1. AP Essay Tips

2. AP Essay Format
3 Questions: #1 DBQ #2&3 2 Free Response (1 each from 2 groups of 2 essays) Time Limit: 15-minute reading period 115-minute writing period

3. The most important thing to know about writing a DBQ essay is…

4. All fundamental AP writing principles you have learned regarding standard essays apply to DBQ essays.

5. Standard 8 Step Strategy for Writing a DBQ Essay

6. 8-Step Strategy:
Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully understand it.
2. Identify the task by circling the main words. (For example: assess the validity, compare and contrast, evaluate relative importance, analyze the significance, etc.)
3. Ask yourself “what do I have to prove?” (e.g. Foreign policy is more important than domestic policy).
4. Pay special attention to economic, political, social issues that need to be included.
5. Make a list (outline) of outside information (as if you were writing a standard essay).
6. Examine the documents, underlining any key words or phrases that you may use later in the essay. Reread the question again after reading the first three documents.
7. Construct a thesis that is well-developed and clear. If the thesis is a mystery to the writer, it will be a mystery to the reader!
8. Write your essay.

7. 1. Read the question three times
1. Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully understand it.

8. 2. Read the question three times
2. Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully understand it.

9. 3. Ask yourself “what do I have to prove. ” (e. g
3. Ask yourself “what do I have to prove?” (e.g. Foreign policy is more important than domestic policy)

10. 4. Pay special attention to economic, political, social issues that need to be included.

11. 5. Make a list (outline) of outside information (as if you were writing a standard essay).

12. 6. Examine the documents, underlining any key words or phrases that you may use later in the essay. Reread the question again after reading the first three documents.

13. 7. Construct a thesis that is well-developed and clear
7. Construct a thesis that is well-developed and clear. If the thesis is a mystery to the writer, it will be a mystery to the reader!

14. 8. Write your essay.

15. Other Important Tips

16. Start with outside information first & write it down; then read the documents; then construct a thesis.

17. Make your life easier by constructing a thesis that can reasonably include most/ all of the documents (even if you don’t really believe your thesis). It is better to be “practical” than “right.”

18. Use as many documents as you can as long as they fit your thesis

19. Don’t explain documents -- that is not your task
Don’t explain documents -- that is not your task.! AP readers have a list and a summary for each document. Use documents to reinforce your main points and outside information.

20. Don’t rewrite large portions of documents
Don’t rewrite large portions of documents. Try to limit quotations to 1 sentence or less.

21. Reference authors you are citing (e. g
Reference authors you are citing (e.g. …“In the letter by Abraham Lincoln”)

22. Cite every document used, e.g., (Doc. A), (Doc. F)

23. Examples from 2011 DBQ

24. 1. Analyze the international and domestic challenges the United States faced between 1968 and 1974, and evaluate how President Richard Nixon’s administration responded to them.

25. There are generally 3 types of documents:
Written text
Chart or Graph
Political Cartoon

26. Document A Source: Richard Nixon, Acceptance Speech at the Republican National Convention, August 8, When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in a war in Vietnam with no end in sight; when the richest nation in the world can’t manage its own economy; when the nation with the greatest tradition of the rule of law is plagued by unprecedented lawlessness; when a nation that has been known for a century for equality of opportunity is torn by unprecedented racial violence; and when the President of the United States cannot travel abroad or to any major city at home without fear of a hostile demonstration—then it’s time for new leadership for the United States of America.

29. Scoring Guidelines for DBQ

30. The 8–9 Essay
• Contains a clear, well-developed thesis that:
Analyzes the international and domestic challenges the United States faced between 1968 and 1974.
Evaluates the Nixon administration’s responses to those challenges.
• Presents an effective analysis of the:
International and domestic challenges the United States faced between 1968 and 1974.
Nixon administration’s responses to those challenges.
Treatment of international and domestic components may be somewhat uneven.
Treatment of some aspects of international and domestic components may be intermingled.
• Effectively uses a substantial number of documents.
• Develops the thesis with substantial and relevant outside information.
• May contain minor errors that do not detract from the overall quality of the essay.
• Is well organized and well written.

31. The 5–7 Essay
• Contains a thesis that:
Addresses the international and domestic challenges the United States faced between 1968 and 1974.
Provides limited evaluation of the Nixon administration’s responses to those challenges.
May be only partially developed.
• Provides some analysis of the:
International and domestic challenges the United States faced between 1968 and 1974.
Nixon administration’s responses to those challenges.
Treatment of international and domestic components may be somewhat uneven.
Treatment of some aspects of international and domestic components may be intermingled.
• Effectively uses some documents.
• Supports the thesis with some relevant outside information.
• May contain errors that do not seriously detract from the overall quality of the essay.
• Has acceptable organization and writing.

32. The 2–4 Essay
• Contains an unfocused or limited thesis, or simply paraphrases the question.
• Deals with the question in a general manner; simplistic, superficial treatment of the subject.
• Merely paraphrases, quotes, or briefly cites documents.
• Contains little outside information, or lists facts with little or no application to the question.
• May have major errors.
• May be poorly organized and/or written.

33. The 0–1 Essay
• Contains no thesis or a thesis that does not address the question.
• Exhibits inadequate or incorrect understanding of the question.
• Has little or no understanding of the documents, or ignores them completely.
• Has numerous errors.
• Is organized and/or written so poorly that it inhibits understanding.

34. The following are examples of the essay questions from previous AP Exams. These are the actual questions that were asked on the actual tests.

