Advanced Placement US History
Course Syllabus
Mrs. Lehrman
SSP350
alehrman@usd232.org
667-6250 ext. 6032
Room #404
Course Description:
This course is designed to be equivalent to a survey freshman course in US History.
Over the course of both semesters students will gain a vast knowledge of US History
starting with exploration and colonization, all the way through current history. Students
will be reading and critically evaluating primary documents, studying various historians’
viewpoints on events in US History, and applying learned material to writing their own
analytical essays. This course will require a significant amount of reading and writing.
Students should expect homework every night. Because of the significant amount of
information covered in class everyday, excessive absences will make it very difficult to
be successful in this course.
Course Text:
Thomas A. Bailey and David M. Kennedy
The American Pageant
Thomas A. Bailey and David M. Kennedy The American Spirit to 1877
Thomas A. Bailey and David M. Kennedy The American Spirit since 1865
Grading:
This class will be graded on a total points scale. There will be opportunities for extra
credit. Wildcat cards are not applicable in AP classes.
Late Work:
As this is a college level course, there is an expectation that homework be turned in and
completed on time. If you have a unique circumstance, please see me and we can work
out a solution. Late work will be deducted 25% points for every day that it is late. If
timely completion of work continues to be a problem, then we will discuss your
placement in this course.
Academic Misconduct:
As laid out on page 15 of the DHS student agenda, students engaging in cheating,
plagiarism, obtaining an unfair advantage (using previous student’s quizzes, assignments,
tests etc.), or aiding and abetting academic dishonest will forfeit their grade for the
assignment in addition to administrative disciplinary actions.
Course Objectives:
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Students will gain a significant depth and breadth of historical knowledge
Students will be able to analyze primary documents
Students will be able to combine prior knowledge, primary documents, maps and
data to write a position essay
Students will be able to identify thesis statements and positions within historical
documents
Students will be able to identify major themes in US History
To guide students to a better understanding of the connections between historical
events and characters, and their relationship to current events
The AP Test:
On May 7th, students who choose to may take the Advanced Placement Test. The test
consists of 80 multiple choice questions, one document based question, and two free
response essays. Registration for the test will begin in February. The tests are graded on
a scale of 1-5, students receiving a 3 or above can receive college credit for this class.
Please check with specific universities to see what their individual policy is for accepting
AP credit.
Units
Unit 1: The Colonial Experience (1492-1769)
2 Weeks
Flashcards: 1-39
Readings:
Text: Chapters 1-4
Reader: Pages 4-6, 21-23, 34, 38, 62
Primary Documents: The Diary of Christopher Columbus’s First Voyage to America,
Nathaniel Bacon’s Declaration 1676, The Arabella Sermon, Alexander Thomson Letters
from America
Objectives:
 To study “collision of worlds” during this time period
 To address reasons why Europeans sought to colonize the new world
 To be able to compare and contrast characteristics of different colonies
Unit 2: The Era of Revolution (1700-1783)
2 Weeks
Flashcards: 40-76
Readings:
Text: Chapters 5-8
Reader: 127, 129-132, 140-144, 150-153
Primary Documents: The Obligations of a Wife 1712, The Stamp Act Riot 1765, Norfolk
Sons of Liberty Pronouncement 1766, The Boycott Agreements of Women in Boston,
An Account of the Boston Massacre 1770, Common Sense
Objectives:
 Describe the demographic, economic, and social structure of the 18th century
colonies and indicate how they have changed over time
 Explain what role class, race and gender played in the colonies in this time period
 Explain how the series of wars with France helped foster greater unity among the
colonies
 Explain the deeply rooted historical factors that moved America toward
independence from Britain
Unit 3: A New Nation (1776-1800)
3 Weeks
Flashcards: 77-95
Readings:
Text: Chapters 9-10
Reader: 150-153, 180-184, 191-192
Primary Documents: Notes on the State of Virginia 1782, Federalist Number 10,
Farewell Address to the People of the United States, The Sedition Act, Thomas
Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address
Objectives:
 Evaluate what the revolutionary ideologies of this time period did for African
Americans and women
 Be able to describe the Articles of Confederation and address it’s strengths and
weaknesses
 Be able to compare and contrast the federalists and antifederalists
 Explain how the Constitution was a compromise
End of Quarter
Unit 4: Growth of Nationalism (1800-1840)
2 Weeks
Flashcards: 96-116
Readings:
Text: Chapters 11-13
Reader: Pages 215-216, 224, 264-266, 303-305
Primary Documents: Address to the Wolf and People of the Mandan Nation, The
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, The Kentucky Revival, Letters on the
Equality of the Sexes, 1838, Decision in Marbury v. Madison, The Education of
Republican Women, An Argument against Universal Suffrage
Objectives:
 Be able to describe the major political and economic developments of the period
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Analyze the significance of Jackson’s victory in 1828 as the triumph of “New
Democracy”
