AP US History  H512

Mainland Regional High School -  Mr. Schiavo 

 mschiavo@mainlandregional.net

Overview of Advanced Placement U.S. History

Program:  Advanced Placement U. S. History is offered to high school sophomores.  Freshmen may choose to take a pre-AP U.S. History Honors course (H411).  The school, however, has open enrollment in its honors classes and encourages all qualified students to take AP U.S. History.  The school recommends that students be earning at least a B in an honors course when he or she elects the AP course.  Classes meet five times per week for 42 minutes each day and relies primarily on analysis of primary source documents.

Course Purpose:  The AP US History course is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in US History.  The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full year introductory college courses.  Students should learn to access historical materials – their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability and importance – and weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.  An AP US History course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.  (From AP US History course description on AP central college board.com)

Course Design:  A weekly agenda will be provided.  A variety of learning methods will be utilized during this year.  The American Pageant textbook will be used as a reference, not as our main text.  As freshmen and women each student utilized that text for their foundation.  As sophomores in this AP course, daily reading assignments are from the primary source reader The American Spirit.  Thought provoking discussion of questions from these reading assignments will be the basis of our daily class meetings.  A majority of our class time together is discussion based, with teacher as moderator instead of lecturer.  A variety of newspaper articles, magazine editorials, maps, graphs, charts, and artwork will analyzed during our classes.  We will also utilize collaborative learning assignments, role-playing, seminar debates involving major primary source and historiography research, as well as complete one major project each quarter. Projects are research papers in the guise of simulation games.  One project will be completed individually.  The rest of the projects will be completed in groups or organized as teams competing against each other.

Tests will be given every 3 to 5 chapters.  During our study of the 20^th century, theme based tests will also be offered within the typical chronologically based multiple chapter tests, i.e. 20^th century Foreign Affairs or 20^th century Reform movements.  These tests are ID/Essay tests for the purpose of developing the essay writing and critical thinking skills that are necessary for success on the AP test.  Multiple Choice quizzes will also be given twice a quarter for the enhancement of that skill which is also tested on the AP test.  Six to eight Document Based Essay question will be completed during the year in conjunction with what has most recently been covered in class.  One DBQ from any point in US History will also be offered prior to taking the AP test in May.  All essays will be graded according to the 9-point AP scoring rubric.

Course Objectives: ---- Students will:

• master a broad body of historical knowledge
• demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
• demonstrate an understanding of historical themes including American Diversity, American Identity, Culture, Demographic Changes, Economic Transformations, Environment, Globalization, Politics and Citizenship, Reform, Religion, Slavery and It’s Legacy in North America, War and Diplomacy.
• use historical data to support an argument or position
• differentiate between historiographical schools of thought
• interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, letters, etc.
• effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and contrast
• work effectively with others to create products and solve problems
• prepare for and successfully pass the Advanced Placement Exam

Course Texts and Readings

Bailey and Kennedy – The American Spirit, volumes 1 & 2 (Primary Source collection as our primary “text”)

  Bailey and Kennedy – The American Pageant (Students choose to use text as supplement when needed)

Cohen, David – Chasing the Red, White, and Blue – Summer Reading

DeTocqueville, Alexis – Democracy in America – Summer Reading

Madaras, Larry and Sorelle, James - Taking Sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in Am. Hist.

Witham, Larry - A City Upon a Hill: How Sermons changed the course of American History

  Davis, Allen and Woodman, Harold – Conflict and Consensus in Early and Modern American History

  Hofstadter, Richard – The American Political Tradition

  Hunt, Michael H. -  Ideology and American Foreign Policy

  Schlesinger, Arthur – The Cycles of American History

  Hughes, Robert – American Visions – The Epic History of Art in America

  Fischer, Roger A.  Them Damned Pictures: Explorations in American Political Cartoon Art 

  Various Essays, Articles and Handouts

Summer Reading assignments are required for all AP and Honors History classes at our school.  We will read Chasing the Red, White and Blue and excerpts from DeTocqueville and test those readings during the first week of classes.  Students will also respond in kind to The Atlantic Monthly’s “American Idea” essay to be handed in the first day of class.  Students will also receive an excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay The American Scholar the first week.  An analytical essay will be written and Emerson’s ideas will be discussed as a foundation for our experience this year. 

