1. Unit 1: 1491-1607
1.1. Topic 2: Native American Societies BEFORE 1492
1.1.1. Southern Native Societies
1.1.1.1. Aztecs
1.1.1.1.1. Mexico, Tenochtitlan, Irrigation and cult of fertility (human sacrifices)
1.1.1.2. Mayans
1.1.1.2.1. Yucatan Peninsula, Irrigation, Stone temples for rulers believed to be from God
1.1.1.3. Incans
1.1.1.3.1. Andes Mountain (Peru), Irrigation, Fertile mountain valleys
1.1.2. Northern Native Societies
1.1.2.1. Maize from south spreads north, promoting economic development, settlement, irrigation, and diversity
1.1.2.1.1. Pueblo
1.1.2.1.2. Great Plains/Great Basin/Ute
1.1.2.1.3. Pacific Northwest/Chinook
1.1.2.1.4. Chumash
1.1.2.1.5. Mississippi River Valley
1.1.2.1.6. Northeast/Iroquois
1.2. Topic 3: European Exploration in the AMERICAS
1.2.1. Reasons for exploration
1.2.1.1. Population increase after the end of the Black Plague
1.2.1.2. Political unification of European states, centralized gov. led by monarchs
1.2.1.3. Agricultural and commercial profits gave rise to wealthy upper class that desired luxury goods from Asia
1.2.1.4. Land-based routes controlled by Muslims, so Europeans look for water-based routes to Asia
1.2.1.4.1. Prince Henry the Navigator (Portugal) went around Africa establishing a trading post empire along the coast, utilizing caravels, astrolabe, and stern-post rudder
1.3. Topic 4: The COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest
1.3.1. The Columbian Exchange: The transfer of food, animals, minerals, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas
1.3.1.1. Disease - Hernan Cortes was able to conquer the Aztecs because of smallpox brought by the Spanish
1.3.1.1.1. Smallpox greatly devastated native populations
1.3.1.2. Food - crops, especially grain transformed American populations
1.3.1.2.1. Americas to Europe: Maize, Tomatoes. Potatoes, Cacao, Tobacco
1.3.1.2.2. Europe/Africa to Americas: Rice, Wheat, Soybeans, Rye, Oats, Lemons, Oranges
1.3.1.3. Animals - pigs and cattle transformed native diets, horses transformed farming and warfare
1.3.1.3.1. Europe/Africa to Americas: Horses, Pigs, Cattle, Chickens
1.3.1.4. Minerals - silver and gold in Americas
1.3.1.4.1. Spanish conquer Aztecs and Inca, plundering their minerals and making Spain wealthy
1.3.1.4.2. Attracted many European nations to Americas, which experienced economic growth as a result, ending feudalism and promoting capitalism
1.3.1.5. People - enslaved natives taken to Spain, enslaved Africans taken to Americas through Middle Passage
1.3.2. Spanish would fund exploration by mercantilism (heavy government intervention and control) while later European nations used joint-stock companies
1.4. Topic 5: Labor, Slavery, and Caste in Spanish America
1.4.1. African Slave Trade
1.4.1.1. Slaves used to have rights and were usually POWs
1.4.1.2. African empires would enslave other Africans and sell them to European buyers at African ports for goods, mainly guns
1.4.1.2.1. Spain bought slaves because of labor problems, as native slaves weren't very good
1.4.1.3. Europeans justify buying African slaves by seeing them as inferior, such as believing Africans were descendants of Noah's grandson Canaan, who was cursed to be a servant by Noah
1.4.2. Caste System
1.4.2.1. Spanish gov. needed way to impose taxes orderly, higher social class had lower taxes, lower social class had higher taxes
