AP United States History School Year: 2015-2016

AP United States History School Year: 2015-2016

Syllabus: email:

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About This Course

The AP U.S. History course focuses on the development of historical thinking skills (chronological reasoning, comparing and contextualizing, crafting historical arguments using historical evidence, and interpreting and synthesizing historical narrative) and an understanding of content learning objectives organized around seven themes, such as identity, peopling, and America in the world. In line with college and university U.S. history survey courses’ increased focus on early and recent American history and decreased emphases on other areas, the AP U.S. History course expands on the history of the Americas from 1491 to 1607 and from 1980 to the present. It also allows teachers flexibility across nine different periods of U.S. history to teach topics of their choice in depth.

AP U.S. History is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university U.S. history course.

The AP US History course is designed as a freshman college-level course and meets for a 55-minute period on a seven period day schedule. It is an entire year, two-semester, survey of American History from the Age of Exploration to present day. The course is designed to prepare you to take the A.P. test in May, and help you to better prepare you for college level work.

Course Objectives:

·  Master a broad body of knowledge

·  Demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology

·  Use historical data to support a position

·  Differentiate between various schools of thought on issues

·  Interpret and apply data from original documents (cartoons, graphs, letters, etc.)

·  Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, and compare and contrast

·  Work effectively with others to produce quality products and solve problems

·  Prepare for and successfully pass the Advanced Placement US History exam

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Required Readings:

1.  Kennedy, David M., Lisabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant. 13th e. Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006

2.  Brinkley, Alan. American History: Connecting With the Past, Boston: McGraw-Hill. 14th edition, 2013

3.  A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

4.  A History of the American People by Paul Johnson

Primary/Secondary Source Supplements

1.  Kennedy, David M., and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Spirit Volume I. 11th e. Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006

2.  Kennedy, David M., and Thomas A. Bailey. The American Spirit Volume II. 11th e. Boston, MA. Hougton Mifflin Co. c. 2006

Online Sources

1.  HistoryTeacher.net http://historyteacher.net/AHAP/AHAPCourseMainPage.htm

2.  History Matters: The US Survey Course on the Webs http://www.historymatters.gmu.edu

3.  Opposing Viewpoints in American History Vol. I-II by William Dudley

4.  Reading Like A Historian; A Document-Based History Curriculum, http://sheg.stanford.edu/rlh

Document Based Questions in American History

DBQ provides historical thinking and writing skills that teaches value most: close analysis and interrogation of documents, deep reading for understanding, and powerful evidence-based, argumentative writing.

Documents include: cartoons, maps, letters, drawings, first person narratives, charts, and graphs, historian accounts, photographs, flyers, advertisements and more.

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Students will be assigned supplemental reading from primary and secondary sources within each unit. Each reading will add to his/her knowledge and understanding of related historical themes and concepts. The readings will increase student background knowledge, which will be applicable to students on the exam. The supplemental reading materials are to help students when they construct and defend theses statements. These supplemental reading will be assigned through:

1.  Individual basis

2.  Individual basis with constructed responses

3.  Group assignments requiring cooperative efforts and activities

4.  And, individual/group with seminar or group discussion component

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Evaluation and Grading

Your grade in this class will be based on a points system meaning the total number of points you earn will be divided by the total number of possible points.

Tests: In an effort to prepare you for the AP Examination and to test the knowledge you have obtained, most units will end with a unit test. Any subjects mentioned in class, our textbook or other assigned readings may appear on a test. There are no scheduled quizzes in this course, as the units are very short. However, the teacher does reserve the right to give one at any time. Tests will be worth about 100 points each.

Document Based Questions (DBQs): these are the most frequent way your content knowledge and skill level will be tested throughout the course. Students can most likely expect to take approximately eight or ten of these throughout the year.

Projects and Essays:It is expected that you do a quality job on all take home assignments as you will have plenty of time to create, ask questions, and refine before handing in or presenting the final product.

Homework: You will be given reading on a nightly basis. Some nights there will be accompanying questions; other nights you will just be asked to take notes. Reading is the key to this course. It will make or break your grade so make sure to do it all even when no questions are assigned. All homework will be collected either in person or online. I expect quality and will check for it.

Participation: Class participation will be crucial to your success. Participating is more than just raising your hand and answering questions. It also means that you come to class prepared with all materials, that you listen to your peers, and that you are respectful and actively engaged in the learning process.

Late Assignments/Absences: For each day that any assignment is overdue the overall maximum score will drop one letter grade. If you are absent for one day, you will be given two days to make up the assignment for full credit. Those who cut class will not be given the chance to make up an assignment. For those who miss a test with an excused absence, see me the day you get back and we will schedule a makeup time together within two days.

Academic Integrity:Students are expected to do their own work, whether in class or at home. There will be no toleration for cheating. Students who copy, students who let others copy, and students who plagiarize are all considered to be cheating. No matter what the value of the work, students will receive a zero. The assignment may not be made up.

Notebook Requirements:

Each student will keep and maintain a notebook for APUSH. The notebook must be a Five Star three ring binder with dividers. It will be organized by the following method:

1.  Textbook and class notes with study guides (by Chapters)

2.  Essays, Central Historical Questions answers, and other writing assignments.

3.  DBQ and primary source work.

4.  Charts, maps, homework and miscellaneous by unit.

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Themes

The course is structured both chronologically and thematically. The themes include: Identity, Work, Exchange and Technology, Peopling, Politics and Power, America in the World, Environment and Geography, and Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture. Elements of these themes are included in most unit assignments.

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Summer Work

Students are to read chapters 1-5 during the summer.

Theme: On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.

