the Declaration of Independence.
7
7 lessons
The Revolutionary War: Battles, Campaigns, and Victory
Analyze key military leadership, turning-point battles, the French alliance, and the path to victory culminating in the Treaty of Paris.
8
5 lessons
Perspectives of the American Revolution: Diverse Voices and Divided Loyalties
Examine the diverse roles, motivations, and viewpoints of Loyalists, Patriots, African Americans, Native nations, women, and British leaders during the Revolutionary War.
9
11 lessons
Creating a New Government: Articles of Confederation and Constitution
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the significance of Shays' Rebellion, and the foundational compromises of the U.S. Constitution.
10
11 lessons
Westward Growth: The Louisiana Purchase and Corps of Discovery
Evaluate the geopolitical importance of the Louisiana Purchase and trace the scientific, geographic, and diplomatic journey of the Corps of Discovery.
11
10 lessons
The War of 1812 and American Nationalism
Analyze the causes, naval conflicts, major land battles, and nationalistic aftermath of the War of 1812.
12
8 lessons
Early American Industry and Global Commerce
Analyze New England's early industrial revolution, maritime trade networks, and the economic links between northern mills and southern slavery.
13
5 lessons
Native American Resistance and the Indian Removal Act
Examine 19th-century Indigenous resistance movements, legal battles for sovereignty, and the impact of federal Indian removal policies.
14
8 lessons
Indigenous Sovereignty: Mashpee Resistance and the Trail of Tears
Explain how Indigenous nations fought for self-government and resisted forced removal, focusing on the Mashpee Revolt in Massachusetts and the Trail of Tears in the Southeast.
15
10 lessons
Northern Abolition, Western Expansion, and the Domestic Slave Trade
Analyze the state-by-state abolition of slavery in the North, the ban on transatlantic slave importation in 1808, and the expansion of the domestic slave trade into the western states.