Course Syllabus



AP US History is not a college preparatory course; it is a college level course taught using a college text. Students can potentially earn college credit by earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP US History Exam given in early May. All students are expected to do all work at a college level.

AP US History is a two semester survey of US History from discovery to the first years of the 21st century. AP U.S. History provides students a generally chronological study of U.S. history that emphasizes the historical ideas and events important to the development of the United States government, laws, economic system, foreign policy, and social movements. The aims for this course are that students who complete the course will 1) have a thorough understanding of US History, 2) write clearly and effectively, 3) be able to analyze and evaluate a variety of primary and secondary document, and 4) understand historiography – how our understanding of events changes over time.

The following is the topic outline for each semester (everything is subject to flexibility):

Fall Semester Topics of American History

Unit 1 Colonization and Revolution, 1492-1787 – Chapters 1-5

• Beginning in the early 1600s English settlers established American colonies in pursuit of

adventure, fortune, and liberty.

• Ideas of representative government, religious freedom, and freedom of the press were

established in the colonies by the time of the American Revolution.

• After the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 tension increased between American

colonists and the British government.

• After the end of the American Revolution in 1781 the British recognized American

independence.

Unit 2 The U.S. Constitution – Chapter 6

• Americans established their first national government under the Articles of Confederation, a constitution that created, in the minds of many prominent American leaders, a central government too weak to solve national problems.

• Weaknesses in the national government under the Articles of Confederation led to the

Constitutional Convention, at which a new and more powerful central government was created.

Unit 3 The New Nation, 1789-1824 – Chapters 6-8

• In the 1790s George Washington presided over the creation of a new government.

• Although Washington warned against the “spirit of party,” political parties were created during his presidency.

• Party division, territorial growth, and a war in Europe shaped U.S. history in the early

nineteenth century.

• A period of strong nationalism emerged in 1815 after the end of a second war with Great

Britain.

Unit 4 Reform and Expansion, 1824-1853 – Chapters 9, 10, 12, 13

• The Age of Jackson (1824-40) was marked by a new system of party politics, numerous political changes, and a variety of social reform movements.

• The U.S. fulfilled many expansionist goals in the 1840s.

Unit 5 Events leading to Civil War, 1793-1861 – Chapter 13

• Before 1860 the North and the South were separated by economic, political, and cultural

differences that became increasingly difficult to compromise.

• After the election of Abraham Lincoln several southern states seceded from the Union, an action that led to civil war in 1861.

Unit 6 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1900 – Chapters 14, 15

• Although Union forces seemed to possess numerous advantages, Confederate forces won

several key battles in the early years of the Civil War.

• After victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Union forces turned the tide of the war in their favor.

• A period of social and political reconstruction of the nation began after the Civil War ended in 1865.

• The president and Congress clashed over Reconstruction policies, particularly in regard to the status of former slaves.

• Reconstruction ended in 1877 when northern troops were pulled out of the South.

Unit 7 Industrial Revolution, 1861-1901 – Chapters 16-19 (this unit is often in semester 2, we’ll see how we progress!)

• The U.S. experienced an industrial takeoff during the late 1800s.

• Although industrialization increased American power and the standard-of-living, it also created many new problems. For farmers, workers, and consumers, industrialization created problems that led to a desire for government intervention in the economy.

Fall semester exams will take place the week of Dec 13th.

Spring Semester: Topics of American History

Unit 8 Progressive Era, 1901- 1917 – Chapters 18, 21, 22

• Demands for reform of the economic and political system were widespread during the early 1900s.

• Government regulation of the economic system began at the state level, but since economic power was in the hands of national monopolies, the federal government began regulating American business in the early 1900s.

• After Theodore Roosevelt became president the U.S. entered a period of reform that continued under William H. Taft and Woodrow Wilson. The reforms passed under these three presidents would institutionalize a regulated capitalist system.

Unit 11 The US as a World Power, 1890-1919 – Chapters 20, 23

• The late 1800s marked a rise in imperialism in the U.S.

• After a war with Spain in 1898 the U.S. gained territory in the Pacific and in the Caribbean.

• Theodore Roosevelt expanded the original meaning of the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America.

• World War I began in Europe in 1914. Although President Wilson at first declared neutrality, the U.S. entered the war in 1917.

• After World War I, President Wilson worked for an idealistic post-war plan that was rejected by European nations as well as by the U.S. Senate.

Unit 9 Prosperity and Division in the 1920’s – Chapter 24

• The 1920s were a prosperous time in which the government was generally conservative and pro-business.

