Documenting United States History

viii Preface Preface ix

Within each period are key concepts that form the outline of historical content

for the AP® course. Here, key concepts are illustrated by documents, which are

literally voices from the past. These documents may appear as written texts, drawings,

photographs, old maps, or new charts or graphs. The purpose of the documents

in each chapter is to help you develop your skills as a historical thinker.

How to Use This Book

1. Chapter Title and Introduction

Read the chapter title and introduction. Each chapter’s title communicates the

focus of the chapter, and each paragraph of the introduction connects to a key

concept of the AP® framework. What is the difference between a concept and an

event? A concept is larger, broader, and more thematic than an event. Many his-

torical “facts” can prove a single concept. The more familiar you become with key

concepts, the more versatile you become in thinking historically and developing

original historical arguments.

2. Thematic Prereading Focus Questions

Each chapter features AP®-based thematic questions called “Seeking the

Main Point” that help you connect the documents to the key concept of the

chapter. These questions reflect the thematic learning objectives of key con-

cepts in the AP® curriculum and will help you link the documents with the

history that you have learned in class or in your textbook. Read these ques-

tions before you read the primary documents; they will help you draw deeper

connections among the documents.

Here’s an example of a prereading focus question:

What were the gains and losses for Europeans, European colonists, and

native peoples during this era of expansion?

A question like this at the beginning of the chapter will help you focus your

reading as you begin to analyze the primary sources. This question tells you

that you will have to be on the lookout for “gains” and “losses” for three groups—

Europeans, Europeans in America, and native peoples. Keeping this question in

mind helps you read the documents in the chapter purposefully because you will

read with these concepts in mind.

3. Organization of Primary Documents

Each chapter has subgroups of documents. The documents within each subgroup are

typically arranged chronologically so that you can monitor causal relationships and

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