APUSH Themes

Theme 1: American and National Identity

  • 1491–1607
    • Different regions among native Americans, Great Plains(hunting) West and East
    • Europeans not intend to stay, just collect gold and spread religion
  • 1607–1754
    • British, French, Spanish, Dutch colonies
    • colonial based
  • 1754–1800
    • Development of independent Nation, American Revolution
    • Only white men citizens
  • 1800–1848
    • Sectional identity North(industry) West(agricutlureal) South(cotton and material production)
    • Excuse Native Americans
  • 1844–1877
    • Increased dissidence between North and South → Civil War
    • The United States of America, North/Union Victory
    • Reconstruction, black citizens in south legally citizens
  • 1865–1898
    • USA become major industrial power
    • North and South Reunite b/c of spanish-American War
  • 1890–1945
    • New European immigrants face nativism, ethnic enclaves, unti end of WWII(Americans considered all “white”)
    • New World Power Status, provide money and materials
    • Fed Government intervention in economy
  • 1945–1980
    • Expand power of ppl and gov with Civil Rights movment
    • Pro USA culture vs USSR
  • 1980–Present
    • Increasing conservatism in gov’t
    • USA wold leading Superpower

Theme 2: Work, Exchange, and Technology

  • 1491–1607
    • New Crops and goods in Europe, new tech into America
    • Mostly Slave labor
  • 1607–1754
    • TRade in New England, fishing, farming, timber, furs
    • South: Slavery, indenture, cash crops
  • 1754–1800
    • End of “salutory neglect” as English Crown takes more control over American goods, shipping →war
    • Slavery continues to grow in South, helped by invention of cotton gin
  • 1800–1848
    • Expansion of infrastructure, markets, railroads/canals, telegraph, cities
    • Conflict over National bank (American System)
    • Factories emerge (Lowell Mills/Girls)
    • Slavery continues to grow in South
  • 1844–1877
    • End of slavery 1865, sharecroping system in south
    • North insustrialize, win Civil War based on factory production/power
    • Railroads across country
  • 1865–1898
    • USA become leading industrial power (steel RR)
    • Harsh labor conditions in factories for immigrants,
    • “Robberbarrons”- and Gilded Age
  • 1890–1945
    • Era of production (phone electricity radio car flight)
    • Laissez-faire economics → stock market crash and Great DEpression
    • New Deal, WWI
    • Industrialisation → postwar boom
  • 1945–1980
    • Major economic boom as US only country unscathed by WWII - Baby Boom
    • Invention of computer
    • 1970s economic recession
  • 1980–Present
    • Era of Globalism, connect markets and ppl around the world
    • Prominence of internet change consumption and distribution
    • DEcline of Unions, stagnation of wages

Theme 3: Geography and the Environment

  • 1491–1607
    • Gold in LAtin America drive exploration
    • Disease from Europeans kills 95% of Native ppl
  • 1607–1754
    • Climate/Soil differences led to family farming in north, plantations in south
    • Illness in marshy South, kill indetured survents
  • 1754–1800
    • End freely available land in East → push west, conflict b/w costal elites and backwood farmers
  • 1800–1848
    • Expansion of cotton in South, expands slavery
    • Manifest Destiny
    • Texas Annexation
  • 1844–1877
    • Discovery of Gold in CA → gold rush
    • Large populations in North “breadbasket” states help win Civil War
  • 1865–1898
    • Cities are polluted, bad working conditions → illnesses
    • West “conqured” with barbed wire and buffalo dead from sport
  • 1890–1945
    • New tech connects world, appear smaller place
    • Conservation movement
    • Ocean Shields from War
    • Development of atomic bombs (Manhattan Project)
  • 1945–1980
    • Industrial pollution (nuclear powerplants)
    • Adress pollution isssues
    • International conflict over dependence on oil fuels
  • 1980–Present
    • Wars in Middle East led to efforts to reduce dependence on oil
    • Growing movement of eco-consciousness in energy, food

