This course will provide an overview of the political, social, economic, and cultural development of the United States from 1865 to the present. A wide range of topics will be explored including Reconstruction, Industrialization, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the Progressive Movement, the First World War, the Depression, World War II, the Cold War Era, the expansion of civil rights, and recent trends. In addition, this course will introduce students to a variety of essential skills such as discerning frame of reference in primary and secondary sources, hypothesis formation using the historical method of inquiry, writing persuasive essays, and documenting sources.