AP U.S. History – Course Syllabus
School Profile
Name:
School Location & Environment: A town of about 10,000 residents located approximately 100
miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
Grades: 9-12
School Type: Public High School
Total Enrollment: 1,351 students
Ethnic Diversity: Caucasian – 1,326; Asian – 9; African-American – 7; Hispanic – 7;
Indian - 2
Graduation Rate: 97%
College Record: Approximately 60% of graduates attend a 4-year college. Approximately 10%
attend a 2-year college or vocational school. Approximately 5% join the military. The
remainder are either undecided or plan to enter the work force directly after high school.
Overview of Advanced Placement U.S. History
Program: Advanced Placement U.S. History is offered to juniors and seniors. The school requires
that students have a teacher recommendation in order to elect the AP U.S. course. To obtain this
recommendation students generally need a “B” average or higher in their previous history courses.
AP Class Size: maximum of 25 students per section
Course Design: AP U.S. History is a challenging elective that is geared to the level of a freshmen
year college-level course. It is a year-long survey of American history ranging from the Age of
Exploration to the present. If successful on the end of the year Advanced Placement U.S. History
Exam, students can earn either college credit or advanced placement at the vast majority of U.S.
colleges and universities.
Students electing this course should possess strong work and study habits as well as solid
reading and writing skills because these are all necessary to achieve ultimate success in the class. A
strong emphasis is placed on higher order thinking skills in nearly all class activities and assignments.
Course Objectives:
The students will:
1) Demonstrate an understanding of the events of the 17th, 18th, 19th, & 20th
centuries, as well as the economic, social, cultural, and political themes
associated with the development of the United States.
2) Effectively gather historical data using a variety of methods and media types, and
to use this data to support a variety of historical arguments and positions.
3) Effectively use analytical skills such as evaluation, determining cause and effect,
and comparing and contrasting in relation to each of the distinctive periods in
U.S. history.
4) Formulate their own conclusions regarding the impact that events, policies,
location, and people had on the development of the U.S..
5) Work cooperatively and effectively with others in response to a variety of courserelated tasks.
6) Prepare for all facets of the end of the year AP U.S. History Exam.
Main Course Texts & Supplemental Resources:
Bailey, Cohen, & Kennedy
Hakim
Hakim
Hakim
Wood et al
Eibling, Jackson, & Perrone
National Archives & NCSS
Davis
Belohlavek and Kramer ed.
The American Pageant: 12th Edition (Primary Course
Text) Houghton Mifflin - 2002
Reconstructing America
An Age of Extremes
War, Peace and All That Jazz
American Voices
Challenge and Change
Teaching With Documents: Using Primary Sources from the
National Archives and Records Administration
Don’t Know Much About History
Document-Based Questions Practice to Accompany The
American Pageant
*** Also heavily utilized are the “Examining the Evidence,” “Makers of America,” and “Varying
Viewpoints” segments found in each chapter of the primary course text.
Course Organization:
As is the case in a normal survey-type history course, this course will move chronologically and
at a rapid pace. Content will be presented within the framework of the following 10 time period
units:
1) 1600-1783 (The Founding & Establishment of Our Nation)
2) 1783-1824 (Our Nation In Its Infancy)
3) 1824-1860 (The Jacksonian & Pre-Civil War Era)
4) 1860-1900 (The Civil War, The Frontier, & The Gilded Age)
5) 1900-1920 (The Progressive Era)
6) 1920-1939 (An Era of Boom & Bust)
7) 1939-1959 (World War II & Cold War Beginnings)
8) 1960-1969 (Stormy Times In America)
9) 1970-1979 (A Time of Stalemate)
10) 1980-Present (The Resurgence of Conservatism)
Chapter by chapter reading assignments, content summary questions, and historical writing
prompts will be the primary focus of the course. Class will feature a combination of lecture,
small & large group work & discussion, coverage of chapter study guides and answering of
student-generated questions. Students will be assigned a minimum of three content-related
essays per each 9-week grading period. Both individual as well as group presentations will also
take place periodically.
