ap us history 1993 dbq

AP History: Document-Based Questions (DBQs) Decoded

Document-Based Questions (DBQs) are a central component of Advanced Placement (AP) history exams, including AP United States History (APUSH), AP European History (APEH), and AP World History (APWH). DBQs assess students' ability to analyze historical documents, synthesize information, and construct coherent arguments supported by evidence. To excel in AP History DBQs, it's essential to understand the structure of the DBQ, the skills required, and effective strategies for approaching these questions. Here's a comprehensive guide to decoding AP History DBQs:

 1. Understanding the DBQ Prompt:

- Carefully read and analyze the DBQ prompt to understand the historical context, the main topic, and the specific tasks required. Identify key terms and directives such as "analyze," "evaluate," or "compare and contrast" to guide your response.

 2. Examining the Documents:

- Review the provided historical documents, including primary and secondary sources such as texts, maps, charts, photographs, and political cartoons. Pay attention to the authorship, context, purpose, and point of view of each document.

 3. Thesis Statement:

- Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that directly responds to the DBQ prompt. Your thesis should present an argument or claim that addresses the main topic and outlines the key points you will discuss in your essay.

 4. Document Analysis:

- Analyze each document individually and in relation to one another. Identify the main ideas, arguments, perspectives, and biases presented in the documents. Consider how each document supports or contradicts your thesis statement.

 5. Contextualization:

- Provide historical context by situating the topic of the DBQ within its broader historical period or theme. Explain relevant background information, events, and developments that help contextualize the documents and support your argument.

 6. Evidence and Support:

- Use evidence from the documents to support your argument and analysis. Quote directly from the documents and cite specific examples to illustrate your points. Incorporate outside knowledge where applicable to enhance your argument.

 7. Synthesis:

- Synthesize information from the documents and incorporate additional historical evidence or examples to strengthen your argument. Draw connections between the documents, historical events, themes, and broader historical trends.

 8. Counterargument and Complexity:

- Acknowledge alternative perspectives or counterarguments and address them in your essay. Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of historical issues and interpretations by considering multiple viewpoints.

 9. Organization and Structure:

- Organize your essay logically and coherently, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph's main idea and transitions to connect ideas between paragraphs.

 10. Revision and Proofreading:

- Take time to revise and edit your essay for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure that your writing is concise, precise, and effectively communicates your analysis.

 11. Practice, Practice, Practice:

- Practice writing DBQ essays under timed conditions to improve your speed and efficiency. Work on developing your analytical and writing skills by tackling practice prompts and seeking feedback from teachers or peers.

 12. Seek Additional Resources:

- Utilize review books, study guides, online resources, and AP prep courses to supplement your preparation and deepen your understanding of historical concepts, skills, and exam strategies.

By mastering the skills and strategies outlined above, you'll be well-equipped to decode AP History DBQs and excel on the AP history exams. Remember to approach DBQs with confidence, critical thinking, and a thorough understanding of historical content and analysis. Good luck!

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Acing the Document Based Question on the AP US History Exam

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Taking the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exams and accompanying coursework while you’re in high school is a great way to demonstrate your academic skill and prepare for college coursework. If you do well on your AP exams, those high scores will be valuable assets when it comes time for you to apply to college.

One of the most popular AP exams is AP United States History , which was taken by nearly half a million high school students in 2016. This exam consists of 55 multiple-choice questions, four short-answer questions, a longer essay with a choice of two prompts, and a special type of essay question: the Document Based Question, or DBQ.

The DBQ doesn’t have to be intimidating, but you may not be familiar with its expectations, so it pays to get well acquainted with its format beforehand. Read on to learn what to expect from the AP US History DBQ, as well as some advice for getting prepared for this type of question and formulating your plan of attack for test day.

AP US History: a brief introduction

As its title indicates, the AP US History exam and its accompanying course curriculum deal with the history of the now-United States, starting in the 1490s with the arrival of European colonists and extending until the present day. It covers not only events and people from this time and place, but also broader historical trends that have shaped US history.

In its role as an Advanced Placement course, AP US History exists not only to teach you historical facts, but to help you understand how to approach and analyze historical content in the way that college-level courses will eventually expect you to be able to do. The AP US History exam is intended to test your skill at this type of analysis, and the DBQ is an important part of this assessment.   

While many students take AP US History courses at their high schools in preparation for the exam, you can also study for the exam independently. Check out our blog posts Which AP Should I Self-Study? and The Ultimate Guide to Self-Studying AP Exams for more information about whether and how to self-study for this and other AP exams.  

Since AP US History is so popular, there’s no shortage of study guides and other preparatory materials for this exam on the market. However, you should be aware that in 2015, this exam was updated, and some significant changes were made in how it approaches historical material.

When you’re studying on your own, either instead of or in addition to taking an AP course at your high school, seek out materials specific to this most recent version of the test. Older study materials will no longer be accurate.

For CollegeVine’s overview of this exam, take a look at our Ultimate Guide to the US History AP Exam . You can also find a very detailed overview of the exam and curriculum in the official College Board AP United States History Course and Exam Description, available on the College Board’s website .

