Unit 2: Ch 11-18 (1828-1890)

Unit Overview:

This unit covers the the years 1828 to 1890. In the 9-week course, this unit takes two calendar weeks and we meet for two live classes at the end of each week. Unit Two includes chapters 11-18 of the Barron's AP US History exam prep text along with the corresponding Sparknotes units. 

Unit Exam: 

Era 2 Unit Exam

Era 2 Unit Exam Answer Key

Barron's and Sparknotes Readings:

Unit Live Classes:

Unit 2 Essay Class

Unit 2 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 how western expansion contributed to growing sectional tensions between the North and the South. Confine your answer to the period from 1800 to 1850. (2012)

DBQ: 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. (2010)

FRQ: Analyze the ways in which controversy over the extension of slavery into western territories contributed to the coming of the Civil War. Confine your answer to the period 1845-1861. (2010)

DBQ: 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: Analyze the political, economic, and religious tensions between immigrant Roman Catholics and native-born Protestants in the United States from the 1830’s through the 1850’s. (2009)

FRQ: Analyze the social, political, and economic forces of the 1840’s and the early 1850’s that led to the emergence of the Republican Party. (2009)

DBQ: 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 farmer’s responses to these changes. (2007) 2007 DBQ Graded Essays

FRQ: In what ways did the Second Great Awakening in the North influence TWO of the following? Abolitionism; Temperance; The cult of domesticity; Utopian communities. (2007) 2007 FRQ 3 Graded Essays

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,  Economic Development, Westward Expansion. (2006)

FRQ: 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)

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

FRQ: 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? (2005) 

FRQ: Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861. (2004) 

FRQ: 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 (2003)