APUSH Resources

[apushresources]

APUSH Resources turned 3 today! Yaay! :D

[apsurvivalguide]

July 5th is tomorrow/today

Reminder that it is not the end of the world if you do not pass an AP test. They are hard and you have fought through many. Do not give up because of a number. Breathe, you did it, it’s over, and now you can relax and enjoy your summer. I might be posting my scores, and if you passed anything and are proud shoot me a message! 

Best wishes!

[apushresources]

in my apush class my teacher takes forever to get to the important parts of apush and we most definitely wont finish the curriculum by May 6(the AP test). do you have any advice for me?

I think you’re going to have to study the material in your own time, which sucks. My advice would be to find a study book or series and use that to teach the rest of the material to yourself. If you’re crunched on time, make sure to study the general concepts and most important details. 

-Madison

[apushresources]

This is a student-produced, interactive version of an AP US History timeline. It’s divided into sections such as presidents, politics, domestic, war, and economic. I find that visual timelines such as this help in understanding the connection between various events in history and further comprehension. Hope this helps! :)

[apushresources]

Do you have any tips on doing synthesis?

According to AP Central, “Historical thinking involves the ability to arrive at meaningful and persuasive understandings of the past by applying all the other historical thinking skills, by drawing appropriately on ideas from different fields of inquiry or disciplines and by creatively fusing disparate, relevant (and perhaps contradictory) evidence from primary sources and secondary works. Additionally, synthesis may involve applying insights about the past to other historical contexts or circumstances, including the present.” So, basically, synthesis is relating the topic at hand to another similar topic. 

Personally, I found it easiest and most effective to incorporate synthesis into my essays in the conclusion. I would write something like “Ultimately, this helped blah blah understand blah blah” OR “This affected this future event blah” (Sorry. I was pretty useless at writing DBQ’s.)

Links to more helpful stuff: 

Here’s a video on synthesis by the amazing Tom Richey.

A link to a question about APUSH synthesis on Reddit, if you’re interested. 

A Quizlet set listing various synthesis points you can use. 

I don’t know if this was very helpful…I do apologize if it wasn’t, haha.

- Madison

[apushresources]

Hi, I'm currently taking APUSH, it's a 2 year course at my school and I find it really difficult. I do fine for class work and homework, but when it comes to the test. I completely fail it. Any tips?

What is the format of the test like? Is it similar to the AP-style test? If so, try to find out where your strengths and weaknesses are, ie. multiple choice, FRQ, DBQ, short-answer questions. If you can identify those, you can focus more on improving in those individual sections, which will boost your score overall. 

For FRQ, DBQ, and short answer help, I’ll link you to this post. You can also find official prompts from College Board here.

As for multiple choice help, try going through our APUSH Resources daily question tag and answering the questions. If you get a question wrong, make sure to look at the explanation provided and completely understand the material before you move on. 

For overall test practice, here’s an official practice test from College Board. 

Ultimately, if you’re doing well in class and on homework, I think you probably have a solid knowledge of the material, but maybe need just a little more practice in implementing that knowledge during tests, which can be a more stressful and time-limited environment. Take as many practice tests as you can. You’ll learn how to most effectively manage your time during tests and get a feel for how to best answer questions. 

Hope this helps. Good luck! :)

- Madison

[apushresources]

What was the XYZ affair and what was the significance?

XYZ Affair

date: 1797

who: John Adams, Charles Talleyrand, Agents X, Y, & Z, France, United States

aftermath: Quasi-War

During 1797, problems were arising between the Republic of France and the United States. In an attempt to avoid further conflict and possibly war, President John Adams sent three American diplomats to France to participate in formal negotiations with the French. However, when the American diplomats arrived in France, they were informally approached by agents of the French Foreign Minister, Charles Talleyrand, who demanded bribes and the like. While these “shady” forms of diplomacy were somewhat common in Europe, they were improper according to American diplomacy etiquette, and so the American diplomats were greatly offended and left France immediately without ever making it to the formal French negotiations. The American people were generally offended, and the Federalist party took advantage of this opportunity to increase the U.S. military power. This ultimately led to the undeclared Quasi-War (1798-1800), fought between France and the United States. 

Hope this helped a bit :)

- Madison

[apushresources]

Can you tell me a little about Alexander Hamilton please?

here’s a bit, hope it will suffice :)

- Madison 

Alexander Hamilton 

Founding Father

first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury

wrote the Federalist Papers

funded the national debt caused by the Revolutionary War

(1804) killed by Aaron Burr in duel 

against the Articles of Confederation; supported a new Constitution

established U.S. Mint

date: 1755-1804

most famous for: creating a national bank

political party: Federalists

political rival: Thomas Jefferson

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following was not a result of the end of the Second Bank of the United States? 

A) Creation of state “pet” banks 

B) A bank panic 

C) Creation of the Whig Party 

D) The Specie Circular 

E) Philadelphia becoming the center of American banking

Answer...

E) In 1836, Jackson allowed the second national bank to expire. Before the expiration of the national bank, Jackson moved the bank’s funds to state banks often referred to as pet banks. Many of these banks were located in New York City, causing the financial capital of the United States to move there from Philadelphia. The Whig Party was created in reaction to the economic panic caused by the ending of the bank, as well as the furthering of executive power in destroying the bank.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

The Tariff of Abominations of 1828 was opposed mainly because 

A) it mainly benefited western states 

B) it hurt northern manufacturers’ long-term growth 

C) it hurt the sale of southern cotton 

D) it restricted the sale of slaves 

E) it benefited British imports

Answer...

