History

The History course will introduce students to some background of our two Year 12 courses: the Tudors 1485-1603, and USA 1945-80. The course will provide important context and introduce students to the more independent nature of studying History at A Level through critical engagement with the work of primary sources and historians.

Tudor History: there will be six lessons spread across four weeks

Enquiry 1: Changing Narratives: How should we represent some of the key figures of this period?

These first sessions will introduce students to different interpretations and representations of the Tudor period and the period of the Wars of the Roses. This will be used as a starting point to consider why representations have changed.

Wars of the Roses: savage battles and shameless treasons? – Students will examine changing representations of the Wars of the Roses through examples including Shakespeare, the recent novel and TV drama, the White Queen, and by Victorian historians and contemporary historians. How and why have these representations changed?

Mary I: Hysterical, fanatical and stubborn? – Students will consider how interpretations of Mary have changed as historians have moved away from gendered stereotypes. Different interpretations will be tested against primary evidence.

Elizabeth I: the body of a weak and feeble woman? – Students will examine how Elizabeth sought to represent herself through portraits and quotations from speeches. Did Elizabeth successfully overcome gendered stereotypes of the Tudor period?

Enquiry 2: Hidden histories: How can we uncover some of the hidden histories of the Tudor period?

These two sessions will introduce students to some lesser-known aspects of Tudor history.

Black Tudors? – This session will explore Black lives in Tudor England and is based on recent work by the historian Miranda Kauffman.

Beginnings of Empire? – This session will explore one of the darker themes of Tudor history through an examination of emerging justifications of colonialism in Ireland and the Americas.

Project Outcome: You will have the choice of which aspect of the Tudor enquiries to focus upon in order to write a short reflective piece on why the portrayal of Tudor history has been so controversial.

USA 1945-80: there will be six lessons spread across four weeks

Land of the Free? What did it mean to be an American by 1945?

This enquiry will provide an overview of defining moments in the origins and making of the USA, examining politically and culturally significant events reaching back to the late 17th Century. Students will explore some of the emerging and dominant ideologies, exploring how these helped to shape American identity by 1945. They will use a combination of primary sources and historical interpretations which will provide an excellent grounding in the skills required for the A Level course.

Lesson 1: The Colonial era - What can the Salem witch-trials tell us about 17th Century American society?

Skill: handling sources of evidence to identify cause and consequences

Students will examine a range of source material to build a more textured understanding of the historical context of this famous crisis in order to reach a better understanding of life in Massachusetts at the end of the 17th Century and how Puritan beliefs influenced American values.

Lesson 2: From Declaration of Independence to the American Constitution: why are these such defining moments in America’s past?

Skill: handling sources of evidence and historical interpretations to identify significance

Students will critically examine the text of the Declaration of Independence as well as contrast interpretations by prominent historians in order to question the motives of the Founding Fathers. They will also consider the apparent contradictions of ‘All men are created equal’ within the Constitution, examining factors leading to the decision by Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers to include slavery in the Constitution.

Lesson 3: How did Westward Expansion transform America and Americans?

Skill: handling sources of evidence and historical interpretations to identify changes/ consequence

Case-study: The Gold Rush and San Francisco Students will explore how the United States vastly expanded the size of its territory in the early 19th Century and how the ideology of Manifest Destiny was used to justify this expansion. They will use sources to examine the types of changes that occurred and evaluate the consequences for different groups of people, including Native Americans.

Lesson 4: Did Emancipation (1865) really set African Americans free?

Skill: understanding and explaining significance

Case-study: Chicago Race riots, 1919

Students will consider the origins of the Chicago race riots by exploring documents that reflect different social, cultural, and economic causes. They will link these experiences to wider experiences of African Americans in the period 1865-1920.

Lesson 5: Did America become a new colonial power (1898)?

Skill: understanding and explaining significance

Case-study: 1898 war with Spain

Students will look at the war with Spain which saw the USA gain control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. We will also look at the slightly later annexation of Hawaii and the leasing of the Panama Canal and consider the strategic importance of these territorial gains for the 20th century.

Lesson 6: Was 1900-1945 a period of innovation or conservatism?

Skill: Skill: building contextual understanding to create a judgment

Case-studies: WW1, Women’s Suffrage, Prohibition, Scopes Trial, Great Depression, WW2 Students will choose a number of case studies to explore. They will use primary source material to reach a judgment about the nature of change in the early 20th Century and its impact on social and cultural facets of American lives.

Project Outcome: To create a short, written report answering the lesson enquiry question ‘What did it mean to be an American by 1945’ drawing together their synoptic understanding of the previous lessons.