How to write the APUSH
Essay
Part I
THE THESIS SENTENCE AND
PARAGRAPH
The Thesis Sentence

The thesis sentence is the most important
sentence in any essay. It must be clear,
properly structured, and in the correct
place.
A Thesis Sentence is
A single
 Declaratory sentence
 That “answers” the prompt
 With a clearly and simply stated opinion
That does not restate the prompt.

Rule #1
After reading the whole prompt, consider
the verbs and conjunctions, and mentally
(or physically) sketch out how you intend
to proceed. . .
 Answer the prompt in a simple sentence.

 For
instance, consider this DBQ prompt:
 How
successful was organized labor in improving
the position of workers in the period from 1875 to
1900? Analyze the factors that contributed to the
level of success achieved.
Rule #1 (continued)



What do you think about this prompt?
Were labor unions successful in improving working
conditions and the power of working people during
this time?
At the end of the period had the lives of working
people substantially improved due to organized labor?
What factors caused or stopped improvement
from happening?
 YOUR OPINION IS ESSENTIAL!
 And your opinion must be clear.
 So. . .

Rule #1 (continued)

Let’s say that you think this time period was not
a period of labor success.


“Labor unions failed to improve the condition of
working people at the end of the 19th century.”


Write a simple statement that answers the prompt
with your opinion. Like this. . .
OR
“Government antagonism to labor unions kept
them from effectively helping working people
during this period.”
Rule #1 (continued)

It’s extremely important to get your
thinking clearly into a simple “answer” to
the prompt.
 Do
NOT restate the wording of the prompt.
 Rather than “the time period 1875 to 1900,”
write “the last decades of the 19th century” or
“the three decades following the Civil War.”
 Rather than “organized labor,” refer to labor
unions.
Rule #2- Thesis Structure
The key to writing a clear, strong thesis is
to “answer” or address the prompt with
your opinion clearly in front of you.
 You need to decide what shape your
thesis sentence should take.
 Your thesis will provide the reader’s first
and guiding impression. Give great care
with this sentence!

Types of Thesis Sentences

Two excellent ways of writing thesis
sentences are


A concept thesis.
An organizational thesis.
Concept Thesis
Now that you have your opinion, you can write a
sentence that is both complex and specific.
 One way of doing this is to write a sentence
that begins with the word “although.”
 This may seem odd, but recent AP grading
rubrics award high scores only to essays that
“address the complexity of the question.”

Concept Thesis

A concept thesis written like this may look
like this:
 “Although
this was a period of intense labor
pressure, unions failed to make the lives and
status of workers better.”
 OR
 “Although
this period saw increased labor
involvement, state and federal government
antagonism kept unions from being effective.”
Concept Thesis
This kind of thesis sentence sets you up
from the very beginning to acknowledge
“complexity” in the essay prompt.
 Your opinion, your “answer” to the
prompt, goes in the second half of this
thesis, after the comma. This is the point
you are going to make, the destination at
which you want the reader to arrive.

Organizational Thesis
Another way of writing a clear thesis is to use an
“organizational statement.”
 This is a sentence that specifically mentions
what will be the topics of the following body
paragraphs.
 Look at the prompt one more time:


How successful was organized labor in improving the
position of workers in the period from 1875 to 1900?
Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of
success achieved.
Organizational Thesis

Some essay prompts lend themselves to
organizational thesis sentences. For instance,
consider the following prompt:


Analyze the factors that contributed to the success or
failure of organized labor’s efforts to improve the
position of workers during the period 1875 to 1900.
An organizational thesis for this prompt could
specify which three things were going to be
discussed without re-stating the prompt.

The following sentences specifically mention
what will be the topic sentences of the next
paragraphs.


Labor unions failed because they were confused in
their goals and were aggressively opposed by both
state and federal governments.
Organized labor unions were unsuccessful because
they were not unified in their demands and were
associated with radical European political groups.
Rule #2 (continued)
Whether you choose a concept thesis
or an organizational thesis, this
sentence will shape the first
impression you make on the reader.
 Think carefully about your task and
make sure your thesis addresses the
prompt.

Rule #3
Having written your thesis sentence, you are
ready to put it into your essay introduction. For
most AP U. S. History essays, an introduction
“paragraph” may only be two or three sentences
in length.
 The thesis sentence should be the last sentence
in your introduction paragraph.
 Take a step back from your thesis and write a
general sentence that introduces the topic.

Rule #3 (continued)
The general topic of this prompt is the
effectiveness of organized labor.
 Using a concept thesis sentence, the
introduction might look like this:


American workers have organized to improve pay and
working conditions since the earliest period of
industrialization. By the end of the 19th century
these unions made a major effort to make the lives of
working people better. Although this was a period of
intense labor pressure, unions failed to make the lives
and status of workers better.

