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AP US History Study Guide
Begin your journey through US history by exploring primary sources, essays, and videos, organized by time period.
Image Source: World War II recruiting poster created by the US Office of War Information: Americans Will Always Fight for Liberty, Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1943 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09520.37)
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AP US History Study Guide
History U: AP US History
Review the content featured in the nine AP test periods and practice multiple-choice quizzes and sample essay questions.
Image Source: United Press International, “New York,” 1964 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09733.03)
Course Details About History U
Free
High School Students
Self-Paced Online
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AP US History Study Guide
History U: Foundations of American Government
Examine the “why” and the “how” of American government through in-depth discussion of its history and workings.
Image Source: Diagram of the Federal Government and American Union by N. Mendal Shafer, a lithograph by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1862 (Library of Congress)
Course Details About History U
Free
High School Students
Self-Paced Online
Resources by Period:
- Period 1: 1491–1607
- Period 2: 1607–1754
- Period 3: 1754–1800
- Period 4: 1800–1848
- Period 5: 1844–1877
- Period 6: 1865–1898
- Period 7: 1890–1945
- Period 8: 1945–1980
- Period 9: 1980–Present
AP US History Study Guide
Test Details
The AP US History exam covers United States history from 1491 to the present, divided into nine time periods. The exam is scored on a scale from 1 to 5, with a score of 3 or higher often earning college credit (depending on the particular university). Sections of the test include
- 55 Source-Based Multiple Choice Questions (55 minutes)
- 3 Short-Answer Questions (40 minutes)
- 1 Document-Based Essay Question (60 minutes including a 15-minute reading period)
- 1 Long Essay Question (40 minutes)
US History Periods
Period 1: 1491–1607
On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.
- 4–6% Exam Weighting
Period 2: 1607–1754
Europeans and American Indians maneuvered and fought for dominance, control, and security in North America, and distinctive colonial and native societies emerged.
- 6–8% Exam Weighting
Period 3: 1754–1800
British imperial attempts to reassert control over its colonies and the colonial reaction to these attempts produced a new American republic, along with struggles over the new nation’s social, political, and economic identity.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 4: 1800–1848
The new republic struggled to define and extend democratic ideals in the face of rapid economic, territorial, and demographic changes.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 5: 1848–1877
As the nation expanded and its population grew, regional tensions, especially over slavery, led to a civil war—the course and aftermath of which transformed American society.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 6: 1865–1898
The transformation of the United States from an agricultural to an increasingly industrialized and urbanized society brought about significant economic, political, diplomatic, social, environmental, and cultural changes.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 7: 1890–1945
An increasingly pluralistic United States faced profound domestic and global challenges, debated the proper degree of government activism, and sought to define its international role.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 8: 1945–1980
After World War II, the United States grappled with prosperity and unfamiliar international responsibilities while struggling to live up to its ideals.
- 10–17% Exam Weighting
Period 9: 1980–Present
As the United States transitioned to a new century filled with challenges and possibilities, it experienced renewed ideological and cultural debates, sought to redefine its foreign policy, and adapted to economic globalization and revolutionary changes in science and technology.
- 4–6% Exam Weighting
AP Exam Test-taking Skills and Strategies
How to MCQ
Learn test-taking strategies to answer Multiple-Choice Questions.
- Video
How to DBQ
Learn how to respond to the Document-Based Essay Question.
- Video
How to LEQ
Learn how to respond to the Long Essay Question.
- Video
How to SAQ Part I
Learn how to respond to the Short-Answer Questions about secondary and text-based primary sources.
- Video
How to SAQ Part II
Learn how to respond to the Short-Answer Questions about image-based primary sources and questions without a stimulus.
- Video
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