Wesleyan School
Advanced Placement United States History Course Syllabus
Instructor: Kevin Kadzis
Room Number: 204 Cleghorn
Semester: Spring 2012
Textbook: The American Pageant; Thomas A. Bailey, et al
Phone Number: TBA
Email: kkadzis@wesleyanschool.org
Tutorial Days: Monday - Thursday
Class Website: http://kadzishistory.wikispaces.com/
Tutorial Location: 204 Cleghorn
Tutorial Hours: 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Course Description: This course is taught at college level expectations in order to prepare students for the AP U.S. History exam and
also in preparation for college studies. During the fall semester this course will focus on the origins of early Americans, the evolution
of American democracy from the colonial period to the Civil War, continuing with Reconstruction and the politics of the Gilded Age.
Students will develop skills that will enable them to interpret the meaning of historical events and how those events have shaped our
nation politically, socially, and culturally. Students will gain insight into the significance and the role history has upon our present as
well as future. Students will understand the valuable contribution of historians to our nation’s development. During spring semester,
the focus will be on the development of the U.S. as a major power. Economic, political, social and cultural events and trends that
shaped domestic foreign policy in the late 19th and 20th centuries will be examined along with common interpretations of major
themes.
Course Prerequisites: Successful completion of World History and approval by the head of the Social Sciences department.
A.P. Course Objectives, students will be able to:
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Comprehend a large body of historical knowledge
Relate that body of historical knowledge to its chronological significance
Understand and explain the objective and subjective value of the role of the historian and how his or her point of view plays a
role in shaping history
Analyze the point of view of various historians during certain time periods of American history
Analyze and interpret primary sources, maps, cartoons and pictorials in respects to a particular question and respond by
stating and defending a thesis
Use historical data to support various opinions concerning certain issues throughout American history
Develop skills to analyze and interpret historical data and explain the significance of historical data with relationship to cause
and effect
Additionally, students enrolled in this course will be expected to keep up with all readings and other assignments. A heavy emphasis
will be placed on developing and using critical thinking skills in the learning process. This will be accomplished in a variety of ways
that will include but not be limited to lecture, class discussion, group work, reading comprehension, comparative analysis, synthesis of
knowledge, and memory recall. Furthermore, students will be expected to engage in many different writing exercises in preparation
for the free response and data based questions on the A.P. Exam administered at the conclusion of the course.
Themes in A.P. US History
These themes will be incorporated into each unit of study throughout the course of the year. Students should familiarize themselves
with each of these themes and consider them both within and between units. Students should attempt to ascertain the “change over
time” that each of the themes undergoes in the progression of U.S. History, but they should also be aware of the interactions of these
themes on each other both within and between units of study.
AMERICAN DIVERSITY – diversity of the American people and the relationships among different groups… roles of race, class,
ethnicity, and gender in US History
AMERICAN IDENTITY – views of American national character and ideas about American exceptionalism. Recognizing
differences in context of what it means to be American.
CULTURE – diverse individual and collective expressions through literature, art, philosophy, music, theatre, film throughout US
History including cultural conflict within society.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES – Changes in birth, marriage, and death rates, population size and density. Effects of immigration,
internal migration, migration networks on society.
ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIONS – Changes in trade, commerce, and technology across time. Effects of capitalist
development, labor and unions, and consumerism on society.
ENVIRONMENT – Consumption and conservation of natural resources, impact of population growth, industrialization, pollution,
urban and suburban expansion.
GLOBALIZATION – Engagement with the rest of the world from the 15 th century to the present: colonization, mercantilism, global
hegemony, market development, imperialism, cultural change.
POLITICS AND CITIZENSHIP – Colonial and revolutionary legacies, American political traditions, growth of democracy,
development of the government. Defining citizenship and struggles for civil rights.
REFORM – Diverse movements focusing on broad range of issues (anti-slavery, education, labor, temperance, women’s rights, civil
rights, gay rights, wars, public health, and government).
RELIGION – The variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to 21 st Century, influences of religion on
politics, economics, and society.
