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

• US History
• AP United States History

Main page

• US History timeline & concept chart: periods, events & themes main page

Concepts & themes overview

• US History concept chart: major concepts & themes across US History

Timelines:

• US History timeline & concept chart: American colonies 17th & mid-18th centuries
• US History timeline & concept chart: French-Indian War to the American Revolution
• US History timeline & concept chart: U.S. History Decade-by-decade timeline, 1890s-1900

Concepts & Themes

PERIOD / TIMELINE	Major Events, Concepts & Themes	Notes & connections: details of issues, concepts, themes & events
1607 pre-Colonial 1607-1765 Colonial period 1765-1783 American Revolution	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