Advanced Placement United States History
Ms. Kristy Partrick
Madison Central High School 2013 – 2014 School Year
The Advanced Placement U.S. History is a challenging course that will provide students with the analytical skills and factual
knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and challenges of American history. It is meant to be the equivalent of a
freshman college course and can earn a student college credit with the AP test at the end of the year. Students must be willing to
budget their time, commit to reading the textbook nightly, and complete all assignments in a timely manner. Then we will realize our
goal of an enjoyable, profitable year and the successful completion of the Advancement Placement exam in United States History on
May 14, 2014.
Course Texts and Readings
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Bailey. The American Pageant. 12th Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
All students will be required to purchase Amsco’s United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination.
This is an EXCELLENT resource for our students. We will be using this for readings/homework questions. The price will be
$20 – it is worth every penny!!!! You can try to find a copy from a former student but the questions at the back of each
chapter can NOT be answered. All money is due by August 23rd.
Grading Policy
Grading will be as follows: Tests will be multiple choice and essay and will cover approximately 2 chapters at a time. Every test will be
comprehensive and will be 60% of your total grade. Essays and other classwork (pop quizzes, assignements, etc) will be 40% of your grade.
Essays will be free response and DBQ’s (Document Based Questions). All essays must be written in ink OR THEY WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED. All essays are graded based on evidence of critical thinking, use of supporting evidence, and spelling/grammar. Most
homework will be assigned reading with occasional take home tests and essays.
Honor Code
All students will be expected to take and abide by an honor code in this class. I have not given or received help on this assignment.
We cover a lot of material fast and much has to be done at home. Giving help or receiving it cheats you/someone else out of the
knowledge needed to pass this class and the exam. Examples of violations of the honor code include but are certainly not limited
to giving or receiving help on any in-class or take-home test, essay, or quiz, plagiarism of material on take-home essays, and
discussion of any quiz, test, or essay questions with students who have not yet completed that assignment. A zero will be given
on any assignment where the code is broken.
Summer Reading :
Pageant – Chapters 1 - 5
Summer Activities: Students will indentify key terms from each chapter. CR4
Course Outline Semester 1
Unit 1: America Begins and Colonial History, 33,000 B.C. – 1700 2 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 1-5 (assigned over the summer)
After the Fact: Serving Time in Virginia
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 1 - New World Beginnings – A “collision of worlds” takes place when European, Native American, and African cultures meet in
what later becomes the United States.
Chapter 2 - The Planting of English America – The five English colonies varied in origins and character, but established race
relations with Indians and African slaves that would shape the North American experience.
Chapter 3 - Settling the Northern Colonies – While the New England colonies were settled primarily for religious reasons, the middle
colonies represented more diverse backgrounds, forming a middle ground between the New England towns and the plantation South.
Chapter 4 - American Life in the Seventeenth Century – Life in the colonies was drastically different between the Southern and
Northern colonies, as seen in the life span, family life, social life, religion, and economic and moral environments.
Chapter 5 – Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution – 18th Century colonial life took on American characteristics while becoming
more ethnically and religiously diverse and more economically and politically developed.
Activities/Assessments:
Essay on Colonies
Introduce guidelines for writing DBQ’s
Test on Chapters 1-5
In-class DBQ layout CR8
Unit 2: Revolution and Independence, 1700 – 1783 3 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 6 – 8
Common Sense
After the Fact: Declaring Independence
The Declaration of Independence CR7
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 6 – The Dual for North America – A British victory while fighting for control of North America forced France from the
continent and created conflict between Britain and its American colonies.
Chapter 7 – The Road to Revolution – Americans were pushed to war with Britain after resisting attempts by Britain to tighten
political authority and taxation over the colonies after the French and Indian War.
Chapter 8 – America Secedes from the Empire – After declaring independence from Britain, the United States fought for and
established a free republic.
Activities/Assessments:
French and Indian War DBQ in class CR8
Tests on Chapters 5 and 6, Chapters 7 and 8
Taxation essay
Unit 3: Building a New Nation, 1783 – 1824 4 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 9 – 12
The U.S. Constitution
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 9 – The Confederation and the Constitution – The Constitution set up a framework of government to establish national
identity and interests.
Chapter 10 – Launching the New Ship of State – The first administration under the Constitution overcame various difficulties and
firmly established the political and economic foundations of the new federal government.
Chapter 11 – The Triumphs and Travails of Jeffersonian Democracy – Jefferson’s policies strengthened the two-party republican
government, but brought him in to foreign conflicts that revived the Federalist Party.
Chapter 12 – The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism – The War of 1812 led to American isolationism and
increased nationalism seen in economics, law, and foreign policy.
