AP Course Outline
  
AP U.S. History Course Outline*


General Themes


The following general themes will be addressed in some or all of the units.  They will be listed by number in each unit along with more specific themes.


1.       American Diversity


2.       American Identity


3.       Culture


4.       Demographic Changes


5.       Economic Transformations


6.       Environment


7.       Globalization


8.       Politics and Citizenship


9.       Reform


10.    Religion


11.    Slavery and Its legacies in North America


12.    War and Diplomacy


1st Trimester 


Unit 1: Colonial History     app. 1.5 weeks


Readings: 


Text: The American Pageant, Chapters 1-4 Amsco: Chapters 1-3


Supplemental Reading: 


The following documents from The American Spirit Vol. I: “The Starving Time” by Captain John Smith pp. 32-33, “Mayflower Compact” p. 44, “Abandoning Communism at Plymouth” by William Bradford p. 45


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12


Themes: 


    

  1. The emergence of American cultural traits and the factors that contributed to them.
    2. 

  2. Emerging regional patterns and how they evolved.


Possible Essay Test Questions:


1.       Analyze the differences between the Spanish settlements in the Southwest and the English colonies in New England in the seventeenth century in terms of TWO of the following:  Politics, Religion, Economic Development


2.       Compare and contrast the ways in which economic development affected politics in Massachusetts and Virginia in the period from 1607 to 1750.


3.       “Geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the British colonies in North America.” Assess the validity of this statement for the 1600s.


4.       Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions: New England, Chesapeake, Middle Atlantic


5.       Analyze the cultural and economic responses of two of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750. British, French, Spanish


6.       For the period before 1750, analyze the ways in which Britain’s policy of salutary neglect influenced the development of American society as illustrated in the following: (1) legislative assemblies, (2) commerce, (3) religion


Unit 2: Independence     app. 1.5 weeks


Readings:


Text: Chapters 5-8  Amsco: Chapters 4-5


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “George Whitefield Fascinates Franklin” excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography pp. 94-96, “Jonathan Edwards Paints the Horrors of Hell” from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards pp. 96-97, and “Declaration of Independence” 157-160


                                      


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12


Themes: 


    

  1. Colonists reevaluate their relationship with Great Britain and with each other.
    2. 

  2. The American Revolution’s place in world developments of the time period.


Possible Essay Test Questions:


1.       (DBQ) In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-63) alter the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? Use the documents and your knowledge of the time period (1740-1766) in constructing your answer.


2.       (DBQ) To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution? Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1750-1776 to answer the question.


3.       Evaluate the relative importance of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776: parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, British military measures, the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas


4.       “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation, all having in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over the states.” Evaluate this accusation made against King George III in the Declaration of Independence.


5.       “Despite the view of some historians that the conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies was economic in origin, in fact the American Revolution had its roots in politics and in other areas if American life.”  Assess the validity of this statement.


Unit 3: Post-Independence and the Critical Period      app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 9-10  Amsco: Chapter 6


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Alexander Hamilton versus Thomas Jefferson” pp. 190-200, and 202-203


Handout Packet: Excerpts from A History of Women in America, Excerpts from Great Issues in American History Vol. II on the constitutionality of the Bank


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11


Themes:


    

  1. Impact of colonial experience on post-independence government.
    2. 

  2. Development of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
    3. 

  3. The emergence of political parties and the factors that divided them.
    4. 

  4. The development of sectional specialization and interdependence.
    5. 

  5. The conflict between national power and states’ rights.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American society? In your answer, be sure to address the political, social, and economic effects of the Revolution in the period from 1775-1800.
    2. 

  2. (DBQ)From 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.  Using the documents and your knowledge of the period, evaluate this statement.
    3. 

  3. The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens which was rejected by the writers of the Constitution who created an aristocratic government which benefited only the wealthy few.  Evaluate this statement.
    4. 

  4. Analyze the extent to which the American Revolution represented a radical alteration in American political ideas and institutions.  Confine your answer to the period of 1775 to 1800.
    5. 

  5. Analyze the impact of the American Revolution on both slavery and the status of women in the period from 1775 –1800.


 


 


Unit 4: Jefferson’s Administration/Growth of Nationalism     app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 11-12 Amsco: Chapters 7-8


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Marshall Sanctions the Bank” from McCulloch v. Maryland Supreme Court Decision by John Marshall pp. 216-218, and “Jefferson Stretches the Constitution to Buy Louisiana” from a letter to John Breckinridge by Thomas Jefferson pp. 222-223


                                      


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12


Themes: 


    

  1. The peaceful transfer of power from one party to another.
    2. 

  2. Changes in party positions.
    3. 

  3. National growth and the growth of nationalism.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. To what extent was the election of 1800 aptly named the “Revolution of 1800”? Respond with reference to TWO of the following areas:


·         Economics


·         Foreign Policy


·         Judiciary


·         Politics


    

  1. With respect to the federal Constitution, the Jeffersonian Republicans are usually characterized as strict constructionists who were opposed to the broad constructionism of the Federalists. To what extent was this characterization of the two parties accurate during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison?
    2. 

