AP U.S. History

This online course is designed to provide learners with the opportunity to think critically and to gain factual knowledge about US history. Students will learn to analyze and critique historical materials and evaluate historical interpretations presented in research. This course will help learners acquire the necessary skills to come to conclusions based on informed judgments and provide sound reasoning and evidence for those judgments. Each of the units in the course provides students with a survey of US history topics in which they analyze problems and themes for each era through supplementary readings while developing and deepening their understanding of the events, people, and places that were relevant during the time period. Students will also learn to assess primary and secondary sources. This course is meant to have students think conceptually about the issues facing the United States and how those issues have influenced our history, rather than just memorizing facts and dates.

Students will write often in this course in the form of both short answers and essays. These writings will require students to think critically and thoughtfully on different topics and on different interpretations of history. Students will encounter frequent prompts to analyze and interpret a wide variety of original source documents. In addition, students are asked to read the works of historians, to answer questions about how those historians present events, and to compare and analyze how the historians’ approach affects readers’ perceptions of the events and people involved (see especially “Nixon’s ‘Imperial’ Presidency” in unit 7, semester B).

AP courses may require additional materials to be purchased by the student, such as textbooks, lab equipment, or specific software. These extra resources are often necessary to meet the advanced curriculum demands and ensure successful preparation for the exams.