Activities/Assessments:
Nationalism Project – The American System, Industrialism, etc. – Test Grade
Students will answer the following essays - Articles of Confederation and the development of political parties in the United States
essays. CR1
Tests on Chapters 9 and 10, Chapters 11 and 12
Storyboard Project will be assigned – rubric will be provided. Students will chose from the following topics: The Road to
Revolution, The Confederation and the Constitution, The Washington and Adams Presidencies, The Revolution of 1800, and
Jacksonian Democracy.
Unit 4: Jacksonian Democracy, 1824 – 1836 2 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 13 – 15
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 13 – The Rise of a Mass Democracy – While Jackson’s presidency brought in a spirit of new democracy, sectional and
economic difficulties were building under the surface that were not successfully addressed.
Chapter 14 – Forging the National Economy – Advances in transportation and improvements in industrialization began to tie the
nation together into a continental economy with regional specializations.
Chapter 15 – The Ferment of Reform and Culture – All areas of American life and culture were affected by reform movements that
swept through the United States.
Activities/Assessments:
“Purifying the Nation” Handout
Test on Chapters 13 – 15
Take-home DBQ – Jacksonian Democracy
Unit 5: Slavery and the Rise of Sectionalism, 1820 – 1860 4 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 16 – 19
Selected readings from Voices from Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives,
by Norman R. Yetman (Editor) CR7
Selected readings from Uncle’s Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 16 – The South and the Slavery Controversy – The dependence on cotton production and the slave system in the South and
the emergence of a radical abolitionist movement in the North began a divide.
Chapter 17 – Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy – The U.S. gained vast southwestern territories with the acquisition of Texas and
victory in the Mexican War, igniting the slavery question.
Chapter 18 – Renewing the Sectional Struggle – American expansionism in the West and the Caribbean was extremely controversial
because it was tied to the slavery question.
Chapter 19 – Drifting Toward Disunion – North-South crises in the late 1850s led to the election of Republican Abe Lincoln as
President and the secession of seven southern states from the Union.
Activities/Assessments:
In-class DBQ – The 1850s: Prelude to Civil War CR8
Tests on Chapters 16 and 17, Chapters 18 and 19
Road to Revolution Charts
Unit 6: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860 – 1877 2 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 20 – 22
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address CR6
Spirit – “The Proclaiming of Emancipation”
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 20 – Girding for War: The North and the South – The North’s industrial and economical advantages helped them wage total
war against the South.
Chapter 21 – The Furnace of Civil War – Union forces under U.S. Grant defeated southern forces in a total war to end slavery and
transform the nation, ending southern hopes of independence and the institution of slavery.
Chapter 22 – The Ordeal of Reconstruction – Reconstruction achieved some successes, such as the 14th and 15th Amendments, but left
behind a deep legacy of racial and sectional bitterness.
Activities/Assessments:
Slavery essay
Take-home test on Chapters 20 – 22
Semester Test – Will be comprehensive on Chapters 1 – 22 and will model the AP test that will be given in May.
2nd Semester
Unit 7: Industry and Politics during the Gilded Age, 1865 – 1899 3 weeks
Required Readings:
Pageant Chapters 23 – 26
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 23 – Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age – Politics during the Gilded Age was marked by ineptitude, stalemate, and
corruption while facing the issues of monetary and agrarian reform, labor, race, and economic fairness.
Chapter 24 – Industry Comes of Age – Post-Civil War America’s rapid industrial growth transformed labor as business grew and
consolidated into giant corporate trusts.
Chapter 25 – America Moves to the City – Explosive urban growth was accompanied by disturbing changes, including new
immigration, crowded slums, and conflicts over cultural and religious values.
Chapter 26 – The Great West and the Agricultural Revolution – The farmers, trapped in debt, turned to political actions in the 1880s,
leading to the creation of the Populist Party.
Activities/Assessments:
Take-home DBQ – The Federal Government and Laissez-Faire, 1865 – 1900, CR8
Industrialism/Urbanization Project
“The Farmers’ Dilemma – To Produce or Not to Produce” DBQ Handout CR8
Tests on Chapters 23 and 24, Chapters 25 and 26
Unit 8: Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad, 1890 – 1918
Required Readings:
5 weeks
Pageant Chapters 27 – 31
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 27 – The Path of Empire – A number of economic and political forces sparked a spectacular burst of imperialist expansionism
for the United States.
Chapter 28 – America on the World Stage – After the Spanish-American war, President Theodore Roosevelt pursued a bold and
controversial foreign affairs policy, especially in Asia and Latin Am.
Chapter 29 – Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt – Progressives successfully demanded that the powers of government be
applied to solving economic and social problems created by industrialization.
Chapter 30 – Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad – Woodrow Wilson was successful in pushing domestic, economic, and
social reforms, but was not successful in foreign policies.
Chapter 31 – The War to End Wars – After entering World War I to promote democracy, Wilson unsuccessfully tried to construct a
peace plan based on his Fourteen Points.
