In This Guide
Introduction to U.S. History
Native American History
European Explorers and Colonists in America
Slavery in America
The American Revolution
Early United States History
The Civil War
Settling of the American West
The Late 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gilded Age
The United States in World War I
The Roaring ’20s and Prohibition
The Great Depression and the New Deal
The United States in World War II
The 1950s United States and the Cold War
The 1960s United States
The 1970s United States
Community Links in U.S. History
U.S. History: Resources for Students, Teachers and Researchers
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Expand All Guide SectionsIntroduction to U.S. History
Even a quick glance at the history section of your local library or a basic search on the Internet reveals that the number of topics available for the study of U.S. history is seemingly endless. It’s not a bad idea, then, to start out with a general guide that gives you an introduction to U.S. history. Narrow your focus from there, researching the topics that interest you most.
Insights for an Introduction to U.S. History
- To more easily approach and organize their subject matter, history teachers, writers, and academics tend to divide history into specific time periods and issues. The drawback to this approach is that it encourages people to think of history as a set of unrelated topics, when in reality, history is a series of connected themes and events. The Internet is especially suited to finding the connections from one period of history to another; most of the Web sites and pages in this guide have links to many other worthwhile resources. Don’t be afraid to follow a few links, even if they seem off-topic, and see where they take you. You just might find a whole new way of looking at things.
- History students often start out by learning the basic facts of United States history: the dates, places, and names that are attached to important events. The basic facts, though, are really just the beginning. Use the facts you learn to tackle the bigger questions of how and why things happened, and you’ll be well on your way to understanding how history works, and how it led us to where we are today.
Top Sites for an Introduction to U.S. History
Native American History
The history of America begins not with the first European explorers to visit the continent but with ... read more »
European Explorers and Colonists in America
The internet is wonderful source for discovering European explorers and colonists in ... read more »
Slavery in America
The tragedy of slavery in America is an undeniably influential part of ... read more »
The American Revolution
Many of the most famous events in American history happened during the Revolution. From the first ... read more »
Early United States History
The early years of the United States, roughly 1800–1840, drastically shaped the political and ... read more »
The Civil War
There may be as many Web sites devoted to the Civil War as there are for the rest ... read more »
Settling of the American West
The exploration and settling of the American West began well before the Civil War. ... read more »
The Late 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gilded Age
In the late 19th century the United States began to change from a rural nation to an urban one. The ... read more »
The United States in World War I
It took a few years, but eventually the United States became involved in the great global conflict ... read more »
The Roaring ’20s and Prohibition
After World War I it seemed as if the whole country decided to loosen up. Welcome to the ... read more »
The Great Depression and the New Deal
In the 1930s the United States faced its greatest crisis since the Civil War. The Stock Market ... read more »
The United States in World War II
World War II transformed the United States from a country mainly concerned with its own problems to ... read more »
The 1950s United States and the Cold War
After World War II Americans returned to the business of living their lives and raising families, ... read more »
The 1960s United States
The 1960s in the United States was one of the most turbulent decades in ... read more »
The 1970s United States
Many of the political, social, and cultural movements that began in the 1950s and 1960s, including ... read more »
