Syllabus B – AP United States History 2015-2016
Ms. Haddix
mhaddix@herronhighschool.org
(317) 231–0010
http://www.myhaikuclass.com/haddix/apush
Office Hours: Monday 8:00-8:45 and Tuesday 4:15-5:00
“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort and without it
nothing great was ever achieved.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Introduction
AP US History is a two-semester survey of American history from “discovery” to the present. This
course will be extremely challenging, as it is intended to be the equivalent of a freshman college
course. It will require the development of strong reading and writing skills as well as the commitment
to devote substantial time to reading and studying. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed
on improving critical thinking, analytical reading, and essay writing skills.
This course will be rigorous, but it will also be a confidence-building experience. The course goal is
for every single student to earn the 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Exam required to qualify for college credit. A
passing score on the APUSH Exam must be every student’s individual goal as well. An intellectual
command of the subject matter will be developed, allowing for the demonstration of the mastery of
knowledge on class assignments and assessments as well as the AP Exam. As stated in the Herron
Student Handbook, all students are required to take the AP Exam. The test date is Friday, May 6th at
8:00 am.
Course Overview
Historical Thinking Skills – These are skills students will explore throughout the course. Every AP
Exam question will require a student to apply one of the historical skills to one of the thematic
learning objectives:
Skill Type
I. Chronological Reasoning
II. Comparison and
Contextualization
III. Crafting Historical Arguments
from Historical Evidence
IV. Historical Interpretation and
Synthesis
Historical Thinking Skill
1. Historical Causation
2. Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time
3. Periodization
4. Comparison
5. Contextualization
6. Historical Argumentation
7. Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
8. Interpretation
9. Synthesis
Thematic Learning Objectives – This course is organized under seven themes. These themes focus
student understanding of major historical issues and developments, helping students to recognize
broad trends and processes throughout American history:




Identity
Work, exchange, and
technology
Peopling
Politics and Power



America in the world
Environment and geography – physical and
human
Ideas, beliefs, and culture
Literacy – Both reading and writing literacy skills will be intentionally developed. To prepare for
the AP Exam, there will be a focus on strategies for mastering the multiple choice, short-answer,
and essay questions. Frequent essay practice will hone the necessary essay-writing skills.
The Academic Responsibilities of a Scholar
AP courses are designed to recognize the fact that a student gets out of a class what he or she
puts into it. While in class, it is the responsibility of the student to completely engage in the
material the entirety of the class period. To accomplish this, students must:
 actively read
 actively participate in class and small group discussions
 take a proactive leadership role during group activities
 record notes whenever necessary
 maintain a binder or folder dedicated to APUSH materials
 keep an “APUSH Dictionary” of commonly used, challenging vocabulary
 remain on task
To succeed on the AP Exam, students must put in a significant amount of work outside of class.
This will consist mainly of:
 reading primary and secondary texts (25-30 pages each week)
 identifying and studying vocabulary terms
 viewing historical commentary
 attending review sessions
The Behavioral Responsibilities of a Scholar
The behavioral expectations are the same as every other course at Herron High School. The
Herron High School Universal Behavior Policies must be observed at all times.
Restroom Passes
As active participation in the classroom is necessary for success, passes should only be used in an
emergency, at an appropriate time, with the teacher’s approval.
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Grading
At Herron High School, the overall semester grade is weighted as:
 Class Grade – 75%
 Benchmark Exam – 10%
 Final Exam – 15%
The Class Grade is weighted as
 Mastery Evidence – 70%
 Practice – 30%
Remediation Policy
As this is an Advanced Placement course, there will be no remediation. It is essential that
students are completely prepared for each mastery assessment. Keeping up with reading and
practice assignments is necessary for success in this course.
Late Work Policy
Each student is provided two opportunities to turn in any Practice assignment late, up to one
week from the original due date.
Weekly Reading and Assessments
Reading is essential for success on the AP Exam. Reading will be assigned on a weekly basis.
There will be at least one quiz every week over the reading and vocabulary. In addition, a
comprehensive assessment will be given for each unit. These comprehensive assessments will
include previously covered material in addition to the current unit.
Supplies
Students should have:
 A 3-ring binder dedicated to APUSH with space for bell work, notes, primary sources, and
other materials. Students are encouraged to also have several dividers for organizing their
binder.
 Writing utensils – both pencils and blue or black pens for in-class activities
 Loose leaf paper
 An AP US History review book (suggested, not required). I recommended either
o The Insider's Complete Guide to AP US History: The Essential Content by Larry Krieger
 ISBN = 9780985291204 ($16.95 on amazon.com)
o AP U.S. History Crash Course (REA: The Test Prep AP Teachers Recommend) by Larry
Krieger
 ISBN = 0-7386-0813-0 ($8.11 on amazon.com)
as well as
o 5 Steps to a 5: 500 AP U.S. History Questions to Know by Test Day by Scott Demeter
 ISBN = 978-0071742078 ($10.89 on amazon.com)
 3X5 note cards for vocabulary terms (suggested, not required)
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Primary Texts
Murrin, et al. Liberty, Equality, and Power: A History of the American People. Fifth Edition (Boston:
Thomson Wadsworth, 2008).
