对于很多同学来说，虽然AP USH所涉及的时间不长，但是细小的知识点以及相似度很高的主题经常会让同学们无法确定复习重点。
要知道，考试不仅考细小的历史事件，更喜欢考察同学们对关键主题的理解与运用，从殖民时代到国家认同，女权运动到移民潮，环境变迁到科技革命，这些主题贯穿了500年美国史。
掌握它们，你就能轻松串联知识点，答题游刃有余！如果你还不会运用并联系相关知识的话，看这篇就够了！
翻开美国历史的篇章，我们看到的不仅是一连串的事件与年份，更是一部关于身份、经济、政治、环境、社会、外交、文化与迁徙的宏大叙事，这也是APUSH考试中的八大核心主题。
今天我们先聚焦前四大主题，分别是：
·AMERICAN AND NATIONAL IDENTITY（NAT）
·WORK, EXCHANGE, AND TECHNOLOGY（WXT）
·GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT（GEO）
·MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT（MIG）
它们如同美国社会的一砖一瓦，建造了从殖民地到超级大国的基础。
（图：前四个主题）
THEME 1: AMERICAN AND NATIONAL IDENTITY (NAT)
本主题考察的重点是“American”，所以我们要思考谁American？America是怎么来的？以及National Identity又是如何形成的？要知道，每个主题涉及的历史例子都很广泛，包括但不限于人物，条约，会议，战争等。
可以记忆的例子如下：
1. Declaration of Independence (1776) - Defined American identity by asserting natural rights and justifying independence from Britain.
2. Federalist Papers (1787-88) - Essays promoting the Constitution, shaping ideas of federalism and national unity.
3. Louisiana Purchase (1803) - Expanded U.S. territory, reinforcing the idea of Manifest Destiny.
4. Indian Removal Act (1830) - Reflected racial and cultural hierarchies in defining American citizenship.
5. Emancipation Proclamation (1863) - Redefined national identity by making slavery a central issue in the Civil War.
6. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) - Established "separate but equal," shaping racial identity and segregation.
7. Civil Rights Act (1964) - Ended legal segregation, redefining equality in American identity.
8. 9·11 Attacks (2001) - Shifted national identity toward security and patriotism in the War on Terror.
总结：
在这个主题中，我们可以联系的考点有：
·Citizenship（如women、African American、Indians的权利变化）
·constitutional interpretation（如Ferdal vs. State）
·Nationalism and Expansion（如Manifest Destiny）
·战争对国家认同的影响（如Civil War, Cold War）
THEME 2: WORK, EXCHANGE, AND TECHNOLOGY (WXT)
本主题考察的重点是是economic system（如capitalism、slavery）和technology如何改变美国社会？被变化的经济政策影响的美国社会又发生了哪些大事件呢？政府应该如何干预经济？
可以记忆的例子如下：
1. Encomienda System (1500s) - Spanish colonial labor system forcing Native Americans to work, shaping early American economies.
2. Triangular Trade (1600s-1800s) - Transatlantic trade of slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods, fueling colonial wealth.
3. Navigation Acts (1651-1673) - British laws restricting colonial trade to England, sparking smuggling and tensions.
4. Cotton Gin (1793, Eli Whitney) - Revolutionized Southern slavery by making cotton production more profitable.
5. Lowell System (1820s-40s) - Young women working in textile mills, early example of wage labor and industrialization.
6. Erie Canal (1825) - Connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, boosting commerce and westward expansion.
7. Transcontinental Railroad (1869) - Revolutionized trade and transportation, boosting industrialization.
8. Ford’s Assembly Line (1913) - Made manufacturing more efficient, lowering car costs and shaping consumer culture.
9. Great Depression (1929-1939) - Led to New Deal policies that redefined government’s role in the economy.
10. Bretton Woods System (1944) - Established global economic institutions like the IMF and World Bank.
11. NAFTA (1994) - Increased trade between U.S., Canada, and Mexico, impacting labor and industry.
总结：
在这个主题中，我们可以联系的考点有Colonial Foundations，Technology Shifts（industrialization），Government’s Role以及Labor Movements，所以我们也可以把strike和labor unions与这个主题联系。
THEME 3: GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (GEO)
本主题考察的重点是geography（如territory expansion, resources）和environment(如conservation movement)对美国社会发展的影响？我们要思考地理和环境如何与人们的生活联系，为什么在20世纪开始人们开始注重环境问题？同时人类如何改变自然环境，反之又如何？
可以记忆的例子如下：
1. Columbian Exchange (1492-1800s) – Transferred plants, animals, and diseases between Old and New Worlds.
2. Louisiana Purchase (1803) - Expanded U.S. territory, reinforcing the idea of Manifest Destiny.
3. Erie Canal (1825) – Connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic, boosting
trade and westward expansion.
