Elizabethtown Area School District

Advanced Placement United States History

Course Number:432Length of Course:18 weeks

Grade Level:11-12Total Clock Hours:120

Length of Period:80 minutesDate Written:Spring 2004

Periods per Week/Cycle:5Written By:

Credits (if app):1

Course Description:

This weighted college-level course is an in-depth study of United States history from the Age of Exploration to the present. Students who are selected for this course will be expected to read a college-level United States history textbook, participate in discussions on a regular basis, and write essays and papers which will demonstrate analytical skill and knowledge of subject area content. Upon completion of this course, students choosing to take the advanced placement exam, scoring three or above, may receive college credit from participating college and universities.

I. Overall Course/Grade Level Standards

Students will KNOW and be able TO DO the following as a result of taking this course.

A)Assess historical materials for bias, relevance, reliability, validity and their importance to the given interpretive problem.

B)Construct a thesis statement and write a times essay to support it, presenting evidence clearly and logically.

C)Identify a problem and initiate a thought process directed towards hypothesizing its solution, gathering data and evaluating the implications of possible solutions.

D)Exhibit a willingness to act within the context of groups as an independent thinker, one not dependent on emotion or authority to arrive at a decision.

E)Identify the major school of thought among American historians and understand how historical interpretation reflects the time period in which it is written.

F)Identify the major economic, social, political, aesthetic and religious trends throughout American history.

G)Know that a democratic society encourages but does not insure equality before the law and equality of opportunity.

H)Assess the impact of technology upon a society.

I)Assess the ramifications of war upon a society.

J)Integrate Pennsylvania history into the broader scope of United States history.

K)Define history as the understanding and interpretations of past statements and actions of all people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.

L)Analyze historical data to draw conclusions about causes, short-term and long-term effects, motivations, degrees of success and failure.

II. Content

Major Areas of Study

List all units of study below:

Unit / Estimated Time / Materials
1. Discovery and Colonization of the New World to 1750
2. Revolution to Republic, 1750-1800
3. Jeffersonians, Jacksonians and More, 1801-1860
4. The North and the South, 1830-1877
5. The Transformation of a Nation, 1860-1920
6. The 1920’s Through Mid-Century, 1920-1960
7. The Liberal Era to Today, 1960-Present

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III. Course Assessments

Check types of assessments to be used in the teaching of the course and provide examples of each type.

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Objective Tests/QuizzesResponse Journals

Constructed Responses Logs

Essays Computer Simulations

Reports Research Papers

Projects Class Participation

Portfolios Note Taking

Presentations Daily Assignments

Performance Tasks Writing Samples

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Provide copies of common assessments that will be utilized for all students taking this course. Overall course/grade level standards will be measured by a common course assessment. Unit objectives will be measured on an ongoing basis as needed by the classroom teacher to assess learning and plan for instruction. List common assessments below and recommend date/tinme frame for administration (at least quarterly).

Name of Common Assessment / When given?
1.
2.
3.

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IV. Expected levels of achievement

Current grading scale
[Click here to enter text] / PA Proficiency Levels
Advanced
Proficient
Basic
Below Basic

The following scoring documents have been developed for this course:

Attach rubrics, checklists, or other documentation noting how levels of proficiency will be determined for common assessments. Delete this text before submitting.

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Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: Discovery and Colonization of the New World to 1750

Essential Question: How was the colonization of the Americas a collision of cultures – Europeans, the Native American and the African?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. What common values and practices did Native Americans share, despite their vast diversity? / 8.1.12.B
2. What were the motives and expectations of European individuals and nations who colonized the New World? / 8.4.12.C, 6.3.12.A, 6.3.12.B, 6.3.12.C, 6.3.12.E, 6.3.12.F
3. What was the impact of Europeans on Native American culture; and the impact of Native American culture on the Europeans? / 8.4.12.D
4. How did the interaction between culture and environment shape the American culture? / 8.1.12.D
5. How and why did the New England, Middle Atlantic and Southern colonial regions differ from one another in purpose, administration, religious and social orientation, and political developments? / 8.4.12.D
6. Why did indentured servitude give way to racial slavery in England’s plantation colonies? / 8.1.12.A
7. What were the major factors facilitating French and Spanish colonial expansion? / 8.1.12.C
8. How did the Glorious Revolution and its outcome shape relations between England and its North American colonies? / 8.4.12.C
9. What were the most important consequences of British merchantilism for the mainland colonies? / 8.4.12.C
10. What factors best explain the relative strengths of the British, French and Spanish colonial empires of North America? / 8.1.12.D
11. What were the most significant consequences of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening for life in the British colonies? / 8.1.12.C

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: Revolution to Republic, 1750-1800

