The following list shows a summary of the topics covered in this course. To see all of the course pages, visit the Table of Contents.

• Module 1: Indigenous America and Early European Exploration

  • Indigenous Americans
  • The Age of Exploration
  • Early European Expansion
  • Historical Hack: Recounting History
  • Resources: Indigenous America and European Exploration Reader

• Module 2: Colliding Cultures

  • European Exploration and Colonization
  • Early British Colonies
  • The Columbian Exchange and Slavery in North America
  • Historical Hack: Thinking Like a Historian
  • Resources: Colliding Cultures Reader

• Module 3: British North America

  • Transitions in England
  • The British Colonies
  • Colonial Life and Conflict
  • Historical Hack: Analyzing Primary Source Documents
  • Resources: British North America Reader

• Module 4: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests (1763–1774)

  • Wars for Empire
  • Colonial Responses to New Laws
  • Stirrings of Revolution
  • Historical Hack: Historical Arguments
  • Resources: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests Reader

• Module 5: The American Revolution (1775–1783)

  • The Revolution Begins
  • The War for Independence
  • The Impact of the War
  • Historical Hack: Thinking Critically About Sources
  • Resources: The American Revolution Reader

• Module 6: Creating a Government (1776–1783)

  • A New Republic
  • The U.S. Constitution
  • Ratifying the Constitution
  • Historical Hack: Reading Complex Documents
  • Resources: Creating a Government Reader

• Module 7: The Early Republic (1790–1820)

  • American Finances and Early Political Parties
  • The New American Republic
  • Partisan Politics
  • The War of 1812
  • Historical Hack: Research Questions
  • Resources: The Early Republic Reader

• Module 8: Industrial Transformation (1800—1850)

  • Early Industrialization
  • A Growing Capitalist Republic
  • Social Classes
  • Historical Hack: Creating Historical Arguments and Counterarguments
  • Resources: Industrial Transformation Reader

• Module 9: Democracy in America (1820–1840)

  • John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson
  • Jackson’s Controversial Policies
  • Indigenous American Relations and Removal
  • The New Role of the Majority
  • Historical Hack: Understanding Rhetoric
  • Resources: Democracy in America Reader

• Module 10: Westward Expansion (1800–1860)

  • Manifest Destiny and Texan Independence
  • The Mexican-American War
  • The Dilemma of the West
  • Historical Hack: Political Cartoons
  • Resources: Westward Expansion Reader

• Module 11: Cotton Is King — The Antebellum South (1800–1860)

  • The Economics of Cotton
  • Slavery and Life in the Antebellum United States
  • Southern Culture and Wealth
  • Historical Hack: Understanding Historical Actors
  • Resources: Cotton Is King — The Antebellum South Reader

• Module 12: Religion and Reform (1820–1860)

  • Religion and Individualism
  • Social and Health Reform
  • The Abolition Movement
  • Historical Hack: Understanding Cause and Effect
  • Resources: Religion Reform Reader

• Module 13: Troubled Times — The Sectional Crisis

  • The Compromise of 1850
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Republican Party
  • Sectional Strife and Political Change
  • Historical Hack: Historical Empathy and Emotional Distance
  • Resources: Troubled Times — The Sectional Crisis Reader

• Module 14: The Civil War (1860–1865)

  • The Outbreak of the Civil War
  • Early Mobilization and War
  • The Turning Tide
  • The End of the Civil War
  • Historical Hack: Civil War Photographs
  • Resources: The Civil War Reader

• Module 15: The Era of Reconstruction (1865–1877)

  • Lincoln and Johnson’s Plan for Reconstruction
  • Radical Reconstruction (1867–1872)
  • The End of Reconstruction
  • Resources: The Era of Reconstruction Reader
• Appendices