Course Grading & Formal Student Evaluation:
The grade-scale for this course will be that as has been established by the Board &
Administration of our district. It is as follows:
93% - 100% = A
85% - 92% = B
76% - 84% = C
70% - 75% = D
69% & Below = F
NOTE: As is the case with all A.P. courses offered at our school, A.P. United States History is a
“weighted” course. The grade you earn in this course will be weighted at a “1.2” for class
ranking purposes only. This means that if you earn a final grade of an 80% in this course, then a
96% “weighted” average will be factored in when calculating your overall class rank.
Remember, this weighted average is used for ranking purposes only. It is not used when
determining honor roll status and it will not appear on your report card.
Your grade on the above scale will be calculated based on a points system. Every graded
assignment will be assigned a point value and your grade will be determined by dividing the total
points that you have accumulated by the total number of points possible. The primary formal
assessment tools to be used in this course will be the following:
1. Tests

2. Quizzes

You should expect a test to be given approximately every 7-10 school days. Most
tests will cover two chapters. All tests will include both objective and subjective
questions and will be worth an average of 50-75 points.
All quizzes will be unannounced and will be given at a frequency of about one per
chapter. Quizzes are usually worth approximately 15-25 points each and will fall
under one of the following three categories:
o Class Participation Quizzes (CPQ’s)
 These will be short, orally administered quizzes designed to make
sure that you are keeping up with reading assignments as well as
the current topics being presented in class.
Open-Book Quizzes
These will be given most often at the start of those chapters that
contain information which can be more easily understood and thus
covered at a more rapid pace than the typical chapter.
Homework Quizzes
These typically occur near the end of a chapter or after a written
homework assignment. Homework quizzes are nearly always
open-notes. They serve as an excellent review tool and also
reward those who are keeping up with their assignments. (NOTE:
While outlines printed off of the textbook web-site may be helpful
for reviewing information, notes of this type will not be permitted
to be used during homework quizzes.)
3. Writing Assignments
 For most chapters, you will be given a short list of writing assignment
possibilities. These will include document-based questions (DBQ’s), I-search
papers, historical theme essays, journal entries, editorials, historical dialogues, etc..
Each of these “writing topics” will be designated either a “Level I” or a “Level II”
assignment. These will be due approximately every three weeks (3 per grading
period). Due dates will be assigned at the beginning of each grading period. Of
these three required writing projects, one must be classified as a Level II. (40-50
pts. each)
 A great deal of emphasis will be placed on thesis development and support in all
assigned writing activities. (NOTE: An absolutely outstanding English I professor
in my past hammered this into my brain as the “key” to being a good writer.
Experience has taught me that he was correct so consequently, I have vowed to
make this a top goal of my instruction with every student that enters my
classroom.)
4. Projects
Projects will be assigned periodically. Some will be individual-type while others
will be group activities. These will involve such things as content mind maps,
skits, videotaped presentations, simulations, etc.. (Approximately 75-100 pts.
each)
The Advanced Placement U.S. History Exam:
The A.P. Exam is given in May. It consists of an 80 question multiple choice section as well as
an essay section that consists of two standard essays and one document-based (DBQ) essay
question. All students enrolled in A.P. courses at our school are required to take the A.P. Exam.
The registration fee is covered by the our district’s Educational Foundation. The exam is at no
cost to the student.
The Mid-Term & Final Exams:
At the end of the 2nd grading period, all students will take an exam covering the content covered
during the first semester. At the conclusion of the 4th grading period, all students will take a
cumulative exam covering the content presented during the entire course. This final exam will
take place in addition to the nation-wide AP Exam given in early May.
Course Content & Activity Outline
I.
Unit I – (1600-1783) The Colonial Era & The Birth Of Our Nation
*** Text Chapters 1-8
*** Instructional Time (7 weeks/35 days)
A. Chapter 1 – New World Beginnings (33,000 B.C. – 1769) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Native Americans Before Columbus
ii. Motives For Exploration
iii. The Early Explorers
iv. Old & New Worlds Collide
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 1
ii. “Examining the Reputation of Columbus” by Jack Weatherford
iii. “The Unwarranted Bashing of Columbus” by Thomas Folino
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 1 Open-Book Quiz
ii. Columbus: Hero or Villain?
