Course Description
AP U.S. History is a survey course covering American history from the Pre-Columbian period to
the present. The class is taught in accordance with the AP U.S. History curriculum framework,
and is designed to prepare students for the AP U.S. History Exam in May.
Textbooks, Supplemental Texts and Resources
Principal Text [CR1a]
Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Frederickson, & R. Hal Williams, America:
Past and Present, rev. 6th ed., Advanced Placement Edition. New York: Longman,
2003.
Supplemental Readings & Resources [CR1b & CR1c]
Ambrose, Stephen, Citizen Soldiers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
_______. Band of Brothers: Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from
Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.
AP released exams for 1985 & 2001.
Armstrong, Stephen, 5 Steps to a 5 on the Advanced Placement Examinations: U.S.
History. McGraw Hill.
Berkin, Carol; Christopher L. Miller; Robert W. Cherny; James L. Gormley, Making
America: A History of the United States, vols. 1-2, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin,
2005.
Boorstin, Daniel J., The Americans: The Colonial Experience. New York: Vintage Books,
1963.
_______., The Americans: The National Experience. New York: Vintage Books, 1965.
Cobbs-Hoffman, Elizabeth, Edward Blum, Jon Gjerde, eds., Major Problems in
American History, Vol. 1, 3rd ed., Boston: Wadsworth, 2012.
FitzGerald, Frances, Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam,
New York: Vintage Books, 1972.
Gorn, Elliott J., Randy Roberts, & Terry D. Bilhartz, Constructing the American Past: A
Source Book of a People’s History, Vol. I & II, 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2002.
Hargrove, Julia, The Primary Source: Historical Documents: Logan, Iowa: The
Perfection Form Company, 1987-1988.
Harrigan, Stephen, Gates of the Alamo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Kennedy, Roger G., Mr. Jefferson’s Lost Cause: Land, Farmers, Slavery, and the
Louisiana Purchase. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Larson, Eric, The Devil in the White City. New York: Vintage Books, 2004.
Lewis, Sinclair, Main Street. New York: Signet Classic, 1980.
McCullough, David, 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005.
Nevin, David, 1812: A Novel. New York: Forge, 1996.
Stanford History Education Group. Reading Like a Historian.
http://sheg.stanford.edu/home_page
Voices of Freedom: Sources in American History. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 1992.
1
Webb, Walter Prescott, The Great Plains. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1981.
Wright, Denise, Test Bank to Accompany America: Past and Present, rev. 6th ed.
Advanced Placement Edition. New York, Longman, 2003.
A wide variety of outside reading material, ranging from standard U.S. history textbooks
adopted by the State of Texas to more specifically targeted works (e.g., David McCullough’s
Morning on Horseback and Path Between the Seas or Warren I. Cohen’s The Revisionists: The
Lessons of Intervention in World War I) are also available for classroom use.
Units of Study
Each unit of study will address the concept questions as related to the time period:
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Concept Questions
How has American national identity changed over time?
How have changes in markets, transportation, & technology affected
American society?
How have changes in migration & population patterns affected American
life?
How have various groups sought to change the federal government’s role
in American political, social, & economic life?
How has U. S. involvement in global conflicts set the stage for domestic
social changes?
How did the institutions & values between the environment & Americans
shape various groups in North America?
How have changes in moral, philosophical, & cultural values affected U.
S. history?
First Grading Period
Introduction
The student will identify the different schools of historiography and the historians associated
with each.
Reading Assignments (RA): “Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are” (David McCullough,
http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis/archive/issue.asp?year=2005&month=04); “Why Study History”
(William H. McNeil, http://www.historians.org/pubs/archives/whmcneillwhystudyhistory.htm); “Why
Study History” (Paul Gagnon, Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 1998); Defining America: A Special Report (US
News and World Report, June/July 2004,
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/040628/28opener.htm); “The World According to Student
Bloopers” (Richard Lederer)
Activities
Students will write an essay that compares and contrasts the points of view expressed by
McCullough, McNeill, & Gagnon in explaining the value of studying history.
