AP American History Free Response Essays Each day will have a specific essay question. For the 1st Quarter ONLY. You are to simply write a detailed outline of what you would include in your essay. From the 2nd Quarter on, you are to write both a detailed outline and the essay with it. The date listed will be the day the assignment is due. September 16, 2009 Compare the cultures that could be found in the New World prior to the Europeans. Why were some groups more advanced than others throughout the same region? September 17, 2009 Compare the experience of the French, Spanish, and English in colonizing the New World.
What common perception of the region did they share? Discuss the differences in their relationship with Native Americans. September 21, 2009 Why did England colonize the New World later than the rest of Europe? What political and religious conditions had created a century of conflict In England? What factors finally pushed the English west, across the ocean? September 22, 2009 Describe the social, economic, and political changes which occurred in Europe and led to the exploration and colonization of the New World. September 23, 2009 Describe the process by which early Portuguese traders acquired slaves In West Africa.
September 24, 2009 Explain how the economies and social structures of New England, the Chesapeake, and the middle colonies differed from one another. September 28, 2009 Compare and contrast the English colonies of the Chesapeake with their counterparts at Massachusetts Bay. What were their similarities and their differences? September 29, 2009 Describe the Puritans. What were their beliefs? Why did they leave England for Massachusetts Bay? What did they hope to accomplish In the New World? How did the dynamics of their faith affect their New World existence? September 30, 2009 In what ways was Pennsylvania unique in colonial America?
What role did religion play in explaining that uniqueness? October 1, 2009 Assess the transformation the American colonies underwent between 1650 and 1720. Did all of the colonies experience the same changes? How did they differ? October 5, 2009 Discuss, in some detail, the origin and key characteristics of slavery in British North America during the 17th century. October 6, 2009 what was mercantilism and how did It shape the economic and political relationship between England and its colonies? October 7, 2009 Compare and contrast social and economic life in 17th century New England with that of the Chesapeake colonies. October 8, 2009
Describe the Great Awakening and the impact It had on colonial America. October 12, 2009 Discuss the powers of colonial governors and assemblies. Give their strengths and ‘OFF Discuss the origins of the Seven Years’ War and what effect the conflict had on the American colonies. October 14, 2009 Describe the meaning of the term “middle ground” as it referred to Native Americans in the 18th century. October 15, 2009 Imagine that you are a farmer in Massachusetts when war breaks out. Explain your reasons for supporting the Revolution. October 19, 2009 Compare British and American strategies for fighting the American Revolutionary ar.
October 20, 2009 What was the relationship between England’s internal political problems and the loss of its colonial empire in America? October 21, 2009 Describe the American perception of the idea of parliamentary sovereignty. October 22, 2009 Discuss anti-slavery sentiment in America during the Revolution and the years immediately following the Revolution. Was the opposition to slavery limited to northern states? October 26, 2009 Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the Confederation government. Was it doomed to failure? Why? October 27, 2009 Imagine you are either Federalist or Industrialist.
Argue for (or against) ratification of the Constitution. Include economic status, geographic region, and political ideals in your argument. [Outline both points of view, then state which you would argue and why] October 28, 2009 What role did the issue of slavery play in the Constitutional Convention? How was the issue dealt with in the final version of the Constitution? October 29, 2009 As an ordinary United States citizen in the sass, what would you have to fear in the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts? November 2, 2009 Why did the Federalist Party lose popularity and influence in the late sass?
November 3, 2009 Compare the foreign policies of Washington and Adams. Could better polices have been devised? November 4, 2009 In the sass, why did the revolutionary political leaders become more divided over the course of the new nation? November 5, 2009 Describe the major regional identities that began to appear in the United States in the early sass. November 9, 2009 Once in office, how did Jefferson carry out his political beliefs? Explain your answer. November 10, 2009 Describe the major issues that eventually led the United States to declare war on Great Britain in 1812. November 11, 2009
Was it inevitable for the United States to be drawn into war with Great Britain? November 12, 2009 What evidence was there that public polices between the War of 1812 and the Age of Jackson supported and enhanced nationalism? Include examples from all three branches of government. November 16, 2009 Describe the evolution of American policies and actions toward Native Americans between 1816 and 1830. Could the trans-Appalachian interior have been settled in Discuss how the major decisions of the Supreme Court under John Marshal’s leadership enhanced the growth of nationalism and a strong federal government.
