AP United States History
Syllabus:
School Year: 2015-2016
email:
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About This Course
The AP U.S. History course focuses on the development of historical thinking skills (chronological
reasoning, comparing and contextualizing, crafting historical arguments using historical evidence,
and interpreting and synthesizing historical narrative) and an understanding of content learning
objectives organized around seven themes, such as identity, peopling, and America in the world. In
line with college and university U.S. history survey courses’ increased focus on early and recent
American history and decreased emphases on other areas, the AP U.S. History course expands on the
history of the Americas from 1491 to 1607 and from 1980 to the present. It also allows teachers
flexibility across nine different periods of U.S. history to teach topics of their choice in depth.
AP U.S. History is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university
U.S. history course.
The AP US History course is designed as a freshman college-level course and meets for a 55-minute
period on a seven period day schedule. It is an entire year, two-semester, survey of American History
from the Age of Exploration to present day. The course is designed to prepare you to take the A.P.
test in May, and help you to better prepare you for college level work.
Course Objectives:
 Master a broad body of knowledge
 Demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
 Use historical data to support a position
 Differentiate between various schools of thought on issues
 Interpret and apply data from original documents (cartoons, graphs, letters, etc.)
 Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, and compare and
contrast
 Work effectively with others to produce quality products and solve problems
 Prepare for and successfully pass the Advanced Placement US History exam
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Required Readings:
1. Kennedy, David M., Lisabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant.
13th e. Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006
2. Brinkley, Alan. American History: Connecting With the Past, Boston: McGraw-Hill.
14th edition, 2013
3. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
4. A History of the American People by Paul Johnson
Primary/Secondary Source Supplements
1. Kennedy, David M., and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Spirit Volume I. 11th e.
Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006
2. Kennedy, David M., and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Spirit Volume II. 11th e.
Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006
Online Sources
1. HistoryTeacher.net http://historyteacher.net/AHAP/AHAPCourseMainPage.htm
2. History Matters: The US Survey Course on the Webs
http://www.historymatters.gmu.edu
3. Opposing Viewpoints in American History Vol. I-II by William Dudley
4. Reading Like A Historian; A Document-Based History Curriculum,
http://sheg.stanford.edu/rlh
Document Based Questions in American History
DBQ provides historical thinking and writing skills that teaches value most: close analysis
and interrogation of documents, deep reading for understanding, and powerful evidencebased, argumentative writing.
Documents include: cartoons, maps, letters, drawings, first person narratives, charts, and
graphs, historian accounts, photographs, flyers, advertisements and more.
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Students will be assigned supplemental reading from primary and secondary sources within
each unit. Each reading will add to his/her knowledge and understanding of related
historical themes and concepts. The readings will increase student background knowledge,
which will be applicable to students on the exam. The supplemental reading materials are
to help students when they construct and defend theses statements. These supplemental
reading will be assigned through:
1. Individual basis
2. Individual basis with constructed responses
3. Group assignments requiring cooperative efforts and activities
4. And, individual/group with seminar or group discussion component
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Evaluation and Grading
Your grade in this class will be based on a points system meaning the total number of points you earn
will be divided by the total number of possible points.
Tests: In an effort to prepare you for the AP Examination and to test the knowledge you have
obtained, most units will end with a unit test. Any subjects mentioned in class, our textbook or other
assigned readings may appear on a test. There are no scheduled quizzes in this course, as the units
are very short. However, the teacher does reserve the right to give one at any time. Tests will be
worth about 100 points each.
Document Based Questions (DBQs): these are the most frequent way your content knowledge and
skill level will be tested throughout the course. Students can most likely expect to take
approximately eight or ten of these throughout the year.
Projects and Essays: It is expected that you do a quality job on all take home assignments as you will
have plenty of time to create, ask questions, and refine before handing in or presenting the final
product.
Homework: You will be given reading on a nightly basis. Some nights there will be accompanying
questions; other nights you will just be asked to take notes. Reading is the key to this course. It will
make or break your grade so make sure to do it all even when no questions are assigned. All
homework will be collected either in person or online. I expect quality and will check for it.
Participation: Class participation will be crucial to your success. Participating is more than just
raising your hand and answering questions. It also means that you come to class prepared with all
materials, that you listen to your peers, and that you are respectful and actively engaged in the
learning process.
