AP United States History
Syllabus
AP United States History will resemble a freshman college introductory course to American history. It will be a challenging experience and students should expect a workload to be comparable to what college demands. As it is taught at a high school, this course meets five days a week for 48 minutes each day. It is assumed that students have a high level of interest and competence in history prior to beginning this course. The focus will be on providing students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in US History. Students will work to improve reading and writing skills through nightly reading assignments and weekly writing assignments. Students will be expected to participate daily in class discussions of assigned readings. The skills students will enhance during this course will assist during their college years and in lifelong learning.
AP United States History includes components of political, social, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and intellectual history. The goals of this course are to provide multiple mechanisms to make connections from the past to the present as well as contemplating the experiences of the varied and diverse perspectives of the people in the United States. Ultimately, students are preparing to take the AP United States History Exam given each year in May. By developing the above-mentioned skills, students will prepare for the three components of the Exam. On a regular basis, students will experience Multiple-Choice exams, Free-Response essays, and Document Based Questions (DBQs).
As students study and prepare for the Exam, various themes will also be covered during the discussions of our history. As these themes are also highly recommended by AP, the student’s ultimate goal is to look at a well-rounded and developed view of our past. These themes include the following: American diversity, American identity, culture, demographic change, economic transformations, environment, globalization, politics and citizenship, reform, religion, slavery and its legacies in North America, and war and diplomacy. It is only by incorporating these concepts into our studies can we truly appreciate our own history.
As you have already had at least one year of American history, most basic factual knowledge is assumed. We will work toward perfecting the “art” of history – interpretation of sources, analysis of conflicting viewpoints, and persuasive writing.
Course Materials:
Text:
Carnes, Mark C. & John A. Garraty. The American Nation: A History of the United States, 11th Edition. New York: Longman, 2003.
Supplemental Primary Source collection:
Boller, Jr., Paul F. & Ronald Story. A More Perfect Union: Documents in U.S. History, 5th Edition, Volumes 1 & 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
- Volume 1 is for Units 1-5, Volume 2 is for Units 6-12
Additional primary sources, articles and handouts are also used.
Course Units:
Unit 1: American Beginnings 2 weeks
Carnes: Chapters 1 -3
Boller: #4, 9, 11 & 12
Articles: “The Therapy of Distance” by Daniel J. Boorstin,
“The Ordeal of Thomas Hutchinson” by Bernard Bailyn
Additional Primary Source: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
The American Revolution Opposing Viewpoints: “The British Parliament Has the Right to Tax the Colonies” by Soame Jenyns & “The British Parliament Has No Right to Tax the Colonies” by Daniel Dulany
Primary Source document packet on the Salem Witch Trials
Video: “The Crucible” (1996)
Discussion Questions
How did the realities of the New World affect the plans of colonizers?
What kinds of conditions caused Europeans to undertake a dangerous voyage and settle in an unknown and dangerous wilderness? How does their decision reflect on life in Europe?
Reflect on the impact of the Columbian Exchange.
To what extent and why did religious toleration increase in the American colonies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? Answer with reference to THREE individuals, events, or movements in American religion during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
From 1600 to 1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England win the struggle?
Was mercantilism mutually beneficial to the parent country and to the colonies? Under what circumstances might their interests diverge?
Throughout the Colonial period, economic concerns had more to do with the settling of British North America than did religious concerns. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to economic and religious concerns.
Although many Northerners and Southerners later came to think of themselves as having separate civilizations, the Northern and Southern colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were in fact more similar than different. Agree? Disagree? Explain.
In the seventeenth century, New England Puritans tried to create a model society. What were their aspirations, and to what extent were those aspirations fulfilled during the 17th century?
Did slavery produce race prejudice in America, or did prejudice lead to slavery?
The Great Awakening was the first truly national event in American history. Discuss how this statement is true.
As Britain exerts greater control over the American colonies, colonists wrestled with conflicting emotions—remaining loyal, obedient subjects or resenting these restrictions.
The French and Indian War was a turning point in Colonial American history. Agree or disagree and why.
Discuss the causes and effects of the shift in British colonial policies from salutary neglect to rigorous enforcement.
