Advanced Placement United States History
Syllabus
Advanced Placement United States History is designed to give students an opportunity to
become immersed in a college-level course while still in high-school. It provides a depth
of study not available in regular-level classes, while at the same time teaching students
many of the skills necessary for successful work once in college. Along with the core
curriculum, historical methodology, primary and secondary document analysis, historical
research, and writing skills are emphasized. There is an emphasis on “doing history”
rather than just learning it. In other words, an attempt is made to move beyond just
creating better history students to a point where they become student historians.
Within the ten units that make up the course are a number of themes essential to the true
understanding of United States History. Included are the development of a unique
American culture, population shifts and changing demographics, domestic and
international economics, relations with the world in war and peace, political change, the
roles and histories of groups such as women, African-American, Native-American and
other minorities, the role of religion, social reform movements and the role of American
in the modern world. The connections of these themes to one another, and the
permanency of each in the story of America will be emphasized.
The class meets for forty-five minutes daily, throughout the entire school year. The
workload is rigorous. Remember, it is considered a college course. Textbook readings
and term sheets are to be completed before we begin discussion of any particular chapter.
Source readings should be read by the end of the appropriate chapter. Expect homework
every night. Essays will often be take-home, though some will be done in class. Grades
will be based primarily on unit tests, Document-Based and free response essays, and class
participation. Additional grades such as quizzes, presentations, and source-reading
analysis writings will account for a small percentage of your grade as well. The AP
administered test will be given in May.
Textbooks and Supplements
The primary text of the course is The American Pageant. Additionally, Volumes I and II
of The American Spirit are used extensively. Each of these books is provided by the
school system. A number of other books are used for special readings and other
activities. They too will be provided. Bibliographies for these are listed below.
It is expected that each student purchase their own AP United States History study
manual. There are a number of companies that produce these books, and all are available
in book-stores or online. Most have several practice exams, unit summaries, study lists
and test-taking tips. We will discuss options once school begins.
Bibliography
Kennedy, David M., Cohen, Lizabeth, Bailey, Thomas. The American Pageant, 14th
Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth, 2010
Kennedy, David M., Thomas Bailey. The American Spirit, Volume I, To 1877. 10th
Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.
Kennedy, David M., Thomas Bailey. The American Spirit, Volume II, From 1877. 10th
Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.
Davidson, James West., Mark Hamilton Lytle. After the Fact: The Art of Historical
Detection, Vol. I, 5th Edition. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Co., 2005.
Davidson, James West., Mark Hamilton Lytle. After the Fact: The Art of Historical
Detection, Vol. II, 5th Edition. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Co., 2005.
Kovacs, Mary Anne., Douglas E. Miller, John C. Ritter. Advanced Placement American
History : The Evolving American Nation-State. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown-Roa, 1994.
Kovacs, Mary Anne., Douglas E. Miller, John C. Ritter. Advanced Placement American
History II: Twentieth Century Challenges. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown-Roa, 1994.
Course Schedule
The course schedule provided here is without dates because of the inevitable interruptions
that occur during a typical school year. However, we will adhere to general time
allotments that experience suggests for each unit. It is necessary that assignments
continue throughout the year, including during breaks from school. Some of the
assignments are mentioned specifically within this course schedule, but most are not.
Students will be kept informed regarding assignments, projects, upcoming tests, etc.
Most of the supplemental readings are listed in the attachments at the end of the syllabus.
Unit Tests are organized by dates and themes. They do not always fall exactly at the end
of a chapter or unit.
Unit One: Exploration and Colonization - Chapters 1-5
Chapters 1-5 are partially covered in the assignment given over the summer vacation. The
specifics of that assignment are also found with the attachments. The summer
assignment is due on the first day of the fall term. The general requirements of that
assignment are:



Students must read chapters 1-5 from the text, and become familiar with the
important terms from the term sheets.
answer several extended essay questions and complete two charts
complete the two charts
Once in school, and after introductions and administrative issues are completed, the basic
format of the course will be explained and the summer assignment collected. A pre-unit
test, based on chapter 1-5 will be given. The next two weeks will be used to familiarize
students with the daily procedures of the course, review the material from the summer
assignment, and add pertinent information to it. Lectures and discussions will be held,
extra readings will be assigned and discussed, the summer work will be returned and
gone over, and the unit test will be given.