Activities/Assessments:
“Progressivism – Liberal Reform or Conservative Reaction” Handout
Tests on Chapters 27 and 28, Chapters 29 – 30 (1/2) Chapters 30 (1/2) and 31
Unit 9, The 1920’s and the 1930’s, 1920 – 1941
Required Readings:
Progressive reformers essay
2 weeks
Pageant Chapters 32 – 35
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 32 – American Life in the “Roaring Twenties” – America turns away from idealism and reform after WWI and toward
pleasures of prosperity thanks to new technologies and mass marketing techniques.
Chapter 33 – The Politics of Boom and Bust – The conservative, pro-business politics of the Republican administration during the
1920s led to prosperity, but the stock market crash of 1929 let to a severe, prolonged depression the devastated the American
economy.
Chapter 34 – The Great Depression and the New Deal – Roosevelt’s New Deal tackled the Great Depression with massive federal
programs designed to bring about relief, recovery, and reform.
Chapter 35 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War – During the early to mid-1930s, the U.S. attempted to isolate itself from
involvement in events in Europe even as the situation worsened and provoked more aggressive assistance to a desperate Britain.
Activities/Assessments:
1920’s DBQ layout in class
“New Deal Reforms” Handout
Great Depression essay
Tests on Chapters 32 and 33, Chapters 34 and 35
Unit 10: World War II and the Cold War, 1941 – 1960
Required Readings:
3 weeks
Pageant Chapters 36 – 38
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 36 – America in World War II – Unified by Pearl Harbor, America affectively mobilized for a two-front war, producing vast
social and economic changes within American society while following a Europe-first strategy.
Chapter 37 – The Cold War Begins – At the end of WWII, the U.S. and the Soviet Union became locked in a global Cold War
confrontation between democracy and communism.
Chapter 38 – The Eisenhower Era – The Eisenhower years were characterized by prosperity and moderate conservatism at home and
by the tensions of the Cold War abroad.
Activities/Assessments:
In class DBQ – Eisenhower and the Cold War
Test on Chapters 36 – 38
Assign “U.S. in World Affairs Timeline: 1940 – 1990” to be done in groups. 40 events must be included on the timeline.
Unit 11: Post-War Domestic Issues, 1960 – 1988
Required Readings:
2 weeks
Pageant Chapters 39 – 41
Chapter Themes (CR5):
Chapter 39 – The Stormy Sixties – The administrations of Kennedy and Johnson faced confrontations with communism in both Cuba
and Vietnam and liberal social reforms at home.
Chapter 40 – The Stalemated Seventies – The U.S. struggles to create a more stable international climate after the war with Vietnam
ends while dealing with tension in the Middle East and a growing economic problem in the U.S.
Chapter 41 – The Resurgence of Conservatism – Under the Reagan and Bush administrations, the U.S. will see economic growth,
massive budget deficits, a revival of Cold War confrontations, and the collapse of Communism with the fall of the Soviet Union.
Activities/Assessments:
Take home test on Chapters 39-41
Miscellaneous Notes:
Make-Ups:
Students, not the instructor, are responsible for arranging make-up work. Any make-up work must be done by the handbook rule.
Again, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ANY WORK MISSED!!! Check Schoolwires!!!! If you miss a test – Make up
tests will only be given on __________________________ after school. You MUST make up your test on this day or it is a zero. No
exceptions. You must make plans to be here. No exceptions!
Notebook:
Students should purchase and bring to class everyday a notebook for use only in this class. A three ring notebook is preferable to a
spiral one. Students should answer any homework questions, take notes, keep assignment sheets, handouts, and other materials in this
notebook.
Late Work: Assignments are due ON THE DUE DATE. If you do not have the assignment, you may turn it in the next school day
(not the next class day) for ½ credit minus whatever you miss. If you wait until the next class day it will not be accepted and you will
receive a 0. Ex/ if you have History on A day you must bring your assignment on B day to get ½ credit.
Cheating: I will not tolerate it. Don’t do it!
Cell Phones: You may use them WHEN I TELL YOU TO. You may NEVER NEVER NEVER have a cell phone out during a test.
If I see it during a test I am taking it up. You may NOT charge your phone in my room. Don’t ask!
You are expected to participate in class discussion and answer questions if called upon.
Be tolerant of the opinion of others. If you disagree with someone's statement, you may object with facts or reason, but not anger,
ridicule or rudeness.
If you think you do know the answer or have an idea to contribute, raise your hand and wait until you are recognized by the instructor
before you respond.
Refrain from speaking when others are. This includes the instructor as well as another student.
Keep up with reading assignments. Be prepared to answer questions in class. Make informed answers based upon your knowledge.
Strive to achieve knowledge. Learn from others and share what you have learned with them.
Finally – PLEASE let me know if you get “stressed!” This IS a different level class, but together we can, and WILL, get through
it! Drop by, email, call, whatever!!! Don’t let it get to you! Have fun … enjoy learning. I am here to help you succeed!!! We are
going to have a great year!!