iii. Writing Historical Essays
iv. “Columbus: Hero or Villain?” Essay
B. Chapter 2 –The Planting of English America (1500 – 1733) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. England & Its Desire To Expand
ii. The Planting of Jamestown
iii. The English & The Natives
iv. The Settlement & Growth of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas,
& Georgia
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 2
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 2 CPQ
ii. Southern Colonies “Fact Sheet”
iii. Southern Colony – Group Activity & Presentation
iv. Explanation – “Writing Historical Essays”
v. Chapter 1-2 Exam
vi. Assign: Writing Topic #1 (Level I & II choices)
C. Chapter 3 – Settling The Northern Colonies (1619-1700) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Puritanism
ii. The Plymouth & Massachusetts Bay Colonies
iii. Puritans & Indians
iv. Colonial Rhode Island, New Netherland (N.Y.), & Pennsylvania
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 3
ii. Excerpt from “Mayflower Compact”
iii. Varying Viewpoints: “Europeanizing America or Americanizing
Europe?”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 3 study questions
ii. Varying Viewpoints writing activity - * Pick a side and support
it.
D. Chapter 4 – American Life in the 17th Century (1607-1692)(4 days)
a. Themes
i. Life In the Chesapeake vs Life In New England
ii. Indentured Servitude
iii. Slavery & African-American Culture
iv. The 17th Century Social Pyramid
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 4
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 4 CPQ
ii. Small Group “Jigsaw” Activity
iii. Assign: Writing Topic #2 (Level II) **Colonial Era DBQ
***Writing a DBQ Essay – Explanation & Grading Rubric
iv. Chapter 3-4 Exam
E. Chapter 5 – Colonial Society On the Eve of Revolution (1700-1775)
(3 days)
a. Themes
i. Immigration & Population Growth
ii. The 18th Century Social Pyramid
iii. Jobs in the Colonies
iv. Religion & The Great Awakening
v. Education, Culture, & Politics in Colonial Times
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 5
ii. Makers of America: “The Scots-Irish”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 5 Study Questions
ii. Historical Comparison Activity – Comparing the 1st Great
Awakening to a Mass Movement of Today
F. Chapter 6 – The Duel for North America (1608-1763) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. New France
ii. The British-French Rivalry
iii. The French & Indian War and Its Aftermath
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 6
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 6 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 6 Quiz
iii. Creation of an original song or poem highlighting the key
people, places, events, and significant points of the French &
Indian War
iv. Chapter 5-6 Exam
G. Chapter 7 – The Road To Revolution (1763-1775) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. Mercantilism
ii. British Taxation & the Colonial Responses
iii. The 1st Continental Congress
iv. Lexington & Concord and the Coming of War
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 7
ii. Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 7 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 7 Quiz
iii. Analysis of “Common Sense” Activity
H. Chapter 8 – America Secedes From the Empire (1775-1783)
(6 days)
a. Themes
i. American “Republicanism”
ii. The Declaration of Independence
iii. Patriots vs Loyalists
iv. The 3 Phases of the War
v. The Franco-American Alliance
vi. The Peace of Paris
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 8
ii. “How the Colonists Won the War” from Don’t Know Much
About History
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Revolutionary War Battle Presentations (small group)
ii. Construction of a “Timeline of Revolutionary War Events”
iii. Develop an original song or poem relating to the key details of
the American Revolution
iv. Chapter 7-8 Exam
II.
Unit 2 – (1783-1824) Our Infant Nation
*** Text Chapters 9-12
*** Instructional Time (3 weeks/15 days)
A. Chapter 9 – The Confederation & The Constitution (1776-1790) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. A Change In The Hands of Power
ii. Post-Revolution Economic Troubles
iii. The Articles of Confederation
iv. The Need For A New Constitution
v. The Struggle Over Ratification
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 9
ii. Varying Viewpoints: “The Constitution: Revolutionary or
Counter-Revolutionary”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 9 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 9 Quiz
iii. In-Class Essay: “The Constitution: A Promoter or a Preventer of
Democracy”
B. Chapter 10 – Launching The New Ship of State (1789-1800) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. Problems of our Young Republic
ii. The Washington Presidency
iii. The Bill of Rights
iv. Alexander Hamilton’s Economic Policies
v. The Impact of the French Revolution
vi. The Emergence of the Federalists & Republicans
vii. The Adams Presidency
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 10
ii. The Bill of Rights
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 10 Study Questions
ii. “I Am An Alien” Essay (Level II Writing Topic)
iii. Chapter 9-10 Exam
C. Chapter 11 – The Triumphs & Travails of the Jeffersonian Republic
(1800-1812) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. The Revolutionary Election of 1800
ii. The Jefferson Presidency
iii. John Marshall & The U.S. Supreme Court
iv. The Louisiana Purchase
v. The Anglo-French War, the U.S. Embargo, & the Consequences
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 11
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 11 Study Questions
D. Chapter 12 – The Second War For Independence (1812-1824) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. The War of 1812
ii. The Treaty of Ghent & Its Aftermath
iii. The Era of Good Feelings
iv. The Monroe Doctrine
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 12
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 12 – Part I Study Questions
ii. Chapter 12 – Part II Study Questions
iii. Chapter 12 Quiz
iv. Essay – “What One Event In The Decade Following the Treaty
of Ghent Had The Biggest Impact On America’s Future?”
