Writing in AP U.S. History Intro / Thesis Writing

Writing in AP U.S. History – Intro / Thesis Writing

John P. Irish

Seven Lakes High School – Katy ISD

Recent Publications:
Instructors Resource Guide to The American Pageant (13/e) (14/e Summer „09)
The Quizbook: A Test Manual for Instructors to The American Pageant (13/e) (14/e Summer „09)

Edward Bellamy: Looking Backward (Fall – 2006: The Center for Learning)
AP U.S. History Workbooks (revised edition, 3 volumes) – The Center for Learning, Summer „09

AP Test Questions to America: Past and Present (9/e, forthcoming)
Seven Lakes High School
9251 S. Fry Road
Katy, Texas 77494
A Bit O’ Irish:

www.orgsites.com/tx/ap-us-and-european-history/index.html
[email protected]
[email protected]

IRISH - 1 - APUSH

U.S. History Essay Writing Information

The AP U.S. History Exam is three hours and five minutes long. In Section I, students are given 55 minutes to answer
80 multiple-choice questions. In Section II, students are given a 45-minute exercise in the use of historical evidence
(the document-based question or DBQ), which includes a 15-minute reading period; then students select 2 other essays
to write on (one essay will be from the first half of the course, the other will be from the second half of the course).

Section I % of Grade Number of Questions Time Allotted Reading Period
Section II 50% 80 55 minutes
50% 15 minutes
Part A 25% 3 Essay Questions 45 minutes 5 minutes
Part B 12½% 1 DBQ Essay 30 minutes 5 minutes
Part C 12½% 1 FRQ Essay 30 minutes
1 FRQ Essay

AP United States History Exam - Writing Requirement

Part A: Document Based Question (DBQ) Essay
Part B: Free Response Question (FRQ) from the 1st half of the course
Part C: Free Response Question (FRQ) from the 2nd half of the course

Irish’s Eight Commandments of Writing the History Essay

I. Thou Shalt Have a Thesis Sentence. The thesis must state the argument and everything in your
essay must support your argument.

II. Thou Shalt Get to the Point. Make your case, don‟t make sweeping generalizations. Don‟t waste
time using fluff and stuff, tell it like it is.

III. Thou Shalt Use Factual Evidence. Your thesis is only valid if the evidence supports it. The
evidence gives the reader reason to believe your thesis.

IV. Thou Shalt Take Contrary Evidence Into Account. Showing that there is at least another side to
the story is not only necessary, it helps strengthen your argument not weaken it.

V. Thou Shalt End the Essay Simply and Cleanly. If you must use a concluding sentence or
paragraph, don‟t introduce new evidence or make moral judgments.

VI. Thou Shalt NOT use Personal Pronouns in the History Essay. Using such words as I, you, we, us,
my, or they is not acceptable.

VII. Thou Shalt NOT Misspell Words or Use Poor Grammar. An abundance of misspelled words or
grammatical errors can detract from a well-written essay.

VIII. Thou Shalt NOT Use Rhetorical Questions. Stick to answering the question, not to introducing
another.

IRISH - 2 - APUSH

DBQ Do’s and Don’ts

The Do‟s: 1. Read and interpret all parts of the essay question, looking for keys such as Change Over Time.

2. Read and analyze each of the documents, looking for Point of View.
3. Determine the working order of the documents, Grouping Them.
4. Read the historical background, Determine its Significance.
5. Reread documents, looking for significant keys; Name, Position, Reliability.
6. Develop the thesis, Address All Parts of the Question.
7. Develop paragraphs being sure to answer all parts of the question, Refer Frequently to the Terms

of the Question.
8. One does not have to use all documents, but for a “Nine” You Must Use a Preponderance.
9. Integrate the documents into your response, Be Sure to Analyze.
10. Common indicators of analysis include; essay structure, juxtaposition of documents, recognition of

contradictory point of view, use of external information to illustrate the documents.

The Don‟ts: 1. Don’t use the documents in a laundry list fashion, quickest way to a low score.
2. Don’t simply explain or summarize the documents, group them together.
3. Don’t forget to analyze the documents when incorporating them into your essay.
4. Don’t fail to answer the question in an effort to use all the documents.
5. Don’t “parrot” the views of the documents, analyze those views.

The Thesis Statement – What is it?

The Thesis Formula: X. However, because of A, B, and C, Y.

„X‟ represents the strongest point against your argument.
„A, B, and C‟ represent the three strongest points for your argument.
„Y‟ represents the position you will be taking – in other words, your stand on the prompt.

Prompt: Assess the validity of the following statement, “Teaching is the most important profession in the world and everyone should
consider it as a possible career choice.”