Essential Questions:

·  Trace the rise of the English nation-state between 1492 and 1607.

·  What important factors influenced this rise?

·  In what ways did later colonization efforts attempt to learn from earlier experiences?

·  To what extent was there religious freedom in the colonies?

·  Explain the causes the conflict between the British and the Native Americans and French in 1754.

·  How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by the end of the war?

·  Guided worksheet with questions and vocabulary is provided through the school counselor.

Summer DBQ Assignment: Jamestown: Why Did So Many Colonists Die?

Course Outline- Semester 1

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Period 1: 1491-1607: Founding the New Nation

Theme: On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.

Period 2: 1607-1754: Colonial America

Theme: Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control, and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged.

Themes: ID, WXT, PEO, POL, WOR, ENV

Readings:

Kennedy, Chapters 1-5 (pg. 4-107)

Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:

Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 1-123

·  Bartoleme de Las Casas Defends the Indians (1552)

·  Hernan Cortes Conquers Mexico (1519-1526)

·  A Swede Depicts the Indian Trade (1749)

·  Francis Parkman Analyzes the Conflict (1884)

·  The Proclamation of 1763

·  Andrew Burnaby Scoffs at Colonial Unity (1760)

·  A Lawyer Denounces Search Warrants (1761)

Essential Questions:

·  Should Spanish colonial settlers accept the New Laws of 1542?

·  Trace the rise of the English nation-state between 1492 and 1607. What important factors influenced this rise? In what ways did later colonization efforts attempt to learn from earlier experiences?

·  To what extent was there religious freedom in the colonies?

·  What can passenger lists from ships arriving in North American colonies tell us about those who immigrated? And what can those characteristics tell us about life in the colonies themselves?

Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:

·  Age of Exploration: Spain in the New World- Explore Spanish colonial rule in the New World to answer this question: Should Spanish colonial settlers accept the New Laws of 1542? You'll take a position and defend it with evidence from primary source documents.

·  Debate on the Puritans.

·  Document analysis activity: students source, corroborate, and contextualize speeches from John Winthrop and John Cotton to explore the Puritans’ motivations. Students also practice using historical evidence to construct a written answer to the question: Were the Puritans selfish or selfless?

·  Examining passenger list- in this lesson, students critically examine the passenger lists of ships headed to New England and Virginia to better understand English colonial life in the 1630s.

·  By drawing on selections from A People’s History of the United States and The American Nation, students write an essay that explores the evolution of identity based on race, ethnicity, and nationality.

·  Salem Witch Trials- students use four historical sources to build a more textured understanding of both the causes and historical context of these dramatic events.

·  Take home essay on the question, “To what extent was there true religious freedom in the colonies?”

·  Students will design and create their own colonial village.

·  Homework assignment on topics listed above.

·  Multiple-choice test with free response questions and essay.

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Period 3: 1754-1800: The French and Indian War, The Young Republic and Westward Movement

Theme: British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation’s social, political, and economic identity.

Themes: ID, WXT, PEO, POL, WOR, ENV

Readings:

Kennedy, Chapters 6-8 (pg. 106-163)

Primary Source/Supplemental Readings:

Kennedy Vol. 1. pp. 104-164

·  Philadelphia Threatens Tea Men (1773)

·  Connecticut Decries the Port Act (1774)

·  Two Views of the British Empire (1767,1775)

·  Patrick Henry Demands Boldness (1775)

·  Conflicting Versions of the Outbreak (1775)

·  Benjamin Franklin Testifies Against the Stamp Act (1766)

·  Washington Scorns Independence (1775)

·  Thomas Paine Talks Common Sense (1776)

·  Richard Henry Lee’s Resolution of Independence (1776)

·  Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence (1776)

·  Lord Chatham Assails the War (1777)

·  George Washington Expresses Alarm (1786)

·  Thomas Jefferson Favors Rebellion (1787)

·  The Argument Over Slave Importations (1787)

·  Singing For the Constitution (1787)

·  Philadelphia Editor is Expectant (1787)

·  James Madison Defends the New Constitution (1787)

Essential Questions:

·  How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by the end of the war?

·  Explain the causes the conflict between the British and the Native Americans and French in 1754. How did the war change the geopolitical standing of each group by the end of the war?

·  What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of Independence?

·  The Stamp Act- Why was a rather small tax so fiercely resented?

·  Why did the Founders write the Declaration of Independence?

·  Why was slavery allowed to stay in constitution although the Declaration of Independence stated, "All men are created equal," Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers agreed to include slavery in the Constitution?

Unit Activities, Assignments and Assessments:

·  Class discussions on the French and Indian War and its significance.

·  The Stamp Act Lesson- Why was a rather small tax so fiercely resented? In this lesson, students engage in key aspects of historical thinking as they explore this question.

·  What really happened at the Battle of Lexington? In this lesson, students practice sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization as they weigh competing accounts of who fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War.

·  The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances- students will use the Declaration of Independence to interpret the American colonists' grievances against King George III. You'll summarize what you learn to answer this focus question: What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of Independence?

·  Declaration of Independence Lesson- students weigh contrasting interpretations by prominent historians to answer the question: Why did the Founders write the Declaration of Independence?

·  Shays’ Rebellion Lesson- students will gain a more nuanced understanding of how Americans reacted to Shays' Rebellion by analyzing a textbook account and a letter by Thomas Jefferson.

·  Slavery in the Constitution- What factors led to this decision? In this lesson, students consider the positions of delegates to the Constitutional Convention along with historians' interpretations to understand this apparent contradiction.

·  The Road to Revolution Game- Online

·  Homework assignment on topics listed above.

·  Multiple-choice test with free response questions, and several maps from the period.