Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Mr. Geier’s Class
Advanced Placement United States History
Semester I and II
Mr. Geier | Room A11
Quintin.Geier@pac.dodea.edu
teamgeier.weebly.com
I.
Purpose of course
a. This course will highlight the fundamental events that led to the formation and history of the United States of
America. It will be organized into a thematic analysis of the foundations of American identity, belief, and legacy
from its birth to its pending future. Through historical interpretation of American action both at home and abroad,
we will argue for historical relevance as we ascertain what has allowed America to become a world leader today.
Through the synthesis of historical evidence, we will also make relevant and meaningful predictions for the future of
America as a world leader.
II. Major course resources
a. Primary text book
i. Faragher, John Mack, et al. Out of Many: A History of the American People, Fifth AP Edition. Upper
Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.
b. Primary sources (among others)
i. Charles B. Dew, Apostles of Disunion.
ii. The United States Constitution
iii. E. B. Sledge, With the Old Breed
c. Secondary sources (among others)
i. David Halberstam, The Fifties.
ii. Ernest R. May, Interpreting NSC-68
III. Course curriculum
a. Unit I | Period 1: 1491-1607
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 1, 2,
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 1, 2
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me. Students will evaluate what the coming of
Columbus meant for the Americas by recognizing purpose and intent of the colonizers.
2. DBQ, Who Were the Aztecs? Students will examine life in the Americas prior to the coming of the
Europeans. Students will recognize and assess the two perspectives of 1492 (European and Native
American) and write an essay using evidence to state what they feel history should say about
1492.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will complete a chart that compares and contrasts Native American societies such as the
Pueblo, Great Lakes, and Iroquois. The comparison will also have a focus on the effect of
geography in each society’s development.
2. Students will analyze the article Inverting Bloom’s Taxonomy by Sam Wineburg and Jack
Schneider from Education Weekly. Students will draw connections between AP Historical
Thinking Skills and the newly introduced SOAPSTone (Subject, Occasion, Author, Speaker,
Tone).
3. Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze primary sources from Lies My Teacher Told Me in their
relation to Christopher Columbus’ coming to the Americas. Students will evaluate what this meant
conceptually for the future relationship between Europe and the Americas. A focal point of this
evaluation will be the change and continuity of this relationship over time.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the three Crash Course videos as the focus of
their analysis.
b. Unit II | Period 2: 1607-1754
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapter 3, 4, 5
c.
d.
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 3, 4
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. Gary Nash, Black People in a White People’s Country. Students will evaluate Nash’s argument by
breaking down the perspectives involved. There will be a class discussion based on varying
interpretations and the rationale thereof.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will compare and contrast the empire-building strategies of the Portuguese, Spanish,
French, and English empires. Special focus will be given to the social and economic activity
occurring during this time. Students will be required to focus on periodization, measuring the ebb
and flow of each empire’s imperial clout.
2. Students will map out and define the Triangular Trade. They will also examine the Columbian
Exchange and its effects on Europe and the Americas. A seminar will be held to discuss the effects
of this process on global colonization as well as synthesizing the effects of this on the modern
world. The seminar will be guided by varying perspectives of effects in the form of historical
argumentation.
3. Following AP Free Response Essay instruction, students will write an essay from the 2008 AP
U.S. History exam: Early encounters between American Indians and European colonists led to a
variety of relationships among different cultures. Students will write an essay that examines how
the actions taken by BOTH American Indians and European colonists shape those relationships in
TWO of the following regions. Confine your answer to the 1600s and be sure to develop your
thesis. New England, Chesapeake, Spanish Southwest, New York and New France.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use the one Crash Course video for this unit as the focus of
their analysis.
Unit III | Period 3: 1754-1800
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 6, 7, 8
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. The United States Constitution. Students will interpret the primary goals of the U.S. Constitution
as a living document and how it has shaped the U.S. Government to this day.
2. Thomas Paine, Common Sense. Students will analyze and assess the American justification for
independence by writing an evaluative essay of British perspectives and American perspectives.
