AP United States History is a rigorous, college-level course that examines significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in U.S. history across nine historical periods, spanning from approximately 1491 to the present. Students will develop and apply the skills used by professional historians, including analyzing primary and secondary sources, constructing and supporting historical arguments, making historical connections, and reasoning through comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time.
The course is organized around eight recurring themes that help students connect historical developments across different eras and places: American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, evidence-based writing, and historical inquiry to prepare students for advanced study and the AP examination.
Students are recommended, but not required, to successfully complete American History before enrolling in the course. Students are financially responsible for AP exam fees. This course is weighted only if the student completes the AP exam at the end of the semester. If a student opts not to take the AP exam, the course will hold a regular GPA weight.