Lecture Notes: APUSH Exam Review Units 1-5

Introduction

• Reviewer: Old Himler's History
• Celebration: Crossed 1 million subscribers
• Exam: 2 days away (May 9th)
• Lecture Duration: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours
• Note: Shoutouts via super chat until 9:00 p.m. Eastern

Unit 1: 1491-1607

Big Idea 1: Diverse Native Populations

• Varied societies influenced by environments
• Examples:
  • Chumash in California (coastal, permanent settlements)
  • Ute in the Great Basin (nomadic hunters)
  • Cahokia in Mississippi River Valley (agricultural, trade)
  • Iroquois in Northeast (agricultural, communal living)

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

• Motivations: Political unification, luxury goods demand, Ottoman control of land routes
• Portugal: Trading post empire
• Spain: Westward exploration, spread Christianity
• Columbus's discovery initiated European competition

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Exchange of crops, animals, diseases
• Examples:
  • Crops: Potatoes to Europe, wheat to Americas
  • Animals: Turkeys to Europe, cattle to Americas
  • Diseases: Devastation of Native populations (smallpox)
  • Minerals: Gold and silver, fueled economic shifts in Europe

Big Idea 4: Spanish Impact

• Encomienda system: Indigenous forced labor
• Rise of African slavery
• Casta system: Racial hierarchy established

Big Idea 5: Evolution of Understanding

• European and Native American perspectives on land, religion
• Significant debate: Sepulveda vs. Las Casas

Unit 2: 1607-1754

Big Idea 1: Colonization Goals

• Spanish: Wealth extraction, Christianity
• French/Dutch: Trade partnerships (fur trade)
• British: Social mobility, economic prosperity, religious freedom

Big Idea 2: Regional Differences

• Chesapeake: Jamestown, tobacco economy
• New England: Religious, family-oriented
• Southern/Caribbean: Cash crops, increased African slavery
• Middle Colonies: Trade hubs, diverse populations

Big Idea 3: Atlantic Economy

• Triangular Trade: Global trade connecting continents
• Mercantilism: State-driven economy, restricted colonial trade

Big Idea 4: Native American Relations

• Metacom's War, Pueblo Revolt highlight tensions

Big Idea 5: Enslaved Labor and Resistance

• Varying reliance on slavery across regions
• Covert/overt resistance (e.g., Stono Rebellion)

Big Idea 6: Colonial Society

• Enlightenment influence
• First Great Awakening: National religious revival

Big Idea 7: Growing Mistrust

• Impressment and resistance
• Anglicization

Unit 3: 1754-1800

Big Idea 1: French and Indian War

• Causes: British-French tensions, Ohio River Valley
• Consequences: Proclamation Line, increased taxation

Big Idea 2: Road to Revolution

• Salutary neglect, taxation without representation
• Key events: Stamp Act Congress, Boston Massacre, Tea Party

Big Idea 3: Enlightenment Influence

• Common Sense, Declaration of Independence

Big Idea 4: Revolutionary War

• Loyalists vs. Patriots
• Key Turning Point: Battle of Saratoga

Big Idea 5: Articles of Confederation

• Weaknesses: No executive or judicial branches
• Sha's Rebellion exposed flaws

Big Idea 6: Constitutional Convention

• Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
• Great Compromise and Three-Fifths Compromise

Big Idea 7: New Government Structure

• Federalism: State vs. federal powers
• Separation of powers: 3 branches

Big Idea 8: Revolutionary Ideals Influence

• Slavery debates, Republican motherhood
• Inspiratory revolutions: France, Haiti

Big Idea 9: Washington and Adams' Precedents

• Political parties, Whiskey Rebellion, National Bank
• Foreign policy: XYZ Affair, Alien and Sedition Acts

Big Idea 10: National Identity

• Artistic, literary, and architectural expressions

Unit 4: 1800-1848

Big Idea 1: Jefferson Era

• Territorial expansion, Louisiana Purchase
• Supreme Court's role: Marbury v. Madison

Big Idea 2: Conflicting Interests

• War of 1812, Hartford Convention
• Henry Clay's American System

Big Idea 3: US on World Stage

• Territorial claims, Monroe Doctrine

Big Idea 4: Market Revolution

• Technological advances: Cotton gin, steam engine
• Rise of middle class, immigration wave

Big Idea 5: Expanding Democracy

• Universal white male suffrage
• Political party realignment

Big Idea 6: Andrew Jackson's Presidency

• Federal power issues: Bank War, Indian Removal

Big Idea 7: American Identity

• Transcendentalism, Second Great Awakening

Big Idea 8: Reform Movements

• Temperance, abolition, women's movement

Big Idea 9: Southern Culture and Slavery

• Economic reliance on agriculture
• Expansion of southern land

Unit 5: 1844-1877

Big Idea 1: Manifest Destiny

• Westward expansion motivations
• Legislation and gold rush effects

Big Idea 2: Mexican-American War

• Causes: Texas annexation
• Consequences: Mexican cession

Big Idea 3: Slavery Debate Intensifies

• Wilmont Proviso, Compromise of 1850

Big Idea 4: Immigration and Nativism

• Irish and German enclaves
• No Nothing Party opposition

Big Idea 5: Slavery Tensions

• Northern wage labor vs. southern slavery
• Abolitionist movement

Big Idea 6: Compromise Failures

• Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott decision

Big Idea 7: Lincoln's Election and Secession

• Southern states' secession

Big Idea 8: Civil War

• Union advantages
• Lincoln's leadership and strategic documents

Big Idea 9: Reconstruction Era

• Constitutional amendments
• Federal occupation of the South

Big Idea 10: Reconstruction's End

• Southern resistance, Compromise of 1877

Note: The lecture included interactions with the audience through super chats and shoutouts, which are a part of the community engagement but are not the focus of the exam preparation material.