Late Assignments/Absences: For each day that any assignment is overdue the overall maximum
score will drop one letter grade. If you are absent for one day, you will be given two days to make up
the assignment for full credit. Those who cut class will not be given the chance to make up an
assignment. For those who miss a test with an excused absence, see me the day you get back and we
will schedule a makeup time together within two days.
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to do their own work, whether in class or at home. There
will be no toleration for cheating. Students who copy, students who let others copy, and students
who plagiarize are all considered to be cheating. No matter what the value of the work, students will
receive a zero. The assignment may not be made up.
Notebook Requirements:
Each student will keep and maintain a notebook for APUSH. The notebook must be a Five Star three
ring binder with dividers. It will be organized by the following method:
1. Textbook and class notes with study guides (by Chapters)
2. Essays, Central Historical Questions answers, and other writing assignments.
3. DBQ and primary source work.
4. Charts, maps, homework and miscellaneous by unit.
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Themes
The course is structured both chronologically and thematically. The themes include:
Identity, Work, Exchange and Technology, Peopling, Politics and Power, America in the
World, Environment and Geography, and Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture. Elements of these
themes are included in most unit assignments.
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Summer Work
Students are to read chapters 1-5 during the summer.
Theme: On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the
peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.
Essential Questions:
 Trace the rise of the English nation-state between 1492 and 1607.
 What important factors influenced this rise?
 In what ways did later colonization efforts attempt to learn from earlier
experiences?
 To what extent was there religious freedom in the colonies?
 Explain the causes the conflict between the British and the Native Americans and
French in 1754.
 How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by the end of the
war?
 Guided worksheet with questions and vocabulary is provided through the school
counselor.
Summer DBQ Assignment: Jamestown: Why Did So Many Colonists Die?
Course Outline- Semester 1
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Period 1: 1491-1607: Founding the New Nation
Theme: On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the
peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.
Period 2: 1607-1754: Colonial America
Theme: Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control,
and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged.
Themes: ID, WXT, PEO, POL, WOR, ENV
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 1-5 (pg. 4-107)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 1-123
 Bartoleme de Las Casas Defends
the Indians (1552)
 Hernan Cortes Conquers Mexico
(1519-1526)
 A Swede Depicts the Indian Trade
(1749)
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Francis Parkman Analyzes the
Conflict (1884)
The Proclamation of 1763
Andrew Burnaby Scoffs at Colonial
Unity (1760)
A Lawyer Denounces Search
Warrants (1761)
Essential Questions:
 Should Spanish colonial settlers accept the New Laws of 1542?
 Trace the rise of the English nation-state between 1492 and 1607. What important
factors influenced this rise? In what ways did later colonization efforts attempt to
learn from earlier experiences?
 To what extent was there religious freedom in the colonies?
 What can passenger lists from ships arriving in North American colonies tell us
about those who immigrated? And what can those characteristics tell us about life
in the colonies themselves?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Age of Exploration: Spain in the New World- Explore Spanish colonial rule in the
New World to answer this question: Should Spanish colonial settlers accept the New
Laws of 1542? You'll take a position and defend it with evidence from primary
source documents.
 Debate on the Puritans.
 Document analysis activity: students source, corroborate, and contextualize
speeches from John Winthrop and John Cotton to explore the Puritans’
motivations. Students also practice using historical evidence to construct a written
answer to the question: Were the Puritans selfish or selfless?
 Examining passenger list- in this lesson, students critically examine the passenger
lists of ships headed to New England and Virginia to better understand English
colonial life in the 1630s.
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By drawing on selections from A People’s History of the United States and The
American Nation, students write an essay that explores the evolution of identity
based on race, ethnicity, and nationality.
Salem Witch Trials- students use four historical sources to build a more textured
understanding of both the causes and historical context of these dramatic events.
Take home essay on the question, “To what extent was there true religious freedom
in the colonies?”
Students will design and create their own colonial village.
Homework assignment on topics listed above.
Multiple-choice test with free response questions and essay.
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Period 3: 1754-1800: The French and Indian War, The Young Republic and Westward
Movement
Theme: British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial
reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the
new nation’s social, political, and economic identity.
