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5 Steps to a 5: AP U.S.

History 2024
Daniel P. Murphy
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CONTENTS

Preface
Introduction: 5-Step Program

STEP 1 Set Up Your Study Program


1 What You Need to Know About the AP U.S.
History Exam
Advanced Placement Program
AP U.S. History Exam
Taking the AP U.S. History Exam
2 Preparing for the AP U.S. History Exam
Getting Started
Three Plans for Test Preparation

STEP 2 Determine Your Test Readiness


3 Take a Diagnostic Exam
How to Use the Diagnostic Exam
When to Use the Diagnostic Exam
Conclusion (After the Exam)
AP U.S. History Diagnostic Exam
Answers to the Diagnostic Exam

STEP 3 Develop Strategies for Success


4 Mastering Skills and Understanding Themes for
the Exam
The AP U.S. History Exam
Reasoning Skills, Historical Analytical Skills, Historical
Themes, and Exam Questions
5 Strategies for Approaching Each Question Type
Multiple-Choice Questions
Short-Answer Questions
Document-Based Question (DBQ)
Long Essay Question
Using Primary Source Documents

STEP 4 Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High


6 Settling of the Western Hemisphere (1491–
1607)
Native America
The Europeans Arrive
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
7 Colonial America (1607–1650)
New France
English Interest in America
Effects of European Settlement
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
8 British Empire in America: Growth and Conflict
(1650–1750)
Part of an Empire
Interactions Between Native Americans and Europeans
Growth of Slavery
Political Unrest in the Colonies
Salem Witch Trials
Imperial Wars
American Self-Government
Salutary Neglect
First Great American Religious Revival
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
9 Resistance, Rebellion, and Revolution (1750–
1775)
War in the West
Defeat of New France
The British Need Money
Stamp Act Crisis
Townshend Acts
Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
Intolerable Acts
First Continental Congress
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
10 American Revolution and the New Nation (1775–
1787)
Lexington and Concord
Second Continental Congress
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Declaration of Independence
Reactions to Independence
Balance of Forces
The War in the North
The Saratoga Campaign
The War in the South
The Treaty of Paris
New State Constitutions and the Articles of
Confederation
Financial Problems
Northwest Ordinances
Shays’ Rebellion
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
11 Establishment of New Political Systems (1787–
1800)
The Constitutional Convention
The Ratification Battle
The Bill of Rights
The Birth of the Party System
Hamilton’s Economic Program
Effects of the French Revolution
Washington’s Foreign Policy
The Presidency of John Adams
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
12 Jeffersonian Revolution (1800–1820)
Election of 1800
An Assertive Supreme Court
A New Frontier
The Louisiana Purchase
Burr’s Conspiracy
Renewal of War in Europe
The War of 1812
The End of the War
A Federalist Debacle and the Era of Good Feelings
Henry Clay and the American System
Missouri Compromise
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
13 Rise of Manufacturing and the Age of Jackson
(1820–1845)
The Rise of Manufacturing
The Monroe Doctrine
Native American Removal
The Transportation Revolution and Religious Revival
An Age of Reform
Jacksonian Democracy
The Nullification Controversy
The Bank War
The Whig Party and the Second Party System
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
14 Union Expanded and Challenged (1835–1860)
The Society of the South
Manifest Destiny
The Alamo and Texas Independence
Expansion and the Election of 1844
The Mexican War
Political Consequences of the Mexican War
The Political Crisis of 1850
Aftermath of the Compromise of 1850
Franklin Pierce in the White House
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
“Bleeding Kansas”
The Dred Scott Decision
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
John Brown and Harpers Ferry
The Election of 1860
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
15 Union Divided: The Civil War (1861–1865)
North and South on the Brink of War
Searching for Compromise
Gunfire at Fort Sumter
Opening Strategies
The Loss of Illusions
Union Victories in the West
The Home Fronts
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Turn of the Tide
War Weariness
The End of the War
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
16 Era of Reconstruction (1865–1877)
Lincoln and Reconstruction
Andrew Johnson and Reconstruction
Efforts to Help the Freedmen
Radical Reconstruction
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Final Phase of Radical Reconstruction
The End of Reconstruction
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
17 Western Expansion and Its Impact on the
American Character (1860–1895)
Government Encouragement of Western Settlement
Challenges for Western Farmers
Agricultural Innovation
Women and Minorities on the Agricultural Frontier
The Mining and Lumbering Frontier
The Ranching Frontier
The End of Native American Independence
Agrarian Anger and Populism
The Gold Standard
The Grange and Farmers’ Alliances
The Populist Revolt
Populism and the Election of 1896
The Idea of the West
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
18 America Transformed into the Industrial Giant of
the World (1870–1910)
An Industrial Revolution
Changes in American Industry
A Changing Workplace
Big Business
The Emergence of Labor Unions
Uneven Affluence
The New Immigration
The Rise of the Modern American City
Gilded Age Politics
Social Criticism in the Gilded Age
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
19 Rise of American Imperialism (1890–1913)
Postwar Diplomacy
Acquiring Hawaii
The New Imperialism
The Spanish-American War
Combat in the Philippines and Cuba
The Cuban Conundrum
The Debate over Empire
The Panama Canal
The Roosevelt Corollary
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
20 Progressive Era (1895–1914)
Roots of Progressivism
Progressive Objectives
Urban Progressivism
State-Level Progressivism
Progressivism and Women
Workplace Reform
Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal
Taft and Progressivism
The Election of 1912
Wilson and Progressivism
Assessing Progressivism
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
21 United States and World War I (1914–1921)
War and American Neutrality
Growing Ties to the Allies
The Breakdown of German-American Relations
America in the War
The American Expeditionary Force in France
The Home Front
Regulating Thought
Social Change
Wilson and the Peace
Woodrow Wilson’s Defeat
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
22 Beginning of Modern America: The 1920s
The Prosperous Twenties
The Republican “New Era”
Warren G. Harding as President
President Calvin Coolidge
The Election of 1928
The City Versus the Country in the 1920s
Popular Culture in the 1920s
Jazz Age Experimentation and Rebellion
The Growth of the Mass Media
A Lost Generation?
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
23 Great Depression and the New Deal (1929–1939)
Harbingers of Crisis: Economic Weaknesses of the 1920s
Black Tuesday and the End of the Bull Market
The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression
The Great Depression and American Society
President Hoover and the Depression
The Election of 1932
The Hundred Days
The Second New Deal
The Election of 1936
Critics of the New Deal
Twilight of the New Deal
Impact of the New Deal
American Culture During the New Deal
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
24 World War II (1933–1945)
American Isolationism in the 1930s
The United States, the Middle East, and Anti-Semitism
The Election of 1940 and the End of Isolationism
The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
The War Against Germany
The Middle East in World War II
The War Against Japan
The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
The Home Front
Civil Rights During the War
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
25 Origins of the Cold War (1945–1960)
The Beginnings of the Cold War
Europe and the Cold War
Communist Victories
The Middle East and the Cold War
The Cold War at Home
The Korean War
Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism
President Eisenhower and the Cold War
Tensions with the Soviet Union
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
26 Prosperity and Anxiety: The 1950s
The Return of Prosperity
Politics in the Postwar Era
The Rise of the Civil Rights Movement
Life in Suburbia
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
27 America in an Era of Turmoil (1960–1975)
The 1960 Election
The Liberal Hour of the 1960s
The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s: From
Integration to Black Power
The Expansion of Rights Movements
Cold War Crisis
The Vietnam War
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
28 Decline and Rebirth (1968–1988)
The Presidency of Richard Nixon
The Ford Administration
The Carter Administration
The Election of 1980
The Reagan Administration
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
29 Prosperity and a New World Order (1988–2000)
The Election of 1988
The Presidency of George H. W. Bush
The Election of 1992
The Presidency of Bill Clinton
The Election of 2000
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
30 Threat of Terrorism, Increase of Presidential
Power, and Economic Crisis (2001–2016)
The Presidency of George W. Bush
The Obama Presidency
President Obama’s Second Term
The Election of 2016
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
31 Tumultuous Years: The Trump and Biden
Presidencies (2017–2022)
Domestic Affairs
Foreign Policy
Biden: Domestic Affairs
Biden: Foreign Policy
Chapter Review
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations

STEP 5 Build Your Test-Taking Confidence


AP U.S. History Practice Exam 1
Answers to Practice Exam 1
AP U.S. History Practice Exam 2
Answers to Practice Exam 2

Glossary
Bibliography
Websites
PREFACE

So, you have decided to take AP U.S. History. Prepare to be


continually challenged in this course: this is the only way you will
attain the grade that you want on the AP exam in May. Prepare to
read, to read a lot, and to read critically; almost all students
successful in AP U.S. History say this is a necessity. Prepare to
analyze countless primary source documents; being able to do this is
critical for success in the exam as well. Most important, prepare to
immerse yourself in the great story that is U.S. history. As your
teacher will undoubtedly point out, it would be impossible to make
up some of the people and events you will study in this class. What
really happened is much more interesting!
This study guide will assist you along the journey of AP U.S.
History. The chapter review guides give you succinct overviews of
the major events of U.S. history. At the end of each chapter is a list
of the major concepts, a time line, and multiple-choice and short-
answer review questions for that chapter. In addition, a very
extensive glossary is included at the back of this manual. All of the
boldface words throughout the book can be found in the glossary
(it would also be a good study technique to review the entire
glossary before taking the actual AP exam).
The first five chapters of the manual describe the AP test itself
and suggest some test-taking strategies. There are also two entire
sample tests, with answers. These allow you to become totally
familiar with the format and nature of the questions that will appear
on the exam. On the actual testing day you want absolutely no
surprises!
In the second chapter, you will also find time lines for three
approaches to preparing for the exam. It is obviously suggested that
your preparation for the examination be a year-long process; for
those students unable to do that, two alternative calendars also
appear. Many students also find that study groups are very beneficial
in studying for the AP test. Students who have been successful on
the AP test oftentimes form these groups very early in the school
year.
It should also be noted that the AP U.S. History exam that you
will be taking may be different from the one that your older brother
or sister took in the past. The format of the exam changed in 2015.
Further revisions were made to the 2018 exam. We will outline the
test in detail in the first several chapters. Please do not use old study
guides or review sheets that were used to prepare for prior tests;
these do not work anymore!
We hope this manual helps you in achieving the “perfect 5.” That
score is sitting out there, waiting for you to reach for it.
INTRODUCTION: 5-STEP
PROGRAM

The Basics
This guide provides you with the specific format of the AP U.S.
History exam, three sample AP U.S. History tests, and a
comprehensive review of major events and themes in U.S. history.
After each review chapter, you will find a list of the major concepts,
a time line, and several review multiple-choice and short-answer
questions.
Reading this guide is a great start to getting the grade you want
on the AP U.S. History test, but it is important to read on your own
as well. Several groups of students who have all gotten a 5 on the
test maintain that the key to success is to read as much as you
possibly can on U.S. history.
Reading this guide will not guarantee you a 5 when you take the
U.S. History exam in May. However, by carefully reviewing the format
of the exam and the test-taking strategies provided for each section,
you will definitely be on your way! The review section that outlines
the major developments of U.S. history should augment what you
have learned from your regular U.S. history textbook. This book
won’t “give” you a 5, but it can certainly point you firmly in that
direction.

