U.S. History 1

U.S. History 1 guides students to utilize historical thinking skills using a wealth of primary sources, readings, and videos aligned to learning objectives. U.S. History 1 in Lumen One will help students build critical thinking skills by describing, comparing, contextualizing, and constructing historical arguments about major events in American history through 1877.

Students will engage with strategies to:

  • Describe key historical trends, events, and figures in early American history
  • Examine historical figures and events from diverse perspectives
  • Recognize how to think critically like a historian
  • Make historical connections by analyzing historical narratives, documents, and arguments
  • Synthesize information by evaluating cause and effect and studying how things change over time

Key topics include early globalization and European exploration, colonial societies, the English Empire, America’s War for Independence, the creation of the American Republic, the industrial transformation, Jacksonian democracy, westward expansion, “King” Cotton and idealism in the antebellum South, the troubled 1850s, and the Civil War to Reconstruction. The course utilizes interactive content and practice with immediate feedback to maximize student understanding and retention. The instructor resources package is robust and includes easy-to-use, engaging slide decks and in-class activities, with suggested modifications based on the modality of the course.

U.S. History 1: Topic List by Module

Indigenous America and Early European Exploration (Before 1492)

  • Early American Civilizations
  • Indigenous American Civilizations
  • The Age of Exploration
  • Early European Expansion
  • Historical Hack: Using Sources

Colliding Cultures (1492-1650)

  • European Exploration and Colonization
  • Early British Colonies
  • The Columbian Exchange and Slavery
  • Historical Hack: Thinking Like a Historian

British North America (1640-1763)

  • British Society and North American Colonies
  • The British Colonies
  • Colonial Life and Conflict
  • Historical Hack: Analyzing Historical Documents

Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests (1763-1774)

  • Wars for Empire
  • Colonial Responses to New Laws
  • The First Continental Congress
  • Historical Hack: Historical Arguments

The American Revolution (1775-1783)

  • The American Revolution
  • Strategies and Key Battles
  • Aftermath and Resolution
  • Historical Hack: The SIFT Method

Creating a Government (1776-1789)

  • The New Republic
  • The Constitutional Convention
  • Ratifying the Constitution
  • Historical Hack: Reading Complex Documents

The Early Republic (1790-1820)

  • Finances and Political Parties
  • Uprisings
  • Political Conflicts
  • The War of 1812
  • Historical Hack: Developing Strong Historical Research Questions

Industrial Transformation (1800-1850)

  • Industrialization
  • Growing Capitalist Republic
  • Immigration, Labor, and Social Life
  • Historical Hack: Historical Arguments and Counterarguments

Democracy in America (1820-1840)

  • Politics During the 1820s
  • Issues During Jackson’s Presidency
  • Indigenous American Relations and Removal
  • Changing Democratic Landscape
  • Historical Hack: Understanding Rhetoric and Analyzing Speeches

Westward Expansion (1800-1860)

  • Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
  • The Mexican-American War
  • Slavery and Political Turmoil
  • Historical Hack: Political Cartoons

Cotton is King – The Antebellum South (1800-1860)

  • Economics of Cotton
  • Slavery and Life in the Antebellum U.S.
  • Southern Culture and Wealth
  • Historical Hack: Understanding Historical Actors

Religion and Reform (1820-1860)

  • Religion and Individualism
  • Religion and Community
  • Social and Health Reforms
  • The Abolition Movement
  • Historical Hack: Considering Cause and Effect

Troubled Times – The Sectional Crisis (1850s)

  • The Compromise of 1850
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act
  • Dred Scott Ruling
  • Historical Hack: Developing Historical Empathy and Emotional Distance

The Civil War (1860-1865)

  • Causes of the Civil War
  • Early Mobilization and War
  • Pivotal Events
  • End of the Civil War
  • Historical Hack: Evaluating Civil War Photographs

The Era of Reconstruction (1865-1877)

  • Reconstruction in the South (Lincoln/Johnson Plans)
  • Radical Reconstruction
  • Collapse of Reconstruction
  • Historical Hack: Making Historical Connections (Voter Suppression)

Teaching with Lumen Course Materials

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  • Replace expensive textbooks | Ready-to-adopt open educational resources (OER) include text, videos, simulations, self-checks, and other interactives.
  • Choose affordability | Low cost to students.
  • Use better content | Continuous, data-driven improvements make OER content more effective at supporting learning.
  • Simplify access | Easy access to course materials in your LMS (Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, and Moodle) plus automatic grade return.
  • Improve student outcomes | Research shows Lumen course materials can improve academic performance, passing rates, and course completion.

FOR INSTRUCTORS

  • Connect with students | Instructor and student tools designed to help strengthen communication.
  • Save time | Start with curated, outcome-aligned OER and supplemental instructor resources like quiz banks, assignments, slide decks, etc. 
  • Customize your course | Freedom to tailor course content to fit your learning outcomes and instructional approach.
  • Enjoy awesome support | Faculty-friendly onboarding, training, and support. 
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FOR STUDENTS

  • Learn by doing | Online homework, self-check activities, and other interactive tools strengthen learning.
  • Engage from day one | Avoid falling behind with access to course materials from the first day of class.
  • Retain materials | Download a digital copy of course content to keep forever.
  • Become a better learner | Real-time feedback guides students on where to focus and how to improve.

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