Guest Hollow’s High School Early American History Curriculum

American History Curriculum Books
A sample of books from year 1.

Learn about the Age of Discovery (around 1492) to 1899…

Guest Hollow’s Early American History Curriculum (formerly known as High School American History Year 1) covers a historical time period from about 1492 to 1899. Guest Hollow’s Modern American History covers 20th century American history.

We split American history into two years to allow students enough time to really process and understand the topics instead of just skimming over them. It’s our belief that one year isn’t an adequate amount of study time for hundreds of years of U.S. history! Our curriculum doesn’t crush everything into just one year, and it doesn’t skimp on important issues!

Students get to immerse themselves in terrific books and videos while also having access to a buffet of activities like historic recipes, maps, an optional Minecraft or colony/settlement replica assignment, iCivics lessons and printables, original and secondary source documents, articles, music, and literature tie-ins via free linked guides.

If you’ve already studied early American history, check our High School Modern American History Curriculum!

Guest Hollow’s High School American History Curriculum won 2nd place in the Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards. It’s been a winner every year since 2020! Thousands of homeschoolers ranked the curriculum they have used, and the products with the highest satisfaction ratings won.

Prerequisites: None
Approximate Daily Time Commitment:
45 min. – 1.5 hours depending on activities that are chosen and reading speed

$37.00

Guest Hollow materials are downloadable/online. There are no physical copies.		Already a customer? Go to “My Account” to log in and access your downloads and your online schedule membership. Need help logging in? Check out our help page.

Grade Level / Age

Guest Hollow’s High School Early American History Curriculum is suggested for:
● Grades 9-12
(adaptable for
grades 7-8)
● Approximate ages
12-18











What You Get

High School Early American History comes with:
✔ A printable PDF schedule
✔ An editable schedule in Microsoft Word format
✔ Access to an online version of the schedule*
✔ A printable companion workbook with maps, study & discussion questions, and assignments!
✔ A coupon code to get Guest Hollow’s Big Bad Beautiful Booklist -History Edition for 50% off!

Required Items

In order to use this curriculum, you will need to obtain some books and items separately. You may be able to get many for FREE from your local library!

Click to learn more!










*Access to the online version of Guest Hollow’s High School Early American History Curriculum schedule is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed due to various potential circumstances.

I’d like to see the book & resource list!

Click here to see the required books and resources for Guest Hollow’s Early American History Curriculum.

Why choose Guest Hollow’s High School Early American History Curriculum?

Homeschooling with Guest Hollow’s Early American History gets students enthusiastic about history!

American history is an important subject, especially for high schoolers. We’ve designed an engaging 2-year program that schedules in some terrific resources designed to inspire and educate students in a way that is fun, memorable, and flexible for all types of learners.






Why stick with just one textbook book when learning history? Guest Hollow’s Early American History Curriculum schedules in a variety of books, videos, and projects designed to keep student’s interest engaged and to help them retain what they are learning about this important subject.

History students actually care about!

This curriculum has sparked a love of history…

5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
5 star rating
My son is starting college next year and this curriculum has sparked a love of history. He wants to minor in history now next to political science. He loves the curriculum.

Guest Hollow’s American History Curriculum
brings history to life.

Engaging Books & Materials

We’ve hand-picked books your students will love.

Our homeschool American history curriculum schedules in both fiction and non-fiction books that will ignite your student’s love for history.

Free History Videos

Videos add a visual component.

We scour YouTube to find the best educational videos to make history something to actually see & hear and not just read about.

Fun History Projects

We work hard to engage ALL types of learners.

You’ll find a buffet of videos, projects, activities, and assignments you can pick-and-choose from to help your students retain what they are learning, including history-based recipes!

Love Learning

Students and parents love Guest Hollow!

Our customers have shared over and over how Guest Hollow curricula has changed their homeschool and sparked a love for learning!

Squirrel asking a question

Does this curriculum come with ___________?

✘ books?
No, you need to purchase the scheduled books separately. Learn more.

☑ a printable book list?
Yes. We provide a book list with a handy checklist to help you plan what you want to buy or borrow and in what format. We also let you know when each book is scheduled in, so you can arrange to check out books from the library before you need them!

