US History concept chart major concepts & themes across US History

US History concept chart major concepts & themes across US History

Objective:

• overview of core ideas for understanding historical times, persons, places, and events in U.S. History

Index

• US History timeline & concept chart main page
• US History timelines & concept charts list

U.S. History course pages:

• US History
• AP United States History

Concepts & Themes

PERIOD / TIMELINE	Major Events, Concepts & Themes	Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
1607 pre-Colonial 1607-1765 Colonial period 1730s-40s First Great Awakening<< confirm dates 1765-1783 Revolutionary Era 1783-1789 Articles of Confederation period (post-Revolution) 1789-1815 Early Republic 1815-1827 Era of Good Feelings 1827-1833 Jacksonian period 1830s-40s Second Great Awakening 1833-1850s Antebellum 1860-1865 Civil War 1865-1876 Reconstruction 1876-1898 Industrialization 1898-1917 Progressive Era 1917-1919 World War I 1920s Roaring Twenties 1929-1941 Great Depression 1941-1945 World War II 1946-1989 Cold War see U.S. History Primary Source Timeline (Library of Congress AP United States History units (collegeboard) Outline of United States History #named eras (wikipedia)	BIG IDEAS What does it MEAN? every issue, dispute, event, represents someone’s perspective, ideal or outlook connections how are events related? what common themes occur across American history causality >> Constitutionalism	"The American Experience" religious, economic & political freedom “land of opportunity” "The American Promise” slavery, segregation, discrimination land ownership self-governance & political participation >> get into modern experience colonialism & push-pull factors opportunity primogeniture >> build out American colonial perceptions viz Britain citizens or subjects? duty & responsibilities as British direct v. indirect representation Enlightenment ideas Declaration of Independence self-governance/ self-government extents and limits of self-government to consider: what does it mean and how do different people & times interpret it? what is democracy? How can it work? What are its limits? How does it empower people? faction & disagreement sectionalism political parties compromise conflict radicalism dissent to consider: How do Americans resolve disputes? Why do some Americans feel isolated and start radical movements? How do the big political parties adapt to those movements? Constitution forms the structure of the federal government what does "to form a more perfect union" mean? Bill of Rights Constitutional principles judicial review change over time in interpretations, Bill of Rights = strong expression of what is important to Americans: 1st amendment as expression of American ideals: freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition of government Electoral College Two-party system slavery expansion of slavery experience of slaves consequences of slavery upon slaves and former slaves upon slave-owners upon white non-slave owners "frontier" western expansion >>details religious awakenings >>details politics & democracy Tocqueville cultural expression news and journalism, “pamphleteering” radio/ tv political participation dissent reform movements public and private religious awakenings agitation for reform reform (public/ private) fear, crisis, opportunism economics banks/ debt hard money v. soft money tariff business / commerce prosperity “panics” / depressions private v public lives of Americans