Test Tips!
You can do it!
Themed Bullet Points
(1) Colonial America –
Geography (social, political,
and economic differences)
and Democracy.
(2) Pre-Revolution
Revolution
Articles of Confederation
Constitution
(3) Manifest Destiny
Market Revolution (first
industrial revolution)
Transcendentalism
Civil War
(4) Imperialism – Cuba (Span
Amer War), Panama,
Philippines, Somao, Hawaii,
Alaska, China (Open Door)
(5) Progressive Era
Industrialization
Gilded Age
Urbanization
Immigration
Political Machines
Unions
Populists
(6) 1920s – Red Scare, Scopes,
Fundamentalism, Prohibition,
Tech boom, good economy
Great Depression
World Wars
(7) 1950s – Conformity, Civil
Rights, Containment
1960s - Counter culture, Civil (8) 1970’s – Middle East
Conflict, Urban poverty, Cold
Rts., Women’s rts., Korean
War Vietnam, Warren Court, War,
Containment, space race,
Conservatism
(9) 1980’s – Conservatism,
Reaganomics, gun laws, financial
boom followed by recession,
increase nukes, tax reduction,
deregulation, military spending,
end to Cold War
(10) 1990’s – new Democratic
era, financial stability,
deregulation (ex for housing),
Satellite nation issues,
Columbine
Market Revolution: 1793-1860
• Cotton Gin - Whitney
• Bigger merchant class, and creation of wage worker
• Regional specialization: the West farmed to feed the
Northeast, the South grew cotton to ship to the Northeast,
and the Northeast produced manufactured goods to sell in
the West and South.
• Transport surpluses
• The roads, canals, and other internal improvements made
under Henry Clay’s “American System” made this
nationwide trade possible.
• Steamboat – Fulton
• Telegraph – Morse
• RR – expanding most in the North
Multiple Choice
Historical Eras
– 5% of the questions deal with events from 1491-1607
– 45% of the questions deal with events from 1607-1877 (overlap) *1754-1800
and 1844-1877 focus w/in era*
– 45% of the questions deal with events from 1865- 1980 (overlap) *1890-1945
and 1945-1980 focus w/in era*
– 5% of the questions deal with events from 1980-present
Topics
• 35% of the questions deal with political institutions, behavior, and public
policy
• 40% of the questions deal with social and cultural developments
• 15% of the questions deal with diplomacy and international relations
• 10% of the questions deal with economic changes and developments
As you study, concentrate your efforts on the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries (obviously), fewer questions on events in the twentieth than
nineteenth century. Also, know common topics more thoroughly and do
not worry about obscure facts!
 Do not get caught up in a question you do not know. Think of the era, the
ideas you remember about that era…and make an educated guess; then move
on. Chances are everyone else thought that question was tough too!
Free Response & DBQ
You will receive two questions about the United States before the
Civil War, and two questions after the Civil War, picking from one of
each of the choices. Having 70 minutes to answer these questions.
Spend 5 minutes “outlining” before writing the essay. Have a strong
thesis.
Not all of the information needed to earn a “5” in the DBQ is
included in the documents. Meaning, use OUTSIDE INFORMATION.
Discuss one more than half of the documents. Be descriptive, use
examples (add terms: events, treaties, laws, people, amendments,
etc.), and tie all paragraphs back into your specific thesis!!!!! The
better your ideas and thesis the faster and more organized your
essay will be. 15 minutes to read and highlight documents; 45
minutes to write! Star docs. you plan to use.
Essays Continued…
 Look over old essays exams w/ teacher comments on
them, it will remind you of what you need to make sure
you do when writing on exam day.
 Topics to review in particular: colonialism, imperialism,
immigration, progressivism, modernism, depression,
Early Republic, Civil War, and Cold War. Make
connections in these areas between earlier and more
recent times.
 Go over the Progressive Era because it is good for you.
Colonial America
1. How justified were the Americans in initiating a
revolution against Great Britain after nearly 150
years of British administration? In you answer,
make certain to address the political
relationship between Britain and the American
colonies.