3. H.W. Brands, “Miracle at Philadelphia” from Portrait of America. Students will assess Brands’
argument and review his thesis. A seminar will be held for discussion on the varying
interpretations.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will analyze and interpret primary sources from John Locke and Adam Smith to discover
the influence of both authors in mainstream American political and economic values.
2. Using SOAPSTone, students will analyze the following primary sources, synthesizing their
collective meaning during the Revolutionary years:
a. Image: Paul Revere’s version of the Boston Massacre
b. Image: John Trumbull: The Battle of Bunker Hill
c. Document: John Andres to William Barrell: Letter Regarding the Boston Tea Party
d. Document: The Declaration of Independence
e. Document: James Madison Defends the Constitution
f. Document: George Alsop: The Importance of Tobacco
3. Students will compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution, focusing
on historical periodization and its effect on the creation of each document.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 5 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit IV | Period 4: 1800-1848
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. Ira Berlin, “I Will Be Heart: William Lloyd Garrison and the Struggle against Slavery” from
Portrait of America. Students will interpret Berlin’s argument and create a FRQ with a thesis
e.
f.
responding to the analysis made by Berlin. Students will trade FRQ’s and complete each other’s
essays.
2. John F. Marsalek, “Andrew Jackson: Flamboyant Hero of the Common Man” from Portrait of
America. Students will write a reflection essay on the major points discussed by Marsalek. A
seminar will be held to discuss the varying interpretations of his thesis.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will examine the presidency and ideology of Thomas Jefferson by completing a President
Profile Chart. The students will also examine the goals and accomplishments of Alexander
Hamilton by completing an Impact of the Individual Chart. These assignments are designed to
help students understand time, continuity, and change during the early Republic.
2. Students will analyze the following quantitative charts:
a. Graph: American Export Trade: 1790-1815
b. Graph: Distribution of Slave Labor 1850
c. Table: Wealth in Boston 1687-1848
3. Students will analyze the goals and accomplishments of Frederick Douglass by completing an
Impact of the Individual Chart and creating a historical argument to defend his stance.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 5 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit V | Period 5: 1844-1877
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. Charles B. Dew, Apostles of Disunion. Students will analyze and interpret primary sources in the
form of letters written by prominent members of the CSA prior to the beginning of the Civil War.
Students will write an evaluative essay discussing their interpretation of the causes for the Civil
War, citing letters and documents in their essay.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will analyze a map of the Election of 1860 and develop a thesis statement summarizing
the significance of the election results in reference to periodization of the issues at hand.
2. Students will compare and contrast various justifications for the Civil War by evaluating primary
and second sources from Apostles of Disunion but Charles B. Dew and write a historical argument
justifying their stance. A seminar will be held to discuss the varying perspectives.
3. Students will research and then evaluate the thesis that the American Civil War was a total war
impacting those on the home front, abroad, as well as those on the battlefield. Your essay must
assess the impact of the war on all three areas focusing on U.S. regional economies and the U.S.
and Confederate relations with Britain and France.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 6 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit VI | Period 6: 1865-1898
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 18, 19, 20
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. Robert Utley, “Sitting Bull and the Sioux Resistance” from Portrait of America. Students will
assess Utley’s argument, evaluate his main points and respond in an analytical essay using
evidence to support their interpretation of the events discussed.
2. Political cartoons of the U.S.S. Maine and American propaganda for the Spanish-American War.
Students will analyze and interpret the American entry into the Spanish-American War through
the evaluation of our propaganda prior to the beginning of the war focusing on our justification for
war.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will compare and contrast the competing interests of labor and capital by completing a
Competing Interests Chart.
2. Students will analyze a map: major Indian battles and Indian reservations (1860-1900) and
compose a thesis paragraph with a supporting historical argument analyzing the effects of
westward expansion on Native American peoples.
