AP US History

Information Packet

2015-2016

ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY

We are exceptionally pleased to have your son/daughter enrolled in Advanced Placement United States History at Southside High School. AP U.S. History is taught as a college-level course and offers a significant opportunity for academic challenge. Early on it is not uncommon for even excellent students to feel a bit overwhelmed or intimidated. With encouragement they will quickly get over that, blossom into better thinkers, and enjoy being treated like responsible young men and women. Our primary objective is the intellectual growth of every student we teach. We work very hard on information processing skills, with an emphasis on improving student ability to analyze and evaluate the relative significance of historical data, and a corresponding ability to express those ideas through the written word. As a parent, you may wish to take into account that this course may differ from traditional honors courses in the following ways.

Fifty to sixty percent of the grade may be based on formal essay grades. Individual tests may cover a significantly greater body of information from which students may be accustomed. Homework consists primarily of reading assignments for which the student is responsible for mastery of the factual information. There are relatively few graded assignments each quarter increasing the need for adequate preparation for each one. There are optional assignments with each unit that allow students to enhance their skills and mastery

of the material.

Southside High School students who successfully complete the course and put forth the maximum effort stand an excellent chance of making a passing grade (3 or better) on the Advanced Placement United States History Examination in May, thus receiving college credit for the course.Class grades will be calculated on a total point system, by simply dividing the points a student has earned by the total points possible. Because there are optional assignments, total points possible may vary for each student. The course syllabus will be posted on the web site.

Please continue to have high expectations for your child while being supportive and understanding of the fact that they are being asked to perform at a higher level than they’ve been accustomed to in the past. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns you might have.

Home 413-1554 Cell 490-8263

School 442-2172 e-mailzane_smith@ecboe.org

Sincerely,

Zane Smith11th grade AP TeacherSouthside High School

KEYS TO SUCCESS IN AP U.S. HISTORY

1. Keep up to date with all reading assignments. When you fall behind it becomes very difficult to catch up.

2. Pay attention to the dark-typed headings. They give you clues of what to look for in each section.

3. After you finish a section, be certain you can express the main idea the author had in mind. This gives meaning to the factual information.

4. Makes notes of important concepts and facts in your textbooks.

5. Become an active reader. Ask yourself questions as you read and predict what is likely to happen next. Make inferences. That is, “read between the lines” and try to ascertain the larger purpose the author has in presenting this material.

6. Do more than memorize what things are. Understand information as a cause and effect of a broader trend or movement. You should always seek to understand the connections between isolated bits of information and understand how and why they are part of a bigger picture.

7. Begin studying for tests and quizzes early. The volume of material makes it difficult to adequately prepare for assessments on the night before.

8. Find your own method of taking meaningful class notes and review those notes each night.

9. Take advantage of optional assignments to strengthen areas of weakness.

10. Actively seek out help when you need it. We want you to be successful both in class and on the AP Exam. In order for that to happen we must work as a team. We are here to help.

The Structure of the AP U.S History Exam

Description: The AP U.S. History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long and included both a 105-minute multiple-choice/short answer section and a 90 minute free-response section. Each section is divided into two parts. Student performance on these four parts will be compiled and weighted to determine an AP Exam Score. Please examine the following:

Section I- Part A: Multiple-Choice questions 55 questions 55 minutes40% of total

exam score

Part B: Short Answer questions 4 questions 50 minutes 20%

Section II- Part A: Document-Based Question 1 question 55 minutes25%

Part B: Long Essay Question 1 question 35 minutes15%

The following are general parameters about the relationship between the components of the curriculum framework and the questions that will be asked of students on the AP Exam:

students’ achievement of the learning objectives, within the context of course skills and themes, will be assessed throughout the exam

students’ understanding of all nine periods of U.S. history will be assessed throughout the exam.

No DBQ or long essay question will focus exclusively on events prior to 1607 (period 1) or

after 1980 (period 9). Students will always write at least one essay, in either the DBQ or long essay

sections, that examines long-term developments that cross historical time periods.

The coverage of the periods in the exam as a whole will reflect the approximate period weightings

Coverage of a period may be accomplished by asking questions in different sections

of the exam. For example, the appearance of a short constructed response question on period 4

might mean that there are fewer questions addressing that period in the multiple choice section.

