AP United States History
Course Syllabus
Mr. Wilson – Room 301
www.wilsonshistoryclass.com
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Course Description and objective – The course is designed to highlight the major political, social, cultural and economic
development of America from European exploration through the 20th century. Students will understand the diverse
cultures and ethnic group that contributed to the making of America’s social fabric, and understand the political
development of American Democracy and identity. Students will be able to trace the many themes that are woven into
the fabric of American history such as Reform, Politics and Citizenship, Globalization, Religion, slavery, Diplomacy and
diversity as well as the economic transformations and demographic changes. Emphasis is placed on critical and
evaluative thinking skills, essay writing, interpretation of original documents, and historiography. Several short research
papers linking American literature and history will be required.
Text and Readings:
The American Pageant (12th Edition) by Thomas Bailey, David Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen.
You may be given primary and secondary source materials (essays, articles, documents, etc.) within each unit
that will deal with an organizing concept that will be emphasized on the unit writing assignments.
American Spirit: (10th Edition) by Thomas Bailey, David Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen A collection of primary and
secondary source materials that you will be asked to read to supplement the content out of American Pageant.
Supplemental Handouts may be used at various times. These handouts will consist of scholarly articles, news clippings
and other such information as warranted.
Assessment
Your six weeks grade will be determined in the following manner.
Tests - 40% (FRQ, DBQ and M/C)
Quizes - 20% (Reading quizzes)
Notes - 15% (highlighted Notes on the lecture and reading)
Papers/Projects - 25% (Power Point, Papers)
- City Wide Testing - The City Wide AP Testing Review will be held in February, March and These are mandatory
for all AP Students and each student will be assessed a Test Grade for each review. If you chose not to show for these
tests you will receive a Zero test grade. There will be no excuse for missing any date so make sure you schedule
appropriately. You will be required to attend 2 sessions total.
- Notes - Notes will be done for each chapter according to the rubric. Good note-taking skills are essential
in an A.P. class. You are required to take notes on lectures and discussions. Class notes over the reading and lecture
will be instrumental in the development of your comprehension of this subject.
- Tests - you may be tested over one or more chapters at a time. You will not be allowed to use your notes or book
on tests. You will need to study and review ahead of time for each test. Generally, you will have multiple tests per six
weeks consisting of either multiple choice, DBQ or timed writings. You will not be able to make up any missed tests or
writings except on the Wednesday following your missed test. If you fail to take the test at that time you will be
assessed a zero.
- Research - Research is a significant part of this college level course. Use of a college library and primary sources
in original research will be expected. You will be assigned multiple long-term research project.
- Make-ups and Tutorials – As stated makeup tests are to be completed on the Wednesday after your missed test
only. If this is not accomplished the result will be a zero for that test. The responsibility for makeup is entirely the
student's! All missing assignments can be found on the class website.
Supplies - The following supplies need to be brought with you to class everyday.
Your text book!
Writing implements
National Exam - The Advanced Placement National Exam is administered in May. It takes approximately three hours
and consist of two parts, multiple choice and essay. Students receive a score from one to five. Most colleges require
at least a three to grant credit for the two semester survey of U.S. History (6 credit hours) course.
Plagiarism - No work will be accepted that falls in the category of Plagiarism. You are expected to do your own work
and cite all of your sources. Any work that is considered to be plagiarism will receive a grade of 0 (zero) and your
parents will be notified.
Take pride in what you do/and do it well!
Course Outline:
Throughout the year the students will be exposed to the various themes that are associated with American
History. Students should understand how the various themes affect our culture, society and way of life. The following
themes will be used in the course:
American Diversity Educational Transformations Reform
American Identity Environment Religion
Culture Globalization Slavery and its Legacies
Demographic changes Politics and Citizenship War and Diplomacy
American Diversity: The diversity of the American people and the relationships among different groups. The roles
of race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the history of the United States.
American Identity: Views of the American national character and ideas about American exceptionalism.
Recognizing regional differences within the context of what is means to be an American.
