AP US History Course Syllabus

Overview AP US History is a college level survey course that explores major themes in political institutions, public policy, social and economic change, diplomacy and international relations, as well as cultural and intellectual developments in the US between the periods of exploration & modern times.

All students enrolled in AP US History must take the AP US History exam held in mid- May. The course is reading and writing intensive. Hard work is expected. This course will broaden your knowledge of US History and develop your analytical and critical thinking skills.

US History is full of events and movements that reflect America’s presence in World History with international themes such as immigration, war, culture, religion, imperialism, & the arts. In class we will have several selected articles/chapters assigned throughout the year. These assignments will be aimed at developing a broad based knowledge used for constructing well-conceived opinions for writing effective essays.

Grades are based on the scores you achieve on both written and standardized tests. Tests will be on a100 point scale and will be worth 60% of your overall grade. Daily and homework assignments will also be on a100 point scale and will be worth 40% of your over all grade. Students can find their average at any time on their own using the parent portal.

Nuts & Bolts Every chapter will have several days of “Guided Reading” classroom assignments such as but not limited to worksheets, vocabulary, and short answer essays that will be started, completed, and turned in at the end of the class period the day of the assignment.

Every chapter will have several days of lecture notes that will be taken up and graded at the end of the lecture period.

Every chapter will have several short answer essay questions that will be taken home, researched, and written as homework and turned in the following school day.

Every chapter will have several multiple choice and matching quizzes and tests. Tests may also have but are not limited to at least 1 long answer essay question from the DBQ database.

In order to receive full credit on all assignments, it must be submitted when it is due. I will deduct 10 points from the original grade you would have received for each of the first three days that it is late. A maximum of 30 points will be deducted & a maximum of 3 days is all that an assignment can be late. After 3 days you will receive a zero for that assignment. Exams missed due to absence will be taken within THREE school days after you return unless prior arrangements are made. You are strongly encouraged to let me know if you are going to miss class beforehand. if you let me know then ahead of time then we can make a plan together for when the work can be made up. Outline of Materials

The American Republic (primary text) & additional selections UNIT 1: Foundations of Liberty Chapter 1: prehistory to 1620 Chapter 2: The English Arrive in America 1607-1763 Chapter 3: The American Revolution 1754-1789 Chapter 4: Federalists & Republicans 1789-1820 Chapter 5: The Young Republic 1816-1848 Additional materials: readings from the New York Packet on the Federalists Paper’s

UNIT 2: The Crisis of Union Chapter 6: Sectional Conflicts Intensifies 1848-1860 Chapter 7: The Civil War & Reconstruction 1861-1877 Additional materials: readings from The Bill of Rights & The Constitution

UNIT 3: The Birth of Modern America Chapter 8: Settling the West 1865-1900 Chapter 9: Industrialization 1865-1901 Chapter 10: Urban America 1865-1896 Chapter 11: Politics & Reform 1877-1896 Additional materials: selected scenes from the film Gangs of New York

UNIT 4: Imperialism & Progressivism Chapter 12: Becoming a World Power 1872-1912 Chapter 13: The Progressive Movement 1890-1919 Chapter 14: World War I & it’s Aftermath 1914-1920 Additional materials: selected readings from the book The Jungle Selections from the film The Rough Riders

UNIT 5: Boom & Bust Chapter 15: The Jazz Age 1921-1929 Chapter 16: Normalcy & Good Times 1921-1929 Chapter 17: The Great Depression 1929-1932 Chapter 18: Roosevelt & the New Deal 1933-1939 Additional materials: readings & selections from the book & film The Grapes of Wrath

UNIT 6: Global Struggles Chapter 19: The World in Flames 1931-1941 Chapter 20: America & World War II 1941-1945 Chapter 21: The Cold War Begins 1945-1960 Chapter 22: Postwar America 1945-1960 Additional materials: FDR’s speech after the attack on Pearl Harbor Winston Churchill’s speech, “we shall never surrender” UNIT 7: A Time of Upheaval Chapter 23: The New Frontier & The Great Society 1961-1968 Chapter 24: Civil Rights Movement 1954-1968 Chapter 25: The Vietnam War 1954-1975 Chapter 26: The Politics of Protest 1960-1980 Additional materials - Martin Luther King speech, “I Have a Dream” Selected scenes from the film Ghosts of Mississippi

UNIT 8: A Changing Society Chapter 27: Politics & Economics 1971-1980 Chapter 28: Resurgence & Conservatism 1980-1992 Chapter 29: Into a New Country 1992-present Additional materials - Ronald Reagan speech, “Tear down that wall”, June 12, 1987 Selected scenes from the film Red Dawn

Classroom Rules: 1.ALWAYS be on time & in the classroom when the bell rings! DO NOT BE LATE! If you are late because a teacher or administrator has kept you then bring a note from that person. 2. ALWAYS bring something to write with & write on. I WILL NOT loan out materials. 3. How you support your opinions is a key to doing well on the AP exam and in this class so respect for the opinion of others is a class requirement. 4. Remember that your personal honor and integrity are a very precious and important part of who you are as a person. Therefore, I expect that you will do all of your OWN work at all times.

By signing below I agree that I have read & understand the syllabus completely.

Student Name ______

Student signature ______THE EXAM The exam is 3 hours and 5 minutes in length and consists of two sections: a 55-minute multiple-choice section and a 130-minute free-response section . The free-response section begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period . Students are advised to spend most of the 15 minutes analyzing the documents and planning their answer to the document-based essay question (DBQ) in Part A . Suggested writing time for the DBQ is 45 minutes . Parts B and C each include two standard essay questions that, with the DBQ, cover the period from the first European explorations of the Americas to the present . Students are required to answer one essay question in each part in a total of 70 minutes . For each of the essay questions students choose to answer in Parts B and C, it is suggested they spend 5 minutes planning and 30 minutes writing . Both the multiple-choice and the free-response sections cover the period from the first European explorations of the Americas to the present, although a majority of questions are on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries