AP U.S. History
Final Exam Essay Pool
Third Period 2010
Unit I
1. In what ways did ideas and values held by Puritans influence the political,
economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630
through the 1660s?
2. Although the thirteen American colonies were founded at different times by
people with different motives and with different forms of colonial charters and
political organization, by 1750 they had become remarkably similar. Assess the
validity of this statement.
Unit II
1. To what extent was the U.S. Constitution a radical departure from the Articles of
Confederation?
2. Evaluate the relative importance of THREE of the following as factors prompting
Americans to rebel in 1776:
Parliamentary taxation
British military measures
ideas
Restriction of civil liberties
The legacy of colonial religious and political
Unit III
1. Analyze the contributions of TWO of the following in helping to establish a
stable government after the adoption of the Constitution.
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
2. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping
American politics in the 1790’s.
Unit IV
1. How did TWO of the following contribute to the reemergence of a two
party system in the period 1820 to 1840?
Major political personalities
Economic issues
States’ rights
2. In what ways did the Second Great Awakening in the north influence
TWO of the following?
Abolitionism
Temperance
Utopian communities
The cult of domesticity
Unit V
1. “Why did the institution of slavery command the loyalty of the vast majority of
antebellum whites, despite the fact that only a small percentage of them owned
slaves?”
2. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in
the period 1820-1861.