Culture: Diverse individual and collective expressions through literature, art, philosophy, music, theater, and film
throughout U.S. history. Popular culture and the dimensions of cultural conflict within American society.
Demographic Changes: Changes in birth, marriage, and death rates; life expectancy and family patterns;
population size and density. The economic, social, and political effects of immigration, internal migration, and
migration networks.
Economic Transformations: Changes in trade, commerce, and technology across time. The effects of capitalist
development, labor, and unions, and consumerism.
Environment: Ideas about the consumption and conservation of natural resources. The impact of population
growth, industrialization, pollution, and urban and suburban expansion.
Globalization: Engagement with the rest of the world from the fifteenth century to the present: colonialism,
mercantilism, global hegemony, development of the modern state. Defining citizenship: struggles for civil rights.
Politics and Citizenship: Colonial and revolutionary legacies, American political traditions, growth of
democracy, and the development of the modern state. Defining citizenship; struggles for civil rights.
Reform: Diverse movements focusing on a brad range of issues, including antislavery, education, labor,
temperance, woman’s rights, civil rights, gay rights, war, public health, and government.
Religion: The variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to the twenty-first century;
influence of religion on politics, economics, and society.
Slavery, and Its Legacies in North America: Systems of slave labor and other forms of un-free labor (e.g.,
indentured servitude, contract labor) in Native American societies, the Atlantic World, and the American South and
West. The economics and of slavery and its racial dimensions. Patterns of resistance and the long-term economic,
political, and social effects of slavery.
War and Diplomacy: Armed conflict from the pre-colonial period to the twenty-first century; impact of war on
American foreign policy and on politics, economy, and society.
Unit 1: Founding the New Nation c. 33,000 B.C. – A.D. 1783 (6 weeks)
Unit 1 covers the founding of the New World to the establishment of the United States of America, and will
cover the following topics.
Chapter 1 – New World Beginnings (4 days)
Introduction to the New Worlds geography, population before Columbus Early Spanish Colonial
conquest and the ecological consequences of European colonization.
Chapter 2 – The Planting of English America (5 days)
Development of the English colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth and the impact with the Native
American population.
Chapter 3 – Settling the Northern Colonies (3 days)
Evolutionary change of the Puritan faith and the establishment of early democratic values in the
Massachusetts Bay commonwealth and the growth of Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware
Chapter 4 – American Life in the Seventeenth Century (4 days)
Chesapeake and the Tobacco region, Bacons Rebellion and the spread of Slavery. African
American culture, Southern Societies, family life and the Salem Witch Trials.
Chapter 5 – Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (4 days)
Immigration and Population growth. Colonial structure, Economics and the role of religion.
Political patterns and the Great Awakening. Education and culture.
Chapter 6 – The Duel for North America (2 days)
Fur-Trading, Indians and New France. Anglo-French colonial rivalries and the French and Indian
War. Pontiac’s uprising and the Proclamation of 1763.
Chapter 7 – The Road to Revolution (4 days)
Mercantilism. The Stamp Act, Townsend Acts. Boston’s problems and the Intolerable Acts.
The Continental Congress, Lexington, Concord and the gathering clouds of war.
Chapter 8 – America Secedes from the Empire (4 days)
American “republicanism” and the Declaration of Independence. Patriots and Loyalists. The
French alliance, Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris.
Assessment: 2 FRQ (APUS 2005A IIB #2 & APUS 2005B IIB#2)
2 DBQ (APUS 2004A DBQ)
7 quizzes M/C (one after each chapter)
1 M/C Test
Projects: English Colonies Brochure – Develop and produce a travel brochure to
encourage migration from Europe to the American Colonies. Must include
information on Political, Economic, Social factors as well as geographic
conditions. Must be presented in the form of a brochure with multiple colors and
pictures to represent the chosen colony.
Readings: The Scarlet Letter (see attached)
Unit 2: Building the New Nation 1776-1860 (6 weeks)
Unit 2 covers the founding of the United States of America until the controversy of Slavery and the advent of
American Civil War.
