AP US History Notes and Review
(This review is for the 2024 exam)
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Fellow students!!!
Welp, it’s APUSHing time. It’s me, the same person who made those reviews last year. It’s become a tradition to share my notes, people have said it’s super helpful and I like helping others learn so it’s a win-win.
Okay, so APUSH is a class that really grew on me this year. It started off super super slow but really picked up during and after the Civil War, and there were many events that were genuinely interesting. It’s very content heavy but at its core you really only have to memorize key processes and make connections. Focus more on depth rather than just reciting laws, acts, bills, etc.
This review was uploaded suuuuuuper late this year, so I apologize for that. I was super burnt out and didn’t really start APUSH review until like, late April. Hopefully this is still able to help you.
Like the AP Psych review, this probably won’t be as official or formal as any of those super scholarly reviews, like the ones who come from actual AP graders, but I don't know, maybe you’ll find studying a review in a more casual tone from another student first-hand to be more helpful.
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Layout
If you still don’t know, you should familiarize yourself with the test format. The exam is made of a Multiple Choice Section, Short Answer Question, Document-Based Question, and Long Essay Question.
MCQ: 55 questions with 55 minutes – 40%
* Each question is tied to a stimulus; each stimulus has 3-4 questions
SAQ: 3 questions with 40 minutes – 20%
* Q1 includes a secondary source stimulus
* Q2 includes a primary source stimulus
* You then choose to do either Q3 OR Q4; both have NO stimulus
DBQ: 1 essay with 7 documents – 25%
LEQ: 1 essay with NO stimulus – 15%
* You may choose either Q1, Q2, OR Q3
This review will contain notes for every topic from each unit, as well as my tips for each unit. At the end is my personalized suggested calendar for reviewing. I tried to make it realistic, because teachers always be giving like month-long reviews and I really do not think anyone needs to spend like 4 days reviewing every unit, especially because I know some of y’all have a crap ton of other classes and AP tests to worry about.
Keep in mind that like, almost all of the opinions (difficulty, time per day, etc) are purely subjective and an estimate to what I would recommend. If you wanna do it your own way, like if you know you need help in a very specific unit or know that you have another unit in the bag, then of course do whatever accommodates your needs the best.
Before you even begin reviewing, I highly recommend both taking a full-length MCQ practice exam, and doing a brief reread of all your notes. Compare what you got wrong on the practice exam and what you don’t remember in your notes, and focus on those areas more.
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Accessibility
Some of the scans may be partially faded, or have faint marks from the other side of the page, so apologies for any difficulties it may cause when viewing certain diagrams.
If the notes don’t fit to the entire page, then do the following:
Files → Page setup → Paper size → Letter (8.5” x 11”)
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Three dots in corner → Print layout
When viewed in print layout, the quality is best. Otherwise, some of the cutoffs can be very wonky on a phone screen.
Also, please view this on desktop or on the official Google Docs app. If not, the image quality will be illegible.
If you spot any errors, please reach out to me in real life, email, or Instagram and let me know.
Without further ado, here we go!
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Table of Contents
Unit 1: Pre-Colonial Americas
4-6%
==========
* Pre-European Americas
* European Exploration
* Cultural Exchange
Unit 2: Colonial America
4-6%
==========
* European Colonization
* The British Colonies
* Colonial Developments
* Colonial Society and Culture
Unit 3: American Independence
10-17%
==========
* Road to Revolution
* The Revolutionary War
* US Constitution
* Early Republic
Unit 4: Young America
10-17%
==========
* Early 1800’s
* Market Revolution
* Jacksonian Democracy
* Emerging US Culture
* Age of Reform
* The Antebellum South
Unit 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction
10-17%
==========
* Manifest Destiny
* Road to Civil War
* Fighting the Civil War
* Reconstruction
Unit 6: The Gilded Age
10-17%
==========
* The Wild West
* The New South
* Rise of Capitalism
* Immigration and Migration
* Gilded Age Culture
* Gilded Age Government
Unit 7: America’s Rise to World Power
10-17%
==========
* US Imperialism
* The Progressives
* World War I
* The Roaring 20’s
* The Great Depression
* World War II
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Unit 8: The Cold War and Post-War America
10-17%
==========
* The Cold War
* Post-War Developments
* Global Conflicts
* The Great Society
* Civil Rights Movement
* Society in Transition
Unit 9: Conservatism and the 21st Century
4-6%
==========
* Reagan and Conservatism
* The End of the Cold War
* Entering the 21st Century
* The 21st Century
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Unit 1
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Pre-Colonial Americas, 1492-1607
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1.2: Pre-European America
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1.3-1.5: European Exploration
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1.6: Cultural Exchange
Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* Whereas the Spanish and Portuguese subjugated the Natives the most, the French had the best relations with Natives.
* Spain and Portugal colonized mainly Central and South America, while Britain, France, and Netherlands settled in North America.
* Native Americans tended to be polytheistic whereas Europeans were monotheistic.
Continuity
* People wanted land and participation in trade with Asia.
Change
* Many Native American tribes and Mesoamerican societies thrived prior to European arrival, but quickly fell to disease and conquest.
* Economic systems in Europe gradually transitioned from the feudalism of the Middle Ages to the beginnings of free-market and capitalism.
Causation
* Since the Natives had no immunity from European diseases, their diseases such as smallpox severely impacted them.
* Desires to spread Christianity and economic gains caused Europeans to seek exploration.
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Unit 2
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Colonial America, 1607-1754
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2.2: European Colonization
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2.3: The British Colonies
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2.4-2.6: Colonial Developments
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2.7: Colonial Society and Culture
Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* New England was predominantly English, while the Middle and Southern Colonies were much more diverse.
* New England prioritized ships and fishing, while the Middle Colonies focused on grains, and the Southern Colonies focused on agriculture, specifically indigo and tobacco.
* New England was cold and rocky, the Middle Colonies had fair weather, while the Southern Colonies had hot weather good for crops.
* Education was the best in New England.
* England--and thus, English colonists--were used to the democratic process and representative government, unlike Spain or France.
* Colonists had the same religious attitudes as Britain, but were more tolerant.
* While the Spanish were mainly Catholic, the English were mainly Protestant.
Continuity
* Huge religious and ethnic diversity across all the colonies.
* Representative government present in all colonies.
* Slavery continued and grew.
Change
* Settlements in the Americas became permanent.
* Gradually, the colonies began growing distant towards Britain and developing their own unique identity.
* Conflicts with Natives continued, often bloody and violent.
Causation
* As a result of the Enlightenment, the First Great Awakening “fought back”.
* Due to mercantilist policies, the colonies often exported to Britain solely, yet their economy was growing nicely.
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Unit 3
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American Independence, 1754-1800
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3.2-3.4: Road to Revolution
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3.5-3.6: The Revolutionary War
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3.7-3.9: US Constitution
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3.10-3.12: Early Republic
Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* Federalists favor a strong central government whereas Anti-Federalists favor a weak central government.
* The Articles were too weak to enforce any laws or taxes, whereas the Constitution was strong enough to properly enforce federal laws.
Continuity
* Despite their role in the war and republican motherhood, women remained inferior to men.
* Slavery continued and grew.
* Conflicts continued with the Natives, and legislation continued to be ineffective at preventing this.
* The US established a policy of neutrality and tried their best to uphold it.
* Harsh clashes between Federalist and Anti-Federalist ideals.
Change
* The idea of republican motherhood helped to alter perceptions of a woman’s role.
* Despite Washington’s warnings, the first political parties formed.
* The differences/tensions between the North and South start becoming more apparent when writing the Constitution.
* After the US won independence, state support of churches declined.
Causation
* Due to fears of making another tyrannical government, the Articles of Confederation were intentionally very weak.
* Since the Articles were too weak, the government couldn;t enforce anything, so the Constitution was written instead.
