The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s 8th Grade Social Studies Curriculum focuses on United States history from its colonial roots to the Civil War. It is designed to provide students with the knowledge and understanding of how the United States developed as a democratic society in the modern world. Throughout the course students are engaged in rigorous learning experiences that both develops and challenges their thinking skills. *Students begin the year with an introduction to social studies skills and processes and continue to apply them throughout the course. *Students will learn how the nation broke away from Great Britain and established a revolutionary government. The course examines the challenges the founders faced as they sought to stabilize the fledgling republic through the early national period. *The course continues through the antebellum era focusing on the issues that would ultimately lead to the Civil War (slavery, state’s rights, sectionalism, abolitionists, etc.). *The course concludes with students investigating the Civil War and how the nation attempted to re-unite during Reconstruction.