(Level I Writing Topic)
v. Chapter 11-12 Exam
III.
Unit 3 - (1824-1860) The Jacksonian Era & The Coming of Civil War
*** Chapters 13-19
*** Instructional Time (6 weeks/30 days)
A. Chapter 13 – The Rise of a Mass Democracy (1824-1840) (10 days)
a. Themes
i. Causes of A “New Democracy”
ii. The Election of 1824
iii. The JQ Adams Presidency
iv. JQ Adams vs Andrew Jackson
v. The Election of 1828
vi. The Tariff Controversy
vii. Jackson’s Indian Policy
viii. The War over the B.U.S.
ix. The Emergence of the Whigs
x. The Panic of 1837
xi. The Revolution In Texas
xii. The Establishment of Our Permanent Two-Party System
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 13
ii. Varying Viewpoints: “What Was Jacksonian Democracy?”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 13 Study Questions
ii. Skit Activity: **JQ Adams campaign ad/A. Jackson campaign
ad/The Tariff (Northern Perspective)/The Tariff(Southern
Perspective)
iii. Chapter 13 – Part II Study Questions
iv. Essay – “Do People Make History or Does History Make
People?” (Level I Writing Topic)
v. Chapter 13 Quiz
vi. Chapter 13 Exam
B. Chapter 14 – Forging The National Economy (1790-1860) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Irish & German Immigration
ii. Nativism & Assimilation
iii. The Coming of the Factory System
iv. Women & The New Economy
v. The Transportation Revolution & Its Impact
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 14
ii. Makers of America: “The Irish & The Germans”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 14 CPQ’s (Parts 1 & 2)
ii. Chapter 14-15 Take-Home Exam
C. Chapter 15 – The Ferment of Reform & Culture (1790-1860) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. The 2nd Great Awakening
ii. Early American Reform Movements
iii. Women’s Roles & Rights
iv. Early 19th Century Art & Literature
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 15
ii. Varying Viewpoints: “Reform: Who?, What?, How?, & Why?”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 15 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 14-15 Take-Home Exam
D. Chapter 16 – The South & The Slavery Controversy (1793-1860) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. The Economy of “King Cotton”
ii. The Southern Social Ladder
iii. The Life of A Slave
iv. Abolitionism
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 16
ii. “Incidents In The Life of A Slave Girl” by Harriet Jacobs
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 16 CPQ
ii. In Class Writing Prompt – based on Jacobs book excerpt
E. Chapter 17 – Manifest Destiny & Its Legacy (1841-1848) (2 days)
a. Themes
i. Manifest Destiny
ii. The Mexican War
iii. Presidents Tyler & Polk
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 17
ii. “What Exactly Is Manifest Destiny?” –from Don’t Know Much
About History
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 17 CPQ
ii. Book Excerpt Summary Questions
F. Chapter 18 – Renewing The Sectional Struggle (1848-1854) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. Popular Sovereignty
ii. The Compromise of 1850
iii. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 18
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 18 “Jigsaw” Activity
ii. Chapter 16-18 Exam
G. Chapter 19 – Drifting Toward Disunion (1854-1861) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. Rise of Abolitionism
ii. Bloody Kansas
iii. The Buchanan Presidency
iv. The Rise of Abraham Lincoln
b. Readings:
i. Text Chapter 19
ii. Excerpt from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 19 “Jigsaw” Activity
ii. Assign: Writing Topic (Level II) **1800-1860 Era DBQ
***Evaluate Using AP Essay Rubric
iii. Chapter 19 Exam
IV.