The Multiple Choice Questions

The multiple choice section will consist of 55 questions, organized into sets of 2-6 questions that ask students to respond to stimulus material - a primary or secondary source, an historian’s argument, or a historical problem. Each set of multiple choice questions will address one or more of the learning objectives for the course. While a set may focus on one particular period of U.S. history, the individual questions within that set may ask students to make connections to thematically linked developments in other periods.

Multiple choice questions will assess students’ ability to reason about the stimulus material in tandem with their knowledge of the historical issue at hand. The possible answers for a multiple choice question will reflect the level of detail present in the required historical developments found in the concept outline for the course. Events and topics contained in the illustrative example boxes will not appear in multiple-choice questions (unless accompanied by text that fully explains that topic to the student).

The Short Constructed Response Questions

The constructed response questions are short essay questions that will directly address one of the learning objectives for the course. At least two of the four questions will have elements of internal choice, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know best. These questions will require students to use historical thinking skills to respond to a primary source, an historian’s argument, secondary sources such as data or maps, or general propositions about U.S. history. Each question will ask students to identify and analyze examples of historical evidence relevant to the source or question; these examples can be drawn from the concept outline or from other examples explored in depth in classroom instruction.

The Document Based Question

The DBQ emphasizes the ability to analyze and synthesize historical data and assess verbal, quantitative, or pictorial materials as historical evidence. As with the long essay, the DBQ will be judged on students’ ability to formulate a thesis and support it with relevant evidence. The documents included on the DBQ are confined to no single format, may vary in length, and are chosen to illustrate interactions and complexities within the material. Where suitable, the question material will include charts, graphs, cartoons, and pictures, as well as written materials. In addition to calling upon a broad spectrum of historical skills, the diversity of materials will allow students to assess the value of different sorts of documents. The DBQ will typically require students to relate the documents to a historical period or theme and, thus, to focus on major periods and issues. For this reason, outside knowledge beyond the specific focus of the question is important and must be incorporated into the student’s essay if the highest scores are to be earned.

The Long Essay Question

In order to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know best, they will be given a choice between two comparable long essay options. The long essay questions will measure the use of historical thinking skills to explain and analyze significant issues in U.S. history as defined by the course learning objectives. Student essays will require the development of a thesis or argument supported by an analysis of specific, relevant historical evidence. Questions will be limited to topics or examples specifically mentioned in the concept outline, but framed to allow student answers to include in-depth examples of large-scale phenomena, either drawn from the concept outline or from topics discussed in the classroom.

AP U.S. History Exam Scoring

5- Extremely Well Qualified

4- Well Qualified

3- Qualified

2- Possibly Qualified

1- No recommendation

Historical Thinking Skills

I. Analyzing Historical Sources and EvidenceA. Content & SourcingB. Interpretation

II. Making Historical ConnectionsA. ComparisonB. ContextualizationC. Synthesis

III. Chronological Reasoning A. CausationB. Patterns of Continuity & Change Over Time

C. PeriodizationIV. Creating and Supporting an Argument

A. ArgumentationB. Support an Argument with Historical Evidence

Thematic Learning Objectives

1. American & National Identity2. Politics & Power3. Work, Exchange, & Technology4. Culture & Society5. Migration & Settlement6. Geography & the Environment7. America in the World

AP U.S. History Historical Periods

Period 1- 1491-1607

Period2- 1607-1754

Period 3- 1754-1800

Period 4- 1800-1848

Period 5-1844-1877

Period 6- 1865-1898

Period 7- 1890-1945

Period 8-1945-1980

Period 9- 1980-Present

The following are specific terms that are included in the curricular framework and may therefore appear on the AP U.S. History Exam.

Period 1 Terms

maize cultivation Great Basin Great Plains hunter-gatherer economy agricultural economy permanent villages Western Hemisphere Spanish exploration Portuguese exploration West Africa encomienda system slave labor plantation-based agriculture empire building feudalism capitalism white superiority political autonomy cultural autonomy

Period 2 Terms

Spanish colonization French colonization Dutch colonization British colonization intermarriage cross-racial sexual unions indentured servants Atlantic slave trade overt resistance covert resistance New England colonies Puritans homogeneous society diverse middle colonies staple crops Pueblo Revolt English view of land ownership and gender roles

“Atlantic World” African slave trade Anglicization Enlightenment ideas British imperial system mercantilist economies

