Grade 7 Social Studies Arkansas standards Standards

Arkansas History

Geography

Economics

Civics

Understand the impact of origins, structures, and functions of institutions and laws on society and citizens. This includes personal civic rights, roles, responsibilities, and processes by which laws are made and amended.

Examine the functions and powers of the three branches of government in Arkansas as outlined in the Arkansas Constitution.

Examine features of the Arkansas Constitution that distinguish it from the U.S. Constitution<ul><li>Differences in power of legislative vs. executive branches</li><li>Voter-approved constitutional amendments</li><li>Election of Supreme Court justices</li><li>Balanced budget requirement</li></ul>

Analyze the political process in Arkansas, including the voting and election processes, party politics, the role of media, and term limits.

Examine the rights and responsibilities of citizenship as outlined by the Arkansas Constitution (e.g., Amendment 88 - Right to Hunt, Fish, Trap, and Harvest Wildlife).

Demonstrate proper etiquette for interacting with the Arkansas and American flags and analyze the history and meaning of the Arkansas flag.

Analyze the response of state government and the role of public policy on social concerns in Arkansas such as unemployment, education, poverty, immigration, and culture.

Understand the impact of economic decision-making. This includes the exchange of goods and services; role of producers, consumers, and government in the marketplace; and growth, stability, and interdependence within a global economy.

Evaluate the impact of natural resources on the economics and development of each geographic region of the state:<ul><li>Arkansas River Valley (e.g., agriculture, coal, natural gas, water)</li><li>Crowley's Ridge (e.g., agriculture)</li><li>Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) (e.g., agriculture, waterfowl, fish)</li><li>Ouachita Mountains (e.g., thermal springs, timber, quartz)</li><li>Ozark Mountains (e.g., minerals, natural gas)</li><li>West Gulf Coastal Plain (Timberlands) (e.g., bromine, diamonds, timber, bauxite, oil, wild game)</li></ul>

Analyze the economic impact of transportation systems in Arkansas, including rivers, railroads, airports, and highways.

Analyze how the six geographic regions of Arkansas developed and have changed economically.

Examine contributions of Arkansas entrepreneurs on local, regional, national, and global economic development.

Analyze the local, regional, national, and global economic impact of Arkansas businesses and industries, including agriculture, tourism, timber, technology, medical and scientific research, and finance.

Investigate Arkansas's global economic contributions through educational and humanitarian efforts such as the Fulbright Institute, Clinton School of Public Service, Heifer International, Walton Family Foundation, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and other corporate and private foundations.

Understand the purpose of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) to understand, analyze, and explain human interaction with each other and with the environment. This includes the spatial characteristics and patterns of human settlement and connections between global regions.

Compare and contrast the six geographic regions of Arkansas using geographic representations and available geospatial technologies (e.g., Global Positioning System, Geographic Information System).

Analyze the availability of resources and their effects on the geographic development of each region of the state<ul><li>Arkansas River Valley (e.g., agriculture, coal, natural gas, water)</li><li>Crowley's Ridge (e.g., agriculture)</li><li>Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) (e.g., agriculture, waterfowl, fish)</li><li>Ouachita Mountains (e.g., thermal springs, timber, quartz)</li><li>Ozark Mountains (e.g., minerals, natural gas)</li><li>West Gulf Coastal Plain (e.g., bromine, diamonds, timber, bauxite, oil, wild game)</li></ul>

Evaluate the human impact on water systems in Arkansas over time, including the use of aquifers for agriculture and the use of rivers and lakes for trade, transportation, recreation, and flood control such as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

Analyze the natural phenomena on the environment of specific regions such as Tornado Alley, New Madrid earthquakes, Flood of 1927, Drought of 1930, Arkansas River Flood of 2019.

Analyze the impact of geographic features on settlement and movement patterns around the state. This may include the Louisiana Purchase survey, the impact of swamps in east and south Arkansas hindering migration and settlement; the mountains in north and west Arkansas hindering migration and prohibiting large-scale farming; and the impact of rivers and bayous throughout the state facilitating travel and transportation of goods.

Analyze relationships between the geography of Arkansas and economic development over time.

Examine how the geography of different communities and regions affects Arkansas's cultural characteristics, including songs, stories, legends, and oral traditions.

