APUSH Units 1-5 Review Session Notes
Introduction
- Review session for APUSH Units 1-5 before the exam.
- Content lasts about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Celebrated 1 million subscribers on Old Himler's history channel.
- Session recorded and available on the channel for later review.
- Super chat shoutouts require submission before 9:00 PM Eastern.
Unit 1: 1491-1607
- Time Period: 1491-1607
- 1491: Americas before European contact
- 1607: Founding of Jamestown
Big Ideas
- Diverse Native American Populations:
- Varied societies shaped by environments.
- Example societies: Chumash (California), Ute (Great Basin), Cahokia (Mississippi Valley), Iroquois (Northeast).
- European Motivations for Exploration:
- Political unification in Europe led to stronger states.
- Search for sea routes due to Ottoman control of land routes.
- Major players: Portugal (trading posts), Spain (westward exploration).
- Columbian Exchange:
- Transfer of crops, animals, diseases between continents.
- Impact: Expanded diets, population growth, disease devastation in the Americas.
- Spanish Colonization Impact:
- Encomienda system and African slavery rise.
- Casta system: Hierarchical organization based on race/ancestry.
- Evolving European and Native American Relationships:
- Different views on land, religion, and power led to changing understandings.
- Debates on the treatment of Native Americans: Sepulveda vs. Las Casas.
Unit 2: 1607-1754
- Time Period: 1607-1754
- 1607: Founding of Jamestown
- 1754: Start of French and Indian War
Big Ideas
- Colonial Goals:
- Spanish: Wealth extraction, Christianity spread.
- French/Dutch: Trade partnerships, fur trade.
- English: Social mobility, economic prosperity, religious freedom.
- Regional Differences in British Colonies:
- Chesapeake, New England, Middle Colonies, British West Indies.
- Governance: Mayflower Compact, House of Burgesses.
- Transatlantic Trade:
- Triangular Trade and Mercantilism.
- Navigation Acts: English control over trade.
- European-Native American Conflicts:
- Examples: Metacom's War, Pueblo Revolt.
- Slavery in British Colonies:
- Geographic variation in reliance on enslaved labor.
- Enslaved resistance: Stono Rebellion.
- Colonial Society and Enlightenment Influence:
- Enlightenment ideas weaken religious authority, impact governance.
- First Great Awakening: National religious movement.
- Anglicization and Colonial Frustrations:
- Growing mistrust due to British policies (e.g., impressment).
Unit 3: 1754-1800
- Time Period: 1754-1800
- 1754: French and Indian War
- 1800: Election of Thomas Jefferson
Big Ideas
- French and Indian War Outcomes:
- British land gains, increased taxation on colonies.
- Revolutionary War Causes:
- Taxation without representation.
- Examples: Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party.
- Enlightenment Influence on Independence:
- Ideas in "Common Sense" and the Declaration of Independence.
- American Revolutionary War:
- Loyalists vs. Patriots.
- Key turning point: Battle of Saratoga.
- Articles of Confederation:
- Weak central government.
- Notable events: Shays' Rebellion.
- Constitutional Convention:
- New Constitution replaces Articles.
- Great Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise.
- Constitution's Federalism and Separation of Powers:
- Federalism: State vs. federal power.
- Separation of powers: Legislative, Executive, Judicial.
- American Revolution Ideals Impact:
- Slavery debates, women's roles (Republican Motherhood).
- Inspired French and Haitian Revolutions.
- Presidential Precedents (Washington, Adams):
- Issues: Federal vs. state power, economic policy, foreign policy.
- American National Identity:
- Art, literature, architecture reflect national and regional identities.
Unit 4: 1800-1848
- Time Period: 1800-1848
- 1800: Election of Thomas Jefferson
- 1848: Mexican-American War or Seneca Falls Convention
Big Ideas
- Jefferson's Era and Territorial Expansion:
- Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- Supreme Court role established through Marbury v. Madison.
- Regional Conflicts and Federal Power:
- War of 1812, Hartford Convention.
- Henry Clay's American System.
- American Independence on World Stage:
- Monroe Doctrine asserts U.S. influence in Western Hemisphere.
- Market Revolution:
- Linking industry and agriculture, technological advancements.
- Immigration waves, rise of middle class.
- Expanding Democracy:
- Universal white male suffrage, political party realignments.
- Andrew Jackson's Administration:
- Use of federal power: Tariffs, national bank, Indian Removal Act.
- American Identity Through Culture:
- Transcendentalism, Hudson River School, Second Great Awakening.
- Reform Movements:
- Temperance, abolitionism, women's rights (Seneca Falls).
- Southern Culture and Slavery:
- Yeoman farmers, cotton economy, westward expansion.
Unit 5: 1844-1877
- Time Period: 1844-1877
- 1844: Election of James K. Polk
- 1877: End of Reconstruction
Big Ideas
- Manifest Destiny:
- Ideology of expansion, motivations, and facilitation.
- Mexican-American War:
- Causes (Texas annexation), Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
- Consequences: Mexican Cession, Wilmot Proviso.
- Slavery Debate and Compromise of 1850:
- Compromise's provisions, sectional tensions.
- Immigration and Nativism:
- Ethnic enclaves, opposition from nativists.
- Increased Tensions Over Slavery:
- Regional labor ideologies, abolitionist movement.
- Failed Compromises and Sectionalism:
- Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott decision, John Brown's raid.
- Election of 1860 and Secession:
- Lincoln's election prompts Southern secession.
- Civil War Mobilization:
- North's strategic advantages, key documents (Emancipation Proclamation).
- Reconstruction Era:
- Constitutional amendments, federal occupation.
- Reconstruction's Failure:
- Southern resistance, sharecropping, Black Codes, Compromise of 1877.
These notes provide a comprehensive overview of the key concepts, events, and themes from the APUSH Units 1-5 review session, organized by unit and big ideas. They succinctly capture the essential information for each unit, making them a helpful study guide for exam preparation.