American History

Senior--Final Study Guide

2026

 

q  The test will combine matching, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice.

q  Word lists will be included.

q  The test will be broken into six sections (listed below).

 

The Test will come from the following areas:

 

First Semester—Units 1-4—10 points (Modules 1-8)

 

Unit 4—The Civil War & Reconstruction

·         Terms and Names:  Modules 9-10

 

•        The Civil War—1860-1865

  1. How did the Civil War begin, and what were some early battles?

  2. What was life like during the Civil War?

  3. How did continued fighting turn the tide of the war?

  4. What happened in the final phase of the war?

·         Reconstruction—1865-1877

a.     What were the differing plans for presidential Reconstruction?

b.     What was congressional Reconstruction?

c.     What happened when Radical Republicans took charge of Reconstruction?

d.     Why did Reconstruction end, and what were its effects on American history?

Unit 5—Expansion, Industry, Corruption, and Reform—(Modules 11-14)

·         Terms and Names:  Modules 11-14

·         Industry

a.        What factors led to the boom in American Industry after 1850?

b.       What new technology and inventions affected this era?

·         The Old West & Indian Wars Era

a.        How did changing government policies lead to conflicts with Native Americans in the West?

b.       How did mining and ranching influence the development of the West?

c.        What opportunities and challenges did farmers face on the Great Plains?

·         Corruption

a.        What were political machines?

b.       Who was Boss Tweed?

c.        What role did civil service play in corruption?

d.       What role did big business play in corruption?

e.       Which Presidents were most affected by corruption?

f.         How did segregation add to the corrupt governments in the South?

·         Reformers

a.        What did Civil Service Reform do?

b.       What was the Pendelton Act?

c.        How did reformers bring down Boss Tweed?

d.       What reforms were enacted by Presidents?

e.       Who were the Populists and what did they believe in?

f.         Who were the Progressives and what did they believe in?

g.        Which Presidents were Progressives?

Unit 6—America Becomes a World Power—(Modules 15-16)

·         Terms and Names:  Modules 15-16

·         Formation of American Foreign Policy and the Spanish American War

1.       What effects did imperialism have on the nations of Europe and the United States?

2.       What were the causes and effects of the Spanish-American War?  Why did the US get involved?

·         Progressive Foreign Policy (1900-1914)

1.       What effect did Theodore Roosevelt have on American Foreign Policy as President?

2.       How did President Taft’s approach to diplomacy differ from Roosevelt?

3.       How did instability in Mexico spill over into the US?

·         World War I and the Treaty of Versailles

1.       What were the causes of World War I?

2.       What event led to the outbreak of war?

3.       What effect did the alliance system have on the outbreak of war?

4.       How did new technology change the way war was waged?

5.       What events brought the US into the war?

6.       What major battles led to the end of the war?

7.       What were the main points of the Treaty of Versailles?

8.       What impacts did WWI and the Treaty of Versailles have?

Unit 7—Prosperity and Depression—(Modules 17-19)

·         TERMS AND NAMES FOR THE UNIT:  Modules 17-19

·         POST-WWI ISSUES AND LIFESTYLES OF THE 1920'S

a.       What issues arose in America after WWI?

b.       How did new technology and the “credit economy” affect America?

c.        How did Presidents Harding and Coolidge deal with the American economy?

·         SOCIAL/CULTURAL CHANGES OF THE 1920'S-30’S

a.       What social changes occurred in the 1920’s?

b.       How did Prohibition impact America?

c.        How did new media (film and radio) technology change American popular culture?

d.       How did music and sports help Americans deal with the Depression?

·         THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE NEW DEAL

a.       What events led up to the Stock Market Crash of 1929?

b.       How did the Depression impact Americans?

c.        How did President Hoover propose to deal with the Depression?

d.       Why was President Roosevelt more popular in dealing with the Depression?

e.        What was the New Deal and how successful was it?

Unit 8—The Second World War—(Module 20)

·         Terms/Names:  Module 20

·         Causes of WWII:

  1. How did the aftermath of WWI contribute to political problems in Europe?
  2. How did the problems facing Europe in the post WWI years lead to the rise of Fascist and Communist dictatorships?
  3. What events were examples of the use of military force and violence by dictatorships to gain power/wealth in Europe?
  4. Why did the League of Nations and the policy of appeasement not work to stop Fascist expansion in Europe, Asia and Africa?

·         War in Europe Erupts:

  1. How did Germany’s actions in 1939 start WWII?
  2. Where did German forces turn after capturing Poland?
  3. What events increased tensions between the US and Japan?

·         The US Enters the War:

  1. Why was isolationism so strong in America in the 1930’s?
  2. How did FDR gradually ready America for involvement in WWII?
  3. What did the US do to aid the Allies and prepare for war in 1940-41?
  4. What were the causes and effects of the attack at Pearl Harbor?
  5. How did the US population and its industries mobilize for WWII?

·         WWII in Africa and Europe:

  1. How did the Allies fight for and win control of the Atlantic?
  2. How did the USSR get involved in WWII?
  3. What did the Allies accomplish in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy?
  4. What did the Allies accomplish with the D-Day invasion?

·         The War in the Pacific:

  1. Why did the Allies experience a slow start against the Japanese in the Pacific?
  2. What events/changes turned things around for the Allies in the Pacific?
  3. What battles marked the progress of the Allied forces toward Japan?

·         Ending the WWII:

  1. How did the Allies defeat Germany and win the war in Europe?
  2. How did the Allies defeat Japan and win the war in the Pacific?
  3. What challenges faced the US after WWII?

·         Atrocities of WWII:

  1. What were the atrocities committed by the US and Great Britain during WWII?
  2. What were the atrocities committed by the USSR during WWII?
  3. What were the atrocities committed by Italy during WWII?
  4. What were the atrocities committed by Japan during WWII?
  5. What were the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during WWII?
  6. What was the Holocaust?
  7. How did Nazi atrocities reflect Adolf Hitler’s personal beliefs?