SYLLABUS AND READING LIST
Course Description and Goals
Advanced Placement United States History
The objective of this course is to increase the student’s understanding of United States history from
discovery to the present with the goal of having each student pass the AP examination. The first semester
covers material beginning with the founding of Jamestown to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. The
second semester concentrates on the Progressive Era to the present. The areas of focus include historical,
political, economic history coupled with an intense study of cultural and intellectual institutional and their
development. This course is taught at the college level. The major difference between a high school and
college history course are the amount of reading and focus. Most high school courses stress “What
happened” intending to provide enough background to ensure good citizenship. College courses stress
“Why and how” things happen as well as the consequences of actions. AP US History students will be held
to the highest standard of academic integrity. AP students will be held accountable for their academic
performance, attendance, and class participation.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
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Master a broad body of historical knowledge
Demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
Use historical data to support an argument or position
Differentiate between historiographical schools of thought
Interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, letters, and other
primary sources
Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, and compare and contrast
Work effectively with others to produce products and solve problems
Master a style of writing that will lead to successful performance on the AP exam
Prepare for and successfully pass the AP U.S. History Exam
Within each nine week grading period, the following themes will be addressed:
1. The role of race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the history of the United States.
2. The economic, social, and political effects of immigrations, internal migration, geography, and
acquisition of territory.
3. The effects of capitalist development, consumerism, and the impact of population growth,
industrialization and technology on the environment.
4. Engagement with the rest of the world dating from the 15th century to the present.
5. The economic, diplomatic, and political role of the United States in the world.
6. Diverse movements focusing on a broad range of issues including, but not limited to, abolition,
labor, women’s rights, war, government, etc.
7. Defining citizenship, identifying American political traditions, the establishment and growth of
democracy and the struggle of civil rights.
Each unit of study will feature major themes. Each of the major themes will correlate with both
College Board and the state-mandated TAKS test. Within each unit, student will produce a written
product relating to these themes. Major themes will be emphasized by using discussion questions.
For each DQ, students must prepare a thesis statement and an essay outline for each question. All
students can expect to write a minimum of three free response essays and one document-based
essay each grading period.
Course texts:
America: Past and Present. Robert Divine, et. al. Pearson Longman, Boston, 2004.
Founding Brothers. Joseph Ellis. Vintage Books, New York, 2002.
My Lai. James Olson and Randy Roberts. Bedford/St. Martins, Boston, 1998.
The American Spirit Vol. I & II. David Kennedy and Thomas A. Bailey. 10th Edition.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 2002.
Constructing the American Past Vol. I & II. Elliot Gorn, Randy Roberts, and Terry
Bilhartz. 5th edition. Pearson Longman, New York. 2005.
America: A Narrative History Vol. I & II. George Brown Tindall. 2nd Edition. W.W.
Norton & Co., New York, 1988.
Democracy in America. Alexis De Tocqueville. Penguin Books, New York, 2004.
American Diplomacy. George F. Keenan. University of Chicago Press, 1985.
The American Political Tradition. Richard Hofstadter (ACLS E-Book, 1999)
The Killer Angels. Michael Sharra. Ballatine Books, New York, 1st Ed., 1994
The Jungle. Upton Sinclair. Bantam Books, New York, 1981.
1968: The Year That Rocked America. Mark Kurlansky, Random House, New York,
2005.
Various articles and handouts.
UNITS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Unit 1: Colonial America
Divine
Bilhartz
Ellis
Chapters 1,2, 3, & 4
Chapters 2,3,4 (Dying and Surviving in Virginia, etc.)
Chapters 1-6
Themes:
1. The emergence of American cultural traits and the factors that contributed to them.
2. Emerging regional patterns and how they evolved
Content:
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Motives and methods of colonization: Spain, France, and Britain
Push-Pull factors bringing colonists to the New World
Comparison and contrast of Southern, Middle, and New England political, economic, social, and
religious patterns
Examples of early colonial resistance to royal authority
Major Assignments:
 Two Colonial regions charts (Include a definition of joint-stock, proprietary, and royal charter
colonies, the degree of self-government and extent of participation, economic base, labor,
opportunities for social and political mobility, education, et al. What did they all have in
common? Differences? What accounted for differences?
