The Advanced Placement U.S. History course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Throughout the course, we will be making thematic connections between historical periods of time and will require you to engage in historical thinking skills, such as chronological reasoning, comparison and contextualization, creating historical arguments based on historical evidence, and interpretation and synthesis. Within this course, we will be examining the United States, as a growing economic, political, and social power within the world.  This course allows for critical thinking and understanding at a college level, and thus expectations are very high.  Analyzing primary and secondary sources are essential to understanding the past, present, and future.  Within this course, we shall work with these sources in order to understand different perspectives and how historians reflect upon those time periods.  The objective of the course is to ensure that students can think critically on each subject, debate controversial issues, and translate their thoughts through writing.  Students must be prepared to read, write, and discuss the various time periods covered within the class. 

Although our class will primarily focus on Periods 6-9, it is imperative that you re-familiarize yourself with the USI content throughout the year

• Period 1: 1491-1607

• Convergence of Peoples

• Period 2: 1607-1754

  • Empires and Opposition

• Period 3: 1754-1800

  • Rebellion, Revolution, and Nation

• Period 4: 1800-1848

  • Democracy and Expansion

• Period 5: 1848-1877

  • Slavery, Civil War, and Change

• Period 6: 1865-1898

  • Industrialization

• Period 7: 1890-1945

  • Economic Crisis, Reform, and World War

• Period 8: 1945-1980

  • Society, Liberalization, and Cold War

• Period 9: 1980-Present 

  • Modern American History 

Binder: Please have a 3-ring 2-inch binder with a variety of sections. A binder will be necessary to keep track of any documents or class materials distributed in class. Organization is KEY! 

Charged Chromebook: Chromebooks will be used daily in class. Our textbook is digital and may be needed in class for different activities. Also, some assessments will be given digitally and must be completed on a school-issued Chromebook. Chromebooks must be fully charged for the class. Time is of the essence in class, so leaving class to get a loaner Chromebook or a charger will not be ideal.   

Writing Utensils: Pens/Pencils, and Highlighters are required daily. 

Note Cards: You will need enough notecards to cover all the terms in each chapter. (We will be working on notecards throughout the year to help you study for your exam in May) -- I suggest purchasing two sets of 500 3x5 index cards (with lines) 

I strongly encourage you to invest in an AP review book.  I prefer Newman and Schmalbach’s United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination. However, a book from Amazon or Barnes & Noble will also suffice.