A Push Exam Overview - Complete Course in 30 Minutes

Period 1: Pre-1492 to 1607

Native American Cultures

• Central/South America: Aztecs & Mayas relied on maize, had intricate trade networks, calendars, and irrigation systems.
• North America: Diverse tribes based on geography; Great Plains tribes hunted buffalo, Great Lakes tribes were agricultural.

European Contact

• Columbian Exchange: Exchange of plants, animals, ideas, peoples, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
  • Europeans gained wealth and population surge due to new food sources.
  • Natives suffered due to diseases like smallpox.

Spanish Colonization

• Conquistadors like Hernán Cortés conquered Aztecs.
• Encomienda System: Enslaved native populations, forced Catholic conversion.
• Casta System: Racial hierarchy with Spaniards at the top.
• Valladolid Debates: Debated the morality of native treatment, leading to the decline of the encomienda system.

Period 2: Colonization (1607-1754)

Colonization Patterns

• French & Dutch: Small settlements, fur trade, friendly native relations.
• English: Large migrations; economic motivations, established Jamestown (1607).
  • Chesapeake colonies (tobacco); Maryland for Catholics.
  • Southern colonies (rice, indigo); heavy reliance on enslaved labor.
• New England Colonies: Religious motivations, "City upon a Hill," economies based on fishing, lumber, trade.
  • Rhode Island founded for dissenters.
• Middle Colonies: Diverse, based on grain farming, friendly native relations.

Colonial Tensions & Society

• Conflicts with indigenous peoples (e.g., King Philip's War).
• Distinct colonial culture evolving due to geography and self-governance (e.g., Mayflower Compact).
• Mercantilism & Salutary Neglect: Colonies' economies grow under loosely enforced Navigation Acts.

Period 3: 1754-1800

French and Indian War

• British expansion into Ohio River Valley led to conflict.
• Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war; strained British-colonial relations.

Revolutionary War

• Causes: New taxes (e.g., Stamp Act), protests (Boston Tea Party).
• Independence: Declaration of Independence, influenced by Enlightenment ideals.
• Outcome: American victory due to leadership (Washington), support (French), tactics.

Post-Revolution

• Weak government under Articles of Confederation.
• Constitutional Convention (1787): Created a stronger government; included Great Compromise, 3/5 Compromise.
• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: Debated Constitution ratification.

Period 4: 1800-1848

Jeffersonian America

• Louisiana Purchase (1803): Doubled US size, argued for agrarian economy.

War of 1812

• Fought over British impressment, ended with Treaty of Ghent (1814).

Era of Good Feelings

• Monroe Doctrine, Missouri Compromise.

Jacksonian America

• Expanded democracy; controversial policies (e.g., Indian Removal).
• Rise of Whig Party opposed Jackson.

Market & Transportation Revolutions

• Industrial advancements: Textile mills, steel plow, railroads.

Second Great Awakening

• Religious fervor led to reform movements: abolition, temperance, women’s rights (Seneca Falls Convention).

Period 5: 1844-1877

Manifest Destiny & Mexican-American War

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): US gained new territories.

Pre-Civil War Tensions

• Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Civil War (1861-1865)

• Union vs. Confederacy over slavery and states’ rights.
• Union victory due to resources, leadership.

Reconstruction

• Freedmen's Bureau: Assisted newly freed African Americans.
• Constitutional amendments: 13th (abolition), 14th (citizenship), 15th (voting rights).
• Ended with Compromise of 1877.

Period 6: 1865-1898

Gilded Age

• Rise of industrial corporations, laissez-faire policies.
• Labor unions formed in response to poor conditions.
• Anti-trust laws attempted to regulate monopolies.

Urbanization & Immigration

• Political machines dominated cities; rise of nativism.

Westward Expansion

• Transcontinental Railroad completed, conflicts with Native Americans.

Populist Movement

• Farmers faced economic challenges, sought silver coinage, direct election of senators.

Period 7: 1890-1945

Imperialism & Progressive Era

• Spanish-American War: US gained territories.
• Progressive reforms: consumer protection, antitrust laws.

World War I

• US entry due to submarine warfare, Zimmerman Telegram.
• Post-war changes: Roaring 20s, Harlem Renaissance.

Great Depression & New Deal

• FDR's New Deal: Relief, recovery, reform amidst economic crisis.

World War II

• US Entry: After Pearl Harbor; ended with atomic bombings.

Period 8: 1945-1980

Post-War America & Cold War

• Cold War: US-Soviet tensions, proxy wars (e.g., Korea, Vietnam).
• Civil Rights Movement: Legal victories, Civil Rights Act (1964).

Social Change

• Feminist, Latinx, Native American movements gain momentum.

Period 9: 1980-Present

Reagan Era

• Reaganomics: Focus on tax cuts, military spending.
• End of Cold War with Soviet Union.

Recent Developments

• Middle East conflicts, post-9/11 foreign policy.
• Political polarization over social/economic issues.
• Globalization increases interconnectedness, trade.