One of a series of curriculum materials in U.S. history designed to teach critical thinking skills systematically, this student booklet presents high school students with a series of supplementary lessons on the exploration of early America, the colonies, the revolution, and the Constitution. The booklet begins with a guide to critical thinking which offers an explanation of types of arguments in history, examples of fallacies, a checklist for evaluating evidence, a method for analyzing value positions, ways of identifying assumptions, and models for analyzing arguments. Lesson topics include: the Spanish and the Aztecs; causes of exploration; the Pilgrims; the French and Indian War; the Spanish, French, and British colonies; Jamestown and the Indians; John Smith; Salem witchcraft; the colonists revolt against England; Lexington Green; the Stamp Act; similarities between the Articles of Confederation and the United Nations; Shay's Rebellion; values and assumptions in the Preamble to the Constitution; and an argument for world federalism. Student booklets are keyed to detailed lesson plans in the accompanying teacher's guide. (LH)