2
PERIOD 1: 1491-1607 [CR2]
Content
Demographics of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa; Meso-American culture; transatlantic
commerce; comparison of colonies across the Americas (religion, economies, politics, cultures);
and foundations of slavery.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapter 1-2)
Activities
• History Logs—informal writing in class
1. Read your notes and write a 1-2 sentence summary at the bottom of each page.
2. Underline or highlight the important facts.
3. Choose one idea or event that is most important.
4. On your dated History Log, write a short essay using the following to stimulate your
thinking: What have you learned? What have you thought about? What questions do you
have?
• Working in groups, students develop a class presentation that analyzes reasons for the
development of different labor systems in any two of the following regions of British colonial
settlement: New England, the Chesapeake, the southernmost Atlantic coast, and the British West
Indies. [CR4]
• Students will read the first chapter of America: Past and Present and view the video program
Columbus: Explorer of the New World; then will write an in-class essay, which includes a thesis
statement, responding to the question, “Columbus: hero or villain?”
• Students will identify and discuss the European view of Native Americans through the reading
of Bartolomé de Las Casas, In Defense of the Indians (Human Record, vol. 2 or
http://www.chss.montclair.edu/~landwebj/105/1casas.htm). [CR6]
• Students will complete a Semantic Features Chart to compare & contrast English, French, &
Spanish styles off exploration and colonization. Once the chart is completed, students will write
an essay which analyzes the cultural and economic responses of two of the following groups to
the Indians of North America before 1750:
1. British
2. French
3. Spanish
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Concept Questions
How did the identities of colonizing and indigenous American societies
change as a result of contact in the Americas?
How did the Columbian Exchange—the mutual transfer of material
goods, commodities, animals, and diseases—affect interaction
between Europeans and natives and among indigenous peoples in
North America?
3
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Where did different groups settle in the Americas (before contact) and
how and why did they move to and within the Americas (after contact)?
How did Spain’s early entry into colonization in the Caribbean, Mexico,
and South America shape European and American developments in this
period?
How did European attempts to dominate the Americas shape relations
between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans?
How did pre-contact populations of North America relate to their
environments? How did contact with Europeans and Africans change
these relations in North America?
How did cultural contact challenge the religious and other values systems
of peoples from the Americas, Africa, and Europe?
PERIOD 2: 1607–1754 [CR2]
Content
European colonization; American Indian resistance; economic and population patterns;
formation of race and identity; and tensions with Britain.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 2-4)
Activities: Colonization
• Using the main textbook combined with Internet research in the Library computer lab,
complete a map showing the resources and products for different regions. Describe the
settlement of Northern, Middle, and Southern colonies showing motives, location, religious
influences, political system, economic structure, labor source, relations with natives, etc. Discuss
in small groups the environmental and geographic impact on the development of each region.
• Using Thomas Harriot, “From a Brief and True Report of the New Found Land” & Richard Frethorne,
“An Indentured Servant Describes Life in Virginia in a Letter to His Parents” (Constructing the American
Past, vol. 1or http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6475) plus selections from “The Diaries of William Byrd”
(Constructing the American Past, vol. 1—cf.
http://www2.wwnorton.com/college/history/archive/resources/documents/ch03_02.htm) & “The Memoirs
of Benjamin Franklin” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1), focusing on contextualization, students
will be able to discuss the challenges and risks of abandoning life in the British Isles for the uncertainties
yet potential rewards and opportunities available in Britain’s North American colonies. [CR6]
• Using John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1 or
http://history.hanover.edu/texts/winthmod.html) & “City upon a Hill,” 1630
(http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/winthrop.htm); Samuel Parris, “Christ Knows How Many Devils
There Are,” 1692 (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1); and Ann Putnam’s Deposition (1692) &
Confession (1706), in classroom discussion students will compare and contrast the ways in which
17th-century religious beliefs shaped the development of the colonies. [CR6]
• After studying colonial development and utilizing all readings, students will write an essay
comparing and contrasting early encounters between American Indians and European colonists
and how those experiences led to a variety of relationships among the different cultures. Students
will analyze how the actions taken by both American Indians and European colonists shaped
those relationships in two of the following regions. Confine your answers to the 1600s.
