The study guide is designed to be used with other instructional materials in a one-semester curriculum program which is linked to topics outlined in the American Issues Forum calendar. It is intended for use at the local level. In the course, students examine some of the principal conditions affecting the development of American ideas and institutions. The course focuses on the settlement of the North American continent, the changing patterns of the natural landscape, the emergence of a political ideology for a free society, and the formation of a democratic political structure. The issues are discussed in light of their bearing on the United States in 1976. Four units, which correspond to units in the reader and newspaper articles, comprise this study guide. They are A Nation of Nations; The Land of Plenty; Certain Unalienable Rights; and A More Perfect Union: The American Government. Each unit includes key concepts to consider, discussions of the newspaper articles and readings in the reader, study questions for the readings, and an annotated bibliography for each of the units. The guide concludes with a chronological time chart of events in U.S. history. (Author/ND)