AP United States History Samples and Commentary from the 2019 Exam Administration: Long Essay Question 3

2019

United States

History

Sample Student Responses

and Scoring Commentary

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Long Essay Question 3

R Scoring Guideline

R Student Samples

R Scoring Commentary

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question

Evaluate the extent to which debates over slavery in the period from 1830 to 1860 led the United States into the

Civil War.

Maximum Possible Points: 6

Points

Rubric

Notes

A: Thesis/Claim

(0–1)

Thesis/Claim: Responds to the prompt

with a historically defensible thesis/claim

that establishes a line of reasoning.

(1 point)

To earn this point, the thesis must make a

claim that responds to the prompt rather

than restating or rephrasing the prompt. The

thesis must consist of one or more sentences

located in one place, either in the

introduction or the conclusion.

The thesis must make a historically defensible claim

that establishes a line of reasoning about how

debates over slavery in the period from 1830 to 1860

led the United States into the Civil War.

Examples that earn this point include:

• “Overall the debate of slavery had a

tremendous impact on causing the Civil War

as sectionalism and debates over state’s

rights arised.”

• “Although tangential debates over issues

such as state vs. federal power may have

contributed to the divide between the North

and the South and thus the outlook of the

Civil War, the primary cause of the Civil War

was the tension over slavery.”

• “Throughout the mid-1800’s, debates rose on

the institution of slavery which eventually

led to the Civil War: social arguments were

made such as whites were superior to

blacks; the south argued that slaves were

economically beneficial due to the stable

labor force; and most importantly, political

divisions between the North and the South

greatly caused the Civil War.”

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

B: Contextualization

(0–1)

Contextualization: Describes a broader

historical context relevant to the prompt.

(1 point)

To earn this point, the response must relate

the topic of the prompt to broader historical

events, developments, or processes that

occur before, during, or continue after the

time frame of the question. This point is not

awarded for merely a phrase or a reference.

To earn the point, the response must accurately

describe a context relevant to the ways in which

debates over slavery in the period from 1830 to 1860

led the United States into the Civil War.

Examples of context might include the following, with

appropriate elaboration:

• Origins of slavery in the British colonial

economy

• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions/Compact

Theory

• The United States Constitution’s treatment

of slavery

• Ban on the international slave trade in 1808

• Britain banned the slave trade in 1807 and

abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833.

• Implications of the Missouri Compromise

• Southern economic reliance on slavery

• Cotton gin

• Southern concerns about protectionist trade

policies, rebellions by enslaved people, and

propaganda

• The Civil War (1861–1865)

• Debates over states’ rights after the Civil

War

• Sharecropping in the South

• Reconstruction

• Black Codes/Jim Crow

• Populism

• World War I and World War II

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

C: Evidence (0–2)

Evidence: Provides specific examples of

evidence relevant to the topic of the

prompt. (1 point)

To earn the first point, the response must

identify specific historical examples of

evidence relevant to the topic of the prompt.

Supports an Argument: Supports an

argument in response to the prompt using

specific and relevant examples of

evidence. (2 points)

To earn the second point, the response must

use specific historical evidence to support an

argument in response to the prompt.

Examples of evidence used might include:

• Abolitionist movement

• Nullification Crisis (1832–1833)

• Nat Turner

• Harriet Tubman

• Sojourner Truth

• Compromise of 1850

• Stephen Douglas

• Frederick Douglass

• Underground Railroad

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

• Free Soil Party

• Gag rule

• William Lloyd Garrison

• Cotton economy/Southern agriculture

• Northern industrialization/urbanization

• Wilmot Proviso (1846)

• Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854)

• Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

• Abraham Lincoln

• Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

• Republican Party

• John Brown

• Bleeding Kansas

• James K. Polk

• Texas

• Crittenden Compromise

• Brooks/Sumner caning (1856)

• Manifest Destiny

• Sectionalism

• Secession (South Carolina)

• Second Great Awakening

• Ostend Manifesto (1854)

• Popular Sovereignty

• Andrew Jackson

• John C. Calhoun

• Filibusters

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

D: Analysis and Reasoning (0–2)

Historical Reasoning: Uses historical

reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation,

continuity and change over time) to frame

or structure an argument that addresses

the prompt. (1 point)

To earn the first point, the response must

demonstrate the use of historical reasoning

to frame or structure an argument, although

the reasoning might be uneven or

imbalanced.