 New England
4



Chesapeake
Spanish Southwest
New York and New France
PERIOD 3: 1754–1800 [CR2]
Content
British colonial policies; Enlightenment ideas; war for independence; formation of republic and
national identity; work and labor (free and unfree); and regional economic differences.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapter 5-7)
Activities: American Revolution
• Students will read selections from Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia (Constructing the
American Past, vol. 1 or http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefVirg.html) and, in small groups,
assess how conditions in the Old Dominion had evolved over time since they read the account of Richard
Frethorne (above, “Activities,” Period 2 ). [CR6] [CR9]
• Students will read John Wesley from “A Sermon Preached at St. Matthew’s, Bethnal Green, on
Sunday, Nov. 12, 1775” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1) and Wesley’s letter to Earl of
Dartmouth, June 14, 1775 and then evaluate the cause-and-effect relationship which Wesley identifies
between current British colonial policy in North America and the probable results of said policy.
• Introduce the DBQ with students working in groups, reading and analyzing the documents to
answer the prompt: In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-1763) alter political,
economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? Students will
also utilize information from lessons and articles to answer prompt: “The Real First World War
and the Making of America” by Fred Anderson. (http://www.americanheritage.com/content/realfirst-world-war-and-making-america) [CR6]
• Students will read Gordon S. Wood, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution”
(http://moodle.wpcp.org/pluginfile.php/15165/mod_resource/content/0/Wood__Radicalism_Am_Rev_essay.pdf) and Gary B. Nash, “The Radical Revolution from the Bottom
Up” from Major Problems in American History to help them determine: “Who was the real
patriot?” [CR6]
• Students look at primary and secondary sources on the Articles of Confederation and U.S.
Constitution; then debate the degree to which the Constitution reflected an emerging sense of
American national identity. [CR4]
• Using the Smart Board to view specific works of art by Paul Revere, Joseph Blackburn,
Charles Wilson Peale, John Trumbull, John Singleton Copley, and Benjamin West, students will
then discuss what the work of these artists tells us about the role of class, race, gender, and
nationality in late 18th century America. [CR1b]
• Using the Smart Board to view selected examples of colonial cartooning, students will discuss
the degree to which colonial society perceived the Mother Country and her rulers as wholly bad
if not the very instrument of the dark side. [CR1b]
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
5
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Concept Questions
What were the chief similarities and differences among the development
of English, Spanish, Dutch, and French colonies in America?
How did distinct economic systems, most notably a slavery system based
on African labor, develop in British North America? What was their effect
on emerging cultural and regional differences?
Why did various colonists go to the New World? How did the increasing
integration of the Atlantic world affect the movement of peoples between
its different regions?
In what ways did the British government seek to exert control over its
American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries?
How did the competition between European empires around the world
affect relations among the various peoples in North America?
How and why did the English North American colonies develop into
distinct regions?
How did the expansion of cultural contact that took place with permanent
colonization alter conditions in North America and affect intellectual and
religious life, the growth of trade, and the shape of political institutions?
Second Grading Period
PERIOD 3: 1754–1800 continued [CR2]
Content
British colonial policies; enlightenment ideas; war for independence; formation of republic and
national identity; work and labor (free and unfree); and regional economic differences.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 6-7)
Activities: Early Nationhood
• By reading selections from selections from Patrick Henry speeches at Virginia State Ratifying
Convention (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1 or http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henryliberty.html); George Washington letters (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1); and selections from
Federalist Papers (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1 or
http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/), students will compose a brief essay comparing and
contrasting the views of both men and pinpointing critical changes in American political outlook over
time. [CR6] [CR9]
• Read excerpts from writings of John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, and George Washington about
American exceptionalism. How did the time period of these writings influence differences, if
any, of the concept of American exceptionalsim? [CR6]
• Using Linda Kerber’s “The Fears of the Federalists”
(http://soa.ccsdschools.com/common/pages/displayfile.aspx?itemid=12761653) and Drew
McCoy’s “The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans”
(http://soa.ccsdschools.com/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=12761665) as sources,
students will compare and contrast the ideologies of Hamilton and Jefferson in terms of the role
of government, individual rights, and the economic destiny of the United States. [CR6]
6
• After viewing PowerPoints on both the Articles of Confederation & the U. S. Constitution,
students will write an essay on the prompt FRQ: Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of
Confederation were effective in solving the problems of the new nation. What promises of
republicanism did the Articles offer?
• Using the Smart Board to view specific works of art by Gilbert Stuart, William Rush,
Washington Allston, Samuel Morse, and Mather Brown, students will analyze images using the
concepts race, democracy, class, and nationalism, and what the work of these respective artists
tells us about the role of class, race, gender, and nationality in late-18th century America.
[CR1b]
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Concept Questions
How did different social group identities evolve during the revolutionary
struggle? How did leaders of the new United States attempt to form a
national identity?
How did the newly independent United States attempt to formulate a
national economy?
How did the revolutionary struggle and its aftermath reorient whiteAmerican Indian relations and affect subsequent population movements?
How did the ideology behind the revolution affect power relationships
between different ethnic, racial, and social groups?
How did the revolution become an international conflict involving
competing European and American powers?
How did the geographical and environmental characteristics of regions
opened up to white settlement after 1763 affect their subsequent
development?
Why did the patriot cause spread so quickly among the colonists after
1763? How did the republican ideals of the revolutionary cause affect the
nation’s political culture after independence?
PERIOD 4: 1800–1848 [CR2]
Content
Definition of democratic practices; expansion of the vote; market revolution; territorial and
demographic growth; two-party system; Andrew Jackson; and role of the federal government in
slavery and the economy.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 8-14)
Activities: Nationalism/Jackson
7
• In small group sessions, students will explore the rise of sectionalism as reflected in issues such
as the Bank of the U.S., sales of western lands, tariffs, slave importation, Native American
removal, and internal improvements. Debriefing will focus on historical causation.
• Students are given an assignment to research one antebellum reform movement and explain
how it fit into broader patterns of antebellum reform. (POL-3) [CR4]
• Students will write an essay responding to the following question: To what extent did the
debates about the Mexican War and its aftermath reflect the sectional interests of New
Englanders, westerners, and southerners in the period from 1845 to 1855?
• In small groups, students will discuss the contrasting interpretations of the Texas Revolution of
1836 after reading William Travis to Sam Houston, February 25, 1836 (Constructing the American
Past, vol. 1 or http://www.ntanet.net/travis.html); José Enrique del la Peňa eyewitness account of Battle
of at the Alamo (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1and
http://www.cah.utexas.edu/exhibits/Pena/english/exhibit5.html); and the comprehensive perspectives
drawn from Stephen Harrigan’s book, Gates of the Alamo [CR6]
Activities: 19th Century Reform
• After reading the “Declaration of Sentiments” from Seneca Falls (Constructing the American Past, vol.
1 or http://www.nps.gov/archive/wori/declaration.htm), in class students will compare and contrast the
gender equity existing in the mid-19th century to the gender equity of the early 21st century. [CR6]
• After reading David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (Constructing the American
Past, vol. 1 or http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/walker/walker.html); selections from Harriet Jacobs from
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1 or
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Sjacobs.htm and
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/JACOBS/hjhome.htm) & Harriet Beecher Stowe from Uncle Tom’s
Cabin (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1 or
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/STOWE/stowe.html and
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/special/exhibits/clastext/clspg149.htm), in class students will compare and
contrast race relations in mid-19th century America to race relations of early 21st century America. [CR6]
• After reading Barton Stone’s “The Smile of Heaven Shone” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1
and http://www.whiteestate.org/books/mol/Appendix%20A.html) & selections from An Apology for
Camp Meetings (Constructing the American Past, vol. 1), students will break into small groups and
discuss the why the frontier denominations—Methodism, Baptistry, & Presbyterianism—enjoyed greater
success in those less developed agricultural regions in quickly growing frontier regions. [CR6]
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Concept Questions
How did debates over American democratic culture and the proximity of
many different cultures living in close contact affect changing definitions
of national identity?
How did the growth of mass manufacturing in the rapidly urbanizing
North affect definitions of and relationships between workers, and those
for whom they worked? How did the continuing dominance of agriculture
and the slave system affect southern social, political, and economic life?
How did the continued movement of individuals and groups into, out of,
8
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
and within the United States shape the development of new communities
and the evolution of old communities?
How did the growth of ideals of mass democracy, including such concerns
as expanding suffrage, public education, abolitionism, and care for the
needy affect political life and discourse?
How did the United States use diplomatic and economic means to project
its power in the western hemisphere? How did foreign governments and
individuals describe and react to the new American nation?
How did environmental and geographic factors affect the development of
sectional economics and identities?
How did the idea of democratization shape and reflect American arts,
literature, ideals, and culture?
Third Grading Period
PERIOD 5: 1844-1877 [CR2]
Content
Tensions over slavery; reform movements; imperialism; women and nonwhites; public
education; Mexican War; public education; Civil War; and Reconstruction.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 15-16)
Activities: Sectionalism
• Students read the sources in a document-based question (DBQ) on the Mexican-American War
and engage in a classroom debate on President Polk’s motives for entering the war. [CR4]
• Students will read “Popular Sovereignty Should Settle the Slavery Question” by Stephen A.
Douglass; “Slavery Should Not Be Allowed to Spread” by Abraham Lincoln from Opposing
Viewpoints. Students will identify major arguments of each man, and then debate whose
argument was most persuasive. Their analysis should address at least two of the following
features from each of the documents: audience, purpose, point of view, format, argument,
limitations, and content germane to the evidence considered. [CR7] [CR6]
• Students will read the thee-part Spectator article “White Southerners Defense of Slavery”(
http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/teaching/vclassroom/proslavewsht1.html;
http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/teaching/vclassroom/proslavewsht2.html; &
http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/teaching/vclassroom/proslavewsht3.html) What were the moral,
political, and economic arguments for slavery?
• Utilizing information from presentations, articles, and textbooks, students will write an essay
addressing the question: Assess the moral arguments and political actions of those opposed to the
expansion of slavery in the context of two of the following:
1. Missouri Compromise
2. Mexican War
3. Compromise of 1850
4. Kansas-Nebraska Act
Activities: Civil War & Reconstruction
9
• Using the Smart Board to view selected examples of Thomas Nast cartoons, students chart the
evolution of northern attitudes toward freedmen during Reconstruction
• After reading the Initiation Oath of the Knights of the White Camelia (Constructing the American Past,
vol. 1 or http://www.stolaf.edu/people/fitz/COURSES/RECON.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_White_Camelia), student will compose a short change over
time essay that compares and contrasts racial attitudes and outlooks of the Reconstruction south with 21st
century attitudes and outlooks in America. [CR6]
• After reading Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address (http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres32.html), students will
write a short essay analyzing the hope the president held out for future restoration of the American
republic and assessing the degree to which Lincoln’s hopes were or were not realized. [CR6]
• After reading excerpts from the Congressional Report on the Coushatta Affair/Massacre, students will
compose a DBQ essay evaluating the accuracy of both the final assessment of the Congressional
Subcommittee and the honesty/accuracy of those who testified before said subcommittee.
• Using the Smart Board to view a selection of Mathew Brady photographs (both battlefield
scenes and portraiture), students discuss in class the ways in which technological changes
revolutionized the nature of 19th century warfare and the stress and strain of holding political
office (particularly as evidenced in Brady’s photographs of Lincoln from 1860-1865). [CR1b]
[CR6] [CR9]
• Working in small groups, students will prepare for the following DBQ: Discuss the changing
ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution and the outbreak of the Civil
War. What factors fostered the emergence of “republican motherhood” and the “cult of
domesticity”? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced lives of women during this
period. In your answer, consider issues of class and race. Students then write a take home essay
on this question.
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Concept Questions
How did migration to the United States change popular ideas of American
Identity and citizenship as well as regional and racial identities? How did
the conflicts that led to the Civil War change popular ideas about national,
regional, and racial identities throughout this period?
How did the maturing of northern manufacturing and the adherence of the
South to an agricultural economy change the national economic system by
1877?
How did the growth of mass migration to the United States and the
railroad affect settlement patterns in cities and the West?
Why did attempts at compromise before the war fail to prevent the
conflict? To what extent, and in what ways, did the Civil War and
Reconstruction transform American political and social relationships?
How was the American conflict over slavery part of larger global events?
How did the end of slavery and technological and military developments
transform the environment and settlement patterns in the South and the
West?
10
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
How did the doctrine of Manifest Destiny affect debates over territorial
expansionism and the Mexican War? How did the Civil War struggle
shape Americans’ beliefs about equality, democracy, and national
destiny?