  2. Historians have traditionally labeled the period after the War of 1812 the “Era of Good Feelings.” Evaluate the accuracy of this label, considering the emergence of nationalism and sectionalism.  Use your knowledge of the period 1815-1825 to construct your answer.


Unit 5: The Age of Jackson      app. 1.5 weeks


Readings:


Text: Chapters 13-15, 17 Amsco: Chapters 10-12


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Senator Robert Hayne Advocates Nullification” pp. 271-272, “Daniel Webster Pleads for the Union” pp. 272-273, “South Carolina Threatens Succession” pp. 273-274, “Andrew Jackson Denounces Nullification” p. 275, “The Abuse of Female Workers (1836)” pp. 290-291, “Dorothea Dix Succors the Insane (1843)”  320-321


Handout Packet: “The Seneca Falls Declaration,” Excerpt from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11


Themes: 


    

  1. The emergence of the second American party system.
    2. 

  2. The emergence of the “Common Man” in American politics.
    3. 

  3. Geographical and economic expansion.
    4. 

  4. Reform movements and the American character.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. “The decision of the Jackson Administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s was more a reformulation of the national policy that had been in effect since the 1790s than a change in policy.” Assess the validity of that generalization with references to the moral, political, constitutional, and practical concerns that shaped Indian policy between 1789 and the mid-1830s.
    2. 

  2. “Jacksonian democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity.”  To what extent do you agree with the Jacksonians’ view of themselves?
    3. 

  3. “American reform movements between 1820 and 1860 reflect both optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature and society.” Assess the validity of that statement in relation to three of the following:  education, temperance, women’s rights, utopian experiments, penal institutions
    4. 

  4. In what ways did early 19th century reform movements for abolition and women’s rights illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of democracy in the early American republic?
    5. 

  5. The Jacksonian period (1824 to 1848) has been celebrated as the era of the “common man.” To what extent did this period live up to its characterization? Consider two of the following in your response. economic development, politics, reform movements


Project:  Day of Cultures—2 Page Report or a PowerPoint on an assigned person who 


contributed to the reform period during this unit


Unit 6: Slavery and Sectionalism     app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 16, 18-19 Amsco: Chapters 9,13


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit,  “William Harper’s Apology (1837)” pp. 362-364, “William Lloyd Garrison Launches The Liberator (18312)” 368-369, and “The South Scorns Mrs. Stowe (1852)” pp. 419-420       


Handout Packet: Excerpts from Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave                         


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11


Themes: 


    

  1. Sectionalism
    2. 

  2. Slavery and causes of the Civil War


ATTENTION: BETTER START READING SINCLAIR.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. (DBQ)Discuss the elements of causation for the American Civil War from 1820-1861?
    2. 

  2. (DBQ) “Slavery becomes the dominant issue in the North and South between 1820-1860 that affects the political, social, and economic lives of the people.”  Assess the validity of this statement.
    3. 

  3. (DBQ)Assess the moral, racial, and economic arguments FOR and AGAINST slavery in the antebellum South (1800-1860).
    4. 

  4. (DBQ)Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity”?  Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced the lives of women during this period.  In your answer be sure to consider issues of race and class.  Use the documents and your knowledge of the time period in constructing your response.
    5. 

  5. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period of 1820 to 1861.


Unit 7: Civil War and Reconstruction    app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 20-22 Amsco: Chapters 14-15


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “The War to Preserve the Union (1863)” from the Gettysburg Address p. 453, “The War to End Slavery (1865)” from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address pp. 453-455, and “Frederick Douglass Complains” pp. 521-522, “Booker T. Washington Reflects” pp. 523-524


Handout Packet: “South Carolina Declaration of Causes of Secession, December 24, 1860” from Great Issues in American History Vol. II


                                      


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12


Themes:


    

  1. Secession and war
    2. 

  2. Reconstruction issues and plans
    3. 

  3. The struggle for equality
    4. 

  4. Native American relations


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. Explain why and how the role of the federal government changed as a result of the Civil War with respect to TWO of the following during the period of 1861-1877: Race relations, Economic development, Westward Expansion
    2. 

  2. Evaluate the impact of the Civil War on political and economic developments in TWO of the following regions.  The South, The North, The West
    3. 

  3.  (DBQ) In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution? Use the documents and your knowledge of the period from 1860 to 1877 to answer your question.
    4. 