Organization of the Book


This guide conducts you through the five steps necessary to prepare
yourself for success on the exam. These steps will provide you with
many skills and strategies vital to the exam and the practice that will
lead you toward the perfect 5.
In this introductory chapter we will explain the basic five-step
plan, which is the focus of this entire book. The material in Chapter
1 will give you information you need to know about the AP U.S.
History exam. In Chapter 2 three different approaches will be
presented to prepare for the actual exam; study them all and then
pick the one that works best for you. Chapter 3 contains a practice
AP U.S. History exam; this is an opportunity to experience what the
test is like and to have a better idea of your strengths and
weaknesses as you prepare for the actual exam. Chapter 4 describes
historical skills and themes emphasized in the exam. Chapter 5
contains a number of tips and suggestions about the different types
of questions that appear on the actual exam. We will discuss ways to
approach the multiple-choice questions, the short-answer questions,
the document-based question (DBQ), and the long essay question.
Almost all students note that knowing how to approach each type of
question is crucial.
For some of you, the most important part of this manual will be
found in Chapters 6 through 30, which contain a review of U.S.
history from the European exploration of the Americas to the
presidency of Joe Biden. Undoubtedly, you have studied much of the
material included in these chapters. However, these review chapters
can help highlight certain important material that you may have
missed or forgotten from your AP History class. At the end of each
chapter, you will also find a list of the major concepts, time line of
important events discussed in the chapter, and multiple-choice and
short-answer review questions.
After these review chapters you will find two complete practice
exams, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions,
and essays. Correct answers and explanations for these answers are
also included. Take one of the exams and evaluate your success;
review any material that you had trouble with. Then take the second
exam and use the results to guide your additional study. At the back
of the manual is a glossary that defines all of the boldface words
found in the review chapters. Use this to find the meaning of a
specific term you might be unfamiliar with; some students find
reviewing the entire glossary a useful method of reviewing for the
actual exam.

Five-Step Program

Step 1: Set Up Your Study Program


In Step 1, you will read a brief overview of the AP U.S. History
exam, including an outline of the topics that might be covered on
the test itself. You will also follow a process to help determine which
of the following preparation programs is right for you:
• Full school year: September through May
• One semester: January through May
• Six weeks: Basic Training for the Exam

Step 2: Determine Your Test Readiness


Step 2 provides you with a diagnostic exam to assess your current
level of understanding. This exam will let you know about your
current level of preparedness and on which areas and periods you
should focus your study.
• Take the diagnostic exam slowly and analyze each question. Do
not worry about how many questions you get right. Hopefully the
exam will boost your confidence.
• Review the answers and explanations following the exam, so that
you see what you do and do not yet fully know and understand.

Step 3: Develop Strategies for Success


Step 3 provides strategies and techniques that will help you do your
best on the exam. These strategies cover the multiple-choice, the
short-answer, and the two different essay parts of the test. These
tips come from discussions with both AP U.S. History students and
teachers. In this section you will:
• Learn the skills and themes emphasized in the exam.
• Learn how to read and analyze multiple-choice questions.
• Learn how to answer multiple-choice questions, including
whether or not to guess.
• Learn how to respond to short-answer questions.
• Learn how to plan and write both types of essay questions.

Step 4: Review the Knowledge You Need to


Score High
Step 4 makes up the majority of this book. In this step you will
review the important names, dates, and themes of American history.
Obviously, not all of the material included in this book will be on the
AP exam. However, this book is a good overview of the content
studied in a “typical” AP U.S. History course. Some of you are
presently taking AP courses that cover more material than is
included in this book; some of you are in courses that cover less.
Nevertheless, thoroughly reviewing the material in the content
section of this book will significantly increase your chance of scoring
well.

Step 5: Build Your Test-Taking Confidence


In Step 5, you will complete your preparation by taking two
complete practice exams and examining your results on them. It
should be noted that the practice exams included in this book do not
include questions taken from actual exams; however, these practice
exams do include questions that are very similar to the “real thing.”

Graphics Used in This Book


To emphasize particular skills and strategies, we use several icons
throughout this book. An icon in the margin will alert you that you
should pay particular attention to the accompanying text. We use
three icons:

The first icon points out a very important concept or fact that you
should not pass over.

The second icon calls your attention to a problem-solving


strategy that you may want to try.

The third icon indicates a tip that you might find useful.

Boldface words indicate terms that are included in the glossary


at the end of the book. Boldface is also used to indicate the answer
to a sample problem discussed in the test. Throughout the book, you
will find marginal notes, boxes, and starred areas. Pay close
attention to these areas because they can provide tips, hints,
strategies, and further explanations to help you reach your full
potential.
STEP 1

Set Up Your Study Program

CHAPTER 1 What You Need to Know About the AP U.S.


History Exam
CHAPTER 2 Preparing for the AP U.S. History Exam
CHAPTER 1

What You Need to Know About the


AP U.S. History Exam

IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Learn about the test, what’s on it, how it’s scored, and
what benefits you can get from taking it.

Key Ideas
Most colleges will award credit for a score of 4 or 5. Even if you
don’t do well enough on the exam to receive college credit,
college admissions officials like to see students who have
challenged themselves and experienced the college-level
coursework of AP courses.
Since 2015, the exam has had a new format. The new exam de-
emphasizes the simple memorization of historical facts. Instead,
you have to demonstrate an ability to use historical analytical
skills and think thematically across time periods in American
history.
In addition to multiple-choice and short-answer questions, the test
contains a DBQ (document-based question) and one long essay
question.

Advanced Placement Program


The Advanced Placement (AP) program was begun by the College
Board in 1955 to administer standard achievement exams that would
allow highly motivated high school students the opportunity to earn
college credit for AP courses taken in high school. Today there are
38 different AP courses and exams, with well over 5 million exams
administered each May.
There are numerous AP courses in the social studies besides U.S.
History, including European History, World History, U.S. Government
and Politics, Comparative Government, Psychology, and Micro and
Macro Economics. The majority of students who take AP courses and
exams are juniors and seniors; however, some schools offer AP
courses to freshmen and sophomores (AP U.S. History is usually not
one of those courses). It is not absolutely necessary to be enrolled
in an AP class to take the exam in a specific subject; there are rare
cases of students who study on their own for a particular AP
examination and do well.

Who Writes the AP Exams? Who Scores Them?