☑ a schedule?
Yes. You get the same weekly schedule in 3 different formats: PDF, Microsoft Word, and online*. Just open it up and you are ready to learn!
*Access to the online version of the curriculum schedule is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed due to various potential circumstances on our end and yours including and not limited to various computer, device, and internet configurations.

☑ a supply list?
Yes. Most recipe ingredients and supplies are listed at the beginning of your schedule week-by-week.

✘ a teacher’s manual?
No. The American history curriculum schedule is all you need!

✘ tests?
No. There is no need for tests with this curriculum.

☑ a workbook?
Yes. You get a FREE 196 page full-color workbook with the purchase of this curriculum (118 student pages and an answer key at the back).

American History Workbook sample pages:

Download
Guest Hollow homeschool curriculum sample

Click or tap to see a sample!

Take a look at a week from the online version of the schedule here. 

Take a look at a sample of the printable schedule here:

Download

American History Workbook sample pages:

Download

Want to know how to use the Guest Hollow PDF Schedule or the editable Microsoft version of our schedule? Go here! (This page gives lots of insight as to how our schedules work!)

Have a question about printing your Guest Hollow schedule and materials? We cover that, too!

F.A.Q. for our High School History Curriculum

You’ll have to check with your local educational authorities or in some other way determine if Guest Hollow meets requirements since states and colleges have different expectations.

When we were teaching our kids, we usually had what we thought of as a “core” curriculum (science, geography, or history). Because these programs were so literature-rich, we didn’t do a separate literature course. This enhanced our children’s retention and enjoyment of the material they were learning, since their reading assignments complimented their studies. Of course our kids also did plenty of reading in their free time as well!

Guest Hollow’s Early American High School Curriculum covers a lot of different types of information. We think the BEST curriculums are those that are multidisciplinary. We believe subjects don’t exist in a vacuum, so we like to tie different subjects together, when possible, to expand students’ understanding of specific topics or things they encounter in various scheduled books and/or videos.

Additional credits could possibly be earned for literature and home economics (or some type of cooking course).

Don’t forget to research your local requirements and consult the local experts in your area! We are in NO way advising what credits you should assign. You are ultimately responsible for researching this topic and deciding what will work for you and your family based on your local requirements, future plans, college requirements, and other considerations.

This curriculum was designed for grades 9 through 12, although it’s adaptable for middle schoolers.

The beginning of the printable schedule contains a section with tips on how to use the schedule with a middle schooler including alternate book suggestions. Some video selections and/or assignments may not be appropriate for younger students. Use at your discretion. Middle school students will likely need more parental involvement.

We have another curriculum: Jr. Early American History for grades 4-8, which may be more appropriate for most middle schoolers.

There are 36 weeks in this curriculum.


We don’t have a scope and sequence written up, but you can get an idea of many of the topics covered by looking at the following items:

The High School Early American History Book and Resources List will show you many of the topics covered via the various books that are scheduled in.

We’ve also created a chart below that roughly lists a few of the main topics for each week. Please note that every single topic is NOT listed. These are just VERY general topics for each week (that barely scratch the surface). This is a very rich curriculum, and it would be difficult to list all the people and events that are covered. If you don’t see something that is commonly taught in high school U.S. history on the chart, it’s still likely covered. ?
Some topics span across multiple weeks and that is not reflected in this chart (the Pilgrims, slavery, Native American studies/issues, etc.)
Week 1European discovery, exploration, and early colonies
Week 2European discovery, exploration, and early colonies
Week 3European discovery, exploration, and early colonies, Roanoke Colony
Week 4Jamestown and other colonies, the Mayflower and the Pilgrims
Week 5More colonies, Salem Witch Trials
Week 6William Penn, Salem Witch Trials cont., more about the colonies
Week 7The French and Indian War
Week 8Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Alexander Hamilton
Week 9Boston Tea Party and the beginning of the Revolution, frontier life
Week 10The Revolution
Week 11The Revolution, Lafayette, Benedict Arnold
Week 12A new nation, slavery, Articles of Confederation
Week 13The Constitution, Northwest Ordinance, etc.
Week 14Ratification, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton
Week 15Issues of the new nation
Week 16John Adams, Jay’s Treaty, issues of the new nation
Week 17The US expands, the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Week 18The War of 1812, Madison
Week 19Various events and politics of the nation
Week 20Monroe, Missouri Compromise, Santa Fe Trail, various issues of the nation, Erie Canal
Week 21Adams, Andrew Jackson, Texas
Week 22Van Buren, 2nd Great Awakening, Misc. topics about the nation and life during this time
Week 23Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Oregon, California, Gold Rush
Week 24Alamo, late Antebellum Period
Week 25Pierce, Buchanan, late Antebellum Period, Donner Party, Andrew Carnagie
Week 26The Underground Railroad, heading toward the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln
Week 27The Civil War
Week 28Gettysburg, Ironclads, the Civil War
Week 29The End of the Civil War, Lincoln’s assassination
Week 30Reconstruction, Johnson
Week 31Reconstruction, Transcontinental Railroad, Grant
Week 32Hayes, Pony Express, life in the American west
Week 33Indian related issues and conflict, Hawaii added as a state, Union response to Chinese
Week 34Life after Reconstruction, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, industry
Week 35The Gilded age
Week 36Cleveland, moving toward a modern America

