HOME •CONTACT •SYLLABUS •FAQ

U.S. History Notes, Outlines, and Charts

You may view any of the lecture notes, topical outlines, or charts below by clicking the title or image to the left of each description.  *Some documents will open in a new window as a pdf file or Microsoft Word file.
 space bar

Wagon Crossing Great PlainsThe Frontier West--Indians, miners, cowboys, and farmers and how their interactions opened up the western half of the continent  




Homestead Act 1862Federal Government Land Policy 1850-1900-- Railroads, cattle companies, agricultural students, and homesteaders all benefited from a series of laws that distributed federal lands in the last half of the 19th century. Biggest losers: American Indians, who saw over half of their lands (usually the best half) taken by whites.

 

Industrial Era Factory CollutionAmerican Industrialization--The owners, workers, machines, and ideas that helped form the American industrial empire

 

 

Tenements in CitiesRise of the American City--Urban problems such as corruption and congestion were battled by reformers and the rise of a new form of Christianity called the Social Gospel which applied religious principles to social problems.

 

 

Rockefeller Political CartoonGilded Age Politics--In a dreary time of party politics and economic disaster, the Populists energized America and helped promote William Jennings Bryan, an orator of prodigious power

 

Imperialism in ChinaAmerican Imperialism 1877-1914--As American industrial might grew, the desire to expand to international markets and the emergence of a new manifest destiny led to adventures and misadventures close to home (Mexico) and far away (China)

 

Spanish American warSpanish-American War--A summary of the important background, major events, and results of the Spanish-American War (1898) (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

Teddy Roosevelt PortraitThe Progressive Era--Seeking to create a just society through governmental action, direct democracy, and volunteerism, Progressives challenge traditional American ways of thinking and governing

 

 

Uncle Sam PosterU.S. Involvement in World War I--Events that helped move the U.S. from a neutral to a belligerent stand in a horrible and costly war. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

 

 

Treaty of VersaillesWorld War I's Aftermath: Attack on Civil Liberties and Betrayal at Versailles 1918-1920-- Wilson's idealistic quest for a "war to end all wars" ends disastrously in France while civil liberties are squelched in America 

 

 

Civil Liberties WWISimulation: Civil Liberties in World War I--a fact-based simulation concerning four instances of First Amendment cases that demonstrate the tensions that come about for the Bill of Rights in time of war. Simulation: Civil Liberties in World War I--Results of the cases  (Microsoft Word .doc files)

 

 

The Roaring TwentiesThe Roaring Twenties--The decade of the 1920s was marked with disillusionment, conservative Republican presidents, and major social and technological changes

 

 

 

Roaring Twenties StampCultural Tensions of the 1920s--A list of the serious issues in the culture wars of the 1920s that led to divisions and disagreements about American society. (pdf file)

 

 

 

Scopes TrialThe Scopes Trial--This 1925 Tennessee trial pitted Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan in a fight over the teaching of evolution in the schools and also pointed to the growing divisions in American society between religious fundamentalism and modernism (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

Great Depression MotherThe Great Depression-- America's most serious economic downturn had many causes and brought a decade of personal and national hardships

 

 

 

The New Deal ButtonNew Deal Programs--The series of controversial programs instituted by Franklin Roosevelt's administrations to counteract the effects of the Great Depression.  (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

 

Keep U.S. Out of WarAmerican Foreign Policy Between the World Wars--A growing isolationism marked America's response to totalitarian advances in Europe and Asia.

 

 

 

Iwo Jima Flag RaisingAmerican Involvement in World War II--A quick look at the key events and battles of World War II. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

 

Rosie the RiveterThe Home Front During World War II--The industrial might of the U.S. was a major factor in turning the tide for the Allies. In addition, the U.S. faced issues of propaganda, racism, and women's roles.

 

 

 

The Yalta ConferenceWorld War II Conferences & Treaties--From the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact which sacrificed Poland to the Potsdam Conference which brought the nuclear age to reality, World War II witnessed several significant conferences and treaties. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

Atomic Bomb Mushroom CloudArguments for Dropping the Bomb --President Truman never second-guessed himself for the decision to use nuclear weapons, though plenty of others have since. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

The Cold War FlagsOrigins of the Cold War--The early years of the competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and the fears it raised at home.

 

 

 

McCarthyismThe Second Red Scare--Pursuing Hollywood stars, State Department staffers, and one Army dentist, the communist-hunting groups of the late '40s and early '50s put a chill on American politics. (pdf file)

 

 

The Korean WarKey Events in the Korean War--The "temporary" division of Korea between Americans and Soviets becomes permanent as a result of Cold War tensions that result in war. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

Civil Rights MovementKey Events in the American Civil Rights Movement --A brief overview of some major events in the civil rights struggle in the United States (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

 

The Sixties1960s: The Tumultuous Decade--From Camelot to cynicism, the 1960s witnessed American society pull apart due to a number of forces, including racial tension, the Vietnam War, and student protest

 

 

The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War --Traces America's involvement from World War II to defeat in 1975. (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

 

Nixon WatergateA Chronology of the Watergate Crisis--President Nixon won 49 out of 50 states in the 1972 election, yet resigned in disgrace in August 1974 because of the cover up of the series of crimes, errors, and actions that came to be known as "Watergate."  (Microsoft Word .doc file)

 

Clinton Impeachment Time MagazineA Clinton Impeachment Timeline--President Bill Clinton faced a Senate impeachment trial for his involvement with the Kenneth Starr investigation. While escaping conviction, Clinton was forced to admit "inappropriate" relations with a 22-year old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. (pdf file)

 

 

911 AttackRecent American History --A brief summary of the major domestic and foreign events that have helped shape America since Watergate. (pdf file)

 

 

Feldmeth, Greg D. "U.S. History Resources" http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html (31 March 1998).

 

Templates in Time