Unit 1 (Prehistory to 1828)

Unit Live Classes:

AP US History Exam Prep Course Orientation Class

Era 1 Essay Topics Class 

Era 1 Overview Class 

Unit Essay Topics:

You are required to write three essays on the AP US History Exam: Part A (Question 1) is always a DBQ, and one can never know the precise historical era it will cover. Part B (Questions 2 and 3) always draws from Eras 1-2 (Precolonial Era through 1880), and Part C (Questions 4 and 5) always draws from Eras 3-4 (1880-present). The free-response questions on an AP US History Exam always follow this pattern:

1. DBQ

2. FRQ, Era 1

3. FRQ, Era 2

4. FRQ, Era 3

5. FRQ, Era 4

For the FRQ essays, you choose ONE prompt from 2-3, and ONE prompt from 4-5. Let this knowledge help you in your studies.

FRQ: Analyze the effect of the French and Indian War and its aftermath on the relationship between Great Britain and the British colonies. Confine your response to the period from 1754 to 1776.(2012) link: 2012 FRQ#2 Graded Essay Packet

FRQ: Analyze the origins and development of slavery in Britain’s North American colonies in the period 1607 to 1776. (2011)

DBQ: In what ways did ideas and values held by Puritans influence the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s. (2010)

FRQ: Evaluate the influence of religion on the development of colonial society in TWO of the following regions: The Spanish Southwest, New England, New France. (2010)

FRQ: 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 late 1600’s. New England; Chesapeake; Spanish Southwest; New York and New France. (2008)

FRQ: Compare and Contrast the ways in which economic development affected politics in Massachusetts and Virginia in the period from 1607 to 1750. (2005)

DBQ: 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 from 1775 to 1800. (2005)

FRQ: To what extent did political parties contribute to the development of national unity in the United States between 1790 and 1840? (2011)

FRQ: Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists’ opposition to ratifying the Constitution. (2008)

FRQ: Analyze the impact of the market revolution (1815-1860) on the economies of TWO of the following regions: The Northeast; The Midwest; The South. (2008)

FRQ: 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 following: March of the Paxton Boys; Regulator movement; Shays’ Rebellion; Whiskey Rebellion. (2007)

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: In what ways did developments in transportation bring about economic and social change in the United States in the period 1820 to 1860? (2003)

FRQ: Although the power of the national government increased in 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. (2003)