 Warfare analysis: French-Indian War
 Notecard Terms
 Puritan Experience in New England reading; Surviving and Dying in Virginia reading
 Document analysis: Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Maryland Act of Toleration,
Mayflower Compact, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
 DBQ: Chesapeake and New England regions
Unit 2: The American Revolution
Divine
Bilhartz
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Themes:
1. Colonists re-evaluate their relationship with Great Britain and with each other
2. The American Revolution as a conservative or radical government
3. The Revolution’s place in world developments of the time period
Content:
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Mercantilism- costs and benefits for Britain and colonies
British policy changes- end to salutary neglect
Emerging colonial cooperation and decision for independence
Military victory and terms of the Treaty of Paris
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Warfare analysis chart (Analysis of the causes and consequences of the Revolution)
DBQ: Using the documents and your understanding of the Revolutionary War period, analyze the
extent to which the American Revolutionary War was truly “revolutionary”.
Essay: Create a scenario for the period 1763-1776 to demonstrate that the American
Revolutionary War and colonial independence from Great Britain were not inevitable. Students
must include conflicting sources of data within the essay.
Primary document analysis: Declaration of Independence, Letter from a Pennsylvania Farmer,
Olive Branch Petition, Common Sense
Debate: Was the Boston Massacre a massacre? (Use of propaganda)
Unit 3: Creating a Nation
Divine
Bilhartz
Ellis
De Tocqueville
Chapter 6 & 7
Chapters 6 & 7
Chapters 1 – 6
Excerpts
Themes:
1. Impact of colonial experience on post-independence government
2. Development of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights
3. The emergence of political parties and the factors that divided them
4. The development of sectional specialization and interdependence
5. The conflict between national power and states’ rights
Content:
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Government under the AOC- Successes and failures
Constitutional Convention: Personalities, Compromises, Controversies, Ratification
Hamiltonians vs. Jeffersonians
British-French conflict and its impact on American politics
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Document Analysis: AOC, Constitution of the United States, Federalist Paper #10
Chart: Show similarities between Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians
Socratic Seminar: Founding Brothers
DBQ: To what extent do Alexander Hamilton’s and Thomas Jefferson’s views represent an
evolution from republicanism to democracy?
Presidential Analysis- GW and Adams
Unit 4: Jeffersonian Democracy
Divine
Bilhartz
Tindall
Chapter 8 & 9
Chapter 8
Chapter 8 (Hamilton vs. Jefferson)
Themes:
1. The peaceful transfer of power from one party to another.
2. Changes in party positions
3. National growth and growth of nationalism
Content:
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Jefferson’s “Revolution of 1800”
Louisiana Purchase
Diplomatic Challenges and Problems
War of 1812: Era of Good Feelings, Rise of Nationalism, Diplomatic Achievements
Marshall Court rulings and precedents
Monroe Doctrine
Major Assignments:
 Chart: Court rulings and precedents
 Notecard terms
 Alexander Hamilton-Aaron Burr duel essay: Interpret documents that provide conflicting
evidence…Prompt- “Did Alexander Hamilton intend to kill Aaron Burr?”…Source: Bilhartz
 Presidential Analysis: TJ, Madison, Monroe
 Warfare Analysis- War of 1812 (Analyze causes and consequences of)
 Primary Source document analysis: Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, Iroquois
correspondence to Congress, Tecumseh Stands against white encroachment (letters to governor)
Unit 5: The Age of Jackson
Divine
Bilhartz
Chapter 10
Chapter 9
Themes:
1. The emergence of the second American party system
2. The emergence of the “Common Man” in American politics
Content:
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Election of 1824 and the founding of Jackson’s Democratic Party
Jackson’s Administration: Spoils System, Nullification, Bank War, Cherokee Removal
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential Analysis: JQ Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, WH Harrison, John Tyler
DBQ: During the Jacksonian period the power of the Presidency increased at the same time
American society become more democratic. Using the documents AND your knowledge of the
time period, analyze these two seeming contradictions.
