The Constitution of the United States

The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Under America’s first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.

Material Type: Reading

The Federalist Papers

Short Description: The Federalist Papers (published between October 1787 and May 1788) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by statesmen and Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The articles were published under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. Long Description: The Federalist Papers (published between October 1787 and May 1788) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by statesmen and Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The articles were published under the collective pseudonym “Publius” to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. Word Count: 193158 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

Emancipation Proclamation: Primary Documents in American History

Library of Congress Research Guide for the Emancipation Proclamation

Material Type: Module, Primary Source

Author: Ken Drexler

The Declaration of Independence

National Archives and Records Administration: America's Founding Documents: The Declaration of Independence

Material Type: Primary Source

Author: National Archives and Records Administration

Gettysburg Address: Primary Documents in American History

Library of Congress Research Guide on the Gettysburg Address

Material Type: Primary Source

Author: Ken Drexler

Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]

University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Center: Full text in HTML; Page editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.

Material Type: Primary Source

Author: Martin Luther King, Jr.

North Carolina State Constitution

Full text of the North Carolina State Constitution

Material Type: Primary Source

American History to 1865

Overview: This course will survey American history from its colonial origins to the end of the Civil War in 1865. Chapter 1: The Americas, Europe, and Africa Before 1492 Chapter 2: Early Globalization: The Atlantic World, 1492–1650 Chapter 3: Creating New Social Orders: Colonial Societies,1500–1700 Chapter 4: Rule Britannia! The English Empire, 1660–1763 Chapter 5: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests, 1763-1774 Chapter 6: America's War for Independence, 1775-1783 Chapter 7: Creating Republican Governments, 1776–1790 Chapter 8: Growing Pains: The New Republic, 1790–1820 Chapter 9: Industrial Transformation in the North, 1800–1850 Chapter 10: Jacksonian Democracy, 1820–1840 Chapter 11: A Nation on the Move: Westward Expansion, 1800–1860 Chapter 12: Cotton is King: The Antebellum South, 1800–1860 Chapter 13: Antebellum Idealism and Reform Impulses, 1820–1860 Chapter 14: Troubled Times: the Tumultuous 1850s Chapter 15: The Civil War, 1860–1865

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Caitlin Cooper (Contributor), Chresancio Jackson (Contributor), Jay Precht, Jennifer Regina Lang (Contributor), John M. Lund, Paul Vickery, P Scott Corbett, Samuel Bono (Contributor), Todd Pfannestiel, Volker Janssen

American History I

Word Count: 86128 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Lumen Learning

History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States of America to 1877

This textbook examines U.S. History from before European Contact through Reconstruction, while focusing on the people and their history. Prior to its publication, History in the Making underwent a rigorous double blind peer review, a process that involved over thirty scholars who reviewed the materially carefully, objectively, and candidly in order to ensure not only its scholarly integrity but also its high standard of quality. This book provides a strong emphasis on critical thinking about US History by providing several key features in each chapter. Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter help students to understand what they will learn in each chapter. Before You Move On sections at the end of each main section are designed to encourage students to reflect on important concepts and test their knowledge as they read. In addition, each chapter includes Critical Thinking Exercises that ask the student to deeply explore chapter content, Key Terms, and a Chronology of events.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Catherine Locks, Marie Lasseter, Pamela Roseman, Sarah Mergel, Tamara Spike

American History Since 1865

This course examines the social, cultural, political, and economic history of the United States, from the Civil War to the present. It uses secondary analysis and primary documents, such as court cases, personal accounts, photographs, and films, to examine some of the key issues in the shaping of modern America, including industrialization and urbanization, immigration, the rise of a mass consumer society, the emergence of the US as a global power, and the development of civil rights activism and other major social movements.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Horan, Caley

United States History II

“History is our ongoing conversation with the past.” So say the authors of American Yawp. This course takes an approach to history that fosters a method of critical thought and a rigorous questioning of the history of the United States. Key topics include Reconstruction, Industrial America, conquering the West, capital and labor, the American empire, the progressive era, World War I and its aftermath, the 1920s, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, post-war affluence, the 1960s, cultural and societal conflicts, the rise of the right and conservatism, and the recent past from 1990 to the Great Recession. This course is based on the collaborative, open, online text entitled American Yawp, including the American Yawp Primary Source Reader. The course also includes ancillary material from OpenStax US History as well as videos, images, quizzes, and other enhancements from various sources. Assignments were contributed by Thomas deMayo and Chris Thomas from Reynolds Community College. This course was developed using the OpenStax US History text with the inclusion of a primary source reader from American Yawp. The course also includes additional videos, images, and enhancements, as well as a quiz bank provided by Lumen Learning. Assignments were contributed by Thomas deMayo and Chris Thomas from Reynolds Community College.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Lumen Learning

United States History I

The authors of American Yawp begin their effort with a pertinent quote from Walt Whitman. This course takes an approach to history that fosters a method of critical thought and a rigorous questioning of the history of the United States. Key topics include the characteristics and legends of the New World, imperial European cultures and their clashes, British North America, colonial society, the American Revolution and the new nation, the early American Republic, the market revolution, the challenges of democracy in America, religion and political reform, the old south, the consequences of Manifest Destiny, sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. This course comes from The American Yawp, a free, collaboratively-built textbook curated by Joseph Locke & Ben Wright. It also includes the American Yawp Reader and a handful of other primary resources identified by various faculty across the country. Other minor adaptations and additions have been provided by Lumen Learning.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Lumen Learning

American Government 3e

American Government is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the single-semester American government course. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including Insider Perspective features and a Get Connected Module that shows students how they can get engaged in the political process. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of American government and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. American Government includes updated information on the 2016 presidential election.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Glen Krutz, Sylvie Waskiewicz

American Government OER Materials (in-person section)

These PowerPoint slides can be paired with the American Government 3e textbook by Openstax for in-class sections of the course. They provide matierial from the textbook, as well as data from the most recent elections, public opinion polls, and pew research center publications from within the last few years. This material provides both the political history of our country, as well as some pertinent information from current events affecting our political landscape.

Material Type: Full Course, Lecture

Author: Jesse Cragwall

American History to 1865

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.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: Maier, Pauline