Themes: ID, WXT, PEO, POL, WOR, ENV
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 6-8 (pg. 106-163)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 104-164
 Philadelphia Threatens Tea Men
(1773)
 Connecticut Decries the Port Act
(1774)
 Two Views of the British Empire
(1767,1775)
 Patrick Henry Demands Boldness
(1775)
 Conflicting Versions of the
Outbreak (1775)
 Benjamin Franklin Testifies
Against the Stamp Act (1766)
 Washington Scorns Independence
(1775)
 Thomas Paine Talks Common
Sense (1776)
 Richard Henry Lee’s Resolution of
Independence (1776)
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Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of
Independence (1776)
Lord Chatham Assails the War
(1777)
George Washington Expresses
Alarm (1786)
Thomas Jefferson Favors Rebellion
(1787)
The Argument Over Slave
Importations (1787)
Singing For the Constitution
(1787)
Philadelphia Editor is Expectant
(1787)
James Madison Defends the New
Constitution (1787)
Essential Questions:
 How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by the end of the
war?
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Explain the causes the conflict between the British and the Native Americans and
French in 1754. How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by
the end of the war?
What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of
Independence?
The Stamp Act- Why was a rather small tax so fiercely resented?
Why did the Founders write the Declaration of Independence?
Why was slavery allowed to stay in constitution although the Declaration of
Independence stated, "All men are created equal," Jefferson and the other Founding
Fathers agreed to include slavery in the Constitution?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Class discussions on the French and Indian War and its significance.
 The Stamp Act Lesson- Why was a rather small tax so fiercely resented? In this
lesson, students engage in key aspects of historical thinking as they explore this
question.
 What really happened at the Battle of Lexington? In this lesson, students practice
sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization as they weigh competing accounts of
who fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War.
 The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances- students will use the
Declaration of Independence to interpret the American colonists' grievances against
King George III. You'll summarize what you learn to answer this focus question:
What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of
Independence?
 Declaration of Independence Lesson- students weigh contrasting interpretations by
prominent historians to answer the question: Why did the Founders write the
Declaration of Independence?
 Shays’ Rebellion Lesson- students will gain a more nuanced understanding of how
Americans reacted to Shays' Rebellion by analyzing a textbook account and a letter
by Thomas Jefferson.
 Slavery in the Constitution- What factors led to this decision? In this lesson, students
consider the positions of delegates to the Constitutional Convention along with
historians' interpretations to understand this apparent contradiction.
 The Road to Revolution Game- Online
 Homework assignment on topics listed above.
 Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
 DBQ (3 Days to Complete): How Did the Constitution Guard Against Tyranny?
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Period 4: 1800-1848: Building the New Nation
Theme: The new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of
rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes.
Themes: ID, WXT, PEO, POL, WOR, ENV
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 9-15 (pg. 166-347)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 167-347
 The Senate Snubs George
Washington (1789)
 Alexander Hamilton vs. Thomas
Jefferson on Popular Rule (1780's1820's)
 The Spectrum of Disagreement
(1780's-1820's)
 A President Bids Farewell (1796)
 Marshall Sanctions the Bank
(1819)
 Marshall Asserts the Supremacy of
the Constitution (1803)
 Thomas Jefferson Alerts Robert
Livingston (1802)
 Jefferson Stretches the Constitution
to Buy Louisiana (1803)
 Tecumseh Challenges William
Henry Harrison (1810)
 Representative Felix Grundy
Demands War (1811)
 James Monroe Warns the European
Powers (1823)
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A Plea for Nonproperty Suffrage
(1841)
Davy Crockett Advises Politicians
(1836)
Jackson Vetoes the Maysville road
Bill (1830)
Clay Protests (1830)
Jackson Endorses the Indian
Removal (1829)
The First Fire Canoe in the West
(1811)
The Impact of the Erie Canal
(1853)
Steamboats Lost to Railroads
(1857)
A Canal Stockholder’s Outburst
(1830)
William Ellery Channing Preaches
Reformism (1831)
Dorothea Dix Succors the Insane
(1843)
Essential Questions:
 The debate over the Bank of the United States, and the emergence of political
parties; foreign relations, including the Jay Treaty, the Pinckney Treaty, the XYZ
Affair, the conflict with the Barbary Pirates, and the growing tensions with Europe
during the Napoleonic Wars;
 Marbury v. Madison and the development of the role of the Supreme Court;
 Jeffersonian Republicanism, including policies regarding the Bank, Louisiana, Aaron
Burr, and foreign relations; and elections from 1789 to 1812.
 To what extent were the Jacksonian Democrats truly the guardians of the
Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic
opportunity?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Class discussions on U.S. Bank and the Louisiana Purchase and how both reflected
arguments for a strict or loose construction of the Constitution.
