APUSH Period 4 Review (8 Week Study Plan)

Period 4 covers an extensive period from the Election to 1800 to the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The major topics in this period include Thomas Jefferson's presidency, the War of 1812, nationalism and sectionalism, Jacksonian Democracy, and Antebellum reform movements.

For those seeking an overall Period 4 review, this helpful summary of the period by JoczProductions is a good start before delving deeper into particular topics.

Romulus APUSH Review

A Content Review App for APUSH Students

Thomas Jefferson's Presidency

Thomas Jefferson was elected in 1800 after a bitterly contested election, culminating in the first peaceful transfer of political power by democratic means in modern history. While Jefferson referred to his victory as a "revolution," he struggled with the Supreme Court, which continued to be dominated by John Marshall, an ardent Federalist, throughout the entirety of the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian periods. When he had the opportunity to purchase Louisiana from France, Jefferson had to confront the reality of governing while trying to remain as true as he could to his strict constructionist principles.

The Election of 1800

The Marshall Court

The Louisiana Purchase

American Foreign Policy (1800-1848)

American foreign policy in the early 19th century largely dealt with the United States attempting to maintain an independent and separate existence from Europe. Jefferson first tried to avoid armed conflict with Britain with the failed Embargo Act of 1807. The situation escalated to warfare during James Madison's presidency. The War of 1812 was largely a disaster until Andrew Jackson's victory in the Battle of New Orleans ended things on a high note. After the War of 1812, the Monroe Doctrine tried again to distance the United States from Europe by expressing opposition to further European colonial expansion into North America.

Jefferson's Embargo

The War of 1812

The Monroe Doctrine

The Missouri Compromise (America's First Slavery Debate)

The Missouri Compromise is generally considered to be the beginning of the Antebellum Period in United States history because it was the first debate in Congress over the expansion of slavery. The slavery debate became the most contentious debate in America in the decades leading to the American Civil War. I have included my two part lecture - the second of which focuses on Thomas Jefferson's reaction to the Missouri Compromise - as well as a music video I made with MrBettsClass.

The Missouri Compromise

Jefferson and Slavery

Music Video

Andrew Jackson, Sectionalism, and Antebellum Reform

The rise of democratic politics in the 1820s brought about the rise of Andrew Jackson, fresh sectional controversies over the tariff, internal improvements, and states' rights, and reform movements, such as abolitionism and women's rights, aiming to create a more equal and just society in the United States.