Download Advance Placement United States History

Advance Placement United States History
Course Syllabus
Course Description
History is the study of what has happened in the past, but it is also a study of who we are as a
people and a society. Our interpretation of history is constantly changing, as new information
is gathered changing our perceptions of the past and who we are. Students need to learn from
the past to truly understand who they are; who we are.
Advanced Placement United States History is a college-level introductory course which will
cover the nation’s history from pre-Columbian times to the present. The course will focus on
the political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic development of the nation.
This course is designed to prepare students to take the AP-United States History exam in May.
This course will expose student to primary and secondary sources to help them better
understand the past and prepare them for the test.
Class Expectations and Grades
Students will be expected to keep up with the reading and participate in all class discussions.
Graded works include study guides, reading quizzes, unit test, essays, projects, charts, exit slips
and profiles. Tests, Quizzes, and Essays are equal to 70% and all other grades are equal to 30%
of a student’s grade.
Textbook
Kennedy, David, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant, 16th ed., Boston: Cengage
Learning, 2016, 2013.
Primary and Secondary Sources
Hymowitz, Carol, and Michaele Weissman. A History of Women in America, New York: Bantam
Books, 1984.
Kennedy, David and Thomas Bailey. The American Spirit: United States History as Seen by
Contemporaries, 2 Vols. 11th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
Mandaras, Larry, and James M. SoRelle. Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History,
2 Vols. 14th ed., New York: McGraw Hill, 2011.
Ward, Kyle. History in the Making, New York: New Press, 2007.
Unit 1: 1491-1733 -The American Pageant, Chapters 1 -3
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Content: Native American society before Columbus, the Spanish conquest and colonization of
the Americas, the Colombian Exchange and commerce, the English colonization of North
America, Dutch colonization in North America, the arrival of enslaved African in the Americas,
and interactions between Native Americans and Europeans.
Activities:
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Students will create a visual representation of the Columbian Exchange which should
include the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and human migrations. Students will
take part in a class discussion on the Columbian Exchange and it impact on North
America, Europe, and Africa. Students will write an Exit Slip addressing the following
question: Which continent did the Columbian Exchange have the greatest impact?
Students will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast European views on Native
American based on “Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda Belittles the Indians” and “Bartolemé de
Las Casas Defends the Indians.” (The American Spirit pp. 3-6)
Students will analyze the following primary source documents from The American Spirit
using two or more of the following: Historical context, purpose and intended audience,
the author’s point of view, type of source, argument, and tone.
o Documents: “A Slave Is Taken to Barbados”, “A West Indian Planter Reflects on
Slavery in Barbados”, “The Intolerant Act of Toleration”, “John Winthrop’s
Concept of Liberty.”
Students will use OPTICS to analyze an engraving by J.W. Barber, “Attack on a Pequot
Fort During the Pequot War of 1637” (p. 47, The American Pageant)
Students will read Chapter 1 (Native American Relations with the New Colonists) and
Chapter 5 (Captain John Smith and Pocahontas) of Kyle Ward’s History in the Making,
then create an Ideal Comparison Chart to show how earlier interpretations differ from
their textbook.
Students will take a Unit Exam which will include multiple choice questions, short
answer questions, and free response essay from the 2008 AP Exam:
o Early encounters between American Indians and European colonists led to a
variety of relationships among different cultures.
o Students will write an essay that examines how the actions taken by BOTH
American Indians and European colonists shaped those relationships in TWO of
the following regions. Confine your answer to the 1600s and be sure to develop
you thesis.
 New England
 Chesapeake
 Spanish Southwest
 New York and New France
Unit 2: 1607-1763 – The American Pageant, Chapters 4-6
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Content: Life in the Chesapeake region and New England, Indenture servants and Bacon’s
Rebellion, the spread of slavery, Immigration and population growth, Atlantic economy, The
Great Awakening, Education and culture, French colonization, Conflict with Native Americans,
and The French and Indian War (Seven Years’ War).