What is the Document Based Question?

The DBQ is the first of two essay questions you’ll face on the AP US History exam. Unlike the other essay question, in which you’ll choose between two essay prompts that rely heavily upon your memory of the course content, the DBQ asks you to answer a question with specific reference to a number of documents that are provided for you within the exam booklet.

You’ll be given 55 minutes to complete the DBQ. It’s recommended that you spend 15 minutes reading the documents and planning your essay, and the remaining 40 minutes writing. Your DBQ score will account for 25% of your overall score on the exam.

In requiring you to analyze primary and secondary sources on your own, the DBQ mimics the work that professional historians do in assessing historical documents. This is how the AP US History exam determines how well you’ve acquired not only historical facts, but methods of approaching the study of history.

The documents provided for the DBQ will vary a great deal from year to year and topic to topic. Most of them will be the type of written sources you’re used to seeing in history classes, such as letters, speech transcripts, newspaper articles, or passages from scholarly works.

However, the term “document” is used broadly here, and the documents you’re given could also include such diverse sources as song lyrics, graphs of data, maps, political cartoons, or photographs. You’ll have to be ready to tease meaning out of whatever type of source you’re given.

The DBQ’s documents will provide you with a lot of useful information, which can make writing your essay easier in certain ways—you won’t be coming into this essay trying to work from memory alone. On the other hand, the more complicated format and high expectations of the DBQ can present some unique challenges.

For one thing, you’ll still need to employ a great deal of the knowledge you accrued in your  AP US History course or self-studying experience. You’ll be expected to understand the various historical contexts in which your documents were created, the events and issues they reference, and the possible impact of authorial biases on their composition.

Practically speaking, writing a successful DBQ essay requires you to read, comprehend, and assimilate into your larger historical understanding a number of new and unfamiliar pieces of information within a very short period of time. This can be done, but it’s not an easy task.

Also, as we’ll go over in greater detail below, the DBQ has high expectations. While the question in the test booklet will come with a long list of specific, stated requirements in terms of what you need to address and how, you’ll also need to come into the test being already familiar with the goals and standards of the AP US History curriculum.

How is the DBQ evaluated?

The AP US History DBQ is always designed to test a certain set of skills that it considers essential to historical study. The readers will judge your essay upon how well it demonstrates solid argumentation, analysis of evidence, contextualization, and synthesis.

In addition to these skills, each year’s DBQ requires test-takers to demonstrate understanding of one additional theme from a set provided by the College Board. The DBQ you receive will focus either on historical causation, patterns of continuity and change over time, comparison, interpretation, or periodization.

Aside from these factors, a successful DBQ response will fully address the question that you’ve been asked, which can sometimes be complex or have multiple components. In composing your essay, you’ll need to follow the provided directions exactly as they’re given, and watch out to make sure answer all parts of a multi-part question.

A successful essay will also make full use of the documents you’ve been provided. You should do your best to address all the documents in your essay, though it’s acceptable to use all but one. Mentioning these documents isn’t enough—you’ll need to show that you really understand them, from the meaning of the text to the historical context of the authors’ identities and points of view.

It’s very important to remember that a high-scoring DBQ essay is an essay, not just a list of comments on your sources. It should have the same components as any other short essay, including a strong thesis statement and ample supporting evidence for this thesis. Most of all, it has to be coherent and make sense as an argument for your point.

For more specific details of how the DBQ is evaluated and scored, the rubric that’s used for all the AP history exams is available on the College Board website.

Preparing for the DBQ

When you’re studying for your DBQ, it’s important for you to keep in mind that the question and accompanying documents may come from any part of the AP US History curriculum. There’s no way of knowing what material your DBQ will involve, so it’s essential that you have a strong overall strategy for reviewing the full scope of what you’ve learned.

As we’ve mentioned, the purpose of the DBQ is to teach you how to approach historical data and documents in a way that’s similar to how a real historian would do it. You’ll be given specific details, but it’s up to you to place those details in their proper historical context and develop a well-supported interpretation of the materials you’re given.

It’s essential, then, that you build up your ability to interpret sources, making use of the concepts and skills you’ve learned through the AP US History curriculum. You can’t simply rely on memorizing your textbook’s explanations of historical events; you also have to develop this skill and make your understanding of the material your own.

On a more specific, practical level, when preparing for your AP US History exam, and specifically for the DBQ, completing practice test questions and full practice tests is always helpful. At the moment, practice test options are limited due to the recent exam updates, so if you do get to take a practice test, it’s especially important for you to take it seriously.

Whatever practice you’re able to accomplish, make sure you do it with correct timing and a testing environment that mimic the real exam. Time management in the silence and stress of the exam room is a difficult thing, and timed practice questions will help you get a better feel for how quickly you need to work to complete your essay on time.

Your test day plan of attack for the DBQ

Finally, it’s time for the moment of truth: test day. In the span of three hours and fifteen minutes, you’ll answer multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions that might address any topic in the broad-ranging AP US History curriculum. Sandwiched in the middle of this test will be, of course, the DBQ.

Studying the material that will appear on the test is important, but with a timed, standardized test, it’s also important to be prepared for the particular testing environment. Here are some tips for approaching the real AP US History exam in the moment, when stress levels are high and time is of the essence.

• Read and re-read the question carefully. Make sure you understand exactly what you’re being asked to do—a misunderstanding can derail your entire essay.
• Read the test’s list of requirements for your answer. You don’t need to guess at what to include in your response—the test will tell you exactly what the readers are looking for.
• Read the documents carefully, keeping the question and requirements in mind. Take note of the author, the date, the location, and any other facts that frame the document, and think about how these may have affected its creation.
• Plan wisely—it makes a difference. Taking a moment to plan ensures that your essay will contain all its required parts and makes the writing process go much more smoothly.
• Make sure your planned answer is cohesive and analytical. It needs to be a coherent essay with depth and a strong thesis, not just a list of the sources.
• Write quickly and stay focused. Follow the plan you’ve made, watch for mistakes that obscure your meaning, and make sure your handwriting is legible.
• Save a few moments to review your essay briefly for errors. You can’t make any major changes at this point, of course, and minor spelling or grammar errors won’t count against you, but you’ll want to make sure that your essay makes sense.

For more information

Here at the CollegeVine blog , we’re no strangers to the demands of AP exams and courses. Take a look at our other blog posts about the AP program for more information about AP course offerings and how to prepare for your AP exams.

• Ultimate Guide to the AP Chemistry Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Biology Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Calculus AB Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP World History Exam
• Ultimate Guide to the AP Statistics Exam

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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1993 Ap U.S. History Dbq Essay

Despite the common English backgrounds, societies in the New England and Chesapeake regions of Colonial America had split off into two incredibly different cultures: A very religiously focused New England and the more economic-oriented Chesapeake. Because these regions were settled for different purposes, the development of these societies led to the distinctions between them. One of the major causes for emigration from England to North America was religious persecution. Religious tolerance in Britain for other Christian sects besides the Anglican church was virtually nonexistent, resulting in many members of other sects to seek religious haven in the colonies. The vast majority of immigrants coming to New England were followers of …show more content…

Contrary to the pilgrims of New England, those who settled in the Chesapeake area colonized the region for more economic purposes. Many people who settled in the Chesapeake were down-on-their-luck English citizens living in swamps and slums hoping to stake it out in the New World, because it couldn’t be much worse than the conditions they faced back in England. Most received their tickets to America through indentured servitude, paying for their trip with a few years of free labor for a wealthy master. Document C is a roster of indentured servants bound for Virginia who are all set to work for the same master. Indentured servitude had long lasting effects on the colonies, the most impactful being Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 (Document H). This uprising was caused former indentured servants who had no land or property of their own once their work contracts expired. Because the land westward was populated by Natives and therefore almost impossible to acquire, the dissenters focused against the rich and powerful members of the colonies. The successful uprising led to reforms such as work regulations explained in Document E, as well a shift away from indentured servitude and towards slavery of blacks. Other settlers besides indentured servants were aspiring traders and gold-hunters mentioned in Document F. While traders had little success early on and treasure hunters definitely didn’t find their fields of

Essay on U.S History Doc. Assignment

- His attitude towards the indians is very respectful and he admires how different they do things. He also feels sorry for the indians could not understand him. In my opinion I think he both respected their customs and repelled them. I think he likes some things they do and is really against some things they don’t. If he didn’t like their customs he wouldn’t have joined them. If he repelled them then he would have killed them or not have killed them from the start

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?

The New England colonies consisted of puritans who wanted to purify the church because the Church in England was corrupt. They wanted a place where they could worship freely and work together to

Differences Between New England And The Chesapeake Colonies

New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by people of English origin, but by the 1700’s they were two distinct societies. They differed politically, economically, and socially, and these differences stemmed from when people first arrived in the colonies to how the colonies grew over time.

Differences between New England and the Chesapeake Regions Essay

Although the English settled into both the Chesapeake and New England regions, they had formed into two completely opposite communities. Both regions came to America for different purposes. Whether the founders of this land was to make a profit, farm more land, or seek religious freedom, they did it to please their own intentions. There were many differences between the two regions, however two main places where they were opposites, were their lifestyle and their religion.

Essay Ap Us History Dbq

. In the first document, it tells you about how they pulled down the statue in the 1770s. The revolution was the American revolution because America fought for what they believed in. So the revolution was caused by America, the American revolution changed about on how people acted towards other people. In document two there is self-evident that “all men are equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness among men deriving their just powers of the governed.

Ap Us History 5

1. Discuss the balance of resources between the North and South at the beginning of the Civil War and its implications for initial military strategy.

Ap Us History Dbq Essay

During America's earliest history George Washington tried to create a government that would fit best for America and its future. Washington's secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton helped him by creating a charter introducing the first National Bank. The charter of the first bank of the United States passed by the US Congress was constitutional due to the fact that it was necessary governmentally, economically, and nationally.

Compare And Contrast The English And Chesapeake Colonies Dbq

The English and Chesapeake regions were in fact both settled by English men. Yet by the early 1700’s these two groups of people from the same origin had become 2 very distinct societies. The reason for this is because the English men and women that came to Americas came for their own reasons. In the North they were seeking religious freedom and to separate from the church of England, while further south, excluding Maryland because they are a state for the Catholics, these people had become businessmen and were inclined to make money through agriculture.

Economic Differences Between New England And The Chesapeake Region

This surplus was forced to beg in the cities until the idea of an indentured servant became popular. During the seventeenth century,”only a quarter of the Chesapeake immigrants arrived as freemen..... three quarters of the immigrants arrived as indentured servants” where they signed a contract to work for four to seven year and then become a free man and be granted fifty ares of land. While sounding like the perfect solution, eventually the good land was used up and the dead land was given to the poor, keeping them poor. After years of oppression and being ignored, Bacon's rebellion was ignited.

Compare And Contrast New England And Chesapeake

The New England and Chesapeake regions, regardless of their English backgrounds, developed into two different societies, by 1700, because of the different economies, political views, and religious views that the people of each region had. The economy of each region differs with the contrasting climates and geography types. The initial ideas of the people who first came to the new world helped shape the differently styled governments in the regions. Religion was significantly present in the New England region more than in the Chesapeake region. Alongside all of these social discrepancies, the people of each region simply developed separately which caused the differences.

New England Vs Chesapeake Essay

To start off, the New England and Chesapeake region came upon the New World with motives. The Pilgrims’ prime purpose of coming to the New World is to be free from persecution by the Church of England and seek for a place where they could have freedom of religion. Another example would be of the Bay Colony from Massachusetts. The purification of the Church of England was taking a great deal and eventually weighed down the hopes of

Ap Us History Research Paper

There are many reasons why I want to be in AP United States History. I really enjoy history classes and was recommended by Mr. Walterbach to take the class. When taking Pre-AP World History freshman year, I felt like I was confident in the class and understood the material. Plus, I received an A for both semesters. I decided that if I could handle Pre-Ap World History and felt that it was easy, I could handle AP United States History.

New England Colonization

Religion was a major factor for the colonization of New England. Persecution of the people’s religion is what had helped to create New England as explained by the article Women in New England Colonies; “In America was Plymouth, Massachusetts, which was founded in 1620 by Separatists from the Church of England. Know as “Pilgrims” because they had first exiled them selves in Holland, they wanted to separate entirely from the Anglican Church” (NWHM). This gives the background as to why the Pilgrims came to the Americas to colonize it and settle down in a place where they can practice their religious freedom with out prosecution.

Henry VIII And The Religion In North America

Religion was a factor in regard to English citizens immigrating to North America because English citizens didn’t so many ceremonies, rituals and beliefs. Some of them were known as “puritans” which wanted to purify the Church, and eliminate anything related to it. The differences in religion

Historical Steps Toward Religious Liberty

Though religious freedom is often cited as the reason for people migrating from England to America, it is too simplistic. It is more accurate to say that religious groups came for their own security, but were not committed to equal religious liberty for all.

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AP US History DBQ & FRQ

Ap us history dbq & frq.

There are some great online resources available for AP US History Document Based Questions and Free Response Questions. Review the list below to see all the best options.

Prior Year Free Response

Long essay video, short answer video, writing in apush, apush thesis statements, us history writing, writing guide.

AP US History | Practice Exams | FRQ & DBQ | Notes | Videos |  Study Guides

AP® US History

Understanding the new ap® us history dbq rubric.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: March 1, 2022

Just like a touchdown and extra point, the new AP® US History DBQ is worth seven points. The DBQ is 25% of your final score on the exam, so it is crucial for you to understand the changes to the rubric, as well as how to write the best DBQ possible.

Total Possible Points : 7 Thesis and Argument Development: 0-2 points

This strand of the rubric targets your historical argumentation skills. To do well on this strand, you must:

• Write a thesis that is “historically defensible” (i.e. that you can back up with historically accurate arguments. In other words, you must use facts )
• Respond to ALL parts of the question
• Use this thesis to develop a cogent argument that takes into account historical evidence AND demonstrates a relationship between different types of historical evidence

It is that last bullet point that may confound you the most. Remember, the question will be complex and ask about relationships between different types of evidence.

You may be asked to demonstrate how different types of evidence contradict one another, corroborate or strengthen one another, or change one another. The important thing is that you demonstrate a strong understanding of all the evidence as well as how each piece is related to the other.

A few more helpful tips…

You may be used to writing a standard five-paragraph essay with one opening paragraph, of which the thesis is the last line. Forget this style.

For a DBQ, you must locate your thesis in either the introduction OR conclusion of your essay, but remember: your intro and conclusion can be LONGER than one paragraph. This flexibility gives you room to write a thesis that explicitly addresses all parts of the question, makes an accurate and well-supported argument, and uses complex reasoning to illustrate historical relationships and reasoning. In other words, a thesis for a DBQ will never look like a spitback answer, like “World War One started on July 28, 1914.” You can expect your thesis to be longer than that, and in fact, the College Board takes into account that your thesis may well be longer than one sentence.

Document Analysis (0-2 points)

This strand of the rubric targets your ability to analyze evidence and use the evidence to support the argument laid out in your thesis.

The DBQ is comprised of multiple documents. These can include primary sources, secondary scholarship, images, text… You may not be familiar with all of the documents, but you must be able to use what you know (either background information or context clues from the documents themselves) in order to make a coherent historical argument that supports your thesis. You must use at least six of the documents to support your thesis.

Of those six, you must be able to explicitly explain four of the documents. An explicit explanation can comprise a discussion of:

• The point of view evinced in the document (what argument does this document support or negate?)
• The author’s purpose (what was the creator’s aim in writing or disseminating this document?)
• The historical context (where is this document coming from? What was it used for?)
• The audience (who was meant to see this document, and why?)

Again, all discussions of the documents must demonstrate that you can use the documents to strengthen your argument and support your thesis.

Using Evidence Beyond the Documents: 0-2 points

This skill targets your ability to contextualize and argue historically.

There are two strands here. Contextualization means that you must locate your argument within a larger historical context; i.e. you must explain how the argument connects to other historical events or processes.

So if the question is about, for example, warfare during the Civil War versus the French and Indian War, you must give enough background information about one or both of those events to convince the grader that you know what you are talking about when you make claims about one or both of those processes.

• When contextualizing, you will be using information you already know. You cannot merely summarize the information that is already in the documents, but must instead give an account of the relevant historical time periods or evidence.
• To properly contextualize, you will need to write more than just one sentence. The College Board expects at least a paragraph of contextualization, if not more.

Related to contextualization is your ability to give evidence from beyond the documents themselves. In other words, though you may have used outside evidence in the previous strand (Document Analysis), you must now refer to additional evidence that explains the documents and their relationship to your broader historical argument. Don’t just summarize information you have already given.

Again, to do this properly, you must be able to write at least a paragraph giving additional context on the specific documents. One sentence will not cut it.

Synthesis (0-1 point)

The final strand is your ability to synthesize. This just means that you can show a relationship between your argument and a different type of argument.

Those different “types” of argument can comprise of:

• A relevant development in a different time period, situation, area, or era. (For example, if the argument is about President Lincoln’s suspension of certain liberties during the Civil War, you might want to point to President Adams’ Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, President Roosevelt’s Alien Enemies Act, which was in fact an extension of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts, and the continuing argument over government usurpation of civil liberties in the present day. These are relevant to one another and show continuity even though they happened in vastly different time periods in response to different issues.)
• A different approach to history (i.e. if your argument focuses on economic history, you may want to synthesize this with a social approach to history)

While the AP® World and AP® European history tests also award the synthesis point for your connection of your argument to a different field of study (anthropology, art history, government and politics, etc.), the AP® US History exam will only award the synthesis point in the cases outlined by the bullet points above.

As with contextualization, you can only earn a point for synthesis if your synthesis is well-developed and clear. In other words, you must do more than merely refer to a different historical time period, development, process, or approach.

You must instead write a well-thought-out paragraph (at least) that demonstrates that you are familiar both with the event/issue about which you are writing the essay as well as the event/issue/process/approach you are attempting to synthesize.

The DBQ can seem daunting. You are supposed to be able to juggle multiple skills (argumentation, contextualization, periodization, synthesis… as well as actual content knowledge) and use them all at once to make a concrete argument.

However, the more you practice, the easier this will become. Do not put pressure on yourself to write a perfect DBQ on your first, second, or third try. This rubric is broken into component skills so that you can test yourself on each one. While they are all related – and while no knowledge exists in a vacuum – give yourself the freedom to focus on different skills each time you practice. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do a perfect job right away. Instead, focus on one or two skills at a time.

Some helpful tips…

Though this question tests your ability to think and describe relationships and arguments in context of one another, there is no replacement for content knowledge.

Flashcards that list the salient facts about a big event (or relevant document) can be very helpful here.

Don’t get hung up on trivia like dates or names; it’s more important to be able to describe the point of the Alien and Sedition Acts than to be able to list the date they were passed.

With enough practice, you will be able to make a well-supported historical argument in time for the AP® exam. Spend time in and out of class practicing how to write these, and you might even come to enjoy the process come May.

For a more comprehensive article regarding the AP® US History DBQ, be sure to check out our How-To Guide here .

Looking for AP® US History practice?

Kickstart your AP® US History prep with Albert. Start your AP® exam prep today .

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The New England colonies came to North America due to the persecution in England, therefore these separatists desired a “New” England away from the Anglican Church. The Chesapeake colonies were founded for economic reasons. Many settlers looked for gold and a place to produce tobacco. These colonies became a region of many indentured servants and competition. According to the Maryland Gazette, "In 1767 the Maryland Assembly passed a law designed to limit the effects of diseased convicts being imported into the colony." To pass a law to limit the imports of slaves shows the importance of slaves in their society. Due to the farming based society, the colonies was surrounded by fertile land. While New England colonies faced harsh winters with rocky soil. New England colonies were democratic and more industrial while Chesapeake were aristocratic. New England colonies stressed education of the Bible, but education was not significant to those near the Chesapeake Bay. Those in the Chesapeake Bay relied on plantations and their…

Dbq Although New England and the Chesapeake Region Were Both Settled Largely by of English Origin, by 1700 the Region Had Evolved Into Two Different Societies. Why Did This Difference in Development Occur?

Thought New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled with a majority of English origin. By 1700 the region had evolved into two completely different societies. When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure. All these differences helped sculpt the colonies into their own significant and distinct ways of living.…

1993 Ap U.S. History Dbq Essay

One of the major causes for emigration from England to North America was religious persecution. Religious tolerance in Britain for other Christian sects besides the Anglican church was virtually nonexistent, resulting in many members of other sects to seek religious haven in the colonies. The vast majority of immigrants coming to New England were followers of Puritanism who traveled to North America for strictly religious reasons. As shown by Document B, the first member listed (and therefore most prominent figure) on of one of the ships bound for New England was a minister, underlining the importance aspiring New Englanders placed on their Puritan beliefs. Consequently, the cities created by these pilgrims were built with Puritan customs in mind, establishing towns under strict guidelines conforming to things such as a religious town leader and how much real estate is distributed among the residents (Document D). Desire to achieve the ideal Puritan city stretched out across all of New England, as shown by Boston, Massachusetts who’s mayor John Winthrop wanted it to model the ideal Christian city, a “city upon a hill” that provided other Puritan towns a perfect example of what to be like (Document A). This overarching religious influence defined every aspect of New England society from blatantly patriarchal domestic life to the superstitious paranoia that led to the misguided hunting of witches. New England towns also put an emphasis on education, mostly so people could be able to read the bible. Harvard, in fact, was established to train members of the clergy rather than providing…

Chesapeake Bay vs. Massachusetts Bay Colonies

The formation of New England began with the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Bay in current day Massachusetts. These settlers moved to North America with one purpose in mind: to escape the religious prosecution in Europe. This set up the foundation of their settlement as a strictly “religion based” society, with the church being the center of all their daily functions. However, this was not the case for the Chesapeake Bay region, whose first prospering settlement was Jamestown. This settlement set the foundation for the Chesapeake Bay area, as well as the entire south for being an agricultural society looking to make a profit off the land. These settlers learned how to farm tobacco and corn from the native Powhatan Indian tribe, and expanded upon it, creating many large farms and plantations. While religion was still an important part of life in the Chesapeake Bay area, the structure of society did not rely on the church as it did in New England. This was because the Chesapeake area was majority Anglican Christian, while New England was predominantly Puritan. New England also had certain divisions such as Separatists and Calvinists, which fueled the rapidly expanding region; compared to the Chesapeake area, which expanded due to the desire for…

US History Summer Essay

The Chesapeake Bay and New England colonies were both mainly settled by people of English decent during the early 1600s. Although each colony was founded by people of the same origin, by the 1700s, both regions had evolved into distinct societies based on hardships that they faced, the type of government they had, and the reason for settling the two regions. Each society was faced with numerous challenges when starting out in each colony including hunger, inability to work, and harsh environmental conditions. Although both regions were settled by the English, each colony had their own unique systems of government. Along with different challenges and governments, the motives for settling the two regions varied from becoming wealthy to having religious independence. The differences applied to each region was what shaped them into two unique societies.…

Differences Between New England And Chesapeake Region

Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. These two colonies divided based on their values and goals for their future, New England believed in unity, religion, and family, while the Chesapeake region believed in success, working alone, and entrepreneurship. Their lives really centered around what they believed in and was the determining factor on why these societies are very different.…

Colonial Differences

Most could probably see that is was painfully obvious as to who the religious fanatics were. New England's colonists seemed to have a more religious tone, than did that of the Middle or Southern regions. The Puritans, who had apparently come to America to escape ridicule and religious persecution, were taking up on that very idea, punishing all those whom did not share in their ideas. They were stiff, strict people and did not allow for much, but the main idea is that they were driven by a higher power, God. This made the Puritans successful Massachusetts's colonists in that they were strong-willed and willing to make their government work. The type of government chosen by the Puritans worked well, a theocratic environment. A theocracy is defined as government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. According the John Winthrop, who was to be their governor for some number of years, it seemed that their grand purpose in America was to build A City upon a hill, in which the eyes of all people were upon them. In other words, they thought their purpose in the New World was to construct the model city. Connecticut, one of the other New England colonies was basically like Massachusetts. Their only quarrel with the Bay colony was that it was not strict enough.…

With different goals in mind, the two regions separated due to the major difference of what the two groups wanted. Socially, The Chesapeake had settled in the region for gold and riches. With no other goal in mind, it was difficult for the Chesapeake to develop families and stable homes. Not to mention the uneven men to woman ratio and the lack of food supply for the Chesapeake (Document C). They set up plantations and made profit from tobacco. The New England region consisted of Puritans who wanted to purify the church and escape religious persecution because of how bad and corrupted the Church of England was. When the New England region were first beginning to settle, they had no intention to make any profit or were obsessed with finding gold like the Chesapeake. Instead, they wanted to create a place were they could worship freely. A very important difference between the Chesapeake and New England was that they (New England) came to the region in families (Document B). Because of that, the population there grew by itself, creating stable families with a better ratio between man and woman, in comparison to The Chesapeake, who struggled to create families and make the population grow. The Chesapeake had a smaller population when being compared to New England for the sole fact that New England had more women in their region. Both regions had trouble and tension with Native Americans. The south was involved with Bacon’s rebellion which later led on to Bacon’s manifesto (1676) were he justified his rebellion against the Virginia…

New England and the Chesapeake Region Before 1700

Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled. <br><br>New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure" community, where Christianity would be pursued in the most correct manner. Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans were very religious people. In both cases, the local government was controlled by the same people who controlled the church, and the bible was the basis for all laws and regulations. From the Article of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts it is clear that religion was the basis for general laws. It uses the phrase "being by God's providence engaged together to make a plantation", showing that everything was done in God's name. The Wage and Price Regulations in Connecticut is an example of common laws being justified by the bible. Also in this document the word "community " is emphasized, just as Winthrop emphasizes it saying: "we must be knit together in this work as one man". The immigrants to New England formed very family and religiously oriented communities. Looking at the emigrant lists of people bound for New England it is easy to observe that most people came in large families, and large families support the community atmosphere. There were many children among the emigrants, and those children were taught religion from their early childhood, and therefore grew up loyal to the church, and easily controllable by the same. Any deviants from the regime were silenced or…

Ap Us History 2001 Dbq

How successfully did Eisenhower’s administration address Cold War fears after WWII from 1948 to 1961?…

Ap Us 1993 Dbq

New England and Chesapeake were two of the first colonies settled by people of English origin. That is where the similarities end. These two colonies evolved into two completely different societies. There are many factors that contributed to the different lifestyles. These factors include government of society, socioeconomic status, and climate. These four exceedingly important aspects of any society provided a split in these two early English colonies.…

Influence of Religious Differences on the Founding and Development of the Early New England Colonies

New England Colonies were established by people who were exile because of their religious beliefs, Most were known as separist. Most wanted to escapes and break free from the Anglican Church which was also known as the Church of England. They wanted the freedom to worship God in their own way. Yet, they however did not want to extend the freedom to everyone. Those who wanted to “purify” the Church of England were known as the puritans. They believe the Church of England was too similar to the Catholics in structure and ceremony. The puritans specially were intolerant to those who did not believe in their beliefs. The puritans were known as the non separists, the separists were people who wanted to completely break free from the Church of England. Also there was a group called the Antinomians in which Anne Hutchinson and her supporters opposed to the rule of law. The Quakers whom believed that they did not need to learn from ministry, since one person’s interpretation of the scripture was as valid as anyone else’s.…

Chesapeake vs. Mass Bay

New England, filled with primarily Puritans but also included separatists and congregationalists, centered their daily life around the Church. Their goal when coming to America was to create a model for what was, in their mind, an ideal community. Moreover, John Winthrop, the leader of the migrating Puritans, referred to the community as a “city upon a hill”. His belief was the families must come together to work as one in order to have success in religion and buisness. Even though religion was extremely important to the Puritans, commerce was also significant, making much of their profit off of their harvests. Soon, with the ability to support itself and grow, towns and cities formed in a concentrated area. On the contrary, The…

New England and Chesapeake Colonies

The New England and Chesapeake colonies were both settled by English colonists. Most colonists moving from Great Britain to New England were families searching for religious salvation, rather than mostly the single men that traveled to the Chesapeake area in search of wealth. The immigrants of the Chesapeake area were greeted with a climate and soil that were perfect for cultivating tobacco, cotton, indigo, and rice. Those settling in New England could not rely on farming to support themselves because of the rocky soil in the north. While the majority of the Chesapeake colonists were not as cohesive due to the great distance from farms to these towns, New England had close-knit church events, meetings, and schools. Although, the New England and Chesapeake colonies were both settled by people at English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies because of motives, environment, and towns/communities.…

Early Colonists in America

Because of certain political reasons, the colonies were both different. weren't because of the strict confines of the Anglican Church, it was because they were wealthy snobs and wanted even more. Also, more women came with the immigrants to New England. In Document F, John Smith states that Wingfield and Kendall went to England after Virginia was founded many times, or at least a couple. This shows more unity to England then the New England colonies, who basically didn't care at all about England right at the moment. The only thing was, God was running the show in New England, and well, if we look in the history books, lots of horrific things have been done in God's name. They showed they cared about the land, and a convenient proportion for a house lot. The religions were different. Puritanism was in New England and Anglican was in Virginia. I mean, the Indians showed them what tobacco was, and it if it wasn't for them, 90% of coughing in America would be decreased.…

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3 Tips for the AP U.S. History Document-Based Question

The Document-Based Question (DBQ) on the AP U.S. History Exam presents you with six or seven documents that all relate to a particular event/time and ask you to create an argument around them. Those familiar with what the DBQ entails might also know that you're welcome to choose whatever argument you want — as long as you can support it. (If you're not familiar with the DBQ, this article can help! ) But you might still be wondering how to go about answering the DBQ. Here are a few tips to help you nail it on test day.