Include examples of specific cases from the period. November 18, 2009 In what ways did American cultural developments in the sass and sass reflect the democratic impulse of the period? November 19, 2009 In what ways did the elections of 1828 and 1840 firmly establish the two-party system in American politics? November 23, 2009 Is it correct to describe the sass as the Age of Democracy? Explain. November 24, Why weren’t there more slave revolts and rebellions in the 200 year history of the South? In what other ways did slaves demonstrate their opposition to the system? November 25, 2009
Evaluate the impact of slavery on the economic and social systems of the South. November 26, 2009 How did the South’s reliance on a slave labor system restrict its ability to diversify its economy? November 30, 2009 Discuss how the American social reform movement evolved out of the Second Great Awakening. December 1, 2009 Why did social reformers view alcohol as the greatest threat to public morality in the United States? December 2, 2009 In what ways could American women of the first half of the 19th century be said to have benefited from changes that resulted from the social reform movement? December 3, 2009
Compare the United States’ foreign policy toward Mexico and Great Britain in the sass and sass. How do you account for the similarities and differences in America’s actions toward these countries? December 7, 2009 What were the most important factors in pushing or pulling great waves of immigrants to the United States between 1820 and 1850? December 8, 2009 Describe the factors that created dynamic, economic growth in the United States in the sass, sass, and sass. December 9, 2009 What incidents and events increased southern fears concerning growing northern hostility toward the southern way of life?
How correct was the South in these fears? December 10, 2009 Why did the traditional two-party system fail in the sass? What role did third-party movements play in heightening sectional tensions during this period? December 14, Evaluate the causes of the sectional crisis of the sass. Could anything have been done to resolve the issues of the period? Explain. December 15, 2009 Describe the effects of the war on the “home front” of the North and the South. Did one side benefit more than the other? Explain. December 16, 2009 When the war started in 1861, both sides were confident that the conflict would be short.
What conditions made the Civil War a prolonged, bloody conflict instead of the brief “skirmish” all had anticipated? December 17, 2009 Analyze the events that occurred from Lincoln election to the attack on Fort Sumter. How did freed slaves react to their new status after the Civil War? What did most African Americans soon realize about the reality of their freedom? December 22, 2009 How successful was the North in changing southern society during Reconstruction? Who benefited the most from these plans and who benefited the least? December 23, 2009 Compare and contrast the executive and congressional plans for reconstructing the
Union. What was their objective? Which plan was better for the nation? Why? December 24, 2009 What impact did the frontier have on American attitudes, behavior, and institutions? Is the “frontier thesis” of Frederick Jackson Turner viable? December 28, 2009 If you were a Sioux chief relocated to a reservation in Oklahoma in 1900, what would you tell your grandchildren about your life and that of your people before the white man came? Once the white man arrived on the Great Plains, what happened to your way of life? December 29, 2009 Contrast life on the western frontier for the miner, cattleman, and farmer.
What social and economic factors contributed to the lifestyle developed by each group? December 30, 2009 Could American industrial growth have occurred without the industrial giants of the period? Explain. December 31, 2009 You are steel worker in Pennsylvania. What reasons would you have for Joining a union? Describe your hopes and aspirations for yourself and your family. January 4, 2010 How did the railroad industry pioneer the economic developments of the late 19th century? January 5, 2010 What was the purpose of the Settlement House movement? Evaluate its objectives and methods.
January 6, 2010 How did the changing American residential patterns of the late 19th century reflect the larger changes of American society? January 7, 2010 Compare the role of the political machines and the social reformers in dealing with the new urban environment of the late 19th century. Which group was more successful? January 1 1, 2010 Beyond the immediate cause of the depression of 1893, why did it create a crisis for American society? January 12, 2010 Did American farmers have any alternative to the political system for solutions to their problems in the late 19th century? January 13, 2010
You are writing your congressional representative a letter regarding the annexation of the Philippines. Explain why you believe he or she should vote either for or against this decision. [Give both sides] January 14, 2010 Why was the Spanish-American War “a splendid little war” for the United States? What effect did it have on American society? January 19, 2010 What were the characteristics of the “new immigrant” between 1900 and 1920? How did this wave of immigration differ from early ones? January 20, 2010 In what ways did popular entertainment change during the Progressive period?
January 21, 2010 program between 1913 and 1920. February 1, 2010 By examining his actions as president, discuss Theodore Roosevelt reputation as a “trust buster. ” Was that reputation deserved or undeserved? February 2, 2010 Discuss the fight over the question of ratifying the Treaty of Versailles. How did the fight reflect the key issue confronting American foreign policymakers at the end of world war l? February 3, 2010 In general terms, did Woodrow Willow’s foreign policy differ significantly from that of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft?