Pros Cons

Emotionally satisfying Physically demanding
Make a difference in the world Low pay

Summers off Long work hours
Work during the summer for more pay Not much respect in our society

Not much competition – job market Requires certification

Only need a bachelors degree Have to do additional work – coach, etc.
Work usually comes home with you

Thesis Statement: Teaching is an emotionally satisfying profession. However, because teachers rank consistently at the bottom of
the pay scale, often work at home without just compensation, and receive a lack of respect in our society, teaching is clearly not
the most important profession and would be an unwise career choice.

Variants on the Thesis Statement:

Although X; because of A, B, and C, Y. (not recommended)
X. However, A, B, and C. Therefore, Y.

Consider the following 2008 DBQ prompt: “Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social,
political, and economic tensions in the United States. Focus your answer on the period 1964 – 1975.”

IRISH - 3 - APUSH

Grouping and Categorizing the Documents and Outside Information

The first thing that you are going to need to do, in order to answer the question fully, is to brainstorm outside and background
information that you know about the topic. The categories are already given to you in this prompt, so label them and start writing
down whatever you can about the topic. Some prompts may not give you the categories, if that is the case you can always rely on
PERSIA – politics, economics, religion, social, intellectual, etc., to help you organize the information. After you have gotten as much
information as possible, go to the documents (if it is a DBQ) and see what else you can come up with. After you have grouped the
information, you will need to develop a Level 2 statement about what all of them have in common. This will be discussed in the next
section.

Level 3 Social Political Economic

Level 2 Growing unrest and disenchantment Who should run the war and how it How much should we spend to win the
Level 1 over why the war was being fought should be waged war

Black Panthers Selective Service Recession
Great Society 26th Amendment Stagflation
War on Poverty Silent Majority New Nationalism
Peace with Honor Revenue Sharing
Hippies Vietnamization Gas Rationing
Woodstock Hawks v. Doves Guns and Butter
Bob Dylan Eugene McCarthy
Tet Offensive War Powers Act
Walter Cronkite Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Kent State
Pentagon Papers

Levels of Specificity / Developing a Topic Sentence – How Much Do I Say?

Suppose we are at a conference in Ireland and someone asks you, “where do you go to school at?” There are a number of answers
you can give them, the best answer to this question in this particular situation would be “I go to school in the United States.” Now
consider the following new situation, suppose we are at a conference in Washington, D.C., the answer “I go to school in the United
States” would be wholly inadequate to answer the question. You have not given the person enough information. In other words, your
information was too general. Suppose you told them, “I go to school at Seven Lakes High School on Fry Road.” This is probably too
specific information and unless they are familiar with the Katy area, they will have no clue where you are talking about. A more
appropriate response for this situation might be “I go to school in Houston, Texas.” Now consider the following new situation,
suppose we are at a conference in Houston, Texas with all Houston residents attending. An appropriate answer might now be, “I go
to school at Seven Lakes High School in Katy.” So the situation will call for different levels of specificity in order to be properly
understood.

How much specificity to include in the Thesis Statement should be a balancing act, on the one hand, you don‟t want to be too
general (Level Three Generalization), but on the other hand you don‟t want to be too specific (Level One Specification). Let them
know where you are going, but don‟t give away all your information. We want the reader to keep reading! We will call the right
amount of specificity Level Two Specificity.

Level Three Thesis (not enough): The Vietnam war was only one phase in a greater struggle with communism that ended
with the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, there was an increase in social, political, and economic tensions in the
United States from 1964 – 1975. In the end the war damaged America‟s confidence in themselves and their government.
(Comment – This really tells me nothing more than what has already been stated in the prompt. You have a thesis
statement, however, it is much too general. This is the most common mistake students make.)

Level Two Thesis: The Vietnam war was only one phase in a greater struggle with communism that ended with the collapse
of the Soviet Union. However, during the period 1964 – 1975 America was racked by growing unrest and disenchantment
over why the war was being fought, who should run it and how it should be waged, and how much American economic
investment should be expanded into winning the war. Therefore, in the end, the war damaged America‟s confidence in
themselves and their government.

Level One Thesis (too much): The Vietnam war was only one phase in a greater struggle with communism that ended with
the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, during the period 1964 – 1975 Black panthers rioted, a great rift divided the
country over the Great Society‟s war on poverty and the economic ability to continue the war, college sit-ins plagued the
college campuses, Hippies and the Silent Majority continued to clash over America‟s role in International affairs, and
Congress and the President fought over the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the War Powers Act with regard to just how much
power each should have in waging the war. In the end the war damaged America‟s confidence in themselves and their
government. (Comment – there is too much specific information in this thesis.)

IRISH - 4 - APUSH

How to reference the documents in the DBQ?

