Pax Americana: An Advanced History of the 20th Century

This free curriculum covers a full year of high school history and civics, and is intended to help prepare students to take the AP United States History examination in a later year. With more than 100 hours of instructional YouTube videos and an extensive workbook, Journey Into Pax Americana features an exceptional level of depth regarding the history of America’s rise to global dominance.

Recent History is the Most Important Key to the Present

Of all the eras of human history, none is more crucial to understanding the makeup of the modern world than the period from the beginning of the World Wars to the present. The events of 1914, a little more than a century ago, set in motion a sequence of events that directly led to the rise of the United States as a global superpower, the demise of the European colonial powers, the founding of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, the current structure of the Middle East, and the period of extraordinary global prosperity known by some historians as Pax Americana (Latin for “the American peace”).

Tragically, this period of time is also severely neglected by most history classes. The average American adult barely knows anything about WWI and WWII, knows even less about the Cold War, and knows effectively nothing about the history of the Soviet Union, Imperial Japan, and the People’s Republic of China. At the time of writing, numerous conflicts are raging throughout the world that are intimately linked to the events of the past century. This includes the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as growing tensions between America and its geopolitical rivals such as China and Iran. Now, more than ever, it is essential for responsible citizens to be informed about recent history.

You’ve Never Seen a Curriculum Like This

This curriculum offers students a rigorous and extensive deep dive into the events that directly shaped the world they were born into. In addition to covering the events of the 20th and early 21st centuries in far more detail than is permitted in a less focused curriculum, Journey Into Pax Americana takes the important step of introducing students to the inner workings of America’s historical foes – especially including Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and the People’s Republic of China. By providing valuable exposure to the philosophy, government, and culture of these nations, it ensures that students will not fall into the common trap of assuming that all nations share the basic priorities of the Western world.

In particular, students will see behind the Iron Curtain and learn about neglected topics such as the Holodomor, the Great Purge, the gulags, and the efforts of Western journalists to cover up the human rights abuses of the Soviets. Students will complete the course with a much clearly understanding of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party and the human rights abuses currently being perpetrated by them. Journey Into Pax Americana covers these and similar topics to such a strong degree that it also doubles as a full, year-long course on Humanities.

A Rigorous Curriculum

It’s important to emphasize that this is a serious course that demands a fair bit out of students – don’t let the fact that we use YouTube videos fool you into thinking otherwise! We’ve carefully curated more than 100 hours of quality videos, and provide a lengthy workbook for students to fill out while they watch. We’re comfortable saying that this is the best way for high school students to learn history, bar none.

An Optional Sequel to Journey Into the Foundations of America

Although this curriculum can easily be used on its own, it was designed to be an ideal sequel to our Journey Into the Foundations of America textbook, which is available as a free download from our site (physical copies are also available for purchase). Journey Into the Foundations of America covers the history of America from the colonial period to 1914, and Journey Into Pax Americana picks up exactly where it leaves off.

Preparation for AP United States History

Together, Journey Into the Foundations of America and Journey Into Pax Americana provide a compelling, two-year study of American history that will leave them in a good position to take the AP United States History examination for college credit. If you would like your student to take the exam, we recommend that you purchase a guidebook for AP United States History, and study the format of the test carefully. Have your child take several practice tests before the real exam.

Ideally, we recommend that your child should cover Journey Into the Foundations of America in 8th grade, Journey Into Pax Americana in 9th grade, and then spend 11th grade specifically studying for the AP United States History exam (with 10th grade being used to study a historical subject unrelated to America). This schedule provides students three full years to prepare for the AP test, while also providing a break from American history in 10th grade (this provides ample opportunity to benefit from the “spacing effect” – that is, the observation that students learn better when given enough time to forget and relearn information).

Using This Curriculum

This curriculum is divided into 10 periods. For each period, students will:

Watch the playlist videos corresponding to the period.
Create a timeline of events within the time period.
Write descriptions of the events from the above timeline.
Write two essays about events that happened during the period (or in some cases, in an earlier period).

The free workbook (linked below) includes sheets for all of the assignments students are required to complete.

The Playlists

There are two playlists for the course, which are linked below:

Journey Into Pax Americana – Part 1 (Covers Periods 1-4)
Journey Into Pax Americana – Part 2 (Covers Periods 5-10)

The Workbook

The workbook includes more than 100 pages, most of which correspond to assignments that students should work through. These include assignments to write out a timeline of events in each period, as well as brief descriptions for each event.

Each period also requires students to write two essays. The essays should be done in a closed-notes manner, as the goal is for students to demonstrate their retention of the material. We recommend that you set a time limit of one hour. If you intend for your child to eventually take the AP United States History exam, we recommend that you investigate the standards that are used to grade long essay questions (LEQs), and apply a similar standard. In particular, note that the AP essays are graded as a first draft – minor grammatical errors do not factor into the score. Also, show your child a video or two on YouTube about good strategies for answering LEQs, such as this one.