1.4.2.2. Peninsulares - Spanish, born in Spain
1.4.2.2.1. Criollos - Spanish, born in Americas
1.5. Topic 6: Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans
1.5.1. Spanish hegemony - Spanish domination of Americas
1.5.2. Mission System - After 1573, Spain sent missionaries to expand by converting natives, establish settlements
1.5.2.1. Some natives such as Pueblo converted, but worshipped Christ alongside other gods, which priests tried to end.
1.5.2.1.1. Some natives worshipped in secret, Pueblo resisted with violence
1.5.3. Native vs. Spanish Ideals
1.5.3.1. Natives: Pantheists/Animists (spirits), land was not commodity, kinship networks of up to 70 people
1.5.3.1.1. Natives wanted metal tools, horses, guns for farming, hunting, and warfare from Europeans
1.5.3.2. Spanish: Catholic (one god), land existed for private ownership, nuclear families
1.5.3.2.1. Europeans wanted access to native fur trade by arranging marriages with native women
2. Unit 2: 1607-1754
2.1. Topic 2: EUROPEAN Colonization in the Americas
2.1.1. Spanish - sought colonies for wealth through silver and gold, encomienda system, African slaves, caste system, mission system
2.1.2. French - focus on trading, setting up trading settlements in North America, marrying native women to have economic kinship ties
2.1.2.1. Originally looking for a water-based route through Americas to Asia (1524)
2.1.2.1.1. Not finding a route, Samuel de Champlain sets up a permanant settlement called Quebec (1608)
2.1.3. Dutch - economic purpose for colonization, no interest in converting natives
2.1.3.1. Henry Hudson looks for water-based route, doesn't find it, sails up the Hudson River and establishes New Amsterdam (1624)
2.1.3.1.1. New Amsterdam became a trading hub attracting traders, fishermen, and farmers
2.1.4. British - mainly economic purpose, nobles and peasants suffered from economic hardship
2.1.4.1. Peasants looking for economic opportunities and land due to enclosure movement which took collective land and privatized it
2.1.4.1.1. English set out in families to establish homes in Americas, encroaching on native land leading to conflict
2.2. Topic 3: The Regions of the BRITISH COLONIES
2.2.1. Chesapeake - the first British colonies (1607)
2.2.1.1. Joint-stock companies - group of investors fund exploration, no one would lose everything if the venture failed
2.2.1.1.1. Jamestown - divided time between digging for gold & silver and building a fort, suffered from famine and resorted to cannibalism (1607)
2.2.2. New England - northern Pilgrim/Puritan colonies (1620)
2.2.2.1. Puritan settlers unhappy with the Church of England, moving to Americas to live the way they want
2.2.2.2. Pilgrims come to America mainly for economic reasons, but also get religious freedom
2.2.2.3. Migrated as family groups to establish a society and create family economies as farmers
2.2.2.3.1. Fever and disease killed nearly half in the first years, took time for the settlers to establish a thriving agricultural and commercial economy
2.2.3. British West Indies & Southern Atlantic Coast - cash crop plantations and slaves
2.2.3.1. Long growing seasons from warm climate, tobacco became the first cash crop before sugarcane replaced it
2.2.3.1.1. Sugarcane led to increased demand for African slaves for labor
2.2.4. Middle Colonies - export economies
2.2.4.1. Near sea and full of rivers and streams which led to an export economy based on cereal crops
2.2.4.1.1. Diverse population that grew unequal
2.2.4.2. Pennsylvania - founded by pacifist Quaker William Penn
2.2.4.2.1. Religious freedom, negotiation with natives to increase land
2.2.5. Colonies develop democratic systems of governing
2.2.5.1. Virginia (Chesapeake) - House of Burgesses, a representative assembly that levies taxes and passes laws
2.2.5.2. New England - Mayflower Compact, organized gov. on the model of a self-governing church congregation, power in participatory town meetings
2.2.5.3. Middle & Southern - Representative bodies dominated by elites (elite merchants in Middle, elite planters in South)
2.3. Topic 4: Trans-Atlantic TRADE
2.3.1. Triangular Trade
2.3.1.1. Route
2.3.1.1.1. New England to West Africa: Merchant ships bring rum to trade for slaves
2.3.1.2. Economics
2.3.1.2.1. Mercantilism - the dominant economic system in Europe, wealth in gold and silver
2.4. Topic 5: Interactions Between AMERICAN INDIANS and EUROPEANS
