Coldwater High School

Mr. Henry
ADVANCED PLACEMENT® UNITED STATES HISTORY

This is a survey course in U. S. History designed for college bound students who may wish to take the A.P. test. In order to
cover the amount of material necessary for success on that test, the pace of the class will be rapid. Successful completion of
this course will require substantial amounts of reading and the ability to consistently produce quality work of various types.
Completion of all assigned readings will be crucial in this course as class time will be designed to go “in depth” regarding
topics from the readings rather than simply, for example, have lectures over the content of the text. All work, especially
writing assignments, will be held to a very high standard, in hopes of helping to prepare students for successful work in
college and success on the A.P. test.

TEXT
A People and A Nation, by Mary Beth Norton, et. al. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2001
OUTSIDE READINGS
Other readings will be assigned at times in this course. These readings will be chosen from both primary and
secondary sources. Audio-visual materials will also be of periodic use. More specific information will be provided at relevant
times.
REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS
9 Completion of assigned readings and outlines/notes of those readings. Notebooks will be collected at the end of each
unit.
9 Quizzes.
9 Essays and other writing assignments. Essays will be both assigned for in-class production and for homework. A
specific focus will be on Document Based Questions essays, such as will be seen on the AP Test. Essay assignments
listed by unit below are anticipated essay assignments. Those listed essay assignments may either be replaced or
supplemented with additional writing assignments as the year moves along.
9 Unit tests: both objective and essay. Note that the essay portion of unit tests will periodically be DBQs.
9 A final exam at the end of each trimester.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will:
9 master a broad body of historical knowledge
9 demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology
9 use historical data to support an argument or position
9 differentiate between historiographic schools of thought
9 interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, maps, letters, etc.
9 effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and affect, compare and contrast, and examining the validity
of claims
9 work effectively with others to produce products and solve problems
9 learn to effectively and clearly express ideas in writing
9 prepare for all facets of and successfully pass the AP US History Exam
THEME
The overarching theme for this AP course will be the “American Identity.” This theme will be largely, but not
exclusively, defined according to the Core Democratic Values outlined by the Department of Education for the State of
Michigan in its social studies benchmarks and standards. Through our historical studies we will come to understand our
nation better not only through the factual events that occur, but also by placing those events in a context regarding how they
define who we are as a people, and what values we collectively hold.
GRADING POLICY
Students' grades for this class will be based on a running total of points over the entire term. A student’s grade is
determined by dividing the number of points achieved in the term by the number of points possible, and applying the
grading scale below.
Grades will be determined by a modified grading scale: 88%-100% will be the A category, 78%-87% the B category,
68%-77% the C category, 58%-67% the D category. The top and bottom two percentage points in each grade category will
receive a plus or a minus respectively, with the exception of the “A” category, where 100% is required for an “A+”.
A final exam will be given at the end of each term covering that term’s work. The total of the exam’s value
will be the equivalent of two unit tests (200 points).
 Work is to be competed and submitted according to deadlines given. Work that fails to meet such deadlines will
be penalized ½ letter grade per day it is late, and after 5 days will not be accepted (barring extreme circumstances such as
health or family emergencies).
Plagiarized work will receive a grade of 0%.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST
The A.P. test in U.S. History is offered late in the spring (the exact date changes from year to year and will be posted to
our class website). While this class is structured in such a manner as to help prepare students for the AP test, it is also
designed to meet the needs of all students, regardless of whether they choose to take the AP test. Taking the AP test is not a
course requirement (per school policy). Students who do wish to take the AP Test will find purchasing study guides, forming
study groups, and seeking outside assistance from the instructor will be helpful to their cause of passing the AP Test.
CLASS WEBSITE
Our class website can be found at https://coldwateronline.calhounisd.org
Generic username: cold.g.henryhistory1
Generic password: apush
Handouts, unit guides, research resources, and other materials will routinely be posted to this website.
UNITS AND CHAPTERS
The list below provides an overview of the units of study for this course. Additional readings outside the textbook will
also be outlined with each unit. A detailed unit guide will be made available for each unit highlighting key ideas, people,
events, etc., to be learned in that unit.
1. Colonial America and Revolutionary America: Chapters 1-6
9 Reading Assignments: Chapter 1 (pp. 4-18); Chapter 2 (pp. 40-56); Chapter 3 (all); Chapter 4 (pp. 107-112)
Chapter 5 (all) Chapter 6 (all)
