The Rise of the Two-Party System: A Revolution in American Politics, 1824-1840

Summary

In this lesson, students study the emergence of the two-party system in the United States between 1824 and 1840. The students work in collaborative groups to explore one of the most important, yet least understood, political changes in American history. The lesson draws information from the free eBook The Two-Party System: A Revolution in American Politics, 1824–1840.

Rationale

Students work in collaborative groups to learn about an important political change. Each group studies part of the history, and the groups combine their findings to construct a detailed summary of a revolution in politics. Each group also selects a primary source that illustrates the key points of their contribution. The structure of the lesson divides a complex history into understandable segments, helps students understand a complicated historical episode by reading an historical study, and empowers students to act as historians themselves when they share their findings with their classmates.

Guiding Question

What social and political changes gave rise to the second party system and instituted a revolutionary change in American government?

Materials

4 Worksheets

1 eBook

Time Required

Two 45-minute class periods

Courses

Civics, Government, U.S. History

Grade Levels

7–12

Learning Activities

Classroom Instructions for the Lesson

1. Print and distribute copies of Worksheets 1–4 to each student. Note: The Table of Primary Sources appended to Worksheet 2 can be used as a digital resource and need not be printed.
2. Organize the students into groups. There is room for flexibility in forming groups. Each group will search for information in the eBook to answer one or more of the questions on Worksheet 1. Each question is followed by the page numbers where the information needed to answer it is found. If the class is divided into 10 groups, for example, each group will answer one question. Alternatively, groups can be assigned more than one question, and the assignments can be made equitable by referring to the number of pages.
3. Instruct the groups to complete Worksheet 1 by drawing information from the indicated pages of the eBook The Two-Party System: A Revolution in American Politics, 1824–1840 associated with each question.
4. Instruct the groups to complete Worksheet 2 by selecting examples from the Evidence Table appended to Worksheet 2.
5. Convene a whole-class collaboration in which the groups draw from their work on Worksheets 1 & 2 to complete Worksheet 3. 
6. Instruct each student to work individually to complete Worksheet 4.
7. Convene a whole class discussion of the Reflection Questions

Distance Learning Instructions for the Lesson

The worksheets should be shared as digital documents, and the lesson can be used as described above.