February 4, 2010 Discuss the federal government’s attitude toward business in the sass. Who were he leading proponents of close government-business relations? February 8, 2010 How did women and minorities fare with respect to the apparent prosperity and climate of change that characterized the sass? February 9, 2010 What was the legacy of the New Deal? In what ways did the New Deal change Americans’ attitudes toward the role of the federal government in their daily lives? February 10, 2010 Why is Franklin D. Roosevelt considered a “great” president?
How did his political philosophy affect both his New Deal policies and executive conduct? February 1 1, Assess American foreign policy in the aftermath of World War l. What effect did the war have on American attitudes toward the outside world? February 16, 2010 Is “independent internationalism” an accurate description of United States’ foreign policy between the two wars? If so, why? February 17, 2010 What was the policy of “containment”? Who were its leading proponents, and how did they implement this policy between 1947 and 1950? February 18, 2010 Describe U. S. Foreign policy toward China between 1945 and 1960.
February 22, 2010 What were the key characteristics of American culture and society during the sass? Discuss each in some detail. February 23, 2010 Describe the arguments of social critics about American suburbia and consumerism in the sass. February 24, 2010 How did John F. Kennedy implement his belief that the Cold War was a test of America’s toughness and strength? Was he successful in achieving his goals? February 25, 2010 Describe the philosophy and major decisions of the Warren Court. March 1, 2010 Compare the foreign policy of Richard Nixon to those of Kennedy and Johnson.
Why was Nixon better able to lessen tensions with the Soviet Union? March 2, 2010 Compare the foreign policy views of Henry Kissing with those of Kibitzing Breeziness. March 3, 2010 Describe the successes and failures experienced by the African American community during the sass and sass. Analyze the home-front experiences of TWO of the following groups during the Second World War. African Americans, Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Mexican Americans March 4, 2010 In what ways did the American family change between 1970 and 2000?
Choose TWO of the following organizations and explain their strategies for advancing the interests of workers. To what extent were these organizations successful in achieving their American Federation of Labor, Socialist Party of America, Industrial Workers of the roll March 8, 2010 Describe the nature of England’s first colonial settlement, Jamestown, as it evolved from a floundering, haphazard enterprise to a stable community. Analyze the social, political, and economic forces of the sass and early sass that led to the emergence of the Republican Party.
March 9, 2010 Describe the significant changes in New England society, culture, economy, and politics, as well as the influence of Puritanism in the late sass. Analyze the ways in which the British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776 intensified colonials’ resistance to British rule and their commitment to republican values. March 10, 2010 How did the Anglo-American economic relationship change during the 18th century? What impact id those changes have on the colonial economy? Describe the changing immigration patterns in the U. S. During the sass and sass.
March 11, 2010 Trace the development of the Anglo-American conflict. Could the relationship have been saved? Describe the reasons why most Americans voted against President Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980. March 15, 2010 How successful was the new Republic in implementing the goals of the Revolution? How would you account for the failure of America’s effort in the Vietnam War? March 16, 2010 How did the views of Hamilton and Jefferson give birth to political parties? In the midst of the affluence and prosperity of the sass, considerable doubt existed about the character of American society.
What were the most significant criticisms of the character and direction of American society during the sass? March 17, 2010 How did the Battle of New Orleans and the Hartford Convention contribute to the demise of the Federalist Party? How did the origins of the Cold War reflect different American and Soviet traditions, as well as their different needs and interests in Europe after World War II? March 18, 2010 In what ways did the transportation revolution contribute to the development of a national market economy in the United States between 1810 and 1840?
Describe the American strategy for defeating Japan in World War II. How successful was that strategy? Explain your answer. March 22, 2010 Describe the temperament and political philosophy of Andrew Jackson. Describe the bull market of the sass and explain the stock market crash of 1929. March 23, 2010 Compare the economic systems of the upper and lower South. In which region would slavery have died a “natural” death? Explain. What factors contributed to the upsurge in fundamentalism in the United States during the sass? How was this manifested in the period?
March 24, 2010 What were the major goals of the expanded and improved public education system of the sass and sass? What major factors motivated United States policy toward Latin America between 1900 and 1920? March 25, 2010 Describe the main concepts of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. How effected was the United States in implementing this policy in the sass? Did all Americans support this doctrine? Explain. How did the progressive reform impulse manifest itself at the level of city government? March 29, 2010 ways did popular sovereignty stir up sectional tensions in the sass?