AP exams, including the U.S. History exam, are written by
experienced college and secondary school teachers. All questions on
the AP exams are field tested before they actually appear on an AP
exam. The group that writes the history exam is called the AP U.S.
History Development Committee. This group constantly reevaluates
the test, analyzing the exam as a whole and on an item-by-item
basis.
As noted in the preface, the AP U.S. History exam has undergone
a substantial transformation that took effect beginning with the 2015
test. New revisions were made to the 2018 exam. The College Board
has conducted a number of institutes and workshops to ensure that
teachers across the United States are well qualified to assist
students in preparing for this new exam.
The multiple-choice section of each AP exam is graded by
computer, but the free-response questions are scored by humans. A
number of college and secondary school teachers of U.S. History get
together at a central location or online in early June to score the
free-response questions of the AP U.S. History exam administered
the previous month. The scoring of each reader during this
procedure is carefully analyzed to ensure that exams are being
evaluated in a fair and consistent manner.

AP Scores
Once you have taken the exam and it has been scored, your raw
scores will be transformed into an AP grade on a 1-to-5 scale. A
grade report will be sent to you by the College Board in July. When
you take the test, you should indicate the college or colleges that
you want your AP scores sent to. The report that the colleges
receive contains the score for every AP exam you took this year and
the grades that you received on AP exams in prior years. In addition,
your scores will be sent to your high school. (Note that it is possible,
for a fee, to withhold the scores of any AP exam you have taken
from going out to colleges. See the College Board website for more
information.)
As noted above, you will be scored on a 1-to-5 scale:
• 5 indicates that you are extremely well qualified. This is the
highest possible grade.
• 4 indicates that you are well qualified.
• 3 indicates that you are qualified.
• 2 indicates that you are possibly qualified.
• 1 indicates that you are not qualified to receive college credit.

Benefits of the AP Exam


If you receive a score of a 4 or a 5, you can most likely get actual
college credit for the subject that you took the course in; a few
colleges will do the same for students receiving a 3. Colleges and
universities have different rules on AP scores and credit, so check
with the college or colleges that you are considering to determine
what credit they will give you for a good score on the AP History
exam. Some colleges might exempt you from a freshman-level
course based on your score even if they don’t grant credit for the
score you received.
The benefits of being awarded college credits before you start
college are significant: You can save time in college (by skipping
courses) and money (by avoiding paying college tuition for courses
you skip). Almost every college encourages students to challenge
themselves; if it is possible for you to take an AP course, do it! Even
if you do not do well on the actual test—or you decide not to take
the AP test—the experience of being in an AP class all year can
impress college admissions committees and help you prepare for the
more academically challenging work of college.

AP U.S. History Exam

Achieving a good score on the AP U.S. History exam will require you
to do more than just memorize important dates, people, and events
from America’s history. To get a 4 or a 5 you have to demonstrate an
ability to master primary and secondary sources, construct an
argument, and utilize specific historical analytical skills when
studying history. In addition, you will be asked to demonstrate your
ability to think thematically and evaluate specific historical themes
across time periods in American history. Every question on the AP
U.S. History exam is rooted in these analytical skills and historical
themes. You’ll find more information about these analytical skills and
historical themes in Chapter 4.
As far as specific content, there is material that you need to
know from nine predetermined historical time periods of U.S. history.
For each of these time periods, key concepts have been identified.
You will be introduced to a concept outline for each of the historical
periods in your AP course. You can also find this outline at the
College Board’s AP U.S. History website. These concepts are
connected to the historical themes and analyzed using historical
analytical skills.
To do well on this exam you have to exhibit the ability to do
much of the work that “real” historians do. You must know major
concepts from every historical time period. You must demonstrate an
ability to think thematically when analyzing history, and you must
utilize historical thinking skills when doing all of this. The simple
memorization of historical facts is given less emphasis in the new
exam. This does not mean that you can ignore historical detail.
Knowledge of historical information will be crucial in explaining
themes in American history. Essentially this exam is changing the
focus of what is expected of AP U.S. History students. It is asking
you to take a smaller number of historical concepts and to analyze
these concepts very carefully. The ability to do this does not
necessarily come easily; one of the major functions of this book is to
help you “think like a historian.”

Periods of U.S. History


As noted earlier, U.S. history has been divided into specific time
periods for the purposes of the AP course. The creators of the AP
U.S. History exam have established the following nine historical
periods and have also determined approximately how much of the
year should be spent on each historical era:
• Period 1: 1491 to 1607. Approximately 4 to 6 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 2: 1607 to 1754. Approximately 6 to 8 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 3: 1754 to 1800. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 4: 1800 to 1848. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 5: 1844 to 1877. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 6: 1865 to 1898. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 7: 1890 to 1945. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 8: 1945 to 1980. Approximately 10 to 17 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
• Period 9: 1980 to present. Approximately 4 to 6 percent of
instructional time should be spent on this period.
On the actual AP test that you will take:
• 4 to 6 percent of the exam will relate to issues concerning Period
1.
• 36 to 59 percent of the exam will relate to issues concerning
Periods 2, 3, 4, and 5.
• 30 to 51 percent of the exam will relate to issues concerning
Periods 6, 7, and 8.
• 4 to 6 percent of the exam will relate to issues concerning Period
9.
Many students are worried when their AP class doesn’t get to the
present day. As you can see, only 5 percent of the test is on material
after 1980; therefore, not making it all the way to the 2020 victory
of Joe Biden will not have a major impact on your score.

Structure of the AP U.S. History Exam


The AP U.S. History exam consists of two sections, each of which
contains two parts. You’ll be given 95 minutes to complete Section I,
which includes multiple-choice questions (Part A) and short-answer
questions (Part B). You’ll have 100 minutes to complete Section II,
which includes the document-based question (Part A) and the long
essay question (Part B). Here is the breakdown:

Section I
• Part A: 55 multiple-choice questions—55 minutes recommended
—40% of the exam score.
• Part B: Three short-answer questions—40 minutes recommended
—20% of the exam score. Questions 1 and 2 are required; you
can choose between 3 and 4. These questions will address one or
more of the themes that have been developed throughout the
course and will ask you to use historical thinking when you write
about these themes.

