AP United States History 2016-2017 Grades 11 Length: 36 Weeks COURSE DESCRIPTION: Many people view history merely as a set of dates and facts to be memorized, but history is much more than that. History is an organic and ever-changing discipline, periodically discovering new evidence and revising old commonly held beliefs. It s not enough to learn history itself; one must learn from history the true essence of the human experience. This course is designed for that purpose. The Advanced Placement course in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. Students will learn to assess historical materials, their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historic scholarship. PRIMARY TEXTBOOK: Kennedy, D., & Cohen, L. (2013). The American pageant: A history of the American people (15th ed., AP ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. PRIMARY SOUCES: Kennedy, D. (2010). The American spirit: United States history as seen by contemporaries (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Schweikart, L. (2011). The patriot's history reader: Essential documents for every American. New York: Sentinel. SECONDARY SOURCES: Dudley, W. (2007). Opposing viewpoints in American history. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Lindaman, D., & Ward, K. (2004). History lessons: How textbooks from around the world portray U.S. history. New York: New Press. Madaras, L. (2013). Taking sides (15th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Ward, K. (2006). History in the making: An absorbing look at how American history has changed in the telling over the last 200 years. New York: New Press. Zinn, H. (2005). A people.s history of the United States: 1942-present. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
THEMES: While the course follows a narrative structure supported by the textbook. The following seven themes described in the AP U.S. History Course and Exam Description are woven throughout each of the 9 units of study: 1. Identity (ID) - How has the American national identity changed over time? 2. Work, Exchange, and Technology (WXT) - How have changes in markets, transportation, and technology affected American society? 3. Peopling (PEO) - How have changes and population patterns affected American life? 4. Politics and Power (POL) - How have various groups sought to change the federal government s role in American political, social, and economic life? 5. America in the World (WOR) - How has U.S. involvement in global conflicts set the stage for domestic social change? 6. Environment and Geography (ENV) - How did the institutions and values between the environment and Americans shape various groups in North America? 7. Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture (CUL) - How have changes in moral, philosophical, and cultural values affected U.S. history? HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS: These skills reflect the tasks of professional historians. While learning to master these tasks, AP U.S. History students act as apprentice historians. Chronological Reasoning Comparison and Contextualization Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence Historical Interpretation and Synthesis 2
EVALUATION: 1. Assessments (Tests, Essay Tests, Quizzes) - 70% 2. Classwork / Discussions / Participation 15% 3. Homework - 15% MID-TERM AND FINAL EXAM: A mid-term examination will not be administered. The mid-term grade will be calculated by averaging the first and second marking period grades. Students that take an AP examination and have a cumulative average of C or better, at the time of the AP examination, may opt out of taking the final examination. All other students enrolled in AP courses will take a cumulative final examination at the end of the year. This examination will constitute ten percent of the overall final grade. COURSE OUTLINE: UNIT 1: 1491-1607 Demographics of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa; Meso-American culture; transatlantic commerce; comparison of colonies across the Americas (religion, economies, politics, cultures); and foundations of slavery. Kennedy, Chapter 1 Zinn, Chapter 1 Activities and Assessments: Discussion of major Native American cultures in North America before European exploration. (PEO-1) Students create a T-chart in pairs and then as a group discuss the Columbian exchange using the question Was the arrival of Europeans to the New World simply a case of conquest and exploration or a mutual cultural encounter with benefits and disadvantages for both sides? (WXT-1) (PEO-4) (ENV-1) Historiographical analysis: o Students will write a brief essay with a thesis statement that compares the interpretations of Howard Zinn s A People s History of the United States with that of Schweikart s A Patriot s History of the United States on the impact of European exploration before Jamestown. Unit 2: 1607-1754 European colonization; American Indian resistance; economic and population patterns; formation of race and identity; and tensions with Britain. Kennedy, Chapters 2-5 3