The most unsophisticated way to reference a document in a DBQ essay is to do the following, “According to document A bla, bla,
bla.” This is supposed to be a historical paper. DO NOT laundry list the documents in your paper, “Document A says this, document B
says this . . . etc.” Instead, you should show the reader that you understand the documents and use them effectively within the
argument of your paper. DO NOT quote documents, the readers know the documents, quoting may be appropriate for an English
paper, but is not appropriate for a history paper. So how do I use a document? Suppose you have an excerpt from the Clayton
Antitrust Act, you could make the following assertion, “The Clayton Antitrust Act was implemented during the Wilson administration
to help support the antitrust legislation of the earlier and somewhat inefficient Sherman Antitrust Act.” There you go, you just used
the document and probably brought in some outside information, by mentioning it was implemented under Wilson.

To Conclude or Not To Conclude – What is the Answer?

There are lots of different theories about whether or not you need a conclusion; my belief is that if you have time to write one,
then great. But if you are running short of time, then scrap it and don‟t worry about it. There is nothing in the AP rubric that says
you have to have a conclusion. As an AP reader / grader, I can tell you that not having a conclusion never lowered a grade. But
adding a bad conclusion did. So my advice is, if you have one, you better make sure it is good – DO NOT introduce any new
information in the conclusion!

In no circumstance should your history essay have fluff in it, this is not an English class (I apologize to all the English teachers). They
have different requirements and different expectation for their essays. In History class you are expected to write a history essay, in
English class you are expected to write an English essay – they are two different tasks, skills, and assignments. Learn what each is
asking of you and be like Nike – “just do it.”

Scoring Rubric for both the DBQ and the FRQ

Name: _________________________________________________________ Grade: __________ Predicted AP Score: __________

100 – 90 _____ Contains a well developed thesis which clearly addresses all aspects of the prompt.
Presents effective analysis of all aspects of the prompt and has organized material and documents around major categories;
_____ treatment and analysis must be even among all aspects of the prompt.
Effectively uses a substantial number of the documents.
_____ Supports thesis with substantial and relevant outside information.
_____ Is clearly organized and well-written.
May contain minor errors.
_____
Contains a thesis which addresses the prompt.
_____ Has limited analysis and has organized material and documents around major categories; is mostly descriptive and treatment of
the prompt is uneven; also may contain some chronological flaws.
89 – 80 _____ Uses some documents effectively.
Supports thesis with some outside information.
_____ Shows acceptable organization; language errors do not interfere with comprehension.
May contain errors that do not seriously detract from quality of essay.
_____
Presents limited, confused and / or poorly developed thesis.
_____ Deals with the prompt in a general or superficial way; offers a simplistic explanation of the prompt.
_____ Quotes or briefly cites documents and uses only minimum number of documents (50% + 1) , almost no analysis of documents.
Contains little outside information, with confused chronology.
_____ Demonstrates weak organizational and / or writing skills with interfere with comprehension.
May contain major errors.
79 – 70 _____
Contains no thesis or a thesis which does not address the prompt.
_____ Shows inadequate or inaccurate understanding of the prompt.
_____ Contains little or no understanding of the documents or ignores them completely.
_____ Includes inappropriate or no outside information.
_____ Is so poorly organized or written that it is difficult to understand.
_____ Contains numerous errors, both major and minor.

69 – 50 _____ Did not attempt to complete the assignment as given.

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

49 - 0 _____

(Comment – this is the generic scoring rubric that I will use to grade all of your essays, both the DBQ and the FRQ’s. This scoring rubric is
identical to the one used by the College Board at the reading / grading of the APUSH Exams. The scoring is done holistically. You will receive

two scores, only one will count for our purposes. The grade that you receive will be the one recorded in the gradebook, but the predicated

AP score will also be recorded on the rubric. That score is just to let you know what grade that essay probably would have gotten at the

reading / grading.)

IRISH - 5 - APUSH

APUSH Released FRQ / DBQ Writing Prompts
First Six Weeks:

Evaluate the relative importance of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776: parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, British military measures, 1992 FRQ
the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas.

Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Why did 1993 DBQ
this difference in development occur? Use the documents AND your knowledge of the colonial period up to 1700 to develop your answer.

Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790's. 1994 FRQ IRISH - 6 - APUSH
For the period before 1750, analyze the ways in which Britain's policy of salutary neglect influenced the development of American society as illustrated in the following: 1995 FRQ
legislative assemblies, commerce, religion. 1996 FRQ
Analyze the degree to which the Articles of Confederation provided and effective form of government with respect to any TWO of the following: foreign relations, economic 1997 FRQ
conditions, western lands.
Analyze the extent to which the American Revolution represented a radical alteration in American political ideas and institutions. Confine your answer to the period 1775 to
1800.

With respect to the federal Constitution, the Jeffersonian Republicans are usually characterized as strict constructionists who were opposed to the broad constructionism of the 1998 DBQ
Federalists. To what extent was this characterization of the two parties accurate during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison? In writing your answer, use the documents
and your knowledge of the period 1801 - 1817.

Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in the British North American colonies prior to 1700. 1998 FRQ

To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution? Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1999 DBQ
1750 to 1776 to answer the question.

Analyze the cultural and economic responses of TWO of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750: British, French, Spanish. 2000 FRQ

How did economic, geographic, and social factors encourage the growth of slavery as an important part of the economy of the southern colonies between 1607 and 1775? 2001 FRQ

Analyze the impact of the Atlantic trade routes established in the mid 1600's on economic development in the British North American colonies. Consider the period 1650-1750. 2002 FRQ
B

Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions: New England, Chesapeake, Middle Atlantic. 2002 FRQ

Compare the ways in which TWO of the following reflected tensions in colonial society: Bacon's Rebellion (1676), Pueblo Revolt (1680), Salem witchcraft trials (1692), Stono 2003 FRQ
Rebellion (1739). B

Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of Confederation were effective in solving the problems that confronted the new nation. 2003 FRQ
To what extent was the election of 1800 aptly named the "Revolution of 1800"? Respond with reference to TWO of the following areas: economics, foreign policy, judiciary,
politics. 2004 FRQ
Analyze the impact of the American Revolution on both slavery and the status of women in the period from 1775-1800. B

2004 FRQ

In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-63) alter the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? Use the documents 2004 DBQ IRISH - 7 - APUSH
and your knowledge of the period 1740-1766 in constructing your response.
"Geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the British colonies in North America." Assess the validity of this statement for the 1600's. 2005 FRQ
To what extent was the U.S. Constitution a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation? B
Compare and contrast the ways in which economic development affected politics in Massachusetts and Virginia in the period from 1607 to 1750.
2005 FRQ
B

2005 FRQ

To what extent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American society? In your answer, be sure to address the political, social, and economic effects of the 2005 DBQ
Revolution in the period from 1775 to 1800.

Analyze the differences between the Spanish settlements in the Southwest and the English colonies in New England in the seventeenth century in terms of TWO of the 2006 FRQ
following: politics, religion, economic development.

"The U.S. Constitution of 1787 represented an economic and ideological victory for the traditional American political elite." Assess the validity of that statement for the period 2006 FRQ
1781 to 1789. B

The French and Indian War (1754-1763) altered the relationship between Britain and its North American colonies. Assess this change with regard to TWO of the following in the 2007 FRQ
period between 1763 and 1775: land acquisition, politics, economics. B FRQ

Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists' opposition to ratifying the Constitution. 2008
B

Early encounters between American Indians and European colonists led to a variety of relationships among the different cultures. Analyze how the actions taken by BOTH 2008 FRQ
American Indians and European colonists shaped those relationships in TWO of the following regions. Confine your answer to the 1600's: New England, Chesapeake, Spanish
Southwest, New York and New France.

Analyze how the ideas and experiences of the revolutionary era influenced the principles embodied in the Articles of Confederation. 2009 FRQ
Analyze the ways in which British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776 intensified colonials' resistance to British rule and their commitment to republican values. B

2009 FRQ

Was American society, as evidence by Wetheersfield, Connecticut, becoming more "democratic" in the period from the 1750's to the 1780's? Discuss with reference to property 1976 DBQ
distribution, social structure, politics, and religion.
IRISH - 8 - APUSH
"From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the U.S. with an effective government." Using the documents and your knowledge of the period, evaluate this 1985 DBQ
statement.

The debate over the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 revealed bitter controversies on a number of issues. Discuss the issues involved and explain why these controversies 1977 DBQ
developed.

Second Six Weeks:

In what ways did the early nineteenth-century reform movements for abolition and women's rights illustrate both the strengths and the weaknesses of democracy in the early 1993 FRQ
American republic?

Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following influenced the development of American society: Puritanism during the seventeenth-century, the Great Awakening during the 1994 FRQ
eighteenth-century, the Second Great Awakening during the nineteenth-century.

Analyze the ways in which supporters of slavery in the nineteenth century used legal, religious, and economic arguments to defend the institution of slavery. 1995 FRQ

Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following influenced the development of democracy between 1820 and 1840: Jacksonian economic policy, changes in electoral politics, 1996 FRQ
Second Great Awakening, westward movement.

How did TWO of the following contribute to the reemergence of a two party system in the period 1820 to 1840: major political personalities, States's rights, economic issues. 1999 FRQ

The Jacksonian Period (1824 - 1848) has been celebrated as the era of the "common man." To what extent did the period live up to its characterization? Consider TWO of the 2001 FRQ
following in your response: economic development, politics, reform movements.