• In the 1920s America was divided over “city” values and “country” values.

Unit 10 The Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1941 – Chapters 25, 26

• The stock market crash of 1929 signaled the beginning of the Great Depression, the worst

financial crisis in U.S. history.

• As the Depression grew worse President Herbert Hoover followed a policy of denying

government relief to the unemployed. He was not re-elected in 1932.

• President Franklin Roosevelt pushed several legislative programs through Congress in an

attempt to end the Depression.

• The Depression ended after Americans found employment building war materials for the

Second World War.

Unit 12 WWII, 1939-1945 – Chapters 27, 28

• World War II began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.

• The U.S. entered World War II when Japan attacked Hawaii in December 1941.

• The leaders of the Allied nations held several wartime conferences to discuss military strategies as well as decide the character of the postwar world.

• World War II ended after Germany surrendered in May 1945 and after Japan surrendered in August 1945.

Unit 13 Cold War – Truman and Eisenhower, 1945-1961 – Chapters 29, 30

• The Cold War began after World War II with a disagreement between the United States and the Soviet Union over self-determination in Eastern Europe.

• The American struggle against communism spread to Asia after Communist forces took over China and after North Korea invaded South Korea.

• The struggle against communism overseas led some Americans to believe there were

communists in the U.S. government threatening the security of the U.S.

• Although President Eisenhower continued President Truman’s policy of containment of

communism, his presidency also saw an expansion of the arms race and the beginning of the space race.

• Heavy consumer spending and increased productivity gave Americans the highest standard of living the world had ever known. However, some groups did not share in the prosperity, and social critics attacked American materialism and conformity.

Unit 14 Civil Rights, 1954-1975 – Chapters 31, 32

• From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s the fight for civil rights for African Americans was led primarily by leaders advocating nonviolence and civil disobedience.

• In the mid-1960s Congress passed laws promoting civil rights and voting rights. These laws strengthened the federal government’s power to regulate state government’s denial of civil rights.

• In the late 1960s the United States experienced many violent protests and race riots.

• Despite undercurrents of discontent, the 1960s began with a general sense of optimism that allowed President Kennedy to propose an ambitious social and economic agenda as well as define lofty national goals.

Unit 15 Vietnam War, 1954-1975 – Chapters 31, 32

• After the French failed to take control of Vietnam the U.S. spent over twenty years trying to protect a non-communist government in South Vietnam.

• Efforts to stop the communist takeover of South Vietnam caused much protest and division within the United States until communist forces took control of South Vietnam in 1975.

Unit 16 Foreign and Domestic Affairs, 1960-1981 – Chapters 31-33

• After John Kennedy’s assassination President Johnson and Congress cooperated to enact more than 200 pieces of landmark legislation.

• The late 1960s was a time of protest from a variety of groups against many aspects of American society.

• President Nixon began a policy of relaxing tensions with the Soviet Union. He also opened up relations with Communist China.

• Throughout the 1970s wars between Israel and the Arab states were an important foreign policy concern for the United States.

• The Watergate scandal resulted in Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency.

• President Ford generally continued Nixon’s foreign and domestic policies.

• President Carter, who won the presidency running as an outsider, introduced no major program for reform. He did, however, introduce legislation to deal with energy and economic problems.

• President Carter emphasized human rights as the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. By the end of Carter’s presidency the policy of a relaxation of tensions with the Soviet Union had collapsed.

The AP US History Exam is given the 2nd Friday in May.

Unit 17 Foreign and Domestic Affairs, 1981- 2001 – Chapters 33, 34

• Ronald Reagan’s presidency brought about a conservative “revolution” in American politics.

• Although Ronald Reagan espoused much Cold War rhetoric in the early 1980s, by the end of his presidency relations with the Soviet Union had greatly improved.

• During George H. W. Bush’s presidency the fall of the Soviet Union brought about an end to the Cold War.

• In a successful attempt to push Iraq’s army of invasion out of Kuwait, U.N. forces led by the U.S. fought the Persian Gulf War.

• Bill Clinton was elected president promising to restore the American economy.

• During his second term as president, Bill Clinton was impeached for sexual misconduct.

• George W. Bush won a contested election in which he lost the popular vote to Al Gore.

Spring Exams will be the week of May 26th.

Textbook and supplements…

American History: A Survey, 10th ed. by Allan Brinkley, McGraw-Hill College 1999 (ISBN 0-07-303390-1).

Students should purchase and AP Exam prep book (about $20) – Barron’s, Princeton Review, and 5 Steps to a 5are examples, but there are others.

