For my summer assignment going into APUSH, we have to answer a long essay question from the 2001 exam:
The Jacksonian Period (1824-1848) has been celebrated as the era of the “common man.” To what extent did the period live up to its characterization? Consider TWO of the following in your response.
Economic development
Politics
Reform movements
My question is which Historical Thinking Skills (HTS) category does this one fall into? On the rubric, it says the question falls into one of these 4 categories: Continuity and Change Over Time, Periodization, Causation, or Comparison. I have narrowed it down to Periodization or Continuity and Change Over Time. Which one is it??? I feel an argument could be made for both but I need to know which one it is so I can write the essay correctly.
Please help!
Hi! From my experience with many variations of FRQ prompts, I would consider this prompt to be an example of Periodization. The Jacksonian Period is a key era in history, and due to the fact that the prompt asks the student to analyze the overall trend of the era, I believe this prompt would be a fine example of periodization. Furthermore, the topics given (economic development, politics, reform movements) are essential parts of the period and require the student to analyze the period’s details.
Here are some examples of FRQ’s taken from the AMSCO book that fall into each category:
Continuity & Change Over Time:
For some the election of Andrew Jackson brought a revolutionary change in politics for the common man as opposed to it being a continuation of the trend toward greater voter participation. Support, modify, or refute this contention using specific evidence.
Periodization (found online):
The Era of Good Feeling (1816-1824) marked the appearance of issues that transformed American politics in the next 20 years. Assess the validity of this generalization.
Causation:
Analyze why freedom of religion was important in the founding of some of the English colonies while being denied in others.
Comparison:
Compare and contrast the prevailing attitudes of the American people in the periods leading up to the War of 1812 and the Spanish American war.