Grades: 10 – 11

Prerequisites:                                                            

1) 9^th grade Geography

2)  the ability to read and write at grade level; and

3 ) the willingness to complete college-level coursework.

Minnesota State Social Studies Standards:

This course meets all Minnesota State Standards for US History.  In addition, this course meets the following standards: Spatial Organization (Geography V - C), National Economy (Economics VI – B), Beliefs and Principles of United States Democracy (Civics VII – B), Roots of the Republic (Civics VII – C).

The Course will grapple with these Essential Questions as a baseline:

1. How did the New England and Chesapeake regions evolve into two distinct societies?  Why did this difference in development occur?
2. How did the Constitution strike a balance between central government and states’ rights?
3. What is the contrast between the strict constructionist and loose interpretations of the Constitution in the Early Republic?  Examine the viewpoints of the Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans.
4. To what extent did the Jacksonian ideal of the common man promote economic development, political change and reform?
5. Assess the moral actions and political consequences of those opposed to slavery.
6. Assess the changing status of African  Americans between the Nat Turner Revolt and the end of the nineteenth century.
7. Compare and contrast the patterns of immigration and the immigrant American experience during the periods: 1820 to 1860; 1880 to 1920  and 1965 to 2000.
8. How were the lives of the Plains Native Americans in the second half of the nineteenth century affected by technological developments and government actions?
9. Analyze the political, economic, and social reasons for the emergence of the Populist movement in the nineteenth century.
10. How successful were progressive reforms during the period 1890 to 1915 with respect to the economic and social problems created by industrialism?
11. Was the Federal Economic Policy of the 1920s responsible for the depression of the 1930s?
12. Discuss how New Deal measures such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the Social Security Act, the Wagner National Labor Relations Act and the Securities and Exchange Act attempted to fashion a more stable economy and a more equitable society.
13. To what extent did the decade of the 1950’s deserve its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity?
14. Social dislocations resulting from wartime conditions frequently bring lasting change within a society.  Evaluate the relevance of this generalization to American society in the twentieth century in view of the experience of Blacks AND women.

Course Description:  This year-long course is designed to provide students with analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with issues in US History.  The aim of the course is to provide the student with a learning experience equal to that of an introductory US History course in a college or university.  Students are encouraged to take the AP U.S. History test offered in May.