Welcome to Mr. McClellan's 1st Hour 8th Grade Social Studies Class! This course introduces students to American history from the Revolutionary Era through the last half of the 19th century. An emphasis is placed on the values and ideals of our constitutional republic; it focuses on both the nation’s successes in honoring them, as well as how the nation has fallen short of this goal. Using the text of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution as the touchstone for the course, students assess how the meaning of the phrases “We the People” and “to form a more perfect Union” are reflected in past decisions and events and have inspired generations of Americans. Rather than follow a single narrative, this course explores the stories of many different people and investigates the compelling question, “How do we tell the stories of America?”.