This course provides a basic history of American social, economic, and political development from the colonial period through the Civil War. It examines the colonial heritages of Spanish and British America; the American Revolution and its impact; the establishment and growth of the new nation; and the Civil War, its background, character, and impact. Readings include writings of the period by J. Winthrop, T. Paine, T. Jefferson, J. Madison, W. H. Garrison, G. Fitzhugh, H. B. Stowe, and A. Lincoln.

English and American backgrounds of the Revolution; issues and arguments in the Anglo-American conflict; colonial resistance and the beginnings of republicanism; the Revolutionary War; constitution writing for the states and nation; and effects of the American Revolution. Concerned primarily with the revolutionary origins of American government. Readings emphasize documents from the period -- pamphlets, correspondence, the minutes or resolutions of resistance organizations, constitutional documents and debates.

This is a seminar course that explores the history of selected features of the physical environment of urban America. Among the features considered are parks, cemeteries, tenements, suburbs, zoos, skyscrapers, department stores, supermarkets, and amusement parks. The course gives students experience in working with primary documentation sources through its selection of readings and class discussions. Students then have the opportunity to apply this experience by researching their own historical questions and writing a term paper.

This course is a seminar on the history of institutions and institutional change in American cities from roughly 1850 to the present. Among the institutions to be looked at are political machines, police departments, courts, schools, prisons, public authorities, and universities. The focus of the course is on readings and discussions.

The American Yawp constructs a coherent and accessible narrative from all the best of recent historical scholarship. Without losing sight of politics and power, it incorporates transnational perspectives, integrates diverse voices, recovers narratives of resistance, and explores the complex process of cultural creation. It looks for America in crowded slave cabins, bustling markets, congested tenements, and marbled halls. It navigates between maternity wards, prisons, streets, bars, and boardrooms. Whitman’s America, like ours, cut across the narrow boundaries that strangle many narratives. Balancing academic rigor with popular readability, The American Yawp offers a multi-layered, democratic alternative to the American past.

On this page, we have offered syllabi, course readings, chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, key terms, quizzes, essay assignments, and exams to do just that. Individual instructors, of course, should always govern their own curriculum and be able to determine their own pedagogy. Rather than attempting to build a common curriculum, these resources are designed merely as a starting point. Like our text, they are licensed openly (CC-BY-SA): you are encouraged to use them, download them, distribute them, and modify them as you see fit. Moreover, The American Yawp is, as always, an evolving, collaborative project. We welcome the submission of additional teaching materials and feedback on existing material. If you have any ideas or resources you’d like to share, please contact the editors (Ben Wright for the first half, and Joseph Locke for the second) directly.

In an increasingly digital world in which pedagogical trends are de-emphasizing rote learning and professors are increasingly turning toward active-learning exercises, scholars are fleeing traditional textbooks. Yet for those that still yearn for the safe tether of a synthetic text, as either narrative backbone or occasional reference material, The American Yawp offers a free and online, collaboratively built, open American history textbook designed for college-level history courses. Unchecked by profit motives or business models, and free from for-profit educational organizations, The American Yawp is by scholars, for scholars. All contributors—experienced college-level instructors—volunteer their expertise to help democratize the American past for twenty-first century classrooms.

In 1944, the Americans (and Allies) make even more progress in the Pacific. By the end of the year, they have taken positions that put them within bombing range of Japan.

What makes a good essay? Just as building a house depends on following a blueprint, writing a good essay hinges on following a plan for its structure. Watch the video for illustrations of what happens when basic elements of structure are missing or incomplete. Compare these to the results when all structural elements are in place.

Before the United States had the Constitution, it had the Articles of Confederation, a much weaker government that lasted from 1777 to 1789. In this video, Kim and Leah discuss the pros and cons of the Articles, and the reasons they were discarded in favor of a new Constitution.

KA's historian Kim Kutz Elliott talks about strategies for improving your historical essays.

Establishing a new birth of freedom for African Americans was contested at almost every step. While some significant gains were made, the hope of aligning the nation with its revolutionary ideals of freedom and equality was only half accomplished in the short term. More than a century later, the ideals are still there, and the challenge continues. The Battle of History provides a summary analysis of the successes and failures of Reconstruction, how the era was presented historically, and the legacy of that period.

OER text created for U.S. History to 1865 by Dr. June Klees for Bay College.

Online OER text created for U.S. History 1865 to Present by Dr. June Klees for Bay College.

The Long Winter analyzes the effects of the winter the American troops spent at Valley Forge in 1777–1778. When watching the video, consider what were conditions like at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–1778? Why did the soldiers there stick it out? What did George Washington and Baron von Steuben do at Valley Forge? How did Joseph Plumb Martin describe his wartime experiences?

After their defeat at Monmouth, the British shifted the war to the South. Tories analyzes the new British strategy, its dependence on American loyalist support, and the reasons why the British ultimately lost the war and the Americans won. When watching the video, consider how many British loyalists were there in America? Who were they? Why were they loyal? Where were they most numerous?

An overview of the run up to and very beginnings of World War II.

The call for immediate emancipation of slaves was a radical idea that spread rapidly in the North from the 1830s through the 1850s. An Affront in the Eyes of God analyzes how and why this happened and why it was important. When watching the video, consider how and why did the antislavery movement become more radical in the 1830s and 1840s? What roles did William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass play in the movement? What did their working relationship illustrate?