Section II
• Part A: One document-based question (DBQ)—60 minutes
(including a 15-minute reading period) recommended—25% of
the exam score. In this section, you will be asked to analyze and
use a number of primary-source documents as you construct a
historical argument.
• Part B: One long essay question—40 minutes recommended—
15% of the exam score. You will be given a choice between three
options, addressing periods 1–3, 4–6, or 7–9. It will be critical to
use historical analytical skills when writing your response.
This presents an overview. There will be more information about
the different components of the exam later in this book.
Taking the AP U.S. History Exam
Registration and Fees
If you are enrolled in AP U.S. History, your teacher or guidance
counselor is going to provide all of these details. However, you do
not have to enroll in the AP course to take the AP exam. When in
doubt, the best source of information is the College Board’s website:
www.collegeboard.com.
There are also several other fees required if you want your scores
rushed to you or if you wish to receive multiple score reports.
Students who demonstrate financial need may receive a refund to
help offset the cost of testing.

Night Before the Exam

Last-minute cramming of massive amounts of material will not help


you. It takes time for your brain to organize material. There is some
value to a last-minute review of material. This may involve looking at
the fast-review portions of the chapters or looking through the
glossary. The night before the test should include a light review and
various relaxing activities. A full night’s sleep is one of the best
preparations for the test.

What to Bring to the Exam

Here are some suggestions:


• Several pencils and an eraser that does not leave smudges.
• Several black ballpoint pens (for the essays).
• A watch so that you can monitor your time. The exam room may
or may not have a clock on the wall. Make sure you turn off the
beep that goes off on the hour.
• Your school code.
• Your driver’s license, Social Security number, or some other ID, in
case there is a problem with your registration.
• Tissues.
• Something to drink—water is best.
• A quiet snack.
• Your quiet confidence that you are prepared.

What Not to Bring to the Exam

It’s a good idea to leave the following items at home or in the car:
• Your cell phone and/or other electronic devices.
• Books, a dictionary, study notes, flash cards, highlighting pens,
correction fluid, a ruler, or any other office supplies.
• Portable music of any kind (although you will probably want to
listen as soon as you leave the testing site!).
• Panic or fear. It’s natural to be nervous, but you can comfort
yourself that you have used this book and that there is no need
for fear on your exam.

Day of the Test


Once the test day has arrived, there is nothing further you can do.
Do not worry about what you could have done differently. It is out of
your hands, and your only job is to answer as many questions
correctly as you possibly can. The calmer you are, the better your
chances are of doing well.
Follow these simple commonsense tips:
• Allow plenty of time to get to the test site.
• Wear comfortable clothing.
• Eat a light breakfast and/or lunch.
• Think positive. Remind yourself that you are well prepared and
that the test is an enjoyable challenge and a chance to share your
knowledge.
• Be proud of yourself !
CHAPTER 2

Preparing for the AP U.S. History


Exam

IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: The right preparation plan for you depends on your
study habits and the amount of time you have before the test. This
chapter provides some examples of plans you can use or adapt to
your needs.

Key Ideas
Choose the study plan that is right for you.
Begin to prepare for the AP exam at the beginning of the school
year. Developing historical analytical skills, evaluating themes in
U.S. history, and studying important concepts take far more time
and effort than simply memorizing facts. The sooner you begin
preparing for the test, the better.

Getting Started
You have made the decision to take AP U.S. History. Enjoy! You will
be exposed to all of the fascinating stories that make up U.S. history.
To be successful in this course, you will have to work much harder
than you would in a “regular” high school U.S. history course. You
will be required to read more, including reading and analyzing a
wide variety of primary source documents throughout the year. In
addition, you will be required to utilize historical thinking, to analyze
history in a thematic way, and to be knowledgeable of specific
concepts that help guide the study of American history. It cannot be
stressed enough that the examination for this course that you will
take in May is not a test that will simply measure what you “know”
about U.S. history; instead, it is an examination that tests your
ability to analyze major events, concepts, and themes in American
history utilizing specific historical analytical skills.
Being able to utilize historical analytical skills, study history
thematically, and develop conceptual thinking are not skills that
develop overnight. In fact, it is difficult to develop these skills in the
context of one specific course. If you are reading this before you are
actually enrolled in an AP U.S. History course, you may want to take
the most challenging history courses you can before you take AP
U.S. History. Try to think conceptually in any history course that you
take; it involves integrating historical facts into larger interpretive
themes.

Creating a Study Plan


As has already been noted several times, preparing for this exam
involves much more than just memorizing important dates, names,
and events that are important in U.S. history. Developing historical
analytical skills, evaluating themes in U.S. history, and studying
important concepts take far more time and effort than simply
memorizing facts. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that you take a
year-long approach to studying and preparing for the test.
However, for some students this is not possible. Therefore, some
suggestions for students who have only one semester to prepare for
the exam and students who have only six weeks to prepare for the
exam are included. In the end, it is better to do some systematic
preparation for the exam than to do none at all.

Study Groups
Many students who have gotten a 5 on the U.S. History exam
reported that working in a study group was an important part of the
successful preparation that they did for the test. In an ideal setting,
three to five students get together, probably once a week, to review
material that was covered in class the preceding week and to
practice historical, thematic, and conceptual thinking. If at all
possible, do this! A good suggestion is to have study groups set a
specific time to meet every week and stick to that time. Without a
regular meeting time, study groups usually meet fewer times during
the year, often cancel meetings, and so on.

THREE PLANS FOR TEST PREPARATION

Plan A: Yearlong Preparation for the AP U.S.


