Alabama Social Studies SS24.4.6d
The Standard
- SS24.4.6
- Identify and describe key events of the American Revolution, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
Explain how the Treaty of Paris (1783) and Pinckney’s Treaty helped set the boundaries of the United States, including the area that would become Alabama.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate the Mississippi River and the 31st parallel on a map. They explain that the 1783 treaty set the river as a western boundary and claimed the 31st parallel as a southern boundary. A later treaty with Spain confirmed that southern line.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can mark both boundaries and find where present-day Alabama sits on the map. They can explain that land north of the 31st parallel fell within the U.S. claim, while Mobile remained in Spanish territory.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think all of present-day Alabama became U.S. land in 1783. They may also confuse the Mississippi River with the state of Mississippi, or assume the later treaty moved the boundary instead of settling a dispute over it.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map showing the Mississippi River, the 31st parallel, Mobile, and Alabama’s current outline. Ask them to label the two treaty boundaries and write one sentence explaining why Mobile was not yet U.S. territory.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a blank regional map and colored pencils to trace the Mississippi River, the 31st parallel, and Alabama’s current outline.
Ask students to write two sentences answering, “Why did the United States and Spain need another treaty after 1783?”
Play a map-card sort: students place cards labeled Mississippi River, 31st parallel, and Mobile under U.S. boundary or Spanish territory.
Show a current Alabama road map and have students find Mobile, then compare its location with the 31st parallel on a historical map.
Free download
Printable SS24.4.6d Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.4.6d, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- SS24.4.5a
Explain how the French and Indian War affected power, trade, and claims to lands in Alabama for both Native Americans and European nations.
- SS24.6.9b
Analyze how the Treaty of Paris of 1783 affected the development of the United States, including the establishment of its boundaries.
- SS24.4.10
Explain how “Alabama fever” influenced Alabama's settlement, economic growth, and political development, leading to statehood and the 1819 constitution.
- SS24.US1.5a
Describe how the Treaty of Paris of 1783, Northwest Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Louisiana Purchase affected American territorial exp...
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson