I recently took a practice exam for AP US History that my district offered for students enrolled in the class. I got my scores back, although I am not fairly convinced that they are appropriately graded. My teacher gave each of my essays an 8, though I find that difficult to believe since I’ve barely studied at all for the APUSH exam and mainly BS’d my essays in my opinion.</p>
As such, I’d appreciate comments from all of the other people here on CC taking the APUSH exam.</p>
DBQ:</p>
What were the Cold War fears of the American people in the aftermath of the Second World War? How successfully did the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower address these fears?</p>
<pre><code> In the years following the end of World War II, the American population’s attention was diverted to one threat: that of a Communist takeover by Soviet Russia. The Eisenhower Administration responded to the crisis by promoting government investments into defense systems and education; such responses did not completely eliminate the fear of a Communist takeover. As a whole, communism was the direct antithesis of the American principles of democracy and free-enterprise. Communism promoted social, political, and global equality under the rigid control of a central government. Specific reactions both by the general American population and the Eisenhower Administration will help identify the effects of the threat of communism in the United States.
The fears of communism in the United States can be best demonstrated in McCarthyism, a time period in the United States consisting of fears of a communist takeover from the inside. Senator Joseph McCarthy argued that the threat of communism arose not from the presence of the Soviet Union, but from “communists” living in America. The role of McCarthy as a demagogue aroused Americans to suspect even slight criticism of the American government as a form of communism. Several so-called “communists” were deported to the Soviet Union despite being legal American citizens. Document A notes additional fears that fed into McCarthyism. For example, the people “fear[ed] the men in the Kremlin… [and] what they [would] do to [their] friends around them”. Eisenhower conceded to the fact that the fear of communism had indeed delved into the core of American society. In his press conference (Doc. A), Eisenhower further noted that the American people were “fearing what unwise investigators [would] do… here at home as they [tried] to combat subversion or bribery or deceit within”. Evidently, the fear of communism in the years following the end of WWII were so strong that Americans were even afraid of the neighbor (i.e. anyone was capable of searching and deporting them), a fear that was taken advantage of by McCarthy. In the response to the fear of a communist takeover, the Eisenhower Administration sought to reassure Americans that America would be able to defend itself.
One of Eisenhower’s direct responses to communism was promoting investments into the national defense, an action that unfortunately did not help completely soothe the people’s fears. The political cartoon in Document F demonstrates that much of the national budget during the Eisenhower years was being funneled into missile programs. The cartoon does appear to be accurate in depicting the era as it acknowledges other sectors of national spending that were thrown aside, such as space development and welfare programs, the latter having been of relatively high priority since the days of the New Deal. Undoubtedly, an increased production of missiles would effectively represent the military potential of the United States, perhaps even scaring the Soviet Union away in the process. The chart featured in Document E expounds on the (hypothetical) need for a greater missiles program. The document states: “Push a button in Russia, and 35 minutes later much of [the] U.S. could be laid waste - with power to retaliate limited”. Document E goes on further to suggest that “a growing question whether a policy of accepting the first blow may be the best one”. In his message on education to Congress, Eisenhower noted that “if [America] [was] to maintain [her] position of leadership, [Americans] must [have] [saw] to it that… young people [were] prepared to contribute the maximum to… future progress”. Clearly, an importance on military defense was valued by the Eisenhower Administration.
Despite its effort, the Eisenhower Administration was not particularly successful in addressing the fears of the people. In his inaugural address (Doc. I), John F. Kennedy discussed the threat of communism and how he vowed to essentially response to a takeover with diligence. Of course, Kennedy was not the only one to admit that the Cold War (and the fears associated with it) continued to drag on. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, people responded with much fear when they learned that the Soviet Union was storing missiles only a few hundred miles away from the US itself. Evidently, Eisenhower’s investments into military defense did not convince Americans that they could readily take on Soviet Russia and communism. In short, the fears of the Cold War dragged on until the breakup of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s.