Zinn, Chapters 2-3 Assessments and Activities: Introduce critical reading of primary sources using intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. Introduce helpful acronyms, such as AP- HITS. Students will work in groups to analyze captivity narratives and runaway advertisements found in chapters two and three of Going to the Source, Vol. 1. (WXT-4) (PEO-1) Introduce skills of cause and effect and compare and contrast through the 1993 DBQ: Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Why did this difference in development occur? (WXT-2) (PEO-1) (WOR-1) (CUL-1) (WXT-4) (ENV-2) (ID-1) (ID-4) o Students will use graphic organizers to brainstorm historical evidence. o Students will use read the DBQ documents to assess intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. o Students will analyze the diverse interpretations of the issue. o Students will create a thesis to answer the DBQ question and create a chart the organizing the documents and evidence into categories. Historiographical analysis: o Thomas J. Wertenbaker, The Founding of American Civilization (1938). o Gary Nash, Red, White, and Black: The People of Early America (1974). o Richard Bushman, From Puritan to Yankee (1967). o Gary Nash, The Urban Crucible (1979). Unit 3: 1754-1800 British colonial policies; enlightenment ideas; war for independence; formation of republic and national identity; work and labor (free and unfree); and regional economic differences. Kennedy, Chapters 6-9 Zinn, Chapters 4-5 Assessments and Activities: Students create an annotated timeline analyzing the continuity and change in the colonial relationship with Great Britain from the start of the French and Indian War to the beginning of the Revolutionary War identifying the three most significant turning-points in their relationship. (ID-1) (WOR-1) (CUL-1) Students conduct a shared inquiry discussion of Thomas Paine s Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson s Declaration of Independence addressing the skills of intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. Discussion of the major events of the Revolutionary War. (CUL-1) (CUL-4) 4
Students create an argument and debate the effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation using the 1985 DBQ ("From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government") using the documents and their knowledge of the period. (POL-1) Discussion of the Constitutional Convention s debates and compromises. (POL- 1) (CUL-4) Students debate the question Was the American Revolution truly a revolution? using relevant historical evidence to argue their points. (POL-1) (ID-1) (CUL-4) Historiographical analysis: o Carl L. Becker, Beginnings of the American People (1915). o Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967). o Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913). Students complete a take-home (1999) DBQ: To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution? (POL-1) (ID-1) Unit 4: 1800 1848 Definition of democratic practices; expansion of the vote; market revolution; territorial and demographic growth; two-party system; Andrew Jackson; and role of the federal government in slavery and the economy. Kennedy, Chapters 10-15, 17 Zinn, Chapters 6-8 Assessments and Activities: Students create comic strips comparing the Federalists (Hamilton) and the Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson). (POL-2) (POL-5) Students assess the continuity over time of the Marshall Court by creating and analyzing a chart of the major court decisions. (POL-2) (POL-5) Discussions of the causes and effects of the War of 1812. (WOR-2) (WOR-5) Students create a periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of the Era of Good Feelings. (POL-2) Students create a periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of the Age of Jackson. (POL-1) (POL-3) (CUL-2) (ENV-4) Students grade Andrew Jackson s presidency using relevant historical evidence. (POL-1) Students will research and role-play a major reformer during the Age of reform. Students will assess the value of the reforms placed in the context of early 19 th century America. (POL-3) (CUL-2) 5