Essential Question: How and why did the American colonies win their independence from one of the most powerful nations on earth?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. How did Britain’s policy of salutary neglect influence the development of American society’s politics, economy and religions? / 8.1.12.A
2. What were the major factors leading most colonists to abandon their loyalty to Britain and instead choose national independence? At what point was the Revolution inevitable? / 8.1.12.B, 5.1.12.G, 5.1.12.K, 5.1.12.J, 5.3.12.K
3. What were the causes and effects of the French and Indian War? / 8.4.12.D
4. What were the most critical factors enabling the Americans to win the War of Independence with Britain? Was victory for the Patriots inevitable? / 8.1.12.C
5. In what ways did the first state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation reflect older, pre-Revolutionary ideas about political power and authority; how did they depart from those older ideas? / 5.1.12.D, 5.1.12.F, 5.1.12.A, 5.1.12.B, 5.1.12.C, 5.1.12.I
6. What aspects of the Constitution limited popular participation in government? How and why were the framers fearful of the masses? / 5.1.12.E
7. What were the principal features of Hamilton’s economic program, and what were its opponents’ primary objections? / 5.1.12.H, 8.1.12.D
8. What principal issues divided Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the presidential election of 1800 – ideologically, economically, socially, and internationally? / 5.1.12.H
9. What were the primary factors contributing to the declining status and welfare of nonwhites in the new Republic? / 5.2.12.B, 5.2.12.C
10. How did differing views of what the nation should become lead to the rise of American’s first political parties? / 5.1.12.H, 8.1.12.B

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: Jeffersonians, Jacksonians and More, 1801-1860

Essential Question: What roles did Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson play in shaping the American character?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. How did Jefferson’s philosophy of government shape his policies toward public expenditures, the judiciary and the Louisiana Purchase? / 8.1.12.B
2. What led James Madison to go to war with Britain in 1812, and what was the impact of that war? / 8.1.12.A
3. How was the “Era of Good Feelings” a transition period? / 8.1.12.C
4. To what extent did the Marshall Court alter the powers of the federal government and state governments? / 5.1.12.L, 5.1.12.M
5. What was the impact on the nation of the Canal Era and the rise of the market economy? / 8.1.12.C, 6.1.12.A, 6.1.12.B
6. In what ways had American politics become more democratic by 1840 than at the time of Jefferson’s election in 1800? How were Jefferson’s and Jackson’s visions for America desperate? / 5.2.12.A, 5.2.12.B, 5.2.12.E, 5.2.12.F, 5.2.12.G
7. What new assumptions about human nature lay behind the religious and reform movements of the period? / 8.1.12.C
8. In what ways did technology transform both the productivity of American industry and the daily lives of ordinary Americans between 1840 and 1860? / 6.4.12.A, 8.1.12.C
9. What did American writers and artists see as the distinguishing features of the nation? How did they express that in literature, painting, etc.? / 8.1.12.D
10. What were the economic, political and social differences of the three major regions in early 19th century America? / 8.1.12.C
11. To what extent did economic factors motivate foreign policy in the 1840’s? / 5.4.12.E

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: The North and the South, 1830-1877

Essential Question: Did the Civil War resolve the sectional issues among the North, South and West?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. How did the rise of cotton cultivation affect the geographical distribution of population and the economy of the Old South? / 6.3.12.A, 6.3.12.B
2. What conditions in the Old South made it possible for a distinctive culture to develop among the slaves, and what were the predominant features of that culture? / 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
3. What economic and political forces fed westward expansion during the 1840’s? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B
4. How did the outcome of the Mexican-American War intensify intersectional conflict; and why did it split the Democratic Party? / 8.4.12.C, 8.4.12.D
5. To what extent did the Compromise of 1850 represent a genuine meeting of the minds between northerners and southerners? / 8.1.12.C
6. What role did the controversy over the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act contribute to the undoing of the Compromise? / 8.1.12.D
7. What were the political ramifications of the outbreak of conflict in Kansas? / 8.1.12.C
8. What led southerners to conclude that the North was bent not merely on restricting territorial slavery, but also on extinguishing slavery in southern states? / 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
9. How successfully did the governments and economies of the North and South respond to the pressures of war? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
10. How did the issues of slavery and emancipation transform the war? / 8.1.12.C
11. In what lasting ways did the Civil War change the United States as a nation? / 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
12. To what extent should Reconstruction be considered a failure? A success? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.B, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: The Transformation of a Nation, 1860-1920