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Unit 4
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Young America, 1800-1848
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4.2-4.4: Early 1800’s
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4.5-4.6: Market Revolution
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4.7-4.8: Jacksonian Democracy
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4.9: Emerging US Culture
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4.10-4.11: Age of Reform
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4.12-4.13: The Antebellum South
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Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* The Democratic-Republicans supported agriculture and limited government, while the Federalists supported business/industry and strong government.
* The Democrats would emerge from the Democratic-Republicans, while the Whigs emerged from the Federalists.
Continuity
* Slavery continued and grew.
* Conflicts continued with the Natives, and legislation continued to be ineffective at preventing this.
* Despite democracy spreading to the common man, African Americans and women still couldn’t vote.
Change
* The emergence of a unique and homogenous national identity began growing, yet at the same time sectional tensions were also growing, especially between the North and South concerning slavery.
* The Age of Reform marked one of the first liberal/progressive movements in US history, winning major strides for women, the mentally ill, and other marginalized groups.
* Jackson spread democracy to the common man.
* The Revolution of 1800 marked the peaceful transfer of power from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans.
Causation
* Due to the Federalist opposition to the War of 1812 and even their attempt to disunion, they lost all popularity and ceased as a party.
* The new means of transport led to the Market Revolution.
* Due to their triumph in the War of 1812, the US was beginning to win global respect as their own independent nation.
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Unit 5
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The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1844-1877
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5.2-5.3: Manifest Destiny
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5.4-5.6: Road to Civil War
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5.7: Secession
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5.8-5.9: Fighting the Civil War
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5.10-5.11: Reconstruction
Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* While most Republicans were in the North and opposed slavery for moral/economic reasons, most Democrats were in the South and defended slavery as a pillar for their way of life.
* While the Missouri Compromise used latitude to settle slavery, the Compromise of 1850 and Kansas-Nebraska Act used popular sovereignty.
* The North had a stronger industry and high population, whereas the South had homeland advantage and expert military leaders.
* While Abraham Lincoln prioritized mending relations but also through order, Andrew Johnson was much more lenient with the South, as a Southern Democrat himself.
* Radical Republicans demanded harsh retribution and vengeance of the South during a time where cooperation was more necessary, while Democrats wanted less harsh penalties for the Civil War.
Continuity
* As time went on and on, more and more compromises had to be passed to uphold the delicate balance of slave/free states.
* Despite emancipation, African Americans continued to be oppressed by racism, violence, and Jim Crow segregation.
* Sharecropping system continued to keep Freedmen into servitude.
* Each new territory reawakened the slavery debate, each time extensions worsening.
* Grant’s presidency was riddled with controversy and scandal, slightly reflective of the forthcoming Gilded Age.
Change
* As a result of literature such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, many Northerners began opposing slavery for moral reasons rather than economic reasons.
* The Whigs morphed into the modern Republicans.
Causation
* Slavery was so divisive it broke the Whigs apart and split the Democrats into Northern and Southern.
* In response to anti-slavery literature, many Southerners wrote counter-books defending slavery and calling the Northern wage system worse.
* The Dred-Scott case repealed the Missouri compromise, which infuriated Northern Republicans and blew up tensions.
* As a result of the not-loss at the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln changed the war’s cause from preservation to emancipation.
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Unit 6
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The Gilded Age, 1865-1898
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6.2-6.3: The Wild West
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6.4: The New South
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6.5-6.7: Rise of Capitalism
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6.8-6.9: Immigration and Migration
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6.10-6.11: Gilded Age Culture
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6.12-6.13: Gilded Age Government
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Summary and Key Points
Comparison
* While production used to be done by artisans, now it was done by workers in factories.
* Old immigrants were more literate and familiar with democracy, while New Immigrants often didn’t speak English, and were a minority religion.
Continuity
* Still, the US was seen as a land of freedom and opportunity for many.
* Work conditions remained poor and dangerous for many.
* Women in factory work in a continuation of the textile mills from earlier in the century.
* The South, despite the attempts of Reconstruction, remained much poorer and continued oppressing African Americans.
* Shady business and political practices were pretty much a key sign of this era.