Fourth Grading Period
PERIOD 6: 1865–1898 [CR2]
Content
Reconstruction; U.S. imperialism, industrialization, immigration, urbanization; women’s
movement; and working class culture and leisure.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 17-20)
Activities: Gilded Age
• Students will write an essay on this DBQ: In the post–Civil War United States, corporations
grew significantly in number, size, and influence. Analyze the impact of big business on the
economy and politics and the responses of Americans to these changes. Confine your answer to
the period 1870 to 1900. [CR8] [CR13a]
• After reading “Eyewitness Reports of Indians interviewed by Office of Indian Affairs” (Constructing
the American Past, vol. 2) & “Government and Military Statements on Wounded Knee” (Constructing
the American Past, vol. 2), students working in small groups will discuss the disparity between
promises made by the U. S. government to Native Americans and the realities of life for Native
Americans between 1865-1898. [CR6]
• After reading selections from Margaret Sanger, The Woman Rebel & The Case for Birth Control
(Constructing the American Past, vol. 2, 109-111 or
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/outsidelink.html/http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:139807);
Anthony Comstock’s “Views on Birth Control” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Comstock); & Michael P. Dowling from Race Suicide
(Constructing the American Past, vol. 2), students will compare and contrast differing American outlooks
during the last half of the 19th century with early-21st century points of view, as well as discuss the
demographic impacts that widespread acceptance of birth control has had on the nation. [CR6]
• After reading Jacob Riis, “Little Italy” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 or
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5718/) & “Jewtown” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 or
http://www.yale.edu/amstud/inforev/riis/chap10.html), students will write a short essay on how
Americans during the Gilded Age justified discriminatory attitudes toward immigrants coming to
America from southern and eastern Europe. [CR6]
• After reading “Fair Wages” by a Striker (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2) & Samuel Gompers,
“. . . A Declaration of Protest in the Name of American Manhood . . .” (Constructing the American Past,
vol. 2), students will compare and contrast the issues relevant to American labor during the Gilded Age
and those that dominate the 21st century. [CR6]
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
11
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Concept Questions
How did the rapid influx of immigrants from other parts of the world than
northern and western Europe affect debates about American national
identity?
How did technological and corporate innovations help to vastly increase
industrial production? What was the impact of these innovations on the
lives of working people?
How and why did the sources of migration to the United States
change dramatically during this period?
How did the political culture of the Gilded Age reflect the emergence of
new corporate power? How successful were the challenges to this power?
Why did challenges to this power fail?
How did the search for new global markets affect American foreign policy
and territorial ambitions?
In what ways, and to what extent, was the West “opened” for further
settlement through connection to eastern political, financial, and
transportation systems?
How did artistic and intellectual movements both reflect and challenge the
emerging corporate order?
Fifth Grading Period
PERIOD 7: 1890–1945 [CR2]
Content
Progressive reform; radicalism; World War I and Russian revolution; first red scare; first great
migration of African Americans; race riots; culture wars of the 1920s; Hoover and FDR in the
capitalist crisis; New Deal; and World War II.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 21-27)
Activities: Expansionism/Progressivism
• After reading Theodore Roosevelt, “The Strenuous Life” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 or
http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst203/documents/trspeech.html), students will break into small groups
to discuss the way in which TR practiced in his own political career what he preached in the speech that
they read. [CR6]
• Students will write a response to the following FRQ: Analyze the roles that women played in
Progressive Era reforms from the 1880s through 1920. Focus your essay on two of the following:
1. Politics
2. Social conditions
3. Labor
4. Working conditions [CR5]
• After viewing a PowerPoint presentation on selected cartoons published in connection with the
Spanish-American War and reading William Graham Sumner, “The Conquest of the United States by
Spain” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 or http://praxeology.net/WGS-CUS.htm), students
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examine how advocates and critics used political cartoons to express their positions on
annexation of the Philippines. [CR1b] [CR6]
Activities: War, Boom, and Bust
• Students will read “Selling the War” as seen through contemporary recruitment posters (Constructing
the American Past, vol. 2 and http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/index.htm &
http://library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/britpost/posters.htm & http://www.rareposters.com/ww1recruiting.html), and then discuss how said posters influenced the positions that
Americans took concerning U. S. involvement in the war. [CR1b]
• World War I simulation focusing on the U.S. entrance into the War. Students working in small
groups will answer the following: “Was World War I an extension of the Progressive
Movement?” and “To what degree did the U. S. Enter World War I for the same reasons as the
