AUSH Exam Review: APUSH Course Summary

Period 1: 1491-1607

• Pre-European Contact: Native American cultures
  • Central/South America: Aztecs, Mayas (maize cultivation, trade networks, calendars)
  • North America: Semi-nomadic tribes, varied lifestyles by region
• Columbian Exchange:
  • Exchange of plants, animals, diseases between Europe and Americas
  • Impact: Population boom in Europe, devastation of Native populations (diseases)
• Spanish Colonization:
  • Conquistadors seeking gold, God, glory; example: Hernán Cortés
  • Encomienda system; racial hierarchy (Casta system)
• Valladolid Debates:
  • Debate over native treatment: Bartolomé de las Casas vs. Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda
  • Decline of encomienda system, rise of enslavement of Africans

Period 2: 1607-1754

• Colonial Settlements:
  • French: Fur trading, friendly relations with natives
  • Dutch: Trade-focused New Amsterdam
  • English: Large-scale migration, Jamestown (1607)
• Regional Differences:
  • Chesapeake (VA, MD): Tobacco economy, indentured servitude
  • Southern colonies: Cash crops, slave labor (Stono Rebellion)
  • New England: Religious motivation, Puritan societies
  • Middle Colonies: Diversity, Quaker Pennsylvania
• Colonial Conflicts:
  • Land/resource conflicts with tribes (King Philip’s War)
  • Self-government traditions: Mayflower Compact, House of Burgesses
• Mercantilism & Salutary Neglect:
  • Loosely enforced Navigation Acts
  • First Great Awakening: Religious revival, questioning authority
• Bacon’s Rebellion: Tension between settlers and colonial leaders

Period 3: 1754-1800

• French and Indian War:
  • British debt, end of salutary neglect
  • Proclamation of 1763
• Colonial Tensions:
  • New taxes: Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party
  • Continental Congresses, Declaration of Independence
• American Revolution:
  • Reasons for colonial victory: Leadership, tactics, alliances
  • Treaty of Paris (1783)
• Articles of Confederation:
  • Weak government, Shay’s Rebellion
• Constitutional Convention:
  • Great Compromise, 3/5 Compromise, Federalist Papers
  • Constitution ratified, Bill of Rights added
• Washington’s Presidency:
  • Federal power (Whiskey Rebellion), Farewell Address
• Emergence of Political Parties:
  • Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans
  • Impact of French and Haitian Revolutions

Period 4: 1800-1848

• Jefferson’s Presidency:
  • Louisiana Purchase, Embargo Act
• War of 1812:
  • Causes: Impressment, British presence
  • Treaty of Ghent, end of Federalist Party
• Era of Good Feelings:
  • Monroe Doctrine, Missouri Compromise
• Jacksonian Era:
  • Expansion of democracy, Indian Removal Act
• Market Revolution:
  • Industrial advancements, transportation improvements
• Second Great Awakening:
  • Social reforms: Abolition, temperance, women’s rights

Period 5: 1844-1877

• Manifest Destiny & Mexican-American War:
  • Expansion, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• Slavery Debates:
  • Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act
  • Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Decision
• Civil War:
  • Secession, Lincoln’s leadership
  • Emancipation Proclamation
• Reconstruction:
  • Freedmen’s Bureau, Reconstruction Amendments
  • Failures: Sharecropping, Jim Crow laws

Period 6: 1865-1898

• Gilded Age:
  • Monopolies, labor unions, strikes
• Philosophies:
  • Social Darwinism, Gospel of Wealth, Social Gospel Movement
• Immigration & Urbanization:
  • Rise of political machines, nativism
• Westward Expansion:
  • Railroads, conflicts with Native Americans
  • Assimilation policies: Dawes Act, boarding schools

Period 7: 1890-1945

• Imperialism:
  • Annexation of territories, Spanish-American War
  • Debate over American values
• Progressive Movement:
  • Reforms, muckraking journalism
• World War I:
  • US involvement, Treaty of Versailles
• 1920s Prosperity:
  • Social change, Harlem Renaissance
• Great Depression & New Deal:
  • Economic crisis, FDR's relief programs
• World War II:
  • US entry, home front efforts
  • Use of atomic bomb, UN formation

Period 8: 1945-1980

• Post-War Prosperity:
  • Suburban growth, conformity
• Cold War:
  • Containment policies, proxy wars
• Civil Rights Movement:
  • Key victories, differing strategies
• Social Movements:
  • Women's rights, environmentalism

Period 9: 1980-Present

• Reagan Era:
  • Reaganomics, end of Cold War
• Middle East Conflicts:
  • Gulf War, War on Terror
• Political Polarization:
  • Debates over federal policies
• Migration & Globalization:
  • Economic shifts, technological advancements

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. history periods covered in the APUSH course. For further study, refer to study guides, timelines, and videos for in-depth understanding.