2.4.1. Spanish - caste system with natives at the bottom, natives became laborers under encomienda system
2.4.1.1. Santa Fe established as the New Mexico capital (1610)
2.4.1.1.1. Brutal conversion methods led to Pueblo Revolt, which was successful (1680)
2.4.2. British - encroaching on native land and forcing them out
2.4.2.1. At first, the British coexisted peacefully with natives, borrowing useful things from each other's cultures
2.4.2.1.1. British needed land, encroaching on native land, leading to Metacom's War, or King Phillip's War (1675)
2.4.3. French - trading and allying with the natives
2.4.3.1. French set up trading posts to get into the lucrative fur trade and married natives to establish trading rights
2.4.3.1.1. Allied with native groups such as the Huron to fight against opposing groups such as the Iroquois
2.4.4. Europeans didn't see natives as equals and didn't worry about various native groups unifying
2.4.4.1. As European settlement became permanent, some natives allied in hopes of staying and some moved away to avoid them
2.5. Topic 6: SLAVERY in the British Colonies
2.5.1. Slavery Belief
2.5.1.1. Chattel slavery - African slaves were treated as farm tools and domesticated animals, used as moral justification
2.5.1.2. All British colonies participated in and benefited from the slave trade
2.5.1.2.1. Increased demand for colonial agricultural goods and decrease in indentured servants led to increased demand in African slaves
2.5.2. Slave Resistance
2.5.2.1. Secretly practiced homeland cultures, maintained belief systems, and spoke native languages
2.5.2.2. Slowing work by breaking tools and damaging crops
2.5.2.3. Plantation owners feared overt slave rebellion, especially in places where slaves were the majority
2.5.2.3.1. Stono Rebellion - in South Carolina, a small group of slaves stole weapons from a store, killing the white owners, and marched along the Stono River, where more slaves joined (1739)
2.5.3. New England
2.5.3.1. Smaller farms, less African slaves
2.5.4. Middle Colonies
2.5.4.1. African slaves worked in agricultural estates, but more worked as household servants and in port cities such as NYC as seamen, dockworkers, blacksmiths, etc.
2.5.5. Chesapeake and Southern Colonies
2.5.5.1. Far more African slaves for plantation system
2.5.5.1.1. Influenced colonial slave laws which defined African slaves as chattel, slavery was inherited from generation to generation
2.5.6. British West Indies
2.5.6.1. Most African slaves
2.5.6.1.1. Practices influenced practices elsewhere, mainly southern colonies, such as harsh slave laws
2.6. Topic 7: Colonial SOCIETY and CULTURE
2.6.1. Enlightenment - emphasized rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation, spread by print culture
2.6.1.1. Undermined the Bible; thinkers emphasized that knowledge comes from senses and scientific inquiry while Bible claims that knowledge comes from revelations by God
2.6.1.1.1. Confidence in the authority of biblical revelation began to wane
2.6.1.2. Enlightenment thinkers awakened colonists to ideas about liberty, rights, and democratic government
2.6.1.2.1. Social Contract - People had the power to govern, but gave some of it to governments to protect their natural rights, and people had the right to get rid of a bad government
2.6.1.2.2. John Locke, Two Treatises of Government promoted natural rights
2.6.1.2.3. Checking and balancing by splitting the government into three branches: legislative, executive, judicial
3. Unit 3: 1754-1800
3.1. Topic 2: The FRENCH AND INDIAN War (The Seven Years' War)
3.1.1. French and Indian War - Conflict between the French and natives vs. the British; smaller conflict in the Seven Years' War (1754-1763)
3.1.1.1. Causes
3.1.1.1.1. Territorial disputes in the Ohio River Valley caused the war (1754)
3.1.1.2. Effects
3.1.1.2.1. Peace of Paris
3.1.1.2.2. British national debt doubled because the war was expensive and running the colonies cost a lot more
3.2. Topic 3: Taxation WITHOUT Representation
3.2.1. The Seven Years' War was costly, so the British government paid for it by taxing the colonies
3.2.1.1. Salutary Neglect - Even though the British had sovereignty over the colonies, the Americans governed themselves and they believed they were more independent
