Course

Course Summary

Credit Type:

Exam

ACE ID:

CLEP-0009

Organization's ID:

CLEP-0009

Organization:

College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Location:

Certified CLEP test centers throughout the U.S.

Length:

Approximately 1.5 hours

Dates Offered:

Credit Recommendation & Competencies

Level	Credits (SH)	Subject
Lower-Division Baccalaureate	3	United States History II

Credit is recommended for candidates scoring 50 and above.

Description

Objective:

The History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present exam covers material that is usually taught in the second semester of what is often a two-semester course in United States history. The exam covers the period of United States history from the end of the Civil War to the present, with the majority of the questions being on the twentieth century. The exam contains approximately 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes.

Skills Measured:

Questions on the History of the United States II exam require students to demonstrate one or more of the following abilities:
• Identify and describe historical phenomena
• Analyze and interpret historical phenomena
• Compare and contrast historical phenomena

The subject matter of the History of the United States II exam is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.

Topical Specifications:
• 25% Political institutions and public policy
• 25% Social developments
• 15% Economic developments
• 20% Cultural and intellectual developments
• 15% Diplomacy and transnational relations

Chronological Specifications:
• 30% 1865–1914
• 70% 1915–present

The following are among the specific topics tested:
• The impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction upon the South
• The motivations and character of American expansionism and imperialism
• Legal history, including constitutional amendments and major Supreme Court cases
• The role of the environment in United States history
• The development of American political parties, movements, and realignments
• The changing role of the federal government in the economy and American life
• The intellectual and political expressions of liberalism and conservatism
• Long-term demographic trends
• The process of economic growth and development, including periods of depression and recession
• The changing occupational structure, nature of work, and labor organization
• Immigration and the history of racial and ethnic minorities
• Urbanization and industrialization
• The causes and effects of major wars in United States history and diplomacy and engagement with the world
• International relations and interactions during the Cold War
• Major movements and individual figures in the history of American arts and culture
• Trends in the history of women and the family
• Trends in education, science, and technology and their impact on United States society
• Civil rights movements, the women’s rights movement, protest movements, and the expansion of individual rights and civil liberties
• United States foreign policy and international relations since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

Instruction & Assessment