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources from The
American Spirit: “A Contract for Indentured Service”, “The Baconite Grievances”,
“Slavery Is Justified”, “The Stono River Rebellion in South Carolina”, “Jonathan Edwards
Paints the Horrors of Hell”, and “The Proclamation of 1763.” Students also need to use
SOAPSTone to analyze “Immigrant Groups in 1775” map and Franklin’s “Join, or Die”
Cartoon in The American Pageant.
Students will map the Triangular Trade. (ID-6)(WXT-1)(WXT-2)(PEO-1)
Working in groups, students will 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. (WXT-4)
“Was the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria Caused by a Fear of Women?”- Students will
evaluate the perspectives of Karlson (pro) in from The Devil in the Shape of a Woman:
Witchcraft in Colonial New England and Carlson (con) in from A Fever in Salem from
Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History, then participate in a class
discussion/debate on the topic.
Students will read “Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crévecoeur Discovers a New Man” and
analyze “The Growth of the Colonial Population” in The American Spirit and search for at
least one current article on American Identity. Students will write an essay evaluating
each person’s view on what characteristics describe an American and whether he or she
agrees with them. (ID-1)(ID-3)
Students will take a Unit Exam which will include Multiple Choice Question, Short
Answer Questions, and a free response essay:
o Assess the relative importance of THREE of the following factors in the
development of a unique nation among the people in England’s thirteen colonies
during the eighteenth century. (ID-1)(ID-5)
 Population growth
 National origins
 Economic factors
 Political development
 Religious developments
 Geographical factors
Unit 3: 1763-1790 – The American Pageant, Chapters 7-9
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Content: mercantilism, roots of revolution, The Stamp Act, The Boston Tea Party and
Intolerable Acts, the meeting of the First Continental Congress, War for Independence, The
Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Paris of 1783, economic difficulties, Articles of
Confederation, Constitutional Convention, and the Ratification of the Constitution.
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources.
o From The American Spirit- “Patrick Henry Demands Boldness”, “Thomas Paine
Talks Common Sense”, “Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence”,
“Daniel Gray Explains the Shaysites’ Grievance”, “Anti-Federalist Demands
Deliberation”, and “James Madison Defends the New Constitution.”
o Map of the Northwest Ordinance
o Painting representing the American Revolution
“Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers?”- Students will read from Taking
Sides: Clashing Views in United States History articles from John P. Roche (pro) from
“The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action, American Political Science Review
and Howard Zinn (con) from A People’s History of the United States; and in writing
address the following questions:
o What was the main argument of each author?
o Is the supporting evidence logically interpreted by the authors and clearly
supports the thesis?
o What sources add to your own understanding of the topic?
o Which of the sources makes the most convincing case and why?
Students will read Chapter 14 (Women in the Revolutionary War) from Ward’s History in
the Making and Chapter 3 (Remember the Ladies) from A History of Women in America
by Carol Hymowitz and Michaele Weissman. Students will write an essay evaluating
how role of women in the American Revolution and how the interpretation of their role
has changed or not changed overtime.
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a free response essay from the 2007 AP Exam:
o The French and Indian War (1754-1763) altered the relationship between Britain
and its North American colonies. Assess this change with regard to TWO of the
following in the period between 1763 and 1775.
 Land acquisition
 Politics
 Economics
Unit 4: 1789-1824 – The American Pageant, Chapters 10-12
Content: The new Republic, Hamilton’s economic policies, the French Revolution and its impact
on the United States, Federalists vs. Democratic Republicans-the birth of political parties,
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Jefferson’s presidency, John Marshall and the Supreme Court, The Louisiana Purchase, War of
1812, a new national identity, Era of Good Feelings, The Missouri Compromise, Monroe
Doctrine.
Activities:
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Students will do the DBQ from the 2005 AP Exam:
o To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American
society? In your answer, be sure to address the political, social, and economic
effects of the Revolution in the period from 1775-1800.
Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources:
o From The American Spirit-“Alexander Hamilton Versus Thomas Jefferson on
Popular Rule”, “Jefferson Versus Hamilton on the Bank”, “A President Bids
Farewell”, “Marshall Sanctions the Bank”, “Jefferson Stretches the Constitution
to Buy Louisiana”, “Tecumseh Challenges William Henry Harrison”, “Causes of
War”, and “James Monroe Warns the European Powers.”
Students will map how different social groups were affected by the Louisiana Purchase
before 1860 by using region, race, and class as their tools of analysis. (PEO-3)(WOR5)(ENV-3)(ENV-4)
Using a graphic organizer and primary and secondary 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.
Students will complete a concept map on the following Marshall Court Decision:
o Marbury v. Madison
o McCulloch v. Maryland
o Gibbons v. Ogden
o Dartmouth College v. Woodward
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a teacher made free response question:
o Compare and Contrast the ideologies of the Federalists and the Democratic
Republicans.
Unit 5: 1824-1860 –The American Pageant, Chapters 13-15
Content: The “corrupt bargain” of 1824, Jackson’s presidency and the rise of mass democracy,
spoils system, nullification crisis, Trail of Tears, revolution in Texas. Westward movement,
European immigration and nativism, the factory system, the changing economy of the United
States. Women and the economy, Second Great Awakening, education, reform movements, art,
literature, transcendentalism.
Activities:
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Students will analyze the following primary source documents from The American Spirit
using two or more of the following: Historical context, purpose and intended audience,
the author’s point of view, type of source, argument, and tone.
o Documents-“A Plea for Nonproperty Suffrage”, “Jackson Vetoes the Bank
Recharter”, “South Carolina Threatens Secession”, “Andrew Jackson Denounces
Nullification”, “Cartooning the Bank Crisis”, “Jackson Endorses the Indian
Removal”, “The “Utopian” Lowell Looms”, “The Seneca Falls Manifesto”,
“Emersonisms and Thoreauisms”, and “The Coming of the Irish.”
Students will research the new wave of immigrant and explain in writing why it led to
the rise of Nativism.
Students will do a “One-Pager” Research Project on an Antebellum Reformer, Religious
leader, Entertainer, Artist/Writer or Educator. The project must include visual elements,
quotes to illustrate the person’s view of life, a statement about that person’s attitude
toward life and important issues of the time, and a brief summary of the person’s
contributions to the United States.
Students will interpret the evolving historiography of the Trail of Tears presented in
Chapter 18 (The Trail of Tears) of Ward’s History in the Making. (PEO-4)(PEO-5)(CUL-5)
Students will do a presidential profile chart over Andrew Jackson (emphasis is on the
Bank and Nullification Crisis; and the Trail of Tears).
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a DBQ from the textbook:
o Evaluate how and why the antebellum market revolution and Second Great
Awakening affected the evolution of women’s role in the family, workplace, and
society in the years 1815-1860.
Unit 6: 1800-1854 – The American Pageant, Chapters 16-18
Content: King Cotton and the southern economy, the plantation system, Life under Slavery, the
abolitionist movement, Manifest Destiny, annexation of Texas, Mexican War, sectionalism,
popular sovereignty, Compromise of 1850, Underground Railroad, Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary source documents.
o From The American Spirit- “From Slavery to Freedom”, “William Garrison
Launches The Liberator”, “The President Blames Mexico”, “John Calhoun
Demands Southern Rights”, “Daniel Webster Urges Concessions”, and “Stephen
Douglas’s Popular-Sovereignty Plea.”
o Paintings representing Manifest Destiny.
o Map relating to the distribution of slaves
“Was Slavery the Key Issue in the Sectional Conflict Leading to the Civil War?”- Students
will read from Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History articles from
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Charles B. Dew (pro) from Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and
the Causes of the Civil War and Marc Egnal from “Rethinking the Secession of the Lower
South: The Clash of Two Groups,” Civil War History; and in writing address the following
questions:
o What was the main argument of each author?
o Is the supporting evidence logically interpreted by the authors and clearly
supports the thesis?
o What sources add to your own understanding of the topic?
o Which of the sources makes the most convincing case and why?