3.2.1.1.1. Navigation Acts - Restricted trade of the colonies to British ships and merchants, however the colonists still smuggled and traded with other nations
3.2.1.2. Prime Minister George Grenville implemented a three prong plan
3.2.1.2.1. Stricter enforcement of current laws
3.2.1.2.2. Extend wartime provisions into peacetime
3.2.1.2.3. Quartering Act of 1765 - kept British soldiers in colonies to enforce the plan, colonists responsible for food and housing (1765)
3.2.1.3. New Taxes and Acts
3.2.1.3.1. Sugar Act - imposed taxes on coffee, wine, and other luxury items and enforced existing molasses taxes
3.2.1.3.2. Stamp Act of 1765 - taxes on paper items produced in the colonies (1765)
3.2.1.3.3. Currency Act - prohibited colonial assemblies from printing their own currencies
3.2.1.3.4. As salutary neglect went away, Colonists felt suffocated by the new restrictions and demands, declining wages and rise in unemployment further worsened by the new taxes
3.3. Topic 4: PHILOSOPHICAL Foundations of the American Revolution
3.3.1. Stamp Act Congress - revolution was not a conclusion at this point, they petitioned Parliament as loyal British citizens (1765)
3.3.1.1. Continental Congress - delegates from every colony but Georgia met to discuss what to do regarding Britain's increasing legislative tyranny (1774)
3.3.1.1.1. They agreed they needed to resist these violations of liberty, but not revolt, they still hoped for negotations to protect their liberty but not disrupt their society and economy
3.4. Topic 5: The AMERICAN REVOLUTION
3.4.1. Patriot Cause - embodied by the the Continental Congress and encouraged by Paine's Common Sense
3.4.1.1. Loyalists - colonists who opposed the revolution and remained loyal to the British crown
3.4.1.2. Not everyone was on board with independence, no more than half supported the patriots, most wanted to stay neutral
3.4.2. The War
3.4.2.1. British general William Howell landed in New York with 10,000 experienced troops, and 60,000 loyalists would join as well
3.4.2.1.1. Washington realized the only way to win was to wage a war of attrition, keep the battle going until the British tire out
3.4.2.2. Continental Congress chose George Washington as the general of the Continental Army
3.4.2.2.1. The Continental Army did not win for the first 6 months because they were poorly armed, trained, and sometimes coerced by authorities
3.4.2.3. Black Americans also fought in the war on both sides
3.4.2.3.1. Washington was hesitant at first until the British offered freedom to slaves who fought with the British, Washington then made the same offer
3.5. Topic 6: The Influence of REVOLUTIONARY Ideals
3.5.1. Effects on American Society
3.5.1.1. People grew concern over societal inequality as ideas of liberty became more prevalent
3.5.1.1.1. Slavery became a debated subject
3.5.1.2. Opening of state and national governments to greater democratic influence
3.5.1.2.1. State legislatures worked to universalize suffrage, the right to vote, without respect to title or nobility, which they also abolished the granting of
3.5.1.3. Women contributed greatly during the war
3.5.1.3.1. Maintaining farms along with domestic duties when men left to go fight in the war
3.5.1.3.2. Voluntary associations such as the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, which assisted the war effort by supplying troops with clothing, bandages, and bullets
3.5.1.3.3. Some women dressed like men to go fight in the war
3.5.1.3.4. When the war was over, these women who had experienced this freedom and autonomy appealed for a more permanent expansion
3.5.2. Effects on Global Society
3.5.2.1. The victory of the Americans inspired other revolutionary movements, who saw how the Americans achieved victory and established a government based on Enlightenment ideas
3.5.2.1.1. French Revolution, where the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was produced, which was deeply influenced by the Declaration of Independence (1789)
3.5.2.1.2. Haitian Revolution - The slave population of Haiti rose up against their masters, led by Toussaint L'ouverture, it became the first successful revolution of slaves and first black-led independent nation in the Western Hemisphere (1791)
3.5.2.1.3. Latin America countries began rebelling against their colonizers, Spain and Portugal. Countries like Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and Chile overthrew their colonizers.
