APUSH

Do You Have What It Takes?

The APUSH exam measures knowledge of US History by testing your ability to “think historically.” The intent is for you to create connections across historical content and themes. Therefore, APUSH themes focus on major historical US issues and changes. You should be able to discuss the historical developments and processes that have helped configure the United States into the country it is today.

APUSH exams cover 9 historical time periods, beginning with the year 1491 and continuing through present day. Each time period is broken down into 7 different themes. That is a lot of information to know! AP College Board provides a more detailed complete course and exam description on their site, but we’ll also identify each of the main themes below.

APUSH Syllabus 2019-20.pdf

Reading and Study Skills

Review these tips to help you better understand and analyze the material you’ll read in this course.

United States History Writing Study Skills

Read these suggestions for writing a good essay, such as one you’d write as a response to a document-based question or other free-response question on the exam.

AP U.S. History Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the exam and the AP Program in general.

Themes

The themes serve as the connective tissue of the course and enable students to create meaningful connections across units. They are often broader ideas that become threads that run throughout the course. Revisiting them and applying them in a variety of contexts helps students to develop deeper conceptual understanding. Below are the themes of the course and a brief description of each.

THEME 1: AMERICAN AND NATIONAL IDENTITY (NAT)

This theme focuses on how and why definitions of American and national identity and values have developed among the diverse and changing population of North America as well as on related topics, such as citizenship, constitutionalism, foreign policy, assimilation, and American exceptionalism.

THEME 2: WORK, EXCHANGE, AND TECHNOLOGY (WXT)

This theme focuses on the factors behind the development of systems of economic exchange, particularly the role of technology, economic markets, and government.

THEME 3: GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (GEO)

This theme focuses on the role of geography and both the natural and human-made environments in the social and political developments in what would become the United States.

THEME 4: MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT (MIG)

This theme focuses on why and how the various people who moved to and within the United States both adapted to and transformed their new social and physical environments.

THEME 5: POLITICS AND POWER (PCE)

This theme focuses on how different social and political groups have influenced society and government in the United States as well as how political beliefs and institutions have changed over time.

THEME 6: AMERICA IN THE WORLD (WOR)

This theme focuses on the interactions between nations that affected North American history in the colonial period and on the influence of the United States on world affairs.

THEME 7: AMERICAN AND REGIONAL CULTURE (ARC)

This theme focuses on the how and why national, regional, and group cultures developed and changed as well as how culture has shaped government policy and the economy.

THEME 8: SOCIAL STRUCTURES (SOC)

This theme focuses on how and why systems of social organization develop and change as well as the impact that these systems have on the broader society.

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