Understand chronology, patterns of continuity, and change over time. This includes the contextualization of historical events and ways people gather, view, construct, and interpret historical evidence.

Evaluate the significance of historical events and periods in early Arkansas:<ul><li>Presence of Indigenous people</li><li>European exploration</li><li>Territorial Arkansas period, including settlement and early government</li><li>Indian Removal</li><li>Early statehood period</li></ul>

Examine the social, economic, and political effects of the Great Depression and the New Deal on various regions and segments of the population in Arkansas, including unemployment and the role of federal programs in the state.

Investigate social, economic, and political effects of World War II on various segments of the population in Arkansas, including soldiers off to war, war casualties, women at work, Japanese-American internment camps, victory, and war production plants.H.1.ARH.12

Analyze social, economic, and political effects of the Civil Rights Movement on various regions in Arkansas.

Examine the social and cultural transformations in Arkansas in the areas of music, art, clothing, culture, and demographics.

Research contributions made by Arkansans in the fields of art, business, medicine, science, and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries<ul><li>Art (e.g., Johnny Cash, Jimmy Driftwood, Maya Angelou)</li><li>Medicine (e.g., Dr. Samuel Lee Kountz Jr., Ruth Beall)</li><li>Business (e.g., Don Tyson, J.B. Hunt, Sam Walton, William Dillard, Jackson T. Stephens)</li><li>Science and technology (e.g., Isaac T. Gillam IV, Raye Jean Montague)</li></ul>

Research contributions made by various political, military, and social movement leaders in Arkansas

Examine the cultural characteristics of Indigenous populations in Arkansas, both pre-Columbian (e.g., Mississippians) and Historic (e.g., Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw).

Summarize the events of Arkansas territorial and early statehood period, including the Hunter-Dunbar Expedition, early government, move of the capitol from Arkansas Post to Little Rock, establishment of the General Assembly, and the process by which Arkansas achieved statehood.

Analyze the historical significance of and reasons for Arkansas's involvement in the Civil War, including events, battles, and people (including the Sultana Disaster) in various regions of Arkansas:<ul><li>Events (e.g., the Little Rock arsenal incident, the Secessionist Convention, split loyalties, Sultana Disaster)</li><li>Battles (e.g., Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Helena, Camden Expedition, guerrilla warfare)</li><li>People (e.g., Henry Rector, Isaac Murphy, David O. Dodd)</li></ul>

Examine the effects of emancipation and Reconstruction in Arkansas, including the Freedmen's Bureau, sharecropping system, Brooks-Baxter War, Constitution of 1874, election of black legislators, restoration of Confederate voting rights, and subsequent Jim Crow laws.

Analyze social, economic, and political reforms of the Progressive Era in Arkansas, including women's suffrage, growth and development of railroads, industrialism, and reform of the convict lease system.

Discuss social events and issues in Arkansas surrounding discrimination and marginalization, including Jim Crow laws, rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Elaine Race Massacre, and school segregation.

Discuss the social and cultural changes in Arkansas during the turn of the century, including music (e.g., spirituals, blues, jazz), food, and the influx of immigrants and immigrant communities (e.g., Little Italy, Altus, Catholic Point).

Investigate the social, economic, and political effects of World War I on various segments of the population in Arkansas, including soldier casualties and the impact of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.

Era 4: 1801 through 1850, Expansion and Reform

Era 3: 1754 through the 1820s, Revolution and the New Nation

Era 2: 1585-1763, Colonization and Settlement

Era 1: United States Beginnings to 1620

History

Geography

Economics

Civics

Understand the impact of origins, structures, and functions of institutions and laws on society and citizens. This includes personal civic rights, roles, responsibilities, and processes by which laws are made and amended.

Examine foundational documents of the United States government and the impact they had on the development of a new nation:<ul><li>Magna Carta</li><li>English Bill of Rights</li><li>Mayflower Compact</li><li>Declaration of Independence</li><li>Articles of Confederation</li><li>United States Constitution</li></ul>

Evaluate ways rules and laws change society and reasons why people repeal or amend them at local, state, and federal levels:<ul><li>Article V of the U.S. Constitution</li><li>Arkansas Constitution voter-approved amendment process</li><li>Repeal process</li></ul>

Explain the development of policies under the Articles of Confederation to address public problems after the Revolutionary War:<ul><li>Northwest Ordinance (1787)</li><li>Articles' weaknesses</li><li>Shay's Rebellion</li></ul>

Examine the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, including their checks and balances and separation of powers.