Period 3 Terms

French-Indian fur trade encroachment Seven Year’ War colonial elites artisans loyalists patriots French Revolution George Washington Washington’s farewell address republican government natural rights Thomas Paine Common Sense legislative branchDeclaration of Independence Articles of Confederation property qualifications Constitution separation of powers Bill of Rights federalism ratification process American Revolution multi-ethnic multi-racial backcountry mission settlements trans-Appalachian west Northwest Ordinance Republican Motherhood free navigation of the Mississippi

Period 4 Terms

participatory democracy constituencies Federalists Democratic-Republicans Democrats Whigs Second Great Awakening human perfectibility (perfectibility of man)secular reforms international slave trade free African Americansxenophobia steam engines interchangeable partscanals railroads agricultural inventions textile machinery telegraph arable landsemi-subsistence agriculture urban entrepreneurs the American System market revolution national bank tariffsinternal improvements Louisiana Purchase Missouri Compromise

Period 5 Terms

Manifest Destiny Mexican-American War intensified sectionalism slave-based agriculture abolitionists nullification slavery as a positive good secession Compromise of 1850 Dred Scott case Kansas-Nebraska Act Republican Party Second American party system Abraham Lincoln free-soil Confederacy Union radical Republicans Emancipation Proclamation 13th Amendment sharecropping system14th Amendment 15th Amendment

Period 6 Terms

big business urbanization Gilded Age subsidies monopolies Social Darwinism conspicuous consumption New South tenant farming sharecropping People’s (Populist) Party national parks increased southern and eastern European immigration “Americanize” political machines settlement houses women’s clubs

self-help groups transcontinental railroads assimilation policies laissez-faire economics Plessy v. Ferguson Social Gospel

Period 7 Terms

Great Depression Progressive reformers laissez-faire capitalism limited welfare state New Deal tradition v. innovation urban v. rural management v. labor native born v. new immigrants fundamentalist Christianity v. scientific modernist white v. black idealism v. disillusionment Harlem Renaissance xenophobia freedom of speech Red Scare “Great Migration” closing of the frontier Spanish-American War Philippines neutrality Woodrow Wilson American Expeditionary Force Treaty of Versailles League of Nations unilateral foreign policy isolationism Pearl Harbor Axis powers

Period 8 Terms

World War II containment Korean War Vietnam War decolonization nationalist movements Middle East military-industrial complex desegregationnon-violent civil disobedience Brown v. Board of Education Civil Rights Act of 1964Lyndon Johnson “Great Society” baby boom middle-class suburbanization “Sun Belt” Immigration Act of 1965 nuclear family counterculture

Period 9 Terms

neo-conservatism deregulation of industry “big government” end of the Cold War Ronald Reagan Mikhail Gorbachevinterventionist foreign policy September 11, 2001 war of terrorism World Trade Center war in Afghanistan war in Iraq climate change internet

o Critical Reading Strategies

• Understanding the structure of the text

• Previewing the text

• Looking for levels of meaning (L.I.E.)

o Literal (reading the lines)o Interpretative (reading between the lines)o Evaluative (reading beyond the lines)

• Asking questions and predicting

• Summarizing, evaluating, looking for main idea

Levels of Questions

Level one questions are the “facts” of history. They can be answered from the text or other resources.

Level two questions require students to make inferences as to how and why the factual information has an impact in the historical context in which it occurs. Students might ask themselves “So what?” about the factual information to help them understand the relevance and move to level two questions.

Level three questions are more abstract and attempt to get students to consider broader truths outside the historic context of the information.

Level one - What was the Stamp Act?

Level two - What was the most important impact of the Stamp Act on colonial resistance?

Level three - Do attempts to assert control over people who have been allowed freedom for a long period of time always lead to resistance?

Level one - What were the provisions of the Compromise of 1850?

Level two - To what degree and in what ways did the Compromise of 1850 ultimately lead to increased sectional tension?

Level three - Are attempts to compromise on moral issue ever successful?

Level one - What is a lame duck president?

Level two - To what degree and in what ways did Theodore Roosevelt’s announcement that he would not to seek reelection in 1908 compromise his ability to successfully enact his reform agenda in 1904?

Level three - Does the 22nd amendment ensure that all two-term presidents will be less effective in their second term?

The Theory of Essay Writing

1. Writing is thinking on paper. It doesn’t matter how well you say nothing, it’s still nothing. There is ONLY one best choice and arrangement of words to express a given idea.

