Period 4: 1800-1848

From the College Board Exam Description:

The new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes.

• Key Concept 4.1: The United States began to develop a modern democracy and celebrated a new national culture, while Americans sought to define the nation’s democratic ideals and change their society and institutions to match them.

• Key Concept 4.2: Innovations in technology, agriculture, and commerce powerfully accelerated the American economy, precipitating profound changes to U.S. society and to national and regional identities.

• Key Concept 4.3: The U.S. interest in increasing foreign trade and expanding its national borders shaped the nation’s foreign policy and spurred government and private initiatives.

In short, the U.S. was growing in territory and strength, but faced internal threats to its stability.

The big concepts for this period are:

• Evolution of the political party system

  • • • Defining Jeffersonian vs. Jacksonian ideas of democracy

• Westward expansion (including Louisiana Purchase)

• War of 1812

• Rise of nationalism and the "Era of Good Feelings"

• Growing sectionalism and tensions over the expansion of slavery

• Growth of the abolitionist, women’s rights, and other reform movements inspired by the Second Great Awakening

• The Market/First Industrial Revolution

  • new technologies in transportation, manufacturing, communication, and agriculture change the economy and society of our country

Period 4 Practice Items

1. ***Best*** Period 4 Personal Progress Check in AP Classroom

• Don't just do them, use the feedback about your results to help you study for the test.

• What do the items that you missed have in common?

2. Khan Academy

3. High School Test Prep- select Period 4

4. Albert.io- scroll down to Period 4

Period 4 Study Guides

1. Fiveable.me

2. Another good resource from Fiveable

3. Gilder Lehrman