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2021 APUSH Exam Resources, Reviews & Study Guides | Fiveable

AP US History

Tom Richey

Review unit 1 in AP United States History with these resources! This unit covers the time period of 1491-1607. Notable topics in this unit include European exploration and encounters in the Americas, the Columbian Exchange, Labor, Slavery and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System, and cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans and Africans.

Unit 1: Early Contact with the New World (1491-1607)

Early Contact with the New World (1491-1607)

Study for the AP United States History exam with our unit 2 resources, studying from 1607 to 1754, including important topics like European Colonization, the British Colonies, Transatlantic Trade, Slavery in the Colonies, and Colonial Society and Culture.

Unit 2: Colonization of North America (1607-1754)

Colonization of North America (1607-1754)

Use our resources to study unit 3 in AP United States History! Learn all about 1754 - 1800 through topics such as taxation without representation, the influence of philosophical ideas and the Enlightenment, the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, and The Constitution.

Unit 3: Conflict and American Independence (1754-1800)

Conflict and American Independence (1754-1800)

Discover 1800 - 1848 with these resources for unit 4 of APUSH. Learn all about the Jeffersonian Era, America on the World Stage, The Market Revolution, the Jacksonian Era and federal power, emerging American culture, the Second Great Awakening, and the South in the Early Republic.

Unit 4: Beginnings of Modern American Democracy (1800-1848)

Beginnings of Modern American Democracy (1800-1848)

Study for AP United States history from 1844 - 1877 with our unit 5 resources! Notable topics in this unit include Manifest Destiny and westward expansion, the Mexican-American War, the Compromise of 1850, the election of 1860 and succession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Unit 5: Toward the Civil War and Reconstruction (1844-1877)

Toward the Civil War and Reconstruction (1844-1877)

Learn about unit 6 of AP United States History with our resources. This unit covers the time period of 1865-1898. Notable topics in this unit include westward expansion, the "New South", industrialization and capitalism, the Gilded Age, and responses to immigration.

Unit 6: The Industrial Revolution (1865-1898)

The Industrial Revolution (1865-1898)

Review unit 7 of AP United States History with our resources. This unit covers the time period of 1890-1945. Key topics in this unit include imperialism, the Spanish-American War, the Progressiva Era, World War 1, pop culture and innovation in the 1920's, The Great Depression, The New Deal, and World War 2.

Unit 7: The Early 20th Century (1890-1945)

The Early 20th Century (1890-1945)

Prepare for the AP United States History exam with our unit 8 resources! Learn all about the Cold War from 1945 - 1980 with topics such as the Red Scare, the Vietnam War, youth culture in the 1960's, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Unit 8: The Postwar Period and Cold War (1945-1980)

The Postwar Period and Cold War (1945-1980)

Wrap up APUSH with unit 9 of AP United States History with our resources that cover 1980 to the present, including topics such as Reagan and Conservatism, the end of the Cold War, Immigration, and present day America.

Unit 9: Entering into the 21st Century (1980-Present)

Entering into the 21st Century (1980-Present)

Prepare for the AP United States History exam with our thematic guides. Our thematic guides provide overviews of each guiding theme from the APUSH course and give historical and contextual examples of each theme.

Thematic Guides

Interested in taking AP United States History? Check out our intro to the course! Includes study resources, study tips, and exam overviews. We also provide strategies to be used throughout the year of taking the course, along with a general overview of what to expect from the class. 

Course Introductions

Discover everything you need to know about the multiple choice question section of the AP United States History exam! Our guides overview the point breakdown of the questions, how to approach the questions, and give examples of questions. They also show how to effectively manage your time during the multiple choice section of the exam. 

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Learn about the short answer question section of the AP United States History exam. Our guides provide practice questions/prompts and feedback to help you score your best on the short answer question of the APUSH exam!

Short Answer Questions (SAQ)

Learn everything you need to know about the long essay question on the free response question portion of the AP United States History exam! We provide resources that overview how to approach the long essay question and outline the distribution of points.

Long Essay Questions (LEQ)

Learn everything you need to know about the document based question (aka the DBQ) on the free response question portion of the AP United States History exam! We cover the breakdown of points and provide a standard outline of how to approach and effectively write the document based question.

Document Based Questions (DBQ)

Blogs

Exam Reviews 2020

Review for the AP United States History exam with our resources! We provide review of units, key concepts and topics, and exam strategies to help you do your best on exam day!

Big Reviews: Finals & Exam Prep

Need extra preparation for the AP United States History exam? Our pre-recorded question and answer sessions are great way to review AP United States History content!

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Previous Years Periods 1-5

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Your guide to the 2021 AP US History exam

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Scoring Rubric for the 2021 AP US History exam

When is the 2021 AP US History exam and how do I take it?

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Pre-work: set up your study environment

AP US History 2021 Study Plan🌽 

UNIT 1: Period 1, 1491-1607

🦃 UNIT 2: Period 2, 1607-1754

🇺🇸 UNIT 3: Period 3, 1754-1800

🚂 UNIT 4: Period 4, 1800-1848

💣 UNIT 5: Period 5, 1844-1877

💰 UNIT 6: Period 6, 1865-1898

🌎 UNIT 7: Period 7, 1890-1945

🥶 UNIT 8: Period 8, 1945-1980

📲 UNIT 9: Period 9, 1980-Present

2021 APUSH Exam Guide

Practice DBQ Prompt

DBQ Student Samples and Feedback

Practice Submission 1

Practice Submission 2

Practice Submission 3

Practice Submission 4

APUSH Unit 6 Practice DBQ Prompt Answers & Feedback

Practice LEQ prompt

Student Sample Theses and Feedback

Practice Submission 5

Practice Submission 6

APUSH Unit 5 Thesis Writing Samples & Feedback

Strategies for SBMC 

1. Look at the sourcing information. 

2. Decide what the question is actually asking.

3. Eliminate the unlikely. 

4. Guessing is okay! 

5. Leave nothing unanswered.

Answering the Question…

Sample SBMC Questions

AP US History Multiple Choice Questions

College Board Description 📘

Organizing Question 🔎

Key Vocabulary 📝

Historical Examples of this Theme:

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)

Theme 1 (NAT) - American and National Identity

College Board Description📘

Organizing Question🔎

Key Vocabulary 📝

Period 9 (1980-Present)

Sample Questions

Sample MCQ 

Sample SAQ ✏️

Sample LEQ✏️ 

Theme 2 (WXT) - Work, Exchange, and Technology

Historical Examples of this Theme

Sample MCQ

Sample SAQ✏️

Sample LEQ✏️

Theme 3 (GEO) - Geography and The Environment

Key Vocabulary📝

Theme 4 (MIG) - Migration and Settlement

Period 5 (1844 - 1877)

Period 6 (1865 - 1898)

Periods 8 & 9 (1945 - present)

Theme 5 (PCE) - Politics and Power

Historical Examples

Sample LEQ ✏️

Theme 7 (ARC) - American and Regional Culture

Theme 8 (SOC): Social Structures

1.0 Period 1 (1491 – 1607)

Summary of Events

Major People and Events:

Key Timeline:

Major Trends

Unit 1 Overview: Contextualization

Contextualization 

Bering Land Bridge

Context: European Encounters in the Americas

Native Societies Before Europeans 

Native American Societies Before European Contact

Columbus, 1492

The Age of Exploration

Explorers

European Exploration in the Americas

Columbian Exchange

Native vs. European Views

Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest

The Slave Trade

Spanish Labor Systems

Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

The Birth of a New Society

Native American Trade with Europeans 

Spanish Policy Towards Natives

Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

TOPIC 1.7 Causation in Unit 1: BY  in 

Causation in Period 1

Contextualizing the Unit 

Main Events

Major Trends Between 1607-1754

Overview of Period 2 (1607 - 1754)

Colonial Economies💰

Colonial Governments

Colonial Religion

Colonial Societies

Native Conflicts

Exam Skills

Overview of Period 2

Spanish Colonization

French Colonization

Context: European Colonization

Jamestown

John Smith 

Powhatan 

A Successful Colony 

European Colonization

New England Colonies

Middle Colonies

Chesapeake Colonies

Southern Colonies

The Regions of the British Colonies

Mercantilism

Triangular Trade

Transatlantic Trade

Introduction

Relations in New England

Relations in the Middle Colonies 

Relations in the Southern Colonies

Interactions between Native Americans and Europeans

Slavery in the Northern Colonies

Slavery in the Southern Colonies

Slaves Response to Slavery

Slavery in the Colonies

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