2. You are writing to impress an AP reader who will have approximately two minutes with your essay. You must convince the reader at the outset that you are an intelligent life-form.

3. Read the question carefully and focus your discussion on directly answering that question. Be certain you answer the question you are asked. AP Free response questions in recent years have tended to emphasize the following:

Analyzing or assessing the DEGREE to which a statement is true

Analyzing or assessing the IMPACT of an event or concept on some aspect of American society

Analyzing or assessing the RELATIVE IMPORTANCE of various factors on an event or concept

Analyzing or assessing the EXTENT to which a historical stereotype is true for a given period or concept

Analyzing or assessing the REASONS that cause a particular movement to develop

COMPARING and CONTRASTING differing attitudes toward a general concept or particular policy or

comparing and contrasting a factor or factors from different time periods.

Analyze means: examine HOW and WHY.

4. Always use the following format in organizing your essay. A predictable format will make it easier for the reader to extract information from your essay. Use the question as a logical cue as to how the essay should be organized (categories). USE THE CORE STRUCTURE.

I. Well developed thesis statement that directly answers the question, takes a position (interpretation), and establishes organizational categories. Your thesis statement should NOT be longer than two sentences.

A. Most important topic sentence which introduces the category to be discussed, directly answers

the question, and takes a position on this particular category.

1. Most important specific factual information (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the material

and an understanding of how this information supports the thesis (interpretive commentary).

2. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

3. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

4. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.Clincher sentence which ties the paragraph directly back to

the thesis.

B. Next most important topic sentence which introduces the category to be discussed, directly answers the

question, and takes a position on this particular category.

1. Most important specific factual information (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the material

and an understanding of how this information supports your thesis (interpretive commentary).

2. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

3. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

4. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

Clincher sentence which ties the paragraph directly back to the thesis.

C. Next most important topic sentence which introduces the category to be discussed, directly answers the

question, and takes a position on this particular category.

1. Most important specific factual information (SFI) which demonstrates both knowledge of the material

and an understanding of how this information supports your thesis (interpretive commentary).

2. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

3. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

4. Next most important same as above. Interpretive commentary.

Clincher sentence which ties the paragraph directly back to the thesis.

Repeat A, B, and C as many times as necessary to completely answer the question.

II. Conclusion which restates the thesis in different words.

5. "Hit 'em with a brick." Begin with a well-developed thesis statement that does more than repeat the question. It should (1) answer the question, (2) take a position, and (3) establish organizational categories. This will get you thinking about logical flow and also lend predictability to the essay for the reader.

6. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence which defends your thesis and directly answers the question, and support it with as much specific factual information as you can. Use the names, dates, places, events, and terminology of history. Do not merely list or describe information but use it to prove your thesis. Explain how and why the specific information supports your point of view (interpretive commentary). Avoid "vomit" essays in which you merely throw-up information in a random manner without relating it back to your thesis.

7. "Kill the dang dog." Keep the essay focused on answering the question. Combine thoughts into clear, concise, sophisticated sentences. Make the important factual information the subject of your sentence. A complete historical thought is a cause/effect relationship so show cause/effect relationships in single sentences. Avoid wordiness!

Example:

"See Spot run. Spot runs past Dick. The grass is wet. See Spot run past Jane. Dick has a stick. The sun is shining. Hear Baby cry. Spot runs into the road. Spot gets hit by a car."

"While running across the yard to avoid being hit by a stick that Dick was swinging, Spot was blinded by the morning sun reflecting off the dewy grass, ran into the road, and was hit by a car."

8. End each paragraph with a clincher sentence that ties the entire paragraph directly back to the thesis statement.

9. Always focus on the complexity of history. Demonstrate that you understand the concept of multi-causation/ multi-effect. Bring as much depth and breadth into the essay as possible.

10.Essays must always be written in dark blue or dark black ink. Penmanship, spelling, and grammar make a difference because they subconsciously affect the ability of the reader to extract information from your essay and they interfere with the logical flow of the essay. Use only past tense and DO NOT attempt to make your essay relevant to today's world. Use only third person. Avoid starting sentences with pronouns.

11.Long essays are not always good essays, but short essays are almost never good essays. Don't be locked in to preconceived notions of length or five paragraph essays. Budget your time. It is imperative that you give each essay your best shot. In all likelihood you will score higher by attempting both free response questions than you will by concentrating all of your efforts on one to the exclusion of the other.

