All of American History

Useful for contextualization

Before 1492 → Indigenous Peoples before European Contact

Diverse native groups lived in complex societies adapted to their environments.

After 1492 → The Spanish Colonized North and South America

New commercial networks (Columbian Exchange) were created, relations with natives altered native life for the worse.

1607–1754 → The British Colonize North America

British colonies were defined by regional characteristics (NE, Middle, South), but all British colonists expected to govern themselves locally, like Brits in Britain did.  This was the era of “salutary neglect”.

1754-1776 → The French and Indian War Caused a Shift in British Policy Toward the Colonies

Motivated by competition against other colonial powers, Britain waged war against France.  Victory caused Britain to tax the colonies from Parliament and tighten control of mercantile trade.  The colonists reacted to this change with organized and violent protest that led to their eventual “Declaration of Independence”.

1776-1800 → America Worked to Define Its Beliefs

The DoI, the AoC and the Constitution all sought to preserve the American belief in democracy and republicanism (both the virtue kind and the “elect a representative gov’t” kind).

1789-1800 → The Constitution Was More Conservative than the AoC

Additionally, Federalists took even more steps to increase the power of the Federal government (National Bank, response to Whiskey Rebellion, Alien and Sedition Acts, Marbury v. Madison).  Democratic-Republicans argued against the Fed. Gov’t taking more power.

1783-1823 → American Foreign Policy Grew More Assertive

America always wanted to remain neutral and isolated.  Actions taken against us by old world powers (England, France) forced America to deal with them (impressments, cargo seizures).  The War of 1812 and the Monroe doctrine showed America growing more assertive.

1820ish–1840ish → Mass Democracy Grew

White males without property were enfranchised.  They changed how electoral politics worked.

1789-1848 → The 1st Industrial Revolution Started a Change in the American Economy

Seven factors contributed to the 1st IR, the most important was the Constitution protecting property rights.  Because of the IR, the beginnings of the National Market Economy started.  The Market Revolution changed much about the daily lives of American people. 

1800-1848 → Antebellum Reforms Occurred

As a response to the anxiety created by the Market Rev changing American life, various reforms emerged to make American “more perfect”. Arguably the most significant were the women’s rights reform and the abolition of slavery reform. 

1848-1865 →The Civil War happened

Slavery was a part of every cause of the Civil War.  Perhaps most significantly, the western expansion of the United States caused the slavery question to be unavoidable.  All attempts at compromise in regards to new land being slave or free ultimately failed.  During the war, its meaning changed from being a “restore the union” war to a “abolish slavery” war.

1865-1877 → The Reconstruction Era

Reconstruction was only somewhat and temporarily successful in preserving freedom and establishing greater political equality for the freed people.

1865-1898 → The 2nd Industrial Revolution Changed American Even More than the First

The same 7 factors that contributed to the 1st IR contributed to the 2nd.  Perhaps the most defining characteristics of the 2nd IR was the changes to business practices that contributed to the rise of “monopolies” and the businessman’s belief in social darwinism.  Like the 1st IR, the 2nd IR changed America socially (urbanization, improved standard of living, bigger class gap).

1865-1898 → The Gilded Age: The 2nd IR showed significant progress, but there was an “underbelly” too

The Gilded Age was defined by corruption at all levels.  

1890ish (but also before!) - 1916 → The Progressive Era: the Fed Gov’t steps in to regulate big bizz

The Progressive Era saw the first effort to “hold back” the abusive practices of big businesses for the betterment of the American people.  The era is characterized by newspapers pointing out problems, individual Americans forming groups to make changes, and the Federal government taking action.  The earliest roots of the Progressive Era came in the form of the Populist Party farmers, who in 1892 asked for changes that eventually were realized later by Progressives.  The Progressive Era ended sharply with the US entrance into WWI.

1890s-1945 → The US Fundamentally Changed its Foreign Policy Tradition of Isolationism

Reasons for the US’s change was motivated by the perceived need to become an “imperialist” nation like other major powers.  There were strong arguments for and against American imperialism made at the time. Anti-imperialists argued that America’s motives were largely selfish and they were right.  America’s entrance into both WWI and WWII was largely motivated by humanitarian and not selfish motives.

1920-1929 → The “Roaring” 20s Was an Era of Paradox and Polarity

Disillusionment with Progressive Era regulation of big bizz and failures in idealistic foreign policy initiatives after WWI led America to retreat into itself.  The economy “roared” partially because regulations were undone or ignored and consumers were allowed to buy goods on credit.  At the end of the decade Americans were no longer able to buy everything that business wanted to sell and a depression lurked.   Socially, post-WWI was known to be an anti-foreign time (immigration reduction, KKK broadens its goals).  Yet, the 1920s was also a forward-looking era of innovation and cultural movements (Harlem Renaissance).

1932-1941 → The New Deal:  The Federal Gov’t (FDR) Sought to Help Those impacted by Depression

The Great Depression was caused by massive overproduction on farms and in factories.  Unlike the Progressive Era “help”, the New Deal often directly intervened in people's lives by providing them a job.  The New Deal also continued to fundamentally reform the role of gov’t in people’s lives.  The “limited welfare state” was created as reforms like Social Security were made permanent. 

1941-1991 ish → World War 2 and the Cold War happened

Despite an initially strong isolationist sentiment after WW1 the US entered WW2 after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  After the victory of the Allies (US, England, France, USSR) over the Central Powers (Germany and others), the US, unlike after WW1, played a large role in shaping the post-war world.  The Cold War between the US and the USSR (Russia) grew when the US came to believe that Russian communism was expansionist and needed to be contained.  Containment theory led the US to “heat up” the fighting in places like Korea and Vietnam.  Socially, the Cold War was defined by conformity and consumption as ex-soldiers buoyed by policies like the GI Bill got educated, bought a house in the suburbs and took the family to the lake each summer. 

1945-1970ish →The Civil Rights Movement Sought to fulfill Reconstruction Era promises left incomplete

Civil Rights leaders sought and largely achieved the end of many forms of discrimination present during the Jim Crow Era.  The greatest successes of the movement were political (not economic); Civil Rights Act 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965,  24th Amendment.  These were the largest achievements of LBJs “Great Society” Programs.  The Civil Rights movement encouraged other marginalized American groups to seek equality and the movement bred a conservative counter-movement.

1970s-ish - Present → The Conservative Resurgence Got Bigger 

Arguably the conservative movement began with criticism of FDR’s New Deal.  In the 1960s, 1970s, 80s, 90s, 2000s it grew.  Conservatives reacted against LBJ’s Great Society, which they believed had both increased taxes to fund a variety of new social programs to help people, but also argued the Great Society fundamentally didn’t work.  Conservatives balked at the “give a man a fish” approach of the Great Society,  preferring the “teach a man to fish” method better.  Conservatives also supported narrow ideas of what a family could be.

1945- Present→ The Demographics of America Continued to Change

White Americans were uplifted by the massive economic boom that occurred because of the Cold War.  People of color largely did not experience the same uplift.  The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act allowed new groups of immigrants (mostly Latin American and Asian) into the country.  After 1980 new developments in technology changed the American economy from one of industrial manufacture to a more “service” based one.  

1991-Present → Foreign Policy Evolved

Between the end of the Cold War and 9/11 the US sought to promote world peace with minimal involvement in global affairs.  After 9/11, the US launched efforts to fight terrorism in both Afghanistan and Iraq.