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 1-5
 The American Spirit, Vol.1
 After the Fact – The Visible and Invisible Worlds of Salem
Handouts
 Summer Assignment – Given in May
 Unit vocabulary list
 Notes on Puritanism, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening (APH I)
 Seven Steps to Make Essay Writing Easy
Discussion Themes
Pre-History and native peoples of North America, early European contact and
competition in the New World, English in the Chesapeake, Puritanism and the New
England Colonies, the Growth of American diversity in culture, society and politics,
conflict and war, the beginnings of slavery in America, and the influence of religion.
Assignments and Activities
Summer Assignment, readings, discussion, source reading quiz, essay writing workshop
and essay homework
*The essay-writing workshop includes discussion of the unique nature of AP essays, tips
on question analysis, thesis development, organization, the importance of content and
clear argument, and an introduction to Document Based Questions. Examples of
questions are given and discussed in various group activities. A simple first essay
assignment is made, collected and graded. The workshop normally takes between two
and three class periods.
Assessment
 Summer Assignment essays and chart completion
 After the Fact summary quiz
 Essay introduction – Extent of religious freedom prior to 1700
 DBQ Activity – New England and Chesapeake Colonies (1993)
 Unit Test
 Class Participation
Unit Two: The Revolutionary Era - Chapters 6-8
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 6-8
 The American Spirit, Vol.1
 The Declaration of Independence
 The Revolution as a Social Movement by J. Franklin Jameson
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 The Path to Revolution, 1763-1776 (APH I)
Discussion Themes
The French and Indian War, changing relations between the Mother Country and her
colonies, the path to rebellion, declaring independence and the Revolutionary War
Assignments and Activities
Readings, discussion, The Path to Revolution handout, source reading roundtable
discussion, and essay activity
Assessment
 Unit Test
 Full Essay - one of two – Economic vs Political origins of the Revolution or
whether the Revolution was radical or conservative in nature
 Class Participation
Unit Three: Confederation, Constitution & Federal Period - Chps 9-12
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 9-12
 The American Spirit, Vol. 1
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 The Constitution: Balancing Competing Interests (APH I)
Discussion Themes
The Articles of Confederation, issues facing the newly independent states, the western
land question, positives and negatives of the Confederation Period, the Constitutional
Convention, Hamilton v Jefferson, precedents for presidents, the Federalist years, early
United States foreign policy, Jefferson’s America, the War of 1812, and the growth of
American prestige under Madison and Monroe
Assignments and Activities
Readings, discussion, homework activities, student presentations, DBQ activity, essay
discussion activity, source reading quiz and extra-credit viewing of Lewis and Clark
video
Assessment
 Unit Test
 Student Presentations
 Essay discussion and participation on several old exam essays about this period
 DBQ introduction and outline – Effectiveness of the Confederation government
(1985)
 Class Participation
Unit Four: The Growing Years - Chapters 13-17
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 13-17
 The American Spirit, Vol. 1
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 The Role of the Judiciary in the Creation of the National State (APH I)
 Chapters 14 and 1 objectives and outline packets (The American Pageant
Resource Guide)
 Slavery Mini-Unit lesson sheets
Discussion Themes
Jacksonian Democracy and the rise of the common man, the controversial Jackson years,
the South and the “peculiar institution,” impact of America’s first industrial revolution,
reform movements, and territorial expansion
Assignments and Activities
Reading, discussion, source reading summary sharing, presentations, Role of the
Judiciary handout, objectives and outline packet, DBQ activity, full DBQ and extra credit
videos on transportation, utopian movements, religion, the first industrial revolution, etc.
