U.S. History Concept Taxonomy¶

This taxonomy organizes the 450 concepts in the U.S. History learning graph into 12 thematic categories. Each category has a short TaxonomyID used in the CSV and JSON files.

Categories¶

1. Foundation Concepts (FOUND)¶

TaxonomyID: FOUND
Color: SteelBlue
Foundational constitutional, legal, and governance concepts that underpin U.S. political life across all eras. Includes federalism, constitutional amendments, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, and structural features of American democracy. Also includes economic and social foundations that span multiple periods (immigration history, labor rights, income inequality, etc.).

2. Period 1 – New World and Early Contact (NEWWLD)¶

TaxonomyID: NEWWLD
Color: DarkGoldenrod
Concepts from c. 1491–1607 covering pre-Columbian civilizations, European exploration, the Columbian Exchange, Spanish/French/Dutch contact, encomienda system, and early consequences of contact for Indigenous peoples.

3. Period 2 – Colonial America (COLAM)¶

TaxonomyID: COLAM
Color: Peru
Concepts from 1607–1754: the establishment and development of the thirteen colonies, colonial economies and social structures, slavery and indentured servitude, triangular trade, mercantilism, colonial governance, the Great Awakening, and early regional differences.

4. Period 3 – Revolution and Early Republic (REVOL)¶

TaxonomyID: REVOL
Color: DarkGreen
Concepts from 1754–1800: the French and Indian War, causes of the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary War, Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, Bill of Rights, and the Washington and Adams administrations.

5. Period 4 – Expansion and Reform (EXPAN)¶

TaxonomyID: EXPAN
Color: LimeGreen
Concepts from 1800–1848: Jeffersonian democracy, westward expansion, the Era of Good Feelings, Jacksonian democracy, Indian Removal, Manifest Destiny, the Mexican-American War, abolitionism, women's rights, the Industrial Revolution in America, and antebellum reform movements.

6. Period 5 – Civil War and Reconstruction (CIVWR)¶

TaxonomyID: CIVWR
Color: Crimson
Concepts from 1844–1877: sectionalism, the path to civil war, the Civil War itself, Reconstruction amendments, Radical Reconstruction, Freedmen's Bureau, and the failure of Reconstruction leading to the Redeemer South.

7. Period 6 – Gilded Age and Immigration (GILDD)¶

TaxonomyID: GILDD
Color: Gold
Concepts from 1865–1898: industrialization, railroad expansion, robber barons, labor movements, new immigration, urbanization, political machines, the Populist movement, Native American conflicts, and Gilded Age politics.

8. Period 7 – Progressivism and WWI (PROGR)¶

TaxonomyID: PROGR
Color: Teal
Concepts from 1890–1920: the Progressive Era, muckrakers, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, trust-busting, women's suffrage, the NAACP, U.S. imperialism, the Spanish-American War, and U.S. involvement in World War I through the Treaty of Versailles.

9. Period 8 – 1920s and Great Depression (DEPRS)¶

TaxonomyID: DEPRS
Color: DarkSlateBlue
Concepts from 1920–1941: consumer culture, the Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, nativism, the 1929 crash, the Great Depression, Hoover's response, the New Deal, the Dust Bowl, and the rise of fascism abroad.

10. Period 9 – WWII and Early Cold War (WWII)¶

TaxonomyID: WWII
Color: Indigo
Concepts from 1939–1960: World War II from Pearl Harbor through the atomic bombs and Allied victory; origins of the Cold War, containment, the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Korean War, McCarthyism, the arms race, and the space race.

11. Period 10 – Civil Rights and Vietnam (CIVRT)¶

TaxonomyID: CIVRT
Color: DarkOrchid
Concepts from 1954–1975: the Civil Rights Movement from Brown v. Board through the Voting Rights Act, Great Society programs, Vietnam War escalation, the counterculture, Watergate, and other social movements (feminism, AIM, farmworkers).

12. Period 11 – Reagan to Modern Era (MODRA)¶

TaxonomyID: MODRA
Color: HotPink
Concepts from 1975–present: the Reagan Revolution, the end of the Cold War, globalization, 9/11 and the War on Terror, the 2008 financial crisis, digital revolution, political polarization, and contemporary challenges.

13. Period 12 – Age of AI (AIERA)¶

TaxonomyID: AIERA
Color: Orange
Concepts from 2010–present: the history and geopolitics of artificial intelligence, semiconductor supply chains, U.S.–China chip wars, AI and national security, large language models, cyber warfare, drone warfare in Ukraine, and autonomous weapons systems.

14. AP Themes (APTHEME)¶

TaxonomyID: APTHEME
Color: DodgerBlue
The seven thematic lenses used in the AP U.S. History framework: American and National Identity; Work, Exchange, and Technology; Geography and the Environment; Migration and Settlement; Politics and Power; America in the World; America and Culture.

15. Historical Thinking Skills (SKILLS)¶

TaxonomyID: SKILLS
Color: OliveDrab
Cross-cutting analytical skills: historical causation, sourcing, corroboration, contextualization, argumentation, systems thinking, causal loop diagrams, cognitive bias recognition, and misinformation detection. These skills are applied across all periods.