Unit 1: European Exploration and Colonization (1500s - 1763)
Impact of the Columbian Exchange
● Global transfer of living things between Europe and the Americas
● Europe to Americas: Smallpox, Horses, Sugar, Coffee
● Americas to Europe: Corn, Potato, Tobacco
● Unequal exchange that favors the Europeans. Even while Native American populations were decimated by Old World diseases (Small pox), European populations swelled as American crops helped to overcome Old World famine.
The characteristics of the indigenous societies of the Americas and how they developed and adapted to their respective environments
Major Concepts:
● North American Indians
➢ Religion - Spiritual relationships with earth and nature
➢ Political - Tribal units
➢ Economic - Communal control of land - no ownership
➢ Technology - weapons like bows and arrows, subsistence farming
➢ Social - Matriarchal to start
● European Settlers
➢ Religion - Christianity, missionary
➢ Political - Limited Monarchies, evolving concepts of democracy
➢ Economic - Land ownership, labor and property wealth
➢ Social - Patriarchal
➢ Technology - Guns, cannons, navigation
What motivated Europeans to colonize and migrate to the Americas?
3 Gs - God, Gold, and Glory
Major Concepts (motivation for settlement):
● New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire)
➢ Freedom from religious persecution
➢ Opportunity to found a Christian society
➢ Economic opportunity
● Middle Colonies (New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania)
➢ Freedom from religious persecution (several groups)
➢ Economic opportunity
● Southern Colonies (Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)
➢ Economic Opportunity
➢ Land grants from the crown to assist in economic growth
The extent to which the British mercantilist policies had an impact on the relationship between the colonies and Britain
● All European countries practiced Mercantilism - which is where the main country (ie. Britain) amasses precious metals, uses the colonies for raw materials and as a captive market for manufactured goods. Economic competition between European imperial powers. Over time, the relationship between the colonies and the main country became strained because of this unequal economic system.
How the Protestant Reformation impacted European exploration and settlement of North America
● INCREASE EXPLORATION. The Protestant Reformation created a push by Protestants and Catholics to convert people to their faith. In South and Central America, the Spanish conquistadors and colonists coverted indigenous people to Catholicism. . The English colonies in North America represented many different types of Christianity - Puritans, Quakers, Catholics, and Anglicans all inhabited various portions of the thirteen colonies. Puritans wanted to purify the church and start a new pure “City Upon a Hill”.
Foundational Events and Documents:
Magna Carta (1215) - Limited Government, trial by jury, taxation requires consent
Bacon’s Rebellion - Settlers in western Virginia rebel against government. Showed frustration over government control by wealthy planters and their willingness to fight.
Mayflower Compact (1620) - Established the idea of self-government used in Massachusetts (Plymouth colony)
Maryland Toleration Act - Religious freedom for Christians, including Catholics.
English Bill of Rights - Established the supremacy of Parliament, rights of the accused.
Glorious Revolution - 1688 - In England led to a more democratic government. Part of this was the English Bill of Rights which included freedom from taxation without representation, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, right to a fair trial.
The extent to which the ideas of the Great Awakening and The Enlightenment contributed to the development of an American character
Enlightenment Thinkers:
● Thomas Hobbes
● John Locke
● Jean-Jacques Rousseau
● Baron De Montesquieu
Great Awakening:
Rebellion against authoritarian religious rule which spilled over into other areas of colonial life. Rebellion against authority included rebellion against King George III, helping to lead to the American Revolution.
Why the British North American colonies developed into three distinct regions and their characteristics
Colonial America:
Three distinct regions and characteristics:
● New England
➢ Geography: cold, rocky soil, ports and harbors
➢ Economy: Shipping/merchants, lumber, fishing, iron, fur trade, diverse.
➢ Government: Religion and government tied together (theocracy) especially Massachusetts, town hall meetings (voted by yea or nay).
➢ Religion: Puritan
➢ Way of life: small town life
➢ Important people: John Winthrop, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson
● Middle Colonies
➢ Geography: Ports and harbors, fertile soil, nick named “bread basket” because of best food producing (crops, grains, dairy, livestock)
➢ Economy: Livestock, iron, wheat, barley, corn, fish, shipping, diverse.
➢ Government: Merchant control.
➢ Religion: variety and more tolerance - Quakers, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Jews, Methodists. Penn. very tolerant.
➢ Way of life: More urban and diverse
➢ Important people: William Penn
● Southern Colonies
➢ Geography: Flat land, war climate, harbors and ports, fertile soil.
➢ Economy: Plantations - tobacco, rice, indigo (CASH CROPS). Slave labor.
➢ Government: Royal government, royal colonies
➢ Religion: Traditional Protestant
➢ Way of life: Plantation life
➢ Important people: John Smith (Jamestown), John Rolfe (crossbred tobacco), Nathaniel Bacon
Southern Colonies:
● Jamestown - first British colony 1607 - group of British investors led by John Smith (Virginia Company)
● Developed into a farming based colony centered around tobacco.