Using an organizational thesis sentences, the
introduction might look like this:

American workers have organized to improve pay and
working conditions since the earliest period of
industrialization. By the end of the 19th century
these unions made a major effort to make the lives of
working people better. They failed, however, since
they were unclear in their demands and both state
and federal governments used force to stop them.
Rule #3 (continued)
AP essay rubrics award high scores to essays
that have “a clear, well-developed thesis” that is
“focused on the prompt” and “guides the essay
throughout.”
 By clearly “answering” the prompt with your
opinion, writing a strong thesis sentence, and
putting it at the beginning of your essay, you do
as much in two or three sentences as you can
do to get yourself off to a great start.

Rules Summary
A thesis is a single declarative sentence
that “answers” the prompt with your
opinion.
 The thesis should address the complexity
in the prompt. The thesis should be
carefully crafted to fit the demands of the
specific essay prompt.
 The thesis should be the last sentence in
the introduction paragraph.

Part II
WRITING THE ESSAY
Free response essay prompts put a
lot of responsibility on the writer:

Some prompts are very open. Here is an
example of this type of prompt:
 The
government under the Articles of
Confederation has been considered a failure.
Describe three actions of the Confederation
government and explain how these actions
may or may not be considered failures.
These prompts require you to define the
terms, specify the time period, and
understand the task.
 For instance, read the prompt carefully:


The government under the Articles of Confederation has been
considered a failure. Describe three actions of the
Confederation government and explain how these actions may
or may not be considered failures.
To address the prompt, he following
questions must be answered:



What time period does this question address? [1781-1789]
What were 3 (no more) actions of the Confederation Congress
that you are going to discuss?
How are you defining “failure” or “success”?
Some prompts provide clear time
periods to be addressed:

For instance, here are two prompts that
specify very clearly the time periods to be
discussed:
 Compare
and contrast United States foreign
policy after the First World War and after the
Second World War. Consider the periods
1919-1928 and 1945-1950.
 How did the African American Civil Rights
movement of the 1950s and 1960s address
the failures of Reconstruction?
These prompts require you to limit your evidence and to
define certain terms.

With the first prompt–
 Compare
and contrast United States foreign
policy after the First World War and after the
Second World War. Consider the periods
1919-1928 and 1945-1950.

The following need clarifying
 Deal
only with foreign policy decisions
 You need to pick decisions that are BOTH
different and similar between the early and
the later time periods.

The next prompt–
 How
did the African American Civil Rights
movement of the 1950s and 1960s address
the failures of Reconstruction?

Requires you to specify
 Several
“failures of Reconstruction”
 Which
implies that you know when Reconstruction
occurred.
 And
to know several very specific results of
the later Civil Rights movement that directly
addressed the failures of Reconstruction.
Rules for the main body of your
essay
Make sure you understand exactly your
task, what you must “prove” in the essay.
 Stay strictly within the time period. Don’t
wander.
 You must be specific, specific, specific.
 Use proper nouns—words that need to be
capitalized.
 Never use generalities, i.e. many reforms,
lots of reformers, many things changed.

More Rules for your Essay
Organize your thinking BEFORE you write.
 This doesn’t need to be a long process

 Decide
two or three things you need to
discuss,
 Organize the facts you have under those
headings,
 Check through them to see that you “balance”
the discussion—give each part of the topic
equal discussion.
Yet More Rules for your Essay
Be definite. Your thesis should ANSWER
the prompt with your opinion.
 Having brainstormed then organized
specific facts, start each paragraph with a
clear topic sentence.
 Refer to specific facts to support your
thinking. Stick to your structure, refer to
your outline as you write.

Suggestions
After writing your thesis paragraph, go
back and re-read the prompt.
 Ask yourself, “Have I ‘answered’ the
prompt with my thesis?”
 What three or four points MUST you make
to support your thesis. Write these down.
 As you write, look back at the prompt and
at your thesis. Are you sticking to the
topic?

Check your thesis and your outline frequently.
 Don’t ignore a conclusion paragraph.
Sometimes it makes up for weaknesses earlier in
the essay.
 A typical essay is 5 paragraphs in length

Thesis paragraph
 3 supporting paragraphs to reinforce your thesis
 A concluding paragraph

Summary







Read the prompt completely more than once.
Know your task.
Write a thesis that addresses the prompt.
Specifics—proper nouns—only. No
generalizations.
Organize before writing.
Check your thesis and your outline as you write.
Leave time to read your essay before finishing.