Assessment
 Unit Test
 Student Presentations
 DBQ Activity – Document analysis and discussion - Andrew Jackson and Indian
Removal (1980)
 Full DBQ – Jacksonian Democracy (1990)
 Class Participation
Unit Five: The Civil War and Reconstruction – Chapters 18-22
It is often during this unit that the Thanksgiving vacation arrives. Assignments are
tailored to allow students to complete a large part of the necessary work on their own.
Little teacher led instruction is needed.
Readings
 The American Pageant : Chapters 18-22
 The American Spirit, Vol. 1
 After the Fact - View from the Bottom Rail
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 Major Events Leading to Secession Chart
 Chapters 21 and 22 objectives and outline packets (The American Pageant
Resource)
Discussion Themes
Southern and Northern perspectives, growing sectional rifts, the turbulent 1850s, Lincoln,
the waging of war, the homefront, emancipation, the politics of Reconstruction, the
freedmen’s plight and the Compromise of 1877
Assignments and Activities
Reading, discussion, events leading to secession chart completion, DBQ work, vacation
worksheet assignment
Assessment
 Unit Test
 Full DBQ - The 1850s: Prelude to Civil War (1987)
 DBQ introduction and outline – John Brown’s Raid (1982)
 Source readings summaries
 After the Fact summary quiz
 Class participation
Unit Six: The West, Gilded Age & the Age of Imperialism - Chps 23-27
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 23-27
 The American Spirit, Vol. 2
 After the Fact – Mirror with a Memory
 After the Fact – Jackson’s Frontier and Turner’s (Extra Credit)
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 National Government in the Late 19th Century: A Sham of Democracy (APH I)
 The Philosophy of the Industrialists (APH I)
Discussion Themes
Settling the West and the demise of Native Americans, industrialization, organization of
labor, urbanization and immigration, agrarian interests and the Populists, imperialism and
the world stage
Assignments and Activities
Reading, discussion, sample essay discussion, group discussion of handout assignments,
DBQ work
Assessment
 Unit Test
 After the Fact summary quiz
 After the Fact Extra Credit
 DBQ introduction and outline – The Federal Government & Laissez-Faire, 18651900 (1979)
 DBQ discussion – Expansionism, Old and New (1994)
 Full DBQ – The Populists (1983)
 Class Participation
Mid-Term Exams
Prior to the mid-term exam, and if time permits, a semester review will take place.
Numerous practice essays will be discussed, and possibly a practice exam will be given.
Unit Seven: The Progressive Era through the 1920s - Chapters 28-32
Readings
 he American Pageant: Chapters 28-32
 The American Spirit, Vol. 2
 After the Fact – USDA Government Inspected
 After the Fact – Sacco and Vanzetti
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 The Square Deal: The Effects of Progressivism (APH II)
 The Twenties at Bay (APH II)
 Prohibition: The Noble Experiment (APH II)
Discussion Themes
Progressivism, TR’s Bully Pulpit and the “Square Deal,” the Progressive Presidents,
World War I, women’s suffrage, the Red Scare, a return to normalcy, intolerance in the
face of change, boom and bust
Assignments and Activities
Reading, Discussion, student led lessons from handouts, After the Fact panel discussions
with class divided and doing one of the two options, DBQ work
Assessment
 Unit Test
 After the Fact presentations
 DBQ introduction and outline – Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Dubois (1989)
 DBQ discussion – Prohibition (1978)
 Full DBQ – The Fight Over the Treaty of Versailles (1991)
 Class Participation
Unit Eight: The Depression through the Post War Era - Chapters 33-37
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 33-37
 The American Spirit, Vol.2
 After the Fact - The decision to Drop the Bomb
 After the Fact - From Rosie to Lucy
 FDR’s War Message
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary sheet
 Chapters 25 and 26 objectives and outline packets (The American Pageant
Resource Guide)
 The Truman Doctrine (APH II)
Discussion Themes
Causes of the Great Depression, Hoover’ approach, the New Deal: its pros and cons,
isolationism and neutrality, the rise of totalitarianism, American entry into war,
mobilization and the home front, winning the war, the decision to use the bomb, issues of
the early Cold War, Korea, McCarthyism, Truman, Ike and JFK
Assignments and Activities
Reading, discussion, chapters 25 and 26 packets completion, group presentations on
Soviet-American relations from 1945 through 1991, with emphasis on the early Cold War
period, and After the Fact panel discussions with the class divided and doing one of the
two options
Assessment
 Unit Test
 DBQ discussion – Hoover and Roosevelt: Liberal or Conservative? (1984)
 Full DBQ – The Decision to Drop the Bomb
 After the Fact presentations
 Class Participation
Unit Nine: The Sixties and Seventies - Chapters 38-39
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapters 38-39
 The American Spirit: Vol. 2
 After the Fact - Breaking Into Watergate
 Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Handouts
 Unit vocabulary list
 The Black Revolution (APH II)
Discussion Themes
American entanglement in Vietnam, escalation and protest, Dr. King’s movement, Black
Power, feminism, Nixon and the end of the war, Watergate, the oil crisis and the
seventies economy, activism, Carter and Khomeini, and changing American values
Assignments and Activities
Reading, discussion, handouts completion and discussion
Assessment
 Unit Test
 After the Fact summary quiz
 Full Essay - Comparison of the New Deal and the Great Society or relevance of
the 1920s through the 1940’s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and
1960s.
