A TOPICAL SYLLABUS

As a result of a wholesome reaction against the purely chronological treatment of history, there is now a marked tendency in the direction of a purely topical handling of the subject. The topical method, however, may also be pushed too far. Each successive stage of any topic can be understood only in relation to the forces of the time. For that reason,

the best results are reached when there is a combination of the chronological and the topical methods. It is therefore suggested that the teacher first follow the text closely and then review the subject with the aid of this topical syllabus. The references are to pages.

Immigration

I. Causes religious (1-2, 4-11, 302), economic (12-17, 302-303), and political (302–303).

II. Colonial immigration.

1. Diversified character: English, Scotch-Irish, Irish, Jews, Germans, and other peoples (6-12).

2. Assimilation to an American type; influence of the land system (23-25, 411).

3. Enforced immigration: indentured servitude, slavery, etc. (13-17).

III. Immigration between 1789-1890.

1. Nationalities: English, Irish, Germans, and Scandinavians (278, 302-303).

2. Relations to American life (432-433, 445).

IV. Immigration and immigration questions after 1890.

1. Change in nationalities (410-411).

2. Changes in economic opportunities (411).

3. Problems of congestion and assimilation (410).

4. Relations to labor and illiteracy (582–586).

5. Oriental immigration (583).

6. The restriction of immigration (583-585).

Expansion of the United States

I. Territorial growth.

1. Territory of the United States in 1783 (134 and color map).

2. Louisiana purchase, 1803 (188-193 and color map).

3. Florida purchase, 1819 (204).

4. Annexation of Texas, 1845 (278–281).

5. Acquisition of Arizona, New Mexico, California, and other territory at close of Mexican War, 1848 (282-283).

6. The Gadsden purchase, 1853 (283).

7. Settlement of the Oregon boundary question, 1846 (284-286). 8. Purchase of Alaska from Russia, 1867 (479).

9. Acquisition of Tutuila in Samoan group, 1899 (481–482).

10. Annexation of Hawaii, 1898 (484).

11. Acquisition of Porto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam at close of Spanish War, 1898 (493-494).

12. Acquisition of Panama Canal strip, 1904 (508–510).

13. Purchase of Danish West Indies, 1917 (593).

14. Extension of protectorate over Haiti, Santo Domingo, and Nicaragua (593–594).

II. Development of colonial self-government.

1. Hawaii (485).

2. Philippines (516-518).

3. Porto Rico (515-516).

III. Sea power.

.1. In American Revolution (118).
2. In the War of 1812 (193-201).

3. In the Civil War (353-354).

4. In the Spanish-American War (492).

5. In the Caribbean region (512-519).

6. In the Pacific (447-448, 481).

7. The rôle of the American navy (515).

The Westward Advance of the People

I. Beyond the Appalachians.

1. Government and land system (217-221).
2. The routes (222-224).

3. The settlers (221-223, 228–230).

4. Relations with the East (230–236).

II. Beyond the Mississippi.

1. The lower valley (271-273).

2. The upper valley (275-276).

III. Prairies, plains, and desert.

1. Cattle ranges and cowboys (276-278, 431-432).

2. The free homesteads (432–433).

3. Irrigation (434-436, 523-525).

IV. The Far West.

1. Peculiarities of the West (433-440).

2. The railways (425-431).

3. Relations to the East and Europe (443-447).

4. American power in the Pacific (447-449).

The Wars of American History

I. Indian wars (57-59).

II. Early colonial wars: King William's, Queen Anne's, and King George's (59).

III. French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), 1754-1763 (59–61). IV. Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 (99-135).

V. The War of 1812, 1812-1815 (193–201). VI. The Mexican War, 1845-1848 (276-284). VII. The Civil War, 1861-1865 (344–375).

VIII. The Spanish War, 1898 (485–497).

IX. The World War, 1914-1918 [American participation, 1917-1918] (596-625).

Government

I. Development of the American system of government.

1. Origin and growth of state government.

a. The trading corporation (2-4), religious congregation (4–5), and proprietary system (5-6).

b. Government of the colonies (48-53).

C.

Formation of the first state constitutions (108-110).

d. The admission of new states (see Index under each state).

e. Influence of Jacksonian Democracy (238-247).

f. Growth of manhood suffrage (238–244).

g. Nullification and state sovereignty (180-182, 251–257).

h. The doctrine of secession (345–346).

i. Effects of the Civil War on position of states (366, 369-375). j. Political reform direct government - initiative, referendum, and recall (540-544).