Graded discussion: Jeffersonian v. Jacksonian Democracy: In Retrospect
Create a class newspaper covering the Jackson Presidency
Document Analysis: Congressional Debate records re: Missouri Compromise, Jackson Speech
“Committee and Council of the Cherokee Nation”, South Carolina Exposition and Protest
Unit 6 Economic and Social Matters 1790-1860
Divine
Bilhartz
Chapter 11
Chapters 10 and 11
Themes:
1. Reform movements and the American character
2. Impact of the American “Renaissance” literary period
Content:
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Immigration: social, political, and economic development (transportation and sectional
interdependence, tariff policy); and reform movements, 1820-1850 (Womens’ rights, temperance,
mentally ill, abolitionism, utopian societies, etc.)
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American literary and art period- 1840’s – 1860’s
Second Great Awakening
Major Assignments:
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Create a chart of major reform figures in the Antebellum Period
Create a DBQ question including primary source excerpts relating to the period of reform
Notecard terms
Primary source documents: Declaration of Sentiments, Excerpts from Charles Finney
Speeches, Dorthea Dix’s Address to the Massachusetts legislature, Maria Ward’s Life Among
the Mormons
Unit 7: Manifest Destiny
Divine
Chapter 12
Themes:
1. Geographical and economic expansion
2. Diplomatic relations
Content:
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The Concept of Manifest Destiny (Polk and California)
Mexican-American War
Treaty of Guadelupe-Hidalgo
Gold Rushes
54’-40” or Fight!
Major Assignments
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis: James K. Polk & Zachary Taylor
Warfare analysis: Mexican-American War (Analyze the causes and consequences of)
Essay prompt: Was there any validity to the charge that the Texas annexation and Mexican War
were attempts to expand slavery? Why or why not?
Primary source documents analysis: Marcy’s Handbook for Overland Expedition with Maps,
Illustrations, and Itineraries…, Reverend William Channing’s essay against Texas’s admission into
the Union, Wilmot Proviso, Webster’s “Union” speech
Unit 8: The Civil War and Reconstruction
Divine
Bilhartz
Sharra
Chapters 13 - 16
Chapters 12 and 13
The Killer Angels
Themes:
1. Sectionalism
2. Slavery and the causes of the Civil War
3. Secession and war
4. Reconstruction issues and plans
5. The struggle for equality
6. Native American relations
Content:
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The politics of slavery: Missouri Compromise, Abolitionists, Compromise of 1850, KansasNebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott Case, Lincoln-Douglas Debates, John Brown’s
Raid, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Election of 1860
Slavery as a social and economic institution
Military strategies, strengths and weaknesses, events and outcomes
The home front, North and South- mobilizing manpower, finances, public opinion
Presidential vs. Congressional Reconstruction plans and actions
Economic development: The New South and the New West
1877 Compromise and Home Rule
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois’s leadership styles and programs
Native Americans- Plains Wars and reservation policy & Dawes Act
Comparison of reform attitudes toward African-Americans and Native Americans in the late 19th
century
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential Analysis: Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, A. Johnson, U.S. Grant, and R. Hayes
Warfare analysis- US Civil War (Causes and consequences of)
DBQ- The Compromise of 1850 led to the break up of the Union in 1860. Using the documents
provided AND your knowledge of the time period 1830 to 1850, asses the validity of the statement.
FRQ- Discuss how slavery became the primary cause of the sectional crisis between 1810-1860.
Create a chart showing differences between Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction plans.
Socratic Seminar- Major themes of The Killer Angels will be addressed
Debate- Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois? The true vision of the future?
Primary Source analysis- Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses,
Excerpts of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Dred Scott Decision, Freeport Doctrine, Newspaer articles (Anti
and Pro John Brown propaganda), The Crime Against Kansas, A southerner Speaks for
Secession, The Emancipation Proclamation, Mississippi Black Codes
Graded Discussion- How should the Southern economy be restored? Fate of African-Americans?
