US History Unit 1 & 2 Overview

Office Hours

• Office hours are Thursday, N303, 1-2pm.
• IDs can be found at the link provided.

Unit 1: Introduction

• Studying history involves multiple perspectives and context.
• Indigenous Americans were focused on agriculture.
• The three sisters (corn, beans, and squash) were a vital part of the agricultural system.
• Indigenous American women played a significant leadership role within their communities.
• The Mississippi River was a crucial trade route.
• The Cahokia civilization was a large, diverse group with slavery as a part of their economy.
• Eastern Woodlands communities were smaller and more dispersed, primarily focused on hunting and agriculture where women played an important farming role.
• Communities of the Pacific Northwest had a surplus of food due to proximity to water, which led to a significant amount of leisure time.

Unit 2: Colonies and Colonization

• Settlers from England came for religious reasons and to establish a new community.
• Communities were often focused on population growth, and decisions within the community were often made collectively.
• Religious leaders were often political leaders.
• Religious tolerance varied significantly between colonies, specifically in religious states.
• Trade wasn't a primary focus for early settlements..
• Early settlements heavily relied on labor enslavement in some colonies, particularly Virginia.

Unit 3: Separation and Revolution

• Consumers in the colonies began buying more goods.
• Colonists participated in boycotts and protests.
• Resistance against taxation occurred at various levels from different groups in the society.
• There was a conflict between the elites and the general population.
• Revolution was driven largely by elites.

Unit 4: Constitution and Early Republic

• Slavery is mentioned in the constitution.
• There is a provision for counting enslaved people for purposes of representation.
• Fugitive slave laws existed.
• The supremacy clause gave federal power over states on specific issues.
• The fifth amendment protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy.
• The constitution focused on preventing conflicts between the government and the people.
• Three branches of government exist in the constitution: legislative, executive, and judicial.
• Five freedoms (religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition) are guaranteed in the first amendment.
• The constitution created a central bank for the country.
• Taxes are part of financial and fiscal policy.
• The country developed policies to make tariffs more fair during this time period.
• Conflicts over taxation and economic regulation existed.

Unit 5: Race, Rights, and a Shifting Republic

• Republican motherhood emphasizes women's role in raising children.
• Conflicts between the north and south continue to rise during this period.
• Expansion of the country and new land acquisition created tension about the issues associated with slavery's expansion.

Unit 6: Abolitionism, Sectional Crisis, and War

• Religious and moral arguments for abolition existed.
• Garrison's The Liberator was a critical antislavery newspaper.
• The Wilmot Proviso (proposed banning slavery from new territories).
• The Dred Scott decision deemed enslaved people as property.
• The Compromise of 1850 was intended to address the disputes between the North and South on the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories.

Additional Information

• Women wanted rights and more autonomy.
• The roles of women changed over time in the revolution.
• Slavery was a significant and unresolved issue in the colonies.
• Various groups played an important role in the movement toward abolition.