members of the Allied and Central Powers?” [CR12]
• Students will write an essay comparing Wilson’s Neutrality document to George Washington’s,
and discuss the changes in the context in which U.S. foreign policy was made. [CR13b] [CR9]
• Students will read “Darrow versus Bryan Court Transcript (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2) &
H. L. Mencken, “In Memoriam: W. J. B.” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken, and thereafter discuss the contemporary issues raised by the
Scopes Trial. [CR6]
• Analyze the origins and outcomes of the intense cultural conflicts of the 1920s. In your
response, focus on two of the following:
1. Immigration
2. Prohibition
3. Religion
Activities: FDR Era
• Digital History: The Great Depression Statistics in maps—maps include data from
1920, 1930, and 1940 that focus on wealth and income broken down by race and gender. What
do the numbers say? Not say? In small groups, students will draw conclusions and share results
with the large group. [CR1b]
• After viewing “Photographic essay of Depression families” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2 and
http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blyindexdepression.htm & reading “Letters to the President”
(Constructing the American Past, vol. 2), students will analyze the impact of the economic collapse of the
1920s. [CR1b]
• Debate Topic: The New Deal was an effective answer to the Great Depression.
• Students will write an essay on the following FRQ: To what extent were the policies of the
New Deal a distinct turning point in U.S. history, and to what extent were they merely an
extension of Progressive Era policy goals? Confine your answer to programs/policies that
addressed the specific needs of American workers. [CR10]
• After reading “The War letters of Skipper & Joy Bilhartz” (Constructing the American Past, vol. 2),
students will analyze the impact of global events like World War II as they were felt at the grass roots
level within individual family units
• “Reading Like a Historian” lesson (http://sheg.stanford.edu/home_page): Students investigate a
series of primary documents to address the question: Why were Japanese-Americans interned
during the Second World War [CR6]
Review
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As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
Concept Questions
How did continuing debates over immigration and assimilation reflect
changing ideals of national and ethnic identity? How did class identities
change in this period?
How did movements for political and economic reform take shape in this
period, and how effective were they in achieving their goals?
Why did public attitudes towards immigration become negative during
this time period? How and why did people migrate within the U.S. during
this time period?
How did reformist ideals change as they were taken up by reformers in
different time periods? Why did opposition emerge to various reform
programs?
Why did U.S. leaders decide to become involved in global conflicts such
as the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II? How did
debates over intervention reflect public views of America’s role in the
world?
Why did reformers seek for the government to wrest control of the
environment and national resources from commercial interests?
How did “modern” cultural values evolve in response to developments in
technology? How did debates over the role of women in American public
life reflect changing social realities?
Sixth Grading Period
PERIOD 8: 1945–1980 [CR2]
Content
Atomic age and the Cold War; suburban development and the affluent society; the other
America; Vietnam; social movements of the long 1960s; Great Society programs; economic and
political decline in the 1970s; and rise of conservatism.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 28-31)
Activities: The Cold War Begins
• With the aid of the Smart Board & PowerPoint, complete a map highlighting Cold War hot
spots. Identify specific locations/events on all continents and include the U.S. president involved.
Thereafter, compose an essay that analyzes the successes and failures of the U.S. Cold War
policy of containment as it developed in two of the following regions during the period 1945 to
1975:
1. Europe
2. Asia and Southeast Asia
3. Latin America
4. Middle East [CR1b]
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• By looking at various primary sources, students debate the global implications of the Atomic
age. [CR3]
• After examining Marvel Comic’s Iron Man: Vengeance in Vietnam, 1975 families (Constructing the
American Past, vol. 2) & selection of Vietnam era political cartoons
(http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/V/Vietnam.asp & http://www.vvavtsc.com/cartoons.htm &
http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietimages/Cartoons/cartoons.htm), students will compare and
contrast the different perceptions of the conflict and offer explanations regarding why public opinion was
so divided. [CR1b] [CR6]
Activities: 1960s-1990s
• After reading JFK’s Jan 20, 1961 Inaugural Address (http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html),
students will break into small groups and discuss how Kennedy’s admonition to serve their country was
applied over the next forty years. [CR6]
• After reading selections from Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi (Constructing the
American Past, vol. 2 and http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/ws/sqmoody.pdf and
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/undergrad/pat/Journal2004/reviews.pdf), students will pinpoint
landmark events that reduced racial discrimination during the period 1960-1999. [CR6]
• Students take notes on a lecture about suburban patterns in the 1940s and 1950s and discuss
how these patterns reflected and contributed to larger inequalities based on race, gender, and
class.
