2010 Essay Questions (form b)
To see the documents, and all the questions in a PDF, click here.
The solutions/grading keys can be found right here.
UNITED STATES HISTORY
SECTION II
Part A
(Suggested writing time—45 minutes)
Percent of Section II score—45
Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your interpretation
of Documents A-J and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High scores will be earned only
by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the documents and draw on outside knowledge of the period.
1. The issue of territorial expansion sparked considerable debate in the period
1800–1855.
Analyze this debate and evaluate the influence of both supporters and opponents of
territorial expansion in shaping federal government policy.
Use the documents and your knowledge of the years 1800–1855 in your answer.
UNITED STATES HISTORY
SECTION II
Part B and Part C
(Suggested total planning and writing time—70 minutes)
Percent of Section II score—55
Part B
Directions: Choose ONE question from this part. You are advised to spend 5 minutes planning and 30 minutes
writing your answer. Cite relevant historical evidence in support of your generalizations and present your arguments
clearly and logically.
2. Evaluate the influence of religion on the development of colonial society in TWO of
the following regions.
The Spanish Southwest
New England
New France
3. Compare and contrast the experience of slaves on tobacco plantations in the early
seventeenth-century Chesapeake region with that of slaves on nineteenth-century
cotton plantations in the Deep South. What forces transformed the institution of
slavery from the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century?
Part C
Directions: Choose ONE question from this part. You are advised to spend 5 minutes planning and 30 minutes
writing your answer. Cite relevant historical evidence in support of your generalizations and present your arguments
clearly and logically.
4. Analyze the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers in addressing problems of the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In your answer, focus on reform efforts in
TWO of the following areas.
State and federal government
The workplace
Living conditions in cities
5. Analyze the effects of the Vietnam War on TWO of the following in the United States
in the period from 1961 to 1975.
The presidency
The population between 18 and 35 years old
Cold War diplomacy