Historians have traditionally labeled the period after the War of 1812 the "Era of Good Feelings." Evaluate the accuracy of this label, considering the emergence of nationalism 2002 DBQ
and sectionalism. Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1815-1825 to construct your answer. B

Analyze the contributions of TWO of the following in helping establish a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George 2002 FRQ IRISH - 9 - APUSH
Washington. 2002 DBQ
"Reform movements in the U.S. sought to expand democratic ideals." Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850. Use the following
documents and your knowledge of the period 1825-1850 in constructing your response.

Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, this development often faced serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of 2003 FRQ
those opposed to the growing power of the national government in TWO of the following: Whiskey Rebellion (1794), Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1799), Hartford B
Convention (1814-1815), Nullification Crisis (1832-1833).

Settlers in the eighteenth-century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express their grievances. Analyze the causes and significance of TWO of the 2007 FRQ
following: March of the Paxton Boys, Regulator Movement, Shays' Rebellion, Whiskey Rebellion.

In what ways did the Second Great Awakening in the North influence TWO of the following: abolitionism, temperance, cult of domesticity, utopian communities. 2007 FRQ
Use TWO of the following categories to analyze the ways in which African Americans created a distinctive culture in slavery: family, music, oral traditions, religions.
2008 FRQ
B

From 1775 to 1830, many African Americans gained freedom from slavery, yet during the same period the institution of slavery expanded. Explain why BOTH of those changes 2009 DBQ
took place. Analyze the ways that BOTH free African Americans and enslaved African Americans responded to the challenges confronting them.

Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the U.S. Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In light of the 1990 DBQ
following documents and your knowledge of the 1820's and 1830's, to what extent do you agree with the Jacksonians' view of themselves?

"The decision of the Jackson administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830's was more a reformulation of the national policy 1980 DBQ
that had been in effect since the 1790's than a change in that policy." Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to the moral, political, constitutional, and practical
concerns that shaped national Indian policy between 1789 and the mid-1830's.

Third Six Weeks: 1993 FRQ IRISH - 10 - APUSH
1997 FRQ
Compare the expansionist foreign policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James K. Polk. To what extent did their policies strengthen the United States.
Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850. 2000 FRQ
Assess the moral arguments and political actions of those opposed to the spread of slavery in the context of TWO of the following: Missouri Compromise, Mexican War,
Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act. 2003 FRQ
In what ways did the developments in transportation bring about economic and social change in the U.S. in the period 1820 to 1860?
To what extent and in what ways did the roles of women change in American society between 1790 and 1860? Respond with reference to TWO of the following areas: 2004 FRQ
domestic, economic, political, social. B
Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820 to 1861.
2004 FRQ

In the early nineteenth-century, Americans sought to resolve their political disputes through compromises, yet by 1860 this no longer seemed possible. Analyze the reasons for 2005 DBQ
this change. Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1820-1860 in constructing your response. B

To what extent did the debates about the Mexican War and its aftermath reflect the sectional interests of New Englanders, westerners, and southerners in the period from 1845 2005 FRQ
to 1855.

Discuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770's) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of 2006 DBQ
"republican motherhood" and the "cult of domesticity"? Assess the extent to which these ideals influenced the lives of women during this period. In your answer be sure to
consider issues of race and class. Use the documents and your knowledge of the time period in constructing your response.

In what ways and to what extent was industrial development from 1800 to 1860 a factor in the relationship between the northern and the southern states? 2006 FRQ
Compare the experiences of TWO of the following groups of immigrants during the period 1830 to 1860: English, Irish, German. B
Analyze the impact of the market revolution (1815-1860) on the economies of TWO of the following regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South.
Analyze the political, economic, and religious tensions between immigrant Roman Catholics and native-born Protestants in the U.S. from the 1830's through the 1850's. 2007 FRQ
Analyze the social, political, and economic forces of the 1840's and early 1850's that led to the emergence of the Republican Party. B

"By the 1850's the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the 2008 FRQ
failure of the union it had created." Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1850-1861, assess the validity of this statement.
2009 FRQ
B

2009 FRQ

1987 DBQ IRISH - 11 - APUSH

John Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859, involved only a handful of abolitionists, freed no slaves, and was over in two days. 1982 DBQ
Although many Northerners condemned the raid, by 1863 John Brown had become a hero and martyr in the North. To what extent and in what ways do the views about John
Brown expressed in the documents illustrate changing North-South relations between 1859 and 1863.

To what extent was President-elect Abraham Lincoln responsible for the defeat of the Crittenden proposal on the territorial expansion of slavery? 1974 DBQ

Fourth Six Weeks:

To what extent did the natural environment shape the development of the West beyond the Mississippi and the lives of those who lived and settled there? How important were 1992 DBQ
other factors? Use BOTH evidence from the documents AND your knowledge of the period from the 1840's through the 1890's to compose your answer.