Students will read Chapter 22 (Slavery in America) from Ward’s History in the Making,
use a graphic organizer to compare perspectives of earlier textbooks with their own;
and participate in a class discussion over the difference.
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a free response essay from 2005 AP Exam:
o The 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?
Unit 7: 1854-1865 – The American Pageant, Chapters 19-21
Content: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the growth of the abolition movement, The Dred Scott Case,
the economic panic of 1857, Lincoln-Douglas debates, John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry,
Lincoln’s victory, secession, Fort Sumter, Border States, threat of European intervention,
diplomacy during the Civil War, economic impact of the Civil War, Antietam, Emancipation
Proclamation, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Sherman’s March to the sea, Appomattox, the
assassination of Lincoln, the legacy of war.
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources.
o From The American Spirit- “Tom Defies Simon Legree”, “Pro-Southern Court
Speaks”, “North Breathes Defiance”, “The Hell of Andersonville Prison”, ““A
Colored Man” Reflects on the War”, and “Lincoln Defends His Decision.”
o Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address
o A Poster Advertising Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Students will analyze a map of the Election of 1860 and a map showcasing seceding
states; and develop a thesis statement summarizing the significance of the elections
results. (ID-5)(PEO-5)(POL-5)(POL-6)
Students will use primary and secondary sources to create a time line of events that
pushed the United States toward Civil War starting in 1840 through 1860; and
explain how each event led to conflict.
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“Was Abraham Lincoln America’s Greatest President?”-Students will evaluate the
perspectives of Phillip Shaw Paludan (pro) from The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
and of M.E. Bradford from Remembering Who We Are: Observations of a Southern
Conservative and in writing address the following questions:
o What was the main argument of each author?
o Is the supporting evidence logically interpreted by the authors and clearly
supports the thesis?
o What sources add to your own understanding of the topic?
o Which of the sources makes the most convincing case and why?
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions and a DBQ from the 2009 AP Exam:
o In what ways did African Americans shape the course and consequences of the
Civil War?
Semester Test
Unit 8: 1865-1900 – The American Pageant, Chapters 22-24
Content: Reconstruction (congressional and military), Black Codes and the Ku Klux Klan, African
Americans political participation, impeachment of Andrew Johnson, legacy of Reconstruction,
the corruption of the Gilded Age, the American economy during the Gilded Age, Compromise of
1877, Jim Crow laws, strikes, the rise of Populism, railroad boom, rise of mass production,
attempts by the government to regulate business, Lords of industry, Gospel of Wealth, the
South’s economy, the laboring classes and the rise of labor unions.
Activities
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources.
o From The American Spirit- “Black Leaders Express Their Views”, “Carl Schurz
Reports Southern Defiance”, “Thaddeus Stevens Demands Black Suffrage”,
“Maria Carter Describes an Encounter with the Klan”, “A Southern Senator
Defends Jim Crow”, “A Southern Black Woman reflects on the Jim Crow System”,
“The Supreme Court Declares That Separate Is Equal”, “John D. Rockefeller
Justifies Rebates”, and “Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth.”
Students will use OPTICS to analyze the political cartoons of Thomas Nast.
Students will create a president profile chart feature Presidents: Grant, Hayes, Arthur,
Cleveland, and Harrison, to analyze their presidencies (emphasis should be place on the
successes and the crisis).
Students will read Chapter 27 (African Americans and Reconstruction) and Chapter 28
(Birth of the Ku Klux Klan) from Ward’s History in the Making and take in consideration
their primary sources readings; and take part in a class discussion over how earlier
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history books approached the subject and look at the view point’s expressed in the
primary source documents of the period. Students will create an Exit Slip addressing:
How did the class discussion impact their views of Reconstruction?
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions and a DBQ from the 2012 AP Exam:
o 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 “to
the period 1870-1900.
