AP United States History Syllabus
OBJECTIVE: This course is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. History. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory courses. Students learn to assess historical materials, their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. An AP U.S. History course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format. (May 2006-2007 College Board AP History Course Description) The course is divided into historical topics as suggested and outlined in the College Board AP Course Description with emphasis on key themes throughout the year. These themes include discussions of diversity and identity of Americans, cultural change, economic change, reform struggles, war and diplomacy. Other themes covered will include demographic features, environmental concerns, globalization, political institutions, religious focus, and the history and legacy of slavery. FORMAT AND PROCEDURES: Projects: Major research projects analyzing the period of study will be assigned each nine weeks to be completed out of class, as well as cooperative group research assignments. Essays: Writing essays is a required segment of the AP course. Every unit will have an assigned essay following the AP format style of writing. Class work/Homework: Daily assignments will be given to develop and improve the mastery of skills and concepts to include reading skills, note-taking skills, map skills, analytical thinking, summarizing, evaluating, interpreting, and synthesizing. Quizzes: Multiple Choice quizzes in the AP format will be given at the end of each week covering the current topics of study. Discussion/Debates: All students are expected to participate and respect varying views on historical events and persons. Each unit will utilize discussion of and writing about related historiography: how interpretations of events have changed over time, how the issues of one time period have had an impact on the experiences and decisions of subsequent generations, and how such reevaluations of the past continue to shape the way historians see the world today. Readings : Nightly textbook readings will be assigned requiring a one pay summary of the material covered. They will be done in connection to the chapter being discussed in class. Outside readings will be required in addition to the textbook chapters. Tests: Unit tests will be multiple choice and essay, using the AP format. Unit tests are comprehensive to continue reviewing previously covered topics. The AP test that will be administered at the end of the course will cover political, social, cultural, intellectual, diplomatic, and economic history. RESOURCE LIST Required Test: Brinkley, Alan. American History, A Survey. 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Cost - $78.00 Books: We the People - Center for Civic Education. AP United States History - ARCO, 6th edition, 1998 Discover America - by Mike Midanico, Edvard Live, Michael Liv, 1995 The Brief American Pageant - Kennedy, Bailey, 1993 Enduring Voices - Volume 1 and 2 Harper Collins College Outline - United States History to 1877, United States History from 1865, 1991 Barron's How to Prepare for the AP U.S. History Advanced Placement Examination, 2000 The Princeton Review - Cracking the AP U.S. History Advanced Placement Examination, 2004 Websites: http://www.collegeboard.com/ap TENATIVE COURSE TOPICS SCHEDULE: (The College Board AP Program Course Description) Week 1 Pre-Columbian Societies/ Diversity Lecture/Discussion Topics: Early inhabitants of the Americas American Indian empires in Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississippi Valley American Indian cultures of North America at the time of European contact Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 1 Major Assignments and Assessments: Develop a chart comparing Native Americans diverse cultures Map Skills on Locations of Tribes Essay/DBQ: Were the Native American civilized? Week 2 & 3 Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginning, 1492-1690/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: First European contacts with Native Americans Spain's empire in North America French colonization of Canada English settlement of New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the South Servitude and slavery in the Chesapeake region Religious diversity in the American colonies Resistance to colonial authority; Bacon's Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution, and the Pueblo Revolt Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 1, 2 Document Reading/Discussion: Bartolome de Las Casas Indicts the Conquistadors, 1542 Primary Document - Mayflower Compact Major Assignments and Assessments: Map routes of Explorers - Highlight by Country Chart of Colombian Exchange - Evaluate the consequences Read and Rewrite the Mayflower Compact Develop comparison chart of English colonies - Motivation for founding, key economic pursuits Colonial Newspaper Essay/DBQ: Compare and contrast the European colonization of America. Why did so many people move to colonial America? Unit One Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 4 & 5 Colonial North America, 1690-1754/ Cultural Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Population growth and immigration Transatlantic trade and the growth of seaports Eighteenth-century back country Growth of plantation economies and slave societies Enlightenment and Great Awakening Colonial governments and imperial policy in British North America Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 3 Document Reading/Discussion: Olaudah Equino Recalls the Horrors of the Middle Passage "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Major Assignments and Assessments: Decision Making - Retreat or Revolt Map of transatlantic trade Essay/DBQ: Analyze Democracy in Colonial Government Unit Two Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 6 & 7 The American Revolutionary Era, 1754-1789/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: French and Indian War Resistance to British control Revolutionary War State constitutions and the Articles of