Yes, you just wouldn’t answer the questions in the workbook for A Patriot’s History (so some weeks you wouldn’t do any workbook pages at all).

We split American history into two years to allow students enough time to really process and understand the topics instead of just skimming over them. It’s our belief that one year isn’t an adequate amount of study time for hundreds of years of history! Our curriculum doesn’t crush everything into just one year, and it doesn’t skimp on important issues!

Having said that, some families who’ve already learned early American history purchase Guest Hollow’s Modern American History instead of repeating the material they may have previously learned.

There are no prerequisites for either year of our American history curriculum.

Forever! If you save your initial download…

Once you’ve downloaded the schedule and workbook to your computer or device, you are licensed to use the downloaded copy forever. Make sure you download, save, and back up your items immediately after your purchase! You can click directly on the links in the schedule from a computer or other device and can use your materials with younger students years later.

2 Years to Access Additional Downloads & the Online Schedule*

Additional downloads (after your initial purchase download) and access to the online version of the schedule are provided as a courtesy and are not guaranteed due to various potential technical and business (and life!) circumstances. It is our intention to continue to provide access for a period of 2 years from the date of purchase. After the 2-year period, you will have the opportunity to repurchase your access at a substantial discount.

Please note, if you have problems, we have a liberal policy of providing extra, free access for unusual circumstances (at our discretion). Just contact us: guesthollow@memorableplaces.com.

*Access to the online version of the curriculum schedules and additional downloads is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed due to potential various circumstances on our end and yours including and not limited to various computer, device, and internet configurations.

No, you may NOT resell, share, or distribute any of Guest Hollow’s digital products (or printed out copies of our digital products) which includes but is not limited to schedules, workbooks, printables, and other materials.

Our materials are licensed for a single family’s use only. You may print out as many copies as you need for siblings or others living in your home.

Please contact us if you wish to use our materials in a co-op or school: guesthollow@memorableplaces.com.

No. We only offer a digital version at this time. You can print out your materials at home or have them printed via a printing service.

Some of our customers use The Homeschool Printing Company or Family Nest Printing. We don’t endorse any specific printing company. They are shared for informational purposes only.

Please see the F.A.Q. on the Early American History Curriculum Books and Resources page.

We are Christians, but Guest Hollow’s Early American History Curriculum is not intended to be a “Christian resource”. However, there may be infrequent (or what we consider to be) minor references or links to resources that mention Christian ideas, values, or sectarian topics even in our secular/non-religious/neutral curriculums.

If we schedule in a Christian book, we try to give you notice of such in the books and resources page.

Christians and non-Christians should preview the scheduled books and all other resources such as videos, etc. to make sure they are compatible with your beliefs, philosophies, and values.

This question is impossible for us to answer.

We do NOT in any way make any representations that any of our material will or will not work for establishing credit, being enough to conform to any educational requirements, or pass muster with any federal, state, local, or college requirements.  