Unit 4 (1861-1900) The Civil War & The Later Decades of the 19th Century
*** Chapters 20-27
*** Instructional Time (8 weeks/40 days)
A. Chapter 20 – Girding For War: The North & The South(1861-1865) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. The Attack on Fort Sumter
ii. The Role of the Border States
iii. Lincoln & The Constitution
iv. Financing the War
v. The Advantages of the North & South
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 20
d. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 20 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 20 Quiz
B. Chapter 21 – The Furnace of Civil War (1861-1865) (12 days)
a. Themes
i. Early Confederate Dominance
ii. The Union & “Total War”
iii. Turning the Tide To the North
iv. The Emancipation Proclamation
v. Gettysburg
vi. The War in the West
vii. Sherman’s Impact
viii. Lincoln’s Assassination & Legacy
ix. The Legacy of War
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 21
ii. Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”
iii. “Lincoln at Gettysburg” by Garry Willis
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. “Mind Map” Activity
ii. Chapter 21 Quiz
iii. Document Analysis Activity: Letters Home From Union &
Confederate Soldiers
iv. In-Class Writing Prompt: Gettysburg Address
v. Chapter 20-21 Exam
C. Chapter 22 – The Ordeal of Reconstruction (1865-1877) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. The Post-War South
ii. The Freed Slaves
iii. The Andrew Johnson Presidency
iv. Radical Reconstruction
v. The Legacy of Reconstruction
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 22
ii. “Reconstructing America: 1865-1890” by Joy Hakim (Chapters
1-7)
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 22 Study Questions
ii. Historical Reaction Discussion: “Are We Equal? Are We
Kidding?”
D. Chapter 23 – Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age (1869-1896) (6 days)
a. Themes
i. The Grant Presidency
ii. Politics in the Gilded Age
iii. The Hayes-Tilden Compromise of 1877
iv. Economic Woes of the 1870s
v. The Currency Debate & the Revolt of the Debtor
vi. Class & Ethnic Conflict
vii. The Dawn of Populism
viii. Civil Service Reform
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 23
ii. Varying Viewpoints: “The Populists: Radicals or
Reactionaries?”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 23 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 22-23 Exam
E. Chapter 24 – Industry Comes of Age (1865-1900) (6 days)
a. Themes
i. The Railroad Boom
ii. The Captains of Industry
iii. The Gospel of Wealth vs Social Darwinism
iv. Effects of the Industrial Revolution
v. Early Government Regulation
vi. The Working Class & Early Labor Unions
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 24
ii. Excerpt from Carnegie’s pamphlet “Wealth”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 24 Study Questions
ii. Critical Reading Activity: Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth”
iii. Makers of America: “The Knights of Labor”
F. Chapter 25 – America Moves To the City (1865-1900) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. The Rise of the City
ii. The “New Immigrants”
iii. The Settlement House Movement
iv. “New Women” & “New Morality”
v. Nativism
vi. Religion in the City
vii. Booker T Washington & W.E.B. DuBois
viii. Culture in Urban America
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 25
ii. Makers of America: “The Italians”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 25 CPQ
ii. Chapter 24-25 Exam
G. Chapter 26 – The Great West & the Agricultural Revolution (1865-1896)
(3 days)
a. Themes
i. The Indians & Their Conquering
ii. Mining & Cattle Frontiers
iii. Free Homesteads & Fraud
iv. The Mechanization of Agriculture
v. The Populist Challenge
vi. Bryan vs McKinley in 1896
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 26
ii. Reconstructing America: “The Trail Ends on a Reservation”
iii. An Age of Extremes: “A Cross of Gold”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Whites vs Indians “Key Word” Activity
ii. Chapter 26 “Story Essay” *using 10 chap. terms & themes
iii. Election of 1896 Summary Questions
*** AP Practice Exam - Objective Section (80 Multiple Choice Questions) (2 days)
H. Chapter 27 – The Path of Empire (1890-1899) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Sources of American Expansionism
ii. The Hawaii Question
iii. The Spanish-American War
iv. The Acquisition of Puerto Rico & the Philippines
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 27
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 27 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 26-27 Exam
V.