Explain and compare origins, functions, and structures of different systems of government, including those created by the Arkansas and U.S. Constitutions:<ul><li>Federalism</li><li>State powers and national powers</li><li>Concurrent and reserved powers</li></ul>

Examine how the 9th and 10th Amendments entrust social organizations and institutions (e.g., individuals, families, religious/secular groups) with unenumerated rights not listed in the Constitution. Unenumerated rights may include:<ul><li>Parental rights</li><li>Right to travel</li><li>Right to an education</li><li>Rights of religious organizations</li></ul>

Evaluate various ways early historical figures fostered American citizenship and civic virtues. Historical figures may include:<ul><li>Phillis Wheatley</li><li>James Armistead</li><li>Peter Salem</li><li>George Washington</li><li>John Adams</li><li>Abigail Adams</li><li>Salem Poor</li><li>Thomas Jefferson</li><li>Thomas Paine</li><li>Patrick Henry</li><li>Alexis de Tocqueville</li></ul>

Demonstrate proper etiquette for interacting with the Arkansas and American flags and evaluate the use of various flags during the early American period (e.g., Betsy Ross flag, Flag of the Green Mountain Boys, First Navy Jack, Great Garrison Flag during War of 1812).

Analyze rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizens and non-citizens in the United States:<ul><li>14th Amendment</li><li>15th Amendment</li><li>19th Amendment</li><li>26th Amendment</li></ul>

Examine historical developments that contributed to the rise of civic virtues in the United States, including colonial self-government and individual liberties. Some notable developments that contributed to the rise of self-government include:<ul><li>Mayflower Compact</li><li>Colonial charters</li><li>House of Burgesses (Virginia)</li><li>Great Awakening</li><li>Salutary neglect</li><li>Trial of John Peter Zenger</li><li>Influence of the Iroquoi Confederacy/Six Nations</li></ul>

Compare processes for creating rules and laws at the local, state, and federal levels such as city council, county quorum court, Arkansas General Assembly, and Congress.

Understand the impact of economic decision-making. This includes the exchange of goods and services; role of producers, consumers, and government in the marketplace; and growth, stability, and interdependence within a global economy.

Analyze historical developments in the interdependent system of commerce between the thirteen colonies, Great Britain, and the rest of the world:<ul><li>European exploration and colonization of the Americas</li><li>Taxation (e.g., Stamp Act, Townshend Duties)</li><li>Conflict (e.g., French and Indian War, American Revolution)</li><li>Trade (e.g., triangular trade, Columbian Exchange, Navigation Act of 1651)</li></ul>

Examine the economic characteristics of the colonial regions (New England, Middle, and Southern), including their diverse labor force, use and trade-offs of natural resources, and human and capital resources used to deliver goods and services.

Evaluate the development of a free market system within the thirteen colonies and early United States:<ul><li>Mercantilism</li><li>Property rights</li><li>Free enterprise</li></ul>

Analyze the forms and purposes of currency in early America through the Revolutionary period:<ul><li>Continental currency vs. state currency</li><li>Early forms of currency in Indigenous nations</li></ul>

Discuss roles of early financial institutions on the economy of the United States:<ul><li>National Bank by Alexander Hamilton</li><li>Jackson's veto of the National Bank</li><li>State banks</li></ul>

Explain ways state and federal governments paid for the goods and services they provided through the early 1800s:<ul><li>Taxation to provide for an army</li><li>Postal services</li><li>Building of roads</li><li>Tariffs</li></ul>

Discuss the effects of war and conflict on the economy of the United States from the colonial period to the early 1800s, including government printing of money, inflation, scarcity of resources, and smuggling.

Explain effects of increasing economic interdependence between the United States and other nations and regions:<ul><li>Growth: (e.g., First Industrial Revolution, Louisiana Purchase, population growth, westward expansion, triangular trade, increased wealth, cooperation with other nations)</li><li>Conflict: (e.g., competition with other nations, Barbary Wars, Tecumseh's War, War of 1812)</li></ul>

Understand the purpose of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) to understand, analyze, and explain human interaction with each other and with the environment. This includes the spatial characteristics and patterns of human settlement and connections between global regions.