 In-class debate on the Alien and Sedition Acts.
 In-class document analysis activity: excerpt from Marbury v. Madison decision.
 Federalists and Anti-Federalists Lesson- Students read Federalist and AntiFederalist positions from the New York State Convention to explore the different
sides of the debate and to understand who stood on each side.
 Hamilton vs. Jefferson- Students will read/analyze two letters to George Washington
which will allow students to consider the competing politics and personalities of
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.
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The Louisiana Purchase Lesson- a timeline of the purchase along with letters by
Federalist leaders help students decide whether practical concerns or political
agendas motivated the opposition.
Indian Removal Act- This lesson plan explores why people in the 1830s supported
Indian Removal.
Homework assignment on topics listed above.
Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
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Period 5: 1844-1877: Testing the Nation
Theme: As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over
slavery, led to a civil war- the course and aftermath of which transformed American society.
Themes: ID, POL, CUL, POL, WOR, ENV, WXT, PEO,
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 16-22 (pg. 350-501)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 351-536
 The Debate Over Oregon (1843) pg.
380-381
 Two Pioneers Describe Oregon
(1847) pg. 383-385
 A British View of the Oregon
Controversy (1846) pg. 385
 Polk Submits the Trist Treaty
(1848) pg. 395
 David Wilmot Appeals for Free Soil
(1847)
 Daniel Webster Urges Concessions
(1850)
 Joshua Giddings Rejects SlaveCatching (1850)
 Robert Rhett Resents a Hoax
(1851)
 The Narrative of Commodore
Perry’s Expedition to Japan (1856)
 Japanese Leaders Debate the
Proper Response to Commodore
Perry (1853)
 Daniel Webster Urges Concessions
(1850)
 The South Scorns Mrs. Stowe
(1852)
 The delicate Balance (1856)
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A Virginia Newspaper Gloats
(1857)
The North Breathes Defiance
(1857)
Governor Wise Refuses Clemency
(1859)
The War to Preserve the Union
(1863)
The War to End Slavery (1865)
Abolitionists View the War (1863)
Abraham Lincoln Answers Horace
Greeley’s Prayer (1862)
George McClellan Snubs the
President (1861)
Lincoln Expresses Misgivings
(1862)
General Ulysses S. Grant Displays
Generosity (1865)
Carl Schurz Reports Southern
Defiance (1865)
The Radical Republicans Take a
Hard Line (1866)
The Controversy Over the 15th
Amendment (1866, 1870)
Booker T. Washington Reflects
(1901)
Kennedy Vol. II. pp. 39-64
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Reconstruction and Redemption
(1882)
A Southern Senator Defends Jim
Crow (1900)
A Spokesman for the ‘New South’
Describes Race Relations in the
1880s (1889)
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Booker T. Washington Portrays the
Plight of Black Tenant Farmers
(1889)
The Supreme Court Declares that
Separate is Equal (1896)
Essential Questions:
 What effect did John Tyler’s presidency have upon the sectional tensions of the era?
 What motivated settlers to come to Texas in the 1820s and 1830s?
 What were the issues in the debate over the admission of Texas to the Union?
 How did the gold rush and the establishment of the Oregon Trail contribute to
manifest destiny and the growing sectional crisis?
 Why did the civil war in Texas, which began in response to Santa Anna's takeover,
turn into a war for Texan independence?
 Why was Texas annexed to the United States rather than remain an independent
country?
 To what extent did their generals shape the military fortunes of the north and south
and the political fortunes shaped by the leaders?
 In what ways and to what extent did the nature of warfare change as a result of the
Civil War?
 Was it inevitable that the South would lose the Civil War? Why or why not?
 To what extent did the assassination of Abraham Lincoln contribute to more harsh
Reconstruction policies?
 Trace the ways in which Congress attempted to secure rights for freed slaves and
the steps southern states took to obstruct Congressional actions.
 In what ways did the impeachment of Andrew Johnson reveal the fault lines of
American politics in the years following the Civil War?
 How did the scandals of the Grant Administration undermine the goals of
Reconstruction?
 To what extent was Congressional Reconstruction a success?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Class discussions on Texas independence, the Wilmot Proviso, and the Compromise
of 1850.
 Manifest Destiny Lesson- How was ideology was used to justify this expansion?
Using nineteenth-century maps and art, students consider the roots of American
exceptionalism.
