Looking for a quick way to cover the AP US History curriculum as you study for your exam? Here is an APUSH crash course, broken down by period. For each of the 9 APUSH periods, you’ll find:
- 10-15 minute video lessons by Crash Course
- Multiple choice practice questions from Albert.io
- Short answer, DBQ, and LEQ practice questions from College Board (where applicable)
If you need a refresher on the exam format before you dive into the content, check out these posts:
- What is on the APUSH Exam?
- How to Handle APUSH Short Answer Questions
- How to Prepare for the APUSH DBQ Section
- 4 Steps to Writing a Good APUSH Long Essay
Period 1 (1491-1607)
Video:
The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Spanish vs. English Colonization (applicable to both period 1 and period 2; p. 3)
DBQ
N/A, since the DBQ will cover periods 3-8
LEQ
Spanish, French, and British Imperial Goals (applicable to both period 1 and period 2; question #2 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2011) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 2 (1607-1754)
Videos:
When is Thanksgiving? Colonizing America
The Natives and the English
The Quakers, the Dutch, and the Ladies
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Spanish vs. English Colonization (applicable to both period 1 and period 2; p. 3)
Colonial Regions (p. 2)
DBQ
N/A, since the DBQ will cover periods 3-8
LEQ
Spanish, French, and British Imperial Goals (applicable to both period 1 and period 2; question #2 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2011) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Trans-Atlantic Trade (question #2 on p. 34)
Religious and Intellectual Movements in the Colonies (applicable to both period 2 and period 3; question #2 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 3 (1754-1800)
Videos:
The Seven Years’ War and the Great Awakening
Taxes and Smuggling: Prelude to Revolution
Who Won the American Revolution?
The Constitution, the Articles, and Federalism
Where US Politics Came From
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Causes of the American Revolution (p. 5)
Historical Interpretations of the American Revolution (p. 4)
Articles of Confederation (p. 2)
DBQ
Revolutionary Era (p. 7-11)
LEQ
French and Indian War (question #2 on p. 11)
Religious and Intellectual Movements in the Colonies (applicable to both period 2 and period 3; question #2 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 4 (1800-1848)
Videos:
Thomas Jefferson and His Democracy
The War of 1812
The Market Revolution
Slavery
Age of Jackson
19th Century Reforms
Women in the 19th Century
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Anti-Slavery Movement (question #3 on p. 28)
Immigration (p. 2)
Industrialization (applicable to periods 4, 5, and 6; p. 5)
DBQ
Anti-Slavery Movement (p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2013) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
LEQ
Market Revolution (question #2 on p. 12)
Early 19th Century Political Parties (question #3 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Early US Foreign Policy (question #3 on p. 8) Note: This question is from an older (2013) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 5 (1844-1877)
Videos:
War and Expansion
The Election of 1860 and the Road to Disunion
The Civil War, Part I
The Civil War, Part II
Battles of the Civil War
Reconstruction and 1876
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
African American Voting Rights and Restrictions (applicable to both period 5 and period 6; p. 27)
Industrialization (applicable to periods 4, 5, and 6; p. 5)
DBQ
Civil War (p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2009) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
LEQ
Mexican-American War (question #3 on p. 11)
Reconstruction (question #4 on p. 9) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 6 (1865-1898)
Videos:
The Industrial Economy
Westward Expansion
Growth, Cities, and Immigration
Gilded Age Politics
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Westward Expansion (p. 26)
African American Voting Rights and Restrictions (applicable to both period 5 and period 6; p. 27)
Industrialization (applicable to periods 4, 5, and 6; p. 5)
The Rise of Big Business (p. 4)
Reconstruction vs. Post-Reconstruction Politics (p. 4-5)
DBQ
Rise of Big Business (p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2012) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
LEQ
14th and 15th Amendments (question #2 on p. 12)
Technology and Industrialization (question #3 on p. 34)
Period 7 (1890-1945)
Videos:
The Progressive Era
American Imperialism
Progressive Presidents
America in World War I
Women’s Suffrage
The Roaring 20s
The Great Depression
The New Deal
World War II, Part I
World War II, Part II: The Homefront
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Land Use Policy (p. 3)
Mass Media in the 1920s and 1950s (applicable to both period 7 and period 8; question #4 on p. 28)
World War II (p. 3)
DBQ
American Imperialism (p.32-35)
Foreign Policy from World War I to the Korean War (applicable to both period 7 and period 8; p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
LEQ
19th Amendment (question #3 on p. 12)
World War I (question #3 on p. 12)
Period 8 (1945-1980)
Videos:
The Cold War
The Cold War in Asia
Civil Rights and the 1950s
The 1960s in America
The Rise of Conservatism
Ford, Carter, and the Economic Malaise
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Mass Media in the 1920s and 1950s (applicable to both period 7 and period 8; question #4 on p. 28)
DBQ
Foreign Policy from World War I to the Korean War (applicable to both period 7 and period 8; p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Women’s Rights Movement (p. 6-11)
Vietnam War (p. 6)
New Conservatism (p. 6-10)
Nixon Administration (p. 2-7) Note: This question is from an older (2011) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
LEQ
New Conservatism and Reagan (applicable to both period 8 and period 9; question #5 on p. 9) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Protest Movements (question #5 on p. 9) Note: This question is from an older (2013) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
Period 9 (1980-present)
Videos:
The Reagan Revolution
George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War
The Clinton Years, or the 1990s
Terrorism, War, and Bush 43
Obamanation
Practice Questions:
Multiple Choice
Short Answer
The College Board hasn’t released any official period 9 short answer questions so far, but you can find 2 good examples on p. 446 of this study guide—one on U.S. policy in the Middle East and one on Obama’s first term.
DBQ
N/A since the DBQ will cover periods 3-8
LEQ
Globalization (question #4 on p. 34)
New Conservatism and Reagan (applicable to both period 8 and period 9; question #5 on p. 9) Note: This question is from an older (2014) version of the test and does not accurately follow the format of the current test, but is still good practice.
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