Advanced Placement US History Syllabus Course Objectives In this course, students will have the opportunity to : -develop an appreciation for the study of history; -develop a better understanding of the history of the United States-in political economic, social and cultural terms; -develop a better understanding of the great issues that are at the heart of American history; -improve writing, research and critical reading skills; -improve thinking skills-specifically to develop ability to analyze historical arguments; -develop an understanding of present-day United States and our relationship to this country -take the AP exam in May. Daily Assignments The length of assignments may vary on a day-to-day basis, but students can expect that every evening they will have some form of homework whether directly assigned or personal study time to stay current. Due to time constraints, any material not covered in class will always be the responsibility of the student. Makeup-Missed Assignments/Tests -If you are absent the day an assignment is due, it will be due the following class day unless prior instructions are given!! -Students have exactly one week from any missed test to arrange a time to take it!! -The only times available for students to meet with me will be before school (including TAKS tutorial time) or during lunch on B-days!! Grades Students grades will be based upon their performance on tests, quizzes, short papers, essays, projects and daily class participation. There will not be many, if any, opportunities for extra credit, so students should put all of their energy into the required work. Test/Projects = 70% All other work = 30% Mid-Term Exam = 20% Eras Taught 1. Colonial America: 1490 s-1756 11. Gilded Age Part 2: 1870 s-1900 2. Colonial Protest/American Revolution:1756-1783 12. Progressive Era: 1900-1912 3. Federalist Era: 1783-1800* 13. Wilson & World War I: 1912-1918 4. The Jeffersonian Era: 1800-1808 14. The Roaring 20 s: 1920 s 5. Age of Perfection: 1800-1850 s 15. The Great Depression: 1930 s 6. Jacksonian Era: 1828-1844 16. World War II: 1939-1945 7. Sectionalism and Nationalism: 1830 s-1860 17. The Fifties: 1945-1960 8. Civil War: 1860-1865 18. The New Frontier -Watergate: 9. Reconstruction: 1865-1877 1961-1975 10. Gilded Age Part 1: 1870 s-1900 19. Reaganomics to Terrorism Grading -Class-work will consist of a minimum of 5 minor grades (quizzes, homework) and a minimum of 3 major grades (tests, projects) per 9 weeks. -Essay grading will be subjective. Most other assignments will be objectively graded. -The mid-term & final exam will count 20% of each semester grade.
Class-work -No late assignments will be taken! -Exceptions will be made for absences as per established school guidelines. -Tests will be given the first class day every two weeks. There are no re-tests in AP courses. Missed tests must be made-up within one week or a zero will be received! -A quiz or short assignment will be given for each chapter of America Past and Present. Textbook and other course texts Divine, Robert A., et al. America Past and Present AP Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman Garraty, John A, Historical Viewpoints Volume One 8 th Edition. New York: Longman Garraty, John A, Historical Viewpoints Volume Two 8 th Edition. New York: Longman Course Outline Colonial Era Chapter 1-4 in Divine The Middle Passage and Daily Life in Colonial Massachusetts in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 67 Why Europe explored; early English settlements; development (social/economic) of New England, Chesapeake, Middle and Southern colonies; mercantilism/slavery; Great Awakening; emergence of a national character Complete an essay showing the difference between Alex Haley s portrayal of the Middle Passage in Roots and the description of the Middle Passage in Daniel P. Mannix and Malcom Cowley s essay The Middle Passage. Students will be expected to show an understanding of point of view as a reason for differences between each source. American Revolution Era Federalist Era Chapter 5 in Divine Declaration of Independence Paul Revere s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow French & Indian War; British Actions/Colonial Reactions(Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Acts, Intolerable Acts); Philosophical Foundations of Am. Revolution; 2 nd Continental Congress; Declaration of Independence; Common Sense; patriots; loyalists; Articles of Confederation; social change (women, African Americans) Conservative Revolution Group Project: Students research patriots prior to the beginning of revolution and give a threat assessment on each for the Prime Minister Lord North. Even with better will and more compromises on both sides, it would have been difficult to have prevented the American War of Independence. It was, in short inevitable. Assess the validity of this statement. Chapters 6-7 in Divine The Constitution: Was it an Economic Document? in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 134 Federalist # 10, 51 (copy will be provided) Problems with Articles of Confederation; Constitutional Convention; Federalists/Anti- Federalists; Hamilton s Financial Program; French Revolution s affect on US; Adam presidency (XYZ affair, Alien & Sedition Acts, KY & VA resolves), election of 1800; the Peaceful Revolution
