APUSH Lecture Notes

Key Terms

• SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the United States
• USFG = US Federal Government
• Roosevelt = Theodore Roosevelt
• FDR = Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• LBJ = Lyndon B. Johnson

Period 1: Natives and Exploration

Native Americans

• Location and Economies:
  • Southwest: Maize, hunting, gathering. Pueblos, Navajo, Apache left area due to crop failures (1300 CE).
  • West: Hunting, gathering, fishing; villages seasonal.
  • Northeast: Three-sister farming (squash, beans, corn). Large villages in Ohio River Valley; Iroquois League reduced violence.
  • Southeast: Major urban centers; Five Civilized Tribes allied with colonists.
  • Plains: Corn, hunting; sedentary villages. Competition increased with colonization.

European Interaction

• Causes: GGG (Gold, God, Glory), Columbian Exchange, Treaty of Tordesillas, Encomienda System, Virginia Company.
• Effects: Distinct Native American societies emerged; European population growth from the Columbian Exchange; different worldviews on religion, land, etc.

Big Ideas

• Diverse Native American societies shaped by environment.
• European explorations influenced by wealth and religion.
• Columbian Exchange transformed economies and societies.

Period 2: Colonization

Differences Between Colonizing Nations

• England: Agriculture, self-government, hostile relations.
• France: Fur trade, Jesuits, alliances.
• Spain: Gold/silver, viceroyalties, intermarriage.

Colonial Regions

• New England: Puritan influence, subsistence farming.
• Middle: Breadbasket, religious tolerance (Quakers in Pennsylvania).
• Southern: Cash crops (rice, tobacco), slave labor.

Causes and Effects of Slavery

• Causes: Bacon’s Rebellion fueled shift towards slavery.
• Effects: Stono Rebellion prompted stricter slave codes.

Native American Conflict

• Native Attacks: Powhatan Wars, Susquehannock War.
• Colonist Attacks: King Philip's War, Pueblo Revolt.

Economic Relations

• Mercantilism: Focused on colonies supplying resources to the mother country.
• Great Awakening: Emotional religious revival, increased literacy and print culture.
• Enlightenment: Ideas of natural rights and government checks.

Big Ideas

• Varied colonial patterns and relations with natives.
• Connection between British colonies and gradual separation.

Period 3: Revolution, America in Infancy

Causes of Revolution

• Political: French and Indian War increased taxes (Sugar Act, Stamp Act).
• Economic: Acts led to boycotts and protests (Boston Massacre, Tea Act).
• Intellectual: Enlightenment ideas influenced revolutionary thought.

Revolution Phases

1. Phase 1: British underestimate colonial resistance.
2. Phase 2: Key victories (Saratoga) lead to French alliance.
3. Phase 3: Southern campaigns end in British surrender at Yorktown.

Articles of Confederation Issues

• Political Power: Weak central government.
• Economic Power: No taxation, led to Shays' Rebellion.

Constitution

• Compromises: ⅗ Compromise, Great Compromise, Bill of Rights (federalist agreement).

Big Ideas

• The Revolutionary War established American independence and government forms.
• Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist debates shaped the Constitution.

Period 4: Era of Jefferson and Jackson

Jefferson's Presidency

• Changes: Repealed taxes, Louisiana Purchase.
• Continuity: Maintained financial policies.

War of 1812

• Causes: Impressment of sailors, war-hawks.
• Effects: Growth of nationalism, end of the Federalist Party.

American System

• Components: National Bank, protective tariffs, infrastructure.

Market Revolution

• Technological Advances: Steel plow, steam engines.
• Social Changes: Labor reform, women in workforce.

Jacksonian Democracy

• Political Parties: Rise of Democrats and Whigs.
• Policies: Indian Removal Act, Nullification Crisis.

Age of Reform

• Social Movements: Second Great Awakening, temperance, women's rights.

Big Ideas

• Economic transformation led to social reform movements.
• Changes in political systems reflected regional divides.

Period 5: Manifest Destiny, Civil War, Reconstruction

Manifest Destiny

• Causes: Population growth, economic depressions.
• Effects: Increased tensions over slavery; Compromise of 1850.

Civil War

• Causes: Slavery and sectionalism, Dred Scott decision.
• Union Advantages: Greater population, resources.
• Confederacy Advantages: Defensive war, military leadership.

Reconstruction

• Amendments: 13th, 14th, and 15th abolished slavery and established rights.
• Southern Resistance: Black codes, KKK.

Big Ideas

• Expansion and slavery debates led to Civil War.
• Reconstruction left unresolved issues of citizenship and rights.

Period 6: Postwar South, Gilded Age/Industrialization

Postwar South

• New South: Shift to industrial economy failed; sharecropping system emerged.
• Legalized Slavery: Jim Crow laws established segregation.

Gilded Age

• Industrialization: Rise of big business; labor movements formed.
• Crisis and Reform: Labor battles and social change.

Immigration

• Push/Pull Factors: Economic opportunity vs. poverty.

Big Ideas

• Industrialization led to economic disparities and social movements.
• Migration patterns changed demographics and cultural landscapes.

Period 7: Imperialism, Progressivism, WWI, New Deal, WWII

Imperialism

• Causes: Economic needs, competition.
• Spanish-American War: Resulted in acquisition of territories.

Progressivism

• Muckraking: Exposed social issues.
• Reforms: Suffrage, labor rights, and anti-corruption.

WWI

• Causes: Unrestricted submarine warfare and Zimmerman Note.
• Effects: Economic boom, labor shortages, anti-unpatriotic acts.

New Deal

• First and Second New Deals: Relief programs and regulations.
• Critics: Radicals and conservatives.

WWII

• Causes: Dictatorships in Europe and Japan.
• Homefront: Rationing, women's roles, internment camps.

Big Ideas

• U.S. emerged as a world power post-WWII.
• Social and cultural changes driven by wars and reforms.

Period 8: Cold War, New Culture, Civil Rights

Cold War

• Causes: Tension with the USSR; containment policy.
• Timeline: Truman Doctrine, Korean War, Vietnam War.

Civil Rights Movement

• Key Figures: MLK, Rosa Parks.
• Legislation: Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act.

Big Ideas

• Cold War shaped U.S. foreign policy.
• Civil rights efforts led to significant social change.

Period 9: Modern

Politics

• New Right: Conservative resurgence; Reaganomics.
• Elections: Bush v. Gore, Obama, Trump.

Economics

• Crisis and Reform: 2008 recession; healthcare reform.

Society Reform

• LGBTQ Rights: AIDS crisis, same-sex marriage legalization.
• Gun Control: Mass shootings and responses.

Big Ideas

• U.S. navigated new challenges post-9/11.
• Growing diversity and social movements influenced modern politics.