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AP United States History (NCAA Approved)

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Open to: Grades 9 - 12

Prerequisites: Qualifying reading/verbal or math score and completion of high school history or equivalent

Course Format: Session Based. See calendar for session dates and application deadlines.

Course Length: 30 weeks (Academic Year) or 12 weeks (intensive Winter, Early Summer, Mid-summer)

Student Expectations: Students are strongly encouraged to work an average of 10-14 hours per week for intensive 12-week sessions with no breaks, and 3-5 hours per week for the 30-week session with breaks for holidays.

Recommended School Credit: One academic year

Course Code: APHS

Course Description

Description

This course, which is designed to provide a college-level experience and preparation for the AP U.S. History Exam, draws on ebooks provided by Bedford Freeman Worth, which need to be purchased separately by the student. An emphasis is placed on interpreting historical documents, mastering a significant body of factual information, and writing critical essays. Students will analyze historical facts material, synthesize their own ideas, and develop the skills to make conclusions on the basis of a knowledgeable judgment. They will also learn how to present their reasoning and clear evidence persuasively in essay format. This course has been reviewed and approved by the College Board to use the "AP" designation.

Materials Needed

Students must purchase a required textbook for this course:

Henretta, Edwards and Self, America's History, Combined Volume, Bedford/St. Martin, 2011
ISBN 031238789X

We strongly recommend that a review book be purchased and used throughout this course.  Commonly used review books are published by Barrons, Kaplan, Peterson, Princeton Review and REA.

Detailed Course Information

Course Details

Colonial Period to 1765 (Chapters 2-4)

  • European Expansion and Exploration
  • Colonization
  • Colonial America
  • New England, Chesapeake, Middle Colonies, Southern Colonies
  • Colonial Economies and Society
  • Conflicts (Includes European competition for America)

Revolutionary Era (1763-1789) (Chapters 5 & 6)

  • Imperial Warfare
  • Conflicts with Parliament
  • Revolutionary War
  • Articles of Confederation
  • The Constitutional Convention

The New Republic (1787-1820) (Chapters 7 & 8)

  • Federalist Era - Washington, Hamilton, Adams
  • Jeffersonian Democracy
  • War of 1812
  • Era of Good Feelings

Age of Jackson and 19th Century Social History (1820-1860) (Chapters 9-11)

  • Westward Expansion
  • Rise of Manufacturing
  • Jacksonian Politics
  • Reform and Home Life
  • Technology
  • Art and Literature

Slavery, Conflict, and Secession (1820-1860) (Chapters 12-13)

  • King Cotton and the Plantation Economy
  • Immigration
  • Manifest Destiny
  • Texas, Mexico and War
  • Road to Disunion

Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877) (Chapters 14 & 15)

  • The Civil War
  • Wartime Diplomacy
  • Reconstruction
  • Impact of Emancipation

The Gilded Age and the West (1877-1900) (Chapters 16-18)

  • Settling the West
  • Rise of Industrial America
  • Immigration
  • Urban Transformation

Late 19th Century Politics, Imperialism and the Progressive Era (1877-1914)
(Chapter 19-21)

  • Pop Culture of the Era
  • Partisan Politics
  • Imperialism and the Spanish-American War
  • Progressive Movement and Politics

World War I, the 1920s, Depression and the New Deal (1914-1939) (Chapters 22 & 24)

  • World War I
  • Wilson, the Fourteen Points and Versailles
  • The 1920s
  • Great Depression
  • The New Deal
  • American Life in the 1920s and 1930s

World War II and the Early Cold War (1939-1960) (Chapters 25 & 26)

  • The United States in World War II
  • Truman
  • Cold War

The 1950s and 1960s (Chapters 27 & 28)

  • Eisenhower
  • Social America- 1950s and 1960s
  • Kennedy and the New Frontier
  • Johnson and the Great Society
  • Civil Rights
  • Vietnam

Late Twentieth Century and Beyond (Chapters 29-32)

  • Nixon and Vietnam
  • Watergate
  • The Carter Presidency
  • Reagan Revolution
  • Societal Change
  • Bush and Clinton
  • The Twenty-First Century

Technical Requirements

This course requires a properly maintained computer with high-speed internet access and an up-to-date web browser (such as Chrome or Firefox). The student must be able to communicate with the instructor via email. Visit the Technical Requirements and Support page for more details.

This course uses an online virtual classroom for discussions with the instructor. The classroom works on standard computers with the Adobe Connect Add-in or Adobe Flash plugin, and also tablets or handhelds that support the Adobe Connect Mobile app. Students who are unable to attend live sessions will need a computer with the Adobe Connect Add-in or Adobe Flash plugin installed to watch recorded meetings. The Adobe Connect Add-in, Adobe Flash plugin, and Adobe Connect Mobile app are available for free download. Students who do not have the Flash plug-in installed or enabled on their browsers will be prompted to download and install the Adobe Connect add-in when accessing the virtual classroom.

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