US history cheat sheet

Founding documents

The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. The Constitution was signed in 1787 and ratified in 1788.

A declaration of independence and a framework of government have different purposes.

Federalism

Federalism divides authority between national and state governments. The allocation of power has been contested and changed over time.

Distinguish a federal institution from a state institution.

Civil War and Reconstruction

The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. Reconstruction addressed major political and social questions after emancipation and the war.

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, with its stated exception for punishment after conviction.

Historical arguments

Support a claim with relevant evidence and explain the connection. Consider experiences and sources beyond a single political leader’s account.

A change in law does not by itself show how evenly rights were realised.

Constitutional change

The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Constitution belong to different stages of the founding period and serve different purposes.

Do not use a claim in the Declaration as if it were automatically a clause in the Constitution.

Expansion and displacement

Territorial expansion involved policy, migration, conflict and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples. Analyse consequences from more than the perspective of expanding federal authority.

Use treaties, petitions and accounts from affected communities alongside government policy documents.

Reconstruction

After the Civil War, Reconstruction involved constitutional change, contested citizenship, political participation and violent resistance. Its outcomes varied by place and changed over time.

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments address different constitutional questions.

Industrial and social change

Industrialisation, migration, labour organisation and reform reshaped the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Evaluate both economic change and unequal access to its benefits.

Connect a reform movement to a specific problem, constituency and policy debate.

Worked example: continuity and change

To assess a turning point, compare conditions before and after it using a consistent criterion, such as voting access, labour conditions or federal authority.

A change in law and a change in lived experience may occur at different times.

Common mistake: one document captures everyone

A source represents a creator, purpose and setting. Constitutional promises, political arguments and everyday experiences can reveal different aspects of the same period.

Corroborate a national claim with evidence from particular communities.

Check your understanding

Why is the Articles of Confederation not another name for the Constitution?

They are different governing frameworks from different stages of the founding period; the Constitution replaced the Articles.

Curriculum connections

Sources