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US History

This is a survey course that provides students with an investigation of important political, economic, and social developments in American history from the pre-colonial time period to the present day. Students will be engaged in activities that call upon their skills as historians (i.e. recognizing cause and effect relationships, various forms of research, expository and persuasive writing, reading of primary and secondary sources, comparing and contrasting important ideas and events).

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US History
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Chapter 11 - The Triumphs and Travails of Jeffersonian Republic

  1. Federalist and Republican Mudslingers
    1. By 1800, the Federalists had earned themselves many enemies. First there were the Alien and Sedition Acts. Worse, Pres. Adams had opted against war, an unpopular move.
      1. One benefit was that the American navy had gotten a solid start. Adams ("Father of the American navy") had the navy built up, then wouldn't use it in war. The drawback was the appearance of wasting money.

Chapter 10 - Launching the New Ship of State

  1. Growing Pains
    1. After 12 years of government-disabling, now America had to begin nation-building. During the Revolutionary time period though, a strong distrust of government had been instilled in people.
    2. The U.S. financial situation was grim.
      1. Revenue was very small yet the debt was mounting due to interest.
      2. Hard (metal) money was scarce and the paper money was worthless.
      3. The financial situation was the number 1 problem the new nation faced.

Chapter 09 - The Confederation and the Constitution

  1. The Pursuit of Equality
    1. American Revolution was not a sudden radical change. Rather it was an accelerated evolution.
    2. Separation of church and state began. The "high-church" Anglican Church was disestablished (it stopped receiving tax money) although the Congregational Church continued is established status. The Anglican Church also became known as the Episcopal Church in order to distance itself from its English roots.
      1. To a large degree, life went on as usual—work, church, play.

Chapter 07 - The Road to Revolution

  1. The Deep Roots of Revolution
    1. It could be said that the American Revolution started long before 1775—back to when colonists first came to America. They essentially revolted from England and moved to America.
    2. And, those American colonists were growing independent.
      1. Crossing the ocean took 6 to 8 weeks, one way.
      2. The Americans felt separated from England; they felt as though they were the cutting edge of the British Empire.
      3. The Americans were developing their own brand of politics.

Chapter 06 - The Duel for North America

  1. France Finds a Foothold in Canada
    1. France got a late start in colonizing America (like England and Holland).
      1. French were tardy due because during the 16th century they suffered foreign wars and issues at home.
        1. To help ease Catholic-Protestant feuding, the Edict of Nantes (1598) was issued. It granted religious toleration to the Huguenots (French Protestants).
      2. King Louis XIV took an active interest in France’s lands overseas—he wanted more.

Chapter 05 - Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution

  1. Conquest by the Cradle
    1. In 1775, there were 32 British colonies in North America.
      1. Only 13 of these colonies revolted in the “American Revolution.”
      2. Canada and Jamaica were wealthier than the “original 13.”
      3. All of the colonies were growing like weeds.
    2. In 1775, there were 2.5 million people in the 13 colonies.
    3. Their average age was about 16 (due mainly to having several children).

Chapter 04 - American Life in the Seventeenth Century

  1. The Unhealthy Chesapeake
    1. Life in America was brutal, especially in the Chesapeake (Virginia/Maryland).
      1. The work there was hard and the climate was muggy.
      2. Diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and typhoid took their deadly toll.
      3. Thus, life spans in the Chesapeake were only to 40 or 50.
    2. Family-life suffered.
      1. Men outnumbered women and had to compete to win a woman’s heart. The ratio was 6:1(men-to-women) in 1650.

Chapter 03 - Settling the Northern Colonies

  1. The Protestant Reformation Produces Puritanism
    1. 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his “95 Theses” on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. Luther had several challenges to the Roman church. The most basic of Luther’s ideas were …
      1. The Bible or scripture alone was the source of God’s word (not the Bible and the church or pope).
      2. People are saved by grace alone from God (salvation comes as an undeserved gift from God, not by earning it or deciding to be saved).

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