Newman and Scmalbach. United States History—Preparing for the Advanced Placement
Examination. 2015 Edition (AMSCO, 2014)
Supplemental Texts
Demeter. 5 Steps to a 5: 500 AP U.S. History Questions to Know by Test Day. (New York: McGrawHill, 2011)
Johnson. Reading the American Past: Selected Historical Documents. Fourth Edition. (Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009)
Excerpts from multiple primary and secondary sources will also be used frequently.
AP US History Course Outline
Introduction to Advanced Placement United States History
Periods 1 & 2: Pre-Columbian Societies and Colonial America (pre-1492-1754)
 Early Native American cultures; British, French, and Spanish settlement; indentured servants
and slavery; religious diversity; population growth and immigration; economic diversity;
imperial policy in British North America
 Assignments and assessments:
o Diagnostic Test – 8/13
o Basic US Geography Quiz – 8/18
o Ch.1 Guided Reading Due – 8/25
o Ch.1 Reading Quiz – 8/27
o Ch.1 Vocab Quiz – 8/27
o Ch.2 Guided Reading Due – 9/3
o Ch.2 Reading Quiz – 9/3
o Ch.2 Vocab Quiz – 9/3
o Ch.3 Guided Reading Due – 9/8
o Ch.3 Reading Quiz – 9/10
o Ch.3 Vocab Quiz – 9/10
o Colonial Period Short-Answers – 9/15
o Period 1 & 2 Study Guide Due – 9/17
o Period 1 & 2 Test – 9/18
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Period 3: Revolution (1754-1800)
 The French and Indian War; political dissidence and resistance to Britain; the Revolutionary
War; the Articles of Confederation and its weaknesses; the ratification of the Constitution;
Washington, Hamilton, and the shaping of the national government; the 1 st Party System:
Federalists and Republicans; republican motherhood and the evolving role of women
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.4 Guided Reading Due – 9/22
o Ch.4 Reading Quiz – 9/24
o Ch.4 Vocab Quiz – 9/24
o Ch.5 Guided Reading Due – 9/29
o Ch.5 Reading Quiz – 10/1
o Ch.5 Vocab Quiz – 10/1
o Essay Introduction and Thesis Writing – 10/2
o Ch.6 Guided Reading Due – 10/6
o Ch.6 Reading Quiz – 10/6
o Ch.6 Vocab Quiz – 10/6
o Period 3 Test – Built into Benchmark Exam
o Benchmark Exams – 10/8 through 10/13
Period 4: The Early Republic (1800-1848)
 Jeffersonian America; the trans-Appalachian West and Native American relationships; the
expansion of slavery; the War of 1812; the Era of Good Feelings; the Monroe Doctrine; The
Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs; Jacksonian democracy; federalism vs. states’
rights; the transportation revolution and the national market economy; the cotton South; the
beginnings of industrialization; immigration and nativism; Evangelical revivalism; antebellum
social reform movements
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.7 Guided Reading Due – 10/22
o Ch.7 Reading Quiz – 10/22
o Ch.7 Vocab Quiz – 10/22
o Ch.8 Guided Reading Due – 10/27
o Ch.8 Reading Quiz – 10/27
o Ch.8 Vocab Quiz – 10/27
o Ch.9 Guided Reading Due – 10/29
o Ch.9 Reading Quiz – 10/29
o Ch.9 Vocab Quiz – 10/29
o Era of Good Feelings DBQ – 11/3
o Ch.10 Guided Reading Due – 11/5
o Ch.10 Reading Quiz – 11/5
o Ch.10 Vocab Quiz – 11/5
o Jacksonian Democracy Short-Answers – 11/6
o Ch.11 Guided Reading Due – 11/10
o Ch.11 Reading Quiz – 11/10
o Ch.11 Vocab Quiz – 11/10
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o Period 4 Test – 11/17
Period 5: The National Crisis (1848-1877)
 Manifest Destiny and territorial acquisitions, the Mexican-American War; the abolitionist
movement; attempts at compromise; the Third Party System: Republicans and Democrats;
The election of 1860 and secession; North vs. South; social, political, and economic effects of
the war; emancipation; Radical Reconstruction and its impact; Jim Crow laws and
sharecropping; Compromise of 1877 and the failure of Reconstruction
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.12 Guided Reading Due – 11/19
o Ch.12 Reading Quiz – 11/19
o Ch.12 Vocab Quiz – 11/19
o Ch.13 Guided Reading Due – 12/1
o Ch.13 Reading Quiz – 12/1
o Ch.13 Vocab Quiz – 12/1
o Ch.14 Guided Reading Due – 12/3
o Ch.14 Reading Quiz – 12/3
o Ch.14 Vocab Quiz – 12/3
o Sectionalism DBQ – 12/4
o Ch.15 Guided Reading Due – 12/8
o Ch.15 Reading Quiz – 12/8
o Ch.15 Vocab Quiz – 12/10
o Period 5 Test – Built into Semester1 Final Exam
o Semester 1 Final Exams – 12/14 through 12/17