4. Indian Removal Act (1830) - Forced relocation of Southeastern tribes (e.g., Cherokee "Trail of Tears") for white settlement.
5. California Gold Rush (1848-55) – After Mexican - American War, mass migration and environmental damage from mining; fueled racial tensions (e.g., Foreign Miners' Tax).
6. Homestead Act (1862) – Encouraged Western settlement by offering free land, altering the environment.
7. Yellowstone National Park (1872) – First U.S. national park, setting precedent for conservation.
8. Dawes Act (1887) – Broke up tribal lands into individual plots, eroding Native sovereignty and ecosystems.
9. Dust Bowl (1930s) – Caused by over-farming and drought, leading to migration and soil conservation laws.
10. Silent Spring (1962, Rachel Carson) – Exposed pesticide dangers, sparking modern environmentalism.
11. Clean Air Act (1970) – Federal law to reduce pollution, reflecting growing environmental awareness.
12. Three Mile Island (1979) – Nuclear accident that raised concerns about environmental safety.
13. Hurricane Katrina (2005) – Exposed racial and economic disparities in disaster response.
总结：
在这个主题中，我们要学会利用地图来结合历史事件，比如1803年的Louisiana Purchase和1848年的Mexican Cession都可以从地图来观察领土扩张和权力转移的变化。
同时也要关注环境政策变化的时间线，以及与社会改革的联系，比如，西部干旱对农民和移民的影响有哪些，会不会导致社会出现进一步的改革运动等。
THEME 4: MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT (MIG)
本主题考察的重点是移民和国内迁移如何塑造美国社会。移民群体作为“新人”，他们要如何适应美国社会或被本土主义者排斥？第一波移民的到来时间可以追溯至殖民时代，随着美国工业化的发展以及经济的增长，越来越多来自不同地区的移民涌入美国，美国对他们的政策差异也是我们需要了解的。
可以记忆的例子如下：
1. Triangular Trade (1600s-1800s) - Transatlantic trade of slaves（forced migration）.
2. Irish Potato Famine (1845-1852) – Brought millions of Irish immigrants to U.S. cities.
3. Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) – Restricted Chinese immigration, reflecting nativist attitudes(connect gold rush).
4. Ellis Island (1892-1954) – Major entry point for European immigrants, shaping urban diversity.
5. Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907) – Informal U.S.-Japan deal limiting Japanese immigration (replaced by 1924 quotas).
6. Great Migration (1916-1970) – African Americans moved North for jobs, escaping Jim Crow.
7. Internment of Japanese Americans (1942-45) – Forced relocation during WWII (Executive Order 9066); Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) upheld its constitutionality.
8. Bracero Program (1942-1964) – Brought Mexican laborers to work in U.S. agriculture.
9. Suburbanization (1950s) – White middle-class families moved to suburbs, changing urban demographics.
10. Immigration Act of 1965 – Ended quotas, increasing Asian and Latin American immigration.
11. Refugee Act (1980) – Established policies for resettling refugees, like those from Vietnam.
总结：
移民问题能够联系的主题有很多，最常见的是社会改革与移民之间的关系，同学们可以对比记忆不同移民间的区别，比如“old immigrant”和“new immigrant”的区别和待遇，以及有关移民的“推拉”因素，美国为什么会成为吸引移民的国家，这又可以结合经济发展以及工业化来展开。
AP美国史备考建议
历史学习是非常注重时间和事件联系的，因此同学们在对这四个主题进行复习时，可以自制时间轴，每个主题记忆3-5个标志性事件，在进行DBQ以及LEQ写作时要学会交叉运用（比如railroad的发展既属于WXT，又影响GEO）。这样的方法可以帮助我们在考试时进行迅速定位，减少思考例子的时间噢。
当然，以上只是APUSH的前四个主题，还有四个非常重要的话题我们将会留到下一篇再讨论，同学们加油🆙！
本文作者
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