The study of United States history begins with an examination of the first people of North America some 30,000 years ago. It is important to discuss briefly the extensive and complex settlement in what Europeans called the “New World.” Students might want to embark on this survey through an examination of the role that geography played in the development of Native American cultures. Students should note the extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity of Native American societies in the Americas.

After examining Native-American life and culture, students should study the epic events of the late fifteenth century when three worlds met: when Europeans, the inhabitants of North and South America, and the peoples of Africa entered upon an historic encounter that was to shape much of modern history in over half the world. The ensuing exchange of ideas, technology, food, and disease had enormous implications for the world.

The study of the colonial era in United States history is essential for students because the foundations for many of the most crucial developments were established during those years. Without an understanding of the “seed time” of the American nation it is almost impossible for students to understand such important developments as the formation of political institutions and values, the development of economic systems, the multi-ethnic and culturally diverse population of the United States, and the history of slavery and the enduring problems of race that were its legacy.

A brief survey should be made of the English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish colonization. Major emphasis should be placed on the English colonies where new political values and institutions were shaped. The sheer scope of our nation’s colonial history requires that students have a clear focus for instruction—one that may be found using any of the three following themes to concentrate on continuity in the period.

One way to embark upon a study of the colonial period is to carry forward the theme of the coming together of varied peoples and their cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity. An analysis of the social, cultural, and economic similarities and differences among the New England, Middle-Atlantic, and Southern colonies will illustrate the diverse character of settlements that characterized early America.

Another important theme for understanding the colonial era is the pre-revolutionary development of self-government, as shaped during the evolution of civic life, political ideas, and institutions. Special attention should be given to the building blocks of representative government—the New England town meeting and the first elected colonial legislatures.

A third focus for studying the colonial period is an examination of the economic development of the colonies. Colonial economic development is important because the abundance of land, periodic labor shortages, the absence of craft guilds, and the “Protestant work ethic” created wider opportunities for upward mobility. Many colonists nurtured a competitive, entrepreneurial ethos, and a devotion to private property that grew to become part of the American value system.