Calling all aspiring United States historians!  Does it interest you to think as a historian and learn about the pivotal moments, triumphs, failures, challenges, heroes, ideas, and accomplishments of America’s past?  In this survey class, we will take the traditional approach to learning the star-spangled history of the United States - from Colonial America, the Revolutionary War, the Era of Good Feelings, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Progressive Era, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, to the Information Age.  Focusing on our heritage of liberty and freedom, this course will engage and encourage students to learn about America’s diverse and rich history.  

Throughout the course students will extend learning by reading historical summaries, interpreting historical cartoons and maps, analyzing important documents and visuals, exploring profiles of a variety of well-known and influential Americans, discussing inspiring quotes and thought-provoking questions, and taking notes of direct instruction.  No required experience or knowledge of U.S. history is required.  

Sequence of Topics:

Week 1 

Introduction and Expectations, Colonial America, Mayflower Compact, contact between Native Americans and Europeans, English Colonization 

Week 2

Events Leading to Independence, Great Awakening, French & Indian War, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Stamp Act, First Continental Congress

Week 3

U.S. War of Independence, Lexington and Concord, Second Continental Congress, Patriots and Loyalists, Declaration of Independence, Battles of the American Revolution

Week 4

Establishing a New Nation, Articles of Confederation, Shay’s Rebellion, Constitutional Convention, a new Constitution and Bill of Rights

Week 5

Federalist Years (Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton), Whiskey Rebellion, Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark Expedition

Week 6

The Expanding Republic, War of 1812, Monroe Doctrine, Trail of Tears, Jacksonian Democracy

Week 7

Industrial Revolution, Manifest Destiny, Interchangeable Parts, Cotton Gin, Cotton Kingdom, the Alamo, Mexican-American War  

Week 8

An Impending Crisis, Slavery, Slave Codes, Slave Resistance, Abolitionists, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Popular Sovereignty, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Immigration

Week 9

Secession, War between the States, Battles of the Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Reconstruction

Week 10

Gilded Age, Transcontinental Railroad, Industrialists, Progressive Era, Entertainment in America, Women’s Suffrage, Progressive Presidents, African American Reformers, Imperialism

Week 11

World War I, Triple Entente, Triple Alliance, Lusitania, Submarine Warfare, Trench Warfare, Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations, Prohibition, Roaring Twenties, Prosperity and Entertainment, 1929 Stock Market Crash

Week 12

Great Depression, the New Deal, Dust Bowl, European and Pacific theaters of WWII, Allied Powers, Axis Powers

Week 13

Truman Doctrine, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow Laws, Korean War, Space Race, Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Wall, Segregation, 1950s Pop Culture

Week 14

Vietnam War Era, Great Society, Civil Rights Legislation, Watergate Scandal, 1960s & 1970s Counter Culture Movement

Week 15

1980s Conservative Revolution, 1990s Technological Revolution, End of the Cold War, September 11th, 2001 Terrorists Attacks