Compare the debates that took place over American expansionism in the 1840's with those that took place in the 1890's, analyzing the similarities and differences in the 1992 FRQ
debates of the two eras. 1992 FRQ
Discuss the political, economic, and social reforms introduced in the South between 1864 and 1877. To what extent did these reforms survive the Compromise of 1877?

To what extent was late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century United States expansionism a continuation of past United States expansionism and to what extent was it 1994 DBQ
a departure? Use the documents and your knowledge of U.S. history to 1914 to construct your answer.

Compare and contrast the attitudes of THREE of the following toward the wealth that was created in the U.S. during the late nineteenth-century: Andrew Carnegie, Eugene V. 1994 FRQ
Debs, Horatio Alger, Booker T. Washington, Ida M. Tarbell.

Analyze the reasons for the emergence of the Populist movement in the late nineteenth-century. 1995 FRQ

Assess the relative influence of THREE of the following in the American decision to declare war on Germany in 1917: German naval policy, American economic interests, 1995 FRQ IRISH - 12 - APUSH
Woodrow Wilson's idealism, Allied propaganda, America's claim to world power.

In what ways and to what extent did constitutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution? Use the documents and your knowledge of the 1996 DBQ
period from 1860 to 1877 to answer the question.

Analyze the economic consequences of the Civil War with respect to any TWO of the following in the U.S. between 1865 and 1880: agriculture, labor, industrialization, 1997 FRQ
transportation. 1998 FRQ
Analyze the impact of any TWO of the following on the American industrial worker between 1865 and 1900: government actions, immigration, labor unions, technological 1999 FRQ
changes.
How were the lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth-century affected by technological developments and government actions?

How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of success achieved. 2000 DBQ
Use the documents and your knowledge of the period from 1875 to 1900 to construct your response. FRQ
FRQ
To what extent did the U.S. achieve the objectives that led it to enter the First World War? 2000 FRQ
How and why did transportation developments spark economic growth during the period from 1860 to 1900 in the U.S.? 2001

Identify and analyze the factors that changed the American city in the second half of the nineteenth-century. 2002
B

Analyze the ways in which farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age (1865-1900). 2003 FRQ
Evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers and the federal government in bringing about reform at the national level. In your answer be sure to analyze the B
successes and limitations of these efforts in the period 1900-1920.
2003 DBQ
B

Evaluate the impact of the Civil War on political and economic developments in TWO of the following regions: the South, the North, and the West. Focus your answer on the 2003 FRQ
period between 1865 and 1900.
How successful were progressive reforms during the period 1890 to 1915 with respect to TWO of the following: industrial conditions, urban life, politics. 2005 FRQ
Explain why and how the role of the federal government changed as a result of the Civil War with respect to TWO of the following during the period 1861-1877: race relations, B
economic development, westward expansion.
For whom and to what extent was the American West a land of opportunity from 1865 to 1890? 2006 FRQ
Analyze the ways in which the federal government sought support on the home front for the war effort during the First World War.
Explain how TWO of the following individuals responded to the economic and social problems created by industrialization during the late nineteenth and early twentieth 2006 FRQ
centuries: Jane Adams, Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Gompers, Upton Sinclair. B

2007 FRQ IRISH - 13 - APUSH
B

2007 FRQ
B

To what extent di the role of the federal government change under President Theodore Roosevelt in regard to TWO of the following: labor, trusts, conservation, world affairs. 2007 FRQ

Analyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period 1865-1900. In your answer be sure to evaluate 2007 DBQ
farmers' responses to these changes. FRQ
DBQ
Analyze the extent to which the Spanish-American War was a turning point in American foreign policy. 2008
B

For the years 1880 to 1925, analyze both the tensions surrounding the issue of immigration and the U.S. government's response to these tensions. Use the following 2008
documents and your knowledge of the period from 1880 to 1925 to construct your answer. B

Following Reconstruction, many southern leaders promoted the idea of a "New South." To what extent was this "New South" a reality by the time of the First World War? In 2008 FRQ
your answer be sure to address TWO of the following: economic development, politics, race relations.

In what ways did African Americans shape the course and consequences of the Civil War? Confine your answer to the years from 1861 to 1870. 2009 FRQ
How and why did the lives and status of Northern middle-class women change between 1776 and 1876? B

1981 DBQ

To what extent and for what reasons did the policies of the federal government from 1865 to 1900 violate the principles of laissez-faire, which advocated minimal government 1979 DBQ
intervention in the economy? Consider with specific reference to the following three areas of policy: railroad land grants, control of interstate commerce, and antitrust activities.

Discuss some of the problems that many farmers in the late nineteenth century (1880-1900) saw as threats to their way of life. Using the documents and your knowledge of the 1983 DBQ
period, (a.) explain the reasons for agrarian discontent and (b.) evaluate the validity of the farmers' complaints.

