Name _____________________________________________
Date Due ______________
APUSH UNIT 7 WRITING PROMPTS:
THE GILDED AGE
Background Information
This unit is quite lengthy - really, it could be two units. Because of this we are going to mix
things up a little this unit. Rather than write a single long essay, you will be writing two short essays.
Each essay should be around two pages in length. You must still include a works cited and citations, but
you only need three sources per essay (two of those three must be primary documents).
By now you should be connecting your thesis to your body paragraphs. Hopefully you are also
addressing only one argument per paragraph. If not, clean that up a little and continue to work on
connecting every argument in your paper to your thesis. These connections must be clear to a reader with
very little knowledge of the subject we are covering. If you can show the paper to a relative who has not
studied history in a while (or maybe a friend who failed U.S. History) and that person can sit down, read
your essay independent of any explanation from you, and then explain your argument to you, then you
have done a good job of making those connections. If not, keep working at it until your reader can. It is
often quite difficult to make something which you understand clear to another person, especially in
writing, but you must be able to do so for the AP Exam
As you continue to develop your rhetorical ability, start thinking about making smooth transitions
between your paragraphs. Again, have someone read your paper. Ask the reader if the end of each
paragraph seems linked to the next. If not, try to find a way to make that connection. Sometimes there is
not a great way to transition, but given that all of your paragraphs should be connected to your thesis there
should be some connection.
Be sure you use MLA format and include a works cited. Your essay should be between three and
five pages in length and must be both turned in as a paper copy and uploaded to turnitin.com by the due
date.
Specifics
These two essays are worth 30 points each and will be graded as follows:
- 5 points for a well developed thesis that fully addresses the prompt
- 5 points for writing style (MLA format, grammar, and proof reading)
- 5 points for your works cited and in text citations (each essay must include at least three
sources, two of which must be primary documents; you must have a works cited that you
will reference using in-text parenthetical citations as discussed on the MLA Guide)
- 15 points for content (accurate, thorough, and effective use of evidence to prove thesis)
Writing Prompts on the Back (remember to pick two – one from Section A and one from Section B)
Section A:
1. Analyze the ways that technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed
American agriculture in the period 1865-1900.
2. Analyze the ways that farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the
Gilded Age (1865-1900). Were their responses similar or different? How so?
3. Analyze the reasons for the emergence of the Populist movement.
4. How were the lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century affected
by technological developments and government actions?
5. Analyze the economic consequences of the Civil War with respect to any two of the following
between 1865 and 1880:
Agriculture
Labor
Industrialization
Transportation
Section B:
1. Immigrants often believed America was the “land of opportunity”. Asses the “Promise of
America” in the late 1800s. What does this say about the idea of America as a “nation of
immigrants”?
2. Discuss the significance of the Progressives. Make sure to provide historical context (what
were the Progressives reacting to, what did they accomplish, etc.).
3. Analyze the impact of any two of the following on the American industrial worker between
1865-1900:
Government actions
Immigration
Labor unions
Technological changes
4. Compare and contrast the attitudes toward the wealth created in the late 19th century held by
three of these:
Andrew Carnegie
Eugene V. Debs
Horatio Alger
Ida Tarbell
5. How and why did transportation developments spark economic growth during the period 1860
to 1900?