The new standards for eighth grade will integrate United States history with the study of North Carolina history. The major focus of this course is North Carolina state history with the integration of local and national history. This integrated study helps students understand and appreciate the legacy of our democratic republic and to develop the skills needed to engage responsibly and intelligently as North Carolinians. Students will continue to build on the fourth and fifth-grade introductions to North Carolina and the United States by embarking on a more rigorous study of the historical foundations and democratic principles that continue to shape our state and nation. We will start with a review of the major ideas, events, and cultures preceding the foundation of North Carolina and the United States. The main focus of the course will be how students use inquiry to examine critical events, people, issues, and developments in the state and nation from the Colonial Era to contemporary times. Students will understand the relationship of geography, events, and people to the political, economic, technological, and cultural developments that shaped our existence in North Carolina and the United States over time.