Chapter 9 – The Confederation and the Constitution (6 days)
Changing political sentiments and the new state Constitutions. Economic troubles and
the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention
Chapter 10 – Launching the New Ship of State ( 4 days)
The First presidency, Bill of Rights and Hamilton. Federalism vs. Anti-Federalism, The
Whiskey Rebellion and the emergence of political parties. The French Revolution,
Jay’s Treaty and Washington’s farewell. The Adams Presidency, Alien and Sedition
Acts, Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
Chapter 11 – The Triumphs and Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic (5 days)
The “Revolution of 1800”, The Jefferson presidency. John Marshall and the
Supreme Court. The Louisiana Purchase and Embargo. Napoleon, Shawnees and
War
Chapter 12 – The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism (4 days)
War on land and sea, the Treaty of Ghent, Hartford Convention and a new national
identity. The “American System”. Monroe and the Era of Good Feelings.
Westward expansion, Missouri Compromise and the Monroe Doctrine.
Chapter 13 – The Rise of Mass Democracy (5 days)
The “corrupt bargain”, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The “Tariff of
Abominations”, the spoils system and Nullification crisis. The Indian Removal Act
the bank wars and the emergence of the Whig party. Van Buren, Harrison and the
two party system. Texas and depression.
Chapter 14 – Forging the National Economy (3 days)
Westward movement and European immigration. Irish and the Germans,
Nativism and
assimilation. The factory system, women and the economy. Commercial
agriculture and
the transportation revolution.
Chapter 15 – The Ferment of Reform and Culture (3 days)
Religious revivals, the Mormans and Utopian experiments. Educational
advances, the
roots of reform, Temperance and the Women’s roles and women’s rights. Art and
architecture and a national literature.
Assessment: 2 FRQ (APUS 2005A IIB #3 and APUS 2004B IIB #2)
1 DBQ (APUS 2002B DBQ)
7 Quizzes M/C (one after each chapter)
1 M/C Test
Projects: Evolution of the Constitution (1787-2007)
A written presentation on the development of the United States Constitution,
drawing on
several documents and speeches. The student will analyze the writings of John
Locke,
Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, The
Magna Carta
and English Bill of Rights, both the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers and
other early
American political documents.
Unit 3: Testing the New Nation 1820 – 1877 (6 weeks)
Unit 3 consists of the issue of Slavery and the compromises between the states and Reconstruction.
Chapter 16 – The South and the Slavery Controversy (5 days)
The economy of King Cotton, Poor whites and free blacks. The plantation
system and the
“peculiar institution”. Abolitionism, Southern response and Northern conscience.
Chapter 17 – Manifest Destiny and its Legacy (5 days)
Tyler, Maine, Texas, Oregon and expansion. Polk and the “dark horse”. War
with
Mexico.
Chapter 18 – Renewing the Sectional Struggle (4 days)
“Popular sovereignty”, Taylor and California statehood. The Compromise of
1850 and
the Fugitive Slave Law. Pierce, Douglas and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Chapter 19 – Drifting Toward Disunion (4 days)
Abolitionist and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Bleeding Kansas, Buchanan and Dred
Scott.
The panic of 1857. Lincoln-Douglas debates. John Brown and the Lincoln
election.
Secession.
Chapter 20 – Girding for War: The North and the South (4 days)
Fort Sumter and the crucial border states. The threat of European intervention
and the
importance of diplomacy. Lincoln and civil liberties. The armies. Financing the
war and
the economic impact of the war. Women and the war. The fate of the South.
Chapter 21 – The Furnace of Civil War (4 days)
The “ninety-day war” and the Peninsula Campaign. Total war, Antietam and the
Emancipation Proclamation. Black soldiers, Gettysburg and the war in the West.
Sherman, Appomattox and the Assassination of Lincoln. The Legacy of the war.
Chapter 22 – The Ordeal of Reconstruction (4 days)
The defeated South, and freed slaves. Johnson and Reconstruction. Moderate
and
radical Republicans. Congressional Reconstruction polices. Johnson and Congress.