 Class Participation
Unit Ten: From Reagan to the New Millennium – Chapters 40-42
Time is always a factor as we approach the exam date. This final unit will be conducted
in a straight discussion format. It is likely that your review for the exam will be
underway at the same time. Therefore, it is important that you have the chapter read
early.
Readings
 The American Pageant: Chapter 40-42
 The American Spirit, Vol. 2
Handouts
 Chapter 40 objectives and outline packet (The American Pageant Resource
Guide)
 Ronald Reagan: An Evaluation of a Presidency (APH II) –Comparison of
presidents throughout the years
Discussion Themes
The Reagan Revolution and conservative comeback, winning the Cold War,
“Reaganomics,” Iran-Contra, Persian Gulf War, Clinton and the 2000 election
Assignments and Activities
Readings, discussion
Assessment
Class participation
Exam Review
An organized review of the course will take place. If all goes well we will have about
one week for this. We will spend time discussing DBQ questions from recent years, look
at numerous free-response essays, and talk one last time about test-taking techniques, etc.
Still, it is possible that days could be missed due to weather or other unforeseen issues,
and this time may be less. Therefore, it should be remembered that it is the responsibility
of the student to prepare throughout the year for the test. Suggestions will be given
throughout the course on how to do this. The bottom line is that if you work throughout
the year, to the best of your ability, than reviewing for the test at the end of the course
should be easy. Learn as you go!
Post Exam
During the period following the exam the course will continue, but at a somewhat less
frantic pace. Two more After the Fact readings will be required. One of the two involves
the viewing of various films about the Vietnam experience. These will be chosen by the
students individually, watched at home, and then critiqued and discussed. We will also
spend some class time discussing in more depth the events of the 1990s and early 2000s,
as these years will not have been discussed as much as necessary prior to the pre-exam.
Finally, though there is no final exam required beyond the national test, the SOL test is.
Little preparation is needed for AP students, but we will review if the class if necessary.
AP United States History
Summer Assignment
Due to the volume of work required in this course, and the fact that the national
examination is given during the second week of May, it is necessary to assign a
substantial summer assignment. This work also serves to alert students as to the amount
and type of reading and writing that will follow once the school year begins.
You will need to pick up your textbook sometime after the beginning of July. Since we
never know exactly when the books will be here and ready, you should probably call or
stop by the office and check as soon after that as possible. Do not wait too long. This is
required work and if you get a late start you may not finish by the time the class begins.
Very shortly after school starts we will have a major test on this material. As you will
see, AP tests are unlike any tests you’ve ever had before. Just having read the material
and familiarized yourself with the vocabulary terms may still not be enough to
understand the analytical style questions. Therefore, a fast read through or skimming of
the chapter will be of limited value. You need to really understand what you are reading.
Below are the specific chapters and activities that must be completed by the first day of
school.