● Used indentured servants from England to supply the labor force (Headright System) - encouraged immigration - each new arrival received 50 acres. Increased Virginia colonial population.
● Large plantations and cash crops
● House of Burgesses in Virginia was the first colonial government.
Puritan Society - “City Upon a Hill”
● John Winthrop
● Marriage was mandatory
● Community was ordained (chosen) by God
● Model Protestant community
● Not tolerant of other beliefs
● Sins punished by the courts
● Theocracy
● Main goal was to serve God
Dissent in the Puritan Community:
● Roger Williams -
➢ Protestant preacher in the church
➢ Banished because he preached about religious freedom
➢ Fled to Providence and formed his own colony which became Rhode Island.
● Anne Hutchinson -
➢ Most important woman in early American history?
➢ Banished because she taught kids to form their own opinions on the bible.
➢ God/religion comes from the heart and is personal - challenged the church hierarchy.
➢ Banished and went to Rhode Island and then NY
The causes and results of the French and Indian War
Causes:
● Britain and France compete to build a world empire
● French establish New France in the heart of the continent
● British colonists want to expand west to Ohio River Valley
● British try to move French off the land
Effects:
● British defeat French
● Britain claims Canada and North America east of Mississippi
● Spain receives New Orleans and land west of Mississippi
● North Americans suffer under British domination.
● The war bankrupts Britain, so they tax colonies to recover financially
Unit 2: Revolution, Independence, and The Critical Period
How did the British impose new taxation and place limits on the colonists after the French and Indian War?
Major Concepts:
● Proclamation of 1763
● Taxation without Representation
➢ Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act
How did colonial reactions to British actions increase unity amongst the Thirteen Colonies?
Major Concepts:
● Colonial Organization
➢ Sons of Liberty, First Continental Congress
● Colonial Resistance
➢ Colonial Boycotts, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts
What were the immediate causes of the American Revolution?
Major Concepts:
● Lexington and Concord
● Second Continental Congress
➢ Declaration of Independence, King George III
How did the Revolutionary War progress and to what extent did Colonists support or oppose the Revolution?
Major Concepts:
● Key figures
➢ George Washington, Cornwallis, Patriots, Loyalists
● Key battles/military strategies
➢ Valley Forge, Saratoga, Trenton, British Southern Campaign, French Alliance
● Surrender and Peace
➢ Yorktown, Treaty of Paris
** Articles of Confederation and Shays Rebellion are technically in Unit 2 but can be found in Unit 3 below.
Unit 3: The Constitution and the Federalist Era (1787-1820) – How effective were the institutions established in the United States as they dealt with emerging political and diplomatic issues?
Objectives
How were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation addressed by the Constitution?
Major Concepts:
● weaknesses of Articles of Confederation
➢ Shay’s Rebellion
● Accomplishments of the Articles
➢ Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance
● Constitutional Convention
➢ Great Compromise, ⅗ Compromise, Slave Trade Compromise, Electoral College
● Federalism and Separation of Powers
● The Ratification Debate
➢ Federalists and Anti-Federalists
What were the major domestic issues and conflicts experienced by the nation during the Federalist Period?
Major concepts:
● The establishment of federal power and supremacy over the states.
➢ Rulings of Marshall Court, i.e. Marbury v. Madison
➢ Judicial review
➢ Whiskey Rebellion
● The development of a two-party system
➢ Democratic-Republican Party (Jefferson)
➢ Federalist Party (Hamilton, Washington)
● Strict and loose interpretation of the Constitution
➢ Hamilton vs. Jefferson
➢ Establishment of a national bank
➢ Alien and Sedition Acts
➢ Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions: nullification
➢ Louisiana Purchase
What political freedoms were available to the following groups prior to 1820: women, wage earners, landless farmers, American Indians, African Americans, and other ethnic groups?
Major concepts:
● Voting rights of different groups
➢ Eligibility requirements of voting
● Status of African Americans
➢ Citizens?
➢ Some free, some slave
● Status of American Indians
➢ Citizens?
➢ Conflicting belief systems
● Status of women
➢ What is their place in society?
What were the commercial and diplomatic relationships with Britain, France, and other nations?
Major concepts:
● Early foreign policy
➢ U.S. opposition/support for French Revolution
➢ Pinckney’s Treaty: opens Mississippi River valley
➢ Jay’s Treaty: opens Ohio River valley
➢ Washington’s Farewell Address: no permanent alliances
➢ Britain and France seize U.S. ships
➢ British impressments of American sailors
➢ War of 1812: Britain vs. United States
✓ Turning point: Jackson @ New Orleans
✓ Treaty of Ghent ends war
Unit 4 and Unit 5: Era of Good Feelings and Jacksonian Democracy/Antebellum Culture and Reform- How did industrialization and expansion bring about the competing forces of nationalism and sectionalism?
Objectives
What were the effects of territorial expansion and the admission of new states on the Union from 1801 to 1850.