How did the new 20th century concepts of organization and management change the life of the American worker? March 30, 2010 Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the South and the North in the Civil War. Was a northern victory inevitable? Why? Explain why the United States developed the Open Door policy. March 31, 2010 Discuss the impact of the Civil War on southern society. What traditions and institutions were destroyed by the conflict? Is it correct to assume the election of 1896 as a turning point in American political history? Explain. April 1, 2010 Discuss the nature and hardships of life on the Great Plains in the late sass.
What developments helped to alleviate these hardships? Which aspects of the war on terror have been controversial? Why? April 6, 2010 Why did industrial development occur at such a rapid pace after the Civil War? Describe Reggae’s economic policies and the trends of the economy during the sass. April 7, 2010 Compare and contrast the ideas of William Graham Sumner with those of Richard Ely. Describe U. S. Foreign policy toward Latin America in the early sass. April 8, 2010 Politics was a major interest in American society during the late 19th century.
How successful were the political parties (Democratic and Republicans) in dealing with the major issues of the times? Was it inevitable for a third political party to be formed? Discuss the impact of Sputnik on the United States. April 12, 2010 Describe why the American war in the Philippines after the Spanish-American War was so costly and so controversial. How did the Cold War bring about reforms in the United States military and intelligence establishments in the sass and sass? April 13, 2010 How did increasing arbitration between 1900 and 1920 change American society?
What were Japan’s objectives in Asia in the sass? Was conflict unavoidable for the United States, given the nature of Japan’s grand design for Asia? April 14, 2010 How did the progressive reform impulse manifest itself at the state level? Compare and contrast the respective approaches of Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt to the issues and problems of the Great Depression. April 15, 2010 Although the United States officially adopted a policy of neutrality at the beginning of World War l, there was considerable pressure on the government to alter that stance. What were the key sources of that pressure?
In what ways did the increasing popularity of the automobile contribute to economic growth and social change in the United States during the sass? April 19, 2010 What reasons did the Democratic Party, despite its apparent second-place political position in the sass, have for looking to the future with optimism? How did World War I affect the situation of labor, women, and minorities in the United States between 1914 and 1920? April 20, 2010 What were the origins, stipulations, and weaknesses of the New Ideal’s major recovery orgasm, the Agricultural Adjustment Act and the National Recovery Administration?
Why did the Supreme Court declare both measures unconstitutional? How did problem of regulating and controlling big business in the United States? April 21 , Assess the response of the United States to the military aggression of Japan, Germany, and Italy in the sass. Describe Henry Ford’s theory of production, profit, and labor relations. April 22, 2010 Describe President Eisenhower foreign policy approach toward the Soviet Union. By 1900, the United States had created an overseas empire. Was this empire a natural lamination of its expansionist path at home?
Explain, using specific examples of the type of territories that became part of this empire. Explain why these territories were important to the American government and society. April 26, 2010 Explain the sources of the American economic boom in the sass. Why was the Populist party unsuccessful in reaching beyond its narrow base of support? Include an analysis of its platform, candidates, and supporters. April 27, 2010 Did Lyndon Johnson have any other alternative to the actions he took regarding Vietnam? The new immigrants of the late technetium faced many hardships as they ought a place in American society.
To what do you account their ability to make a home in America? What internal and external resources were available to make the transition easier for them? April 28, 2010 Explain how the Watergate scandal demonstrated the vitality of a democratic society. Had the definition of work changed by 1900? How did workers respond to the change? Were they successful? April 29, 2010 Discuss the significance of the 1992 election. Describe the major military confrontations between Native Americans and whites on the post-civil War frontier. May 3, 2010
Identify and discuss the major foreign policy objectives of the United States between 181 5 and 1824. By the early sass, it was evident that northern interests in Reconstruction was waning. Why? Were the majority of northerners really dedicated to reconstructing southern society? Why were the Redeemers able to take back the south? May 4, 2010 How did political, economic, and constitutional issues combine to lead to the death of the national bank? What arguments did secessionists develop to Justify leaving the Union? What problems did secession create for both the Buchanan and Lincoln administrations? May 5, 2010
Describe the characteristics of the African-American culture that slaves developed in their communities. What role did family and religion play for this culture? Could slaves have survived without this culture? Explain. Discuss the major elements of the Compromise of 1850 and how they were an attempt to balance the requirements of pro- and antislavery factions in the United States. May 6, 2010 Discuss the different approaches tried by American reformers to deal with the problem of slavery in the United States. Was the Mexican War inevitable? Could the United States have achieved its objectives in any other manner? How?
