Lesson 1 · US history

🗽 The American Revolution & the Constitution

Thirteen British colonies broke away to form a republic, then had to decide how to govern themselves without recreating the power they had rejected.

🔥 From colonies to independence

English settlers founded Jamestown in 1607. After the Seven Years’ War, Britain taxed the colonies (Stamp Act 1765, Tea Act 1773) without colonial representation: “no taxation without representation”. The Boston Tea Party (1773) led to the Coercive Acts, and fighting began at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July 1776, mainly written by Thomas Jefferson. Victory at Yorktown (1781) and the Treaty of Paris (1783) secured independence.

1607 Jamestown 1765 Stamp Act 1773 Boston Tea Party 1776 Declaration of Independence 1783 Treaty of Paris

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Within 15 years the colonists went from rebellion to a new system of government.

Each branch can check the others, so no single person or group holds all the power.

📜 The Constitution

The Articles of Confederation left the national government weak. The Constitution (written 1787) created a stronger federal system with separation of powers: Congress (legislative) makes laws, the President (executive) enforces them and the Supreme Court (judicial) interprets them. Checks and balances stop any branch dominating. It took effect when nine of the 13 states ratified it, and the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) was added in 1791.

Compromise: big and small states settled their dispute with a two-chamber Congress: the Senate (equal) and the House (by population).

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Slogan

The colonists’ slogan against British taxes was:

Representation.

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Declaration

The Declaration of Independence was mainly written by:

A Virginian.

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Articles

The Articles of Confederation were replaced because they:

Weak government.

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Branches

Which branch interprets the law?

The courts.

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Checks

Checks and balances exist to:

Limit power.

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Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is:

Ten amendments.

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The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 and the Constitution was written in 1787.

How many years later was the Constitution written?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

years

Subtract the years.

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The Constitution needed 9 of the 13 states to ratify it.

What percentage of the states was this, to the nearest whole number?

Round to the nearest whole number.

%

Part ÷ whole × 100.

📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions

Question 1 of 5

The colonies’ first permanent English settlement was:

Question 2 of 5

The Senate gives each state:

Question 3 of 5

The final major battle of the Revolutionary War was at:

Question 4 of 5

The Treaty of Paris (1783):

Question 5 of 5

The Constitution is based on:

Lesson 2 · US history

⚔️ The Civil War & Reconstruction

Slavery divided the United States. Its expansion into new territories led to war, and the war’s aftermath tested what freedom would mean.

💥 Why the South seceded

Northern states were industrial and mostly free; the Southern economy depended on slave labour in cotton and tobacco. Disputes over slavery in new territories deepened (Missouri Compromise 1820, Kansas–Nebraska Act 1854). When Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery, was elected in 1860, 11 Southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy. War began at Fort Sumter in April 1861.

1860 Lincoln elected 1861 war begins 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg 1865 war ends, Lincoln assassinated

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The 15th Amendment followed in 1870, giving Black men the vote in law.

🏗️ Emancipation and Reconstruction

The Emancipation Proclamation (1 January 1863) declared slaves in Confederate-held areas free. Lee surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. Reconstruction (1865–1877) aimed to rebuild the South and secure rights for freed people through three amendments: the 13th (1865, abolished slavery), the 14th (1868, citizenship and equal protection) and the 15th (1870, vote regardless of race). Reconstruction ended in 1877, and Southern states soon introduced segregation laws (Jim Crow).

Turning points: Gettysburg (July 1863) ended Lee’s invasion of the North; Vicksburg split the Confederacy.

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Election

Which event triggered Southern secession?

1860.

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Start

The Civil War began at:

A fort in South Carolina.

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13th

The 13th Amendment:

Ended slavery.

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14th

The 14th Amendment guaranteed:

Equal protection.

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15th

The 15th Amendment concerned:

The vote.

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Jim Crow

Jim Crow laws:

Segregation.

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The Civil War began in 1861 and ended in 1865.

How many years did the war last, to the nearest whole year?

Round your answer as the question asks.

years

Subtract the years.

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Three amendments passed during Reconstruction: the 13th, 14th and 15th.

What is the total number of Reconstruction Amendments?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

Count them.

📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions

Question 1 of 5

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in:

Question 2 of 5

Lee surrendered at:

Question 3 of 5

Reconstruction ended in:

Question 4 of 5

The Confederacy was formed by:

Question 5 of 5

Which battle was a major Union victory in July 1863?

Lesson 3 · US history

✊ The Civil Rights Movement

A century after emancipation, Black Americans were still excluded from voting and public life in much of the South. Courts, protest and legislation brought change.

⚖️ Courts and campaigns

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954) the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56) began after Rosa Parks was arrested; it lasted 381 days and made Martin Luther King Jr. a national leader. Peaceful tactics included sit-ins (1960), Freedom Rides (1961) and the March on Washington (28 August 1963), where King delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech.

1954 Brown v. Board 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott begins 1963 March on Washington 1964 Civil Rights Act 1965 Voting Rights Act

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Protest and court rulings built the pressure that produced the 1964 and 1965 laws.

🏛️ Legislation

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in public places and employment. After the violent response to the Selma marches, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned literacy tests and gave federal oversight of elections. Some activists, such as Malcolm X and the Black Power movement, argued for self-defence and community control, rejecting King’s emphasis on integration and non-violence.

Evaluate: consider how far change came from courts, grassroots protest, the media and presidents such as Johnson.

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Brown

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruled that:

Schools.

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Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks’ arrest sparked the:

A bus.

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King

Martin Luther King Jr. promoted:

Peaceful methods.

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1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed:

Discrimination.

