Advanced Placement United States History PHS 2011-2012 Info

Welcome to Advanced Placement United States History.  The AP program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills, factual knowledge, and enduring understandings necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States 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. Students should 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.

In the course you will learn the story of the United States from its beginning to today. You will also learn to assess and use historical materials. Because of the amount of material we have to cover it is important that we get a good start before the school year begins.  Therefore, you have a Summer Reading Assignment

Three works of historic fiction (also available at bookstores or on-line stores). 
•     Centennial        (1974)      James Michener  (pages 139-992)
•     Chesapeake        (1978)  James Michener  (pages 19-816)   
•     Texas             (1985)      James Michener  (all)

  At some point during the first week of the class you be assigned an essay (in-class/out-class) that addresses all three of the novels.  Please make sure that you have completed your reading by the start of the school year as it is virtually impossible to read the over 2500 pages in the first week of the school year!

AP reading List - Summer 2011

Heritage Paper
Decades Project
Learning Styles & Strategies
New Deal

Fundamental Documents and Information

U.S. Historical Documents Archive - a source for significant documents from the pre-revolutionary period to the Civil War

Declaration of Independence
U.S. Constitution
Bill of Rights
Monroe Doctrine
Emancipation Proclamation
Gettysburg Address

Declaration of Independence - Drafting the Document - includes a chronology of events, drafting of the documents, and an exhibition of information related to the drafting of the Declaration.

What happened to the men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

A comprehensive source on the U.S. Congress and Legislative information - A searchable index of historical documents, commentary "about" the documents, description of the legislative process (how laws are made), (how laws are enacted), and U.S. Government Internet resources.

A huge historical source - Mississippi State University - Historical Text Archive - includes resources for Regional or National History, specific topics, and resources.

A Chronology of U.S. Historical Documents (Pre-Colonial Era to Present),
additional information on the following periods:
Colonial, Revolutionary, Early republic, 19th Century, 20th Century.

A comprehensive resource for Native American History, African American History,

The American West

PBS - THE WEST (The eight-part documentary series on the American West)

This site contains a multimedia guide to the eight-part documentary series, an interactive timeline tracing events from
pre-Columbian times to the early twentieth century, an interactive map covering the territory and the times, an interactive biographical dictionary of historical figures, an archive documentary materials including memoirs, journals, letters, photos and transcripts, and a selection of Internet resources on the history of the American West.

A comprehensive resource for Native American History

Trail of Tears

Native American History Resources an index of the oral and written history, photographs and timelines of Native Americans.

The National Civil Rights Museum and links to related sites

"Jim Crow Experience in Montgomery County" - Is an oral interview project that was given to high school students to give them firsthand accounts of what life was like for African-Americans living in Montgomery County, MD during segregation. Local senior citizens shared with the students their segregated work, educational, and social experiences.

Jim Crow Laws - definition and description

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement - including pictures and information on the following events: 1954 Brown v. Board of Education, 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1957 Desegregation at Little Rock, 1960 Sit-in Campaign, 1961 Freedom Rides, 1962 Mississippi Riot, 1963 Birmingham, March on Washington, 1965 Selma

Voices of the Civil Rights Era - audio samples of some speeches of MLK and Malcolm X

the MLK Directory - This Directory contains secondary documents written about Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as primary documents written during King's life.

Malcolm X - a few documents and information on Malcolm, his life and his time

Ellis Island - immigration museum,

Ellis Island - by the History Channel - many areas of interest dealing with Ellis Island and its history.

Ellis Island, past and present. - The International Channel

Stereoscopic photographs in the early 20th century documented immigration through the most famous point of entry, Ellis Island.

An interesting account of how the Statue of Liberty came about.

Project Vote Smart tracks the performance of over 13,000 political leaders. President, Congress, Governors, State Legislatures (Also answers the question - Who represents you?)

Library of Congress- American Memory

Library of Congress- The Learning Page

The History Channel- Tomb of the Pharoah
A&E
Discovery Channel
CNN

Time
U.S. News and World Report

New York Times
Hartford Courant
USA Today

Grammar and Style Notes By Jack Lynch

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.