I’m a little confused about what I should know and don’t have to know.</p>
First, where do I start?</p>
Do I start at 25,000 BCE, with the first people arriving at the Americas through the Bering Strait? </p>
Or should I start by knowing the explorers and conquistadors?</p>
I’m confused because I have several review books and they all start at different places. 5 Steps to a 5 starts with the Bering Strait migration. REA starts with the first explorers and conquistadors. Peterson’s starts with the Bering Strait migration as well!</p>
Our summer homework dealt with explorers and stuff leading up to about 1600, but very little of it was important for the AP exam. Just start out with the explorers; there isn’t much you need to know before 1750.</p>
No, it starts with the spanish explorers. I highly disagree with the above post. There is TONS you need to know before 1750. Not sure where he/she got his/her facts?</p>
Practical: I took the class and the exam this year (expecting a 5). I knew very little about what happened before 1600, and the only things I remember studying (I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things, but not much) for the AP exam from 1600 to 1750 are the development of colonies; religious dissent and diversity; the beginnings of self-government; Puritans, Quakers, etc.; Enlightenment and the Great Awakening; the development of plantation economies; British trade and colonial policies; resistance to authority; transatlantic/triangle trade; and indentured servitude and slavery. I wrote an entire essay on the AP exam about things that happened before 1750, but the time period is not nearly as dense as any other time period after 1750.</p>
According to the course description, one should also include early America, pre-colonization and exploration. However, the earliest question I’ve seen was about Cortez and his correlation with America.</p>
@Burgerking- What’s your point. I said you have to know stuff before 1750. Your telling me you didn’t know stuff before 1600? I don’t see how that’s relevant at all…</p>
you should first get some review books. I recommend Direct Hits and AMSCO and if you want, Crash Course. That should give you the direction that you need .good luck :D</p>
Practical: It’s relevant because you said the course starts with Spanish explorers, which starts at ~1500. I’m saying I knew barely anything ~1500-1600, which is a time period before 1750 that is also in the curriculum. From 1600 to 1750, there isn’t much you have to learn (as shown by the list I provided of things I knew). So, based on what I knew ~1500-1600 and 1600-1750, I can conclude that there isn’t much I knew or needed to know before 1750, especially compared to later time periods.</p>
Interestingly, the APUSH topical outline lists Pre-Colombian societies. </p>
However, I do have a copy of Crash Course and the author explicitly states that the book is based off the topical outline and past tests. </p>
Judging by the non-existent coverage of Pre-Colombian societies in Crash Course, I think that it is safe to assume that the APUSH test will not ask about Pre-Colombian societies, right? Also, you guys seem to agree that Pre-Colombian stuff isn’t important at all, as a matter of fact, most of the stuff up to 1750 doesn’t matter much. </p>
Ya it starts with the Spanish explorers but IMO it’s not really relevent, like there never on ap but u should read it…I would start at at colonial settlements, Jamestown</p>