  4. Discuss the political, economic, and social reforms introduced in the South between 1864-1877. To what extent did these reforms survive the Compromise of 1877?


2nd Trimester


Unit 8: Rise of Business and Labor    app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 23-25 Amsco: 16 (Start at New South) -18


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit Vol. II, “A Southern Senator Defends Jim Crow (1900)” pp. 42-43, “John D. Rockefeller Justifies Rebates (1909)” pp. 69-70, and “Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth (1889)” pp. 72-74


Robber Baron vs. Captains of Industry Webquest


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9


Themes:


    

  1. Political alignment and corruption in the Gilded Age.
    2. 

  2. Role of government in economic growth and regulation.
    3. 

  3. Social, economic, and political impact of industrialization.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. Analyze the ways in which farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age (1865-1900).
    2. 

  2. Identify and analyze the factors that changed the American city in the second half of the nineteenth century.
    3. 

  3. How and why did transportation developments spark economic growth during the period from 1860-1900 in the United States?
    4. 

  4. How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875-1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of success achieved.
    5. 

  5. Analyze the impact of any TWO of the following on the American industrial worker between 1865-1900. Government actions, immigration, labor unions, technological changes
    6. 

  6. Andrew Carnegie has been viewed by some historians as the “prime representative of the industrial age” and by other s as “an industrial leader atypical of the period.” Assess the validity of this statement.
    7. 

  7. Analyze the economic consequences of the Civil War with respect to any TWO of the following in the United States between 1865-1880. Agriculture, Labor, Industrialization, Transportation


 


 


Unit 9: Populists and Progressives    app. 1 week


Reading:


Text: Chapters 26, 28, 29 Amsco: Chapters 16 (Up to New South), 19, 21


Supplemental Reading:      Sinclair, all


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9


Themes: 


    

  1. Inflation/Deflation—Role of government in the economy.
    2. 

  2. Role and effectiveness of third parties.
    3. 

  3. Immigration and urbanization.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. Analyze the reasons for the emergence of the Populist movement in the late nineteenth century.
    2. 

  2. (DBQ) To what extent was late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century United States expansionism a continuation of past United States expansionism and to what extent was it a departure? Use the documents and your knowledge of United States history to 1914 to construct your answer.
    3. 

  3. How successful were progressive reforms during the period 1890 to 1915 with respect to two of the following? Industrial condition, Urban life, Politics
    4. 

  4. “The Progressive movement of 1901-1917 was a triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism.” Assess the validity of this statement.


Unit 10: Imperialism and World War I     app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 27, 30 Amsco: Chapters 20, 22


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, pp. “Joseph Pulitzer Demands Intervention (1897)” pp. 174-175, “William Randolph Hearst Stages a Rescue (1897)” pp. 175-176, and “Wilson Asks for War on General Huerta (1914)” pp. 239-241


                                       


General Themes: 7, 8, 12


Themes:


    

  1. The changing role of the U.S. in world affairs—from isolationism to world power.
    2. 

  2. U.S. motives in World War I and postwar agreements.
    3. 

  3. Presidential and congressional roles in policy management.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. How and why did the Monroe Doctrine become a cornerstone of United States foreign policy by the late 19th century?
    2. 

  2. To what extent did the United States achieve the objectives that led it to enter the First World War?
    3. 

  3. Assess the relative influence of THREE of the following in the American decision to declare war on Germany in 1917. German naval policy, American economic interests, Woodrow Wilson’s idealism, allied propaganda, America’s claim to world power
    4. 

  4. “The United States entered the First World War not ‘to make the world safe for democracy’ as President Wilson proclaimed but to safeguard American economic interests.” Assess the validity of this statement.


Unit 11: 1920s-1930s    app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 31-33 Amsco: Chapters 23-24


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Margaret Sanger Campaigns for Birth Control (1920)” pp. 284-286, “Senator Huey P. Long Wants Every Man to Be a king (1934)” pp. 318-320, and “Father Coughlin Demands ‘Social Justice’ (1934,1935)” pp. 320-323                         


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9


Themes:


1920s


    

  1. Post-World War I compared to post-Civil War nativism, laissez-faire, labor government, farmers, and attitudes toward reform.
    2. 

  2. U.S. pursuit of “advantages without responsibilities.”
    3. 

  3. Administration policy of “nullification by administration.”
    4. 

  4. Cultural conflicts: native v. foreign; rural v. urban.
    5. 

  5. Revolution in manners and morals.


1930s


    

  1. The role of government in society and the economy.
    2. 

  2. Political realignment.
    3. 

  3. Human suffering and response to the great Depression.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. The 1920’s were a period of tension between new and changing attitudes on the one hand and traditional values and nostalgia on the other.  What led to the tension between old and new AND in what ways was the tension manifested.
    2. 