C) The Tariff of Abominations was a protectionist tariff passed during the Jackson administration to protect northern manufacturers from cheaper imports from other countries, most notably Britain. The South strongly opposed the series of protective tariffs that had been passed in the years following the War of 1812. John Calhoun, Jackson’s vice president, strongly opposed this third addition to the tariff, calling it the Tariff of Abominations because it hurt the South’s ability to sell cotton, its chief cash crop, to Britain. The tariff also made it harder to import cheap manufactured goods from Britain. Calhoun furthermore called upon his home state of South Carolina to nullify the act, in what became known as the nullification theory.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following inventions did not help fuel the agricultural boom in the first half of the 19th century? 

A) The cotton gin 

B) The steel plow 

C) The mechanical reaper 

D) The steamboat 

E) The cigarette-rolling machine

Answer...

E) James Albert Bonsack invented the first industrial cigarette-rolling machine in 1880, revolutionizing the tobacco industry in the second half of the 19th century. The cotton gin (1793), steel plow (1837), mechanical reaper (1831), and steamboat (1807) all helped create the agricultural boom that defined the American economy prior to the Civil War. The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, quickly removed the seeds from upland cotton, and cotton became the United States’ premier staple agricultural export. The steel plow invented by John Deere allowed farmers to till soil more effectively, which expanded farmable lands. The mechanical reaper invented by Cyrus McCormick lessened the labor needed to harvest grain. The steamboat expedited river travel, allowing western farmers to bring their goods to market faster.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following is not part of the economic theory referred to as the American System? 

A) High tariffs 

B) Road building 

C) Encouragement of new enterprises 

D) The national bank 

E) Cheap sale of public lands

Answer...

E) The American System was introduced following the War of 1812 and was supported by Henry Clay and others, including John Quincy Adams and John Calhoun. It called for high protective tariffs to protect the United States from Britain dumping cheaper goods in American markets and thus allowed for new enterprises and industries to emerge. It also called for investment in the nation’s infrastructure, such as the construction of roads and canals to promote interstate commerce—for example, the Erie Canal and Cumberland Road. The American System also called for the continuation of the national bank to promote a single currency, establish nationally issued credit, and facilitate trade. It also advocated keeping the prices of public lands high to increase the federal government’s revenue from land sales.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Industrialism emerged in the northern states prior to the Civil War as a result of the following conditions except 

A) availability of water power from streams and rivers 

B) availability of capital 

C) a shortage of labor 

D) poor agricultural conditions 

E) access to developed ports and railroads

Answer...

C) Because many immigrants entered the United States through northern ports, an abundance of unskilled labor was available to work in the emerging textile factories throughout the region. Furthermore, factories such as the Lowell textile mills in Massachusetts employed young, unmarried women from nearby farms to work in the factories. They were seen as ideal labor, since they worked for less money and were considered less likely to organize. They made up a majority of the labor in the New England region until the 1840s, when they were displaced by a large wave of Irish immigrants.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following was a direct result of the Missouri Compromise? 

A) The state of Maine was created. 

B) Slavery was allowed only in states south of Missouri’s northern border. 

C) Kentucky outlawed slavery. 

D) The balance of free and slave states ended. 

E) California was admitted into the Union as a free state

Answer...

A) The Missouri Compromise was signed into law in 1820. Missouri was admitted into the Union as a slave state, and Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) entered as a free state. This preserved the balance between free and slave states. It also set the boundary of free and slave states at latitude 36º30′ north (Missouri’s southern border). The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 effectively repealed the act, and the Dred Scott decision of 1857 deemed the compromise unconstitutional, adding to the tensions that led to the Civil War.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following was not a provision of the initial Monroe Doctrine? 

A) The Western Hemisphere was closed to colonization. 

B) The Americas were politically different from the nations of Europe. 

C) European intervention in the Western Hemisphere would be regarded as a threat to U.S. security. 

D) The United States would not intervene in European wars and conflicts. 

E) The United States would use military intervention in the Western Hemisphere if needed.

Answer...

E) The 1823 Monroe Doctrine was issued by President Monroe as part of his annual address to Congress. The act closed the Western Hemisphere to further colonization by the European powers. It also was to be a deterrent to keep European nations from interfering with the political development of the newly independent Latin American states. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt greatly expanded the scope of the doctrine by announcing that the United States could intervene in Western Hemisphere states if they became unstable. This has become known as the Roosevelt Corollary

[apushresources]

Daily Question

Which of the following statements about the Treaty of Ghent is not true? 

A) It ended the War of 1812. 

B) It settled the border disputes involving the Louisiana Territory. 

C) It failed to address British impressments. 

D) It did not address the idea of freedom of the seas. 

E) It was signed by Britain and the United States.

Answer...

B) The Treaty of Ghent, signed in 1814, ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. It restored borders to their prewar positions but failed to resolve major issues behind the start of the war, including impressments, freedom of the seas, and other major border concerns.

[apushresources]

Daily Question

The main purpose of passing the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution was to 

A) correct irregularities in presidential elections 

B) prevent individuals in one state from suing another state in federal courts 

C) allow the federal government to purchase new lands from foreign powers 

D) end the importation of slaves from outside of the nation 

E) outlaw forced labor and involuntary servitude

Answer...

A) The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1804 and was a response to irregularities during the presidential elections of 1796 and 1800. In 1796, John Adams won the presidency as a Federalist, but the Constitution provided that the candidate who received the second largest number of votes became vice president, and that person was Adams’s political rival, Thomas Jefferson. Because of the development of sectionalism and parties, this arrangement became seemingly unworkable. In the presidential election of 1800, the vice presidential candidate, Aaron Burr, received more electoral votes than Thomas Jefferson, the presidential candidate. The House of Representatives was forced to decide the election, in part due to the support given by Alexander Hamilton, who openly disagreed with Jefferson’s political views.