Jeffersonian Era Compare and contrast the ideological positions and visions of the Federalist and the Democratic Republicans in the 1790 s. Include: a. leaders b. what groups were favored by these parties (factions) c. what kind of society did each envision d. who each favored in the war in Europe Chapters 8-9 in Divine Why Marbury Matters by Walter F. Murphy Louisiana Purchase; Marbury v. Madison; Aaron Burr; Jefferson s foreign policy; War of 1812 (causes and legacy); Hartford convention; Era of Good Feelings; cultural and economic nationalism; Missouri Compromise; John Marshall s Supreme Court; Monroe s Foreign Policy (doctrine, purchase of Florida); national economy (Lowell Factories, canals, steamboats, RR); society (women, African Americans, Native Americans) Analyzing Documents from Divine workbook pg 176-178 Students read documents and then make up questions to ask classmates using a questions for discussion pattern which leads them to ask questions in all levels of Bloom s Taxonomy. Students will write an essay from a choice of several prompts base upon Why Marbury Matters Sample question: The power of judicial review, which gives the Supreme Court the final word on the Constitution s meaning, derives not from specific language of the Constitution, but from the Court s own definition. Did the court go too far and give itself too much power in its interpretation? Age of Perfection* Jacksonian Era Chapter 11 in Divine Prison Reform in American in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 240 Religion on the Frontier in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 204 The Mormons by Rodman W. Paul Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions Second Great Awakening; utopian societies; transcendentalists; reform movements (prison, education, temperance); art and literature; women s rights movement; abolition movement Students read Religion on the Frontier and then make up questions to ask classmates using a questions for discussion pattern which leads them to ask questions in all levels of Bloom s Taxonomy. *This unit is designed to give students a deeper understanding of social and cultural issues that were the underlying foundation for the political and economic decisions made during the time period 1800-1850 (and even beyond). Therefore it is a smaller unit than the others. Chapter 10 in Divine Everyday Life before the Civil War in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 228 Was Jackson Wise to Dismantle the Bank? by Bray Hammond Market Revolution; rise of the city (New York); Jacksonian democracy; the common man; spoils system; election of 1824; nullification crisis; bank war; panic of 1837; Log Cabin & Hard Cider campaign Discuss how political, economic and constitutional issues combined to lead to the death of the Bank of the United States.
Sectionalism and Nationalism Civil War Reconstruction Chapters 12-14 in Divine My Folks Don t Want Me to Talk About Slavery (excepts) Belinda Hermence (editor) Fact: Local Southern Judge Freed Dred Scott from The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History by Thomas E. Woods Black Slave-owners in Garraty, Vol 1 pg 256 Annexation of Texas, Mexican War; expanding economy; slavery (literature, Underground RR, Fugitive Slave Law, Dred Scott); main causes of Civil War; compromise of 1850; Kansas-Nebraska Act; Bleeding Kansas; Republican Party; Election of 1860; secession After reading excepts from My Folks Don t Want Me to Talk about Slavery students research other slave narratives online (using the University of Virginia website http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/wpa/index.html ) and present the similarities and differences between the narratives. Chapter 15 in Divine Soldiering in the Civil War by Bruce Catton Emancipation Proclamation Wartime advantages/disadvantages; Border States; unique aspects of Confederacy; Union military strategy; Antietam; Emancipation Proclamation; African American soldiers; Gettysburg/Vicksburg; election of 1864; Lincoln assassination; effects of the war on civilian life (political, economic, social) A good part of the credit for ending slavery belongs to the slaves and former slaves themselves. Assess this statement with specific reference to THREE of the following: a. the Confiscation Acts b. the Emancipation Proclamation c. African American Soldiers d. Slaves and the Confederacy e. Thirteenth Amendment DBQ: The Civil War was not inevitable; it was the result of extremism and failures of leadership on both sides. Assess this statement using the following documents and your knowledge of the period from 1830 to 1860. Unique Opportunity Our community is privileged to have a museum at the a local institution of higher learning which houses original documents (letters, photographs, etc) from the Civil War. Each class is given the opportunity to visit this ultimate resource in primary documents. The curator of the museum leads our field trips and the students are given access to the archives and the classes participate in an orientation program designed to explain how historians use primary sources in their research. Chapter 16 in Divine The South s Inner Civil War in Garraty, Vol. 1 pg 282 Impeach Johnson! by Hans L. Trefousse Reconstruction Big Issues (emancipation, economy, political leadership, rebuilding society); presidential reconstruction; Freedman s Bureau; sharecropping; black codes; Civil Rights legislation; congressional reconstruction; Johnson impeachment; north during reconstruction; Compromise of 1877; long term effects of reconstruction This unit comes as the semester ends so students are not required to do any major assignments in order to give them time to prepare for mid-term exams.