* Nativism sentiment against all immigrants remained.
Change
* Many immigrants began arriving from East and South Europe, leading to demographic changes.
* The gap between the rich and the poor grew wider and wider.
* Rise of white-collar jobs replacing manual blue-collar jobs.
* The use of canals was replaced by the use of railroads.
* For the first time, the US began seeing a surge in Asian immigrants.
* This is the first time immigration got so bad that the US had to pass legislation to start restricting it.
* All momentum for Native resistance was basically killed by the end of the Frontier’s closing.
* Slight change in attitudes towards Natives, preferring assimilation over subjugation (still subjugation but you get the idea).
Causation
* Monopolistic businesses such as Carnegie Steel or Rockefeller Oil were so big, that they snuffed out all competition (by virtue of being a monopoly).
* At the same time, these businesses were able to become titans of industry for the economy.
* The sheer poverty of many urban-dwellers pushed many lower-class women into the workforce, though difficult it was the first push in integrating women into society.
* Increase in wages led to more Americans investing in play and leisure.
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Unit 7
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America’s Rise to World Power, 1890-1945
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7.2-7.3: US Imperialism
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7.4: The Progressives
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7.5-7.6: World War I
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7.7-7.8: The Roaring 20’s
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7.9-7.10: The Great Depression
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7.11-7.14: World War II
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Summary and Key Points
Comparison
Continuity
Change
Causation
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Unit 8
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Post-War America and the Cold War, 1945-1980
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8.2-8.3: The Cold War
8.4-8.6: Post-War Developments
8.7-8.8: Global Conflicts
8.9: The Great Society
8.10-8.13: Civil Rights Movement
8.14: Society in Transition
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Summary and Key Points
Comparison
Continuity
Change
Causation
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Unit 9
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Conservatism and the 21st Century, 1980-Present
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9.2: Reagan and Conservatism
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9.3: The End of the Cold War
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9.4-9.5: Entering the 21st Century
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9.6: The 21st Century
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Summary and Key Points
Comparison
Continuity
Change
Causation
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Rapid-Fire Review
* Key Presidents:
* George Washington (1789-1797)
* John Adams (1797-1801)
* Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
* James Madison (1809-1817)
* James Monroe (1817-1825)
* …
* Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
* …
* James K. Polk (1845-1849)
* …
* Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
* Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
* Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
* …
* William McKinley (1897-1901)
* Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
* Willam H. Taft (1909-1913)
* Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
* …
* Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
* Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
* Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (1952-1961)
* John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
* Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
* Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
* …
* Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
* …
* George W. Bush (2001-2009)
* Key Court Cases:
* There are ONLY 3 court cases you are REQUIRED to remember (explicitly mentioned in the APUSH CED):
* Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
* Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
* Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
* The remaining court cases are NOT REQUIRED (e.g., they’ll always give you some background context for these if asked in MCQs), but will STILL be helpful to know:
* Marbury v. Madison (1803)
* McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
* Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
* Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)
* Worcester v. Georgia (1832)
* Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842)
* Schenck v. United States (1919)
* Roe v. Wade (1973)
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General Tips
* Connections over detail—despite being much more content heavy than WHAP, at the end of the day APUSH still prioritizes making connections across time periods, comparisons without time periods, and understanding causation. Instead of spending your time memorizing every last president and bill, spend it understanding these connections, comparisons, and causations.
* Don’t read the AMSCO—at this point AMSCO, and any textbook, is useless other than for references. Time is of the essence and there’s no point in wasting it rereading whole chapters. You won’t retain good information in the end.
* Might be controversial, but the exam is a sprint, not a marathon—I know every teacher says to take it easy but when you have less than a minute per question when factoring in reading time that’s kinda impossible. Prioritize speed above all else but not so much so that you sacrifice accuracy. The timing for every AP exam is purposefully designed to always keep you in a rush.
* Read once, then twice if you don’t understand, but stop at three—if you don’t understand the stimulus after three reads, just answer any questions in the set that aren’t tied to the stimulus directly, then move on. Come back if you have time. A clear mind helps.