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