This course, or its counterpart Chronological United States History, is a required course to be taken in the fourth year.

Themes in U.S. History is a required course and may be taken in the fourth or fifth form year. In the course students will study U.S. History by examining one theme at a time. Such themes include identity, society, politics, economics, and culture. To access these themes, students will try to answer approximately one overarching question per unit: Who is an American? What are American values? Does the United States have a culture? What are the meanings of liberty and equality? What is the role of the government in the lives of U.S. citizens? Is the United States an empire? Is the business of America business? Emphasizing depth and not breadth, each question presents students with a new journey through America’s past so they may see how a single issue develops over time. This narrower focus allows students to develop intellectual curiosity, pursue different methods of historical analysis, and engage deeply with the historical record.

Throughout the year the themes will “layer” on top of one another so students will move through U.S. History several times in several different ways. In the process, students will be encouraged to ask questions, take intellectual risks, and be empowered to develop their own ideas and interpretations of U.S. History so they may join the national conversation about our shared past.