The following themes are reflected in a comprehensive introductory survey course:

• The nature of indigenous societies in the Americas. The theme includes a small number of questions on the Americas before 1500.
• The impact of European discovery and colonization upon indigenous societies. The focus is placed on the British colonies, but this theme includes a small number of questions on Spanish, French, and Dutch colonization, and the Columbian Exchange.
• The origins and nature of slavery and resistance to it
• Immigration and the history of ethnic minorities
• The history of women, changing gender roles, and family structures
• The development and character of colonial societies
• British relations with the Atlantic colonies of North America
• The changing role of religion in American society
• The causes, events, and consequences of the American Revolution
• The content of the Constitution and its amendments, and their interpretation by the United States Supreme Court
• The development and expansion of participatory democracy
• The growth of and changes in political parties
• The changing role of government in American life
• The intellectual and political expressions of nationalism
• Major movements and individual figures in the history of American literature, art and popular culture
• Abolitionism and reform movements
• Long-term demographic trends (immigration and internal migration)
• The motivations for and character of American expansionism
• The process of economic growth and development
• The causes and consequences of conflicts with Native Americans, the Seven Years’ War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War and Reconstruction
• The role of the environment in United States history