Period 6: Industrialization and the Gilded Age (1865-1898)
 Expansion of the railroads; gender, race, and ethnicity issues in the settlement of the West;
federal Native American policy; the New South; industrialization; the labor movement;
corporate power; immigration, urbanization and city problems; the politics of the Gilded Age
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.16 Guided Reading Due – 1/12
o Ch.16 Reading Quiz – 1/12
o Ch.16 Vocab Quiz – 1/14
o Ch.17 Guided Reading Due – 1/19
o Ch.17 Reading Quiz – 1/19
o Ch.17 Vocab Quiz – 1/19
o Corporations DBQ – 1/21
o Ch.18 Guided Reading Due – 1/22
o Ch.18 Reading Quiz – 1/22
o Ch.18 Vocab Quiz – 1/22
o Ch.19 Guided Reading Due – 1/26
o Ch.19 Reading Quiz – 1/28
o Ch.19 Vocab Quiz – 1/28
o Period 6 Short-Answers – 2/2
o Period 6 Test – 2/4
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Period 7: Becoming a World Power (1898-1945)
 Progressive Era social and political movements at the municipal, state, and national levels;
agrarian discontent and the Populist Party; the progressive politics of Roosevelt, Taft, and
Wilson; new African American voices; American imperialism; territorial expansion overseas;
the Spanish-American War; foreign relations in Asia and Latin America; TR’s big stick
diplomacy; Taft’s dollar diplomacy; attempted neutrality and World War I; Wilson and the
Treaty of Versailles; Consumerism; Modernism and Fundamentalism; Prohibition; the Great
Migration; Harlem Renaissance; expanding roles for women; causes of the Great Depression;
the impact of the Great Depression on American society; FDR and the New Deal; attempted
neutrality and the threat of fascism; Pearl Harbor; the multi-front war; the home front and
women in the war; civil rights during wartime; diplomatic struggles and wartime conferences
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.20 Guided Reading Due – 2/9
o Ch.20 Reading Quiz – 2/9
o Ch.20 Vocab Quiz – 2/9
o Ch.21 Guided Reading Due – 2/11
o Ch.21 Reading Quiz – 2/16
o Ch.21 Vocab Quiz – 2/16
o Ch.22 Guided Reading Due – 2/18
o Ch.22 Reading Quiz – 2/19
o Ch. 22 Vocab Quiz – 2/19
o Imperialism DBQ – 2/23
o Ch.23 Guided Reading Due – 2/25
o Ch.23 Reading Quiz – 3/1
o Ch.23 Vocab Quiz – 3/1
o Ch.24 Guided Reading Due – 3/3
o Ch.24 Reading Quiz – 3/8
o Ch.24 Vocab Quiz – 3/8
o Ch.25 Guided Reading Due – 3/10
o Ch.25 Reading Quiz – 3/11
o Ch.25 Vocab Quiz – 3/11
o Great Depression DBQ – 3/15
o Period 7 Test – Built into Benchmark Exam
o Benchmark Exams – 3/21 through 3/24
Period 8: American Society During the Cold War (1945-1980)
 The U.S. as a global power in the Atomic Age; the origins of the Cold War; Truman and
containment; the Red Scare and McCarthyism; the Korean War; the impact of the Cold War on
American Society; affluence and conformity; the Space Race; the civil rights movement of the
‘50s and ‘60s; JFK and the New Frontier; LBJ and the Great Society; the Vietnam War; Nixon’s
foreign and domestic policy
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.26 Guided Reading Due – 4/7
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Ch.26 Reading Quiz – 4/7
Ch.26 Vocab Quiz – 4/7
Ch.27 Guided Reading Due – 4/8
Ch.27 Reading Quiz – 4/12
Ch.27 Vocab Quiz – 4/12
Ch.28 Guided Reading Due – 4/14
Ch.28 Reading Quiz – 4/14
Ch.28 Vocab Quiz – 4/14
Cold War DBQ – 4/19
Ch.29 Guided Reading Due – 4/21
Ch.29 Reading Quiz – 4/21
Ch.29 Vocab Quiz – 4/21
Period 8 Test – 4/22
Period 9: Recent American History (1980-Present)
 Carter; Reagan and the conservative resurgence; the energy crisis; deindustrialization and the
service economy; demographic changes; globalization; the 2000 election; foreign policy in the
post-9/11 world
 Assignments and assessments:
o Ch.30 Guided Reading Due – 4/26
o Ch.30 Reading Quiz – 4/26
o Ch.30 Vocab Quiz – 4/26
o Period 9 Test – 4/28
Unit 13: Intensive Review (Pre-Columbian America to the End of the 20th Century)
 In-class review and Saturday Review Sessions
o Saturday 4/23 9:00-2:30
o Saturday 4/30 9:00-2:30
 Assignments and assessments:
o Thematic Review with Specific Examples
o Multiple Choice Practice
o Short-Answer Practice
o DBQ Practice
***** AP US History Exam: Friday, May 6th, 8:00am *****
Unit 14: A Celebration of American History
 Independent research projects and presentations
o Presentations begin 5/17
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