Long Essay Prompts APUSH Practice

What an Effect Long Essay Response Should do State a relevant thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question. Support the argument with evidence, using specific examples. Apply historical thinking skills as directed by the question. Synthesize the elements above into a persuasive essay that extends the argument, connects it to a different historical context, or connects it to a different category of analysis.

Unit 1 & 2 Some historians have argued that encounters between European colonists and Indians in the Americas during the period 1492 – 1676 were overwhelming negative in shaping the future of indigenous peoples, but positive in shaping the future of those who migrated to the Americas. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Patterns of Continuity & Change over time

Unit 3 #1 Evaluate the extent to which the Declaration of Independence marked a turning point in American history, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period immediately before the declaration to the period immediately following it. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Periodization #2 Some historians have argued that the American Revolution was not revolutionary in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. Historical Thinking Skill –Patterns of Continuity & Change over time

Evaluate the extent to which the Declaration of Independence marked a turning point in American history, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period immediately before the declaration to the period immediately following it. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Periodization

Unit 4 Some historians have argued that the economic expansion that took place during the first market revolution (1790 – 1850) was not truly laissez-faire in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Patterns of Continuity & Change over time

Unit 4 Evaluate the extent to which the Mexican-American War (1844 – 1846) marked a turning point in the slavery – anti-slavery debate during the Antebellum Era (1820 – 1861), analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before the war and the period immediately following. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Periodization

Unit 5 & 6 Evaluate the extent to which after the Reconstruction period (1877 – 1920) Southern leaders created a “New South” that marked a turning point, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before and the period immediately following.

Unit 6&7 #1 Compare & contrast the programs & policies designed by reformers of the Progressive Era to those designed by reformers of the New Deal period. Confine your answers to those programs and policies that addressed the needs of those living in poverty. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Periodization #2 Some historians have argued that the New Deal was ultimately conservative in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. Historical Thinking Skill –Patterns of Continuity & Change over time

Unit 8 Some historians argue that the containment policies of the United States from 1945 – 1975 were ultimately a failure. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. Skills Assessed –Argumentation; Use of Evidence; Synthesis (connection to other time period or geographic location, additional category of analysis) Historical Thinking Skill –Patterns of Continuity & Change over time