Students will role-play members of Congress and rise of sectionalism as reflected in issues such as the Bank of the U.S., sales of western lands, tariffs, slave importation, Native American removal, and internal improvements. Debriefing will focus on historical causation. (POL-3) (CUL-2) (WXT-2) Students will examine the institution of slavery using photographs and descriptions from the time period addressing the skills of intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. (ID-1) (ID-4) (ID-5) (WXT-2) (ENV-2) Historiographical analysis: o Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., The Age of Jackson (1945). o Lee Benson, The Concept of Jacksonian Democracy: New York as a Test Case (1961). o David Donald, Lincoln Reconsidered (1956). o Nancy Cott, The Bonds of Womanhood: Women s Sphere in New England, 1780 1835 (1977). o Stanley Elkins, Slavery (1959). o Eugene Genovese, Roll, Jordan, Roll (1972). In class DBQ (1990): Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In light of the following documents and your knowledge of the 1820's and 1830's, to what extent do you agree with the Jacksonians' view of themselves? (POL-1) (POL-3) (CUL-2) Unit 5: 1844 1877 Tensions over slavery; reform movements; imperialism; women and nonwhites; public education; Mexican War; public education; Civil War; and Reconstruction. Kennedy, Chapters 16, 18-23 Zinn, Chapters 9-10 Activities Assessments: Working in small groups, students will prepare for the following DBQ: Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of republican motherhood and the cult of domesticity? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced lives of women during this period. In your answer, consider issues of class and race. Students then write a take home essay on this question. (CUL-2) (POL-3) Students create a periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of Antebellum America. (PEO-2) (WXT-2) (WXT-4) (ID-1) (ID-4) (ID-5) (PEO-4) (ENV-3) 6
Discuss the causes and outcome of the Mexican American War. (ID-2) (PEO-5) (WOR-5) (WOR-6) (ENV-4) Students create a cause and effect chart of the major events of the 1850s and debate the question When was the Civil War inevitable? (CUL-2) (PEO-5) (WXT-4) (ID-5) (POL-3) (POL-6) (ENV-3) Discuss the Election of 1860 and its impact. (POL-6) Introduce the Long Essay FRQ Slavery was the dominating reality of all Southern life. Assess the validity of this generalization for TWO of the following aspects of Southern life from 1840-1860: political, social, economic and intellectual life. (PEO-2) (WXT-2) (WXT-4) (ID-1) (ID-4) (ID-5) (PEO-4) Students conduct a shared inquiry discussion of the Emancipation Proclamation students debate the intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. (POL-6) Discuss the major events of the Civil War. Analyze Civil War photographs addressing the skills of intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. Students create a periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of Reconstruction. (CUL-2) (ENV-4) (WXT-5) (ID-5) Historiographical analysis: o Charles and Mary Beard, The Rise of American Civilization (1927). o David M. Potter, The Impending Crisis, 1848 1861 (1976). o Michael Holt, Forging a Majority: The Formation of the Republic Party in Pittsburgh, 1848 1860 (1969). o T. Harry Williams, Lincoln and His Generals (1952). o Allan Nevins, The War for the Union (1971). o Thomas C. Cochran, Did the Civil War Retard Industrialization? Mississippi Valley Historical Review (1961). o James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom (1988). o William A. Dunning, Reconstruction: Political and Economic (1907). o Kenneth Stampp, The Era of Reconstruction (1965). In class (1996) DBQ: In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution? (CUL-2) (ENV-4) (WXT-5) (ID-5) Unit 6: 1865 1898 Reconstruction; U.S. imperialism, industrialization, immigration, urbanization; women s movement; and working class culture and leisure. Kennedy, Chapters 23-26 Zinn, Chapter 11 7
Assessments and Activities: Students will recreate the various roles in the political machine system and debate the extent to which political bosses were corrupt. Students will discuss the arguments in small groups and then individually write a response to the question. (ID-6) (PEO-3) (PEO-5) (PEO-6) (WOR-3) Interpret statistics using data from the Digital History website on farming in the Gilded Age, students will use OPTICS to discuss their findings in small groups and report their conclusions to the class. (ENV-3) (PEO-6) (WXT-7) Students synthesize the arguments of Frederick Jackson Turner s Frontier Thesis with census data maps of the United States from 1890. Write a thesis statement agreeing or disagreeing with Turner s contentions. (PEO-5) (ENV-5) Discuss the technological changes in the United States in the post-civil War industrial era. (WXT-5) Students analyze continuity and change over time in the architecture of the emerging urban centers