Evolution of American history and its four major currents — Jacksonian, Wilsonian, Jeffersonian, and Hamiltonian — from the War of Independence to the First World War[Évolution de l'histoire américaine et de ses quatre grands courants, jacksoniens, wilsoniens, jeffersoniens et hamiltoniens : de la guerre d’indépendance à la première guerre mondiale]

On this first lecture on the United States, Yves Roucaute, Full Professor, agrégé in political science and philosophy, Doctor of State in political science, shows that the whole of American history — from the war of liberation of the colonies to the Second World War — is shaped by conflicts and alliances between four clearly defined currents: the "Wilsonian" current, born from the founding Puritan religious movements of the USA; the "Jeffersonian" current, born with Jefferson; the "Jacksonian" current, in reality born with Washington; and the "Hamiltonian" current, born with Hamilton. After showing that these currents remain today the key to understanding American politics, he follows step by step the evolution of this history, examining the shifts in positions and the regional influence of these currents up to the Civil War. Then, after the creation of the Republican Party — founded in opposition to the pro-slavery Democratic Party — he analyzes the internal tensions at work within both parties, together with the changes in alliances, which the Professor links to the evolution of American power. Examining each presidential election, and showing how the alliance of Jeffersonians and Jacksonians took shape within the Republican Party, and how that of Hamiltonians and Wilsonians formed within the Democratic Party, this lecture concludes with Pearl Harbor and the reversal of power relations within the Republican Party, when the Jacksonian "America First" current finally took a pro-war position.