Chapter 1
Read the chapter, learn the terms, and do the following Extended Essay. It should be
approximately two pages in length, typed or written neatly in ink, double spaced, and on
one side of the sheet only.
Discuss, in specific detail, how geographic and climatic features affected the
development of cultures in each of North America’s regions.
Chapter 2
Again, read the chapter and learn the terms. sing the same directions as for chapter one,
answer the two essay questions below in about one page.
How did the animosity between Britain and Spain affect the New World?
Describe how the various European powers exploited the New World and its people.
Chapter 3
After reading the chapter and learning the terms, complete the chart that is attached to
this assignment sheet. Do it neatly and fully.
Chapter 4
Read the chapter, learn the terms and answer each of the two essays below with about
one page each.
What created the differences between the North and South with respect to slavery?
How did mercantilist regulations hurt the economics of North America? How did they
benefit the Europeans?
Chapter 5
Read the chapter, learn the terms and complete the chart attached to this assignment
sheet.
Unit One Terms
Chapter 1
Matrilineal
Tribe
Iroquois
patrilineal
clan
Algonquians
Sioux
Aztec
confederacy
maize
Cherokee
Chapter 2
Roanoke Island
Columbus
Martin Luther
Armada
Croatan
Vespucci
Protestantism
Hugenots
Walter Raleigh
Cortes
John Calvin
Richard Hakluyt
Renaissance
mulatto
Spanish
Chapter 3
Quebec
Powatan
Tobacco
Proprietary colony
Great Migration
Edmond Andros
Bacon’s Rebellion
Edmund Andros
Jesuits
Virginia Company
House of Burgesses
indentured servants
“City on a Hill”
Roger Williams
King Philip’s War
Navigation Acts
joint-stock company
Pocohantas
matriarchy
Pilgrims
Salem Witch Trials
Mayflower Compact
Anne Hutchinson
Jamestown
John Smith
Puritans
Pequot War
William Penn
Quakers
Gold Coast
Adam Smith
Middle Passage
Mercantilism
indigo
Creoles
John Locke
Toleration Act
Enlightenment
Chapter 4
Slavers
Triangular Trade
Salutary Neglect
Chapter 5
Plains Indians
Half Way Covenant
Benjamin Franklin
Congregationalists
Great Awakening
George Whitefield
Jonathan Edwards
mission system
New Lights
Old Lights
There will also be a Document Based Question activity. It is designed to introduce some
of the skills necessary in understanding, organizing, and writing about primary and
secondary sources.
Advanced Placement United States History
Source Reading List
Chapter, section, number and title listed within the course unit
Most of these articles are one page or less.
Unit readings from The American Spirit - Volume I
Unit 1
1D-4
2C-1
3A-2
4B-1
4B-3
5B-2
Hakluyt Sees England’s Salvation in America (1584)
The Intolerant Act of Toleration (1649)
Framing the Mayflower Compact (1620)
The Baconite Grieveances (1677)
Slavery is Justified (1757)
Jonathan Edwards Paints the Horrors of Hell (1741)
Unit 2
5D-1
7A-2
7C-4
7D-2
7E-3
8B-1
The Epochal Zenger Trial (1735)
Adam’s Smith’s Balance Sheet (1776)
Two Views of the British Empire (Cartoon -1767 & 1775)
Patrick Henry Demands Boldness (1775)
Why an Old Soldier Fought (1898)
Thomas Paine Talks Common Sense (1776)
Unit 3
9C-2
9C-3
9E-2
10A-2
10B-3
10F-1
11A-3
12D-3
Alexander Hamilton Scans the Future (1787)
George Mason is Critical (1787)
James Madison Defends the New Constitution (1787)
Alexander Hamilton Versus Thomas Jefferson on Popular Rule
Jefferson Versus Hamilton on the Bank (1791)
