Grade 2 | HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES
WEEK 14 • STUDENT TEXTBOOK • DAYS 66–70
Read each lesson with a parent or teacher and study the worked example. Then answer the questions for that day in the Week 14 Practice Workbook.
Week 14 Student Textbook | Week 14 Practice Workbook | Week 14 Teacher Guide | Week 13 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index
Day 66: George Washington: Power Belongs to the People
George Washington led the American army in the war for independence. When the war was won, on December 23, 1783, he gave his command back to Congress and went home to his farm.
Later, Washington was elected the first President. He served from 1789 to 1797, two terms, and then stepped down so the people could elect someone new. His actions show a democratic principle: power belongs to the people, and leaders must give it back.
Worked example: Who was the first President of the United States?
- The lesson names the first President.
Worked answer: George Washington.
Day 67: Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin: Equal Rights
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin helped review it, and both men signed it. The Declaration says that all men are created equal and that governments get their power from the consent of the governed, which means the people agree to be governed.
In 1787, Franklin also signed the Constitution, the plan for the new government. These documents show two democratic principles: equal rights, and government by the people’s consent.
Worked example: In what year was the Declaration of Independence written?
- The lesson gives the year.
- It was written in 1776.
Worked answer: 1776.
Day 68: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: Liberty and Free Speech
Abraham Lincoln was President during the Civil War. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared freedom for enslaved people in the states fighting against the United States. On November 19, 1863, in the Gettysburg Address, he spoke of government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Frederick Douglass had been enslaved and became free. He used speeches and writing to demand freedom and equal rights. On December 3, 1847, he began a newspaper called The North Star. Lincoln shows the principle of liberty and government by the people. Douglass shows the principle of free speech and a free press used to work for equal rights.
Worked example: What was the name of Frederick Douglass’s first newspaper?
- The lesson names the newspaper.
- It was The North Star.
Worked answer: The North Star.
Day 69: Figures with Alabama Ties
Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880. An illness when she was a baby left her unable to see or hear. With her teacher Anne Sullivan, she learned to read and write and graduated from college in 1904. She worked for people with disabilities. Principle: equal opportunity. George Washington Carver taught at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama from 1896. He taught farmers to rotate crops and restore their soil, and his Jesup Wagon carried lessons to farms. Principle: serving the common good.
Rosa Parks of Montgomery was arrested on December 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her bus seat. Her arrest helped start the Montgomery bus boycott, a peaceful protest that lasted 381 days. Principle: equal justice under law and peaceful civic action.
Worked example: In what Alabama town was Helen Keller born?
- The lesson names her birthplace.
- It was Tuscumbia.
Worked answer: Tuscumbia.
Day 70: Independent Check: National Figures and Principles
Today you will answer on your own.
Use what you learned this week: what each figure did and the democratic principle it shows.
Worked example: Which figure gave his army command back to Congress in 1783?
- The lesson on Day 66 tells about 1783.
- Washington gave his command back.
Worked answer: George Washington.
Week 14 Student Textbook | Week 14 Practice Workbook | Week 14 Teacher Guide | Week 13 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index
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