Unit 9: 1865-1909 – The American Pageant, Chapters 25-27
Content: The rise of the city, New Immigrants, settlement houses, Nativists and restrictions of
immigration, evolution, education, literary and intellectual achievements, the “New Women”
and the new morality, commercialization of popular entertainment. the conquest of Native
Americans in the West, the mining and cattle frontiers, the industrialization of agriculture,
farmers’ associations, Populism, workers in revolt, American expansion, Hawaii, the SpanishAmerican War, the Philippines, Open Door Policy in China, Teddy Roosevelt and the presidency.
Activities:
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Students will analyze the following primary source documents using two or more of the
following: historical content, purpose and intended audience, the author’s point of
view, type of source, argument, and tone.
o From The American Spirit- “Sister Carrie Is Bedazzled by Chicago”, “Mary Antin
Praises America”, “The Life of a Working Girl”, “Harpers Weekly Decries the
Battle of Little Bighorn”, “She Walks with Her Shawl Remembers the Battle of
Little Bighorn”, “An Iowan Assesses Discontent”, “William Jennings Bryan’s Cross
of Gold”, “Albert Beveridge Trumpets Imperialism”, “Professor William Sumner
Spurns Empire” and “Roosevelt Launches a Corollary.”
o Political cartoons highlighting foreign policy.
Students will read Chapter 30 (Immigration) in Ward’s History in Making, and participate
in a class discussion over how textbooks in the past presented immigration versus their
textbook.
Working in groups, students will use primary and secondary source to create
presentations of the rise of Populism.
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions and a teacher made free response essay over labor.
Unit 10: 1901-1918 – The American Pageant, Chapters 28-29
Content: Progressivism, women and reform, Roosevelt-trusts and labor, Consumer protection,
conservation, Taft’s dollar diplomacy, Wilsonian progressivism, diplomacy in Latin America,
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World War I and American neutrality, America enters World War I, Wilson’s Fourteen Points,
civil liberties, Home Front, Paris Peace Conference, the Treaty of Versailles and the League of
Nations.
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources:
o From The American Spirit- “Exposing the Meatpackers”, “Lincoln Steffens Bares
Philadelphia Bossism”, “The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire Claims 146 Lives”,
“Images of the Suffrage Campaign”, “George Creel Spreads Fear Propaganda”,
and “A “Doughboy” Describes the Fighting Front.”
o Images from Jacob Riis, posters from World War I
o Zimmermann Note
Students will write an essay comparing and contrasting progressive era reforms with the
antebellum era reforms.
Students will analyze Theodore Roosevelt by completing a presidential profile chart
(Roosevelt’s role in the Spanish American War and his conservationism will be
emphasized). (POL-6)(ENV-5)
Students will use a graphic organizer to compare Wilson’s Neutrality document to
George Washington’s; and then participate in a class discussion in changes, if any, in the
context in which U.S. foreign policy was made. Students will write Exit Slips highlighting
what they have learned from the class discussion on the topic.
“Was Woodrow Wilson Responsible for the Failure of the United States to Join the
League of Nations?” –Students will read from Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United
States History articles from Thomas A. Bailey from “Woodrow Wilson Wouldn’t Yield,” in
Alexander De Conde and Armin Rappaport, eds., Essays Diplomatic and Undiplomatic of
Thomas A. Bailey and William G. Carleton from “A New Look at Woodrow Wilson,” The
Virginia Quarterly Review and in writing address the following questions:
o What was the main argument of each author?
o Is the supporting evidence logically interpreted by the authors and clearly
supports the thesis?
o What sources add to your own understanding of the topic?
o Which of the sources makes the most convincing case and why?
Students will take a Unit Test which includes multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a free response essay from the 2010 AP Exam:
o Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the 1880s
through 1920. Focus your essay on TWO of the following:
 Politics
 Social conditions
 Labor and working conditions
Unit 11: 1919-1939 – The American Pageant, Chapters 30-32
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Content: Red Scare of 1919-1920, Immigration restrictions, Prohibition and the rise of
organized crime, Scopes Trial, Cars, radios, and movies; Jazz Age, the economic boom then the
Great Depression, Isolationism, Harding administration’s scandals, foreign policy, Hoover and
the depression, Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, Roosevelt and the Supreme Court.
Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources:
o From The American Spirit- “Theodore Roosevelt Preaches “Americanism””. “The
World’s Work Favors Restrictive Quotas”, “Fiorello La Guardia Pillories
Prohibition”, “The WCTU Upholds Prohibition”, “Margret Sanger Campaigns for
Birth Control”, “César Chávez Gets Tractored off the Land”, “A Boy in Chicago
Writes to President Roosevelt”, and “Senator Huey P. Long Wants Every Man to
Be a King.”
o Images from the Great Depression-Dorothea Lange, Images: Advertisements for
Fords and washing machines; a Recruiting Poster for the Civilian Conservation
Corp.
o Immigration map from the 1920s.
Students will do the DBQ from the 2008 AP Exam concerning immigration.
Students will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the interpretations of
past history textbooks (Ward’s History in the Making: Chapter 36 {Causes of the Stock
Market Crash}) and their textbook.
Students, working in groups, will present the goals and accomplishments of New Deal
Programs. They will also look at the topic: “Was the New Deal an Effective answer to
the Great Depression?” found the Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States History,
as part of their presentations they will determine which author presenting the best case,
siting evidence to support their claims.
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions and a free response question from the 2012 AP Exam: (CUL-5)(CUL-6)
o Analyze the origins and outcomes of the intense cultural conflicts of the 1920s.
In your response, focus on TWO of the following:
 Immigration
 Prohibition
 Religion
Unit 12: 1933-1952 – The American Pageant, Chapters 33-35
Content: Roosevelt’s foreign policy, German, Japanese, and Italian aggression; Neutrality Acts,
War in Europe, the Holocaust, Lend-Lease, the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, the internment
of Japanese Americans, Home Front, women, African Americans and the war, European and
Pacific fronts, postwar prosperity and baby boom, origins of the Cold War, the United Nations,
communism, containment, Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO, the Korean War.
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Activities:
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Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources.
o From The American Spirit- “Charles Lindbergh Argues for Isolationism”, “FDR
Drops the Dollar Sign”, “Framing the Atlantic Charter”, “The War Transforms the
Economy”, “Dr. Spock Advises the Parents of Baby-Boom Generation”, and
“George Kennan Proposes Containment.”
o Images from the Home Front such as “Rosie the Riveter” and propaganda
posters and images and maps from the war.
Students will read Chapter 39 (Japanese Internment) in Kyle Ward’s History in the
Making. Students will create an interpretation comparison chart. (POL-6)
Students working in groups will use primary and secondary resources to develop
arguments on the topic, “Why were Japanese Americans interned during World War?”
and present their findings to the class. The presentation should include the group’s
response to the internment of Japanese Americans.
Students will analyze the documents in The American Spirit, Chapter 35 Part D:
Dropping the Atomic Bomb. Students will participate in a class discussion and write Exit
Slip addressing the following: Did President Truman make the right decision and why?
“Was President Truman Responsible for the Cold War?-Students will evaluate the
perspectives of Offner (pro) from “Another Such Victory”: President Truman, American
Foreign Policy, and the Cold War, Diplomatic History; and Gaddis (con) from We Now
Know: Rethinking Cold War History from Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States
History. Students will debate the origins of the Cold War, other primary or secondary
sources can be used to make their case. (POL-6)(WOR-7)(CUL-5)
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a free response essay from the 2009 AP Exam:
o Analyze the home front experiences of TWO of the following groups during the
Second World War.
 African Americans
 Japanese Americans
 Jewish Americans
 Mexican Americans
Unit 13: 1952-1980 – The American Pageant, Chapters 36-38
Content: Feminism, consumer culture of the 1950s, Eisenhower administration, McCarthyism,
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, desegregation, civil rights movement, the space race
and arms race, postwar art and literature, Kennedy’s election, Vietnam, Johnson’s Great
Society, cultural upheavals of 1960s, Nixon’s election, economic stagnation, foreign policy crisis.