We require instructors and parents to determine for themselves, from federal, state, and local authorities – as well as from any colleges that may be considered in the future what is specifically required in their family’s / student’s circumstances in order to meet requirements for credit, graduation, admission, and all other potential requirements and needs.

The morass of individual requirements in between states, municipalities, and colleges is such a tangled mess that we simply cannot help to determine the suitability of any materials or curricula in any meaningful way.    We strongly recommend that instructors determine the requirements and then compare those requirements to what is offered in our materials to see if the materials will pass muster with whatever requirements are extant in any given situation.  We also strongly recommend that when there are potential learning disabilities or challenges of ANY kind that instructors/parents seek professional guidance and qualified assistance with selecting materials to use and in their presentation.

In other words, the determination on whether a student has “accomplished enough for a credit” will NEVER be ours, it must be that of the authorities that you must answer to as well as the requirements of any continuing or higher-level education and institutions / tests that you will need to accomplish – and there is no way for us to either know or determine that. We suggest that you seek the assistance of qualified individuals that can determine whether or not our materials will meet all standards you need to meet prior to using our materials.

Yes, but every family in a co-op needs to purchase a copy of our materials (one item per family). We offer a co-op discount. Contact us for information about the discount.

Schools need to contact us for school pricing and payment options.

Contact us at: guesthollow@memorableplaces.com.

Yes, on a case-by-case basis depending on the amount of paperwork they require and the bureaucracy that needs to be navigated. 😉

After purchasing a curriculum, you’ll see that the item you just bought shows that it is discounted 50% in our store. The reason you are seeing this is because we give you the opportunity to repurchase the schedule and your downloads at a substantial discount before they expire (2 years from date of purchase).

Please note: You do NOT need to repurchase your schedule in order to use the files you originally purchased and downloaded. You can use your downloaded schedule forever and can click on the links just as you can the online version of the schedule. You just won’t have access to any updates after your online access expires.

Why does access expire? Every year we go through all our curriculum schedules and update broken links and/or replace books that have gone out of print. This is a very time-intensive process that keeps our curricula up-to-date. Your repurchase helps fund this process and provides you with a schedule that has all the new additions or changes.

You need to repurchase your access BEFORE it expires in order to get the 50% discount due to the way our “membership” software works. If for some reason you miss the deadline, let us know why. We may give you a coupon code for the 50% off at our discretion. ????

*It is our intention to provide access for a period of 2 years, however, access to the online version of the curriculum schedules and additional downloads is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed due to potential various circumstances on our end and yours including but not limited to various computer, device, and internet configurations.

We are happy to answer your questions!!! Just email us at: guesthollow@memorableplaces.com

You’re invited!

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Click or tap the button to join our Facebook groups! You can get additional questions answered, see pictures of students’ projects, get help and encouragement from other homeschoolers, or browse through the multitude of posts to get a feel for our products and see what real people think of Guest Hollow!

Reviews: See what our customers have to say!

If you’ve used Guest Hollow’s Early American History, we invite you to write a review and leave your thoughts about our curriculum. Scroll down to the review box below the following customer reviews. We look forward to seeing your feedback!

3 reviews for Guest Hollow’s High School Early American History Curriculum

  1. Shalynn . (verified owner) –

    We are loving this curriculum! The book choices are great. The many video links are great. It’s so well put together. This is the history curriculum that I’ve been looking for for years.

  2. Jen Wheeler (verified owner) –

    Guest Hollow’s American History 1 was just what my 9th grade daughter needed this year. It not only helped her fall in love with history again, but encouraged her to think critically about current events. The balanced approached and thoughtfully chosen resources precipitated many thought-provoking and deep discussions. In our state, we are required to meet with an evaluator each year to ensure that the demands of the law are met and seek validation for the instruction happening in our homeschool. Our evaluator had this to say about the program: “As someone who teaches AP United States History, I can see that this was one of the most comprehensive American history courses that I’ve ever evaluated for a 9th grader.”

  3. Brandie (verified owner) –

    I love Guesthollow’s American History. The books are interesting and of varying viewpoints. So are the carefully chosen videos. We did it bare-bones and just used the text and the videos so we could use it as a review of early American history and we still learned things we didn’t know. I recommend Guesthollow to everyone!

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