 Texas Independence Lesson- students read parts of the Texas Declaration of
Independence, military letters, and an abolitionist pamphlet to explore different
causes for independence and statehood in Texas.
 John Brown lesson- To determine whether Brown was a "misguided fanatic,"
students examine a speech by Brown, Frederick Douglass’s account of his efforts to
dissuade Brown from the raid, and a letter from an admirer to Brown.
 Emancipation Proclamation Lesson- Students consider whether Lincoln freed the
slaves, or the slaves freed themselves by comparing excerpts from the Emancipation
Proclamation and The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
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Document analysis activity: the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural
Address.
Class discussions on Union and Confederate generals, wartime diplomacy, and
turning points in the war.
Historical interpretations lesson: economic, political, and ideological interpretations
of the causes and effects of the Civil War.
Radical Reconstruction- students will read speeches by Thaddeus Stevens and
Johnson in order to explore why the Radical Republican plan was considered so
“radical” at the time.
Online forum board posting on goals and accomplishments of Reconstruction.
Homework assignment on topics listed above.
Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
Class DBQ (2 days to complete): Was the United States Justified in Going to
War With Mexico? Students construct a full essay with supporting thesis.
In-Class DBQ: Why Was the Battle of Gettysburg a Turning Point?
In-Class DBQ: North or South: Who Killed Reconstruction?
Course Outline- Semester 2
Period 6: 1865-1898: Forging an Industrial Society
Theme: The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly
industrialized and urbanized society brought about significant economic, political
diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes.
Themes: ID, POL, CUL, POL, WOR, ENV, WXT, PEO,
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 23-26 (pg. 504-625)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. II. pp. 39-169
 Rutherford B. Hayes Believes
Himself Defrauded (1876)
 A Southern Senator Defends Jim
Crow (1900)
 Booker T. Washington Portrays the
Plight of Black Tenant Farmers
(1889)
 The Supreme Court Declares That
Separate is Equal (1869)
 A Defense of Long-Haul Rates
(1865)
 John D. Rockefeller Justifies
Rebates (1909)
 An Oil Man Goes Bankrupt (1899)
 Weaver Attacks the Trusts (1892)
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Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of
Wealth (1889)
The U.S. Army Negotiates a Treaty
with The Sioux (1868)
Carl Schurz Proposes to Civilize the
Indians (1881)
Westward the Course of Empire
Takes its Way (1868)
A pioneer Woman Describes the
Overland Trail (1862)
Mary Antin Praises America (1894)
The Life of a Working Girl (1905)
Henry Cabot Lodge Urges a
Literacy Test (1896)
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President Cleveland Vetoes a
Literacy Test (1897)
The Shock of Darwinism (1896)
Henry Ward Beecher Accepts
Evolution (1885)
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Weaver Attacks the Trusts (1892)
In Praise of Mechanization (1897)
An Engineer Describes Smoke
Pollution (1911)
Essential Questions:
 To what extent is “The Gilded Age” an apt description of the time period?
 In what ways did the courts undermine Reconstruction efforts to bring about racial
equality?
 Trace the rise of American industrialization.
 What factors contributed to American industrialization in the late 19th Century?
 To what extent did state/federal governments attempt to regulate big business
during the last quarter of the nineteenth century?
 In what ways did reform movements and organizations attempt to solve the social
problems facing U.S. society?
 To what extent was society “reformed” by these efforts?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Chinese Immigration and Exclusion- students will explore the social and economic
factors that fueled the wave of Chinese immigrants as well as the factors that
eventually led to their exclusion. Students examine an excerpt from an anti-Chinese
play, a political cartoon, an anti-Chinese labor speech, and an immigrant’s
autobiography.
 Class discussions on Materialism, Marxism, and the Indian Wars.
 Map skills exercise: Native Americans of the Great Plains. Student-led roundtable
debate on the social effects of westward expansion and industrialization.
 Document analysis activity, “Wealth” by Andrew Carnegie.
 Battle of Little Bighorn- students explore causes of the battle by comparing two
primary documents with a textbook account.
 Populism and the Election of 1896- students read two Populist speeches in order to
explain why the movement gained such broad appeal and powerful influence.
 Pullman Strike Lesson- students read parallel accounts from two, opposing Chicago
newspapers. Students read each newspaper closely to identify the key phrases that
demonstrate each paper’s position on the strike.
 In-class document analysis activity: Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech.
 Homework assignment on topics listed above.
 Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
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Period 7: 1890-1945 Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad
An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges,
debated the proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international
role.