Describe locations, environmental characteristics, and cultures of pre-Columbian Indigenous populations using maps and geographic representations.

Analyze human movement and economic activities over time using maps and other geographic representations:<ul><li>Pre-Columbian Indigenous Nations' settlement patterns</li><li>Triangular trade and other trade routes</li><li>Columbian exchange</li><li>Regions of European exploration</li><li>Colonial settlement</li></ul>

Synthesize information from a variety of sources to construct maps and other geographic representations of the United States from the original thirteen colonies to 1850.

Analyze ways cultural and environmental characteristics influenced population, settlement, and movement of goods in the American colonies:<ul><li>Cultural (e.g., religious affiliations, language and ethnic groups, locations of various Indigenous nations)</li><li>Economic (e.g., sources of labor)</li><li>Geographic (e.g., environmental characteristics, climate, topography, soil type, water access, etc.)</li><li>Governance (e.g., royal, charter, proprietary)</li></ul>

Examine the relationships between American colonists and various Indigenous societies, considering the location and use of natural resources and changes to the physical environment. This may include pelt and fur trading, large-scale farming, use of timber, increased resource consumption, hunting and fishing, and differences on the view of land ownership.

Examine reasons for population shifts in early America and the effects on various regions:<ul><li>European immigration and colonization</li><li>Diseases in both colonial and Indigenous populations</li><li>Indentured servitude</li><li>Transatlantic slave trade</li></ul>

Analyze cooperation among the colonies and Indigenous communities during and after natural and human-made disasters such as the French and Indian War, American Revolution, disease outbreaks, famine, and weather phenomena.

Understand key historical periods from the United States' Beginnings (Era 1) through 1850 (Era 4). This includes the patterns of social, economic, and political change over time and the ways people view, construct, and interpret the history of the United States.

Research and compare cultural characteristics of major pre-Columbian Indigenous societies within North America through a variety of artwork, journals, archaeological findings, and other artifacts. Pre-Columbian Indigenous societies might include:<ul><li>Mesoamerican groups (e.g., Olmec, Maya, Aztec)</li><li>Mound builders</li><li>Cliff dwellers</li><li>Southwest</li><li>Great Plains</li><li>Pacific Northwest</li><li>Woodland peoples</li><li>Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and Subarctic</li><li>Mississippians in Arkansas</li></ul>

Research and compare cultural characteristics of major pre-Columbian Indigenous societies within North America through a variety of artwork, journals, archaeological findings, and other artifacts. Pre-Columbian Indigenous societies might include:<ul><li>Mesoamerican groups (e.g., Olmec, Maya, Aztec)</li><li>Mound builders</li><li>Cliff dwellers</li><li>Southwest</li><li>Great Plains</li><li>Pacific Northwest</li><li>Woodland peoples</li><li>Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic and Subarctic</li><li>Mississippians in Arkansas</li></ul>

Analyze the significance of various battles and military leaders during the American Revolution:<ul><li>Battles: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Yorktown</li><li>Military leaders/groups: George Washington, John Paul Jones, Nathanael Greene, First Rhode Island Regiment</li></ul>

Analyze the effects of the American Revolutionary War on the newly formed United States and the rest of the world:<ul><li>National effects: (e.g., vulnerable young nation, colonial independence, creation of the Articles of Confederation expansion of territory via Treaty of Paris, destruction of farmland, significant casualties, loss of life/livelihood, inflation, scarcity of resources)</li><li>International effects: (e.g., international relations, catalyst for international revolutions, loyalists relocation to Canada, interruption of global trade)</li></ul>

Examine short- and long-term effects of the drafting and signing of the U.S. Constitution:<ul><li>Federalism and the establishment of three branches</li><li>Bicameral house (i.e., the Great Compromise)</li><li>National powers (e.g., coining money, raising an army, power to tax)</li><li>Enumeration of individual rights (e.g., Bill of Rights)</li><li>Amendment process (i.e., design, purpose, and difficulty)</li></ul>

Evaluate how early Presidents and historical events influenced the development of the new nation:<ul><li>Establishment of Washington, D.C., as nation's capital</li><li>Washington's Farewell Address</li><li>Rise of political parties</li><li>Jeffersonian democracy and the Louisiana Purchase</li><li>Judicial power defined through Marbury vs. Madison</li><li>Banking and tariff policy on the national economy</li></ul>

Examine the impact and significance of the War of 1812, including British impressment of American sailors, the role of James and Dolley Madison, and various battles that contributed to an American identity (e.g., Battle of Fort McHenry and "The Star Spangled Banner," Battle of New Orleans).

