Historical thinking skills · AP U.S. History, AP World History: Modern
Periodization
Periodization: Dividing history into periods based on turning points, and evaluating how and why historians choose those boundaries.
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What it means
Periodization groups the past into eras, such as the Gilded Age or the period from 1450 to 1750. Choosing where a period begins and ends is an argument about which events were turning points. Different historians may periodize the same history differently.
AP courses are organized by periods and units, which gives students a framework for chronology and context.
Example
Some historians begin the civil rights movement with the 1954 Brown v. Board decision, while others emphasize earlier activism in the 1930s and 1940s, arguing for a 'long civil rights movement.'
On the exam
Periodization helps you choose relevant context and keep evidence within a prompt's time frame.