Complexity: Demonstrates a complex

understanding of the historical

development that is the focus of the

prompt, using evidence to corroborate,

qualify, or modify an argument that

addresses the question. (2 points)

To earn the second point, the response must

demonstrate a complex understanding. This

can be accomplished in a variety of ways,

such as:

• Explaining a nuance of an issue by

analyzing multiple variables

• Explaining both similarity and

difference, or explaining both continuity

and change, or explaining multiple

causes, or explaining both causes and

effects

• Explaining relevant and insightful

connections within and across periods

• Confirming the validity of an argument

by corroborating multiple perspectives

across themes

• Qualifying or modifying an argument by

considering diverse or alternative views

or evidence

This understanding must be part of the

argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

Examples of using historical reasoning to frame or

structure an argument might include:

• Explaining how the activism of abolitionists

and policies of the Republican Party helped

cause increased tensions between the North

and the South

• Tracing the long-term continuity/change in

debates over the spread of the institution of

slavery to the West from the 1830s to 1860

• Developing the similarities/differences

between Northern industrialization and

Southern plantation agriculture

Ways of demonstrating a complex understanding of

this prompt might include the following:

• Explaining a nuance of an issue by analyzing

multiple variables by, for example, assessing

different arguments against slavery and

different proposals for what to do about it

• Explaining both short- and long-term causes

by, for example, addressing the immediate

effects of antislavery activism in the 1830s

and long-term effects by the late 1850s

• Explaining relevant and insightful

connections within and across periods by,

for example, comparing proslavery

arguments from the 1830s to 1860 with

arguments about Jim Crow from the 1880s to

the 1900s

• Confirming the validity of an argument by

corroborating multiple perspectives across

themes, for example, by considering

Northerners’ and Southerners’ cultural

notions about their unique regional identities

• Qualifying or modifying an argument by

considering diverse or alternative views or

evidence by, for example, arguing

convincingly with evidence that debates over

slavery were secondary to debates about

state sovereignty in the outbreak of the Civil

War

If response is completely blank, enter - - for all four score categories: A, B, C, and D.

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

Scoring Notes

Introductory notes:

• Except where otherwise noted, each point of these rubrics is earned independently, e.g., a student

could earn a point for evidence without earning a point for thesis/claim.

• Accuracy: The components of these rubrics require that students demonstrate historically defensible

content knowledge. Given the timed nature of the exam, essays may contain errors that do not detract

from their overall quality, as long as the historical content used to advance the argument is accurate.

• Clarity: Exam essays should be considered first drafts and thus may contain grammatical errors.

Those errors will not be counted against a student unless they obscure the successful demonstration of

the content knowledge, skills, and practices described below.

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain grammatical errors.

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 point)

Responses earn 1 point by responding to the prompt with a historically defensible claim that establishes a line

of reasoning about the topic. To earn this point, the thesis must make a claim that responds to the prompt

rather than simply restating or rephrasing the prompt. The thesis must suggest at least one main line of

argument development or establish the analytic categories of the argument.

The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the

conclusion.

Examples of acceptable theses:

• “In general, the hostilities were worsened through events like the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-

Nebraska Act, and Bleeding Kansas until a breaking point with the election of President Lincoln that

led to southern secession and war.” (The response makes a claim in response to the prompt and suggests

an evaluative line of argument development.)

• “The issue of slavery therefore did help lead to the Civil War, which is evident with the Compromise of

1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska issue, but it was not the sole reason for the war’s outbreak, for

economic and sectional differences were a big factor as well.” (The response makes a claim in response

to the prompt and establishes the analytic categories for the argument.)

Example of unacceptable theses:

• “Throughout our history, the US has grown and grown, expanded and expanded. Our culture tends to

move with us as we go, but when the movement and expansion of slavery came into question,

numerous issues arose.” (This response attempts to establish a defensible line of reasoning, but it is

vague.)

• “Throughout the time period of 1830 until 1860 debate over slavery was the main issue in American

civilization.” (This response largely restates the prompt.)

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

B. Contextualization (0–1 point)

Responses earn 1 point by describing a broader historical context relevant to the topic of the prompt. To earn

this point, the response must accurately and explicitly connect the context of the prompt to broader historical

events, developments, or processes that occurred before, during, or continued after the time frame of the

question. This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference.

To earn the point, the response must accurately describe a context relevant to how debates over slavery in the

period from 1830 to 1860 led the United States into the Civil War.

