- Course Type CLEP
- Subject History and Social Sciences
- Level Introductory
- Length 8 Modules
- Video Length 16h 14m
- Reading Pages 594
- Institution Modern States
ABOUT THIS COURSE
History of the United States II covers the material typically taught in the second semester of a two-semester U.S. history survey. The course examines the period from the end of the Civil War to the present, focusing on political, social, cultural, economic, and diplomatic history. The CLEP® exam places primary emphasis on developments of the twentieth century.
This is a free, self-paced Modern States course with no prerequisites. It is aligned to the CLEP® History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present exam and is designed to prepare you to succeed on the test and earn college credit at no cost.
Modern States originally developed this course in collaboration with Stephen Sullivan, Ph.D. Eric J. Morgan of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay supported course enhancements published in 2025.
Course Overview
History of the United States II Course Overview - Modern States
| Module | Topic | Video Length | Total pages of required reading |
| Module 1: Reconstruction and the West 01:55:35 total video length 60 total reading pages |
1: Introduction to Reconstruction and the West | 0:00:52 | – |
| 1.1: Reconstruction – America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1865–1877 | 0:02:55 | 28 | |
| 1.1.1: Wartime Reconstruction | 0:06:42 | – | |
| 1.1.2: Presidential Reconstruction | 0:10:32 | – | |
| 1.1.3: Radical Reconstruction | 0:16:11 | – | |
| 1.1.4: The Grant Administration | 0:08:37 | – | |
| 1.1.5: Black Lives in the Postbellum South | 0:19:45 | – | |
| 1.1.6: Retreat from Reconstruction | 0:10:48 | – | |
| 1.2: “Go West, Young Man!” – 1865–1900 | 0:01:22 | 32 | |
| 1.2.1: Native American Cultures and Policies | 0:08:48 | – | |
| 1.2.2: The “Wild West”? | 0:03:07 | – | |
| 1.2.3: How the West Was Really “Won” | 0:11:00 | – | |
| 1.2.4: The Legend(s) of the West | 0:14:56 | – | |
| 1: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 2: Industrialization and Urbanization 02:08:39 total video length 62 total reading pages |
2: Industrialization and Urbanization | 0:01:02 | – |
| 2.1: The Industrial Age, 1877–1920 | 0:02:18 | 30 | |
| 2.1.1: Dreamers | 0:06:45 | – | |
| 2.1.2: Workers | 0:07:15 | – | |
| 2.1.3: Corporations | 0:09:31 | – | |
| 2.1.4: Government | 0:09:12 | – | |
| 2.1.5: Emergence of Labor Unions | 0:20:43 | – | |
| 2.2: Immigration and Urban Life, 1880–1920 | 0:02:44 | 32 | |
| 2.2.1: The Modern City | 0:06:17 | – | |
| 2.2.2: Urban Sprawl | 0:04:48 | – | |
| 2.2.3: From New Immigration to Immigration Restriction | 0:16:23 | – | |
| 2.2.4: Housing and Housing Reform | 0:11:37 | – | |
| 2.2.5: Quality of Life | 0:06:55 | – | |
| 2.2.6: “Bosses of Courses” | 0:13:48 | – | |
| 2.2.7: Newspapers and Other Media | 0:09:21 | – | |
| 2: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 3: The Gilded Age and the Progressive Movement 02:04:28 total video length 62 total reading pages |
3: The Gilded Age and the Progressive Movement | 0:00:33 | – |
| 3.1: The Gilded Age | 0:02:34 | 30 | |
| 3.1.1: Who’s Who in the Cast? | 0:06:55 | – | |
| 3.1.2: Civil Service Reform | 0:06:27 | – | |