History Exam
This is the plan we highly recommend. Besides doing all of the
readings and assignments assigned by your teacher, also do the
following activities. (Check off the activities as you complete them.)
Plan B: One-Semester Preparation for the AP
U.S. History Exam

Besides doing all of the readings and assignments assigned by your


teacher, you should do the following activities. (Check off the
activities as you complete them.)
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
“That must have been a pretty sight, though, father! I should like to
see a great many turtle-doves together.”
“You would not, if you were a Peruvian farmer, for these poetical
birds are the very mischief in the grain-fields. They only troubled us
by their melancholy wail. Their sad notes made this dreary solitude
still more awful.
“But I had a consolation. Before me rose grandly up the high
peaks of the Andes. Their white tops seemed to touch the sky.
“After a time, to my surprise, we began to descend. In a few hours
more we were in a lovely valley, filled with villages, and farms, and
trees, and flowers. I staid there two days enjoying the valley, and
inspecting its curiosities, which I will tell you about some time.”
“Was it warm in the valley?”
“Yes, but not oppressively hot. It was high up on the hills; and then
it was the month of August, and the winter season.”
“Winter season in August?”
“Of course. I was south of the equator, where the seasons, you
know, are just the reverse of ours. We commenced the ascent of the
mountains in high spirits. The wind was cool and bracing; and the
vegetation all around us was of great interest to me. But it began to
change rapidly; and, before night, we were among huge stones, and
jagged rocks, where only evergreens were seen.”
“How could you find the way?”
“There was a rough kind of road over the mountains. In many
places I should never have been able to find it at all, but the guide
knew all the landmarks.
“The first night we spent in an Indian cabin; and the next morning
continued our journey, but we were not so gay as on the preceding
day. It was bitter cold, and we needed all the wraps we had with us. I
do not know how our two companions managed to wander away
from the road, as they afterwards insisted that they did. I think the
cold was too much for their courage, and they grew tired of their
bargain, and made up their minds to fall back of us, and watch a
chance to turn around and go home. The guide and I soon missed
them, and we rode about in various directions, calling them, and
searching for them. But it was easy enough for them to conceal
themselves behind a rock, or in a ravine, and we could not find them.
We gave them up at last, hoping they would find their way back
again.
“But we soon discovered that, in looking for them, we had lost our
way. For hours we wandered about, and my guide could not find a
trace of the road. This was serious, for we had but a small stock of
provisions, as there were Indian huts scattered all along the regular
route, on which we had relied for supplies. We could not travel over
this rough country at night; and a night’s exposure to the cold was
not to be thought of without a shudder. And besides, we might never
find our way out of this frightful solitude.”
“Was there nothing anywhere about to show that any kind of
people lived there?”
“No. It seemed to me we were the first human beings who had
ever set foot there. In the midst of our perplexities my guide pointed
silently to the sky. There were several small, thick, white clouds
floating there. They did not look very terrible, but the guide said we
would soon have a storm, and we must try to find shelter. Soon more
white clouds floated into sight, and they increased until they hid the
sun from us. We were now on smoother ground, and pressed
forward as fast as we could, but there was no place of shelter to be
seen, not even an overhanging rock.
“Soon the wind came with a rush; and then the thunder and
lightning. Our mules broke into a gallop. We enveloped ourselves in
the folds of our great woolen wrappers, called tapacaras, lifting our
heads once in a while to see where we were going. Next we were
treated to a shower of hail-stones. Fortunately they were not very
large, but we were rather severely thumped with them. The poor
mules fared the worst.
“And then came the snow. The arctic regions could not furnish a
better example of a snow-storm than this tropical place! It fell so
thick and fast we could not see twenty steps in advance. My heart
failed me then. I thought we were lost, and would be buried in snow
drifts.
“But just then a dark object loomed up before us. ‘An Indian lodge!’
I cried in joy.
“The guide said nothing, but rode on before me, and called to me
to dismount. I was glad enough to do this, and he pointed to the
open doorway of the building. It was so low I had to crawl through it,
but I was thankful to get in, in any fashion.”
“I wonder, father, that you were not afraid of finding something
dreadful in there!”
“I did not stop to think about the matter. And then I knew there was
something dreadful outside. So, in I went, and found the place
entirely empty. The guide followed me as soon as he had covered
the mules, and made them as comfortable as he could.”
“It was a deserted house, I suppose.”
“No, it was a tomb.”
“A tomb! Out in that lonely place!”
“Yes, but then the place had not always been lonely. I found out
afterwards that that region was once inhabited by a tribe of Indians.
They all perished before their country was discovered by Europeans,
but some of their dwellings, and many of their tombs remained.
These tombs were large stone buildings, with one room, lighted by a
single window. This room was capable of holding ten or twelve dead
bodies, placed in a sitting posture. These bodies were first
embalmed—made into what we call mummies. When the tomb was
full the door was sealed up. The Europeans opened these
sepulchres that had been sealed up for centuries; and carried the
mummies away to put into museums.
A REFUGE FROM THE STORM.
“The tomb in which we had taken refuge had been despoiled of its
mummies long before. The room inside was about ten feet square. It
was built of very large stones, and had sloping walls. It was a
cheerless place enough, but seemed sumptuous to us, after what we
had passed through.
“In half an hour the storm ceased, and we proceeded on our
journey, hoping to recover the road. But we could not, and night was
approaching, with no prospect of a shelter. So we retraced our steps
to the sepulchre once more, lighted a fire within, consumed the last
of our provisions, gave the mules what was left of their provender
and slept soundly all night.”
“Were you not afraid of wild beasts?”
“There were none in that region, or at least the guide knew of
none. There were too many settlements among the mountains. And
the guide still insisted upon it that we had not wandered far from the
regular route. I had my doubts on the subject, but they did not
prevent me from sleeping soundly, for I was very tired.
“The next morning was bright, and we set off in better spirits, and
with renewed hope, though rather hungry. Our hunger became so
great after a time that it quite conquered our spirits, and we stumbled
about the rocks, sick and dispirited. We spared our mules all we
could, for the poor beasts were nearly worn out and half starved. If
they failed us we would indeed be in a bad plight.
“Finally, utterly exhausted, we all laid down, beasts and men
together, to keep warm, and to rest. I was just dropping into a doze
when I heard the sound of music. The guide heard it also, and we
both started up, and felt new life in our veins. So suddenly did hope
spring up in our hearts, that all fatigue dropped from us as if by
magic. The mules too pricked up their ears at the sound. We sprang
upon their backs and were soon traveling towards the point from
whence the music came. It was not long before we came upon the
musician.
THE MAIL CARRIER.