1. Explain how English colonies in the New World
were different from one another in terms of
government, population, and origin.
Articles of Confederation and Constitution
1. To what extent were the Articles of Confederation an
inadequate form of government? In you answer include
discussions on the following topics:
foreign affairs problems
domestic affairs problems
features of the government under the AOC
2. Analyze the differences of opinion between supporters
and opponents on whether to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Early Presidents
1. Compare and contrast the Hamiltonian and
Jeffersonian movements in regard to
Political philosophy
Long-term social and economic outlook
Interpretations of the Constitution
Federal versus state power
2. Support or refute this statement:
An accurate title for the period from the 1820s to the
1850s is Jacksonian democracy.
3. Were the grassroots movements in the Age of
Reform successful in achieving their goals? In your
answer cite THREE of the following:
a.women’s rights
b.Abolition
c.Public education
d.Prison reform
4. To what extent did government assist in the rise of
corporate capitalism following the Civil War?
Imperialism
1. To what extent is this statement correct? The
primary factor in the U.S. adopting a policy of
imperialism was economic.
1. Was the United States justifies in going to
war against Spain in 1898? In your response,
take into account political, economic, moral,
and diplomatic factors?
Progressive Era
1. Discuss the role government played in reforming
American social, economic, and political life in the
early twentieth century. In your response include TWO
of the following:
a. Reforms at the federal level
b. Reforms at the state level
c. Reforms at the local/city level
2. Evaluate the administrations of Roosevelt, Taft, and
Wilson in relation to their records as progressive
presidents.
• Gilded Age – started in the 1800s when
industrialization caused big business successes
and urbanization. Social problems such as
poverty, unemployment, corruption, abuse of
power were underlying the outward economic
growth.
• Pendleton Act (Garfield, 1883) eliminates the
spoils system…
• 1913: Wilson supports the 17th Amendment –
direct election of Senators; limits political
machines.
• Jane Addams, “Twenty Years at Hull House” – addressed urban life
and immigrant tenements, resulting in efforts to provide impoverished
with skills and services (edu).
• Carrie Chapman Catt, “On Women’s Suffrage” – the right for women
to vote
• Theodore Roosevelt, “The Conservation of Natural Resources” –
responsible for conserving land and creating national parks.
• Margaret Sanger, “No Gods, No Masters” - supported contraceptives
for women; started what was to become Planned Parenthood; and
coined term “birth control.”
• Upton Sinclair, “Horror in the Workplace” (The Jungle) – conditions in
the factory.
• John Spargo, “The Bitter Cry of Children”
• Lincoln Steffens Discusses Philadelphia Bossism – wrote “The Shame
of the Cities;” challenged political machines; La Follette, even before he
was elected Governor of Wisconsin spoke out against the machines.
• Ida Tarbell, “A Muckraker’s Expose of Standard Oil” – exposed big
business, pushed to do so because of her father’s small business.
• Ida B. Wells, “Lynch Law in America” – treatment of African
Americans.
Conservatism and Cultural Diversity in the 1920s
1. Discuss how the 1920s represented social,
economic, and cultural discord among
Americans. In your essay discuss THREE of
the following:
a. Urban versus rural attitudes
b. Nativism vs. immigration
c. Science vs. religion
d. The red scare
The Great Depression
Support or refute this statement: A key feature
of the New Deal was that it gave too much
authority to the federal government and
specifically the executive branch.
American Identity…
http://quizlet.com/1860415/ap-us-historyamerican-pageant-chapters-27-28-flash-cards/
General Tips
• Watch your time.
• Bring a good (non-messy) snack…peanut butter with
limited jelly!
• Bring water…do not drink it all the first 5 minutes! Go
to the bathroom BEFORE the exam starts.
• Write fairly neatly.
• You do not need luck, you have smarts!
• Take off your shoes!!! Relax. You have studied. Now you
need to stay calm and put all of the information in your
brain onto paper!