Gilded Age Part 1 Gilded Age Part 2 Chapters 17-18 in Divine The Devil s Rope by Joanne S. Liu Reluctant Conquerors: American Army Officers and the Plains Indians in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 23 Ride-In: A Century of Protest Begins in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 11 Mining frontier; cattle frontier; farming frontier (Homestead Act); New South (economic progress/continued poverty); segregation; farm problems (falling prices, National Grange, Farmers Alliance); removal of Native Americans; laissez-faire capitalism; railroad expansion; steel industry (Carnegie & Morgan); oil industry (Standard Oil); marketing consumer goods Assess the policies of the United States government toward the Indians from the end of the Civil War to the 1890 s. Take a position as to whether a fairer policy could have been devised given the circumstances of the era. Chapters 19-20 in Divine The Diaspora in America: A Study of Jewish Immigration in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 49 Impact of industrialization; labor unions; Gilded Age politics; patronage; silver vs. gold; populists; election of 1896 DBQ: Immigration Essay Assignment Compare and contrast the goals, methods and achievements of the National Labor Union, the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor (AFL). Progressive Era (American on the World Stage) World War I Chapter 21-23 in Divine Reforming College Football in Garraty, Vol 2, pg 95 The Needless War with Spain in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 130 Racial Rewrite of History by Tim Brady New Imperialism ; International Darwinism; Spanish-American War; the Philippines; open door policy; Roosevelt s Big Stick Policy; Taft s Dollar Diplomacy; Wilson s Moral Diplomacy; origin of progressivism; Muckrakers; political reforms in cities and states; Roosevelt s Square Deal; election of 1912 (New Freedom vs. New Nationalism); African Americans during Progressive Era (Dubois v. Washington); women s suffrage Using Racial Rewrite of History and portions of the film Birth of a Nation class will be given an opportunity to discuss the use of images to influence the general population. This will be used as basis for further study of propaganda in WW I, WW II and the Cold War. Chapter 24 in Divine In Flanders Fields by John McCrae War s beginning; US neutrality; public opinion; war debate; election of 1916 ( He Kept Us Out of War ); unrestricted submarine warfare; mobilization; espionage and sedition acts; armed forces (draft, African Americans); war s effects on American society; Fourteen Points; Treaty of Versailles (Article X, ratification); 1 st Red Scare; race riots DBQ: US Entrance into World War I
The ideals used to justify U.S involvement in World War I disguised the real reasons for Wilson s change in policy from neutrality to war and, in fact, violated the traditional values of the American nations. Assess the reasons for the change in US policy in 1917 AND whether these reasons were consistent with traditional American values. Roaring 20 s Chapter 25 in Divine Republican Control (business doctrine); prosperity; Jazz Age; consumerism; automobile; radio; gender roles; religion (fundamentalism vs. modernism, Scopes Trial); Harlem Renaissance; Prohibition; Nativism (KKK, Sacco & Vanzetti); Foreign Policy (Isolation?) In what ways did economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment help create the reputation of the 1920 s as the Roaring Twenties? The Great Depression Chapter 26 in Divine FDR: The Man of the Century in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 199 Causes and effects of the Depression; Hoover s policies; election of 1932; 1 st Hundred Days; New Deal Programs; Social Security Act; election of 1936; opponents of New Deal; Supreme Court Reorganization Plan; rise of unions; life in the depression (women, African Americans, Dust Bowl farmers, Mexican Americans) DBQ: from 2003 AP Exam Diplomacy and World War II The Fifties Chapter 27 in Divine Why We Had to Drop the Atomic Bomb in Garraty, Vol 2, pg 168 Hoover s foreign policy; FDR s Good-Neighbor policy; American isolationists; US policy towards warring Europe; election of 1940; arsenal of democracy ; Peal Harbor; The Home Front (impact on society); atomic bomb; wartime conferences; war s legacy Propaganda is explored through posters issued by the Office of War Information as well as animated shorts produced by Walt Disney and Warner Brothers. Argue either for or against this statement: President Truman s decision to use the atomic bomb was completely justified. Chapter 28-29 in Divine Selected excerpts from The Fifties by David Halberstam GI bill; baby boom; civil rights movement (Rosa Parks, Little Rock, Brown) ; Fair Deal; Cold War; Berlin airlift; 2 nd Red Scare; McCarthyism; containment; NATO; Korean War; Eisenhower Foreign Policy; Sputnik; arms race; pop culture Compare and contrast United States society in 1920 s and the 1950 s with respect to TWO of the following: Race relations Role of women Consumerism
New Frontier to Watergate Chapter 30-31 in Divine Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam in Garraty, Vol 2 pg 242 Watergate in Garraty Vol 2 pg 255 Election of 1960; Bay of Pigs; Cuban Missile Crisis; Berlin Wall; Kennedy Assassination; Great Society (War on Poverty, Civil Rights Acts); Civil Rights Movement (MLK, Malcolm X, Black Power); Warren Court; Counterculture; women s movement, anti-war movement; Vietnam War; 1968; Nixon Foreign Policy; New Federalism; Burger Court; Watergate; Camp David Accords; Iran Hostage Crisis; inflation; gas wars; American Indian Movement; ERA; environmentalism Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following transformed American society in the 1960 s and 1970 s. The civil rights movement The anti-war movement The women s movement Reaganomics to Terrorism Chapter 32-33 in Divine Rise of conservatism; Reagan Revolution (elections of 1980/1984, supply-side economics, Reaganomics); end of Cold War; Gulf War; election of 1992; Clinton years (economic prosperity, Contract with America); threat of radical Islam (September 11, 2001) This unit comes as the year ends so students are not required to do any major assignments in order to give them time to prepare for final exams.