12.The question every reader asks themselves at the end of an essay is, "How sophisticated a knowledge of history has this student demonstrated in this essay?" The demonstrated level of sophistication will ultimately determine the grade.

REMEMBER THE CORE STRUCTURE

More Essay Writing Tips

Every thesis statement must

Directly answer the question Take a position Establish categories

The word “change” should not appear in a thesis or topic sentence. You should be clearly expressing WHAT the

change is.

Every topic sentence must

Directly answer the question Take a position Establish a category

Every paragraph must include

Tons of specific factual information Interpretive commentary THROUGHOUT the paragraph which explains how and why

the informationsupports the topic sentence and thesis (IC should answer the question “So what”

concerning the SFI)

A clincher sentence which restates the topic sentence in different words

Every essay should end in a conclusion that must

Restate the thesis statement and demonstrate consistency with the opening thesis statement

ALL students should attempt to increase the volume of their writing

Add depth by examining MANY factors within each paragraph, not just one or two Add specific factual information to show both a depth and breadth of knowledge Don’t be satisfied with minimal SFI

EXAMPLES OF FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS

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 following:

Politics

Religion

Economic development

Compare and contrast the ways in which economic development affected politics in Massachusetts and Virginia in the period from 1607 to 1750.

Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1700) in TWO of the following areas:

New England

Chesapeake

Middle Atlantic

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?

Analyze the cultural and economic responses of TWO of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750. British

French

Spanish

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

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 period between 1763 and 1775.

Land acquisitions

Politics

Economics

“Geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the British colonies in North American.” Assess the validity of this statement for the 1600s.

Compare the ways in which TWO of the following reflected tension in colonial society.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

Salem witchcraft trials (1692)

Stono Rebellion (1739)

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 American Indians and European colonists shaped those relationships in TWO of the following regions. Confine your answer to the 1600s.

New England

Chesapeake

Spanish Southwest

New York and New France

Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of Confederation were effective in solving the problems that confronted the new nation.

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.

Settlers in the eighteenth century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express their grievances. Analyze the causes and the significance of TWO of the following:

March of the Paxton Boys

Regulator movement

Shays’ Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion

“The United States Constitution of 1787 represented an economic and ideological victory for the traditional American political elite.” Assess the validity of this statement for the period 1781 to 1789.

To what extent was the United States constitution a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation?

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 Washington

In what ways and to what extent was the industrial development from 1800 to 1860 a factor in the relationship between the northern and southern states?

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

To what extent did the roles of women change in American society between 1790 and 1860? Respond with reference to TWO of the following areas. Domestic

Economic

Political

Social

Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, this development often faced serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of 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 Convention, 1814-1815

Nullification Crisis, 1832-1833

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 to 1855 ?

Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861.

In what ways did developments in transportation bring about economic and social change in the United States in the period 1820 to 1860?

The Jacksonian Period (1824-1848) has been celebrated as the era of the “common man.” To what extent did the period live up to this characterization? Consider TWO of the following in your response.

Economic development

Politics

Reform movements

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

How did two of the following contribute to the reemergence of a two party system in the period 1820 to1840?

Major political personalities

States’ rights

Economic issues

Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850.

In what ways did the Second Great Awakening in the North influence TWO of the following?

Abolitionism

Temperance

The cult of domesticity

Utopian communities

Compare the experiences of TWO of the following groups of immigrants during the period 1830 to 1860.

English

Irish

German

Analyze the impact of the market revolution (1815-1860) on the economies of TWO of the following regions.

The Northeast

The Midwest

The South

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

Economic development

Westward expansion

Describe the patterns of immigration in TWO of the periods listed below. Compare and contrast the responses of Americans to immigrants in these periods.

1820 to 1860

1880 to 1924

1965 to 2000

Evaluate the impact of the Civil War on political and economic developments in TWO of the following regions.

The South

The North

The West

Focus your answer on the period between 1865 and 1900.

How were the lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century affected by technological development and government action?

How and why did transportation developments spark economic growth during the period from 1860 to 1900 in the United States?

Analyze the economic consequences of the Civil War with respect to any TWO of the following in the United States between 1865 and 1880.

Agriculture

Labor

Industrialization

Transportation

Analyze the impact of any TWO of the following on the American industrial worker between 1865 and 1900.