| 3.1.3: Railroad Regulation | 0:07:27 | – | |
| 3.1.4: Tariff Policy | 0:03:35 | – | |
| 3.1.5: Monetary Policy | 0:05:53 | – | |
| 3.1.6: Forgettable Presidents | 0:13:05 | – | |
| 3.1.7: “Black Lives (Don’t) Matter…” | 0:09:14 | – | |
| 3.1.8: The Farmers’ Crusade – Radical or Reactionary? | 0:10:56 | – | |
| 3.2: The Progressive Movement | 0:02:42 | 32 | |
| 3.2.1: Upper-Class Reformers | 0:05:19 | – | |
| 3.2.2: Working Class Reform | 0:16:42 | – | |
| 3.2.3: Government Reform | 0:07:15 | – | |
| 3.2.4: Theodore Roosevelt’s Bully Pulpit | 0:07:01 | – | |
| 3.2.5: High Point for Conservation | 0:03:51 | – | |
| 3.2.6: Was Taft a True Progressive? | 0:07:18 | – | |
| 3.2.7: Wilson’s New Freedom | 0:07:41 | – | |
| 3: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 4: American Imperialism and World War I 02:09:34 total video length 60 total reading pages |
4: The Age of Empire | 0:01:24 | – |
| 4.1: The Age of Empire | 0:01:55 | 28 | |
| 4.1.1: The New Imperialism | 0:04:55 | – | |
| 4.1.2: The Lure of Empire | 0:06:47 | – | |
| 4.1.3: “A Splendid Little War” | 0:16:20 | – | |
| 4.1.4: U.S. Imperial Expansion, 1857–1917 | 0:13:44 | – | |
| 4.1.5: The Philippines | 0:04:26 | – | |
| 4.1.6: Imperialists vs. Anti-Imperialists | 0:05:38 | – | |
| 4.1.7: Open Door and Big Stick | 0:07:53 | – | |
| 4.2: Americans in the Great War | 0:02:34 | 32 | |
| 4.2.1: “Over There” | 0:07:40 | – | |
| 4.2.2: “The Yanks Are Coming” | 0:10:12 | – | |
| 4.2.3: Winning the War at Home | 0:11:59 | – | |
| 4.2.4: Winning at What Cost? | 0:09:28 | – | |
| 4.2.5: Blacks in the Military | 0:04:49 | – | |
| 4.2.6: Women & the War | 0:04:20 | – | |
| 4.2.7: Winning the Great War | 0:06:11 | – | |
| 4.2.8: Losing the Peace | 0:09:19 | – | |
| 4: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 5: From Jazz Age to Depression: The Tragedy of the 1920’s 01:27:08 total video length 62 total reading pages |
5: Crisis and Change in the 1920s and 1930s | 0:01:01 | – |
| 5.1: Cultural Conflicts and Innovations in the 1920s | 0:03:03 | 29 | |
| 5.1.1: “The Business of America Is Business” | 0:06:08 | – | |
| 5.1.2: A Return to Normalcy | 0:05:37 | – | |
| 5.1.3: Silent Cal | 0:04:53 | – | |
| 5.1.4: Consumer Age | 0:06:08 | – | |
| 5.1.5: Demographic Trends | 0:06:35 | – | |
| 5.1.6: Age of Wonderful Nonsense | 0:04:37 | – | |
| 5.1.7: America in Transition | 0:01:13 | – | |
| 5.1.8: Age of Intolerance | 0:09:36 | – | |
| 5.1.9: From Lost Generation to Harlem Renaissance | 0:08:52 | – | |
| 5.2: From Boom to Bust – The Crash and Depression | 0:01:16 | 33 | |
| 5.2.1: The Election of 1928 | 0:06:49 | – | |
| 5.2.2: The Great Crash | 0:04:48 | – | |
| 5.2.3: From Hero to Goat | 0:08:46 | – | |
| 5.2.4: The Depression in a Nutshell | 0:07:46 | – | |
| 5: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 6: Happy Days Are Here Again: FDR and the New Deal 00:41:26 total video length 29 total reading pages |
6: “Happy Days Are Here Again” – FDR and the New Deal | 0:02:14 | 29 |
| 6.1: FDR and the New Deal | 0:02:22 | – | |
| 6.2: A New Deal | 0:05:23 | – | |
| 6.3: The First New Deal | 0:11:37 | – | |
| 6.4: The Second New Deal | 0:07:02 | – | |
| 6.5: Controversies and Critics | 0:06:15 | – | |
| 6.6: The New Deal’s Legacy | 0:06:33 | – | |
