Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming question to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • What does it mean to be “neutral?”

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of author Lindsay Chervinsky providing an introduction to the lesson for your students. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer.

  Clip #1: A Mistake of Historians (2:03).

  • Based on the clip, what mistake do historians and history lovers make? How does Lindsay Chervinsky support her claim?
  • What else does Chervinsky “challenge” her listeners to do? Why?
  • Summarize the questions that will guide the rest of the lesson, as stated in the clip.

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• BACKGROUND

  Direct students to the background section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that provide background information on U.S. history from the Declaration of Independence through the Constitutional Convention. Direct your students to share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: An International Announcement (3:10).

  • When and where does the story “begin?” Why was John Adams not present?
  • Why did the Declaration of Independence “surprise no one,” and what was Adams’ role?
  • According to Chervinsky, for whom was the Declaration of Independence intended? Why?

• Clip #3: Negotiations and Goals (3:39).

  • Why was a “multi-person delegation” sent to France during the Revolutionary War?
  • Describe the relationship between John Jay and John Adams, based on the clip.
  • What were the two goals that Jay and Adams had for the negotiations, according to Lindsay Chervinsky? How did these goals conflict with their stated mission?
  • Based on the clip, why did the British negotiators refuse to sit for the painting of the treaty signing ceremony?
  • What does the Treaty of Paris (1783) “demonstrate?”

• Clip #4: Confederation Period (1:38).

  • What question remains after the Treaty of Paris (1783), according to Lindsay Chervinsky?
  • Why was the Confederation period “very important?”
  • Based on the clip, what was problematic during this era? Why?

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following five video clips that provide information about the U.S. effort to remain neutral in the first years of the republic. Direct your students to share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #5: Being President (10:35).

  • What did the Founding Fathers “recognize” after the ratification of the Constitution?
  • According to Lindsay Chervinsky, what burden did George Washington experience and what steps did he take in response?
  • For what reason did Washington write to John Adams early in his Presidency? Choose one of the examples in the letter (National Archives) and summarize your findings.
  • Why was Washington’s reception of foreign ministers “a big thing,” and where were the ministers welcomed?
  • Why was American neutrality “essential” during the 1793 conflict between France and Great Britain? What did the Cabinet recommend that Washington do?
  • What problems and “questions” existed during the situation, and what role did Edmond-Charles Genêt play?
  • How did Washington and the Cabinet respond? Summarize what happened, as described in the clip.

• Clip #6: Relations with England (3:06).

  • How does Lindsay Chervinsky describe the relationship between the United States and England?
  • What “challenges” existed for the British Navy, and how did this impact the United States?
  • What other issues were “on the table,” and how did President George Washington attempt to resolve them?
  • How was John Jay’s work received by the United States and the House of Representatives, according to Chervinsky?

• Clip #7: Executive Privilege (2:48).

  • What did President George Washington “assert” in response to the Jay Treaty (1794) debate?
  • Review the letter (National Archives) that Washington sent to the Speaker of the House. What arguments did he make, and how was it “precedent-setting?”
  • Based on the clip, what did Washington accuse the House of Representatives of doing in the letter?

• Clip #8: Election of 1796 and XYZ Affair (6:11).

  • What did France decide to do as the Presidential Election of 1796 was approaching, according to Lindsay Chervinsky?
  • Based on the clip, how did John Adams compare to George Washington? Why?
  • What did France begin to “seize,” and how did Adams respond?
  • Summarize what happened during the XYZ Affair (1797-98), as described by Chervinsky. How did Americans view the incident?

• Clip #9: Quasi-War and the Treaty of Mortefontaine (3:18).

  • What was the Quasi-War (1798-1800), according to Lindsay Chervinsky?
  • Based on the clip, how did France respond to America defending itself? Describe the decision that John Adams had to make.
  • According to Chervinsky, what effects did Adams’ decision have and what did it “prove?”

• REFLECTION

  After students finish sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the final video clip that provides reflective information for the lesson. Direct your students to share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #10: A Bookend (2:16).

  • When does the story “end,” according to Lindsay Chervinsky?
  • Why was the War of 1812 (1812-15) an “emotional victory?”
  • Who was “chiefly responsible” for negotiating the Treaty of Ghent (1814) at the end of the war?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with sharing their findings from the reflection video clip, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the efforts of early America to remain neutral on the global stage, describe the impact and legacy of these efforts. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.