Writing in AP U.S.

History

The AP U.S. History Exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes long, and performance on these four parts will be
compiled and weighted to determine an AP Exam score. AP Scores are 5 – 1.

Mr. Payne
 College Board Historical Thinking Skills

Historical Argumentation: Historical thinking involves the ability to create an argument and support it using
relevant historical evidence.

Analyzing Evidence: Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, select, and evaluate relevant evidence
about the past from diverse sources (including written documents, works of art, archaeological artifacts, oral
traditions, and other primary sources) and draw conclusions about their relevance to different historical issues.

Historical Causation: Historical thinking involves the ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate the relationships
among historical causes and effects, distinguishing between those that are long term and proximate. Historical
thinking also involves the ability to distinguish between causation and correlation, and an awareness of
contingency, the way that historical events result from a complex variety of factors that come together in
unpredictable ways and often have unanticipated consequences.

Patterns of Continuity and Change Over Time: Historical thinking involves the ability to recognize, analyze,
and evaluate the dynamics of historical continuity and change over periods of time of varying length, as well as
the ability to relate these patterns to larger historical processes or themes.

Periodization: Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, analyze, and evaluate different ways that
historians divide history into discrete and definable periods. Historians construct and debate different,
sometimes competing models of periodization; the choice of specific turning points or starting and ending dates
might accord a higher value to one narrative, region, or group than to another.

Compare and Contrast: Historical thinking involves the ability to identify, compare, and evaluate multiple
perspectives on a given historical event in order to draw conclusions about that event. It also involves the
ability to describe, compare, and evaluate multiple historical developments within one society, one or more
developments across or between different societies, and in various chronological and geographical contexts.

Interpretation: Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, analyze, and evaluate the different ways
historians interpret the past. This includes understanding the various types of questions historians ask, as well
as considering how the particular circumstances and contexts in which individual historians work and write
shape their interpretations of past events and historical evidence.

Synthesis: Historical thinking involves the ability to develop understanding of the past by making meaningful
and persuasive historical and/or cross-disciplinary connections between a given historical issue and other
historical contexts, periods, themes, or disciplines.

Contextualization: Historical thinking involves the ability to connect historical events and processes to specific
circumstances of time and place as well as broader regional, national, or global processes.
 Historical Thinking Skill Proficiency Expectations
Students will be able to…

ANALYZE EVIDENCE…
1. Explain the relevance of the author’s point of view, author’s purpose, audience, format or medium, and/or
historical context as well as the interaction among these features, to demonstrate understanding of the
significance of a primary source.
2. Evaluate the usefulness, reliability, and/ or limitations of a primary source in answering particular historical
questions.

ANALYZE CAUSES AND EFFECTS…

1. Explain long and /or short-term causes and/or effects of an historical event, development, or process.
2. Evaluate the relative significance of different causes and/or effects on historical events or processes,
distinguishing between causation and correlation and showing an awareness of historical contingency.

INTERPRET DOCUMENTS…
1. Analyze a historian’s argument, explain how the argument has been supported through the analysis of
relevant historical evidence, and evaluate the argument’s effectiveness.
2. Analyze diverse historical interpretations.

ANALYZE PATTERNS OF CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OVER TIME…

1. Identify patterns of continuity and change over time and explain the significance of such patterns.
2. Explain how patterns of continuity and change over time relate to larger historical processes or themes.

COMPARE & CONTRAST…

1. Compare diverse perspectives represented in primary and secondary sources in order to draw conclusions
about one or more historical events.
2. Compare different historical individuals, events, developments, and/ or processes, analyzing both
similarities and differences in order to draw historically valid conclusions. Comparisons can be made across
different time periods, across different geographical locations, and between different historical events or
developments within the same time period and/ or geographical location.

ANALYZE HISTORICAL PERIODS…

1. Explain ways historical events and processes can be organized into discrete, different, and definable
historical periods.
2. Evaluate whether a particular event or date could or could not be a turning point between different, definable
historical periods, when considered in terms of particular historical evidence.
3. Analyze different and/or competing models of periodization.

CONTEXTUALIZE…
1. Situate historical events, developments, or processes within the broader regional, national, or global context
in which they occurred in order to draw conclusions about their relative significance.