Military Reconstruction and the Impeachment of Johnson. “Black Reconstruction” and
the KKK. The legacy of Reconstruction.
Assessment: 2 FRQ (APUS 2000 IIB #3 and APUS 2001 IIB #3)
2 DBQ (APUS 2002 DBQ)
6 Quizzes M/C (after each chapter)
1 M/C Test
Projects Fall research project (see attached)
The purpose of this research paper is to have you experience the creation of a formal
research paper similar to one you might be required to write in college. You will be selecting a topic and formulating
questions to guide your research. Your research will have you exploring both primary and secondary sources from
variety of sources. You will be developing a thesis, creating an outline, and writing the
paper.
Readings The Life of Frederick Douglas (see attached)
Unit 4: Forging an Industrial Society 1865 – 1899 (4 weeks)
Chapter 23 – Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age (4 days)
Grant and the Corruption and reform in the post-Civil War era. The depression,
political
parties and partisans. The Compromise of 1877 and the end of
Reconstruction. Class
conflict and ethnic clashes. Civil-service reform. Cleveland and the tariff,
Harrison and
the “Billion Dollar Congress”. The advent of Populists.
Chapter 24 – Industry Comes of Age (4 days)
The railroad boom, speculators and financiers. Government regulations, the
Lords of
industry and the laboring class. The rise of trade unions.
Chapter 25 – America Moves to the City (4 days)
The rise of the city, and the “New Immigrants. Settlement houses and social
workers.
Women and the work place. Nativists and immigration restrictions. Churches,
Art,
music and the entertainment of urban America. Booker T. Washington and W.E.
B. Du
Bois and the “New Women” and the new morality.
Chapter 26 – The Great West and the Agricultural Revolution (4 days)
The Conquest of the Indians. Mining and the cattle frontiers. Free lands and
Frauds.
The industrialization of agriculture. Farmers protest and the challenge from the
Peoples
Party. The Pullman Strike and Bryan vs. McKinley.
Chapter 27 – Empire and Expansion (4 days)
The sources of American Expansionism. Cleveland the Venezuela. Hawaii.
The U.S.S.
Maine, Spanish American War, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The Filipino
insurrection. The Open Door notes. Roosevelt, the canal, Roosevelt Corollary and the
Far East
Assessment: 2 FRQ (APUS 2003A IIC #4 and APUS 2002B IIB #3)
1 DBQ (APUS 2000 DBQ)
5 Quizzes M/C (after each chapter)
1 M/C Test
Readings: How the Other Half Lives (see attached)
Unit 5: Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad 1899 – 1945 (6 weeks)
Chapter 28 – Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt (5 days)
Social injustice, muckrakers, progressivism and suffrage. Roosevelt, labor, and
the
trusts. Consumer protection, Conservation and Roosevelt’s legacy. Taft and
“dollar
diplomacy”. The Roosevelt and Taft rift.
Chapter 29 – Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad (5 days)
The Election of 1912. New Freedom vs. New Nationalism. Wilson, the tariff, the
banks
and the trusts. Wilson’s diplomacy in Mexico. War in Europe and US neutrality.
Wilson’s reelection.
Chapter 30 – The War to End War (2 days)
German submarines and the US entrance to the war. Wilsonian idealism and the
Fourteen Points. Propaganda and civil liberties. Workers, blacks and women on the
home front. The Draft. The American Expeditionary Force and Wilson’s peacemaking in
Paris. The Senate and the Versailles Treaty.
Chapter 31 – American Life in the “Roaring Twenties” (3 days)
The ‘red scare”, immigration restrictions and the Scopes Trial. Prohibition and
gangsterism. A mass-consumption economy the age of the automobile. Radio, movies,
Jazz, literature and the mass culture. The economic boom.
Chapter 32 – The Politics of Boom and Bust (3 days)
Republicans return to power. Disarmament and isolation. The Harding
scandals,
Coolidge’s foreign policies. The international debt and the great crash. Hoover and the
Great Depression. Aggression in Asia, “Good Neighbors” in Latin America.
