AP US History- First Essay Assignment:

AP US History- Unit One Possible Essay Questions

Directions: Write a thesis statement and opening paragraph for each of the prompts. Continue with an organizational list for an essay. Upon completion, trade with another student, critique and improve. One of these will be your essay question for the exam.

1. “Within 150 years after the arrival of the first English settlers, those who had come o the new land had changed- they had become Americans.” Determine the characteristics that were “American” and evaluate the forces and conditions which formed this distinctly American character.

2. Though many colonists came to America because they were denied tolerance in Europe, their American communities often did not reflect an acceptance of other people or divergent ideals. Discuss both the presence of tolerance and the lack of it in colonial America.

3. The success of a colony often depended on how successful the settlers were in building a sense of community. Choose any two colonies and evaluate haw the colonists developed these sense of community and to what degree they were successful.

4. In the years between the founding of Jamestown and the end of the American Revolution, Many of the most important America institutions were formed. Choose any two of the following and analyze their development in the years between 1607 and 1783. a. religious freedom/toleration b. slavery c. well-defined roles for women d. self-government e. a successful economic system

5. In the two decades preceding the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a profound shift occurred in the way many Americans thought and felt about the British government and their colonial governments. Assess the validity of this statement in view of the political and constitutional debates of these decades.

6. Despite the view of some historians that the conflict between Great Britain and its 13 North American colonies was economic in origin, in fact, the American Revolution had its roots in politics and other areas of American life.

7. “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation, all having, in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these United States.” Evaluate this accusation made against George III in the Declaration of Independence.

8. Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Why did this difference in development occur?