NJ Lessons - Secondary

Democracy and Governance in Colonial New Jersey

Information: Students will be able to analyze several historical documents and identify and compare beliefs presented in them about equality, liberty and consent of the governed and how they relate to the historical foundation of New Jersey and the United States and draw conclusions about the extent and nature of religious and political liberties that were guaranteed by colonial governments to their citizens.

Information: Students will be able to: explain why some colonists remained loyal to Britain and others supported independence; use documents to compare and contrast the backgrounds, views and actions of last Royal Governor William Franklin and first state Governor William Livingston; describe what happened to Loyalists and take and defend a position on whether the treatment of Loyalists was necessary and fair; explain why Washington choose Morristown as the site for two winter encampments; determine the effect of the war and the 1779-80 encampment at Jockey Hollow on the soldiers and the population of New Jersey; identify the impact of the Revolutionary War on the New Jersey and American economy.

Information: Students will be able to explain the content and impact of the provisions of New Jersey’s 1776 Constitution regarding the electorate, the branches of government, and the protection of individual rights; compare its provisions with the United States Constitution; and articulate a point of view about the importance of individual rights, separation of powers and governmental structure in the two constitutions.

Information: Students will be able to: explain the background of the delegates from New Jersey to the Federal Convention in 1787; demonstrate the impact of the New Jersey and Virginia Plans at the Federal Convention; conduct a simulated Federal Convention; explain the value of compromise.

Information: Students will be able to: analyze the causes of the War of 1812; identify specific ways in which the Embargo Act impacted the economy of New Jersey; evaluate articles from newspapers during the War of 1812 to determine whether New Jersey representatives should have supported or opposed the War of 1812; explain the perspective and role of New Jersey citizens during the War of 1812; describe how the Federalists ad Democrat-Republicans used national interests in their local campaigning in the 1812 election; determine if the War in 1812 was to the benefit or detriment of people in New Jersey; explain how New Jersey voters were impacted by national events when voting for President in 1812 and 1816.

Information: Explain the existence of slavery and the efforts to abolish it in New Jersey during the colonial and antebellum periods.

Information: Student will be able to: explain why many New Jerseyans did not support President Lincoln in the 1860 and 1864 presidential elections; analyze the fairness of a winner-takes-all or proportional presidential electoral vote system and determine which would be better for New Jersey; compare the speech president-elect Lincoln made to the New Jersey Senate in Feb. 1861 with his First Inaugural Address in March 1861; identify how New Jersey supported the Union in the Civil War; explain the views of “Copperheads” and the Copperhead press; analyze the arguments made by the New Jersey press in the 1864 presidential election and take a position about their strength; examine the potential opportunity offered by the assassination of a president to make difficult, controversial changes.

Information: Students will be able to: explain the concept of monopolies; explain how Rockefeller created the Standard Oil Trust; explain the purpose and language of the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890); analyze and evaluate newspaper and magazine articles about Standard Oil; analyze political cartoons and political advertisements; analyze the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Standard Oil Co. of NJ v. The United States (1911); determine the impact of predatory monopolistic behavior on consumers; take and defend a position of whether the government should regulate private business in order to protect consumers from predatory monopolistic practices.

Information: Student will be able to: examine the historical context, causes, progress and consequences of the Paterson Silk Strike in 1913; explain the late 19th century-early 20th century illegality of labor strikes or boycotts; examine the demands of the striking silk workers and the silk manufacturers in Paterson in 1913 by doing an historical role-playing activity; compare the context in which labor disputes were resolved before and after the 1930s; consider the roles of unions and government regarding American workers and the American economy today.

Information: Students will be able to: identify major sites in New Jersey related to military and industrial war efforts and explain their role in the war; analyze the impact of World War I on individual rights; evaluate how World War I opened economic opportunities in New Jersey; consider whether the war met its stated objective of making the world safe for democracy.