The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Advanced Placement United States History Study Guide

Begin your journey through US history with the videos, timelines, primary sources, and essays below.

Period 1: 1491-1607

On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world. Click here to learn more.

Period 2: 1607-1754

Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control, and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged. Click here to learn more.

Period 3: 1754-1800

British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation's social, political, and economic identity. Click here to learn more.

Period 4: 1800-1848

The new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes.

Period 5: 1844-1877

As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war—the course and aftermath of which transformed American society.

Period 6: 1865-1898

The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized society brought about significant economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes.

Period 7: 1890-1945

An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role.

Period 8: 1945-1980

After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international responsibilities while struggling to live up to its ideals.

Period 9: 1980-Present

As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it experienced renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy, and adapted to economic globalization and revolutionary changes in science and technology.