AP® U.S. History Teacher Resources

It’s been said many times before—teachers are superheroes. Unlike the super-human variety we see in movies, however, APUSH teachers do not have access to radioactive spiders or strength-enhancing serums to give them their powers. Instead, they rely on high-quality AP® U.S. History teaching resources to strengthen their classroom instruction and better support their students. This is exactly why our team of former AP teachers and UWorld Learning Tools for AP Courses authors have compiled a list of quality AP U.S. History teacher websites for you.

Free Resources for AP U.S. History Teachers

The following is our compiled list of free AP U.S. History teacher websites. These are great resources you can incorporate into several APUSH lesson plans!

Boundless U.S. History

Online learning platform with educator-contributed assignments, quizzes, case studies, lecture notes, and more.
Provides a vast array of resources for subject areas and time periods that range from ancient civilizations to the 21st century.

APUSH DBQ

AP U.S. History teacher's guide for educators who are seeking DBQs–document based questions–to support their instruction.
All DBQs follow previous APUSH exams and are prepared by AP U.S. History teachers, as well as their students.

Library of Congress - Charts and Graphs

Page on the Library of Congress website that offers a vast array of primary source charts and graphs.
The Library of Congress provides professional development and classroom resources for educators using the library’s extensive digital collections.

Stanford History Education Group

Stanford-based educational resource site with 130+ assessments, lesson activities, and other free activities for history teachers and students.
Conducts research and works closely with school districts to “reach directly” into classrooms and support education.

American History A.P. Unit Topics

AP U.S. History teacher's guide with an emphasis on assignment pages and web links.
Organizes each topic by its respective unit of study according to AP United States History curriculum requirements.

German Immigrants: Their Contributions to the Upper Midwest

Page on the Library of Congress website that offers a vast array of information on early 20th century German immigrants and their historical contributions to the midwestern United States.
The Library of Congress provides professional development and classroom resources for educators using the library’s extensive digital collections.

Crash Course: US History

Youtube video in which John Green dives into the history of the United States of America.
Crash Course is a Youtube channel that provides free, high-quality educational videos on a variety of topics in a variety of subject areas.

Heimler's History

Youtube channel that provides free, high-quality educational videos on a variety of topics in AP World and AP U.S.History.
Reviews critical topics by course subject and organizes them into easy-to-access play lists.

FRED Economic Data

FRED, short for Federal Reserve Economic Data, provides data that is “widely reported in the media and play[s] a key role in financial markets.”
Allows people to retrieve vintage versions of economic data from specific dates in history.

Library of Congress - Labor Unions

Page on the Library of Congress website that offers a lesson plan about United States labor unions and working conditions in the 20th century.
The Library of Congress provides professional development and classroom resources for educators using the library’s extensive digital collections.

Primary Source Learning: American Revolution

Page on a free teaching resource blog with links to primary sources, timelines, lessons, and activities related to the American Revolution.
The page’s home blog, Citizen U, was created by the Barat Education Foundation and was funded by a grant from the Library of Congress.

Atlas of Economic Complexity - Harvard

Data visualization tool that people use to observe global trade flows across markets, track their dynamics over time, and look for each country’s opportunities for growth.
The Atlas is the flagship tool of Harvard’s Growth Lab’s portfolio of visualization tools.

Other Resources for AP U.S. History Teachers

The above list of sites just scratches the surface of the free AP U.S. History teaching resources that can be used for instructional supplementation. There are additional ways AP United States History teachers can strengthen their teaching “toolbox” as well, and some of our favorites are listed below. Please note that, unlike the ones listed in the above section, some of the following resources are not free.

AP Summer Institutes (APSIs)

Each summer, the College Board offers AP professional development through their AP Summer Institutes. During these summer sessions, teachers develop AP teaching skills and strategies and explore each section of the course and its exam.

AP Online Workshops

For educators who can’t attend in person, the College Board provides online workshops that teach strategies and tools to help AP staff to plan and focus their instruction.

Teacher Websites & Communities

There are a variety of social media platforms and websites that provide not only AP U.S. History teaching resources, but also a feeling of community. This list is by no means exhaustive, but we do recommend you check out the following:

Other Paid Resources

Here are some additional resources you can incorporate into your AP U.S. History lesson plans, as well. These may include a fee, but they offer high-quality support.

Tips for Finding Quality AP U.S. History Resources

When searching for AP U.S. History teacher's guides to support your instruction, it’s important to make sure they are credible. Here are a few ways you can ensure your resources have a high level of quality!

Use the tools that academic professionals have developed. People without the proper subject credentials are less reliable than AP teachers, published journals, and businesses that sell educational products. For instance, UWorld's Learning Tools for AP Courses only contain information created by subject-matter specialists and previous AP teachers.
It’s a great idea to trade resources and ideas with other teachers in your district's AP network. You can network with AP educators outside of your school when you go to professional development workshops in your subject area.
Textbooks are excellent resources. Many textbooks have online editions that teachers may access just as easily as they can from other websites. These digital versions are often the most current, too.

For teachers who want to enhance their AP instruction with a quality resource, UWorld’s Learning Tools for AP Courses is an innovative program that helps students strengthen their understanding of course concepts needed for AP success. Discover how we can help your AP program today.