Government actions

Immigration

Labor unions

Technological changes

Explain how TWO of the following individuals responded to the economic and social problems created by industrialization during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Jane Addams

Andrew Carnegie

Samuel Gompers

Upton Sinclair

For whom and to what extent was the American West a land of opportunity from 1865 to 1890?

Analyze the primary causes of the population shift from a rural to an urban environment in the United States between 1875 and 1925.

Analyze the ways in which farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age (1865-1900).

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 your answer be sure to address TWO of the following.

Economic development

Politics

Race relations

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 the programs and policies that addressed the needs of those living in poverty.

Describe and account for the growth of nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930.

To what extent did the United States achieve the objectives that led it to enter the First World War?

To what extent did the role of the federal government change under President Theodore Roosevelt in regard to TWO of the following?

Labor

Trusts

Conservation

World affairs

Analyze the ways in which the federal government sought support on the home front for the war effort during the First World war.

How successful were progressive reforms during the period 1890 to 1915 with respect to TWO of the following?

Industrial conditions

Urban life

Politics

In what ways did economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment help create the reputation of the 1920s as the Roaring Twenties?

Historians have argued that Progressive reform lost momentum in the 1920s. Evaluate this statement with respect to TWO of the following:

Regulation of business

Labor

Immigration

Compare and contrast Untied States society in the 1920s and 1950s with respect to TWO of the following:

race relations

role of women

consumerism

Compare and contrast United States foreign policy after the First World War and after the Second World War. Consider the periods 1919-1928 and 1945-1950

To what extent and why did the United States adopt an isolationistic policy in the 1920s and 1930s?

How did TWO of the following help shape American national culture in the 1920s?

Advertising

Entertainment

Mass production

While the United States appeared to be dominated by consensus and conformity in the 1950s, some Americans reacted

against the status quo. Analyze the critiques of United States society made by TWO of the following:

Youth

Civil rights Activists

Intellectuals

Analyze the successes and failures of the Unites States Cold War policy of containment as it developed in TWO of the following regions of the world during the period 1945 to 1975.

East and Southeast Asia

Europe

Latin America

Middle East

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

Assess the success of the United States policy of containment in Asia between1945 and 1975.

How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States in the era following the Second World War?

Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following contributed to the changes in women’s lives in the United States in the mid-twentieth century.

Wars

Literature and/or popular culture

Medical and/or technological advances

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 period.

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 movement

Discuss, with respect to TWO of the following, the view that the 1960s represented a period of profound cultural change.

Education

Gender roles

Music

Race relations

"1968 was a turning point for the United States." To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In your answer, discuss TWO of the following: National politics

Vietnam War

Civil Rights

“Landslide presidential victories do not always ensure continued political effectiveness or legislative success.” Assess the validity of this statement by comparing TWO of the following presidential administrations.

Franklin Roosevelt (1936)

Lyndon Johnson (1964)

Richard Nixon (1972)

Ronald Reagan (1984)

“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 groups during that period.

African Americans

Asian Americans

Latinos

Native Americans

Women

Describe and account for the 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.

Guidelines for DBQs

1. Read the question carefully. Understand that you are to answer a question, not simply to discuss documents. Approach it as an essay question for which you DON’T have documents.

2. Be alert to the time parameters of the question.

3. Make certain you understand what the question asks you to look for in the documents.

4. Establish potential categories BEFORE you examine the documents. You may need to adjust these after examining the documents. If the question gives you categories, use those categories.

5. After you read the question and BEFORE you examine the documents, jot down all of the outside information that comes to mind from that time period.

6. Formulate a tentative thesis statement BEFORE you read the documents. You may have to adjust this, but in will give you something to consider the documents in relation to.

7. Examine the document for the MAIN IDEA relative to this particular question. Do not simply state what is in the document or tell what the document says.

8. Use the CORE STRUCTURE. Begin with a thesis statement that fully addresses the question, takes a position, establishes organizational categories, and follow normal essay writing procedure. Look for organizational cues in the question itself.

9. YOU must determine the logical organization of your essay; the arrangement of the documents should not dictate that organization. Avoid referring to the documents in the exact order in which they appear.

10.You should refer to the majority of documents in your essay, but you do not have to use every one.

11. Do not merely paraphrase the document. Show that you understand how the essence of the document relates to your thesis. Extract the MAIN IDEA of the document relative to this question. NEVER start a sentence with any form of "Document A says......" The IDEA of the document should be the subject of the sentence not the document itself.