SLAVERY AND ITS LEGACIES IN NORTH AMERICA – Systems of slave labor and other forms of unfree labor (indentured
servitude, contract labor, etc…) in North American societies, the Atlantic World, and the American South and West. Includes patterns
of resistance and long term effects of slavery.
WAR AND DIPLOMACY – Armed conflict from pre-colonial period to the 21st Century and the impact of war on American foreign
policy and on politics, economy, and society.
The Wesleyan School approved grading scale shall be used:
A+ = 100-97
A = 96-93
A- = 92-90
B+ = 89-87
B = 86-83
B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-77
C = 76-73
C- = 72-70
F = Below 70
Weighted Categories:
Quizzes - 10% Essays (DBQ’s & FRQ’s) - 20%
Tests - 45%
Final Exam - 25%
Required Materials: In addition to the textbook, students will be required to keep a class notebook (must be a three ring binder) in
which they store all relevant class materials. This includes but is not limited to the course syllabus, class notes, daily assignments,
handouts, and old quizzes and tests. It is the student’s responsibility to be organized and prepared for class.
A.P. Exam: 8am on Friday May 11, 2012
Classroom Expectations:
1. Be on time for class – in seat and ready to begin when the bell rings.
2. Each student is expected to be fully prepared for class each day. Keep up with reading assignments. Ask questions about material
you do not understand. Bring textbook and class materials, including tablets every day.
3. It is the student’s responsibility to seek extra help during regular office hours, Monday – Thursday 3:00pm – 3:30pm.
4. Respect your right to learn and the rights of other students to learn at their own pace. Respect the instructor’s right to teach.
5. Student’s earn their grades in this course; as such no extra credit assignments are given.
6. All students and their parents are expected to be well-acquainted with the policies regarding academics, conduct, and dress
outlined in the Wesleyan Family Handbook. Students will be held accountable to these policies at all times, including those regarding
the school uniform and food/drink in the classroom. A detention will result upon the first violation of any.
7. The Wesleyan Honor Code is in effect at all times in thought, word, and deed, and must be clearly written on all tests and quizzes
before being handed in. No abbreviations.
8. Students should expect submitted work to be graded in a timely fashion and returned within one school week.
Late Assignments: Assignments should be submitted on time for full credit or one day late for half-credit. Assignments submitted
beyond one day after the due date will not be accepted and the student in question will receive a zero for the assignment.
Make-up Policy: It is the student’s responsibility to contact their teacher regarding make-up work. Students will have one day per
excused absence to make up any work missed. Make-up tests and quizzes must be taken before or after school (the make-up may be
different from the original). Please see the instructor privately to discuss if extra time may be granted for extenuating circumstances.
No grades can be made up if the absence is unexcused. A student who is not present the day before a previously announced test will be
expected to take the test with the class or upon the day of their return.
APUSH Spring 2011 Course Outline:
Unit 6: Gilded Age through Populism
Organizing Principle:
The Gilded Age fostered the consolidation of business, the beginnings of government involvement in the economy, and the
organization of disadvantage economic and social classes.
Topics:
Grantism, corruption, graft, politics, rise of big business, agrarian reform, labor movement, Native Americans, cattle
frontier, mining frontier, agricultural frontier, immigration, urbanization, Social Gospel, Social Darwinism, changing
function of government
1.
Week of January 3-6
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 23 Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age
b. Chapter 24 Industry Comes of Age
2.
Week of January 9-13
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 24 Industry Comes of Age
b. Chapter 25: America Moves to the City
3.
Week of January 17-20
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 26: The Great West and the Agricultural Revolution
Unit 6 Test: Chapters 23, 24, 25, 26
Unit 7: New Imperialism, Progressivism, World War I
Organizing Principles:
From 1890 to 1918, the United States became increasingly active and aggressive in world affairs.
The Progressive Movement partially succeeded in improving life for average Americans by curbing big business, making the
government more responsive to the will of the people, and enacting social welfare legislation.