Essential Question: How did various factors combine to thrust the United States into worldwide industrial leadership?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. How was life on the Great Plains transformed in the second half of the nineteenth century for both Indians and settlers? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
2. How was the Wild West image of cowboys and Indians created? Why has it remained so popular? / 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
3. What innovations in technology and business practices helped launch vast increases in industrial production and subsequent fortunes for some merchant capitalists? / 8.2.12.A, 8.1.12.A, 6.2.12.A, 6.2.12.B
4. What positive outcomes resulted from rapid industrialization for the North? / 8.1.12.C, 6.5.12.C, 6.5.12.D
5. How did the growth of cities and the influx of immigrants create a new awareness of ethnic and class differences? / 8.4.12.C
6. How did Victorian morality, women’s opportunities and working class unrest shape attitudes and patterns of everyday life? / 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
7. How did politics reflect the era of social and economic upheaval, 1877-1884? How did third parties impact American society in the late 19th century? / 5.2.12.E
8. How did the Grange Movement, Populism and Progressivism represent farmers’ growing concerns? What was the significance of the battle between the gold standard and the silver standard? / 8.3.12.A
9. Why and how did the United States turn from the continental concept of Manifest Destiny to a new, worldwide expansionism? / 8.4.12.D
10. As progressivism emerged as a national movement, which politicians and issues proved most important? How did progressivism change Americans’ view of the proper role of government? / 8.3.12.A, 6.2.12.G, 6.2.12.H, 6.2.12.I, 6.2.12.J
11. What objectives underlay America’s involvement in Asia and Latin America in the early twentieth century? / 8.4.12.C, 8.4.12.D
12. What steps did the United States take to maintain neutrality between 1914 and 1917 – and why did the United States enter the War in 1917? How did America’s participation in the Great War affect society and the reform spirit of the prewar Progressive Era? / 8.4.12.D
13. How did the role of the federal government in the United States economy and in American life generally, change in 1917-1918? / 8.2.12.D
14. To what extent was each of the following a progressive reformer: T. Roosevelt, W.H. Taft, Woodrow Wilson? / 8.3.12.B

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: The 1920’s Through Mid-Century, 1920-1960

Essential Question: How did economic developments, political values and mass culture change American society?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. What were the social, cultural, economic and political factors that contributed to the labeling of the Twenties as the “Roaring Twenties”? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.2.12.C, 8.3.12.C
2. What was the nature and the extent of the social/cultural conflict between WWI and WWII? / 8.3.12.D
3. How did the Crash of 1929 develop into the Depression by 1933? / 8.3.12.D, 6.1.12.D
4. What were the main characteristics of the New Deal: 1933-34, 1935-36, 1937-38? How successful was each step? / 8.3.12.C, 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
5. To what extent and why did the United States shift from neutrality to involvement, 1939-41? / 8.3.12.B
6. To what extent did the use of the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki contribute to the defeat of Japan? What were the reasons for the dropping of the bombs? / 8.4.12.D, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
7. What were the chief features of Yalta and Potsdam agreements? To what extent was each a success or failure? What were the long-term results of each? / 8.4.12.D
8. How did the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union change between 1945 and 1960? / 8.4.12.D
9. To what extent was American foreign policy from 1945-1968 motivated by economic interests and ideological issues? / 8.4.12.D, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
10. How does society in the 1950’s compare to that of the 1920’s? / 8.2.12.B, 8.3.12.C, 6.2.12.K

Name of Course: AP United States History Name of Unit: The Liberal Era to Today, 1960-Present

Essential Question: To what extent were the 1960’s a turning point in American social, political, and economic life?

Unit Objectives/Key Question / Priority / Aligned to Course Standard / Aligned to PA Standard
1. How did the Vietnam conflict impact American politics and American society? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.3.12.A, 8.3.12.D
2. How was John Kennedy’s New Frontier a new direction in domestic reform? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
3. What did LBJ’s Great Society accomplish? / 8.3.12.A
4. What and who were the key forces in the Civil Rights movement? / 8.3.12.A, 8.3.12.B
5. Where did America’s commitment to “containment” lead to using military force against leftist nationalist movements and what are the ramifications of that foreign policy? / 8.4.12.D
6. What steps were taken and by whom to extricate the United States from Vietnam? What was the political fallout along the way to peace? / 8.3.12.A
7. How did movements by youth, ethnic minorities and women challenge social forms? / 8.3.12.C
8. What accounts for the decline of the American economy in the early 1870’s? What did the presidents in that decade do to try to reverse the trend? / 8.3.12.A, 6.2.12.C, 6.2.12.D, 6.2.12.E, 6.2.12.F
9. How did the New Right challenge the liberal-moderate consensus that had dominated American politics since the New Deal? / 8.3.12.C, 8.3.12.D
10. How has the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union forced the United States to reevaluate its role in the world? / 8.1.12.A, 8.1.12.C, 8.1.12.D
11. How have fundamental changes in the economy led to significant changes in lifestyle and expectations for middle-class Americans? / 8.4.12.D, 6.1.12.C, 6.4.12.A, 6.4.12.B, 6.4.12.C, 6.4.12.D
12. What is the United States role in the technology-driven, global economy of today? How does both United States foreign policy and economic policy reflect the profound changes in the world order? / 8.4.12.C, 5.4.12.A, 5.4.12.B, 5.4.12.C, 5.4.12.D, 6.1.12.A, 6.1.12.B, 6.2.12.L, 6.3.12.D, 6.4.12.E, 6.4.12.F, 6.4.12.G, 6.5.12.A, 6.5.12.B, 6.5.12.D, 6.5.12.E
13. What seemingly intractable social problems does the United States face domestically? What have recent presidents done to try to solve them? To what extent have those efforts proven successful? / 8.2.12.A, 5.3.12.A, 5.3.12.B, 5.3.12.C, 5.3.12.D, 6.5.12.G, 6.5.12.H
14. What political challenges face the United States today? What is being done to meet them? / 5.3.12.E, 5.3.12.F, 5.3.12.G, 5.3.12.H, 5.3.12.I, 5.3.1.J

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