Required Material:
You will need the following items to complete this course:
- Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History. Brief, Sixth Edition. W.W. Norton & Company. New York, 2020.
- College Board AP® United States History Framework
These books are not required for completion of the course, but offer more information and excellent preparation for the AP United States History Exam.
- AP U.S. History Crash Course. New Jersey: Research & Education Association.
- Princeton Review. Cracking the AP U.S. History Exam. New York: Penguin Random House.
Syllabus:
Segment l:
Module 1: Quest for the Americas
Objectives:
- Explore the different and complex societies of native North American peoples.
- Examine how European exploration led to the Columbian Exchange and empire building.
- Analyze how contact between American Indians and Europeans led to debate over each side’s worldview and concept of “civilized.”
- Compare the colonization practices of the Spanish, French, Dutch, and English.
- Explore the causes and effects of the British-American system of slavery.
- Examine the regional differences between the British colonies.
- Analyze how the competition of colonization led to rivalries between European nations and with American Indians.
- Examine the political, religious, and economic exchanges within the “Atlantic World.”
Lessons:
- 01 Module One Introduction
- 01 The First Americans
- 02 A Pivotal Encounter
- 03 The Valladolid Controversy
- 04 Imperial Rivalry
- 05 Enslavement
- 06 The British Colonies
- 07 King Philip's War
- 08 The Atlantic World
- 09 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 10 Module One Exam
Module 2: Colonies at War
objectives:
- Explore the causes and effects of the Seven Years’ War.
- Discuss how Protestant evangelical fervor and the Enlightenment influenced the British colonies.
- Examine the perceived and real political and economic restraints that sparked the colonial independence movement.
- Explore the creation of a republican form of government in the United States.
- Examine how migration within North America resulted in competition for resources and boundary conflicts.
- Discuss the development of an American national identity
Lessons:
- 00 Module Two Introduction
- 01 Transatlantic War
- 02 Shifting to Independence
- 03 First Government
- 04 The Constitution
- 05 Washington’s Road Map
- 06 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 07 Module Two Exam
Module 3: A New Republic
Objectives:
- Examine how the United States developed the world’s first modern mass democracy.
- Explore debates over the power of the federal government and states’ rights.
- Analyze how the Second Great Awakening influenced reform movements such as those for abolition and women’s rights.
- Examine the causes and effects of the Market Revolution.
- Analyze how the Louisiana Purchase sparked U.S. expansion, debates over new territories, and bitter conflicts with American Indians.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Three Introduction
- 01 Mass Democracy
- 02 Mass Culture
- 03 The Market Revolution
- 04 Defining Borders
- 05 American Indian Resistance
- 06 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 07 Module Three Exam
Module 4: American Civil War
Objectives:
- Examine the causes and effects of Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War.
- Explore the successes and failures of political compromises over slavery and new territory.
- Identify the various causes that led to the American Civil War.
- Compare and contrast the various approaches to Reconstruction.
- Examine the effects of Reconstruction on African Americans.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Four Introduction
- 01 Manifest Destiny
- 02 The Firebell Rings
- 03 The Civil War
- 04 Political Reconstruction
- 05 Social Reconstruction
- 06 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 07 Segment One Exam
Segment ll:
Module 5: A Growing Nation
Objectives:
- Explore how large-scale production, business consolidation, and consumption propelled America into the “Gilded Age.”
- Identify the ways in which government policy aided corporate expansion.
- Examine the causes for and the successes of the Populist movement.
- Explore the rise of labor movements.
- Analyze how the increase in migration led political and social reforms.
- Examine how westward expansion and industrialization impacted American Indians.
- Explore the cultural and intellectual movements that justified and challenged the social order of the Gilded Age.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Five Introduction
- 01 The Gilded Age
- 02 The Paradox of Progress
- 03 New Migration
- 04 The Social Response
- 05 Closing the Frontier
- 06 The Populists
- 07 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 08 Module Five Exam
Module 6: Imperialism & Progressivism
Objectives:
- Explore the transition of the United States from a rural and agricultural society to an urban and industrial society.
- Analyze how modernization led to political and cultural conflicts.
- Examine the Progressive reformers and how they attempted to combat economic instability, social inequality, and government corruption.
- Examine the causes and effects of World War II
- Examine the changes to immigration policy resulting from post-WWI xenophobia and increased international migration
Lessons:
- 00 Module Six Introduction
- 01 The Progressives
- 02 Imperialism
- 03 The Great War
- 04 The Jazz Age
- 05 Migration and Deportation
- 06 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 07 Module Six Exam
Module 7: The World at War
Objectives:
- Analyze how government responses to the Great Depression increased federal power and led to the creation of a limited welfare state.
- Examine the causes and effects of World War II.
- Examine how United States involvement in World War II altered its relationship with the rest of the world.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Seven Introduction
- 01 The Great Depression
- 02 The New Deal
- 03 WWII Abroad
- 04 WWII at Home
- 05 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 06 Module Seven Exam
Module 8: Cold War
Objectives:
- Examine the cause and effects of the Cold War.
- Compare and contrast the involvement of the United States in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.
- Explore how Cold War foreign policy extended to Latin America and the Middle East.
- Explore the reaction of United States citizens to Cold War foreign policy and actions.
- Examine the programs and policies of the Great Society.
- Explore the movements for civil rights by African Americans and other minority groups.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Eight Introduction
- 01 The Cold War
- 02 Postwar America
- 03 Civil Rights Movement
- 04 Civil Rights for All
- 05 The Great Society
- 06 Crisis of Confidence
- 07 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 08 Module Eight Exam
Module 9: A Brave New World
Objectives:
- Examine the ideological shift from liberalism to conservatism.
- Examine Reagan’s foreign policy and the end of the Cold War.
- Explore the creation and effects of worldwide free trade agreements.
- Explore the shifts to foreign policy as a result of the war on terrorism.
- Explore how the war on terrorism generated debates over domestic security and civil rights.
- Examine the demographic shifts of the modern era and how those changes intensified debates about immigration, gender roles, family structures, and national identity.
Lessons:
- 00 Module Nine Introduction
- 01 Shifting Ideology
- 02 Foreign Policy
- 03 Changing Demographics
- 04 Globalization
- 05 Practice AP Exam
- 06 Discussion-Based Assessment
- 07 Segment Two Exam