American Culture, Nationalism, and Sectionalism in the Early 1800s

The topics of nationalism and sectionalism relating to American culture were the focus of today's class.
 
Students had a great discussion of the definition of culture and we examined a sketch ("Crossing of Carson River" by Lt. J.H. Simpson) determine what aspects of the sketch showed American culture in the early 1800s. Students then defined nationalism and sectionalism and discussed whether a person could show loyalty to both their country and region if forced to choose.

Today's themes are "big picture" themes in US History for the rest of the school year and I'm glad that students were able to use much of their prior knowledge in order to learn about and think about the issues during the time leading up to the US Civil War.
 
Crossing of Carson River

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