Confederation Constitution Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 4, 5, 6 Declaration of Independence We the People, Center for Civic Education, California, 1987 - Unit 2 & 3 Major Assignments and Assessments: Identify options to French and Indian War Timeline of Key Events to Revolutions - British Actions, American Reaction Analyze Declaration of Independence Chart of Articles of Confederation Problems and Constitutional Solutions Comparison of Federalist and Anti-federalist positions Essay/DBQ: Evaluate the major arguments in ratifying the Constitution Unit Three Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 8-9 The Early Republic/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Washington, Hamilton, and shaping of the national government Emergence of political parties: Federalists and Republicans Women in the New Republic Second Great Awakening Jefferson's Presidency Expansion into the trans-Appalachian West; American Indian resistance Growth of slavery and free Black communities War of 1812 and its consequences Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 6, 7 Washington's Farewell Address Alien and Sedition Acts Document Reading/Discussion: President Madison States the Case for War, 1812 Major Assignments and Assessments: Research on Development of Political Parties - Hamilton v. Jefferson Identifying Solutions to Washington's Problems Map Lesson on Right of Deposit at New Orleans Research Major Cases in Marshall Court - Decision, Reason, Significance Essay/DBQ: Compare and contrast the European colonization of America. What forces led Americans to declare the War of 1812? Week 10 Transformation of the Economy and Society in Antebellum America/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Transportation revolution and creation of a national market economy Beginnings of industrialization and changes in social and class structure Immigration and nativist reaction Planters, Yeoman farmers, and slaves in the cotton South Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 10 Document Reading/Discussion: Modernization and Social Change in the Antebellum Era
Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of transportation developments - analyze the significance of development Map of Slavery and cotton expansion - explain connection between the maps Chart comparing tariff positions for each region - North, West, and South Visuals examining the romantic and realistic view of slavery - Editorial on Slavery Essay/DBQ: Analyze the legal, religious, and economic arguments defending the institution of slavery. Unit Four Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 11 The Transformation of Politics in Antebellum America/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Emergence of the second party system Federal authority and its opponents: judicial federalism, Bank War, tariff controversy, and states rights debates Jacksonian democracy - its successes and limitations Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 8, 9 Document Reading/Discussion: Jackson 's Farewell Address, 1837 Major Assignments and Assessments: Timeline of political party development - explain political changes Analyze Political Cartoons - Andrew Jackson Essay/DBQ: Examine the actions and policies of Andrew Jackson Week 12 Religion, Reform, and Renaissance in Antebellum America/ Reform Lecture/Discussion Topics: Evangelical Protestant revivalism Social reforms Ideals of domesticity Transcendentalism and utopian communities American Renaissance: literary and artistic expressions Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 12 Declaration of Rights and Sentiments - Seneca Falls Document Reading/Discussion: Revivalism and Social Activism: The Roots of Reform Major Assignments and Assessments: Research Reform Movements: Utopia, Temperance, Abolition, Women's Rights Essay/DBQ: Examine each of the four major reform movements criticism of society, methods, key leaders, and impact. Week 13 Territorial Expansion and Manifest Destiny/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Forced removal of American Indians to the trans-Mississippi West Western migrations and cultural interactions Territorial acquisitions Early U.S. imperialism: the Mexican War Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 9, 13 Document Reading/Discussion: The Overland Trail: Sharing the Burden Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of Indian Removal - Journal writing of the story Map of Territorial Expansion of U.S. Chart - Territorial Growth, Date, Circumstances of acquisition. Essay/DBQ: Evaluate the diplomatic history leading to the war with Mexico. Unit Five Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ Week 14-15 The Crisis of the Union/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Pro-and antislavery arguments and conflicts Compromise of 1850 and popular sovereignty Kansas-Nebraska Act and the emergence of the Republican Party Abraham Lincoln, the election of 1860 and secession Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 13 Document Reading/Discussion: Women and the Attack on Slavery John Brown's defense speech Major Assignments and Assessments: Investigate and analyze the role of key events in helping or hurting the national union Writing - John Brown - Martyr or Maniac Essay/DBQ: Evaluate the key figures in the struggle to abolish slavery. Week 16-17 Civil War/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Two societies at war: mobilization, resources, and internal dissent Military strategies and foreign diplomacy Emancipation and the role of African Americans in the war Social, political, and economic effects of the war in the North, South, and West Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 14 Document Reading/Discussion: The Crucible of War: Life and Death as a Personal Experience Major Assignments and Assessments: Secession Map Key Battles Map - Effect on Region Create Post Cards from the War - Women, African Americans, Prisoner of War, Plantation Owner, Soldier Comparison Chart of Northern and Southern Resources Essay/DBQ: Was the Civil War inevitable?