Topics:
New Imperialism, Spanish-American War, Big Stick policy (jingoism), Roosevelt Corollary, internationalism, Progressive
Reform (political, social, and economic), regulatory agencies, Square Deal, Old Guard vs. Insurgents, New Nationalism, New
Freedom, Supreme Court and social welfare, World War I (social, economic, and political consequences), CPI, Red Scare, Treaty
of Versailles
3. Week of January 23-27
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 27: The Path of Empire
4. Week of January 30 – February 3
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 28: Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt
b. Chapter 29: Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad
5. Week of February 6-10
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 29: Wilsonian Progressivism at Home and Abroad
b. Chapter 30: The War To End War
Unit 7 Test: Chapters 27, 28, 29, 30
Unit 8: 1920s through New Deal
Organizing Principles:
Disillusionment with the idealism of World War I led Americans to fear change and difference and to retreat into a superficial
shell of self-satisfaction.
The Great Depression and New Deal led to the expectation of government intervention to maintain the economic stability of the
nation.
Topics:
fear of change and difference, value conflicts, mass society, consumerism, technological development, foreign policy, social
changes, arts and entertainment, economics, normalcy, Great Depression, New Deal, relief, recovery, reform, make work, labor,
political realignment, changing function of government.
6. Week of February 15-17
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 31: American Life in the Roaring Twenties
7. Week of February 20-24
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 32: Politics of Boom and Bust
8. Week of February 27 – March 2
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 33: The Great Depression and The New Deal
Unit 8: 1920s through New Deal (continued)
9. Week of March 5-9
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 33: The Great Depression and The New Deal
Unit 8 Test: Chapters 31, 32, 33
Unit 9: World War II through 1960
Organizing Principles:
Between World War II and 1960 the New Deal philosophy that the government was a legitimate agent of social welfare
became firmly embedded in the American mind.
The Cold War led the United States to pursue an ambivalent policy of confrontation, negotiation, and preventive
maintenance between 1945 and 1970.
Topics:
1930s foreign policy, neutrality, World War II (social, economic, and political consequences), strategies and battles, post
war demobilization, Fair Deal, Red Scare, containment, Cold War, NSC 68, Korean War, modern Republicanism, massive
retaliation, social changes, politics of the 50s, consumerism, baby boom
10. Week of March 12-16
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 34: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War
b. Chapter 35: America in World War II
**Spring Break March 17-26**
11. Week of March 27-30
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 35: America in World War II
b. Chapter 36: The Cold War begins
12. Week of April 2-5
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 36: The Cold War Begins
b. Chapter 37: The Eisenhower Era
Unit 9 Test: Chapters 34, 35, 36, 37
Unit 10: 1960 through Present
Organizing Principles:
Disillusionment with the increasingly violent protest of the 1960s led to the entrenchment of conservative ideology between 1968
and 1992.
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, America’s foreign policy groped for ways to promote world peace with minimal U.S.
involvement.
Technological developments between 1950 and 2000 radically altered the economic, social, and moral fiber of the nation.
Topics:
liberalism, civil rights, reform movements, political activism, foreign policy, Vietnam, youth culture, poverty, conservative
resurgence, energy, Watergate, malaise, détente, Reagan Revolution (foreign policy, economy, social issues), technology and
affluence, post-Cold War foreign policy, Middle East, multiculturalism, welfare, Clinton scandals
13. Week of April 10-13
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 38: The Stormy Sixties
b. Chapter 39: The Stalemated Seventies
14. Week of April 16-20
A. Readings
1. The American Pageant
a. Chapter 40: The Resurgence of Conservatism
b. Chapter 41: America Confronts the Post-Cold War Era
15. Week of April 23-27
a.
Chapter 42: The American People Face a New Century
16. Week of April 30 – May 4
A. Exam Review
1. Practice APUSH exam (will double as course final exam)
2. Multiple Choice from past years
3. DBQs & FRQs from previous years
Unit 10 Test: Chapters 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
AP US History Exam
17. Week of May 7-11
B. Exam Review
1. Multiple Choice from past years
2. DBQs & FRQs from previous years
**AP US History Exam: Friday May 11, 2012**
18. Weeks of May 14-18 & May 21-25
1. Post AP exam debrief: Details TBA
**The teacher reserves the right to modify the above syllabus if necessary. Any changes will be communicated in a timely manner. **
Wesleyan APUSH Syllabus
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