APUSH Crash Course Lecture Notes

Period 1: Pre-Columbian to Early European Contact

• 1491: Native American cultures before European contact.
• Central and South America:
  • Aztecs and Mayas: Maze cultivation, trade networks, calendars, irrigation.
• North America:
  • Great Plains: Buffalo hunting, tepees.
  • Great Lakes: Permanent dwellings, agriculture.
• 1492 Arrival of Columbus: Initiates Columbian Exchange.
  • Exchange of plants, animals, ideas, people, diseases.
  • Europeans: Population boom, wealth.
  • Natives: Devastated by diseases.
• Spanish Colonization:
  • Conquistadors (e.g., Hernan Cortez) sought gold, glory, God.
  • Encomienda System: Enslavement of natives.
  • Casta System: Racial hierarchy.
  • Valladolid Debates: Debate over treatment of natives.

Period 2: Colonization (1607-1754)

• French and Dutch: Small settlements, fur trading, peaceful relations with natives.
• English Colonization:
  • Jamestown (1607): Tobacco economy.
  • Maryland: Refuge for Catholics.
  • Southern Colonies: Rice, indigo, sugar; heavy use of African slaves.
• New England Colonies:
  • Religious motivations.
  • Rocky soil: Fishing, lumbering, trade.
• Middle Colonies: Ethnic, economic diversity, friendly to natives.
• Conflicts with Natives: King Philip’s War, Pequot War.
• Economic Policies:
  • Mercantilism and Navigation Acts.
  • Salutary Neglect.
• First Great Awakening: Religious revival.

Period 3: American Revolution and Constitution (1754-1800)

• French and Indian War (1754-1763): British debt leads to end of salutary neglect.
• Colonial Tensions:
  • Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Tea Party.
  • Intolerable Acts.
• Revolutionary War: Declaration of Independence (1776).
• Articles of Confederation: Weak government.
• Constitutional Convention (1787):
  • Compromises (Great, 3/5).
  • Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist debates.

Period 4: Early Republic and Expansion (1800-1848)

• Thomas Jefferson: Louisiana Purchase, strict Constitution interpretation.
• War of 1812: British impressment, Treaty of Ghent.
• Era of Good Feelings: Monroe Doctrine.
• Jacksonian Democracy:
  • Indian Removal, Trail of Tears.
  • Nullification Crisis.
• Market Revolution: Industrialization, transportation.
• Second Great Awakening: Religious fervor and reform movements.

Period 5: Civil War and Reconstruction (1844-1877)

• Manifest Destiny: Expansion westward.
• Mexican-American War: Gained new territories.
• Slavery Debates: Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act.
• Civil War (1861-1865): North vs. South.
• Reconstruction: Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th), Freedmen’s Bureau, rise of Jim Crow.

Period 6: Gilded Age (1865-1898)

• Industrialization: Steel, oil, monopolies.
• Labor Unions: Strikes, collective bargaining.
• Populism: Farmers’ struggles.
• Westward Expansion: Railroads, native resistance.

Period 7: Progressive Era to WWII (1890-1945)

• Imperialism: Spanish-American War, annexation of territories.
• Progressive Reforms: Muckrakers, amendments.
• WWI: US involvement, Treaty of Versailles.
• Roaring Twenties: Prosperity, cultural change.
• Great Depression: New Deal reforms.
• WWII: American involvement and impact.

Period 8: Cold War Era (1945-1980)

• Post-War Prosperity: Suburban growth, conformity.
• Cold War: Containment policies, major conflicts (Korean, Vietnam).
• Civil Rights Movement: Legislation, social change.
• Great Society: Johnson’s reforms.

Period 9: Modern America (1980-Present)

• Reagan Era: Economic policies, Cold War end.
• Middle East Conflicts: Wars in Iraq, terrorism.
• Domestic Issues: Political polarization, immigration debates.
• Globalization: Technological advancements, interconnected economies.