Theme 4: Migration and Settlement

  • 1491–1607
    • Humans came to America on Bering Land Bridge
    • Europeans came to extract resources
  • 1607–1754
    • Religious dissidants from Europe cam to North
    • South consist of adventurers looking for wealth
    • 700k+ enslaved people
  • 1754–1800
    • Continue to push western frontier
    • Continue importation of Africans
  • 1800–1848
    • Wite american Push west
    • Natives forced west → TRail of Tears
    • End of initial slave trade, internal/domestic slave trade
  • 1844–1877
    • “Old immigrants” from Ireland, Germany
    • Westward migration from Gold Rush
    • Indian Wars / Reservations
  • 1865–1898
    • New Immigrants → SE Europe
    • Manifest desiny “closing fronteir” Frederick Jackson turner
  • 1890–1945
    • 1M+ immigrants arrive at US every year until first quota passed
    • GReat Migration of Africans to Northern cities from the South
  • 1945–1980
    • Moves from cities to suburbs, era of cars
    • Little immigration
    • Boat ppl from vietnam
  • 1980–Present
    • Imcreased immigration from Latin America and Asia
    • Movement south and West for jobs (Sun-belt

Theme 5: Politics and Power

  • 1491–1607
    • Spanish dominated
    • FRench/Dutch: trade based (furs)
    • Treaties and conflucts with Natives
  • 1607–1754
    • Locatl power development, generally democratic in North
    • Southern landowners → aristocracy
  • 1754–1800
    • Conflict over direct vs. virtual representation, taxes led to War
    • Articles of confederation (weak)
    • Constitution (strong gov’t)
    • 1st party system: Hamilton v Jefferson
  • 1800–1848
    • Expansion of suffrage of all white men in Jacksonian Democracy
    • Conflict between North and South over slavery in new territories (Missouri compromise/compromise of 1850) (Kansas-Nabraska Act)
    • Democrats v Whigs (2nd political party)
  • 1844–1877
    • Innefective pres, Compromise of 1850, fugative slave Act, popular socereignty
    • Republican paryt emerges,
      • 14th amendment: citizenship
      • 15th amendment: black men allowed to vote, but not women
  • 1865–1898
    • Citizenshop for black men end reconstuction
    • Jom Crow Laes
    • REpublicans in power
  • 1890–1945
    • Wilson, first democrat to win power
    • Women suffrage
    • Segregation, disenfranchisement continue for African Americans returing from WWII
  • 1945–1980
    • Democrats in power until 1960s, Nixon in charge
  • 1980–Present
    • Period of return to prominence of Republican Party and conservatism
    • Shift in political power to South and West from “Sun belt” migration

Theme 6: America in the World

  • 1491–1607
    • Competition between European powers, Native groups lead to alliances and conflicts
  • 1607–1754
    • Cont. comp with Natives over land
    • European powers scrabble to get resources
  • 1754–1800
    • Emergence ofUS as independent power
    • Aliiance with France help win revolution
  • 1800–1848
    • War of 1812 end british presence in North America, end hope for native Americans to prevail
    • Mexican War → more territory
  • 1844–1877
    • US isolationist, Civil War
  • 1865–1898
    • Indian Wars, Native Americans nearly gone
    • Last Era of Ameircan isolationism
  • 1890–1945
    • Spanish-American War
    • WWI
    • Isolation in 20s and 30s b/c GReat Depression
    • WWII aftermath leads to interventionism
  • 1945–1980
    • Cold War direct US to be foreign policy
    • Conatinment policy leads to Korean War
    • Replaced by conflict in Middle East
  • 1980–Present
    • USSR collapses, end of Cold War
    • US involved in Middle East b/c of cu.ture → oil embargo and crises in US (War on Terror)
    • Era of globalization

Theme 7: American and Regional Culture

  • 1491–1607
    • Blend ofn indigenous culture and European cultures
    • Exploration driven by religion
  • 1607–1754
    • NE life based on Puritain religion
    • Racial caste system
    • First GReat Awakening
  • 1754–1800
    • Influence of enlightenment through revolution
    • Women partake in Civ War, but not citizens
  • 1800–1848
    • Second Great Awakeing
    • REform mvm’t (abolition, temperance, women suffrage, prison, mental health(Dorthy and Dix)
    • “Cult of domecticity” for women
  • 1844–1877
    • Emergange of ideological defenses of slavery and militant abolitionism
    • Milenial religious mvm’t
    • Nativists- hate immigrants
  • 1865–1898
    • Socail Darwinism- belief some ppl inherantly better than others due to evolution
  • 1890–1945
    • Backlash to minorities, migrants - KKK
    • Flowering of America, Lost Generation, Jazz
  • 1945–1980
    • Religious Era of 1950s
    • Social Mvm’t (Civil Rights, Women’s rights)
    • Emergence protests against Gov’t by college students
  • 1980–Present
    • “Vietnam Syndrom”
    • “Culture Wars” over gender, race, family structure
    • Increasing diversity