AP Summer Fun 2009a.doc

The next document should be used to help with your Summer Fun assignment.

The Future of the American Idea.doc

Unit 1:  Colonial History (1492-1775) (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

The American Spirit, Chapters 1-5. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson excerpt from his essay, The American Scholar

Intro to Taking Sides – on writing history 

Taking Sides - intro to historiography - options include...

Was Conflict Unavoidable Between Native Americans and Colonists?

Was there a Great Awakening in Mid-Eighteenth Century America?

Were Socio-Economic Tensions or Fear of Women the cause of the Salem Witch Trials

Was the Colonial Period a "Golden Age" for Women in America?

Intro to A City Upon a Hill regarding the impact of sermons in America

The American Pageant, Chapters 1-5 as student reference only  

Student based research for Essay Thesis

Themes and Topics to be addressed include:

Spanish, French, Dutch and English motives and methods of colonization and impact on present and future relations with Native Americans, Emerging regional differences - political, social, economic and religious - in the English colonies, America’s political and economic relationship with Great Britain, the emergence of American cultural traits, Impact of Religion, Labor Reality, Women's issues, Literature, Art

Evaluation/Activities:  

Students will be required to respond to three essay questions from those five chapters.  Each response will be in the form of a written thesis followed by an outline of what would have been included in their response to the question.  Essay topics could include Motivation for European expansion, Relations with Native Americans, Relations with Great Britain, Political and Religious developments, and Economy, Society and Labor Realities of the American colonies.  The American Spirit will be utilized during this first unit to compliment their responses to the essay questions. These Essay thesis/outlines of major colonial themes will also be utilized as part of our review in the spring.   Discussion of major colonial themes from this time period will be the emphasis of our class time.  An introduction to Historiography will also occur through utilizing two or three of the above thematic essays regarding colonial history from the Taking Sides series. A separate multiple-choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.

Unit 2:  Revolution and Constitution (1754-1790)  (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

The American Spirit, Chapters 6-9. 

Conflict and Consensus, Intro; Two views of the Revolution:  Rossiter, Jensen; Two views of Constitution:  Beard and Commager

The American Political Tradition, Hofstadter – Intro, Preface, and Chapter 1 Age of Realism

Student based research for Essay Thesis

Themes and Topics to be addressed include:

 French and Indian war, growing dissatisfaction with political relationship with England due to the change in British colonial policy, the decision for independence, the military course of the war, Impact of colonial experience on post-independence government, weaknesses and accomplishments of the Articles’ government, Development of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, The emergence of political parties and the factors that divided them.  The Revolution and the Constitution:  radical or conservative movements?

Evaluation/Activities: 

  The process of writing DBQ’s will be introduced during this unit.  Students will the complete a topical DBQ.  A separate Multiple choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.  A first quarter project will be offered either this unit or the next…. Projects are research papers in the guise of simulation games.

Unit 3:  Democratic Experiment Begins (1790-1824)  (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

 The American Spirit, Chapters 10-12.

The American Political Tradition, Hofstadter, Chapter 2

Research for 1^st quarter project

Themes and Topics for discussion include:

The development of our early isolationist Foreign Policy, the peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, Changes in party positions, causes and results of the War of 1812; nationalism vs. sectionalism – the conflict between national power and states rights -  Marshall and the court, the demise of the Federalists and the rise of the two-party system; the early Industrial Revolution, National growth and the growth of nationalism – the development of sectional specialization and interdependence, Diplomatic Achievements and Monroe Doctrine.

Evaluation/Activities: 

Students will the complete a topical DBQ.  A separate Multiple-choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.  If 1^st quarter project not introduced last unit, it will be now!