35. Monday, May 7th, 2012

36. 2011 Test
2. Analyze the origins and development of slavery in Britain’s North American colonies in the period 1607 to To what extent did political parties contribute to the development of national unity in the United States between 1790 and 1840 ?

37. 2011 Test
4. Compare and contrast the ways that many Americans expressed their opposition to immigrants in the 1840s–1850s with the ways that many Americans expressed their opposition to immigrants in the 1910s–1920s. 5. African American leaders have responded to racial discrimination in the United States in a variety of ways. Compare and contrast the goals and strategies of African American leaders in the 1890s –1920s with the goals and strategies of African American leaders in the 1950s –1960s.

38. 2011 Make-Up Test DBQ
1. Explain the ways that participation in political campaigns and elections in the United States changed between 1815 and 1840, and analyze forces and events that led to these changes.

42. 2011 Make-up Test
2. Compare and contrast the British, French, and Spanish imperial goals in North America between 1580 and Analyze the ways in which the political, economic, and diplomatic crises of the 1780s shaped the provisions of the United States Constitution.

43. 2011 Make-up Test
4. Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. 5. Compare and contrast the women’s rights movement of the 1840s–1860s with the women’s rights movement of the 1960s–1980s.

44. 2010 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 1660s?

46. 2010 AP Test
2. Analyze the political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary War. Confine your answer to the period 1775– 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.

47. 2010 AP Test
4. Analyze the roles that women played in Progressive Era reforms from the 1880s through Focus your essay on TWO of the following. Politics Social conditions Labor and working conditions 5. Explain the causes and consequences of TWO of the following population movements in the United States during the period 1945–1985. Suburbanization The growth of the Sun Belt Immigration to the United States

48. 2010 Make-up Test DBQ
1. 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.

52. 2010 Make-up Test
2. Evaluate the influence of religion on the development of colonial society in TWO of the following regions. The Spanish Southwest New England New France 3. Compare and contrast the experience of slaves on tobacco plantations in the early seventeenth-century Chesapeake region with that of slaves on nineteenth-century cotton plantations in the Deep South. What forces transformed the institution of slavery from the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century?

53. 2010 Make-up Test
4. Analyze the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers in addressing problems of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In your answer, focus on reform efforts in TWO of the following areas. State and federal government The workplace Living conditions in cities 5. Analyze the effects of the Vietnam War on TWO of the following in the United States in the period from 1961 to The presidency The population between 18 and 35 years old Cold War diplomacy

54. 2009 AP Exam DBQ
1. From 1775 to 1830, many African Americans gained freedom from slavery, yet during the same period the institution of slavery expanded. Explain why BOTH of those changes took place. Analyze the ways that BOTH free African Americans and enslaved African Americans responded to the challenges confronting them.

57. 2009 AP Exam
2. Analyze the ways in which British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776 intensified colonials’ resistance to British rule and their commitment to republican values. 3. Analyze the social, political, and economic forces of the 1840s and early 1850s that led to the emergence of the Republican Party.

58. 2009 AP Exam
4. 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 objectives? Confine your answer to the period from 1875 to Knights of Labor AFL Socialist Party of America IWW 5. Analyze the home-front experiences of TWO of the following groups during the Second World War. African Americans Japanese Americans Jewish Americans Mexican Americans

59. 2009 Make-up Exam DBQ
1. 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.

62. 2009 Make-up Exam
2. Analyze how the ideas and experiences of the revolutionary era influenced the principles embodied in the Articles of Confederation. 3. Analyze the political, economic, and religious tensions between immigrant Roman Catholics and native-born Protestants in the United States from the 1830s through the 1850s.

63. 2009 Make-up Exam
4. Explain the origins of TWO of the following third parties and evaluate their impact on United States politics and national policies. The People’s Party (Populists), 1892 The Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party), 1912 The States’ Rights Party (Dixiecrats), 1948 The American Independent Party, Analyze the ways in which the events and trends of the 1970s diminished the nation’seconomic power and international influence, and challenged Americans’ confidence in both.

64. 2008 AP Exam DBQ
Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the United States. Focus your answer on the period 1964 to 1975.

66. 2008 AP Exam
2. 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 1600s. New England Chesapeake Spanish Southwest New York and New France 3. Analyze the impact of the market revolution (1815–1860) on the economies of TWO of the following regions. The Northeast The Midwest The South

67. 2008 AP Exam
4. Following Reconstruction, many southern leaders promoted the idea of a “New South.” To what extent was this “New South” a reality by the time of the First World War? In your answer be sure to address TWO of the following. Economic development Politics Race relations 5. Presidential elections between 1928 and 1948 revealed major shifts in political party loyalties. Analyze both the reasons for these changes and their consequences during this period.

68. 2008 Make-up Exam DBQ
1. For the years 1880 to 1925, analyze both the tensions surrounding the issue of immigration and the United States government’s response to these tensions. Use the following documents and your knowledge of the period from 1880 to 1925 to construct your answer.

69. 2008 Make-up Exam
2. Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists’ opposition to ratifying the Constitution. 3. Use TWO of the following categories to analyze the ways in which African Americans created a distinctive culture in slavery. Family Music Oral traditions Religions

70. 2008 Make-up Exam
4. Analyze the extent to which the Spanish-American War was a turning point in American foreign policy. 5. Analyze the extent to which the 1920s and 1950s were similar in TWO of the following areas. Impact of technology Intolerant attitudes Literary developments