I HIGHLY recommend that students download The Giant AHAP Review to use as a supplemental reader.

In addition to our texts and supplemental readings, and many documents and scholarly articles, we will use the AP US History Study Guide created by James L. Smith.

Grading:

Grades will be calculated as a straight average of all grades. Graded work will include, but is not limited to, unit tests, AP essays. vocabulary, document analysis, research, historical writing assignments, group and individual class work, and quizzes. There will be opportunities to improve grades (including the test scores, to get them up to the goal of AP readiness) but will have strict timeframes for completion. Students must maintain a 75 average in the course; otherwise they will be put on a growth plan.

Make-up work/Missing Assignments

_______ Late work: A homework assignment not turned in when it is due is may be turned in the next morning for reduced points – the amount of reduction to be determined by assignment (generally one letter grade).

_______ Absence: If a student is absent from class, he/she will be allowed to make-up missed assignments. All assignments due the date of an absent must be turned on the first day back. Quizzes and tests can only be made up before school by appointment. It is the student’s responsibility to get his/her assignments.

_______ School Activity: If a student misses class for a field trip or sporting event, or other school related activity, any work due that day or tests that are to be given that day must be turned in or taken prior to leaving school.

Students are required to bring the US History Study Guide to class everyday

They will write the notes and reflections from class discussion in the study guide. Students will be expected to read their text, complete the terms and vocabulary for each unit in the Smith US History Study Guide, as well as complete homework and class assignments. In addition, there will be outside reading and assignments from the supplemental material. Students should expect frequent quizzes over any reading, notes, homework, class work, or discussions.

Students must complete a research project for the National History Day History Fair contest.

History Fair projects must follow the theme provided by National History Day; this year’s theme is Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events. The project can be in the form of an exhibit, documentary, performance, interactive website, or 2500 word Historical paper, and must include primary as well as secondary sources. All projects will be graded using the National History Day rubric found at . A sample is attached. Emphasis in grading is placed on historical accuracy and adherence to the History Day theme. There will be several graded components and the final project grade will be counted twice. Projects will be in mid-October.

The AP Exam:

The AP US History Exam is given at the end of the first week in May. Students will have the opportunity to sign up for the exam just before Spring Break. A student earning a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the test could result in college credit for US History. To earn this score students need to get greater than 65% of the multiple choice questions correct and earn scores of 5 or higher on their essays. To that end, students should form study groups that meet on a regular basis and use AP Test prep guides that contain practice tests, i.e. Barrons, Cliffs, or one from the College Board. Additionally, all of the tests given in this course are created with questions from released AP tests and AP test study materials. Students should strive to earn scores of greater than 65% on these tests; all essays are graded with the AP rubric (attached). I will be available for additional support, both to prepare for the test and for class tutorials.

Contacting me: You may best contact me through e-mail at kbarbee@.

Please sign, have your parent sign and keep this at the beginning of your History binder.

Standard Essay

Student Name________________________________________________________ Score____________

8 – 9

a.______ Well-developed thesis that addresses the question

b.______ Considerable specific and relevant information to support the thesis

c.______ Effective analysis of the topic

d.______ Well-written and clearly organized

e.______ May contain minor errors that do not detract from the overall quality of the essay

5 – 7

a.______ Acceptable thesis

b.______ Some specific and relevant information to support the thesis

c.______ Some analysis of the topic

d.______ Acceptable writing and organization

e.______ May contain some errors that do not seriously detract from the quality of the essay

2 – 4

a.______ Thesis is nonexistent, confused, or unfocused

b.______ Few relevant facts; relies heavily on generalizations

c.______ Little or no analysis of the topic

d.______ Problems in writing and organization that detract from the quality of the essay

e.______ Contains major errors that detract from the quality of the essay

0 – 1

______ Incompetent or inappropriate response to the question

______ Little or no factual information; substantial factual errors

U

______ Completely off topic; the paper is blank or not turned in

Comments:

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Helpful College Preparation Sites

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(rankings; don’t rely on them completely; use them as an overview; only you know what’s right for you)

Summer Programs





UT Honors Colloquium

Junior Scholarships

: College Prep Scholarship

Being An American Essay Contest

JSA Summer Program

SAT/ACT Prep

* (get the daily question; create a folder in your mail for it and send it directly there; use it as continuous reference/practice; always do the sample free questions)

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*testprep

Scholarship Sites

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* (don’t rely on the Zinch scholarships but, rather, on the ones they connect you with)

GO Center!!!

Other

: National College Match



- Gates Scholarship

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