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Period: 1800 BCE to
Patriotism
The United States had recently become independent and American patriotism was very much defined. The newly made country had found a national identity. During this period the study of government, physical geography, and exploration of culture became a more defined curricular study. -
Period: to
Colonial Times
Back in colonial times there was no such thing as the study of geography, history, and government. The communities were far too small to concern themselves with such things. Secular concerns were not important; people were much more concerned with religious studies and where eternity was going to be spent. This is the earliest curriculum in the social studies department. -
1749 Defining Social Studies.
Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson moved away from the religious and focused in the secular. They focused on things like Government, and Geography to educate the citizens on how to be better citizens for the newly formed country. -
1850 Public Education.
Horace Mann "Father of American Public Education" proposes a more rigorous and detailed curriculum for social studies to properly educate the influx if immigrants coming into the country. -
1916 Curriculum Reform.
There is a need to reform the social studies curriculum. There was complaints that there was too much focus on memorizing facts and often the information given was inaccurate and out of date. There was call for a humanized approach to social studies. Make all of the social studies material relative to human experience. -
1946 After war change.
After World War II the social studies curriculum changed yet again to focus more heavily on American studies, anticommunism courses. They also added courses such as environmental science, the idea of free enterprise, and physical education. -
1957 Russian Satellite
The launch of the first satellite to space was a turning point in social studies curriculum. After the United States felt they were behind in technology and in education in general, the curriculum felt it needed a more global perspective. The need came from a sense of defeat. -
2016
Now a days curriculum is based not only on textbooks, and a worldwide, human perspective. Its also heavily reliant on technology to better connect with the next generation.