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois offered different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination faced by Black Americans at the end of the 1989 DBQ
nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1877 - 1915, assess the appropriateness of each of these
strategies in the historical context in which each was developed. IRISH - 14 - APUSH

Analyze the factors that influenced the Senate in ratifying the Treaty of Paris in 1899 and assess their relative significance. Your analysis and assessment should take into 1975 DBQ
account the complexities and / or contradictions presented by the evidence.

1978 DBQ
What accounts for the success of the prohibition movement in the U.S. during the era of progressive reform, 1900-1919? Consider the social composition of the prohibitionists,
their motives, strategy and pressure-group tactics, and the relationship of prohibitionism to progressive reform.

Fifth Six Weeks: 1992 FRQ
1992 FRQ
In what ways did the Great Society resemble the New Deal in its origins, goals, and social and political legacy? Cite specific programs and policies in support of your
arguments.
In 1945 Winston Churchill said that the United States stood at the summit of the world. Discuss the developments in the thirty years following Churchill's speech which called
the global preeminence of the United States into question.

Analyze the ways in which state and federal legislation and judicial decisions, including those of the Supreme Court, affected the efforts of any TWO of the following groups to 1993 FRQ
improve their position in society between 1880 and 1920: African Americans, Farmers, Workers.

Identify THREE of the following New Deal measures and analyze the ways in which each of the three attempted to fashion a more stable economy and a more equitable 1993 FRQ
society: Agricultural Adjustment Act, Securities and Exchange Commission, Wagner National Labor Relations Act, Social Security Act.

Describe THREE of the following and analyze the ways in which each of the three has affected the status of women in American society since 1940: changing economic 1993 FRQ
conditions, the rebirth of an organized women's movement, advances in reproductive technology, the persistence of traditional definitions of women's roles.

To what extent did the decade of the 1950's deserve its reputation as an age of political, social, and cultural conformity? 1994 FRQ
Analyze the ways in which the Great Depression altered the American social fabric in the 1930's. 1996 FRQ

Analyze the influence of TWO of the following on American-Soviet relations in the decade following the Second World War: Yalta Conference, Communist revolution in China, 1996 FRQ
Korean War, McCarthyism.

To what extent did economic and political developments as well as assumptions about the nature of women affect the position of American women during the period 1890 - 1997 DBQ IRISH - 15 - APUSH
1925? Use the documents and your knowledge of the history of the years 1890-1925 to construct your response.

How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the U.S. in the era following the Second World War? 1997 FRQ
To what extent and why did the U.S. adopt an isolationist policy in the 1920's and 1930's? 1998 FRQ
In what ways did economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment help create the reputation of the 1920's as the Roaring Twenties? 1999 FRQ

What were the Cold War fears of the American people in the aftermath of the Second World War? How successfully did the administration of President Eisenhower address 2001 DBQ
these fears? Use the documents and your knowledge of the years 1948-1961 to construct your response.
Describe and account for the rise of nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930. 2001 FRQ
How successful were the programs of the New Deal in solving the problems of the Great Depression? Assess with respect to TWO of the following: relief, recovery, reform.
2002 FRQ
Compare and contrast U.S. foreign policy after the First World War and after the Second World War. Consider the periods 1919-1928 and 1945-1950. B

How did the African American Civil Rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's address the failures of the Reconstruction? 2002 FRQ

2002 FRQ

Compare and contrast U.S. society in the 1920's and the 1950's with respect to TWO of the following: race relations, role of women, consumerism. 2003 FRQ

Analyze the responses of FDR's administration to the problems of the Great Depression. How effective were these responses? How did they change the role of the federal 2003 DBQ
government? Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1929-1941 to construct your essay. FRQ
DBQ
Analyze the primary causes of the population shift from a rural to an urban environment in the U.S. between 1875 and 1925. 2004 FRQ
How and for what reasons did U.S. foreign policy change between 1920 and 1941? Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 1920-1941 to construct your B
response.
2004
B

Compare and contrast the programs and policies designed by reformers of the Progressive era to those designed by reformers of the New Deal period. Confine your answer to 2004
programs and policies that addressed the needs of those living in poverty.

Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following contributed to the changes in women's lives in the U.S. in the mid-twentieth century: wars, literature and popular culture, 2005 FRQ
medical and technological advances. B

While the U.S. appeared to be dominated by consensus and conformity in the 1950's, some Americans reacted against the status quo. Analyze the critiques of U.S. society 2006 FRQ IRISH - 16 - APUSH
made by TWO of the following: youth, Civil Rights activists, intellectuals.