Analyze the concept of Manifest Destiny and the factors that affected territorial expansion and the development of the nation. Events may include:<ul><li>Louisiana Purchase</li><li>Monroe Doctrine</li><li>Adams-Onís Treaty</li><li>Development of the Erie Canal</li><li>Oregon Trail</li><li>Santa Fe Trail</li><li>California Gold Rush</li><li>Panic of 1837</li><li>Rising conflict between settlers and Indigenous groups</li></ul>

Analyze the development of regional tensions prior to the Civil War:<ul><li>Economic development: (e.g., effects of cotton gin invention, Industrial Revolution, growth of manufacturing and railroads in northern states)</li><li>Political actions: (e.g., tariffs, nullification crisis, compromises, disenfranchisement of free blacks)</li><li>Expansion of slavery, immigration, and westward migration</li></ul>

Analyze major purposes, implementation, and effects of public policies during the Jacksonian presidency, including Jacksonian Democracy, veto of the National Bank, the spoils system, Indian Removal Act, and the Trail of Tears.

Analyze the effects of the Mexican-American War on the United States, including new territory for the United States and expansion of slavery.

Examine economic, political, and religious reasons for European exploration in the Americas:<ul><li>Trade and trade routes</li><li>Wealth</li><li>Colonies for empire expansion</li><li>Religious influence and freedom</li></ul>

Examine economic, political, and religious reasons for European exploration in the Americas:<ul><li>Trade and trade routes</li><li>Wealth</li><li>Colonies for empire expansion</li><li>Religious influence and freedom</li></ul>

Evaluate short- and long-term effects of European exploration and settlement ventures in the Americas and Arkansas, including why some experienced hardship and failure. Reasons may include:<ul><li>Conflict with other nations (including Indigenous nations)</li><li>Disease</li><li>Poor climate conditions</li><li>Economic issues such as the failure of the common store system in Jamestown and Plymouth Colony</li></ul>

Evaluate short- and long-term effects of European exploration and settlement ventures in the Americas and Arkansas, including why some experienced hardship and failure. Reasons may include:<ul><li>Conflict with other nations (including Indigenous nations)</li><li>Disease</li><li>Poor climate conditions</li><li>Economic issues such as the failure of the common store system in Jamestown and Plymouth Colony</li></ul>

Evaluate the economic and cultural effects of indentured servitude and slavery in the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies:<ul><li>Conditions of the Middle Passage</li><li>Life and experiences of those who were enslaved versus those who were indentured</li><li>Growth and economic dependence on slavery, especially in Southern colonies</li><li>Early attempts at abolition (e.g., Rhode Island in 1652, Vermont in 1777, Quaker Abolition movement)</li></ul>

Research the development of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies through inquiry and questioning. Inquiry questions may include:<ul><li>Why did people settle where they did?</li><li>How did they solve problems?</li><li>Was life better in the colonies than in England?</li><li>Was life better in some colonies than others?</li><li>How were patterns of settlement influenced by beliefs, economics, and geography?</li></ul>

Analyze causes and ideas leading to the American Revolution:<ul><li>French and Indian War</li><li>Stamp Act, Townshend Duties, and the Intolerable Acts</li><li>Boston Tea Party</li><li>Colonial self-government, representation, and individual liberty</li></ul>

Analyze the Revolutionary movement from the perspective of various groups, which may include patriots, loyalists, British and French leaders, Indigenous people, and indentured or enslaved Americans.

Evaluate how individuals and groups influenced the American Revolutionary movement:<ul><li>Writers & influencers: (e.g., Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" speech, Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die cartoon, Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, Haym Salomon)</li><li>Military & political: (e.g., George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Salem Poor, Peter Salem, Deborah Sampson, Mary Ludgwig Hays, James Armistead)</li><li>Groups: (e.g., Culper Spy Ring, Sons and Daughters of Liberty)</li></ul>

Examine the significance of the Declaration of Independence, including key political concepts of natural rights, natural law, social contract theory, right to revolution, right to self-determination, and tyranny.