12.Avoid lengthy direct quotations from the documents like the plague. You are to be the author of the essay, not the editor.

13.Attempt to ascertain why each document is included. Documents are designed to trigger the memory of outside information. Many documents can be used to support both sides of a question. Carefully analyze each document to determine how it can support your thesis and clearly relate it back to your thesis with interpretive commentary. Focus on using level two questions to draw inferences from the documents.

14.Bring in as much outside specific factual information as you can. Use the documents as clues for the outside information readers are looking for. No single thing is as important as outside information in the DBQ.

15.The manner in which you refer to the documents is inconsequential. The most unobtrusive way to refer to the documents is simple to put the letter of the document in parenthesis following the sentence in which it is used (A). This will help both you and the reader keep up with the number of documents that are being used.

16.Remember, direct your discussion of both document based and outside information toward supporting your thesis. Use interpretive commentary to directly relate the information back to the question

17.The reader has only approximately two minutes with your essay. Make your information easy to extract.

18.CHILL!!! The DBQ is nothing more than writing an essay with a cheat sheet.

AP PARTS

AUTHOR

Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?

PLACE AND TIME

Where and when was the source produced? How might this affectthe meaning of the source?

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Beyond information about the author and the context of its creation, what do youknow that would help you further understand the primary source? For example, do you

recognize any symbols and recall what they represent?

AUDIENCE

For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source?

REASON

Why was this source produced and how might this affect the reliability of the source?

THE MAIN IDEA

What point is the source is trying to convey?

SIGNIFICANCE

Why is this source important? Ask yourself, “So what?” in relation to the question asked.

Examples of DBQ’s

2008 Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, andeconomic tensions in the United States. Focus your answer on the period 1964 to 1975.

For the years 1880 to 1925, analyze both the tensions surrounding the issue ofimmigration and the United States government’s response to these tensions.Use the following documents and your knowledge of the period from 1880 to 1925 toconstruct your answer.

2007 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 farmers’ responses to these changes.

In what ways did the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson respond to the political, economic, and social problems of the United States? Assess the effectiveness of these responses.

2006 Discuss the changing ideals of womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fostered the emergence of “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.

Analyze the developments from 1941 to 1949 that increased suspicion and tension between the United States and the soviet Union.

2005 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 Revolution in the period 1775 to 1800.

In the early nineteenth century, Americans sought to resolve their political disputes through compromise, yet by 1860 this no longer seemed possible. Analyze the reasons for this change. (1820-1860)

2004 In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-1763) alter the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? (1740-1766)

How and for what reasons did United States foreign policy change between 1920 and 1941?

2003 Analyze the responses of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration to the problems of the Great Depression. How effective were these responses? How did they change the role of the federal government? (1929-1941

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 successes and limitations of these efforts in the period 1900-1920.

How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875-1900. Analyze the factors that contributed to this level of success.

Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the United States Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. To what degree do you agree with the Jacksonians’ view of themselves?

“By the 1850s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created.” Assess the validity of this statement.

Booker T. Washington and W.E. B. DuBois offered different strategies for dealing with the problems of poverty and discrimination faced by blacks at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Assess the appropriateness of each of these strategies in the historical context in which each was developed.

“From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.” Evaluate this statement.

To what extent did economic and political development as well as assumptions about the nature of women affect the position of American women during the period 1890-1925?

COMPARISON OF SAMPLE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1-A The first direct tax that was levied on the American colonists in 1765 was A) the Currency Act B) the Sugar Act C) the Stamp Act D) the Quartering Act

1-B After 1763, changes in the British imperial system threatened the interests of which of the following groups of American colonists.

I. Land speculators with interests west of the Appalachians

II. Newspaper editors and lawyers

III. Farmers wishing to settle in the Ohio River valley

IV. Boston smugglers

A) III B) IV C) I, III D) I, III, IV E) I, II, III, IV

1-C Which of the following is true of the Stamp Act? A) it placed taxes on lead, tea, and paint B) it prohibited the exportation of enumerated commodities from the colonies to foreign countries C) it reflected the successful attempt of Great Britain to reexert control over the colonies D) it resulted in unified, violent resistance by the colonists E) it directly led to the calling of the First Continental Congress

2-A How did the Committee on Public Information get people to participate in the war effort? A) through newspaper articles B) through voluntary press censorship C) through propaganda D) all of the above