2. Origin and growth of national government.

a. British imperial control over the colonies (64-72).

b. Attempts at intercolonial union

New England Confedera

d. The Continental Congresses (99-101).

C.

The Articles of Confederation (110-111, 139–143).

f. The formation of the federal Constitution (143–160).

g. Development of the federal Constitution.

(1) Amendments 1-11 - rights of persons and states (163). (2) Twelfth amendment - election of President (184, note).

(3) Amendments 13-15 — Civil War settlement (358, 366,

369, 370, 374, 375).

(4) Sixteenth amendment

(5) Seventeenth amendment

542).

income tax (528–529).

election of Senators (541

(6) Eighteenth amendment — prohibition (591–592).
(7) Nineteenth amendment woman suffrage (563-568).

3. Development of the suffrage.

a. Colonial restrictions (51-52).

b. Provisions of the first state constitutions (110, 238-240).

c. Position under federal Constitution of 1787 (149).

d. Extension of manhood suffrage (241-244).

e. Extension and limitation of negro suffrage (373-375, 382-387). f. Woman suffrage (560-568).

II. Relation of government to economic and social welfare.

1. Debt and currency.

a. Colonial paper money (80).

b. Revolutionary currency and debt (125–127).

C.

Disorders under Articles of Confederation (140-141).

d. Powers of Congress under the Constitution to coin money (see Constitution in the Appendix).

e. First United States bank notes (167).

f. Second United States bank notes (257).
g. State bank notes (258).

h. Civil War greenbacks and specie payment (352-353, 454).

i. The Civil War debt (252).

j. Notes of National Banks under act of 1864 (369).

k. Demonetization of silver and silver legislation (452–458). 1. The gold standard (472).

m. The federal reserve notes (589).

n. Liberty bonds (606).

2. Banking systems.

a. The first United States bank (167).

b. The second United States bank - origin and destruction

(203, 257-259).

C. United States treasury system (263).

d. State banks (258).

e.

The national banking system of 1864 (369).

f. Services of banks (407-409).

g. Federal reserve system (589).

3. The tariff.

a.

British colonial system (69-72).

b. Disorders under Articles of Confederation (140).

c. The first tariff under the Constitution (150, 167-168).

d. War of 1812 and tariff of 1816 (203-204).

e. Development of the tariff, 1816-1832 (252–254).

f. Tariff and nullification (254–256).

g. Development to the Civil War - attitude of South and West (264, 309-314, 357).

h. Republicans and Civil War tariffs (352, 367).

i. Revival of the tariff controversy under Cleveland (422). j. Tariff legislation after 1890

McKinley bill (422), Wilson

bill (459), Dingley bill (472), Payne-Aldrich bill (528), Underwood bill (588).

4. Foreign and domestic commerce and transportation (see Tariff, Immigration, and Foreign Relations).

a. British imperial regulations (69–72).

b. Confusion under Articles of Confederation (140).

C.

Provisions of federal Constitution (150).

d. Internal improvements - aid to roads, canals, etc. (230–236). e. Aid to railways (403).

f. Service of railways (402).

g. Regulation of railways (460–461, 547-548).

h. Control of trusts and corporations (461-462, 589–590).

5. Land and natural resources.

a. British control over lands (80).

b. Early federal land measures (219–221).

C.

The Homestead act (368, 432-445).

d. Irrigation and reclamation (434-436, 523–525).

e. Conservation of natural resources (523–526).

6. Legislation advancing human rights and general welfare (see

Suffrage).

a. Abolition of slavery: civil and political rights of negroes

(357-358, 373-375).

b. Extension of civil and political rights to women (554-568). c. Legislation relative to labor conditions (549-551, 579–581,

590-591).

d. Control of public utilities (547-549).

e. Social reform and the war on poverty (549–551).

f. Taxation and equality of opportunity (551-552).

Political Parties and Political Issues

I. The Federalists versus the Anti-Federalists [Jeffersonian Republicans] from about 1790 to about 1816 (168-208, 201-203).

1. Federalist leaders: Hamilton, John Adams, John Marshall, Robert Morris.