Unit 5 (1900-1920) The Progressive Era & World War I
*** Chapters 28-31
*** Instructional Time (3 weeks/15 days)
A. Chapter 28 – America on the World Stage (1899-1909) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Trouble in the Philippines
ii. The Open Door Notes
iii. Theodore Roosevelt
iv. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
v. The Panama Canal
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 28
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 28 Open-Book Quiz
B. Chapter 29 – Progressivism & The Republican Roosevelt (1901-1912)
(5 days)
a. Themes
i. Campaigns Against Social Injustice
ii. Muckrakers
iii. Progressivism
iv. Women’s Suffrage & Prohibition
v. 3 C’s of the “Square Deal”
vi. Taft’s Troubles & His Split with TR
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 29
ii. An Age of Extremes: Chapters 24-26
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 29 Study Questions
ii. “Square Deal” Comparison Essay (Level I Writing Topic)
iii. Chapter 28-29 Exam
C. Chapter 30 – Wilsonian Progressivism At Home and Abroad (1912-1916)
(2 days)
a. Themes
i. The Election of 1912
ii. Wilson’s Attack on the “Triple Wall of Privilege”
iii. World War I & American Neutrality
iv. The Election of 1916
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 30
ii. An Age of Extremes: “A Schoolteacher President”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 30 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 30 Quiz
D. Chapter 31 – The War To End War (1917-1918) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. America is Pushed Into War
ii. Wilson’s Fourteen Points
iii. Propaganda & the War
iv. Preparing for War on the Home Front
v. War in France
vi. The Peace at Paris & Senate Rejection of the Versailles Treaty
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 31
ii. Packet of Readings: “WW I & The Home Front”
iii. Teaching With Documents: Actual Propaganda Letters From
Each Side
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. “War To End All War” Essay (Level I Topic)
ii. “Liberty Bread” Bake-Off
iii. Chapter 30-31 Exam
*** AP Practice Exam - Essay Section (Write 1 Timed Standard Essay) (2 days)
*score using essay rubric (day 2)
VI.
Unit 6 (1920-1939) The Roaring Twenties & The Great Depression
*** Chapters 32-34
*** Instructional Time (2+ weeks/11 days)
A. Chapter 32 – American Life In The Roaring Twenties (1919-1929) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. The “Red Scare”
ii. Immigration Restrictions
iii. Prohibition
iv. Liberalism & Conservatism Clash
v. The Mass-Production & Mass-Consumption Economy
vi. The Dawn of the Automobile Age
vii. The Economic “Boom”
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 32
ii. War, Peace & All That Jazz by Joy Hakim (Chapters 5-9)
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 32 CPQ
ii. 1920s “Story Essay” *using slang/vocab of the 1920s (Level I
writing topic)
iii. Chapter 32 Exam
B. Chapter 33 – The Politics of Boom & Bust (1920-1932) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. Republicans in the White House
ii. A Return to Isolationism
iii. Scandals During the Harding Presidency
iv. The Coolidge Philosophy
v. Hoover’s Cautious Progressivism
vi. The 1920s “Warning Signs” & the Resulting “Crash of 1929”
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 33
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 33 Study Questions
C. Chapter 34 – The Great Depression & The New Deal (1933-1939) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. FDR & His “New Deal” for America
ii. Life During the Depression
iii. Critics of the New Deal
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 34
ii. War, Peace & All That Jazz: Chapters 17 & 18
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 34 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 34 Quiz
iii. “Brother Can You Spare A Dime” Activity
iv. Chapter 33-34 Exam
VII.