Extra-Credit- Build a model of Gettysburg battlefield, recite Gettysburg Address, paint Civil War
scene
Unit 9: The Gilded Age
Divine
Bilhartz, Vol. II
Sinclair
Chapters 17 - 20
Chapters 2,3,4
The Jungle
Themes:
1. Political alignment and corruption in the Gilded Age
2. Role of government in economic growth and regulation
3. Social, economic, and political impact of industrialization
Content:
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Gilded Age politics- party alignment, political corruption, and reform
Industrial growth
Government support and actions
Business tycoons: methods, accomplishments, philosophies
Rise of organized labor
Changing conditions
Unions, leaders, methods, successes, and failures
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and B. Harrison
Group newspaper assignment- required elements:
o Report of news articles on incidents during the late 1800’s
o Biographical feature story on an important personality of the period
o Editorial
o Political cartoons
o Period appropriate advertisements
DBQ- Analyze the major social and economic changes in America that lead to the increased role of
the middle class during the “Gilded Age”. Use the documents AND your knowledge of the time
period 1865-1900 to compose your essay.
Assign The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Primary Source Document analysis- United States vs. E.C. Knight Company
Unit 10: American Imperialism
Divine
Bilhartz
Keenan
Chapter 21
Chapter 5
“Spanish-American War”
Themes:
1. The changing role of the U.S. in world affairs from isolationism to world power
2. U.S. motives in the Spanish-American War
3. Presidential and Congressional roles in policy management
Content:
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Reasons for new interest in world affairs
Spanish-American War- Cuban situation and U.S. reaction, military preparedness and action,
Treaty provisions, Philippine annexation (debate and results)
Open Door Policy/TR’s “Big Stick” Diplomacy, Roosevelt Corollary and applications, Panama
intervention and canal building, Nobel Peace Prize (Russo-Japanese War)
Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
Wilson’s “Moral” or “Missionary” Diplomacy- Relations with Panama, Mexico, Haiti, and the
Philippines
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- McKinley, TR, Taft, and Wilson
Warfare Analysis- Spanish-American War (Causes and consequences of)
Debate- Philippine annexation
Political cartoons: Students create one cartoon representing pro-annexation sentiment and one
representing anti-annexation sentiment
DBQ- The end of the 19th century saw America aggressively pursuing foreign conquest in order to
transform itself into an international empire. Using the documents provided AND your knowledge
of the period 1875 to 1905 to support or refute this statement.
Primary source document analysis- Josiah Strong’s “Our Country”, Alfred Thayer Mahan’s
Influence of Seapower Upon History, De Lome Letter, Frederick Remington political cartoons,
platform of the American Anti-Imperialist League
UNIT 11: The Progressive Era
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Sinclair
Themes:
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Chapter 22 & 23
Chapter intro & Chapter 6
The Jungle
Inflation/deflation- Role of the government in the economy
Role and effectiveness of third parties
Immigration and urbanization
Patrician reformers
Bryan and Wilson: “Jefferson goals in Hamiltonian form” (Conflict and consensus)
Teddy Roosevelt/Taft/Wilson: Conservatives as Progressives (reform to preserve)
Content:
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Agrarian revolt- postwar problems, attempts to organize, Election of 1896
Immigration and urbanization in the late 19th century
Social and cultural developments of the late 19th century
Urban middle-class reformers lead a call for change- muckrakers, women’s issues and reforms,
political corruption and reforms, consumer and environmental protection, business and labor issues
Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson administrations respond to Progressive movement
Major Assignment:
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Notecard terms
FRQ- “Because of his positions on reform, big business, internal improvements, and foreign policy,
Theodore Roosevelt was the most ‘progressive’ of the progressive presidents.” Assess the validity
of this statement.