Propaganda is a powerful tool of persuasion in advertising. How did the colonists employ this tactic and how effectively?
Assessments: Free Response essay, quizzes
Unit 2: The American Revolution 2 weeks
Carnes: Chapter 4
Boller: #13 & 14
Article: “The Most Successful Revolution” by Irving Kristol
The American Revolution Opposing Viewpoints: “Loyalists Should Be Treated Harshly” by “A Whig” (1779) & “Loyalists Should Be Treated Charitably” by Aedanus Burke
Discussion Questions
Independence was probably inevitable by the end of 1775. Comment on the validity of this statement.
What might have caused some people to become Loyalists?
Was the American Revolution a conservative or radical movement? Explain.
The Declaration of Independence has been variously interpreted as a bid for French support, an attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the Revolutionary cause, a statement of universal principles, and an affirmation of the traditional rights of Englishmen. To what extent, if any, are these interpretations in conflict?
Americans have been idealists in going to war but realists at the peace table. Assess the validity of this statement for the Revolutionary War.
The American Revolution should really be called the “British Revolution” because marked changes in British colonial policy were more responsible for the final political division than were American actions. Assess this statement.
Why did the greater disruption of the war not lead to greater social upheaval?
Assessments: Free-Response essay, Multiple Choice exam on Ch 1-4, quizzes
Unit 3: The New Republic 5 weeks
Carnes: Chapter 5 - 8
Boller: #16 & 17, 19,20
handout- “What Is an American” by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur
Web: Marbury v. Madison, “Landmark Supreme Court Cases.” Street Law and the Supreme Court Historical Society. http://www.landmarkcases.org/
Video: “George Washington – The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King.” PBS, 1992
“Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West.” National Geographic, 2002.
Discussion Questions
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 had no need to invent a new form of government. All it did was to codify the imperial and provincial systems under which America had been ruled, minus the formal subservience to Great Britain. To what extent and why do you agree or disagree with this.
What evidence is there for the assertion that the basic principles of the Constitution were firmly grounded in the political and religious experience of America’s colonial and revolutionary periods?
The Constitution is now the oldest written document of government in the world. What has enabled it to survive as the basic instrument of government of a country that evolved from thirteen states huddled on the eastern seaboard into a nation that spans a continent?
“Our prevailing passions are ambition and interest; and it will be the duty of a wise government to avail itself of those passions, in order to make them subservient to the public good.” – Alexander Hamilton, 1787. How was this viewpoint manifested in Hamilton’s financial program?
Hamilton and Jefferson staked out positions on constitutional interpretation and approaches to federalism that have dominated political debate to this day. What were their respective positions on these issues? What echoes of their debate are evident today?
Discuss the motives, the methods, and the effectiveness of the federal government in silencing dissent in the 1790s.
Between 1783 and 1800, the new government of the United States faced the same political, economic, and constitutional issues that troubled the British government’s relations with the colonies prior to the Revolution. Assess the validity of this generalization.
The election of 1800 marked the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Why this was so merits consideration. Could it be attributed simply to the genius of the Constitution? To the commitment of the Founding Fathers to their country and to the democratic process? To the fact that, despite the heated rhetoric, the differences between Federalists and Republicans were not all that great?
Ironically, as a result of Jefferson’s attack on the judiciary, the decision in Marbury v. Madison and the failure to remove Justice Chase helped establish the federal judiciary as a powerful and independent third branch of government. Discuss this statement.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition made many discoveries that impacted the United States. Discuss this statement considering the importance of the expedition to exploration, science, politics, society, and relations with the Native Americans.
The presidency of Thomas Jefferson is marked by changes in his personal philosophy. Was this good or bad for the young nation? For Jefferson’s status in history?
What impact did European affairs have on the United States in the first two decades of the nineteenth century?
On a number of issues, Federalists and Republicans seemed to reverse their positions in the early nineteenth century. What might have caused these reversals?
Did the War of 1812 settle anything?
Was the “Era of Good Feelings” a misnomer?
Why were the issues that divided the country in 1820 compromised with such relative ease? What issues were left unsettled?