Themes: ID, POL, CUL, POL, WOR, ENV, WXT, PEO,
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 27-33 (pg. 626-849)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. II. pp. 171-387
 Joseph Pulitzer Demands
Intervention (1897)
 William Randolph Hearst Stages a
Rescue (1897)
 President McKinley Submits a War
Message (1898)
 Professor Charles Eliot Norton’s
Patriotic Protest (1898)
 Albert Beveridge Trumpets
Imperialism (1898)
 Exposing the Meatpackers (1906)
 Child Labor in the Coal Mines
(1906)
 The Triangle Shirtwaist Company
Fire Claims 146 Lives (1911)
 Roosevelt Defends the Forests
(1903)
 Theodore Roosevelt Proposes
Government Regulation (1912)
 Woodrow Wilson Asks for a ‘Free
Field and No Favor’ (1912)
 William McAdoo Exposes the
Bankers (1913)
 Woodrow Wilson Versus Theodore
Roosevelt on the Fourteen Points
(1918)
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German Observes Bootlegging
(1928)
Margaret Sanger Campaigns for
Birth Control (1920)
Tar Bucket Terror in Texas (1921)
The Supreme Court declares that
Mean and Women are Equal
(1923)
The Plague of Plenty (1932)
Senator Huey P. Long Wants Every
Man to Be a King (1934)
Charles Lindbergh Argues for
Isolation (1941)
The New York Times Rejects
Isolationism (1941)
War Warning from Washington
(1941)
The War Transforms the Economy
(1943)
A Japanese-American is Convicted
(1943)
Stalin Resents the Delay of a
Second Front (1943)
Japan’s Horrified Reaction (1945)
Harry Truman Justifies the
Bombing (1945)
Essential Questions:
 What was the root causes of the progressive movement?
 Why did the movement flourish in the north and west, but lack support in the south?
 Is it accurate to describe Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson as progressives?
 What were the causes, course, and effects of the Spanish-American War?
 What were the chief arguments of the imperialists and anti-imperialists; what was
the particular significance of the Roosevelt corollary?
 In what ways were American relations with Mexico a demonstration of the United
States as the dominant power in the hemisphere?
 How did regional relations evolve during this period?
 What were the events and policies that culminated in the decision to go to war in
1917?
 Assess Woodrow Wilson in terms of his wartime leadership and his vision for a post
war world.
 In what ways was the League fight and the Red Scare emblematic of the shift in
America’s worldview in the years following the Great War?
 Were the major social issues and conflicts of the Twenties uniquely modern, or were
they merely continuations of earlier issues and conflicts?
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To what extent is the following statement valid: “The Twenties were the new Gilded
Age.”
To what extent did the writers and artists of the Twenties reflect and challenge
traditional American values?
What were the underlying causes of the Great Depression and the initial attempts by
the Hoover administration to mitigate its effects?
To what extent did the reforms of the New Deal truly transform the role of
government, and to what extent did they merely build upon an earlier foundation?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Class discussions on the role of muckrakers and on third party candidacies in the
Progressive Era.
 In-class document analysis: excerpts from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and The
History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida Tarbell.
 In-Class DBQ (2 Days to Complete): Progressivism: Where Will You Put Your
Million Dollars?
 Students engage in class debate analyzing the extent to which the Spanish-American
War was a turning point in the history of U.S. foreign relations.
 The Main Explosion- students will read the conflicting accounts and analyze how
each uses evidence to support its claims. Finally, students will use their analyses to
decide which account is more believable.
 The Spanish American War- students watch a documentary video, read a telegram
describing Spanish treatment of Cubans, and examine an American campaign speech
to explore the long-term reasons for why the US invaded Cuba in 1898.
 US Entry into WWI Lesson- students address this question as they corroborate a
textbook account with two documents: a speech by President Wilson and an excerpt
from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.
 Sedition in WWI Lesson- students consider whether critics of the First World War
were anti-American, as they read anti-war documents from prominent socialist
leaders Eugene Debs and Charles Schenck, as well as excerpts from the Sedition Act
and a Supreme Court ruling upholding the act.
 League of Nations Lesson- students investigate why by comparing speeches
delivered by Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge.
 Chicago Race Riots of 1919 Lesson- students deliberate the origins of the Chicago
race riots by exploring five documents that reflect different social, cultural, and
economic causes.
