AP United States History (NCAA Approved)

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 An emphasis is placed on interpreting historical documents, mastering a significant body of factual information, and writing critical essays.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.

This course has synchronous virtual class meetings and students may also schedule one-on-one virtual meetings directly with the instructor to answer questions or concerns. The instructor will schedule meeting dates/times at the start of the course. Meetings will be recorded for students who are unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.

Virtual classrooms, and student activities in the classroom, may be recorded and added to the course as an ongoing asset for all class students to review. Students may be invited to interact in CTY community spaces that include students and instructors and potentially specially invited guests that are not enrolled in their course. Videos from YouTube or other web providers may be present in the course. Video recommendations or links provided at end of videos are generated by the video host provider and are not CTY recommendations. Student contributions (e.g., projects, forum posts, etc.) may remain in the course after the student completes the course. These artifacts may be preserved to showcase student work or to continue important conversations.

Materials Needed

There are no required materials for this course.

Detailed Course Information

Course Details

Initial Contacts

• European Exploration in the Americas
• Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest
• Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System
• Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

Colonization of North America

• The Regions of British Colonies
• Transatlantic Trade
• Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
• Slavery in the British Colonies
• Colonial Society and Culture

From Constitutional Monarchy to Republic

• Taxation Without Representation
• Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution
• The American Revolution
• The Influence of Revolutionary Ideals
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification
• The Constitution
• Shaping a New Republic
• Developing an American Identity
• Movement in the Early Republic

The Rise of the American Republic

• Politics and Regional Interests
• America on the World Stage
• Market Revolution: Industrialization
• Market Revolution: Society and Culture
• Expanding Democracy
• Jackson and Federal Power
• The Development of an American Culture
• The Second Great Awakening
• An Age of Reform
• African Americans in the Early Republic
• The Society of the South in the Early Republic

Manifest Destiny, Civil War, and Reconstruction

• The Mexican–American War
• The Compromise of 1850
• Sectional Conflict: Regional Differences
• Failure of Compromise
• Election of 1860 and Secession
• Military Conflict in the Civil War
• Government Policies During the Civil War
• Reconstruction
• Failure of Reconstruction

The Gilded Age

• Westward Expansion: Economic Development
• Westward Expansion: Social and Cultural Development
• The “New South”
• Technological Innovation
• The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
• Labor in the Gilded Age
• Immigration and Migration in the Gilded Age
• Responses to Immigration in the Gilded Age
• Development of the Middle Class
• Reform in the Gilded Age
• Controversies over the Role of Government in the Gilded Age
• Politics in the Gilded Age

Change at Home and Abroad/Part I

• Imperialism: Debates
• The Spanish–American War
• The Progressives
• World War I: Military and Diplomacy
• World War I: Home Front
• 1920s: Innovations in Communication and Technology
• 1920s: Cultural and Political Controversies

Change at Home and Abroad/Part II

• The Great Depression
• The New Deal
• Interwar Foreign Policy
• World War II: Mobilization
• World War II: Military
• Postwar Diplomacy

Domestic and International Challenges in Cold War

• The Cold War from 1945 to 1980
• The Red Scare
• Economy after 1945
• Culture after 1945
• Early Steps in the Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s)
• America as a World Power
• The Vietnam War
• The Great Society
• The African American Civil Rights Movement (1960s)
• The Civil Rights Movement Expands
• Youth Culture of the 1960s
• The Environment and Natural Resources from 1968 to 1980
• Society in Transition

The United States in the Global Community

• Reagan and Conservatism
• The End of the Cold War
• A Changing Economy
• Migration and Immigration in the 1990s and 2000s
• Challenges of the 21st 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.

Zoom online virtual classroom
This course uses an online virtual classroom for discussions with the instructor. The classroom works on standard computers with the Zoom desktop client and also tablets or handhelds that support the Zoom Mobile app. Students who are unable to attend live sessions will need a computer with the Zoom desktop client installed to watch recorded meetings. The Zoom desktop client and Zoom Mobile App are both available for free download.

This course uses Respondus LockDown Browser proctoring software for designated assessments. LockDown Browser is a client application that is installed to a local computer. Visit the Respondus website for system requirements.

While Chromebook can be used to progress through the course, all exams must be completed on a PC or Mac.