A President Bids Farewell (1796)
Marshall Asserts the Supremacy of the Supreme Court (1803)
James Monroe Warns the European Powers (1823)
Unit 4
13E-3 Cartooning the Banking Crisis (1833 & 1837)
13F-1
14D-2
16A-2
16A-7
16B-1
14B-2
15A-2
15C-1
15D-1
Jackson Endorses the Indian Removal (1829)
The Impact of the Erie Canal (1853)
A Former Slave Exposes Slavery (Douglas – 1850)
The Sundering of Families (1874)
William Harper’s Apology (1837)
The Coming of the Irish (1836)
Joseph Smith Has a Vision (1820)
The Seneca Falls Manifesto (1848)
Henry David Thoreau Praises Spiritual Wealth ( 1854)
Unit 5
18A-1
18B-1
19B-1
19B-2
20F-1
20F-2
22A-3
22B-5
22D-1
David Wilmot Appeals for Free Soil (1847)
John Calhoun Demands Southern Rights (1850)
Charles Sumner Assails the Slavocracy (1856)
The South Justifies Yankee Beaters (1856)
The War to Preserve the Union (Gettysburg Address – 1863)
The War to End Slavery (Second Inaugural Address – 1865)
The Former Slaves Confront Freedom (1901)
The Controversy over the Fifteenth Amendment (1866 & 1870)
Thaddeus Stevens Demands Black Suffrage (1867)
Unit readings from The American Spirit - Volume II
Unit 6
26A-7
26C-4
24B-1
24C-1
24E-3
23D-1
26F-2
27A-2
27D-2
27D-3
A Native American Tries to Walk the White Man’s Road (1890s)
Sodbusters in Kansas (1877)
John D. Rockefeller Justifies Rebates (1909)
Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth (1889)
The Life of a Sweatshop Girl (1902)
The Supreme Court Declares that Separate is Equal (1896)
William Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Gold (1896)
William Randolph Hearst Stages a Rescue (1897)
Professor William Sumner Spurns Empire (1898)
Albert Beveridge Trumpets Imperialism (1898)
Unit 7
25A-4
25E-4
29A-1
29C-3
29C-5
28C-1
28D-3
31C-1
32C-2
32D-1
Jacob Riis Goes Slumming (1890)
Jane Addams Demands the Vote for Women (1910)
Exposing the Meat Packers (1906)
Child Labor in the Coal Mines (1906)
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Claims 146 Lives (1911)
Roosevelt Launches a Corollary (1904)
The Gentlemen’s Agreement (1908)
George Creel Spreads Fear Propaganda (c. 1918)
Fiorello La Guardia Pillories Prohibition (1926)
Margaret Sanger Campaigns for Birth Control (1920)
Unit 8
34C-1
34C-2
34D-2
34F-3
34F-4
35A-1
35C-1
36A-1
36C-3
36B-5
37C-1
37C-4
37D-1
37F-3
38B-1
Senator Huey P. Long Wants Every Man to be a King (1934)
Father Coughlin Demands “Social Justice” (1934 & 1935)
John Lewis Lambastes Girdler (1937)
Republicans Roast Roosevelt (1940)
Assessing the New Deal (Cartoons - 1935 & 1936)
Two Views of Isolationism (Cartoons – 1936 & 1938)
Framing the Atlantic Charter (1941)
The War Transforms the Economy (1943)
A Black American Ponders the War’s Meaning (1942)
Roosevelt and Stalin Meet Face to Face (1943)
George Kennan Proposes Containment (1946)
The World Through Soviet Eyes (1946)
Secretary George Marshall Speaks at Harvard (1947)
NSC-68 Offers a Blueprint for the Cold War (1950)
Joseph McCarthy Upholds Guilt by Association (1952)
Unit 9
38C-1
38C-2
40B-4
40D-1
40D-2
Eisenhower Sends Federal Troops (1957)
Riders for Freedom (1961)
The Expulsion from Vietnam (1975)
The First Article of Impeachment (1974)
Impeachment as a Partisan Issue (1974)
Unit 10
41A-1
41B-3
41E-1
41E-2
The Supply-Side Gospel (1984)
An Editor Analyzes the Iran-Contra Affair (1987)
Author Frances Fitzgerald Laments the Reagan Legacy (1988)
Columnist Robert Samuelson Praises the Reagan Record (1989)