Progressive reform chart
Exam- assessment on The Jungle
Socratic Seminar- covers Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives and other excerpted documents
Primary source document analysis: Jacob Riis, Lincoln Steffens, Niagara Movement (New York
Times Editorial), Ida Tarbell’s “The History of Standard Oil”, John Bates Clark “Disarming the
Trusts” (Atlantic Monthly 85 1900), TR’s New Nationalism, Wilson’s New Freedom
Unit 12: World War I
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Chapter 24
Chapter 7
Themes:
1. The changing of America’s role in world (European) affairs
2. U.S. motives in WWI and post-war agreements
3. Presidential and Congressional roles in policy management
Content:
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Various interpretations of U.S. motives in WWI
WWI at home- Economic impact, harassment of German Americans, women and minorities,
Espionage and Sedition Acts, business and labor relations, Creel Committee (wartime
propaganda)
Treaty negotiations and Senate rejection of Versailles Treaty
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Warfare analysis- WWI (causes and consequences of)
Students evaluate various examples of WWI propaganda used by the U.S. government to advance
various means. Graded discussion
Students will create a propaganda poster.
Primary source documents: Zimmerman Note, 14 Points, Treaty of Versailles, Senator George
Norris Senate speech opposing the war, T. Roosevelt’s view on the war(America and the War),
Senator William Borah’s Senate speech opposing the Treaty of Versailles
UNIT 13: The 1920’s
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Chapter 25
Chapter 8
Themes:
1. Post-WWI compared to post-Civil War nativism, laissez-faire, labor, government, farmers, attitudes
towards reform
2. U.S. pursuit of “advantages without responsibilities”
3. Administration policy of “nullification by administration”
4. Cultural conflicts: native vs. foreign; rural vs. urban
5. Revolution in manners and morals
Content:
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Post-war recession and agricultural problems
Intolerance
KKK
Immigration restrictions
Sacco and Vanzetti
Prohibition and organized crime
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Jazz Age culture, youth rebellion, Lost Generation
Business growth and consolidation, credit, advertising
Harding, Coolidge, Hoover Administrations- scandals, trickle-down economics, boom and bust in
the stock market, foreign policy
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- Harding, Coolidge, & Hoover
Dilemma assignment- assign a persona to each student. The student will maintain a journal where
they will address the issues and events of the time period from his/her unique perspective.
SPRITE chart- identification of the social, political, religious, intellectual, technological, and
economic issues/events of the 1920’s
DBQ- To what extent did WWI impact American society. Use the documents AND your
knowledge of the years 1917-1928 to construct your response.
Primary source document analysis- excerpt from Kellogg-Briand Pact, Rep. Tom McKeown House
Speech re: the plight of the American farmer, Doffus’s “How the Ku Klux Klan Sells Hate”, Excerpt
from the Volstead Act, excerpt from Immigration Act of 1924, and Sacco-Vanzetti trial testimony
Unit 14: The Great Depression and the New Deal
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Chapter 26
Chapter 9
Themes:
1. The role of government in society and the economy
2. Political realignment
3. Human suffering and response to the Great Depression
Content:
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Hoover v. Roosevelt’s approaches and responses to the Depression
New Deal legislation- effectiveness and criticism
Supreme Court reactions and Court Packing plan
Dust Bowl and demographic shifts
Extremist alternatives: Coughlin, Long, Townsend
Political party alignment- the new Democratic coalition
Impact of the Great Depression on various population groups
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- FDR
New Deal legislation chart
SPRITE Chart- 1930’s
Debate- It’s the government’s responsibility to intervene during economic downturns.
DBQ- Using your knowledge and the documents provided, write a well-reasoned essay in which
you discuss the social, political, and economic impact of FDR’s New Deal on American society.
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Primary source document analysis- FDR’s First Inaugural Address, Oct. 20, 1929 New York Times
article, Long’s Share-Our-Wealth Program letter, FDR speech regarding Court packing & NY Times
response
Unit 15: World War II
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Chapter 27
Chapter 10
Themes:
1. Comparison of Wilson and Roosevelt as neutrals, wartime leaders, Allied partners, post-war
planners
2. Home-front conduct during WWI and WWII
Content:
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U.S. response to aggression- neutrality legislation, Lend-Lease Act
Pearl Harbor and response
Military strategy- Germany first, second front debate, island-hopping, atomic bomb
Home front- relocation of Japanese-Americans, women and minorities in the workplace,
demographic impact
Wartime diplomacy and cooperation- Atlantic Charter (compare to 14 Points), wartime conferences
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- Harry S. Truman
Warfare analysis- World War II (Causes and consequences of)
Letter writing project- Students take on a persona (German soldier/submariner/citizen, US
sailor/pilot/soldier/citizen, Japanese soldier/sailor/pilot/citizen) and write a series of letters involving
a myriad of issues
Debate: Topics- 1) WWII was a good war. 2) Crisis is good for the country 3) The war effort was
good for labor 4) The war strengthened traditional gender roles.
