Smith - 337200AW - 5(B) - 20-21

School District of Oconee County

AP U.S. History

Course Number: 337200AW

Advanced Placement

United States History

Syllabus 2020-2021

Mr. Smith - Room 405

arsmith@sdoc.org

ext: 5934

 

Course Description

The AP U.S. History course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. The class prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. 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 historical scholarship.

 

Course Objectives

• Develop a greater understanding of United States History through political, social, economic, and cultural contexts
• Improve critical and evaluative thinking skills
• Improve writing and critical reading skills
• Interpret and analyze original historical documents
• Prepare for AP US History Exam in May

Critical Information:

• Canvas: most assignments will be distributed and collected via Canvas
• Student College Board Link: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/
• Some assignments and tests will be facilitated here

• Textbook: The Enduring Vision: a History of the American People, fifth edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004)
• Online link: https://rb.gy/hsozs2
• Supplemental Texts:
• The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History AP U.S. History Study Guide
• Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Print.
• Various primary and secondary sources

• Phones: need to be placed in calculator caddy for entire class

• Homework: AP courses require a high level of commitment. There will be regular homework required.
• Even when specific homework has not been assigned, students should re-read, study, and practice
• Behavior: I expect all students to: 
• Be willing to read and write daily. This is often the most challenging part of the course for students.
• We will follow the district technology policies stated in your handbook.
• Be in class on time and come prepared for class with required materials.
• Respect your teacher and classmates.
•  Be a benefit to a group, not a hindrance.
• Actively participate in class discussions.
• Accept an academic challenge
• Late work policy:
• The SDOC policy for late-work states that students who have excused absences may have the same amount of days to make up work as the amount of days missed. After this, 10 points will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. 
• This is very generous and should not be exhausted. APUSH content is so developed and fast paced that a student can quickly become overwhelmed. 
• Course Outline:
• Period 1: 1491-1607
• Themes: American diversity , Demographic changes, Economic transformations, Globalization, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America
• Topics 
• Native American Societies Before European Contact
• European Exploration in the Americas
• Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration and Conquest
• Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System
• Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans
• Period 2: 1607-1754
• Themes: American Identity, Economic Transformations, Globalization, Politics and Citizenship, War and Diplomacy
• Topics:
• European Colonization
• The Regions of British Colonies
• Transatlantic Trade
• Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
• Slavery in the British Colonies
• Colonial Society and Culture
• Period 3: 1754-1800
• Themes: American Identity, Politics & Citizenship, Reform
• Topics: 
• The Seven Years’ War (The French and Indian War)
• Taxation Without Representation
• Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution
• The American Revolution
• The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitutional Convention and Debates on Ratification
• The Constitution
•  Shaping a New Republic
• Developing and American Identity
• Movement in the Early Republic
• Period 4: 1800-1848
• Themes: American Diversity, American Identity, Culture, Politics and Citizenship, War and Diplomacy
• Topics:
• The Rise of Political Parties and the Era of Jefferson
• Politics and Regional Interests
• America on the World Stage
• Market Revolution: Industrialization
• Market Revolution: Society and Culture
• Expanding Democracy
• Jackson and Federal Power
• The Development of an American Culture
• The Second Great Awakening
• An Age of Reform
• African Americans in the Early Republic
• The Society of the South in the Early Republic
• Period 5: 1844-1877
• Themes Economic Transformations, Politics and Citizenship, Reform, Religion, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America
• Topics:
• Manifest Destiny
• The Mexican American War
• The Compromise of 1850
• Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences
• Failure to Compromise
• Election of 1860 and Secession
• Military Conflict in the Civil War
• Government Policies During the Civil War
• Reconstruction
• Failures of Reconstruction
• Period 6: 1865-1898
• Themes: American Identity, Economic Transformations, Politics and Citizenship, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America, War and Diplomacy
• Topics:
• Westward Expansion: Economic Development
• Westward Expansion: Social and Cultural Development
• The “New South”
• Technological Innovation
• The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
• Labor in the Gilded Age
• Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age
• Responses to Immigration in the Gilded Age
• Development of the Middle Class
• Reform in the Gilded Age
• Controversies over the Role of Government in the Gilded Age
• Politics in the Gilded Age
• Period 7: 1890-1945
• Themes: American Diversity, Demographic Changes, Economic Transformations
• Topics:
• Imperialism Debates
• The Spanish-American War
• The Progressives
• World War I: Military and Diplomacy
• World War I: The Home Front
• 1920s: Innovations in Communication and Technology
• 1920s: Cultural and Political Controversies
• The Great Depression
• The New Deal
• Interwar Foreign Policy
• World War II: Mobilization
• World War II: Military
• Postwar Diplomacy

 

• Period 8: 1945-1980
• Themes: Environment, Politics and Citizenship, Reform, Religion
• Topics: 
• The Cold War from 1945-1980
• The Red Scare
• Economy after 1945
• Culture after 1945
• Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement
• America as a World Power
• The Vietnam War
• The Great Society
• The African American Civil Rights Movement
• Youth Culture of the 1960s
• The Environment and Natural Resources from 1968-1980
• Society in Transition

 

• Period 9: 1980-Present
• Themes: Economic Transformations, Globalization, War and Diplomacy
• Topics:
• Regan and Conservatism
• The End of the Cold War
• A Changing Economy
• Migration and Immigration in the 1990s and 2000s
• Challenges of the 21st Century

 

• Unit 10: AP Exam Prep
• Review Late April/Early May

 

• Units covered in AP U.S. History Weight on Exam
• Unit 1: Period 1 1491-1607 4-6%
• Unit 2: Period 2 1607-1754 6-8%
• Unit 3: Period 3 1754-1800 10-17%
• Unit 4: Period 4 1800-1848 10-17%
• Unit 5: Period 5 1844-1877 10-17%
• Unit 6: Period 6 1865-1898 10-17%
• Unit 7: Period 7 1890-1945 10-17%
• Unit 8: Period 8 1945-1980 10-17%
• Unit 9: Period 9 1980-Present 4-6%

 

• Assessments
• Chapter Reading Quizzes
• Short answer and essay questions based on reading and notations
• Topic/Theme Quizzes
• Smaller multiple choice and short answer questions based on all material covered
• Unit Tests
• Large tests covering each historical period
• Midterm
• Large cumulative exam near winter break
• Final Exam
• Large exam intended to prepare for the actual APUSH exam