Unit 4:  The Rise of Mass Democracy  (1824-1840)  (1 Week)

Discussions based on Readings from:

 The American Spirit, Chapter 13

Primary and secondary source research for Seminar Debate chosen individually by each student

Themes and Topics for discussion include: 

The emergence of the common man in American politics, Presidential Power, Corrupt Bargain 1824, New Democracy, Tariff of Abomination, Nullification, Bank of US, Indian Removal, Whigs and the emergence of the second American Party system

Evaluation/Activities: 

Students will complete their first Seminar Debate.  Class will be divided in half.  Each half will take one side of a question regarding Jackson overstepping his constitutional authority, research primary sources and historiography, then present in a panel like debate, complete with opening statements, rebuttals to opening statements, question and answer period and closing statements.  All of their spoken offerings will be research based.

Unit 5:  The National Economy, Reform and the Slavery Controversy  (1790-1860)  (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

The American Spirit, Chapter 14, 15, 16

Taking Sides – Women –        

1.  Did Women achieve greater Autonomy in the New Nation?

2.  The impact of our new society and Westward movement on Women’s roles and autonomy.

American Visions, Hughes – Excerpts and Images from Chapter 2 - The Republic of Virtue and Chapter 3 - The Wilderness and the West

Handouts

Themes and Topics for discussion include:

Economic Expansion and Industrialization, Push and Pull Factors of Immigration and Native response to, Labor Unrest, Reform movements and the American Character: 2^nd Great Awakening, Social and humanitarian reforms, Changing role of women, Transcendentalism and Utopian Societies, Art and Literature of the early 19^th century (slide show), Realities of Slavery, Abolition and the Southern perspective of slavery.

Evaluation/Activities: 

Students will choose a reformer of the period, complete a biographical sketch of them then suggest what current issue or present reform movement they might lead.  What is the issue or need for reform?  What tactics might they use to accomplish their goals.  A separate Multiple choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.

Unit 6:  Manifest Destiny, Sectionalism and Disunion  (1841-1860)  (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

The American Spirit, Chapter 17, 18, 19

The American Political Tradition, Chapter 4

Conflict and Consensus on slavery: Stampp, Fogel, and Engerman

Handouts

Themes and Topics for discussion include:

Geographic expansion and Manifest Destiny, slavery and the causes of the Civil War, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, and Oregon; Polk and war with Mexico; and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, Reactions to Fugitive Slave Law, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Bleeding Kansas and Bully Brooks, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglass debates, Harpers Ferry and the Election of 1860, the inevitability of the Civil War.

Evaluation/Activities: 

Students will the complete a topical DBQ – potentially on the inevitability of the Civil War.  A separate Multiple choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.

Unit 7:  Civil War and The Legacy of Reconstruction  (1860-1896)  (2 weeks)

Discussions based on Readings from:

 The American Spirit, Chapter 20, 21, 22, 23

The American Political Tradition, Chapters 5-6

Conflict and Consensus, Chapter 16 - On Reconstruction,

vol. 1 Beard, Boorstin, Foner; vol. 2 McPherson, Spear, Blum

Handouts

Themes and Topics to be addressed: 

secession, Lincoln’s response, foreign affairs, economic realities on the home front, civil liberties, purpose of the war, emancipation, military efforts, Lincoln’s reelection and assassination. The debate on Reconstruction policy, Johnson’s impeachment, Election of 1876, the struggle for equality, Redemption and the Legacy of Reconstruction.

Evaluation/Activities: 

A second quarter project will be offered in conjunction with this unit…. Again, projects are research papers in the guise of simulation games.  This project will take the students through primary source research of civil war topics listed above.  Students will construct characters around which a serious of letters will be written throughout the Civil War which address the topics above.  Another option - Students, in groups may also create their own reconstruction policy answering the following questions:  What is the primary goal of Reconstruction?  Reunification, punishment, civil rights, other?  What should be done to ex-Confederates?  What should be done for the freedmen?  Who should be able to vote and hold office in the new Southern state governments?  What requirements must be met before states regain full rights and representation?  How should the Southern economy be restored?  What role should Union troops play in policing, governing, or rebuilding the South?  A separate Multiple choice quiz and ID/Essay test will follow.