Week 18 Reconstruction/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Presidential and Radical Reconstruction Southern state governments, aspirations, achievements, failures Role of African Americans in politics, education, and the economy Compromise of 1877 Impact of Reconstruction Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 15 Document Reading/Discussion: "Free At Last": The Black Response to Emancipation Poem - O Captain, My Captain - Walt Whitman Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of Economic Effects of War Comparison Chart - Presidential Reconstruction v. Congressional Reconstruction Pictorial Study of African Americans during Reconstruction Essay/DBQ: How do you account for the failure of Reconstruction? Unit Six Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ END OF SEMESTER
Week 1 The Origins of the New South/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Reconfiguration of southern agriculture: sharecropping and crop lien system Expansion of manufacturing and industrialization Politics of segregation: Jim Crow and disfranchisement Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 15 Document Reading/Discussion: The Atlanta News Advocates Violence to Redeem the South, 1874 Major Assignments and Assessments: News Flyer - Key Events for the New South Essay/DBQ: In what ways was Henry Grady the voice of the New South?
Week 2 Development of the West in the Late Nineteenth Century/ Diversity Lecture/Discussion Topics: Expansion and development of western railroads Competition for the West: miners, ranchers, homesteaders, and American Indians Government policy toward American Indians Gender, race, and ethnicity in the far West Environmental impacts of western settlement Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 16 Document Reading/Discussion: The Native American Presence: The Massacre at Sand Creek Major Assignments and Assessments: Map Study of Native American conflicts, mining development, and cattle trails connections Essay/DBQ: Evaluate the statement: The settlement of the west was a disgrace. Week 3 Industrial America in the Late Nineteenth Century/ Economic Change Corporate consolidation of industry Effects of technological development on the worker and workplace Labor and unions National politics and influence of corporate power Migration and immigration: the changing face of the nation Proponents and opponents of the new order, e.g. Social Darwinism and Social Gospel Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 17 Document Reading/Discussion: The Workers Response to Industrialism: Unionism and Labor Violence Major Assignments and Assessments: News Stories on Industrialists Comparison Chart on Labor Unions Graph Study on Immigration Essay/DBQ: To what extent did big business play a role in the political arena and what were the justifications? Were the business leaders at the turn of the century robber barons or industrial statesmen? Explain. Unit Seven Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 4 Urban Society in the Late Nineteenth Century/ Cultural Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Urbanization and the lure of the city City problems and machine politics Intellectual and cultural movements and popular entertainment Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 18 Document Reading/Discussion: Jacob Riis Describes Immigrant Life in NY City Tenements, 1890 Major Assignments and Assessments: Research Gilded Age Arts - Authors, Architects, Artists, Furnishings Essay/DBQ: What key changes did urbanization bring to America? How did both the rich and the poor express their urban cultures? Analyze the conflicts. Week 5 & 6 Populism and Progressivism/ Reform Lecture/Discussion Topics: Agrarian discontent and political issues of the late nineteenth century Origins of Progressive reform; municipal, state, and national Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson as Progressive presidents Women's role: family, workplace, education, politics, and reform Black America: urban migration and civil rights initiatives Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 19, 21 Document Reading/Discussion: The Omaha Platform, 1892 Major Assignments and Assessments: Role play campaign of 1912 Debate the "Proper Role for Women" Compare/Contrast Women's Movement to Earlier Historic Efforts Essay/DBQ: Define and describe the progressive reform movement in comparison to earlier reform movements. Unit Eight Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ Week 7 & 8 The Emergence of America as a World Power/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: American imperialism: political and economic expansion War in Europe and American neutrality First World War at home and abroad Treaty of Versailles Society and economy in postwar years Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 20, 22, 23 Primary Source - Zimmerman Telegram Document Reading/Discussion: Wilson's Fourteen Points Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of overseas empire World War I newspaper Essay/DBQ: Explain the transitions from isolationism to imperialism in the U.S. What provoked the U.S. to engage in the Spanish-American War? Week 9 The New Era: 1920's/ Cultural Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Business and the consumer economy Republican politics: Harding, Coolidge, Hoover Culture of Modernism: science, the arts, and entertainment Responses to Modernism: religious fundamentalism, nativism, and Prohibition Ongoing struggle for equality: African Americans and women Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 24 Document Reading/Discussion: Sources of Social Conflict: Reactions to Changing Moral Values Major Assignments and Assessments: Cultural Investigations of Art, Literature, and Music Essay/DBQ: How were the twenties an era of transition?
