AP United States History

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