What is this course about?

In the first rotation of Honors U.S. History, we explore how Americans have constructed, contested, and remembered the nation’s story. Across three projects, “macros,” you will analyze how the United States defined freedom, belonging, and democracy – then reconsider what those ideals mean today.


You’ll examine how memory, myth, and power shape national identity; how democracy survives under pressure; and how migration and belonging have defined what it means to be American. Together, we’ll uncover the roots of our civic debates and consider how the past still shapes our present.


Macros this rotation include:

INQUIRY QUESTION: How has America expanded and resisted the promise of equal justice under the law?

INQUIRY QUESTION: How have the forces that bring people to and from the United States shaped the nation's identity and who decides who belongs?

INQUIRY QUESTION: Is the American Dream still attainable and for whom?


Throughout, you’ll act as a historian, journalist, and civic thinker – interpreting sources, evaluating evidence, and communicating your perspective through writing, discussion, and creative analysis.