Week 10 The Great Depression and the New Deal/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Causes of the Great Depression Hoover Administration's response Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal Labor and Union recognition New Deal coalition and its critics from the Right and the Left Surviving hard times: American society during the Great Depression Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 25, 26 Document Reading/Discussion: Environmental Disaster: Images of Human Error and Hope for the Future Major Assignments and Assessments: Graphs on Depression Statistics Research on New Deal Agencies Depression newspaper Essay/DBQ: Identify and describe the causes and the presidential actions in dealing with the Great Depression. Explain the statement: FDR created the welfare system. Unit Nine Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ Week 11 The Second World War/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Rise of fascism and militarism in Japan, Italy, and Germany Prelude to war: policy to neutrality Pearl Harbor and United States Declaration of War Fighting a multifront war Diplomacy, war aims, and wartime conferences United States as a global power in the Atomic Age Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 27, 28 Document Reading/Discussion: Warner Brothers Declares War on the German-American Bund, 1939 Major Assignments and Assessments: Timeline of War Highlights World War II newspaper Essay/DBQ: Was World War II unavoidable for Americans? Week 12 The Home Front during the War/ Diversity Lecture/Discussion Topics: Wartime mobilization of the economy Urban migration and demographic changes Women, work, and family during the war Civil liberties and civil rights during wartime War and regional development Expansion of government powers Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 28 Document Reading/Discussion: War and Society: Outsiders on the Inside Major Assignments and Assessments: Chart of wartime agencies Essay/DBQ: Compare and contrast America's domestic response to World War I and II Unit Ten Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ
Week 13 The United State and the Early Cold War/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: Origins of the Cold War Truman and Containment Cold War in Asia: China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan Diplomatic strategies and policies of Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations Red Scare and McCarthyism Impact of Cold War on American society Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 29 Document Reading/Discussion: President Truman's Loyalty Order, 1947 Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of Korea and Vietnam Ward Essay/DBQ: Were the fears of the Cold War justified? Week 14 1950's/ Culture and Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Emergence of the modern Civil Rights movement Affluent society and "the other America" Consensus and conformity: suburbia and middle-class America Social critics, nonconformists, and cultural rebels Impact of changes in science, technology, and medicine Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 30 Document Reading/Discussion: Changing Times: The Origins of the Modern Civil-Rights Movement Major Assignments and Assessments: Comparison of affluent America and "the other America" Visual study of art, architecture, music, and fashion Essay/DBQ: To what extent did the 50's deserve the reputation as and age of political, social, and cultural conformity? Unit Eleven Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ Week 15 The Turbulent 1960's/ War and Diplomacy Lecture/Discussion Topics: From the New Frontier to the Great Society Expanding movements for civil rights Cold War confrontations: Asia, Latin America, and Europe Beginning of Détente Antiwar movement and the counterculture Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 31, 32 Great Society Speech Document Reading/Discussion: Black Nationalism and Black Power: When the Singing Stopped Major Assignments and Assessments: Map of Cold War Events Timeline of Civil Rights Essay/DBQ: Analyze changes, goals, and strategies for African Americans in the struggle for civil rights. LBJ's actions in Vietnam were doomed for failure. Evaluate this statement. Why was FDR's Good Neighbor Policy unable to survive the Cold War era?
Week 16 Political and Economics at the End of the Twentieth Century/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Election of 1968 and the "Silent Majority" Nixon's challenges: Vietnam, China, Watergate Changes in the American economy: the energy crisis, deindustrialization, and the service economy New Right and Reagan revolution End of the Cold War Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 32, 33 Document Reading/Discussion: Nixon Recalls Damage Control, 1972 Major Assignments and Assessments: Protest Magazine for the 70s Analyze political cartoons - Watergate, Reagan Essay/DBQ: Assess the success of the containment policy between 1945 and 1975. Unit Twelve Exam - Multiple Choice and Essay/DBQ Week 17 Society and culture at the end of the Twentieth Century/ Cultural Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Demographic changes: surge of immigration after 1965, Sunbelt Migrations, and the graying of America Revolutions technology Politics in a multicultural society Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 34 Document Reading/Discussion: Jimmy Carter and the First Success of the Religious Right, 1976-1980 Major Assignments and Assessments: Presidential Comparison Map of Population Shift Essay/DBQ: How has America changed from 1960-1990? AP Exam Week 18 The United States in the Post-Cold War World/ Economic Change Lecture/Discussion Topics: Globalization and the American economy Unilateralism vs. mulilateralism in foreign policy Environmental issues in a global context Required Reading Summary: *Text - Chapter 34 Document Reading/Discussion: The New Immigration: A Statistical Portrait, 1980, 1987 Major Assignments and Assessments: Editorial Letter on the Environment World Map of Current Events Essay/DBQ: Is America still the world leader it once was? Explain. |
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