“A bare-legged Indian, in a gay striped cloak and broad Panama


hat was running along at a rapid pace, and playing upon a mouth-
organ. He led a bony horse which trotted gently after him. Across its
back was a leathern bag.
“This man was a mail carrier, and was on his way from the sea-
coast to some mountain town. So it turned out that the guide was
right, and we had not been at any great distance from the
settlements. Nevertheless, had it not been for the music of this poor
little mouth-organ we might have wandered off in a contrary direction
from the highway, and have lost ourselves in the forest, and perished
there. Indeed we might never have awakened from the sleep into
which we were falling when we heard the strain of music.”
“Did you go with the mail carrier, father?”
“No. He was not going to the place for which we were bound. But
he told us that just behind the spur of the mountain we would find an
Indian village. And there we rested for a day and refreshed
ourselves, and filled our provision bags, and procured a guide to the
road we wished to take. The rest of my journey was made in safety.”
“But, father, I don’t think that was a tropical snow-storm, when it
happened in so cold a place. I always think of tropic as meaning
hot.”
“It was a tropical snow-storm George, certainly, for we were in the
tropics, only a few degrees south of the equator. The weather was
cold because we were so high up in the air.”
HOW THREE MEN WENT TO THE MOON.

That is, how it is said that they went to the moon. That no man
ever did go is very certain, and that no one ever will go, is very
probable, but true as these statements are, they did not prevent a
Frenchman from writing a story about a trip to the moon, undertaken
by two Americans, and one Frenchman.
I cannot tell you all this story, but I can give you a few of the
incidents that occurred during the journey, and although these are
purely imaginary, they are very interesting and amusing. If any one
ever had made this journey he would probably have gone as these
three people went in the story. Everything is described as minutely
and carefully as if it had really happened.
The journey was made in an immense, hollow cannon ball, or
rather a cylindrical shot, which was fired out of a great cannon, nine
hundred feet long!
This cannon, which was pointed directly at the spot where the
moon would be by the time the ball had time to reach it, was planted
in the earth in Florida, where thousands of people congregated to
see it fired off.
When the great load of gun-cotton was touched off by means of an
electrical battery, there was a tremendous explosion, and away went
the great hollow projectile, with the three travelers inside, directly
towards the moon.
This projectile was very comfortably and conveniently arranged.
The walls were padded and there were springs in the floor, so that
the inmates might not receive too great a shock when they started. It
was furnished with plenty of provisions, with contrivances for lighting
and ventilating it, and a machine for manufacturing atmospheric air,
which is something that travelers do not expect to find at the moon.
There were thick plate-glass windows in the sides, and everything
that could be thought of to make the trip comfortable and safe was
found in this curious aerial car.

THE DOGS THAT STARTED FOR THE MOON.


Not only were there three men in the projectile, but it contained
two dogs and some chickens. The picture shows the dogs, which
were handsome creatures, and it will also give you an idea of the
inside arrangements, with the telescope, and the guns hanging on
the wall.
The distance from the earth to the moon was to be accomplished
in about four days, and after the first shock of the starting, which was
quite heavy, notwithstanding the springs and the cushions, our
travelers began to make themselves at home.
They talked, they ate and drank and smoked. They took
observations out of their windows, and watched the earth recede
until it looked like a great moon, and saw the moon approach until it
seemed like a little earth.
One of them, the Frenchman, was in such high spirits that if his
companions would have allowed him he would have got outside of
their little house and stood in triumph on the very top, as it went
whizzing through the air.
The artist has given us a picture of how he would have looked if he
had stood out there where he wanted to perch himself.
His idea was that as there was as much momentum in him as
there was in the projectile, there was no danger of his falling off and
being left behind.
But if any of you ever do go to the moon in a hollow cannon-ball, I
would strongly recommend you not to get outside.
After a while they passed beyond the limit of the earth’s attraction,
and began to enter that of the moon. But when they were about on
the line between these two attractions, a very singular thing took
place. Everything in the projectile, the men, the dog, (one of the dogs
died the first day and was thrown out) the telescope, the chickens
and every article that was not fastened down, seemed to lose all its
gravity or weight.
As there is no reason why anything without weight should stay in
any particular place, unless it is fastened there by some mechanical
means, these people and things began to float about in the air.
THE FRENCHMAN OUTSIDE.
The men rose up and were wafted here and there by a touch. Hats
floated away and chickens and telescopes hung suspended between
the floor and the roof, as thistledown, on a still summer’s day floats
in the air.
Even the dog, who thought that he was sitting on the floor, was
sitting in the air, several feet from the floor.

EVERY THING WAS FLOATING IN THE AIR.