Primary source analysis- Atlantic Charter, war propaganda, FDR’s “Quarantine Speech”, FDR’s
“Arsenal of Democracy Speech”, Charles Lindbergh’s address in NY April 24, 1941, “Day of
Infamy” speech
Unit 16: America in the Postwar World
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Miller
Chapter 28 - 29
Chapter 11
The Crucible
Themes:
1. U.S. adopts new role as peacetime leader in post-war world
2. Ideological struggle with communist world
3. Continued impact of New Deal on government’s role in society
4. Struggle for civil liberties and civil rights
5. Checks and balances at work in American politics
6. Interrelationship of foreign policy and economic stability
7. Cycles of freezes and thaw in East-West relations
Content:
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Splintering of wartime alliance and adoption of containment- Berlin and German division, Truman
Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO, Korea
United Nations founding and participation
Truman’s administration- Fair Deal, G.I. Bill, Taft-Hartley Act, 22ns Amendment, 1948 Election,
loyalty program
Eisenhower’s administration- McCarthyism, modern Republicanism, highway construction, Brown
v. Board of Education, Warren Court, Little Rock
Eisenhower’s foreign policy- brinkmanship, massive retaliation, John Foster Dulles, U2 incident,
Khruschev
Southeast Asia- aid to South Vietnam
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Warfare Analysis- Korean War (Causes and consequences of)
Create a DBQ- Students select an issue, create a question, and select the significance of the
issue, clarity of the question, and the relevance of documents used in answering question.
SPRITE chart- 1950’s
Debate- Topics- 1) The U.S. was responsible for the Cold War 2) The postwar Red Scare
expressed real and legitimate concerns about communist subversion.
Legacy of Distrust project- role-playing
Review The Crucible (Student read this in AP English). Connect past to present.
Primary source document analysis- The Truman Doctrine, Iron Curtain speech, Executive Order
9835, “Give ‘em Hell Harry” speech, NSC-68, newspaper editorials condemning Truman’s firing of
McArthur, Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, Dulles “The Evolution of Foreign Policy excerpt, Brown
v. Board
Unit 17: The 1960’s and 1970’s
Divine
Bilhartz Vol. II
Olson
Kurlansky
Chapter 30 - 31
Chapters 12 & 13
My Lai
1968
Themes:
1. Ideological struggle with the communist world
2. The “Vietnam Syndrome” in post-war foreign policy
3. Continued impact of New Deal programs on government’s role in society
4. Struggle for civil liberties and civil rights
5. Checks and balances at work in American politics
6. Interrelationship of foreign policy and economic stability
7. Cycles of freezes and thaw in East-West relations
8. human rights vs. strategic self-interest in policy formation
Content:
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Civil Rights movements: popular and government response
War on Poverty and Great Society Programs
New Frontier
Counterculture and anti-establishment movements
Kennedy- flexible response, aid for social and economic development, Peace Corps, Alliance for
Progress, SE Asia military and economic aid, Bay of Pig and Cuban Missile Crisis
Vietnam War- Vietnamization, Nixon Doctrine, China Card, Détente
Watergate scandal- Ford’s Pardon
Carter- Human rights policies, Camp David Accords, Panama Canal treaties, SALT II, Afghanistan,
Olympic Boycott, Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis, environmentalism
Major Assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter
Warfare Analysis- Vietnam War
SPRITE chart- 1960’s
SPRITE chart- 1970’s
FRQ- The fifty-year period between 1920 and 1970 saw the ratification of seven different
Constitutional amendments. Discuss the reasons that these years made on such an impact on the
United States Constitution.