Unit 7 (1940-1959) World War II & Cold War Beginnings
*** Chapters 35-38
*** Instructional Time (3 weeks/15 days)
A. Chapter 35 – FDR & The Shadow of War (1933-1941) (2 days)
a. Themes
i. German & Japanese Aggression
ii. The Neutrality Acts
iii. Lend-Lease
iv. The Atlantic Charter
v. The Attack on Pearl Harbor
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 35
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 35 Study Questions
B. Chapter 36 – America in World War II (1941-1945) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. Japanese-America Internment
ii. Preparing on the Home Front
iii. Women In The War Effort
iv. The War in Europe
v. The War In The Pacific
vi. The Atomic Bomb
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 36
ii. War, Peace & All That Jazz: “Forgetting the Constitution: The
Story of the Japanese Internment”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 36 CPQ
ii. Chapter 36 Study Questions
iii. Chapter 35-36 Exam
*** AP Exam Practice - Essay Section (Write 1 Timed DBQ) (2 days)
**peer evaluation & feedback on day #2 using AP essay rubric
C. Chapter 37 – The Cold War Begins (1945-1952) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. Post-War Prosperity
ii. The Emergence of the “Sunbelt”
iii. The Growth of “Suburbia”
iv. The Truman Administration
v. Causes of the Cold War
vi. Containment
vii. The Korean War
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 37
ii. “Who Fought In the Korean War” from Don’t Know Much
About History by Kenneth C. Davis
iii. Makers of America: “The Surburbanites”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 37 Study Questions
ii. Korean War Outline
*** NOTE: Some of the Content From This Point Forward Will Be Covered In Study
Sessions Leading Up To the AP Exam
D. Chapter 38 – The Eisenhower Era (1952-1960) (4 days)
a. Themes
i. McCarthyism & the 2nd Red Scare
ii. Civil Rights
iii. Eisenhower Republicanism
iv. The Space Race & Other Contests With the Soviets
v. The Blossoming of Consumer Culture
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 38
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. 1950s Timeline Activity
ii. Chapter 38 Study Questions
iii. Chapter 38 Quiz
iv. Cooperative Newspaper/Video Project
VIII.
Unit 8 (1960-1969) Stormy Times
*** Chapter 39
*** Instructional Time (1 week/5 days)
A. Chapter 39 – The Stormy Sixties (1960-1969) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. JFK & The “New Frontier”
ii. The Bay of Pigs & Cuban Missile Crisis
iii. Civil Rights
iv. LBJ & The “Great Society”
v. Vietnam
vi. Richard Nixon
vii. 1960s Cultural Upheavals
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 39
ii. Varying Viewpoints: “The Sixties: Constructive or Destructive?”
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 39 study questions
ii. 1960s Timeline Activity
iii. Cooperative Newspaper/Video Project
iv. Chapter 37-38-39 Exam
IX.
Unit 9 (1970-1979) A Time of Stalemate
*** Chapter 40
*** Instructional Time (1 week/5 days)
A. Chapter 40 – The Stalemated Seventies (1968-1980) (5 days)
a. Themes
i. Nixon & Vietnamization
ii. New Policies With China & the Soviets
iii. The Watergate Scandal
iv. Israelis, Arabs, & Oil
v. Nixon Resigns
vi. The Ford Interlude
vii. The Carter Presidency
viii. Energy Crisis & Inflation
ix. The Iranian Hostage Crisis
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 40
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 40 Study Questions
ii. 1970s Timeline Activity
iii. Cooperative Newspaper/Video Project
X.
Unit 10 (1980-2000) The Resurgence of Conservatism & The Dawn of A New
Century
*** Chapters 41-42
*** Instructional Time (1 week/ 5 days)
A. Chapter 41 – The Resurgence of Conservatism (1980-2000) (3 days)
a. Themes
i. The “New Right” & Reagan’s Election
ii. Reaganomics
iii. The End of the Cold War
iv. The Iran-Contra Affair
v. Reagan’s Legacy
vi. The Bush Presidency
vii. The Clinton Presidency
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 41
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Chapter 41 Study Questions
ii. Chapter 40-41 Quiz
iii. 1980s Timeline Activity
iv. 1950s-1980s News & Culture Test
v. Cooperative Newspaper/Video Project
B. Chapter 42 – The American People Face A New Century
a. Themes
i. Political, Economic, Social, & Cultural Issues of Today
ii. 9/11 & The War on Terror
iii. America’s Future
b. Readings
i. Text Chapter 42
ii. “Why Do They Hate Us?” by Fareed Zakaria
c. Main Activities & Assessments
i. Discussion: America’s Future
ii. “Time Capsule” Activity
NOTE: The Course Final Exam Will Be Given During “Finals Week” On the Day & Date
Assigned By The Administration.