U.S. HISTORY TOPICS

Here’s a list of U.S. history topics that will help guide your studies. These subjects are especially suitable for middle school students.

Pre-Colonial and Colonial America (before 1763)

  1. Native American Societies before European Contact
  2. Exploration and Early European Settlements
  3. The Columbian Exchange
  4. Colonial Economies and Trade
  5. Religious Freedom and the Great Awakening
  6. Colonial Governments and Political Systems
  7. Relations between Native Americans and Colonists

Revolutionary America (1763-1789)

  1. Causes of the American Revolution
  2. Key Battles and Strategies of the Revolutionary War
  3. Declaration of Independence
  4. The Role of Foreign Alliances in the Revolution
  5. Articles of Confederation
  6. Constitutional Convention and Ratification
  7. Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist Debates

Early Republic (1789-1824)

  1. George Washington’s Presidency
  2. Formation of the First Political Parties
  3. The Louisiana Purchase
  4. War of 1812
  5. Monroe Doctrine
  6. Economic Policies of Alexander Hamilton
  7. Expansion and Conflict with Native Americans

Antebellum Period (1820-1860)

  1. Jacksonian Democracy
  2. The Market Revolution
  3. Manifest Destiny
  4. Reform Movements (e.g., Abolition, Women’s Rights)
  5. Mexican-American War
  6. Compromise of 1850 and Fugitive Slave Act
  7. The Dred Scott Decision

Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877)

  1. Causes of the Civil War
  2. Major Battles and Leaders of the Civil War
  3. Emancipation Proclamation
  4. Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th)
  5. Presidential vs. Congressional Reconstruction
  6. Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
  7. The Compromise of 1877

The Gilded Age (1877-1900)

  1. Industrialization and Urbanization
  2. Robber Barons and Captains of Industry
  3. Labor Movements and Strikes
  4. Immigration and Nativism
  5. Populist Movement
  6. Political Corruption and Reform
  7. The Spanish-American War

Progressive Era (1900-1920)

  1. Progressive Reforms and Legislation
  2. Women’s Suffrage Movement
  3. Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal
  4. Trust-Busting and Antitrust Laws
  5. Conservation Movement
  6. World War I and the U.S. Involvement
  7. The Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations

Roaring Twenties and Great Depression (1920-1941)

  1. The Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance
  2. Prohibition and the Speakeasies
  3. The Stock Market Crash of 1929
  4. The Dust Bowl
  5. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal
  6. Social Security Act
  7. The Role of the Federal Government in the Economy

World War II (1941-1945)

  1. Causes of U.S. Entry into World War II
  2. Major Battles and Turning Points
  3. Home Front during World War II
  4. Japanese Internment Camps
  5. The Manhattan Project and Atomic Bomb
  6. The United Nations Formation
  7. The Beginning of the Cold War

Cold War Era (1947-1991)

  1. Containment Policy and the Truman Doctrine
  2. The Korean War
  3. McCarthyism and the Red Scare
  4. The Civil Rights Movement
  5. The Vietnam War
  6. The Cuban Missile Crisis
  7. Space Race and the Moon Landing

Modern America (1991-Present)

  1. The End of the Cold War
  2. The Gulf War
  3. September 11, 2001, Attacks and the War on Terror
  4. Economic and Technological Changes in the 21st Century
  5. The Great Recession
  6. The Affordable Care Act
  7. Social Movements in the 21st Century (e.g., LGBTQ+ Rights, Black Lives Matter)

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