U.S.+History+Overview

U.S. History: Colonial American to the Civil War -- Unit Summaries
To complete with other European nations, the English established settlements in North America in the early 1600s. Founded in 1607, Jamestown in Virginia was the first successful English colony. A few years later, the Pilgrims established Plymouth in Massachusetts. More settlers came, many searching for wealth, religious freedom, and a better life. By 1732, there were 13 English colonies stretched north to south along the Atlantic seaboard. Three distinct regions emerged: New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Government and daily life in England's 13 North American colonies were shaped by European ideas and especially by English traditions. England had a limited monarchy with power shared with a law-making body called Parliament. The English Bill of Rights guaranteed citizens a number of rights. Enlightenment ideas about natural rights and separation of powers also influenced colonists. A religious revival called the "Great Awakening" was yet another force that affected many colonists. Although white colonists enjoyed freedom and opportunity in the 13 colonies, most African Americans were enslaved and had no civil rights.
 * Unit 1 – Colonial America (1565-1750)**

Conflict between the 13 colonies and Great Britain began after Britain defeated France and its Indian allies in the French and Indian War. Burdened with war debt, the British Parliament tried raising revenue by passing a number of acts imposing taxes on the 13 colonies. Angered by taxes, the colonists protested. Peaceful protest turned violent and the British government reacted by passing harsh laws and levying more taxes. Tensions increased until the colonists and the British engaged in battle at Lexington and Concord in 1775. These battles marked the start of the American Revolution. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration clearly spelled out the reasons the colonies wanted their freedom and independence. The document charged that King George III had violated the colonists' natural rights. The Revolutionary War became a war fought to protect and expand the ideas of natural rights and self-government that were drawn from Enlightenment thinkers. The American troops fought British troops for seven years. When the war ended in 1781, the victorious Americans had won their freedom and now faced the task of building a new nation.
 * Unit 2-Forming a New Nation (1750-1790)**

Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation convinced leaders of the United States that the country needed a strong central government. After months of intense debate, delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed on a new plan of government. The states approved the Constitution, but many of the states insisted that it also include a bill of rights. More so than any other political document, the Constitution shapes the lives of Americans today and probably will do so for generations to come. Being a citizen of the united States involves rights, duties, and responsibilities. Fulfilling these responsibilities helps contribute to the common good.
 * Unit 3-Government & Citizenship**

George Washington took office as the First President of the United States. He oversaw the creation of new federal departments and asked Alexander Hamilton to serve as secretary of the treasury. Soon two political parties began to take shape—the Federalists and the Republicans. Under Washington, the United States dealt with challenges from Native Americans in the Northwest Territory and from the British navy at sea. Later, political divisions grew bitter during the presidency of John Adams, as he struggled to keep peace with France. The election of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency in 1800 marked the end of the Federalist era. Jefferson hoped to limit the federal government's power over the states and over the economy. Yet, he took the opportunity to double the size of United States by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. Then, Jefferson sent an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this vast region. During Jefferson's presidency, disputes with Britain and with Native Americans in western territories continued. In 1812, conflicts with Great Britain and the Native Americans led to war. Although the War of 1812 did not resolve British-American disputes, many Americans considered the war a victory. After the War of 1812, America entered a new period of national pride and identity. Yet, economic and cultural differences among the North, the South, and the West emerged, causing some conflict. On the international scene, a confident United States challenged European interest in the Americas by issuing the Monroe Doctrine. At the same time, democracy in the United States was on the rise as more adult white males could vote and hold office. Yet, women, African Americans, and Native Americas were excluded from suffrage and from political life. In 1824, Andrew Jackson became President, supported by those who saw him as the "People's President." As President, Jackson was a controversial figure, defying a Supreme Court ruling by ordering the forced removal of Native American nations from the Southeast. Jackson opposed the nullification of federal laws by states during the tariff crisis, and successfully blocked renewing the charter of the second Bank of the United States.
 * Unit 4 – The New Republic (1790 – 1840)**

The Industrial Revolution brought great changes to the way in which people lived and worked. Inventions that mechanized the textile industry made factory work the most efficient way to spin thread and weave cloth. In the United States, most textile factories opened in the North, while the South's economy relied on agriculture. The invention of the cotton gin increased the South's dependence on the labor of enslaved African Americans. At the same time, settlers were moving west. Debates raged in Congress over the spread of slavery to the western territories. These debates heightened tensions between the North and the South. By the mid-1800s, people were seeking reform in many areas of American life, including education, ending slavery, female and suffrage. Abolitionists sought to end slavery in the United States. Other reformers worked toward winning political and economic rights for women. At the same time, American artists, writers, and musicians developed a distinct style that set them apart from the European style. By the mid-1800s, many Americans wanted the nation to extend westward to the Pacific Ocean. To journey westward, traders and settlers had to travel along difficult and dangerous trails. While the Mormons migrated to Utah, other settlers flocked to California in search of gold. Farther south, the Texas War for Independence led to conflict and war between the United States and Mexico.
 * Unit 5 – The Nation Expands and Changes (1800 – 1860)**

With the addition of new western land, debate over the spread of slavery increased. After all efforts at compromise failed, violent fighting broke out in the Kansas Territory. As tensions increased, a new antislavery political party emerged. Abraham Lincoln's election eventually led seven southern states to leave the Union. As the Civil War began and states took sides, the North and the South prepared for war, but hoped for an early victory. The early years of the war were indecisive, as neither side seemed able to defeat the other. The Union gained an upper hand with victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 and finally forced the South's surrender in April 1865. The war caused divisions in both North and South while changing the lives of civilians and soldiers alike. President Lincoln's decision to end slavery in Union-occupied territory in the South opened the way for African Americans to join the Union army. The Civil War was the bloodiest war fought on U.S. territory. The war ended slavery and reunited the North and the South. After the war, the nation faced the task of rebuilding the South—a region ruined by war. The long struggle of African Americans to win their full rights as citizens grew stronger after World War II. Leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., brought attention to what became known as the civil rights movement. The case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the Montgomery bus boycott were two early milestones in the civil rights movement. During the 1960s, the civil rights movement won major victories but also fragmented into moderate and radical factions.
 * Unit 6 – Civil War and Reconstruction (1856 – 1876)**