Unit One American Values and Identity

1. Who are you? What is your story?
How does your values and
identity become part of being an
American?

2. American Identity
● I. Who are you?
◦ A. Vocab
◦ 1. lens: the way a person sees and experiences the world
◦ 2. bias: slanted view with pre-judged ideas about peoples, places,
groups and situations
◦ 3. identity: who you are based on your values, experiences and
beliefs
◦ 4. values: defining what is important to you; providing moral or
ethical structure to your life; a person’s principles and beliefs

3. How to make a ‘GOOD’ notecard
Basic Definition: Add
Meaning of word with full
Detail here.
Draw: Using visuals, create for
the term.
Write an example or
two of the term here to
fully demonstrate knowledge
of term
Vocab Connections: Find two
other vocabulary words that
have a relationship. Explain
relationship.

4. American Identity
● I. Who are you?
◦ A. Vocab
◦ 5. culture: a person’s way of living and experiencing the world. A
person’s values, languages, music, dance, traditions, clothing
based on family, religion, media and experiences
◦ 6. ethnicity: a person’s place of original heritage and bloodline,
can define language and religion

5. American Identity
Can you identify any connection to these pictures?

6. American Identity
● I. American Values-
What is an American? What values are
finding we have in common? Are different?
Informality
Self- Reliance
Efficiency
Social Equality
Assertiveness
Optimism
How these values
shape us? Do other
cultures agree with us?

7. American Identity
● I. American Values-
What is an American? What values are
finding we have in common? Are different?
● YOUR LIST OF IDEAS:

8. American Salad Bowl or Melting
Pot?
● In the year 2050, how do we continue to strive towards our
American Identity?

9. Should Americans melt into one
shared identity?
● Assimilate: the minority culture gives up or is forced to
become like the dominant culture. There is a loss of culture
of the minority group.

10. Or can Americans share ethnicity
and become part of American
identity?
● Acculturate: one the minority group (less in number or
power) share, exchange and celebrate its culture with the
dominant culture. There is not loss of either culture.

11. ARE: Creating an
Argument
It is one thing to have an opinion, (I do not like spinach) but it
is another thing to argue a point.(St. Luke’s girl’s sports
teams are treat differently…. Because….. For example and this
is important because…..)

12. A R E S
It is a crucial skill in speaking, writing and sharing to support your assertions to
present a logical argument. Here are the key parts…..
A- Assertion (argument/topic
statement)
R- Reasoning (because…….)
E- Evidence (For example……)
S- Significance ( This is
important to the argument…..concluding)

13. Where do our American beliefs,
values and identity come from?
On to unit TWO………..

14. American Identity: Our Founding
Documents
What document is
being signed?
Who is in the picture?
Any people you
recognize? What
socio-economic
groups are
represented?
To whom did this
document apply in
1776? Who could
vote?
Why did Thomas
Jefferson use the
phrase, “All men are
created equal?” What
value is implied?
Effected our history
as a country?

15. American Identity
● I. American Values- Why is the Declaration of Independence
important to us as Americans? p. 173-175
⚫A. Vocab
*** Common Sense: 1776, British did not have right make laws,
◦ Thomas Paine wrote a fiery pamphlet to make the case they should break
away Britain
1) Declaration of Independence: a document (broadside) to state 13 colonies
were free and independent, all of the king’s wrongdoings,
2.) unalienable rights: rights that belong to all people from birth, cannot be
taken away (natural rights)
B. Date: July 4th, 1776 (July 18th, 1776 field trip)
C. Place: Philadelphia

16. American Identity
● I. American Values- Why is the Declaration of Independence important to us as Americans? p.
D. People
1.) Thomas Jefferson- one of the youngest delegates (33) to write the document with all
of its ideas, eloquent writer
2. ) John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman from CT (5 guys
assigned to create ideas for document to break away)
3.) Founding Fathers- the 55 delegates chosen from the colonies to represent our new
country
E. Reasons for document with values
1.) break away from KING to make a new govt.
2.) establish new ideas of the country

17. American Identity
● I. American Values- Why is the Declaration of Independence
important to us as Americans? P.
****Summary: Big Picture of the Value
1. equality: all people are equal in rights, access and actions
“all men are created equal’
2. Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness:
right to live,
be free from Britain,
be happy to go after job, education, family, etc.. (unalienable rights- cannot
be taken away, birth)
3. freedom: right to choose to move, act, be yourself, have a voice
4. justice: ability to be treated fairly, equally under the eyes of the law or
representatives (king was unjust to the people)

19. Declaration of Independence =
American Revolution WHY????

20. This painting symbolizes what?

21. Famous painting demonstrates?

22. Old State House, Boston MA
Reading of the Declaration of Independence

23. Digging Deeper……..
What impact did the Declaration of Independence have
on the ideas of the Constitution and Bill of Rights?
(these documents designed how our government works and what
actual rights we have)
BTW: Sept. 19th was Constitution Day!!!!