SYNTHESIZE…
1. Make connections between a given historical issue and related developments in a different historical
context, geographical area, period, or era, including the present.
2. Make connections between different course themes and/or approaches to history (such as political,
economic, social, cultural, or intellectual) for a given historical issue.
CREATE AND DEFEND AN ARGUMENT…
1. Articulate a defensible claim about the past in the form of a clear and compelling thesis that evaluates the
relative importance of multiple factors and recognizes disparate, diverse, or contradictory evidence or
perspectives.
2. Develop and support a historical argument, including in a written essay, through a close analysis of relevant
and diverse historical evidence, framing the argument and evidence around the application of a specific
historical thinking skill (e.g., comparison, causation, patterns of continuity and change over time, or
periodization).
3. Evaluate evidence to explain its relevance to a claim or thesis, providing clear and consistent links between
the evidence and the argument.
4. Relate diverse historical evidence in a cohesive way to illustrate contradiction, corroboration, qualification,
and other types of historical relationships in developing an argument.

The Big Four Model Arch-Types

❖ Historical Causation (Cause or Effect): CE
Prompt: Evaluate the major causes which led to the development of a Second Industrial Revolution.

Step One: Organize the causes around three Themes or Categories (connect to the Learning Objectives).
Step Two: Rank or prioritize the categorized causes in order of importance, determine the two major causes
(*) and the one minor cause.
Step Three: Within the body of your essay, you must address why these were the causes of the topic under
Investigation.

Sample Essay Prompts:

1. Evaluate the political, economic, and social reactions of Americans to the end of Reconstruction
(1877).
2. Explain how intellectual and religious movements impacted the development of colonial North
America from 1607 to 1776.
3. Evaluate the causes and consequences of the growing opposition to slavery in the United
States from 1776 to 1856.
NOTE: You will probably ONLY be asked to write on either cause or effect, NOT both.
 ❖ Historical Continuity and Change Over Time: CCOT
Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which US foreign policy goals contributed to maintaining continuity as well as
fostered change from the end of WWI (1918) to the end of the Korean War (1953)

Step One: Label start and stop dates on timeline.

Step Two: Identify significant events (5-7) on the timeline, related to the topic.
Step Three: Determine whether there was MORE continuity or change within the period.
Step Four: Select three of the most significant of the events. Make sure you maintain the 2/1 ratio (e.g., if you
are arguing there were more continuities, then you need 2 examples of that, for 1 change, or vice
versa).
Step Five: Within the body of your essay, you must address why there were continuities and changes

EVE
CHANGE
19 195
CONTINUITY

Sample Essay Prompts:

1. Evaluate the extent to which the goals of Reconstruction (1865 – 1877) regarding African Americans
were achieved by 1900. Be sure to address both continuities as well as changes during this time
period.
2. Evaluate the extent to which the goals of conservatives contributed to maintaining continuity as well as
fostered change from the 1950s through the 1980s.
3. Evaluate the extent to which American foreign policy contributed to maintaining continuity as well as
fostered change with regard to United States involvement in world affairs from 1796 to 1823
 ❖ Historical Comparison (Compare and Contrast): CC
Prompt: Compare and contrast the New England and Chesapeake colonies.

Step One: Brainstorm

Step Two: Determine whether there are more similarities or differences between the two concepts of the topic.
Step Three: Organize the similarities and differences around two BAGPIPE Themes
Step Four: Within the body of your essay, you must address why there are similarities and differences.

**** 2 Themes need to emerge, so lump your items in 2 BAGPIPE themes. These are the ones used in Essay

Sample Essay Prompts:

1. Compare and contrast domestic and foreign policy goals of conservatives in the 1950’s with
conservatives in the 1980’s.
2. Compare and contrast reactions of Americans to immigration in the 1840s-1850s with immigration in
the 1910s-1920s.
3. Compare and contrast goals and strategies of African American leaders in the 1890s-1920s with the
goals and strategies of African American leaders in the 1950s-1960s.

NOTE: You will probably NOT be given the categories, but sometimes you might.
 ❖ Periodization (Turning Point): TP
Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which the French and Indian War was a Turning Point with regard to American
and British relations.

Step One: Brainstorm BAGPIPE Themes to answer prompt

Step Two: Brainstorm points for “Yes” and points for “No” on both Themes
Step Three: Determine whether there is more evidence to support that it was (Y) or was not (N) a Turning
Point.
Step Four: Within the body of your essay, you must address the extent to which the event under investigation
was a TP.

FIW
Yes No

BAGPIPE
THEME 1

BAGPIPE
THEME 2

Sample Essay Prompts:

1. Evaluate the extent to which the Mexican American War was a Turning Point with regard to the
expansion of Slavery in the United States.
2. The Declaration of Independence was a Turning Point in American History. Support, Modify, or Refute
this statement.

*NOTE: Limit your time frame before and after the event to 20 years. So for the FIW which took place
1754 to 1763 (only consider 1734 – 1783)
 The Thesis Statement Formula – What Is It?

X. However, A and B. Therefore, Y. or Although X, Y because ABC.

**NOTE: These are not necessarily standalone sentences, they are concepts.

“X” represents the strongest point against your argument. We call this the counter-argument.

“A” and “B” represent the two strongest points for your argument. We call these your BAGPIPE categories.

“Y” represents the position you will be taking – in other words, your stand on the “FULL” prompt.

Let’s take a look at a basic prompt, a simple way to set up the essay, and a sample of a thesis statement.

Prompt: Compare and contrast the cities of White Settlement and Weatherford.

GO! How would you do this based on what you learned above?
 Levels of Specificity / Developing a Thesis Statement
– How Much Do I Say? (See I do know what your thinking)
How much specificity to include in the Summary Statement should be a balancing act, on the one hand, you
don’t want to be too general (Level Three Generalization), but on the other hand you don’t want to be too
specific (Level One Specification). Let them know where you are going, but don’t give away all your
information. We want the reader to keep reading! We will call the right amount of specificity Level Two
Specificity.

Consider the following prompt:

Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of Confederation were effective in solving the problems that
confronted the new nation.

Level Three Thesis (not enough): The Articles of Confederation was successful as a first attempt at building
a government. However, the Articles of Confederation was weak politically, socially, and economically.
Therefore, the Articles of Confederation did not provide an effective answer to the problems facing the new
nation.

Level Two Thesis (just right): The Articles of Confederation created a well-organized system for dealing with
newly acQuired territories and providing a financial means to increase needed revenue. However, it
established a loose confederation of states that lacked a sense of national unity, it created internal gridlock that
failed to establish a system of checks and balances, and it created a government that did not have the powers
to conduct basic governmental business. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation was not effective in solving
many of the problems faced by the newly formed United States.

Level One Thesis (too much): Under the Articles of Confederation, the Land Ordinance of 1785 and
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created a well-organized system for dealing with newly acQuired territories and a
plausible means to increase government revenue in a time in which the country was facing massive debt.
However, it established a decentralized government with limited sovereignty, creating a league of friendship,
with limited effectiveness; it was unable to foster any sense of nationalism; it contained a lack of leadership
and a lack of independent judiciary; it lacked provisions for raising revenues and collecting taxes from the
states, as well as failing to handle the abuses of paper money, with no control over interstate commerce; and
could not protect the country from rebellions like Shays’ Rebellion. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation
proved unable to handle the problems faced by the country after the American Revolution.
 Body Paragraphs – What are you saying?
Each body paragraph will focus on a category or theme and contain your exposition (defending your thesis)
with specific, historical evidence relevant to your topic. Your goal is to have at least three – five specific pieces
of evidence for each category or theme.

DBQ…... remember you still need outside evidence independent from the documents. For the DBQ, you will
also need to extend your argument and analysis by illustrating contradictions, corroborations, and/or
qualifications.

**********One last thing about your body paragraphs… end each one with “Close the Loop!” ********
Closing the loop means to explain how or why your evidence supports your thesis… always connect back to
your thesis!

How to USE the Documents in the DBQ?

The most un-sophisticated way to reference a document in an essay is to do the following, “According to
‘Document 1’ blah, blah, blah.” “Document 1 says this, document 2 says this . . . etc.” Instead, you should show
the reader that you understand the documents and more importantly you understand the content of the
document and employed it properly within the argument of your paper. DO NOT quote the documents.

*****In order to get full credit (2 points) for document usage on the DBQ, you must be HIPP and you must use
ALL or ALL BUT ONE of the documents.

HOW???? do I HIPP a Document in the DBQ? YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ALL FOUR COMPONENTS…
JUST H + ONE OF IPP

*H: Historical Context + I: Intended Audience or P: Purpose or P: Point of View

Suppose you had a document that was excerpt from the Clayton Antitrust Act. Your HIPP may look something
like this:
H: Historical Context – Progressive Era, President Wilson signed, Act of Congress to limit monopolies

I: Intended Audience – The United States of America (adding new laws) and businesses

P: Purpose - help the government break up trusts/monopolies, fix the problems of the earlier Sherman
Anti-Trust Act

P: Point of View – It is in the nation’s best interest to support competition and fair business practices,
therefore government needs the power to force trusts to bust up

It would look like: “The Clayton Antitrust Act was passed under Wilson’s administration when progressives
were desperately seeking help in enforcing anti-trust legislation under a relatively inefficient Sherman Antitrust
Act. The purpose was to give some enforcement power over anti-trust legislation to the federal government.
(doc 1)”
 The Concluding Paragraph

Conclusion Formula: Therefore, Y + BC. BC is similar/different to OC, because E.

Conclusion – How much should you say?

Your concluding paragraph should NOT simply restate your thesis. You want to conclude with higher level
analysis; however your conclusion does not need to be extensive. For your essays in this class, your
conclusions will have three requirements.

First: Restating your thesis with broad context… Therefore, Y + BC. (one sentence)
BC = Broad Context… what is the big picture within the era you are writing about… (identify one of the
major historical themes – BAGPIPE)

Second: Synthesis… or Other Context (similar in kind but in a different time)… One sentence connecting and
comparing, then
OC = Other Context… what other time period experienced a similar or different big picture/theme?

Third: Explanation… One sentence explaining how your theme/topic is similar or different than that same
theme/topic in a different era.
E = explanation (at least one strong piece of evidence to support your comparison)

Contextualization (Broader Context) -

Situate historical events, developments, or processes within the broader regional, national, or global
context in which they occurred in order to draw conclusions about their relative significance.

Britain as a Rebellion
World Power
John Locke
American
Social
Contract
Civic Virtue
Republicanism

Americans Asserting Authority

It would look like this: “The broad context to which the American Revolution was a small part of, revolved
around the attempts of the British Empire to maintain control over its colonies; this power struggle would
determine the fate of the British as a leading world power. Both their financial and political institutions required
the existence of these satellite colonies, taxes and raw materials were necessary requirements to maintain
their position in the world. The need to maintain control over its colonies was an essential element to
maintaining that world status, thus the American Revolution was not simply a minor rebellion within a tiny
colony, but a much larger revolution which would lead ultimately to the downfall of the greatest nation in the
world and would give birth to the next great world power.”

Synthesis - “Similar in Kind, but at a Different Time.”

Make connections between a given historical issue and related developments in a different
historical context, geographical area, period, or era, including the present.
Ask yourself, what other period makes sense to compare it to? Think of it in terms of what would make
sense on a Venn diagram? Would you compare the FIW to the passage of the 15th Amendment? No.
The American Revolution? Yes. Would you compare the Market Revolution to the Publication of Uncle
Tom’s Cabin? No. The 2nd Industrial Revolution? Yes. Once you find a good period, make two
connections.

You begin the synthesis point of the essay with the following.
❏ “The [topic of essay] can be compared to the earlier / later period of [synthesis topic] in two ways...”
Then establish two common connections to the two periods.

It would look like this: “The American Revolution can be compared to the later period of Southern Secession
prior to the U.S. Civil War in two ways. First, both groups saw themselves fighting for what they perceived as
injustices from a tyrannical government. Southerners viewed the injustices of the Northern government in the
same light as the Americans viewed the British, so much so, they utilized many of the same points of the
Declaration of Independence. Second, both groups invoked the Lockean social contract theory, which allowed
the throwing off any government when it failed to meet the needs of its citizens as a natural right.”