Read All the Documents and Choose Your Argument

The question you're given will, of course, rely heavily on the documents provided, so there really is no way around reading through all of them — in fact, that's your best place to start. For each document, briefly summarize its stance and relevance to the question.

After a few documents, you might see a trend amongst the documents, with most of them leaning toward one specific argument. It's important to recognize a pattern like this, should it occur; arguing against a trend, as with cutting meat against the grain, is a more difficult task. Keep that in mind once you've gone through all of the documents, and use it to help you decide on an argument that you can easily make.

Briefly Brainstorm With an Outline

Next, your task will be to plan how you're going to express your chosen argument on the page. The best way to do this (and to stay on track!) is to outline your thoughts on scrap paper for one or two minutes, and then to use them to start writing the essay.

Use the notes you took on the documents to determine which points help build your argument. Then, fashion those into at least three body paragraphs. As with your typical five-paragraph essay, your thesis (in this case, your argument) should be stated in an introductory paragraph. Also be sure to include a final paragraph as a conclusion, and if you have not specifically answered the question by then, you must answer it there.

Beyond the documents, the College Board expects you to use evidence from your own studies. As you outline your essay, think about what you've learned in class and how to incorporate your knowledge into your overall argument. Of course, you can't just throw anything into your essay – the information needs to be relevant to your thesis and the question asked. Speaking of which…

Write Clearly to Answer the Question

When it's time to actually write the essay, start by focusing on the question. This may seem obvious, but I assure you there are plenty of students every year who get so excited to answer the question that they … don't answer it. More specifically, an overanxious test-taker might read half of the question, anticipate the rest of the question (without actually reading it), and write an essay that doesn't answer the full question. No matter how well your essay is written, this will not land you a good score.

Next, be straightforward. On average, the people grading your test will spend around two minutes on each essay. That means they aren't looking for anything profound, nor are they examining the subtleties of your writing (as great as they may be!). What they will look for is evidence that you have something reasonably intelligent to say and that you know how to say it. So write as clearly and concisely as possible — trust me when I say your scorer will respect you for getting to the point in your essay, and might even reward you for it.

Prepping for the DBQ portion of the AP U.S. History Exam is a critical step if you want to score your highest. If you think you're going to fudge your way through the exam by using beautiful writing with no substance, think again: You won't fool the graders into thinking you know more than you actually do (they're experts in history, after all!). So, pick up our prep book to get a comprehensive set of strategies and content review before the big day.

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1993 Ap Us History Dbq

During the 17th century there were many colonies settled in the New World. One thing most of these colonies had in common is the fact that almost all of them were settled by the English. If one were to focus mostly on the New England and Chesapeake colonies, one would find that although they were settled by similar people, they ended up splitting for very different reasons. The New England colonies were searching for religious freedom from the Church of England, whereas the Chesapeake colonies were striving for economic growth.

The New England colonies consisted of the settlements of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut Colony, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and Province of New Hampshire. Most, if not all, of these colonies were mainly settled by religious motivation. They did not want to be told by what means they could or could not worship, that was the reason they left England in the first place. Now in this new world they were being given the same rules. They wanted to control their cities by the rules of God that they believed.

They wanted to elect their own faithful minister to make the laws and divide up their real estate (Doc D). They also wanted to follow John Winthrop’s idea of a model puritan city, the “City on a Hill” (Doc A). The first name on a list of emigrants coming to the New England was Joseph Hull of Somerset, he was a Minister. His name was the very first name on the list, therefore his name was the most prominent name on the list, and he was a minister (Doc B). This shows that the New England colonist truly respected members of the clergy.

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The Chesapeake colonies were settled for very different reasons. They were mainly settled for economic development and prosperity. In many of the Chesapeake colonies, such as Connecticut, the prices and wages were set and agreed upon by the court. They did not have any religious figures decided laws or actions to carry them out. Many of the tradesmen, as well as the laborers, in Connecticut were told to “consider the religious ends of their calling” and to “[not] live in the practice of that crying sin of oppression, but avoid it” (Doc E).

This means that they were told to end their religious practices but to also avoid the life of sin. By doing this, they made room for more work which would in turn help the settlement prosper economically. There were also many plantations in the Chesapeake colonies. These plantations grew tobacco which inclined many workers to uphold the demand. This helped to draw in many English workers, as well as African Slaves, which ended up helping the economic growth of the colony overall. Lastly, both settlements were colonized by two different types of people, with extremely different motives.

The Chesapeake colonies, such as Virginia and Maryland, were colonized by single men looking for the potential development of economic growth, and the ability to make a profit. Whereas the New England Colonies, such as Rhode Island, were colonized by family men looking for a place where their family could be free from religious oppression. Virginia was colonized by John Smith, a single man who saw the opportunity to make some money and did everything in his power to keep the colony alive in order to do so.

Maryland was colonized by Lord Baltimore, another single man who granted real estate to his friends which paved the way for economic growth. Although the New England colonies and the Chesapeake colonies were both settled by Englishmen, they split for very different, but equally legitimate reasons. The New England colonies were searching for religious freedom from the Church of England, whereas the Chesapeake colonies were striving for economic growth.

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