  2. “Although American writers of the 1920’s and 1930’s criticized American society the nature of their criticisms differed markedly in the two decades.” Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to writers in both decades.
    3. 

  3. To what extent and why did the United States adopt an isolationist policy in the 1920’s and 1930’s?
    4. 

  4. Describe and account for the rise of nativism in American society from 1900-1930.
    5. 

  5. How successful were the programs of the New Deal in solving the problems of the Great Depression? Assess with respect to TWO of the following: Relief, Reform, Recovery


Unit 12: World War II and the Origins of the Cold War    app. 1.5 weeks


Readings:


Text: Chapters 34-36 Amsco: Chapters 25-26


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Japan’s Horrified Reaction (1945)” from the Nippon Times pp. 391-392, “The Christian Century Deplores the Bombing (1945)” pp. 392-393, “Harry Truman Justifies the Bombing (1945)” pp. 393-395, “George Kennan Proposes Containment” 409-412, and “NSC-68 Offers a Blueprint for the Cold War (1950)” pp. 427-430


Handout Packet: “The Truman Doctrine: A Radio Address to the Nation (1947),” “The Sources of Soviet


             Conduct (1974)” by George Kennan


                                       


General Themes: 2, 3, 7, 8, 12


Specific Themes:


    

  1. Comparison of Wilson and Roosevelt as neutrals, wartime leaders, Allied partners, postwar planners.
    2. 

  2. U.S. adopts new role as peacetime leader in postwar world.
    3. 

  3. Home front conduct during World War I and World War II.
    4. 

  4. The changes in women’s lives.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following contributed to the changes in women’s lives in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. Wars, Literature and/or popular culture, medical and/or technical advances
    2. 

  2. (DBQ) Analyze developments from 1941 to 1949 that increased suspicion and tension between the Untied States and the Soviet Union.  Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1941-1949 to construct your response.
    3. 

  3. How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States in the era following the Second World War?


Unit 13: 50s, 60s, and 70s     app. 1week


Readings: 


Text: Chapters 37-39 Amsco: Chapters 27-29


Handout Packet: Excerpt from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Excerpts from The History of Women in


 America, Chapter 1 of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan


Handout Packet: “Lyndon B. Johnson, The War on Poverty, March 16, 1964” from Great Issues in American History Vol. III


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12


Specific Themes:


    

  1. Struggle for civil liberties and civil rights.
    2. 

  2. Continued impact of New Deal in government’s role in society.
    3. 

  3. Cycles of freezes and thaws in East-West relations.
    4. 

  4. The distinct cultures that emerged.


Possible Test Questions


    

  1. To what extent did the decade of the 1950’s deserve its reputation as an age of political, social and cultural conformity?
    2. 

  2. Discuss, with respect to two of the following, the view that the 1960s represented a period of profound cultural change. education, gender roles, music, race relations
    3. 

  3. How did the African-American civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s address the failures of Reconstruction?
    4. 

  4. Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following transformed American society in the 1960s and 1970s. The Civil Rights Movement, The antiwar movement, The women’s movement
    5. 

  5. 1968 was a turning point for the United States.  To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In your answer discuss TWO of the following: National politics, Vietnam War, Civil Rights.


Unit 14: The Turn to the Right and the New Century  app. 1 week


Readings:


Text: Chapters 40-42 Amsco: Chapter 30


Supplemental Reading: The American Spirit, “Nixon Incriminates Himself (1972)” from Transcript of a Recording of a Meeting Between the President and H.R. Haldeman, pp. 537-541


Handout Packet: Excerpt from “The United States and the World: Setting Limits (1986)” by Jeane J.


                            Kirkpatrick, “Race-Based Politics” and “Enlarging Educational Opportunities” from 


From Slavery to Freedom


                                      


General Themes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10


Specific Themes:


    

  1. America’s turn to the right.
    2. 

  2. The role of religion in the move toward conservatism in politics.
    3. 

  3. The revival of the Cold War.
    4. 

  4. The role of the increasingly global economy.
    5. 

  5. Changes in women’s roles, the family, and the arrival of new immigrant groups.
    6. 

  6. The new energy behind American democracy.


Possible Essay Test Questions


    

  1. Analyze the ways in TWO of the following shaped American politics after the Second World War. Anticommunism in the 1940s and 1950s, The women’s liberation movement in the 1950s, The “silent majority” in the 1970s


2. Analyze the United States role in the revival of the Cold War and the end of the Cold War.


Comprehensive Test:  This will be worth 300 points and will be given in class over the course of two days around the first week of May.  Exact Dates will be announced in class.


 


Following the AP Exam, each student will be required to complete an Oral History Project.