3.6. Topic 7: The ARTICLES of CONFEDERATION
3.6.1. Articles of Confederation - The first constitution of the United States, ratified to become the new governing document (1781)
3.6.1.1. Influenced by existing state constitutions, which focused power into the legislative branch of representatives of the people
3.6.1.1.1. The Articles of Confederation focused power on the legislative, and did not have an executive or judicial branch
3.6.1.2. Immediate problem with people migrating westward and having problems with natives, alongside disorganized settlement in the territory
3.6.1.2.1. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
3.6.1.3. Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)
3.6.1.3.1. Many farmers fell into debt due to the revolution and had trouble paying these debts because the economy was messy (inflation and new taxes)
3.7. Topic 8: The CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION and Debates Over RATIFICATION
3.7.1. Shays' Rebellion led to 55 delegates from the states meeting for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (1787)
3.7.1.1. The purpose of the convention was to shore up the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
3.7.1.1.1. Debate over whether to improve or replace the Articles, but the influence of a powerful minority of men like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton led to them deciding to replace the Articles
3.8. Topic 9: The CONSTITUTION
3.8.1. Federalism - The sharing of power between the national government and the state government
3.8.1.1. Supremacy Clause - Article VI of the Constitution states national law trumps state law when they contradict
3.8.1.1.1. Tenth Amendment - Power not listed in Article I Section 8 belong to state governments, such as defining legal relationships like marriage or divorce
3.8.1.1.2. Enumerated Powers - Article I Section 8, certain national laws fall into this category, such as the power to declare war
3.8.2. Separation of Powers - Split of power between the three branches of government
3.8.2.1. Legislative - Makes the laws
3.8.2.2. Executive - Carries out and enforces the laws
3.8.2.3. Judicial - Interprets the laws to ensure they align with the Constitution
3.8.2.4. Check and Balance - Each branch can check and balance the power of the other
3.8.2.4.1. Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 majority vote.
3.8.2.4.2. Veto - President doesn't approve of a proposed law from Congress
3.8.2.5. The framers of the Constitution knew people are by nature bad and will abuse power given to them, so they took special care to distribute the power to govern over several entities
3.9. Topic 10: Shaping a NEW REPUBLIC
3.9.1. George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the US, and he established executive departments to bring order to his administration
3.9.1.1. International Affairs
3.9.1.1.1. When the French Revolution broke out during Washington's presidency, Washington, against Jefferson's advice, believed the US was too weak to be involved in foreign affairs
3.9.1.2. Domestic Affairs
3.9.1.2.1. Treasury, War, State, and Justice Departments each headed by a secretary
3.9.1.2.2. Conflicts between Americans moving west into the Ohio River Valley and natives, who were rumored to be supplied arms by the British and encouraged to attack American settlers
3.9.1.2.3. Whiskey Rebellion - Hamilton persuaded Congress to pass a bill to tax whiskey, and poor western farmers began attacking federal tax collectors (1794)
3.9.1.2.4. Emergence of a two party system in the US
3.10. Topic 11: Developing an AMERICAN IDENTITY
3.10.1. Women
3.10.1.1. Women had a diminished role, no voting rights, limited roles, etc.
3.10.1.1.1. Many leaders however were convinced wives and mothers were crucial to establishing a strong America
3.10.2. Art, Literature, & Architecture
3.10.2.1. Art - Influenced by European styles, artists devoted attention to painting historical themes with Enlightenment influence
3.10.2.1.1. Charles Wilson Peale painted a famous portrait of Washington
3.10.2.1.2. Samuel Jennings included women and black folks and emphasized the importance of rationality and education
3.10.2.1.3. John Trumbull depicted historical events in a romanticized way, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence
3.10.2.2. Architecture - Borrowed from Europe, it was mostly formal brick and stone, reflecting the classical revival style
3.10.2.2.1. Jefferson's famous home, Monticello, shows this through columns and a dome up top
3.10.2.3. Literature - shaped American identity
3.10.2.3.1. Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack was read widely in colonial and post-colonial times, filled with aphorisms such as "a penny saved is a penny earned" that delighted early Americans
3.10.2.3.2. Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom defined the separation between church and state, arguing people should not be compelled to support church ministry with tax dollars or go to church, and the government vould not violate the conscience of an individual worshipper