of the late 19 th century. Students compare the form and function of the new buildings. (CUL-3) Students create a series of posters convincing workers to join the Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. Students debate which organization would most benefit workers in the industrial era. (CUL-5) (WXT-3) (WXT-5) (WXT- 6) (WXT-7) Discuss the causes and outcome of the Spanish American War. (WOR-3) (WOR-6) Students examine a series of political cartoons concerning American views on imperialism addressing the skills of intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. (ID-3) Historiographical analysis: o Lawrence Goodwyn, Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment in America (1976). o Richard Hofstadter, The Age of Reform (1955). o Herbert Gutman, Work, Culture, and Society in Industrializing America (1976). o Matthew Josephson, The Robber Barons: The Great American Capitalists, 1861 1901 (1934). o Richard White, The Middle Ground (1991). o Frederick Jackson Turner, The Significance of the Frontier in American History (1893). o William Appleman Williams, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (1959). o Julius Pratt, Expansionists of 1898 (1951). o Robert Wiebe, The Search for Order, 1877 1920 (1967). o Gabriel Kolko, The Triumph of Conservatism (1963). In class DBQ (2000): How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1895 to 1900? Analyze the factors that 8
contributed to the level of success they achieved. (CUL-5) (WXT-3) (WXT-5) (WXT-6) (WXT-7) Unit 7: 1890 1945 Progressive reform; radicalism; World War I and Russian revolution; first red scare; first great migration of African Americans; race riots; culture wars of the 1920s; Hoover and FDR in the capitalist crisis; New Deal; and World War II. Kennedy, Chapters 27-35 Zinn, Chapters 12-16 Assessments and Activities: Students create a cause and effect chart and a periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of the Progressive Era. (ID-7) (WXT-3) (WXT-7) (POL-3) Students examine Jacob Riis s photographs and his written descriptions and explore the context of his work. In PowerPoint presentations, students must provide evidence to support or refute the validity of his depictions of urban life. (WXT-5) (PEO-6) (CUL-6) Students compare the contributions of the Progressive Presidents by creating campaign posters highlighting their contributions and exposing the problems of his rivals. Students elect the best president for the era. (POL-2) (POL-6) Students will write a response to the following FRQ (2010): Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the 1880s through 1920. Focus your essay on TWO of the following: Politics; social conditions; labor and working conditions. Students will peer-edit each other s papers to build stronger essays. (ID-7) (WXT-3) (WXT-7) (POL-3) Students create a cause and effect chart explaining the United States entry into World War I. (WOR-3) (WOR-7) Students analyze World War I posters and music addressing the skills of intended audience, purpose, historical context, and point of view. (WOR-4) (WOR-7) Students create periodization chart outlining the beginning, end and characteristics of the 1920s. (ID-3) (CUL-5) (CUL-7) (WOR-4) (PEO-3) (PEO- 7) Students engage in a silent debate arguing the question The 1920s ushered in a conservative era in the United States using relevant historical evidence. (ID-3) (CUL-5) (CUL-7) (WOR-4) (PEO-3) (PEO-7) Students create a cause and effect chart analyzing the causes of the Great Depression. Round table discussion in which students argue which factor was 9
most significant. Students then devise solutions to give to President Hoover to fix their issue. (WXT-3) (WXT-8) (POL-4) Students research and create charts of unemployment statistics by different social groups. Students present their charts via Powerpoints analyzing their effects and the needs of their group. Discussion of FDR and the election of 1932. (POL-4) Compare the New Deal s use of Relief, Recovery and Reform to assist Americans in the context of the Great Depression. (POL-4) (ENV-5) (WXT-3) (WXT-8) Students create an annotated timeline outlining the United States entrance into World War II demonstrating the continuity and change of isolationism verses intervention over the period. (WOR-7) Discussion of major events of World War II. (WOR-7) Students create posters demonstrating the continuity and change in the lives of women, blacks, Japanese Americans and Mexican Americans during World War II. (WOR-4) Students debate the decision to drop the atomic bomb in the context of the state of affairs in 1945. (WOR-7) Historiographical analysis: o Arthur Link, Wilson the Diplomatist (1957). o George Kennan, American Diplomacy (1950). o William E. Leuchtenberg, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal (1963). o Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., The Age of Roosevelt: The Coming of the New Deal (1959). o Gar Alperovitz, Atomic Diplomacy (rev. ed., 1985). o Martin Sherwin, A World Destroyed (1975). Mid-Unit Essay Discuss the extent to which the United States underwent a cultural transformation in the 1920. (ID-3) (CUL-5) (CUL-7) (WOR-4) (PEO- 3) (PEO-7) End of Unit (2003) DBQ Analyze the responses of Franklin D. Roosevelt s administration to the problems of the Great Depression. How effective were these responses? How did they change the role of the federal government? (POL-4) (ENV-5) (WXT-3) (WXT-8) Unit 8: 1945 1980 Atomic age and the Cold War; suburban development and the affluent society; the other America; Vietnam; social movements of the long 1960s; Great Society programs; economic and political decline in the 1970s; and rise of conservatism. 10
Kennedy, Chapters 36-40 Zinn, Chapters 17-21 Activities and Assessments: Read excerpts from Kennan s X-Article, the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine. Students engage in a silent debate on the question Should the United States send military aid to Greece and Turkey? (WOR-7) Complete a map highlighting Cold War hot spots. Identify specific locations/events on all continents and include the U.S. president involved. Write an essay on the following: Analyze the successes and failures of the U.S. Cold War policy of containment as it developed in TWO of the following regions during the period 1945 to 1975: o Europe o Asia and Southeast Asia o Latin America o Middle East (WOR-7) (POL-6) Assess continuity and change over time comparing the 1920s and 1950s. (ID-3) (CUL-5) (CUL-7) (WOR-4) (PEO-3) (PEO-7) View sections of Eyes on the Prize. Compare the effectiveness of the tactics of different civil rights leaders/groups on bringing about change. (POL-7) (PEO-6) (ID-8) (ID-3) Create an annotated timeline of the actions of presidents between 1945 1975 dealing with Vietnam. Debate the question Which president had the greatest opportunity to change the course in the United States involvement in Vietnam? (WOR-7) Analyze the causes and effects of the Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade on women and the nation as a whole. (POL-7) (POL-4) Discussion of the Great Society objectives and achievements. (WXT-8) Discuss the Watergate Scandal. Read and discuss excerpts from The United States v Nixon. Discuss continuity and change over time in the role and power of the presidency. (POL-5) Historiographical analysis: o John Lewis Gaddis, The United States and the Origins of the Cold War (1972). o Walter LaFeber, America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945 1984 (1985). o William O Neill, Coming Apart (1971). o Todd Gitlin, The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage (1987). Mid-Unit Essay FRQ (2002) How did the African American Civil Rights movement of the 1950 s and 1960 s address the failures of Reconstruction? (POL-7) (PEO-6) (ID-8) (ID-3) 11
End of Unit DBQ (2001) What were the Cold War fears of the American people in the aftermath of the Second World War How successfully did the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower address those fears? (WOR-7) (POL-6) Unit 9: 1980 present Reagan at home and abroad; growth of poverty; Bush, Sr. and end of Cold War; Clinton and the internet; race relations; NAFTA and other trade agreements; 9/11; Patriot Act; education policies of Bush, Jr. and Obama; and environmental policies. Kennedy, Chapters 40-42 Zinn, Chapters 22-25 Activities and Assessments: Students analyze a series of political cartoons to evaluate Regan s handling of the Cold War. (WOR-7) (POL-4) (POL-6) Discussion of the New Right and the ascent of conservatism. Create a chart evaluating the continuity and change over time of Progressive Reform and Conservative Reaction in American history. (POL-3) (POL-4) (POL-6) Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the causes and goals of each act as described in excerpts from the 1924, 1965, and 1990 Immigration Acts. Analyze census data to analyze the change in American demographics at the turn of the 21 st century. (PEO-7) Discussion of the presidencies of Bush, Clinton and Bush. Write an essay with a strong thesis backed up with historical evidence answering the question What is the greatest crisis facing America in the 21 st century, and what example from American history could be used to advise our leaders going forward? Historiographical analysis: o Kevin Phillips, Post-Conservative America (1982). o Daniel Bell, ed., The Radical Right (1963). Exam Review & Course Final Exam 12