2-B The post-war effect of the Creel Commission is reflected, to some degree, in all of the following EXCEPT A) the increased acceptance of change and difference B) the Red Scare C) the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 D) the reemergence of the KKK E) tendency toward a mass society

3-A The Teller Amendment A) guaranteed the independence of Cuba B) made Cuba an American possession C) directed President McKinley to order troops into Cuba D) appropriated funds to help combat yellow fever in Cuba

3-B Which of the following is true of the Teller Amendment? A) it claimed for the U.S. the right to intervene in the internal affairs of Cuba B) it represented a formal statement of the Roosevelt Corollary C) it was directly tied to the "moral diplomacy" of Woodrow Wilson D) it was a self-denial of imperialistic tendencies E) it was an "insurgent" backed attack on the power of the Speaker of the House

4-A The Emancipation Proclamation declared that A) all slaves were free B) all slaves held in states in rebellion were free C) all loyal slaves were free D) all slaves in southern and border states were free

4-B Which of the following is true of the Emancipation Proclamation?

I. it was designed to prevent a British alliance with the Confederacy

II. reflected the basic sentiment of freesoilers

III. it effectively freed no slaves

IV. its original purpose was to free all slaves

A) all B) III, IV C) I, III D) I, IV E) I only

SAMPLE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. The Civilian Conservation Corp had all of the following purposes EXCEPT A) employment of urban youth between the ages of 18 and 25 B) reducing the possibility of civil unrest C) preserving available jobs for heads of households D) preparing soldiers for World War II E) conservation of America’s resources

2. The purpose of the Boston Tea Party was to A) inflict serious economic hardship of British merchants B) force Great Britain into unwise acts of retaliation C) cower apathetic colonists into support for the patriot cause D) force the French into an open alliance with the colonies E) lower the price of colonial tea

3. Samuel Eliot Morison contends that the American Revolution was fought not to gain freedom, but to retain freedoms that the colonists already enjoyed under British rule prior to 1763. Which of the following reflect support for Morison's contention that the colonists enjoyed a significant degree of self government under British control?

I. New England town meetings

II. salutary neglect

III. the Massachusetts Government Act

IV. the Quebec Act

A) all B) I, II, III C) II, III, IV D) I, II E) I only

4. All of the following are true of the Monroe Doctrine EXCEPT A) it was a self-denial of American intent to become involved in European affairs B) it was designed to support fledgling nations created by colonial uprisings in Latin America C) it was extensively used to support U.S. intervention in Latin America in the 19th century D) it forbid the establishment of new colonies in the Western Hemisphere by European nations E) it was supported by the government of Great Britain

5. Which of the following reflect results of the American Civil War?

I. it encouraged business consolidation and centralization

II. it effectively determined the nature of the Union

III. it dramatically altered the subsequent economic focus of the South

IV. it effectively altered both the economic and social status of a majority of Southern Blacks

A) I, II, III B) II, III, IV C) I, II D) I, III E) II, IV

6. Progressives sought to improve life for the common man in which of the following ways?

I. through the regulation of big business

II. through the enactment of direct welfare programs for the poor

III. by enactment of social welfare legislation

IV. by making government more responsive to the people

A) all B) I, II, III C) I, III, IV D) I, II E) I, IV

7. The post-war effect of the Creel Commission is reflected, to some degree, in all of the following EXCEPT A) the creation of a mass society B) the Red Scare C) the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 D) the reemergence of the KKK E) the fear of change and difference

8. The Equal Rights Amendment serves as an example of A) an unsuccessful effort to constitutionally protect civil rights B) a successful attempt by women to gain constitutionally denied freedoms C) the conservative majority mood of the 1960s D) judicial activism Supreme Court under Earl Warren E) a constitutional remedy for Roe v Wade

9. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson serves as an example of A) a typical post-war power struggle between the legislative and executive branches B) the constitutional remedy of obvious abuses of Presidential power C) the inequality of various branches of government despite separation of powers D) the failure of the constitutional system E) the effect that popular displeasure can have on the security of the Presidency

10.Which of the following is true of the Emancipation Proclamation?

I. it was a Northern attempt to gain advantage in the Civil War

II. reflected the basic sentiment of freesoilers

III. it effectively freed no slaves

IV. it led to a British alliance with the North

A) all B) III, IV C) I, III D) I, IV E) I only