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History
There is an often repeated platitude that those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it. It might be more accurate to say that it rhymes. Much of what happens in the world today sounds like what happened in the past, be it the rise of new technologies, the conflict between cultures, or the impact of shifts in regional and national economies. In this sense, the study of history is a way to understand the world in which we live. Similarly, because the past reverberates in the present, the study of history also allows us to understand how the past continues to influence the present.
Seventh grade students immerse themselves in world history. In a broadly ambitious class, young historians delve into the Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome that influence our thoughts and institutions to this day, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. They also move from Europe into the world of the Ottoman Empire and Islam, the ancient societies of China and Japan, and the New World cultures of the Aztecs and Inca. In our muliticultural and interdependent world in which China and Japan are major trading partners, where oil pours into our ports from the Persian Gulf, and immigrants from every land are part of the tapestry of our society, creating a beginning of knowledge of the many cultures that influence our own is a necessity.
After Seventh Grade, eighth grade students turn their eyes toward American History.They study the Revolutionary War, the US traditions enshrined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the populism of Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears born of it, industrialization, the struggle to end slavery that led to the Civil War and segregation, and the betrayed promise of Reconstruction. From concepts like America being a City on a Hill to notions of liberty and personal responsibility, the eighth grade year is a rewarding course of study.
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