Cracking the
Free-Response
Questions
What is the Free-Response Question
Two-part essay section consisting of two
groups of questions
First group asks questions about the
period before the Civil War
Second groups asks questions about the
period after the Civil War
You must choose 1 question from each
group
Free Response is the final section of the
AP US History Exam
Administered immediately following the
DBQ
70 minutes to plan and write both essays
Graded on a scale of 1-9
Free Response is worth 25% of your AP
Grade
So Remember…
Free Response has 2 pairs of questionsyou must answer 1 question from each of
the pairs (1st pair: pre-Civil War; 2nd pair:
post 1865)
Choose the questions you know most, not
ones that look easiest
Analyze the question. Circle/underline
important words and phrases
Once you understand, create grids,
graphs, columns, diagrams in which to
organize your notes on the essay
Decide on a thesis, and then write an
outline for your essay
Follow your outline. Stick to one important
idea per paragraph
Support your ideas with historical evidence
Write clearly and neatly. Do not write
overly complex sentences
Use transition words to indicate continuity
of thought and changes in the direction of
your argument
Stay positive. Do not panic.
Look at the Free Response Rubric
What are the differences in:
Superior Essay
Strong Essay
Adequate Essay
Essay-AP Score 2-4
Essay-AP Score 1
Unit II Free-Response Samples
Question # 1
Explain the influence of TWO of the following
on the U.S. decision to go to war in 1812
Embargo policies of Jefferson and
Madison
British impressment of American
seamen
Settlers’ conflicts with Native Americans
Expansionist goals of the War Hawks
Sample answer to question 1
The U.S. went into the war of
1812 because of British
impressment of American
seamen and the embargo policies
of Jefferson and Madison
Based on the rubric,
what would you rate this?
Superior thesis (with strong analysis)
Strong thesis (contains general analysis)
Clear thesis (needs general analysis)
Undeveloped thesis (simple thesis, no
analysis)
No thesis
What is analysis?
In a history based essay analysis refers
to using historical evidence to support
Cause and Effect
How
Why
Now, based on the rubric,
what would you rate this?
Superior thesis (with strong analysis)
Strong thesis (contains general analysis)
Clear thesis (needs general analysis)
Undeveloped thesis (simple thesis, no
analysis)
No thesis
Undeveloped thesis
Why?
It simply restates the question
Does not have any analysis
No why, causes and effect or how
addressed in thesis statement
What would a superior
thesis look like?
Clearly answers all parts of the question
Can be 1-2 sentences in the first
paragraph of the essay
Provides clear analysis of the topic by
addressing why, cause and effect and/or
how
Undeveloped thesis
The U.S. went into the war of 1812
because of British impressment of
American seamen and the
embargo policies of Jefferson and
Madison
Clear thesis
(needs more general analysis)
The War of 1812 had many
causes, but the two most
significant causes are British
impressment of American
seamen and embargo policies of
Jefferson and Madison.
Strong thesis
(contains general analysis)
The War of 1812 had many causes, but the two
most significant causes are British impressment
of American seamen and embargo policies of
Jefferson and Madison. The issue of British
ships taking American sailors fueled the anger of
Americans towards the British. In addition to
impressment, the embargo acts negatively
impacted American and British trade, further
fueling the desire to go war with the British.
Superior thesis
The U.S. went into the war of 1812 because
of British impressment of American seamen
and the embargo policies of Jefferson and
Madison. Although Washington had the Jay
Treaty with Britain, the issue of British ships
taking American sailors was not addressed,
fueling the anger towards the British among
Americans. To address the issue of
impressment, Jefferson and Madison enacted
embargo policies, which resulted in negatively
impacting both United States’ and British
trade, further adding to the desire to go to war
with Britain.
Sample introduction paragraph
After fighting for American independence and winning, the
U.S. did not want further conflict with Great Britain. The
U.S. was able to avoid a second war with Britain for25
years, but in 1812, the U.S. and Britain were engaged in
conflict once again. This war became known as the War
of 1812. The War of 1812 had many causes, but the two
most significant causes are British impressment of
American seamen and embargo policies of Jefferson and
Madison. Although Washington had the Jay Treaty with
Britain, the issue of British ships taking American sailors
was not addressed, fueling the anger towards the British
among Americans. To address this issue of
impressment, Jefferson and Madison enacted embargo
policies, which resulted in negatively impacting both
United States’ and British trade, again fueling the desire
for war with Britain.
What will the rest of the
essay look like?
Paragraph 2 TS:
After winning its independence, the United States
wanted to avoid further foreign conflict in order to
focus on domestic issues as evident through the
Neutrality Proclamation and Jay Treaty.
Paragraph 3 TS:
Although Washington had signed the Jay Treaty in
hopes of avoiding conflict with Britain, the issue of
British impressment of sailors continued, which
made Americans angry towards the British.
Paragraph 4 TS
In reaction to British impressment, President
Jefferson and Madison passed embargo acts.
One of the goals of the embargo acts was to
force Britain to stop impressing sailors. The
result of the embargo acts through, was that both
American and Britain trade was negatively
impacted.
Conclusion
Restate thesis : impressment and embargo acts
were most influential causes of War of 1812
Restate 3 points:
US wanted to avoid conflict
British impressment continued
Embargo acts hurt US economically
Work in pairs to form a superior thesis
to this question:
How did economic, geographic, and
social factors encourage the growth of
slavery as an important part of the
economy of the southern colonies
between 1607 and 1775