 (ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT) Prohibition Lesson- students consider the 18th
Amendment within the historical context of the Progressive era to address the
question: Why was the 18th amendment adopted?
 In-Class DBQ (1 class period to complete- TIMED): Prohibition: Why Did
America Change its Mind?
 Palmer Raids and the Red Scare Lesson- students explore the causes of the Palmer
Raids by comparing writings from A. Mitchell Palmer and Emma Goldman and
considering them within the historical context of the United States in 1919.
 Scopes Trial Lesson- students develop the skill of contextualization as they evaluate
the Scopes Trial through five primary documents that reflect social and cultural
facets of life in America during the 1920s.
 Class discussions on the origins of the Great Depression, on the Hundred Days, and
on New Deal critics.
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New Deal SAC- Historians have offered varied interpretations on the successes and
shortcomings of the New Deal. In this structured academic controversy, students
analyze different types of evidence, take sides, and attempt to reach consensus on
whether or not the New Deal was a success.
Homework assignment on topics listed above.
Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
In-Class DBQ (Weekend Assignment): What Caused the Dust Bowl?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Period 8: 1945-1980: Making Modern America
After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international
responsibilities while struggling to live up to its ideals.
Themes: ID, POL, CUL, POL, WOR, ENV, WXT, PEO,
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 34-39 (pg. 800-965)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. II. pp. 389-545
 Dr. Benjamin Spock Advises the
Parents of the Baby-Boom
Generation (1957)
 A Working Mother Lauds the ‘Two
Income Family (1951)
 The Move to Suburbia (1954)
 George Kennan Proposes
Containment (1946)
 Harry Truman Appeals to Congress
(1947)
 The Court Rejects Segregation
(1954)
 Eisenhower Sends Federal Troops
(1957)
 The Editors of Fortune Celebrate
American Affluence (1955)
 President Kennedy Proclaims a
Quarantine (1962)
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Michael Harrington Discovers
Another America (1962)
President Johnson Declares War on
Poverty (1964)
Martin Luther King, Jr., Writes
from a Birmingham Jail (1963)
The Dilemma of Vietnam (1966)
The President Defends His
Incursion (1970)
The St. Louis Dispatch Dissents
(1970)
Henry Kissinger Dissects the
Dissenters (1979)
Canadians See Neither Peace nor
Honor (1973)
The National Organization for
women Proclaim the Rebirth of
Feminism (1966)
Essential Questions:
 Citing leaders, battles, and other events, what were the high points, low points, and
turning points of the war in Europe?
 Trace the course of diplomatic relations between allies from the beginning of the
war to the end. How did the goals and strategies change over time?
 What were the arguments for and against dropping the atomic bomb in 1945?
 To what extent did relations break down between the United States and the Soviet
Union in the wake of the Second World War?
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In what ways were the Bay of Pigs, the Space Race, and the Cuban Missile Crisis
related?
Specifically, what did their work say about the post-war society and values?
To what extent was the sexual revolution revolutionary?
To what extent was it a continuation of past movements?
What were the high and low points of the Civil Rights Movement, from 1954 to
1968, and to what extent were the civil rights of African Americans extended?
How did the role of students evolve during this period? Students compare NAACP
materials from the 1920s and 1930s on lynching and civil rights with 1950s civil
rights materials.
Students must make a presentation on why there were differences and similarities
to the class.
In what ways did the war in Vietnam reflect the geopolitical struggles of the Cold
War?
To what extent did growing discontent with the war influence changes in American
policy between 1968 and 1975?
How effective were the tactics used by opponents of the war?
To what extent was the counterculture movement driven by opposition to the war,
and to what extent were other contributing factors at work?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Geopolitics- Students will research and discuss the role of Geopolitics and its
influence in United States history.
 Class discussions on Pearl Harbor, the two fronts of the war, and wartime
diplomacy.
 Debate on the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Students read four different
accounts of the bombings and must decide for themselves how we should remember
the dropping of the atomic bomb.
 Document analysis activity: Four Freedoms. Map skills lesson: European and Pacific
Theaters of War.
 Historical perspectives lesson: Japanese Internment. students investigate a series of
primary documents to address the question: Why were Japanese-Americans
interned during the Second World War?
 Video Clips- Saving Private Ryan opening Scene, Band of Brothers episode- why we
fight.
 Class discussions on the war in Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 In-class document analysis: excerpt from “The Sources of Soviet Conduct,” by
George Kennan.
 The Cold War Lesson- students enter the fray through exploring a variety of
documents highlighting various issues and perspectives that led to the Cold War and
address the question: Who was primarily responsible for the Cold War, the United
State or the Soviet Union?
 The Cuban Missile Crisis Lesson- students examine letters between President
Kennedy and Soviet Chairman Kruschev and a cable from Russian Ambassador
Dobrynin to address the question: Why did the Russians pull their missiles out of
Cuba?
 Explore the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis to answer this question: Did
Khrushchev keep his promise to defend Cuba? You'll take a position and defend it
with evidence from primary source documents.

End of the Cold War Lesson- How did the Cold War end? Learn about the Cold War's
impact on the Soviet Union. At the end of this tutorial, you can take a short, online
quiz.
 The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Lesson- students investigate whether or not the
Johnson administration had been planning to go to war prior to the attacks.
 Johnson & the Vietnam War Lesson- Explore America's growing involvement in the
Vietnam conflict to answer this question: Should President Johnson increase the
United States' troop commitment to South Vietnam in 1965? You'll take a position
and defend it with evidence from primary source documents.
 The Montgomery Bus Boycott Lesson- students build a more complex
understanding of the causes and context of the boycott as they analyze four
historical documents.
 The Great Society Lesson- students consider the impact of Great Society programs
by comparing a speech delivered by Johnson in 1964 with two recent
commentaries.
 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Lesson- students consider the depth of Kennedy’s
commitment to civil rights by comparing two speeches, one from Kennedy and
another from SNCC leader John Lewis delivered during the March on Washington.
 Homework assignment on topics listed above.
 Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
 In Class DBQ (1 Class-Period to complete): The Geography of the Cold War:
What is Containment?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Period 9: 1980- Present: Conservatism, Post-Cold War America, and a New Century.
As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it
experienced renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy,
and adapted to economic globalization and revolutionary changes in science and
technology.
Themes: ID, POL, CUL, POL, WOR, ENV, WXT, PEO,
Readings:
Kennedy, Chapters 40-42 (pg. 968-1034)
Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:
Kennedy Vol. II. pp. 549-665
 Four Views on the End of the Cold
War (1994)
 The Gulf War as a Happy Ending or
Ominous Beginning (1991)
 Anthony Lake Advocates Replacing
containment with Enlargement
(1993)
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Searching for a Post-Cold War
Foreign Policy (1994)
David T. Canon and Kenneth R.
Mayer Appraise Impeachment’s on
the Presidency (2001)
The 9/11 Commission Finds Fault
(2004)
Essential Questions:
 What ways did the various Middle Eastern conflicts first symbolize and later replace
the major conflicts of the Cold War?
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To what extent were the Reagan/Bush presidencies successful in rolling back
reforms of the New Deal and Great Society and in reshaping the role of government?
To what extent was America transformed by societal changes—from television to
race relations to AIDS and crack cocaine?
How did the role of the President change in the years from the Watergate scandal
through the terrorist attacks of September 11th?
Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:
 Class discussions on the Reagan Revolution, the collapse of communism, and
modern immigration. Debate on Ford’s pardon of Nixon, and the rise of the New
Right.
 Document analysis activity: Contract with America. Using Lisa McGirr’s Suburban
Warriors, students map the ideas and strategies of the New Right and compare this
movement to earlier moments (1880s, 1920s, 1950s) of conservative activism. What
values remained constant over this long period of time?
 Homework assignment on topics listed above.
 Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the
period.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Exam Description
Final exam for AP History: includes review and practice for final exam.
Final exam will mock the AP testing exam (example below)
Section
I
II
Question Type
Part A: Multiple-choice
questions
Part B: Short-answer
questions
Part A: Document-based
question
Number of
Questions
55 questions
Timing
Percentage of Total
Exam Score
55 minutes
40%
4 questions
45 minutes
20%
1 question
60 minutes
25%
15%
35 minutes
Part B: Long essay
question
1 question
(chosen from a
pair)
Students will be asked to apply considerable effort to act as historians and develop the ability to
analyze historical evidence in order to determine its validity and relevance, identify point of view,
examine for bias, and recognize a need for objectivity and substantiation. Historians use skills such
as formulating generalization based on trends, interpreting and using data, and analyzing and
weighing evidence from various sources and perspectives. These students will do the same. These
are skills that are not only applicable to AP History, but that can be transferred to other academic
areas and practical disciplines as well.