This was a most remarkable state of things, and it is no wonder


that the travelers could not very soon get used to it.
To feel oneself soaring like a balloon must certainly be a curious
sensation.
But these men expected all sorts of strange experiences, and so
this did not frighten them, and the nearer they came to the moon, the
more effect her gravity had upon them, and as the projectile
gradually turned its heaviest end towards the moon its inmates
gradually recovered their weight, and sat and stood like common
people.
After journeying still further they had another very strange
experience.
As they gradually neared the moon they found that they were also
revolving around it. This was very unfortunate. If this motion
continued, the result of their journey would be that their projectile
would become a lunar satellite—a moon’s moon. They would go
around and around forever, and never reach the moon or be able to
get back to the earth.
After a while they got around to the shadow side of the moon, so
that she was between them and the earth.
Then they were in total darkness excepting when they lighted their
gas-burner, and they could not keep the gas burning all the time, as
their supply was getting rather low.
But the darkness was not their chief trouble. It began to be very
cold. And then it got colder and still colder, until they thought they
should freeze into solid lumps. Their breath congealed so that it fell
in the form of snow about them, and the poor dog, shivering under a
cloak, lay upon the floor as cold as if he had been dropped into a
deep hole in an ice-berg.
They thought it must be still colder outside, and so they lowered a
thermometer through a small trap-door in the floor, and when they
drew it in the mercury stood at 218 degrees below zero!
That was a very fine thermometer, and it is a Frenchman who tells
this story.
THE TRAVELERS ARE COLD.
At last they passed around the moon, and again found themselves
upon its sunny side. Then they were happy. Light and heat, after the
dreadful darkness and cold through which they had passed were
enough to make men happy, especially men so far away from home
and all the comforts and conveniences of civilized society.
As they passed around the moon they had a fine opportunity of
observing the lunar landscapes. They were not so far away but that
with their glasses they could see the mountains and plains, and all
sorts of curious caves, and wonderful formations like forts and
castles, but which they knew to be nothing but great masses of the
moon’s surface, thrown up in these strange shapes by volcanic
action. It is probable that what is described in this story is very like
what the real surface of the moon must be.
After they had revolved some time they found that they were
getting farther and farther away from the moon, and this made them
suppose that they were moving in an elliptical orbit. They were much
discouraged by this idea, for they thought, and very justly too, that
there was now no chance of the moon’s drawing them towards itself,
so that they would fall upon its surface.
This they had hoped to do, and they did not expect to suffer from
the fall, for the attraction of the moon is so much less than that of the
earth that they thought they would descend rather gently on the
moon’s surface. But now there seemed to be no chance of their
getting there at all.
At last, however, they found that they were passing entirely out of
the line of the moon’s attraction, and after that they perceived plainly
that they were falling.
But not upon the moon. They were falling towards the earth!
This was dreadful. A fall of 240,000 miles! But they could not help
it, and down they went.
Out in the Pacific ocean there was a United States steamship,
taking soundings. The captain was astonished to find at the place
where they were sailing, about two hundred miles from the coast of
California, that the water was so deep that the longest sounding lines
would scarcely reach the bottom.
As he and his officers were discussing this matter, a distant
hissing sound was heard, like the escape of steam from a steam-
pipe. But it sounded as if it were high up in the air. It came nearer
and nearer and grew louder and louder, and as all eyes were turned
upwards towards the point from which the hissing seemed to come,
they saw what they thought was a great meteor, rapidly approaching
them from the sky.

THE NARROW ESCAPE OF THE STEAMER.


It seemed to be coming directly towards the ship. In a moment
more they saw plainly that it was coming straight down on the ship!
Before they had time to do anything, or even to give warning to
those who were below, it dashed into the sea just before the vessel,
carrying away the bowsprit in its furious descent.
Fortunately that was all the damage it did. Had the vessel been a
few yards farther in advance it would have been instantly sunk.
It was a most narrow escape, and everybody felt wonderfully
relieved when this great object, which looked like a ball of fire as it
came so rapidly through the air, sank hissing into the sea.
But the officers guessed what it was, when it had disappeared.
They had heard of the wonderful trip to the moon that had been
undertaken by the three adventurers, and they very sensibly
supposed that this must be the projectile that had fallen back upon
the earth.
When they had made up their minds about the matter, and this did
not take them long, they began to think what they should do. The
unfortunate men in the projectile might be yet alive, and measures
should instantly be taken to rescue them, if they were living, and in
any case, to raise the projectile and discover their fate.
But the vessel had no machinery by which this ponderous mass
could be drawn up from the bottom of the sea, especially as the sea
was at this spot about four miles deep.
So they determined to return as rapidly as possible to San
Francisco and obtain the necessary machinery for the work.
Fortunately they had been sounding and had a line out. So they
fastened a buoy to this line to mark the place, and steamed away at
the best speed of their vessel, for San Francisco.
When they reached this port the news was telegraphed to the
proper authorities, and, indeed, all over the country, and of course it
created a great excitement.
The officers of the Society which had been the means of sending
off these three men on their hazardous journey, went immediately to
work, and in a few days the steamer, supplied with diving machinery
and grappling irons, set out to return to the scene of the disaster.
There everybody worked rapidly and manfully. Diving bells were
lowered and everything that could be done was done, but although
they labored day and night, for several days no trace of the great
projectile could be found on the bottom of the ocean, after searching
carefully for a mile or two on every side of the buoy that had been
left when they returned to San Francisco.
At last they became convinced that further search was useless,
and much to the disappointment of everybody, and the intense grief
of the friends of the unfortunate men who had come out on the
vessel when it started on its errand of rescue, the Captain ordered
the steamer to return to San Francisco.
When they had been sailing homeward for an hour or so, a sailor
discovered, about a mile from the vessel, what seemed to be a large
buoy, floating on the surface of the sea.
In an instant every glass in the vessel was directed towards this
object. It was like a buoy, but it had a flag floating from the top of it!
The steamer immediately headed for it, and when they came near
enough everybody saw what it was.
It was the great projectile quietly floating on the waves!
The air which it contained had made it so buoyant that although it
probably sank to the bottom of the ocean in its rapid descent, it had
risen again, and was now riding on the surface of the ocean like a
corked bottle.
But were the men alive? This must be settled instantly.
In a very few minutes two boats were launched and were soon
speeding towards the floating projectile as fast as strong arms could
pull them.
When the first boat reached the great hollow iron cannon-shot they
saw that one of its windows, which was some distance above the
water, was open.
Two of the boat’s crew stood up and looked in.
Our three moon-travelers were quietly sitting inside playing
dominoes!
TWO OF THE CREW LOOK IN.
The great depth of the ocean had broken their fall, and they were
all safe and uninjured. They knew some one would come for them,
and they were making themselves as comfortable as they could.
Of course they were speedily taken out of their iron house, in
which they had lived for nearly a month, and in which they had met
with such strange adventures and such narrow escapes.
Then with our three friends on board, the steamer started back for
San Francisco, where our adventurers were received with the wildest
enthusiasm, which indeed attended them during all their journey to
their homes in the Atlantic States.
And so ended this trip to the moon.
It was a very wonderful thing for any one to even imagine such a
journey as this, and I do not believe that any one but a Frenchman
would have imagined it.

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