Without an opposition party, factions developed within the Republican party. Did this make resolution of political differences more or less likely? Why?
Before 1815, American economic development was linked to international trade. What factors led to decreased dependence on Europe and the emergence of a largely self-sustaining domestic market?
What impact might the development of factories had on workers? How might it have changed their attitudes and their relationships with employers?
Assessments: Free Response essay, Articles of Confederation DBQ or Constitution DBQ, quizzes, Practice DBQ – War of 1812, Research project and oral presentation, Multiple Choice Exam on Ch 5-8
Unit 4: Jackson, Manifest Destiny, and Impending Crisis 5 weeks
Carnes: Chapters 9 - 14
Boller: #23, 24
Article: “The Mormon Odyssey” by Elise Soukup
Web: “Prelude to War: Manifest Destiny.” PBS – The US-Mexican War, 1995-2006, http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/
“John L. O’Sullivan on Manifest Destiny, 1839.” Civics Online, http://www.civics-online.org/library/formatted/texts/manifest_destiny.html
“The Gold Rush.” http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/teacher.html
Dred Scott v. Sanford, “Landmark Supreme Court Cases.” Street Law and the Supreme Court Historical Society. http://www.landmarkcases.org/
Video: “Seneca Reflections: Celebrating 150 Years of Women’s Rights.” 1998.
“Slavery and the Making of America, Part 2.” PBS, 2004.
Discussion Questions
Andrew Jackson is described as the common man’s hero. How does his presidency and his background foster this belief in the country.
Was Jacksonian democracy really democratic?
Andrew Jackson had the popularity and the support to address the growing sectionalism, yet he avoided the biggest issue of them all – slavery. Does this undermine the importance of his presidency on the history of the United States?
Opponents of Jackson dubbed him “King Andrew I” and used this to attack him. How effective were the assaults and did it make life more difficult for Martin Van Buren?
What were the differences between the Democrats and the Whigs?
Who remained excluded from Jacksonian democracy
The Election of 1840 changed the way campaigning happened in America. Explain and assess the effectiveness of the changes.
How did the rise of manufacturing contribute to the growth of the cities?
Why was American painting less imitative of Europe than American writing?
Analyze the main ideas of transcendentalism. What made Melville and Hawthorne different?
The United States was founded on principles derived from the Enlightenment. Given that romanticism was a reaction against the Age of Reason, why did romantic ideas so capture the minds of Americans in the early nineteenth century?
Analyze the various reasons for the success of school reforms.
What would have been the appeal of the evangelical and utopian religion of the Second Great Awakening for Sojourner Truth?
Why of all the reform movements, did abolitionism prove to be the most divisive?
Although Americans perceived Manifest Destiny as a benevolent movement, it was in fact an aggressive imperialism pursued at the expense of others. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to American expansionism in the 1840s.
Were the principle causes of both the War of 1812 and the Mexican War to be found in Western needs and demands?
The Compromise of 1850 and its aftermath marked the culmination of an old style of politics; its reception and results indicated that a new style of politics would become dominant. Assess this validity of this generalization.
In many ways the issues of slavery, Texas and the Mexican War are interrelated. Analyze this statement and agree or disagree with it.
Stephen Douglas devised the legislative strategy that led to the passage of the Compromise of 1850. Why, only four years later, was he willing to undo what he had helped to create?
Why did the election of Abraham Lincoln, who had promised not to disturb slavery in states where it existed, lead the southern states to secede?
If Roger Taney believed that the only issue in Dred Scott was whether blacks could be citizens, why then did he continue on to declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional?
John Brown has been immortalized because of his actions prior to the Civil War. How important of a role do you believe this played in the final break from the Union?
Did certain conditions exist that made it more likely for a slave to escape?
Assessments: Free-Response Essays, quizzes, Contrast worksheet – Jeffersonian Democracy to Jacksonian Democracy, Ch 10 – short answer quiz, Manifest Destiny propaganda project, Multiple Choice Exam Ch 9-14, DBQ – Slavery or The 1850s: Prelude to Civil War (1987)
Unit 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction 3 weeks