On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world. Topics may include

• Native American Societies before European Contact

• European Exploration in the New World

• The Columbian Exchange

• Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

• Cultural Interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control, and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged. Topics may include:

• How Different European Colonies Developed and Expanded

• Transatlantic Trade

• Interactions between American Indians and Europeans

• Slavery in the British Colonies

• Colonial Society and Culture

British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation’s social, political, and economic identity. Topics may include:

• The Seven Years’ War

• The American Revolution

• The Articles of Confederation

• The Creation and Ratification of the Constitution

• Developing an American Identity

• Immigration to and Migration within America

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

• The Rise of Political Parties

• American Foreign Policy

• Innovations in Technology, Agriculture, and Business

• Debates about Federal Power

• The Second Great Awakening

• Reform Movements

• The Experience of African Americans

As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war—the course and aftermath of which transformed American society. Topics may include

• Manifest Destiny

• The Mexican–American War

• Attempts to Resolve Conflicts over the Spread of Slavery

• The Election of 1860 and Southern Secession

• The Civil War

• Reconstruction

The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized society brought about significant economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes. Topics may include:

• The Settlement of the West 

• The "New South"

• The Rise of Industrial Capitalism

• Immigration and Migration

• Reform Movements

• Debates about the Role of Government

An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role. Topics may include:

• Debates over Imperialism

• The Progressive Movement

• World War I

• Innovations in Communications and Technology in the 1920s

• The Great Depression and the New Deal

• World War II

• Postwar Diplomacy

After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international responsibilities while struggling to live up to its ideals. Topics may include:

• The Cold War and the Red Scare

• America as a World Power

• The Vietnam War

• The Great Society

• The African American Civil Rights Movement

• Youth Culture of the 1960s

As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it experienced renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy, and adapted to economic globalization and revolutionary changes in science and technology.  Topics may include: 

• Reagan and Conservatism

• The End of the Cold War

• Shifts in the Economy

• Migration and Immigration

• Challenges of the 21st century