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FRQ #1:</p>
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 characteristics? Consider TWO of the following in your response.</p>
Economic development
Politics
Reform movements</p>
<pre><code> The Jacksonian Period is appropriately named as the era of the “common man” in that Jackson implemented both economic and political change that appealed to the rich and wealthy as much as the poorer farmers and laborers living in the West during his presidency as well as his campaigns. Being raised in a relatively poor household himself, Jackson found changing the contemporary American system to better meet the needs of the low- and middle-class. In the economic sector, Jackson tackled the monopoly held by the Second National Bank of the United States and popularized speculation in the West. In the political arena, Jackson influenced the development of third-parties - essentially political parties other that the two main rivaling parties - and the elimination of certain requirements that prohibited some white males from voting. To better understand the extent to which the period lived up to its characterization, an analysis of both the economic and political changes and their appeal to the “common man” is necessary.
Much of the economics of the United States in the years before Jacksonian Democracy centered around meeting the needs of the rich moreso than planters and farmers. For example, tariffs of the time particularly favored the industrial arena. Farmers, among others, had to pay duties to buy manufactured goods, which the South and West in particular had few of, from Britain. Jackson saw the need to promote an economy that also favored farmers and other poor peoples. One of Jackson’s major acts was breaking up the National Bank. The National Bank determined the value of American currency and, as a whole, managed the country’s money. Jackson broke up the National Bank into so-called “wildcat banks”. independently run banks that were not regulated by the US government. Although the wildcat banks were not stable financially, they did allow the common man to attempt to prosper in speculation, which involved buying lands in the west in the hopes of offering them to railroad companies for a profit. In promoting speculation through the forming of wildcat banks, Jackson gave all white males the opportunity to prosper financially.
The political arena, much in the same way as the economic arena, was favored toward the wealthy. For example, white males needed to own a certain amount of property and pay a fee in order to vote on the ballot. During the years of his presidency, Jackson sought to increase the participation of the common man in politics, as seen in his campaigning methods. Instead of limited his campaigns to formal settings in the East, Jackson hosted outdoor festive campaign parties that anyone could attend. In fact, multiple people came to Jackson’s campaigns to listen to his promises of support for the common man while eating festive dinners and drinking alcohol. Jackson also introduced new policies that allowed the common man readier access to voting. In his policies, Jackson guaranteed voting privileges to all white males by eliminating the notorious property requirements and voting fees. In effect, all white males had to do was show up at the ballot to vote.
The Jacksonian Period was a unique time in American history in that a particular emphasis was placed on the “common man”. Up to the time period, politicians and businesses ignored the common man and considered them unimportant. However, Jackson valued the common man, likely because he was one a “common man” himself, and stressed their importance in the American economy and American politics.
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FRQ #2:</p>
Describe and account for the rise in nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930.</p>
<pre><code> The rise in nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930 is best characterized as increasing discrimination toward immigrants not of British descent (i.e. the Irish, Italians, etc.) that can be attributed to several factors, including competition from immigrants in the workforce and international relations following World War I. Immigrants were not provided with the same equality and opportunities as “Americans” and were actively discriminated against, particularly in industry. The influence of organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the incidence of the Red Scare further inspired nativism. To better describe and account for nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930, an analysis of both immigrants and foreign countries’ roles in American society both before and during the time period is required.
Much of the nativism in American society from 1900 to 1930 can be traced to competition from immigrants in the workforce during the late 1800s. For example, Chinese immigrants made up a bulk of the labor force of the railroad industry while American was continuing to connect the West and East. Domestic workers were concerned that the Chinese immigrants were taking home a large portion of their pay. Consequences soon arose. In California, for example, the Chinese were physically abused and prevented from becoming citizens. Much of the discrimination toward the Chinese was similar to the discrimination toward other racial groups.
In the actual period from 1900-1930, several factors contributed to a rise in nativism. As had happened with the Chinese, an influx of Japanese immigrants into American caused citizens to be concerned with growing competition. The Japanese were barred from certain jobs and even from applying for citizenship. The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s publicly harrased immigrants and attracted much support from Americans, particularly in the South. The Red Scare, a fear of communism in response to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, caused Americans to further be wary of immigrants who may have tried a revolution in America themselves.
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^^
Obviously didn’t finish the last essay.</p>
Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, the FRQs were taken from the 2001 released exam. For your convenience, here’s a link to the questions: <a href=“http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ushist_01.pdf[/url]”>http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ushist_01.pdf</a></p>
Thanks in advance as well!</p>