Advanced Placement United States History is a college level, chronological and thematic survey course in United States History covering the time period from Colonial America (1491) to the present. The Advanced Placement program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytic skill and factual knowledge to deal critically with the problems and issues in United States History. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands equivalent to those made by full year introductory college courses. Students will learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance, and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. Throughout the course students will be provided with the opportunity for instruction in the learning objectives in each of the seven themes as described in the AP U.S. History curriculum framework. Solid reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote considerable time to homework and study, are necessary to succeed. Emphasis is placed on critical and analytical thinking skills, essay writing, and on interpretation of primary and secondary sources.