Activities:
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After reading “Makers of America: The Great African Migration”, students will create a
Venn diagram comparing life in the North and in the South. (PEO-6)
“Was Rock and Roll Responsible for dismantling America’s Traditional Family, Sexual,
and Racial Customs in the 1950s and 196os?”-Students evaluate the perspectives of
Altshuler (pro) from All Shook Up: How Rock and Roll Changed America and Oakley
(con) from God’s Country: America from Taking Sides: Clashing Views in United States
History. Students will participate in a class discussion over the topic. Students will write
an Exit Slips addressing the following: Whose argument was the most persuasive and
why? (CUL-6)
Students will analyze for maps of changing U.S. cities population (1920, 1940, 1960, and
1980) and will hypothesize why the frostbelt-sunbelt phenomenon transpired.
Students will use primary and secondary sources to construct a time line of the civil
rights movement from the Progressive Era to the 1970s and explain key turning points in
the movement. (POL-7)
Students will use SOAPSTone to analyze the following primary sources from The
American Spirit.
o “Joseph McCarthy Upholds Guilt by Association”, “The Court Rejects
Segregation”, “The Arkansas Democrat Protests”, “A Black Newspaper Praises
Courage”, “President Kennedy Proclaims a “Quarantine””, “President Johnson
Declares War on Poverty”, Martin Luther King, Jr. Writes from a Birmingham
Jail”, “A War Protester Decides to Resist the Draft”, “The Case for the Equal
Rights Amendment”, and “Phyllis Schlafly Upholds Traditional Gender Roles.”
Students will watch a series of presidential campaign ads from the 1960s including
“Daisy Girl” and use SOAPSTone to analyze them.
Students will take a Unit Test which includes multiple choice questions, short answer
questions, and a DBQ from 2007 AP Exam
o In what ways did the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson respond to
the political, economic and social problems of the United States? Assess the
effectiveness of these responses.
o Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1960-1970 to construct
your response.
Unit 14: 1980-to present – The American Pageant, Chapters 39-41
Content: the New Right, Reagan’s election, tax cuts and the economy, Reagan and the Cold
War, conservatism and the courts, Persian Gulf War, the election of Bill Clinton, Post-Cold m
diplomacy, Clinton’s impeachment and trial, controversial election of 2000, September 11th ,
War on terrorism, the Great Recession, Obama’s election, high-tech economy, the changing
American family, and the new media.
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Activities
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Students will analyze the following primary source documents from The American Spirit
using two or more of the following: historical content, purpose and intended audience,
the author’s point of view, type of source, argument, and tone.
o Documents: “The Supply-Side Gospel”, “Four Views on the end of the Cold
War”, “Searching for a Post-Cold War Foreign Policy”, “The Supreme Court
Makes George W. Bush President”, “President Describes an “Axis of Evil””, and
“The Gender Divide.”
Students will read “Andrew Sullivan Demands Marriage Rights for Gays”, “Governor Mitt
Romney Defends Traditional Marriage”, “President George W. Bush Restricts Embryonic
Stem Cell Research” and “Patti Davis Pleads for More Embryonic Stem Cell Research.” In
writing, students must determine the following:
o What was the main argument of each author?
o Is the supporting evidence logically interpreted by the authors and clearly
supports the thesis?
o What sources add to your own understanding of the topic?
o Which of the sources makes the most convincing case and why?
Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the causes and goals of each
act as described in excerpts from the 1924, 1965, and 1990 Immigration Acts. (PEO-7)
Students will take a Unit Test which will include multiple choice questions, short answer
questions and a free response essay:
o Analyze the gains made by the African American community since the 1960s and
then explain the greatest challenges still facing African Americans and U.S.
society regarding race.
Students will began reviewing for the AP United States History Exam.
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