Describe Jackson’s policies of westward expansion and his harsh removal of the
southeastern Indian nations on the Trail of Tears
Unit 5: Testing the New Nation (1790-1865)
(4 weeks)
Flashcards: 117-171
Readings:
Text: Sections from Chapters 14-19
Reader: 354, 368, 374, 372
Primary documents: Declaration of Sentiments, California Gold Rush Diary, Highland
Plantation Journal, The Cotton Kingdom, The Antislavery Constitution, The Antislavery
Constitution, Confession of James Townsley, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July,
Escaped Slave Ads
Objectives:
 Compare and contrast Northern and Southern views on slavery
 Describe the nature of African American life, both free and slave before the Civil
War
 Describe the term Manifest Destiny and it impacted the growth of our nation
End of the Semester
Unit 6: The Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877)
(3 weeks)
Flashcards: 172-195
Readings: Text: Sections from Chapters 20-22
Reader: 427-431, 435-437, 451, 477-482, 501-503, 526-531
Primary Documents: Letter To Horace Greely, Mississippi Black Code, The
Emancipation Proclamation, The Gettysburg Address, Elias Hill’s Testimony before the
Congressional Committee Investigating the KKK, The Cotton States 1875, Constitution
of the Confederate States,
Objectives:
 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the North and the South before and
during the Civil War
 Analyze the economic and social consequences for the war for both sides
 Describe the role that African Americans and women played in the war
 Describe the effects of congressional Reconstruction in the South
Unit 7: Industrial Era (1869-1909)
(2 weeks)
Flashcards: 196-247
Readings: Text: Chapters 23-27
Reader: 44-51, 66-72, 87-88, 109-113, 153
Primary Documents: The Gospel of Wealth, An Indian’s Views of Indian Affairs, The
14th Amendment, The Dawes Severalty Act, Studies of Factory Life: Among the Women,
How I Became a Socialist, Cross of Gold Speech, Conspicuous Consumption, Sister
Carrie
Objectives:
 Describe how the end of the Reconstruction led to the loss of black rights and the
imposition of the Jim Crow system of segregation in the south
 Explain the transcontinental railroads impact on the growth of the United States
 Analyze the social changes brought by industrialization, particularly the altered
position of working men and women
 Explain the growth of the city
 Explain the development of federal policy towards Native Americans in the late
19th century
Unit 8: The Progressives and the Populists (1901-1939)
(2 weeks)
Flashcards: 248-294
Readings: Text: Sections from chapters 28,29,31,32,33
Reader: 191-192, 200-201, 215-217, 234
Primary Documents: Populist Party Platform, Lochner v. New York, The Wizard of Oz,
The Jungle, Video on Child Labor, Shall We Abandon the Policy of Competition?, AntiNew Deal Campaign Speech, The Unemployed Man and His Family
 Describe the origins and nature of the Progressive Movement
 Compare and contrast the economic and social policies of Taft and Roosevelt
 Describe the cultural conflicts over such issues as immigration, cultural pluralism,
prohibition, and evolution
 Explain how the era’s cultural changes affected women and African Americans
 Discuss how Hoover became a symbol of depression failure
 Explain FDR’s plan to bring the country out of the Great Depression, and how
critics responded to this plan
Unit 9: Nationalism, Imperialism, Militarism, and Entangled Alliances (1917-1945)
(4 weeks)
Flashcards: 295-338
Readings: Text: Chapters 30,34,35
Reader: 247-248, 256, 352-353, 368-369, 382-387
Primary Documents: Wilson’s Fourteen Points, The Zimmerman Note, Treaty of
Versailles, A letter from Camp Devens, Pearl Harbor Survivors, I Never Saw Another
Butterfly, Night and Fog, George Creel’s Propaganda Campaign, Four Freedoms Speech,
The Atlantic Charter, Albert Einstein’s Letter to Roosevelt
Objectives:
 Describe American attitudes towards war before both world wars, and what acts
shifted those opinions
 Explain how the wars changed the lives of people on the home front, especially
women and minorities
 Discuss Wilson’s Fourteen Points, as well as some of his critics arguments
 Explain how the Treaty of Versailles laid the groundwork for WWII
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Evaluate the reasons behind the dropping of the atomic bomb
Unit 10: The Cold War Culture and the 1960’s Through Today (1945-Present)
(3 weeks)
Flashcards: 339-419
Readings: Text: Chapters 36-39,42
Reader: 392-393, 402-404, 408-413, 430-433, 434-435, 455-457, 474-475, 501-502
Primary Documents: The Sources of Soviet Conduct, NSC-68, Communists in the U.S.
Government, The Long Telegram, Brown v. Board of Education, Cold War Foreign
Policy by John Foster Dulles, The Other America, The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution,
Lyndon B. Johnson’s telephone recordings, NOW’s Statement of Purpose, The Atomic
Café, MLK’s Letter from Birmingham City Jail, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Objectives:
 Explain the growth of tension between the Unite States and the Soviets after the
ending of WWII
 Discuss American efforts to contain the Soviets through the Truman Doctrine, the
Marshall Plan, and NATO
 Describe the rise and fall of McCarthyism and the beginnings of the civil rights
movement
 Outline the steps which Johnson took that led us deeper into the Vietnam War
 Describe Nixon’s foreign policy in relation to Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and
Communist China
 Discuss the Watergate Scandals and Nixon’s resignation
 Describe the rise of the new feminist movement
 Be able to identify key events in the first Gulf War
 Be able to identify current themes and events in US History