Chapter 33 – The Great Depression and the New Deal (5 days)
FDR and the Hundred Days Congress. Relief, Recovery and Reform.
Depression
Demagogues. The National Recovery Administration. Aid for Agriculture. The
TVA,
housing and Social Security. A new deal for labor. The Supreme Court fight
and
assessing the New Deal.
Chapter 34 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War (4 days)
Roosevelts foreign policies. German and Japanese aggression. The Neutrality
Acts. The
Spanish Civil War. Isolation and appeasement. Lend-Lease and the Atlantic
Charter.
Pearl Harbor.
Chapter 35 – America in World War II (3 days)
The “shock of war”. Internment. Mobilization and the economy. Women in
wartime
and the effect on African Americans, Native Americans and Mexican Americans.
The
economic impact of war. Turning the Japanese tide. North Africa, Italy and
Normandy.
Germany surrenders and the atomic bomb.
Assessment: 2 FRQ (APUS 1999 IIC #4 and APUS 2000 IIC #4)
1 DBQ (APUS 2003 DBQ)
7 Quizzes M/C (after each chapter
1 M/C Test
Readings: The Jungle (see attached)
Practice Exam: 80 question M/C, 1 DBQ (APUS 2005B)
2 FRQ (APUS 1999C5, 2000C5, 2001B1 or 2001C4)
Unit 6: Creating Modern America 1945 – Present (6 weeks)
Chapter 36 – The Cold War Begins (3 days)
Postwar prosperity. The “Sunbelt” and suburbs. The baby boom. Truman and
the Cold
War. The United Nations, Communism and containment. The Truman Doctrine,
Marshall Plan and NATO. Anti-communism at home and the Korean War.
Chapter 37 – The Eisenhower Era (4 days)
Affluent America and the consumer culture. Eisenhower and the menace of
McCarthysim. Desegregation and the South. Brown vs. Board of Education and the Civil
Rights movement. Eisenhower Republicanism, cold war crises. The space race and arms
race. 1960 Election. Postwar literature and culture.
Chapter 38 – The Stormy Sixties (4 days)
The Kennedy spirit. Kennedy and the cold war. Vietnam and the Cuban missile
crises.
Civil rights and the Kennedy assassination. Johnson and the “Great Society”.
Civil
Rights explodes across America. The Vietnam disaster and the election of
Nixon.
Cultural upheavals.
Chapter 39 – The Stalemated Seventies (4 days)
Economic stagnation. Nixon and Vietnam. China and the Soviet Union. Nixon
and the
Supreme Court. Nixon’s domestic policy. Nixon and McGovern. Israelis, Arabs
and Oil.
Watergate, resignation and Ford. Feminism. Desegregation and affirmative
action.
Carter, the energy crisis and inflation. The Iranian hostage humiliation.
Chapter 40 – The Resurgence of Conservatism (3 days)
The “New Right” and Reagan’s election. Budget battles, tax cuts and
Reaganomics.
Reagan, Gorbachev and the Cold War thaws. Iran-Contra scandal and Reagan’
s legacy.
The religious right, Conservatism and the Courts. George Bush and the end of
the Cold
War. The Persian Gulf and Bush’s domestic battles.
Chapter 41 – America Confronts the Post-Cold War Era (3 days)
Bill Clinton and the election of 1992. Reform and the politics of distrust. Post-
Cold War
foreign policy. Impeachment. The controversial 2000 election and George W.
Bush.
9/11 and the world of terrorism. War in Afghanistan and Iraq. The reelection of
Bush.
Chapter 42 – The American People Face a New Century (2 days)
High-tech economy and the widening inequality. The feminist revolution and the
changing American family. Immigration and assimilation. Cities and the
suburbs. A
multicultural society and America at the turn of the 21st century.
Review for AP Exam:
Assessment: Folder Turn-in (all 42 folders)
6 Quizzes M/C (after each chapter)
Projects: