AP US History: DBQs 1973 Through 2007

For your benefit, I have tried to organize pa s t DBQ s chronologically by topic (date of que stion is in parenthe s e s ). There are 40 que stions here covering 34 years of the e x am you will note that s ome of the years have two e x ams lis ted. The s e que s tions can s erve a s us eful review tool s; thinking through their re s pons e s can be very helpful.

EARLY PERIOD TO 1800

1. Although New E ngland and the Che s apeake region were both s ettled largely by people of E nglis h origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two dis tinct s ocietie s . Why did this difference in development occur? Us e the documents AND your knowledge of the colonial period up to 1700 to develop your ans wer. (1993) 2. In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-63 ) alter the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonie s ? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1740-1766 in cons truct ing your re s pons e. (2004) 3. To what e x tent had the colonis ts developed a s ense of their own identity and unity a s Americans by the eve of the Revolution? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1750 to 1776 to ans wer the que s tion. (1999) 4. To what e x tent did the American Revolution fundamentally change American s ociety? In your ans wer, be s ure to addre ss the political, social, and economic effects of the Revolution in the period 1775 to 1800. (2005) 5. Wa s American s ociety, a s evidenced by Wethers field, Connecticut, becoming more democratic in the period from the 1750s to the 1780s ? Dis cuss with reference to property dis tribution, s ocial s tructure, politic s , and religion. (1976 old-style DBQ ans wered primarily from the documents given rather than from documentary and outs ide evidence) 6. How and why did the live s and s tatus of middle-cla s s women change between 1776 and 1876? (1981) 7. Dis cuss the changing ideals of American womanhood between the American Revolution (1770s ) and the outbreak of the Civil War. What factors fos tered the emergence of republican motherhood and the cult of dome s ticit y? Ass e ss the e x tent to which the se ideals influenced the live s of women during this pe riod. In your ans wer, be s ure to cons ider the iss ue s of race and cla ss . Us e the documents and your knowledge of the time period in cons tructing your re s pons e. (2006) 8. From 1781 to 1789, the Article s of Confederation pr ovided the United S tate s with an effective government. E valuate the validity of this s tatement. (1985) 9. The debate over the Alien and S edition Acts of 1798 revealed bitter controvers ie s on a number of iss ue s. Dis cuss the iss ue s involved and e x plain why the s e controvers ie s developed. (1977 an old-s tyle DBQ ans wered primar ily from the documents given rather than from documentary and outs ide evidence)

1800-1850
1. With re s pect to the federal Cons titution, the Jeffers onian Republicans are us ually characterized a s strict cons tructionis ts who were oppos ed to the broad cons tructionis m

of the Federalis ts . To what e x tent wa s this characterization of the two partie s accurate during the pre sidencie s of Jeffers on and Madis on? In writing your ans wer, us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1801-1817. (1998) 2. His torians have traditionally labeled the period after the War of 1812 the E ra of Good Feelings . E valuate the accuracy of this label, cons idering the emergence of nationalis m and s ectionali sm. Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1815-1825 to cons truct your ans wer. (2002, form B) 3. Jack s onian Democrats viewed thems elve s a s the guardians of the United S tate s Cons titution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. In light of the following documents and your knowledge of the 1820 s and 1830 s , to what e x tent do you agree with the Jack s onians view of themselve s ? (1990) 4. The decis ion of the Jack s on admini stration to remov e the Cherokee Indians to lands we s t of the Mi ss iss ippi River in the 1830 s wa s more a re formulation of the national policy that had been in effect s ince the 1790 s than a change in that policy. Ass e ss the validity of this generalization with reference to the moral, political, cons titutional, and practical concerns that s haped national Indian policy between 1789 and the mid-1830 s . (1980) 5. Reform movements in the United S tate s sought to e x pand democratic ideals . Ass e ss the validity of this s tatement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850. Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1825-1850 in constructing your re s pons e. (2002)

1850-1900
1. To what e x tent did natural environment s hape the development of the We s t beyond the Miss iss ippi and the live s of thos e who lived and s ettled there? How important were other factors ? Us e BOTH evidence from the documents AND your knowledge of the period from the 1840 s through the 1890 s to compos e your answer. (1992) 2. By the 1850 s, the Cons titution, originally framed a s an ins trument of national unity, had become a source of s ectional dis cord and tens ion and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created. Us ing BOTH the documents AND your knowledge of the period 1850-1861, a sse ss the validity of this s tatement. (1987) 3. In the early nineteenth century, Americans s ought to re s olve their political dis pute s through compromis e, yet by 1860 this no longer s eemed poss ible. Analyze the rea s ons for this change. Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1820-1860 in cons tructing your re s pons e. (2005 form B) 4. John Browns raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859, involved only a handful of abolitionis ts , freed no s lave s , and wa s over in two days . Although many Northerners condemned the raid, by 18 63 John Brown had become a hero and a martyr in the North. To what e x tent and in what ways do the views about John Brown e x pre ss ed in the documents illus trate changing North-S outh relations between 1859 and 1863? (1982) 5. To what e x tent wa s P re sident-elect Abraham Lincoln re s pons ible for the defeat of the Crittenden propos al on the territorial e x pansion of slavery? (1974. Old-s tyle DBQ) 6. In what ways and to what e x tent did cons titutional and social developments between 1860 and 1877 amount to a revolution? Us e BOTH the documents AND your knowledge of the period from 1860 to 1877 to ans wer the que s tion. (1996)

7. To what e x tent and for what rea s ons did the policies of the federal government from 1865 to 1900 violate the principle s of laissez-faire , which advocated minimal governmental intervention in the economy? Consider with s pecific reference to the following three area s of policy: railroad land grants , control of i nters tate commerce, and antitrus t activitie s . (1979. Old-s tyle DBQ) 8. Analyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period 1865-1900. In your ans wer be s ure to evaluate farmers re s pons e s to the s e change s . (200 7) 9. Documents A-H reveal some of the problems that many farmers in the late nineteenth century (1880-1900) saw a s threats to their way of life. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period, (a) e x plain the rea s ons for agrarian di scontent AND (b) evaluate the validity of the farmers complaints . (1983) 10. How s ucce ss ful wa s organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of succe ss achieved. Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period from 1875 to 1900 to cons truct your re s ponse. (2000) 11. Analyze the factors that influenced the S enate in ratifying the Treaty of P aris in 1899 and a ss e ss their relative significance. Y ou may refer to his torical facts and developments not mentioned in the documents and a ss e ss the reliability of the documents a s his torical s ource s where relevant to your ans wer. ( 1975. Old- s tyle DBQ)

1900-1950
1. To what e x tent wa s late nineteenth-centu ry and early twentieth-cent ury United S tate s e xpans ionis m a continuation of pa s t United S tate s e x pans ioni sm and to what e x tent wa s it a departure? Us e the documents and your knowledge of United S tate s his tory to 1914 to cons truct your ans wer. (1994) 2. To what e x tent did economic and political developme nts a s well a s a ss umptions about the nature of women affect the position of American women during the period 18901925? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the his tory of the years 1890-1925 to cons truct your re spons e. (1997) 3. Booker T. Wa s hington and W.E .B. DuBoi s offered different s trategie s for dealing with the problems of poverty and dis crimination faced by Bla ck Americans at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centurie s . Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1877-1915, a ss e ss the appropriatene ss of each of the s e s trategie s in the his torical conte x t in which each wa s developed. (1989) 4. It wa s the strength of the oppos ition force s , both liberal and cons ervative, rather than the ineptitude and s tubbornne ss of P re s ident Wils on tha t led to the s enate defeat of the Treaty of Vers aille s . Asse ss the validity of this s tatement. Us ing the documents and your knowledge of the period 1917-1921, a ss e ss the validity of this s tatement. (1991) 5. In the 20 th century, prohibition s pread by s tate s pa ss ing local option laws, which permitted a unit of local government, s uch a s a county, to prohibit the s ale or cons umption of alcoholic beverage s . After an intens ive campaign by the Anti-S aloon League and other prohibitioni st organizations and r eforms groups , national prohibition wa s achieved by the ratification of the E ighteenth Amendment to the federal Cons titution in 1919. What accounts for the s ucce ss of the prohi bition movement in the U.S . during

the era of progre ss ive reform, 1900-1919? Cons ider the social compos ition of the prohibitionis ts , their motive s , s trategy and pre ssure-group tactic s , and the relations hip of prohibitionis m to progre ss ive reform. (1978. Old-s tyle DBQ) 6. E valuate the effectivene ss of the P rogre ss ive E ra reformers and the federal government in bringing about reform at the national level. In your ans wer be s ure to analyze the s ucce ss e s and limitations of the s e efforts in the period 1900-1920. (2003, form B) 7. The 1920 s were a period of tens ion between new and changing attitude s on the one hand and traditional value s and nos talgia on the other. What led to the tens ion between old and new AND in what ways wa s the tens ion manife s ted? (1986) 8. How and for what rea s ons did United S tate s foreign policy change between 1920 and 1941? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1920-1941 to cons truct your re s ponse. (2004, form B) 9. Relying on a critical evaluation of the accompanying documents , analyze the factors that probably influenced Congre ss to pa ss the Immigration Act of 1924. (1973. Old-s tyle DBQ) 10. P re s ident Franklin D. Roos evelt is commonly thought of a s a liberal and P re s ident Herbert C. Hoover a s a cons ervative. To what e xtent are the s e characterization s valid? (1984) 11. Analyze the re s ponse s of Franklin D. Roos evelts admini stration to the problems of the Great Depre ss ion. How effective were the se re s pons e s ? How did they change the role of the federal government? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 19291941 to cons truct your e ss ay. (2003) 12. The United S tate s s decis ion to drop an atomic bomb on Hiros hima wa s a diplomatic mea s ure calculated to intimidate the S oviet Union in the pos t-S econd-Worl d-War era rather than a s trictly military mea s ure de s igned to force Japans unconditional s urrender. E valuate this statement us ing the docume nts and your knowledge of the military and diplomatic his tory of the years 1939 through 1947. (1988) 13. Analyze developments from 1941 to 1949 that increa s ed s us picion and tens ion between the United S tate s and the S oviet Union. Us e the documents and your knowledge of the period 1941-1949 to cons truct your re s pons e. (2006, Form B)

1950-2000
1. What were the Cold War fears of the American people in the aftermath of the S econd World War? How s ucce ss fully did the adminis tration of P re s ident Dwight D. E is enhower addre ss the se fears ? Us e the documents and your knowledge of the years 1948-1961 to cons truct your re spons e. (2001) 2. Analyze the change s that occurred during the 1960s in the goals , s trategie s , and s upport of the movement for African American rights . Us e the documents and your knowledge of the his tory of the 1960 s to cons truct your re s pons e. (1995)