• Students write an essay debating the role of popular music in affecting public attitudes toward
the Vietnam War. (CUL-6) [CR4]
• “Reading Like a Historian” lesson (http://sheg.stanford.edu/home_page): Students consider
Kennedy’s commitment to civil rights by comparing speeches from Kennedy and SNCC leader
John Lewis. [CR6]
Review
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Concept Questions
How did the African-American Civil Rights movement affect the
development of other movements based on asserting the rights of different
groups in American society? How did American involvement in the Cold
War affect debates over American national identity?
How did the rise of American manufacturing & global economic
dominance in the years after World War II affect standards of living
among & opportunities for different social groups?
How did the growth of migration to & within the United States influence
demographic change & social attitudes in the nation?
How did the changing fortunes of liberalism & conservatism in these
years affect broader aspects of social & political power?
Why did Americans endorse a new engagement in international affairs
during the Cold War? How did this belief change over time in response to
particular events?
Why did public concern about the state of natural environment grow
during this period, & what major changes in public policy did this create?
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Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
How did changes in popular culture reflect or cause changes in social
attitudes? How did the reaction to these changes affect political & public
debates?
PERIOD 9: 1980-present [CR2]
Content
Reagan at home & abroad; growth of poverty; George H. W. Bush & end of the Cold War;
Clinton & the Internet; race relations; NAFTA & other trade agreements; 9/11; Patriot Act;
education policies of George W. Bush & Obama; & environmental policies.
RA: America: Past and Present (Chapters 32-33)
Activities: 1960s-1990s
• After reading Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” Speech in 1983
(http://www.hbci.com/~tgort/empire.htm), students analyze the speech listing those things which made it
produce such dramatic results. [CR6] [CR7]
• Student will examine Gulf War cartoons & satire
(http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/directory/g/gulf_war.asp &
http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/images/gulfwatch.htm &
http://yorick.infinitejest.org:81/1/hitlercard.html) and US News & World Report collection of Gulf War I
international news coverage (January 1991) and then compare and contrast this late-20th century example
to the U. S. intervention in the Mexican War of 1846-1848 & the Spanish-American War of 1898.
[CR1b] [CR6] [CR11]
• Student write an essay that compares technological developments from 1800 to 2013, noting
the impact of technology on culture and politics. [CR3] [CR5]
• Student write a mock op-ed article for or against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge; students should cite precedents in U. S. law and history to justify the editorial position
taken [CR4]
• Students break into groups to examine different genres of music (punk, folk, country, rock &
roll, rap, etc.) & then present to the class how their music helps us understand national political
& cultural changes and continuities. [CR6] [CR9]
Review & AP Exam
Review & Semester Exam
As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the
essential questions.
Themes
Identity
Work, Exchange, &
Technology
Concept Questions
How did demographic & economic changes in American society affect
popular debates over American national identity?
How did the shift to a global economy affect American economic life?
How did scientific & technological developments in these years change
how Americans lived & worked?
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Peopling
Politics & Power
America in the
World
Environment &
Geography
Ideas, Beliefs, &
Cultures
How did increased migration raise questions about American identity &
affect the nation demographically, culturally, & politically.
How successful were conservatives in achieving their goals? To what
extend did liberalism remain influential politically & culturally?
How did the end of the Cold War affect American foreign policy? How
did terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 impact America’s role in the
world?
How did debates over climate change & energy policy affect broader
social & political movements?
How did technological & scientific innovations in areas such as
electronics, biology, medicine, & communications affect society, popular
culture, & public discourse? How did a more demographically diverse
population shape popular culture?
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