AP U.S. History provides a rigorous, college-level survey of significant events, individuals, developments, and processes from approximately 1491 to the present. Students develop and apply the skills historians use, including analyzing primary and secondary sources, constructing historical arguments, making connections across periods, and reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change. Throughout the course, students explore eight key themes—such as American and national identity, work and technology, migration and settlement, and politics and power—to connect historical developments across time and place.

This course covers major social, political, economic, and cultural transformations in U.S. history, from early interactions between native populations and European settlers, through the Revolution, Civil War, and Reconstruction, to industrialization, immigration, and America’s role in global affairs. By engaging with historical evidence and context, students will build the analytical skills and historical understanding needed for success on the AP exam, college coursework, and informed civic participation.