Major Concepts:
● The rationale for and the consequence of Manifest Destiny
➢ Lewis and Clark
➢ Missouri Compromise
➢ The Alamo
➢ Texas Annexation
● Federal Indian policy before the Civil War
➢ The Indian Removal Act
➢ Worchester v. Georgia
➢ Trail of Tears
● The Political and Economic importance of the West
● “54-40 or Fight!”
● Wilmot Proviso
● Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
● Election of 1844
2.02 How was the growth of nationalism and sectionalism reflected in art, literature, and language.
● Cultural expressions of patriotism
➢ Hudson River School of Artists
➢ Neoclassical Architecture
● Celebrating the common man and the American way of life
➢ Washington Irving
➢ Noah Webster
➢ Nathaniel Hawthorne
● Influence of the Transcendentalist Movement
➢ Ralph Waldo Emerson
➢ Henry David Thoreau
➢ Edgar Allen Poe
2.03 Why and how did economic and social issues lead to sectionalism and nationalism.
● Transformation of life in the early industrial revolution
o Eli Whitney
o John Deere
o Robert Fulton
o Erie Canal
o 1st industrial revolution
● Cultural Polarization of Antebellum America
o Immigration and Nativism
o Know-Nothings
o Frederick Douglas
o William Lloyd Garrison
2.04 How did political events, issues, and personalities contribute to sectionalism and nationalism.
● Political agendas of antebellum leaders
o Tariff of Abomination
o Election of 1840
● Concepts of Jackson Ian Democracy
o Election of 1824
o Spoils System
o Pet Banks
o Whig Party
● Slave Revolts
o Nat Turner’s rebellion
o John Brown
● States’ Rights
o South Carolina Exposition and Protest
o South Carolina Nullification Crisis
o John Calhoun
● Era of Good Feelings
o McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
o American System
o Monroe Doctrine
2.05 What were the major reform movements and how effective were they?
● Women’s Rights
o Susan B. Anthony
o Seneca Falls Convention
o Elizabeth Cady Stanton
● Improvement of social institutions
o Utopian communities
● Brook Farm
● Oneida
● New Harmony
o Rehabilitation
o Prison reform
o Dorothea Dix
2.06 What role did religion play in the debate over slavery and other social issues?
● Second Great Awakening
o What led to the revival?
● Moral Dilemma of Slavery/ Abolitionist Movement
o William Lloyd Garrison, David Walker, Frederick Douglas
Unit 6: Expansion, Conflict and Compromise Civil War and Reconstruction- What issues led to the Civil War?
Objectives
What were the major economic, social and political events from the Mexican American War to the outbreak of the Civil War?
Major concepts:
● The debate over the expansion of slavery into the new territories.
➢ Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Kansas Nebraska Act
➢ Popular Sovereignty
➢ Lincoln Douglas Debates
➢ Fugitive Slave Act
● Growing sectionalism, violence, and new political parties
➢ Abolition Movement/Underground railroad
➢ Bleeding Kansas/Sumner Brooks Incident
➢ John Brown’s Raid
➢ Free Soil Party
➢ Republican Party
What were the causes of the Civil War?
Major concepts:
● Slavery and the lives of slaves
➢ Uncle Tom’s Cabin
➢ Fugitive Slave Act
● Economies of the North and South
● States Rights
● Immediate Causes
➢ Election of 1860
➢ Abraham Lincoln
➢ Secession of the Southern states/Fort Sumter
➢ Confederate States of America
Unit 7: The Civil War : What were the major political and military turning points of the Civil War and how did they affect the outcome of the War?
Major concepts:
● Key turning Points
➢ Antietam
➢ Gettysburg/Vicksburg
➢ Sherman’s capture of Atlanta
● Strategies—Political and Military
➢ Anaconda Plan
➢ Defensive War
➢ Cotton Diplomacy
➢ Total war
➢ Lincoln’s suspension of habeus corpus
➢ Copperheads
● Major Poltical and Military Leaders
➢ Abraham Lincoln
➢ Jefferson Davis
➢ George McClellen
➢ Robert E. Lee
➢ Stonewall Jackson
➢ Ulysses S. Grant
➢ William T. Sherman
● Emancipation Proclamation
● Gettysburg Address and 2nd Inaugural
Unit 8: Reconstruction: What was the social, political, and economic impact of Reconstruction on the nation and why did it come to an end? To what degree was the supremacy of the federal government tested by the Civil War and Reconstruction?
Major Concepts
● Conflict over responsibility for Reconstruction
➢ Lincoln’s Plan/Johnson’s Plan (Presidential Reconstruction)
➢ Radical Republicans’ Plan (Congressional Reconstruction)
➢ Radical Reconstruction/Military Rule
➢ Johnson’s Impeachment trial
● Changes in southern social, economic, and political systems
➢ Reconstruction Governments
➢ Carpetbaggers and Scalawags
➢ Freedmen’s Bureau
➢ Sharecropping
➢ 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
● Resistance and decline
➢ Black Codes
➢ Ku Klux Klan
➢ Redemption
➢ Compromise of 1877