DBQ- Using your knowledge of the time period AND the documents provided, evaluate the Civil
Rights movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s and their impact on American society.
Debate- Topic: 1) Watergate happened because of Nixon’s personality rather than the Imperial
Presidency. 2) Bilingual education will impede students’ ability to assimilate into the mainstream
of American culture.
Group activity- Trial of Richard Nixon/Lee Harvey Oswald
Oral history project- Students find someone they know and trust, a babyboomer, and interview
them about their recollections and experiences during the 60’s and 70’s. Students brainstorm five
key questions.
Primary source document analysis: Letter From a Birmingham Jail, I Have a Dream Speech, Ich
Ben Ein Berliner Speech, JFK Inaugural Address, Rep. Trent Lott on impeachment, Rep. Barbara
Jordan on Impeachment, Silent Majority Speech
Unit 18: The Reagan Revolution
Divine
Chapter 32
Themes:
1. Struggle for civil liberties and civil rights
2. Checks and balances at work in American politics
3. Interrelationship of foreign policy and economic stability
4. Cycles of freezes and thaws in East-West relations
5. Affluence and consequences
Content:
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“The Evil Empire”
SDI
End of the Cold War
Affluence of the 1980’s- Trickle-Down Economics
Iran-Contra Affair
INF Treaty
Military spending & build up
Beirut & Libya
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
Presidential analysis- Reagan, GHW Bush
SPRITE chart- 1980’s
Graded Discussion- The Reagan Legacy?
Primary Source document analysis- “Evil Empire Speech”, First Inaugural, D-Day Memorial speech
Unit 19: Clinton, W, and the War on Terror
Divine
Supplementary docs.
Chapter 33
Content:
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“Contract With America”
Scandal- Whitewater, Paula Jones, and Monica-gate
Gays in the Military
Foreign policy- Clinton- Kosovo, Somalia, Haiti
Welfare reform
GW Bush- Election of 2000, Bush tax cuts, 9/11 and the global war on terror
Afghanistan and Bin Laden
Iraq War
Major assignments:
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Notecard terms
SPRITE CHART- 1990’s
Presidential Analysis- Clinton & GWB
Warfare analysis- Persian Gulf War and War on Terror
Other requirements:
1) Each student must participate in class discussions, Socratic seminars, and
debates. Preparation for each discussion is vital for acceptable performance.
2) Each student will be required to conduct research-related projects outside of class
each semester.
3) A quiz will administered for all chapters covered within the text. Open book/note
exams will not be allowed.
4) An exam (major grade) will be administered each unit of study in APUSH.
5) Students will write at least 3 FRQ and/or DBQ’s each grading period. Essays will
be graded using College Board’s 9-point rubric scale. Essays will account for a
major grade.
6) APUSH students will be assigned outside readings from textbook, teacherprovided articles, novels, etc.
7) Each student is expected to keep and maintain notes from class lectures. They
must be neat, concise, and complete.
8) Each student will be required to take midterm and final exam.
9) Due to the rigorous nature of this course, students must make every effort to
attend class. Students that miss are responsible for all missed assignments and
notes. Students will be expected to complete make-up exams within two days of
each absence.
10) All students will use primary sources throughout the course including, but not
limited to, the Magna Carta, Federalists Papers, Mayflower Compact, Declaration
of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Common Sense, Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt
Corollary, Atlantic Charter, etc.
11) Presidential Analysis for each President will be completed by each student. This
assignment is designed to address domestic and foreign policy.
12) Warfare analysis of each major American war will be complete by each student.
This assignment is an analysis of causes and consequences (social, political,
diplomatic, and military) of all American conflict.
13) There will be further reading of current events relating to national and global
issues pertaining to the overreaching themes of this course.
14) Students will be strongly encouraged to attend daily tutorials and Saturday review
sessions.
15) Tutorials: M-F 8:00 – 8:30
16) Policy for late work
1 day late
2 days late
3 or more days late
-30 points
-50 points
zero
COURSE EXPECTATIONS: At the conclusion of the course, the students will be expected to take
the APUSH exam and achieve Commended status on the state-mandated TAKS test.