American Economic History Review
Mr. Zacharia
Big Questions
• How has the federal government’s regulation of economic
institutions changed over time?
• How has the importance of agriculture and industry changed over
time in America and how has it influenced American economic
policies?
• How have economic problems impacted American society? How
effectively has the government responded to those problems?
• How have innovations, especially in transportation and
communication, changed American society?
• How has scarcity (limited resources) impacted American society?
• How have migration patterns (population shifts) reflected
economic change?
• How did the institution of slavery change over time and impact
the American economy?
• How did labor unions impact the American economy?
Example AP Questions
• 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
• 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
• Analyze the ways in which British imperial policies between 1763
and 1776 intensified colonials’ resistance to British rule and their
commitment to republican values.
• Analyze the impact of the market revolution (1815–1860)
on the economies of TWO of the following regions.
– The Northeast
– The Midwest
– The South
• 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
• Analyze the extent to which the 1920s and 1950s were
similar in TWO of the following areas.
– Impact of technology
– Intolerant attitudes
– Literary developments