Historians have argued that Progressive reform lost momentum in the 1920's. Evaluate this statement with respect to TWO of the following: regulation of business, labor, 2006 FRQ
immigrants.
How did TWO of the following help shape American national culture in the 1920's: advertising, entertainment, mass production? 2006 FRQ
B

Analyze developments from 1941 to 1949 that increased suspicion and tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Use the documents and your knowledge of the period 2006 DBQ
1941-1949 to construct your response. B

Analyze the extent to which the 1920's and 1950's were similar in TWO of the following areas: impact of technology, intolerant attitudes, literary developments. 2008 FRQ
B

Presidential elections between 1928 and 1948 revealed major shifts in political party loyalties. Analyze both the reasons for these changes and their consequences during this 2008 FRQ
period.

Choose TWO of the following organizations and explain their strategies for advancing the interests of workers. To what extent were these organizations successful in achieving 2009 FRQ
their objectives? Confine your answer to the period from 1875 to 1925: Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, Socialist Party of America, Industrial Workers of the
World.

Analyze the home-front experiences of TWO of the following groups during the Second World War: African Americans, Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Mexican 2009 FRQ
Americans.

It was the strength of the opposition forces, both liberal and conservative, rather than the ineptitude and stubbornness of President Wilson that led to the Senate defeat of the 1991 DBQ
Treaty of Versailles. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1917-1921, assess the validity of this statement.

The 1920's were a period of tension between new and changing attitudes on the one hand and traditional values and nostalgia on the other. What led to the tension between 1986 DBQ
old and new AND in what ways was the tension manifested? 1973 DBQ
Relying on a critical evaluation of the accompanying documents, analyze the factors that probably influenced Congress to pass the Immigration Act of 1924. 1984 DBQ
President Franklin D. Roosevelt is commonly thought of as a liberal and President Herbert C. Hoover as a conservative. To what extent are these characterizations valid?

"The U.S. decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a diplomatic measure calculated to intimidate the Soviet Union in the post-Second-World-War era rather than a 1988 DBQ IRISH - 17 - APUSH
strictly military measure designed to force Japan's unconditional surrender." Evaluate this statement using the documents and your knowledge of the military and diplomatic
history of the years 1939 through 1947.

Sixth Six Weeks: 1995 DBQ

Analyze the changes that occurred during the 1960's in the goals, strategies, and support of the movement for African American civil rights. Use the documents and your 1998 FRQ
knowledge of the history of the 1960's to construct your response. 1999 FRQ
"1968 was a turning point for the U.S." To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In your answer, discuss TWO of the following: national politics, Vietnam War, Civil 2000 FRQ
Rights.
Assess the success of the U.S. policy of containment in Asia between 1945 and 1975. 2002 FRQ
Discuss, with respect to TWO of the following, the view that the 1960's represented a period of profound cultural change: education, gender roles, music, race relations. B

Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following shaped American politics after the Second World War: Anticommunism in the 1940's and 1950's, the women's liberation 2003 FRQ
movement in the 1960's, the "silent majority" in the 1970's. B

Describe and account for changes in the American presidency between 1960 and 1975, as symbolized by Kennedy's "Camelot," Johnson's Great Society, and Nixon's
Watergate. In your answer, address the powers of the presidency and the role of the media.

"Between 1960 and 1975, there was great progress in the struggle for political and social equality." Assess the validity of this statement with respect to TWO of the following 2004 FRQ
groups during the period: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Women. B

Analyze the successes and failures of the U.S. Cold War policy of containment as it developed in TWO of the following regions of the world during the period 1945 to 1975: 2004 FRQ
East and Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East.

Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following transformed American society in the 1960's and 1970's: the Civil Rights movement, the antiwar movement, the women's 2005 FRQ
movement.

Describe the patterns of immigration in TWO of the periods listed below. Compare and contrast the responses of Americans to immigrants of these periods: 1820-1860, 1880- 2005 FRQ
1924, 1965-2000.

In what ways did the administration of President LBJ respond to the political, economic, and social problems of the U.S.? Assess the effectiveness of these responses. Use the 2007 DBQ
documents and your knowledge of the period 1960-1970 to construct your response. B

"Landslide presidential victories do not ensure continued political effectiveness or legislative success." Assess the validity of this statement by comparing TWO of the following 2007 FRQ IRISH - 18 - APUSH
presidential administrations: Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936), Lyndon B. Johnson (1964), Richard Nixon (1972), Ronald Reagan (1984).

Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the U.S. Focus your answer on the period 1964 to 1975. 2008 DBQ

Explain the origins of TWO of the following third parties and evaluate their impact on U.S. politics and national policies: The People's Party (Populists - 1892), The Progressive 2009 FRQ
Party (Bull Moose Party - 1912), The States' Rights Party (Dixiecrats - 1948), The American Independent Party (1968). B

Analyze the ways in which the events and trends of the 1970's diminished the nation's economic power and international influence, and challenged Americans' confidence in 2009 FRQ
both. B