9 Key Themes: Freedom of Religion; American definition of freedom and the issue of economic freedom;
ideals of the American Revolution.
9 Key Topics: ‘Columbian Exchange’; causes of colonization and competition between European powers;
causes of American/British tensions; Enlightenment and Great Awakening; American Revolution and its
consequences
9 Writing Assignment: Revolutionary War as an Economic War.
2. National Government Chapters 7-9
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: American Identity in the Bill of Rights; Checks and Balances/Separation of Powers
9 Key Topics: Constitutional Convention and principles of the Constitution; Shaping of a national government,
Hamilton, Jefferson and the rise of political parties
9 Writing Assignment: Slavery and the Constitution
3. Reform and Sectionalism: Chapters 10-11 and 13
9 Reading Assignments: Chapter 10 (pp. 269-274); Chapter 11 (all); Chapter 13 (all)
9 Key Theme: Political and Economic Liberty
9 Key Topics: Early industrial revolution; Romanticism/Transcendentalism; social reform movements;
Jacksonian Democracy and its controversies
9 Writing Assignment: (1) Early Industrial Revolution DBQ; (2) Abolitionist Movement
4. Civil War and Reconstruction: Chapters 14-16
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: Proper role of government; Equality
9 Key Topics: Territorial expansion and slavery; political controversies between North and South; election of
1860; North and South at war; Emancipation and African-Americans at war; Presidential and Radical
Reconstruction; achievements and failures of Reconstruction; Civil War Amendments; Compromise of 1877
9 Writing Assignment: Civil War DBQ; Failure of Reconstruction DBQ
5. The West: Chapter 17
9 Reading Assignments: All pages
9 Key Theme: Justice
9 Key Topics: Railroad expansion; mining, farming, ranching; government policies towards Native Americans.
9 Writing Assignment: Claims of the Natives
6. Age of Big Business: Chapters 18-19
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Theme: Equality of Opportunity
 9 Key topics: Corporate consolidation; ‘Robber Barons or Captains of Industry?’; technological development
and its impact; the working class, immigrants, and unions; Social Darwinism.
9 Writing Assignment: Progress (?) of the American Worker
7. The Gilded Age and Progressivism: Chapters 20-21
9 Reading Assignments: Chapter 20 (pp. 560-574); Chapter 21 (all)
9 Key Themes: Common Good; Diversity; Representative Government
9 Key Topics: Urbanization and its problems; machine politics; reform movements (political, social, economic);
Populism and Progressivism; changes for women and African-Americans
9 Writing Assignment: Progressivism DBQ
8. Imperialism and WWI: Chapters 22-23
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: Patriotism; Diversity; Rule of Law
9 Key Topics: Political and economic expansion; Spanish-American War; T. Roosevelt’s foreign policy
objectives; WWI- American neutrality and involvement; WWI on the home front; Treaty of Versailles.
9 Writing Assignment: WWI DBQ
9. Boom and Bust: 20’s and 30’s: Chapters 24-25
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: Common Good; Representative Government
9 Key Topics: Development of a business and consumer culture; culture of modernism (science, arts,
entertainment) and reaction (fundamentalism, nativism, prohibition); causes of the Great Depression;
Hoover’s response; F. Roosevelt and the New Deal; New Deal coalition; consequences of the New Deal.
9 Writing Assignment: FDR’s Administration and the proper role of government
10. WWII: Chapters 26-27
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: Justice; Patriotism; Truth
9 Key Topics: Rise of fascism; US neutrality; Pearl Harbor and US entrance into WWII; war in Europe and the
Pacific; diplomacy during the war; the use of the Atomic Bomb; mobilization of the home front and impact of
the war on the US.
9 Writing Assignment: Examine the differences between Wilson and Roosevelt in entering a World War.
11. Cold War: Chapters 28-29, and 31
9 Reading Assignments: Chapter 28 (pp. 790-793, 796-800); Chapter 29 (all), Chapter 31 (all)
9 Key Themes: Truth; Rule of Law; Liberty
9 Key Topics: Origins of the Cold War; Truman Doctrine and Containment; Cold War in Asia; Cold War at
home (McCarthyism, etc.); Nuclear diplomacy; CIA and the Cold War; Cuba; Vietnam; domestic strife
(protests, Watergate); End of the Cold War.
9 Writing Assignment: Causes/Origins of the Cold War
12. Civil Rights: Chapters 20, 28, 30
9 Reading Assignments: Chapter 20 (pp. 560-563); Chapter 28 (pp. 801-805); Chapter 30 (pp. 856-867)
9 Key Themes: Liberty, Equality, Justice
9 Key Topics: Segregation/Jim Crow; Montgomery Bus Boycott; SCLC and Dr. King; SNCC and the sit-in
movement; Brown v. Board and school desegregation; Kennedy and Johnson and major civil rights
legislation; Black Power; the end of the movement
9 Writing Assignment: Examine/Evaluate the tactics of various groups seeking change in the 60’s and 70’s.
13. To the Present: Chapters 32-33
9 Reading Assignments: All pages of each chapter.
9 Key Themes: Individual Rights; Role of Government
9 Key Topics: Economic crisis: Ford, Carter, Reagan; ideological shift from liberal to conservative; Regan
Revolution; globalization of the US economy; US foreign policy after the Cold War; Clinton and scandal
9 Writing Assignment: Examine the ideological shift in the US from 1961 to 1988.
MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CLASS EVERY DAY
9 A 3-Ring binder that each student will bring to every class session for note taking.
9 3-holed loose leaf paper and a writing utensil.
9 The class text and any additional readings that have been assigned, as well as any handouts.
9 An academic mindset and a willingness to learn.