Students will use long-term synthesis of various events prior to 1898 to examine America’s
increasingly expansionist policies and evaluate how this affected their role in the Western
Hemisphere as a major power.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 5 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit VII | Period 7: 1890-1945
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. E. B. Sledge, With the Old Breed. Students will analyze and interpret the crux of Sledge’s
perspective of the American soldier in the Pacific during the Second World War. These
perspectives will be juxtaposed against the perspective of the American soldier during the Second
World War. Students will write an evaluative essay discussing what the image America portrays
of itself throughout history is and how closely it is rooted in the reality of American history.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will write an essay focusing on historical periodization of political activism in relation to
the Russian Revolution and its significance for the 1920s and 1930s in the United States. U.S.
domestic and foreign policies will be highlighted.
2. Students, working in groups, will make presentation son the impact of radio, motion pictures and
automobiles, as well as the increased availability of home appliances, on the changing role of
women. The major theme being time, continuity, and change.
3. Students will read excerpts of With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge to analyze and then assess the
nature of American warfare on the front lines of the Pacific theater during the Second World War.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 8 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit VIII | Period 8: 1945-1980
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 26, 27, 28, 29
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
1. David Halberstam, The Fifties. Students will evaluate the years following the Second World War
in America using evidence from the book as they write an essay focusing on the transitional period
in America that was the 1950s. A seminar will be held to discuss the varying interpretations of this
period and what it meant for the future of America.
2. Ernest R. May, Interpreting NSC-68. Students will analyze and interpret the American Cold War
strategy implemented by NSC-68. They will write an evaluative essay using evidence to support
what they think this policy did to America’s foreign policy as well as that of the Soviet Union.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Students will examine John Lewis Gaddis’ interpretation of the origins of the Cold War by reading
“The Return of Fear” a selection from The Cold War, A New History. They will answer the
question in a historical argument, “Did the Cold War begin after the Russian revolution or
WWII?” They will justify their answer in a seminar.
2. Students will compare and contrast public criticism of the Vietnam War with criticism of the war
efforts in World War I and World War II. Drawing on Young Americans for Freedom, SDS, folk
music, and NY Times editorials, write an essay that synthesizes these two time periods and defines
the best representation of U.S. values.
3. Students will research and debate the following: “There was a fundamental contradiction between
Lyndon Johnson’s efforts to stop communism abroad and renew America through the Great
Society”.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 6 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
Unit IX | Period 9: 1980-present
i. Text Readings: Out of Many, Chapters 30, 31
ii. Audio Visuals: Crash Course: US History, Episodes 43, 44, 45, 46, 47
iii. Historical Scholarship Analysis:
3.
g.
h.
i.
1.
Testimony of Nayirah al-Sabah, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmfVs3WaE9Y. Students will
evaluate the American tactics utilized in their justification for war with Iraq in 1990. They will
write an essay comparing this to the justification used for wars dating back to 1898. They will
create a thesis based on the notion of American justification for use of force in the world since the
fall of the Soviet Union.
iv. Student Activities:
1. Student will analyze international and domestic affairs of the United States to explain how and
why the Iran Hostage Crisis was able to materialize by using historical periodization.
2. Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze to what extent Ronald Reagan met his goals using:
Ronald Reagan: First Inaugural Address, as well as a case study on the Iran-Contra Affair.
3. Students will compare and contrast the domestic and foreign policies of the Clinton, Bush Jr., and
Obama administrations in a FRQ essay.
4. Students, breaking into small groups, will work collaboratively to create a lesson plan based on a
flipped classroom concept. They will use one of the 5 Crash Course videos as the focus of their
analysis.
IV. Pace of Course
a. Day 1
i. Direct instruction through presentation, discussion, video analysis, and collaborative study on an entire
chapter’s worth of material.
ii. The chapter breakdown accompanying assignment will be administered.
b. Day 2
i. More video analysis and time in class to work, review, and conduct research.
c. Day 3
i. Time in class to complete and turn in the chapter’s work.
ii. Chapter assessment.