AP U.S. History Crash Course, Book + Online: Get a Higher Score in Less Time

by Larry Krieger

Overview

AP® U.S. History Crash Course® - updated for today's 2025-2026 digital exam!

Get a Higher Score in Less Time!

At REA, we invented the quick-review study guide for AP® exams. More than a decade later, REA’s Crash Course® remains the top choice for AP® students who want to make the most of their study time and earn a high score.

Here’s why more AP® teachers and students turn to REA’s AP® U.S. History Crash Course® than any other study guide of its kind:

Targeted Review - Study Only What You Need to Know. REA’s all-new 5th edition addresses all the latest test revisions. Our Crash Course® is based on an in-depth analysis of the revised AP® U.S. History course and exam description and sample AP® test questions. We cover only the information tested on the 2025-2026 digital exam, so you can make the most of your valuable study time.

Expert Test-taking Strategies and Advice. Written by a veteran AP® U.S. History teacher, the book gives you the topics and critical context that will matter most on exam day. Crash Course® relies on the author’s extensive analysis of the test’s structure and content. By following his advice, you can boost your score.

Practice questions – a mini-practice test in the book, a full-length practice exam online. Are you ready for your exam? Try our focused practice set inside the book. Then go online to take our full-length practice exam. You’ll get the benefits of timed testing, detailed answers, and automatic scoring that pinpoints your performance based on the official AP® 2025-2026 exam topics – so you can count down with confidence to test day.

When it’s crunch time and your Advanced Placement® exam is just around the corner, you need REA’s Crash Course® for AP® U.S. History!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738612690
Publisher:	Research & Education Association
Publication date:	01/02/2020
Series:	Advanced Placement (AP) Crash Course
Edition description:	Fifth Edition, Revised
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	15 - 18 Years

About the Author

Larry Krieger has been recognized by the College Board as one of the nation’s foremost AP teachers. In a career spanning more that 40 years, Mr. Krieger has taught a variety of AP subjects and continues to hopscotch the United States as an AP consultant. Renowned for his energetic presentation style and commitment to scholarship, he developed a special knack for helping his students achieve high AP exam scores. All of Mr. Krieger’s students scored above a 3 on their AP exams, with most scoring a 4 or a 5.

The fifth edition of REA’s Crash Course for AP U.S. History is based upon Mr. Krieger’s intensive study of the latest APUSH framework as well as released College Board APUSH exam materials. He continuously field-tests the content in this book with students taking his APUSH prep courses, with 90 percent of them scoring a 5 and the rest earning a 4.

Mr. Krieger’s success extends far beyond the classroom. He is the author or coauthor of several widely used American history and World history textbooks, as well as the creator of REA’s Crash Course quick-review study guides for AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP European History, and AP Psychology. In addition, he has been a sought-after speaker at Social Studies conferences and conducts SAT and AP workshops for students throughout the United States.

Mr. Krieger earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. from Wake Forest University, as well as an M.A.T. from UNC Chapel Hill.

Table of Contents

About This Book
Letter from the Author
About Our Author
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Seven Keys for Success on the AP U.S. History Exam
Chapter 2: Key Terms

PERIOD 1: 1491–1607
Chapter 3: A New World

PERIOD 2: 1607–1754
Chapter 4: English North America
Chapter 5: Key Trends in Colonial Life and Thought

PERIOD 3: 1754–1800
Chapter 6: Severing Ties with Great Britain
Chapter 7: Creating a New National Government
Chapter 8: The Federalist Era

PERIOD 4: 1800–1848
Chapter 9: The Early Republic
Chapter 10: The Age of Jackson
Chapter 11: The Old South
Chapter 12: A Burst of Change
Chapter 13: Religion, Reform, and Romanticism

PERIOD 5: 1844–1877
Chapter 14: Territorial Expansion
Chapter 15: The Road to Disunion
Chapter 16: The Civil War
Chapter 17: Reconstruction and the New South

PERIOD 6: 1865–1898
Chapter 18: The New West
Chapter 19: Industry and Labor
Chapter 20: Urban America

PERIOD 7: 1890–1945
Chapter 21: Populists and Progressives
Chapter 22: Becoming a World Power
Chapter 23: The New Era
Chapter 24: The Great Depression and the New Deal
Chapter 25: The United States and the World

PERIOD 8: 1945–1980
Chapter 26: Truman, the Cold War, and the Second Red Scare
Chapter 27: The Eisenhower Era
Chapter 28: The 1960s
Chapter 29: The 1970s

PERIOD 9: 1980–PRESENT
Chapter 30: The Reagan–Bush Era
Chapter 31: Key Events and Trends in Post–Cold War America
Chapter 32: Strategies for the Multiple-Choice Questions
Chapter 33: Strategies for the Short-Answer Questions
Chapter 34: Strategies for the Document-Based Essay Question
Chapter 35: Strategies for the Long-Essay Question

Online Practice Test