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1965

The Voting Rights Act of 1965:

Voting barriers.

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Black Power

Black Power activists differed from King by emphasising:

Self-determination.

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Brown v. Board was decided in 1954 and the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964.

How many years apart were they?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

years

Subtract the years.

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The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days.

How many whole weeks is that (to the nearest whole number)?

Round to the nearest whole number.

weeks

Divide by 7.

📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions

Question 1 of 5

The March on Washington took place in:

Question 2 of 5

Which organisation used sit-ins in 1960?

Question 3 of 5

President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in:

Question 4 of 5

The Selma marches were about:

Question 5 of 5

Which tactic is NOT part of non-violent protest?

Lesson 4 · US history

📉 The Great Depression & the New Deal

In the 1930s a financial crash became the worst economic crisis in modern history. The response reshaped the role of the US government.

💥 Crash and depression

In the 1920s share prices soared, partly on borrowed money. The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 wiped out fortunes, and the economy collapsed: banks failed, businesses closed and unemployment reached about 25% by 1933. In the Midwest, drought created the Dust Bowl. President Hoover believed in limited government and was blamed for slow action.

unemployment: 1929 about 3%, 1933 about 25% A town with 40 000 workers at 25% unemployment: 40 000 × 0.25 = 10 000 jobless

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Roosevelt took office in March 1933, at the worst point of the crisis.

🧰 The New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt won the 1932 election and promised a New Deal. Aims: relief (help the unemployed), recovery (restart the economy) and reform (prevent future crises). Measures included the Civilian Conservation Corps, public works, bank regulation (FDIC) and Social Security (1935). Critics on the right said it expanded government too far; others said it did too little. Full recovery came with rearmament and the Second World War.

Evaluate: the New Deal eased hardship and changed expectations of government, but unemployment stayed high until 1941.

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Crash

The Wall Street Crash took place in:

1929.

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Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl was:

Farming disaster.

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Three Rs

The three Rs of the New Deal were:

Relief, recovery …

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Social Security

Social Security (1935) provided:

Pensions.

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FDIC

The FDIC was created to:

Insurance.

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Recovery

The US economy fully recovered after:

War.

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A town has 40 000 workers and unemployment is 25%.

How many people are unemployed?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

people

Percent of the total.

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Unemployment rose from about 3% in 1929 to about 25% in 1933.

By how many percentage points did it rise?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

points

Subtract.

📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions

Question 1 of 5

Roosevelt’s programme was called:

Question 2 of 5

Hoover is often criticised for:

Question 3 of 5

The CCC gave work to:

Question 4 of 5

A criticism of the New Deal from the right was that it:

Question 5 of 5

A bank run happens when:

Lesson 5 · Depth study

🇩🇪 Depth Study: Germany, 1918–45

How could a democracy turn into a dictatorship in just fourteen years? This depth study weighs the causes, and looks at what Nazi rule meant for ordinary people.

🏛️ The Weimar Republic

Germany became a republic in 1918. It faced the Treaty of Versailles, uprisings, and hyperinflation in 1923. Under Stresemann it recovered in the mid-1920s, but the Great Depression from 1929 brought mass unemployment. Article 48 let the President rule by decree.

1919 Weimar Constitution, Versailles 1923 hyperinflation, Munich Putsch fails 1924–29 recovery under Stresemann 1929 Depression begins 1933 Hitler becomes Chancellor

🦅 Nazi rule

After the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act (1933) let Hitler make laws without the Reichstag. The Night of the Long Knives (1934) removed rivals. The regime controlled people through the Gestapo, propaganda and youth groups, and persecuted Jews through the Nuremberg Laws (1935) and Kristallnacht (1938), which led towards the Holocaust.

In source questions, ask who made the source, why and for whom. Nazi propaganda shows what the regime wanted people to believe, not what they actually thought.

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Weimar

Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution allowed:

Emergency powers.

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1923

Hyperinflation in 1923 meant that:

Prices soared.

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Enabling Act

The Enabling Act of 1933 let Hitler:

No need for parliament.

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1934

The Night of the Long Knives removed:

Hitler’s own rivals.

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Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 and the Weimar Republic began in 1919.

How many years did the republic last before then?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

years

Subtract.

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About 6 million Germans were unemployed in 1932, out of a working population of about 20 million.

What percentage is that?

Enter an exact answer, without rounding.

%

Divide, then × 100.

📝 Lesson quiz · 5 questions

Question 1 of 5

Who helped Germany recover in the mid-1920s?

Question 2 of 5

The Nuremberg Laws of 1935:

Question 3 of 5

Kristallnacht in 1938 was:

Question 4 of 5

The Gestapo were the:

Question 5 of 5

Why is a Nazi poster limited as evidence of public opinion?

Final Challenge

🏆 10-Question Challenge Quiz

Questions from every topic in this course. Pick an answer for each one, then hit Check My Answers.

Q1 · The American Revolution & the Constitution

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution mainly to:

Q2 · The American Revolution & the Constitution

The Constitution is based on:

Q3 · The Civil War & Reconstruction

Reconstruction is often judged a partial failure because:

Q4 · The Civil War & Reconstruction

Which battle was a major Union victory in July 1863?

Q5 · The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement succeeded partly because:

Q6 · The Civil Rights Movement

Which tactic is NOT part of non-violent protest?

Q7 · The Great Depression & the New Deal

Which best describes the long-term effect of the New Deal?

Q8 · The Great Depression & the New Deal

A bank run happens when:

Q9 · Depth Study: Germany, 1918–45

The event that most helped Nazi support grow after 1929 was:

Q10 · Depth Study: Germany, 1918–45

The Munich Putsch of 1923: