Course Title: Advanced Placement United States History Grade: 11
Course Description:
The goal of this course is to prepare the student to pass the AP exam in May with a score of 3 or higher. In order to accomplish this goal, the successful student will need to have both a command of the facts of United States history, and the ability to interpret the evidence of history and communicate their ideas in concise and coherent essays. The time frame of this course is from discovery to the present. Emphasis will be placed on major events of U.S. History with special focus on public policy, political history, intellectual history, foreign affairs, and economic and social development.
Text Title:
The American Pageant: A History of the Republic - Thirteenth Edition
Authors: David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas A. Bailey
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Copyright: 2006
Course Objectives:
1. For the student to master the facts of U.S. history from discovery to the present.
2. For the student to become a detective and learn how to interpret the "evidence" of
history.
3. For the student to be able to analyze problems in U.S. history and develop their own
conclusions using their knowledge of the facts and supplied evidence.
4. For the student to develop critical thinking skills by analyzing causes and effects,
assessing the relative importance of causal factors, and evaluating the level of success
of various attempts to alter or improve our government, economy, or culture.
5. For the student to be able to communicate their ideas in a clear and concise essay on
the essay section of the AP exam.
Course Content:
1. Discovery and Settlement (1492 - 1650)
A. Europe in the 16th century
B. European exploration
C. Early English settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown
D. Native conflict
2. American and British Empire
A. Chesapeake Country
B. Growth of New England
C. Mercantilism and English control
D. Origins of slavery
3. Colonial Society
A. Social structure
B. Culture and the Great Awakening
C. New Immigrants
4. Road to Revolution
A. French - British rivalry and the Seven Years War
B. Imperial domination post 1763 - Taxation Crisis
C. Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence
D. The War
E. Peace of Paris
5. New Republic and the Constitution
A. Articles of Confederation
B. Philadelphia Convention and the Constitution
C. Federalist V. Anti - Federalists
D. Washington's Presidency
E. Early Political Parties
F. Presidency of John Adams
6. The Age of Jefferson
A. Louisiana Purchase
B. Burr Conspiracy
C. Battle with the Supreme Court
D. Neutrality, impressment, embargo
E. Madison and his presidency
F. War of 1812 - Causes, Canada, Treaty of Ghent, New Orleans
7. Nationalism and Economic Expansion
A. James Monroe and the Era of Good Feelings
B. Panic of 1819
C. Western settlement and the Missouri Compromise
D. Foreign Affairs and the Monroe Doctrine
E. Election of 1824
F. Economic Revolution
8. Sectionalism
A. Differing worlds of the South, North, and West
B. Westward Expansion
C. Native Conflict
9. Jacksonian Era
A. Democracy and the "Common Man"
B. Second party system
C. Internal Improvements and States Rights
D. Nullification Crisis
E. The Bank War
F. Presidency of Martin Van Buren
10. Territorial Expansion
A. Manifest Destiny
B. Questions of Oregon, Texas, and California
C. Mexican War, Slavery and the Wilmot Proviso
11. New American Culture
A. Nationalism
B. Educational reform
C. Religious revival
D. Utopian Experiments
E. Transcendentalism
F. Literature, Art, and Architecture
G. Reform - Women, Abolition, Temperance, Criminals and the Insane
12. Decade of Crisis - 1850's
A. Compromise of 1850
B. Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom's Cabin
C. Kansas Nebraska Act
D. John Brown
E. Dred Scott
F. Lincoln - Douglas debates
G. Election of 1860 and the secession crisis
13. Civil War
A. Mobilization and strategy
B. Worlds of the North and South
C. Foreign affairs and diplomacy
D. Major leaders and battles
E. Effects of the war
14. Reconstruction to 1877
A. Presidential plans of Lincoln and Johnson and Radical Reconstruction
B. Southern State governments
C. Compromise of 1877
15. New South and the West
A. Politics in the South
B. Southern Economy and Society
C. Building the Western Railroad
D. Dispersal of Natives
E. Problems with agriculture
F. Mining
16. Industrialization
A. Rail, steel, electricity, oil, and banks
B. Laissez - faire and conservatism
C. Effects of technology on man and society
D. Union movement and labor unrest
17. Urban America
A. Growth of the city
B. Immigration and problems of the city
C. Social reform
D. Intellectual and cultural movements
E. Education and the social sciences
18. National Politics
A. The Gilded Age
B. Conservative presidents
C. Tariffs, Rail Roads, and Regulation
D. Agrarian discontent
E. Crisis of the 1890's - populism
19. Foreign Policy, 1865 - 1914
A. Alaska
B. New Imperialism
C. Spanish - American War
D. The Far East
E. Theodore Roosevelt
F. Taft and dollar diplomacy
G. Wilson and moral diplomacy
20. Progressive Era
A. Origins
B. Local, State, National reform
C. Socialism
D. Black America
E. Women
F. Roosevelt's square deal
G. Wilson's new freedom
21. First World War
A. Problems of Neutrality
B. Preparedness and Pacifism
C. Mobilization and War
D. Wilson's 14 Points and the League of Nations
22. 1920's
A. Republican Government
B. Economic prosperity
C. Cultural change
D. Conflict and the myth of isolation
23. Depression, 1929 - 1933
A. Wall Street Crash
B. Economy
C. Agrarian problems
D. Hoover - Stimson diplomacy
24. New Deal
A. Franklin D. Roosevelt
B. 100 Days - "alphabet soup"
C. Second New Deal
D. American society in the depression
25. Diplomacy in the 1930's
A. Good Neighbor Policy
B. London Economic Conference
C. Isolationism
D. Aggressors
E. Appeasement and Rearmament
26. Second World War
A. Mobilization
B. The War in Europe and the Pacific
C. Diplomacy
D. War on the home front
E. Conferences
F. Post war atmosphere
27. Truman and the Cold War
A. Domestic adjustments
B. Civil Rights
C. Containment
D. China and Korea
28. Eisenhower and Modern Republicanism
A. Domestic problem - McCarthyism
B. Civil Rights
C. American Society
D. Space Race
29. Kennedy and Johnson
A. New Programs
B. Civil Rights Movement
C. Foreign Policy - Bay of Pigs, missile crisis, Vietnam
30. Nixon
A. Election
B. Foreign policy
C. Watergate
31. The United States since 1974
A. The new right
B. Ford, Carter, Reagan
C. Society
Course Methods:
1. Lecture and discussion
2. Reading Guides to facilitate critical reading and comprehension of the text
3. Written exercises for FRQ and DBQ practice
4. Extensive use of scoring rubrics to rank and score sample essays
Course Materials:
1. Textbooks
2. Practice FRQ's and DBQ's
3. Primary and secondary sources (including documents, maps, charts and other graphic data, works of art, photographs, and political cartoons)
Major Projects or Assignments:
1. Practice DBQ's
2. Major review project when the curriculum is completed, prior to the AP exam
Time Schedule:
Trimestser1 - Discovery to Reconstruction
Trimester 2 - Reconstruction to the Depression
Trimester 3 - Depression to the Present
Student Evaluation:
1. Quizzes – 8-10 30 pt. quizzes per trimester (I usually drop the lowest quiz score)
2. Unit Tests – MC and FRQ. MC section will always make-up at least 50%
3. In-class essays – FRQ and DBQ scored using 9-pt. rubric
4. Homework – reading quizzes and prim and primary source docs
