This document provides guidance on studying for an exam on key events that shaped US history from Native American arrival through Reconstruction. It lists the main topics to focus on for each event, including the time period, explanation of what happened, key people, impact on the US, and important terms. Some of the major events it identifies are Native American populations in North America, European exploration and colonization, the Revolutionary War, the US Constitution, westward expansion, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. It also includes discussion questions about these topics and the structures and powers of the US government established by the Constitution.

1. Focus on the following when studying:
1. Period of time
2. Basic explanation of what happened
3. Key people involved
3. How did it impact the US both positively and
negatively
4. Key Terms/People and other topics I stressed in
class
Include pictures/maps and sources

2. Ten Events That Shaped US History to 1877
Native Americans Coming and Going(Forced)(10,000
years ago)
Exploration(1492-early 1600’s)
Colonization(early 1600’s-1770’s)
Revolutionary War(1775-1783)
US Constitution(1789)
Westward Expansion(1800’s)
Texas War for Ind.(1835-36)/Mexican-American
War(1846-1848)
Civil War(1861-1865)
Reconstruction(1865-1877)

7. What did the Europeans explorers and
eventually, the United States, do to
Native Americans over the years?

13. Transcript

14. The Articles of Confederation
1781-1788
The Un-United States of America

16. Constitutional Convention-1787

17. The US Constitution-1789-Present

18. Questions
What is the US Constitution?
Why did the US Constitution come about?
What is Separation of Powers?
What is the Checks and Balance system?
Who was the “Father of the
Constitution”?

19. More Questions
What are the two houses of Congress?
How many Senators? How is that
number determined?
How many people are in the House of
Representatives? How is that number
determined?
Length of term/Age requirement
What powers does Congress have?

20. Even More Questions
What is the length of a President’s term?
How old do you have to be to be
President?
What is the longest amount of time a
President can now serve?
Which President served the longest in US
History? How long?
What powers does a President have?

21. Yes, Even More Questions
 What are the qualifications for being in the
US Supreme Court?
 How do justices of the Supreme Court get
their job?
 How can a Supreme Court Justice lose his or
her job?
 What powers does the US Supreme Court
have?
 Who is the current Chief Justice of the US
Supreme Court?
 Current Justices of the US Supreme Court

22. What is the US Constitution? What does it do?
It is the supreme law of the United States
It sets up our government and it’s
responsibilities
It protects states and people’s rights through
the amendment process
It is a “living” document

24. Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

28. Why Did People Move West?
Define the “West” in US History
Manifest Destiny

30. Lewis and Clark Expedition

32. Texas War for Independence-1835-1836
Causes
Results

35. Mexican-American War
1846-1848
Causes
Results

38. Civil War
1861-1865
Causes
Results

40. Missouri Compromise-1820

41. Compromise of 1850

42. Dred Scott Decision-1857
7-2 Decision by the US Supreme Court
Supreme Court said that blacks were not US
citizens and could not sue in court
Said that the government could not abolish
slavery
Suddenly, slavery could be open anywhere
Greatly upset abolitionists

45. Reconstruction-1865-1877
The period of time after the Civil War in
which the South had to be rebuilt and
reorganized and brought back into the
Union
President’s Lincoln and Johnson wanted to
be easy on the South
That changed in the 1866 Congressional
election

46. Republican Radical Reconstruction
Rebuilt south economically, socially, politically and
physically
Split South into five military district controlled by US
Army
13th
, 14th
and 15th
Amendments passed
Freedmen’s Bureau set up to help former slaves
Southern governments taken over by “carpetbaggers”
and “scalawags”
These governments set up schools, raised taxes, built
railroads, helped ex-slaves, industrialized the South
Governments were accused of widespread corruption
by southerners

52. Reconstruction 1865-1877
Reconstruction left very deep divisions
between the northern states and southern
states
Once the northern governments and
military left the south, traditional rich, white
racist males took back over
Jim Crow laws and segregation was
established
African-Americans would not see the rights
they should have had in 1865 until 1964

53. The End of Reconstruction-1877
The Compromise of 1877
Unwritten deal between Northern and
Southern politicians that settled the heavily
disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election
Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was
awarded the White House over Democrat
Samuel J. Tilden
Hayes would then remove the federal troops
from the south ending Reconstruction

54. Election of 1876
Rutherford B. Hayes vs.
Samuel J. Tilden
Tilden won the Popular
vote and was leading
electoral vote
Four states(with 20
electoral votes) had
disputed results