| 6: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 7: Winning the War & Fighting the Peace: WWII and the Cold War 03:12:46 total video length 99 total reading pages |
7: Winning the War & Fighting the Peace | 0:00:47 | – |
| 7.1: Mobilizing for War | 0:01:36 | 33 | |
| 7.1.1: The Road to War | 0:05:20 | – | |
| 7.1.2: Overall Strategy | 0:06:59 | – | |
| 7.1.3: The Home Front | 0:13:35 | – | |
| 7.1.4: Women and the War | 0:06:41 | – | |
| 7.1.5: Everyday Life at Home | 0:08:22 | – | |
| 7.1.6: The Constitution and the War | 0:05:23 | – | |
| 7.1.7: Life (and Death) in the Military | 0:03:52 | – | |
| 7.1.8: The European Theater | 0:15:22 | – | |
| 7.1.9: The Pacific Theater | 0:15:06 | – | |
| 7.2: “A Troubled Feast” | 0:02:20 | 33 | |
| 7.2.1: Justice and Peace for All | 0:04:46 | – | |
| 7.2.2: Two Superpowers | 0:14:58 | – | |
| 7.2.3: Containment and Conflict | 0:07:36 | – | |
| 7.2.4: Germany – The New Powderkeg? | 0:08:06 | – | |
| 7.2.5: Cold War in Asia | 0:03:14 | – | |
| 7.2.6: The Korean War | 0:07:40 | – | |
| 7.2.7: The General Is Now President | 0:03:04 | – | |
| 7.2.8: Covert Operations | 0:04:36 | – | |
| 7.2.9: The Space Race | 0:03:25 | – | |
| 7.2.10: The “Friendship Race” – A Struggle for Third World Allies | 0:09:59 | – | |
| 7.3: America at Midcentury, 1945–1960 | 0:01:27 | 33 | |
| 7.3.1: From Wartime to Peacetime Economy | 0:07:14 | – | |
| 7.3.2: Social Change in Postwar America | 0:08:28 | – | |
| 7.3.3: Domestic Anticommunism – From Concern to Hysteria | 0:07:30 | – | |
| 7.3.4: “We Like Ike” | 0:01:49 | – | |
| 7.3.5: Civil Rights Movement | 0:08:27 | – | |
| 7.3.6: “Roll Over, Beethoven” – Music & Literature | 0:02:47 | – | |
| 7.3.7: “Gimme Shelter” | 0:02:17 | – | |
| 7: Summary | – | – | |
| Module 8: A Changing Nation, 1980–Present 02:34:22 total video length 160 total reading pages |
8: A Changing Nation, 1980–Present | 0:01:05 | – |
| 8.1: The Rise of Conservatism | 0:01:33 | 31 | |
| 8.1.1: JFK and Civil Rights | 0:07:13 | – | |
| 8.1.2: Nonviolent Radicals and Violent Conservatives | 0:09:45 | – | |
| 8.1.3: New Frontiers & Old Rivals | 0:08:37 | – | |
| 8.1.4: Reaching for the Stars | 0:01:53 | – | |
| 8.1.5: “President Kennedy Has Been Shot” | 0:02:40 | – | |
| 8.1.6: The Great Society | 0:06:45 | – | |
| 8.1.7: The Longest War | 0:09:34 | – | |
| 8.1.8: The Culture of Protest | 0:06:55 | – | |
| 8.2: Post-Industrial America – Nixon to Carter | 0:00:59 | 35 | |
| 8.2.1: The Fight for Justice Expands | 0:07:30 | – | |
| 8.2.2: Farewell, Vietnam | 0:03:14 | – | |
| 8.2.3: Richard Nixon and the World | 0:07:44 | – | |
| 8.2.4: Nixon & the Nation | 0:04:04 | – | |
| 8.2.5: Watergate | 0:05:22 | – | |
| 8.2.6: An Unelected President | 0:04:45 | – | |
| 8.2.7: “Call Me Jimmy” | 0:06:58 | – | |
| 8.3: Conservatism Revived, 1980–1992 | 0:00:32 | 32 | |
| 8.3.1: Ronald Reagan’s America | 0:13:47 | – | |
| 8.3.2: “The Reagan Doctrine” | 0:06:32 | – | |
| 8.3.3: Bush’s “New World Order” | 0:06:00 | – | |
| 8.4: New Millennium, 1992–Present | 0:01:05 | 62 | |
| 8.4.1: A New Democrat | 0:11:51 | – | |
| 8.4.2: The Election of 2000 | 0:03:36 | – | |
| 8.4.3: September 11 and the War on Terror | 0:06:12 | – | |
| 8.4.4: The Winds of Change | 0:08:11 | – | |
| 8: Summary | – | – | |
| Course Conclusion | – | – |