Examples might include the following, with appropriate elaboration:

• Origins of slavery in the British colonial economy

• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions/Compact theory

• The United States Constitution’s treatment of slavery

• Ban on the international slave trade in 1808

• Britain banned the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833

• Implications of the Missouri Compromise

• Southern economic reliance on slavery

• Cotton gin

• Southern concerns about protectionist trade policies, rebellions by enslaved people, and propaganda

• The Civil War (1861–1865)

• Debates over states’ rights after the Civil War

• Sharecropping in the South

• Reconstruction

• Black Codes/Jim Crow

• Populism

• World War I and World War II

Example of acceptable contextualization:

• “….the political and economic status of slaves during the debates over slavery didn’t change the reality

of lives for blacks after the Civil War. Southerners still argued for control over the Black population

through the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws.” (The response earned 1 point for contextualization

because it establishes a historical pattern that relates to the main idea of the prompt.)

Example of unacceptable contextualization:

• “Throughout the nineteenth century the economies of the North and the South became increasingly

different.” (While the response has the potential to provide underlying context to the prompt, it does not

provide a clear explanation of what caused the economic differences nor how those changes relate to

debates over slavery.)

C. Evidence (0–2 points)

Evidence

Responses earn 1 point by providing at least two specific examples of evidence relevant to the topic of the

prompt. Responses can earn this point without earning the point for a thesis statement.

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

These examples of evidence must be different from the information used to earn the point for contextualization.

Typically, statements credited as contextualization will be more general statements that place an argument, or

a significant portion of it, in a broader context. Statements credited as evidence will typically be more specific

information.

Examples of evidence used might include:

• Abolitionist Movement

• Nullification Crisis (1832–1833)

• Nat Turner

• Harriet Tubman

• Sojourner Truth

• Compromise of 1850

• Stephen Douglas

• Frederick Douglass

• Underground Railroad

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

• Free Soil Party

• Gag rule

• William Lloyd Garrison

• Cotton economy/Southern agriculture

• Northern industrialization/urbanization

• Wilmot Proviso (1846)

• Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854)

• Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

• Abraham Lincoln

• Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

• Republican Party

• John Brown

• Bleeding Kansas

• James K. Polk

• Texas

• Crittenden Compromise

• Brooks/Sumner Caning (1856)

• Manifest Destiny

• Sectionalism

• Secession (South Carolina)

• Second Great Awakening

• Ostend Manifesto (1854)

• Popular Sovereignty

• Andrew Jackson

• John C. Calhoun

• Filibusters

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

Example of acceptably providing evidence relevant to the topic of the prompt:

• “The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act overturned previous precedent prohibiting the expansion of

slavery north of 36’30”, and allowed the inhabitants of a territory to decide whether or not to permit

slavery.” (The response earned 1 point by citing evidence relevant to the topic, but it does not use that

evidence to support an argument in response to the prompt, so it did not earn the second point.)

Example of unacceptably providing evidence relevant to the topic of the prompt:

• “During the period of 1830–1860, the United States government passed legislation such as the 3/5

Compromise, the Alien and Sedition Act, and the Missouri Compromise to calm the slavery issue.”

(The response did not earn the point because the evidence presented is not directly relevant to the issues of

slavery and the beginning of the Civil War, nor is it from the period.)

Supports an Argument

Responses earn 2 points if they support an argument in response to the prompt using specific and relevant

examples of evidence.

Example of acceptable use of evidence to support an argument:

• “Radical abolitionists such as John Brown attempted to challenge slavery by arming enslaved people

against slaveholders. Although Brown was unsuccessful, Southern leaders used calls by abolitionists

to end slavery as a justification for threatening secession if antislavery laws were passed.” (The

response earned 1 point for historical evidence and 1 point for supporting an argument because it

establishes a specific historical example as contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.)

Example of unacceptable use of evidence to support an argument:

• “Cotton production rapidly increased throughout the nineteenth century as a result of increased

demand for textiles, and new technologies made growing cotton more profitable in regions with

slaves.” (The response cites evidence relevant to the topic, which would count for the first evidence point,

but it does not use that evidence to support an argument about the relationship between debates over

slavery and the origin of the Civil War.)

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points)

Historical Reasoning

Responses earn 1 point by using historical reasoning to frame or structure an argument that addresses the

prompt. To earn this point, the response must demonstrate the use of historical reasoning to frame or structure

an argument, although the reasoning might be uneven or imbalanced.

Examples of using historical reasoning might include:

• Explaining how the activism of abolitionists and policies of the Republican Party helped cause

increased tensions between the North and the South

• Tracing the long-term continuity/change in debates over the spread of the institution of slavery to the

West from the 1830s to 1860

• Developing the similarities/differences between Northern industrialization and Southern plantation

agriculture

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

Example of acceptable use of historical reasoning:

• “Although the movement was largely unsuccessful and was focused on issues of trade and taxation,

the Nullification Crisis set the stage for later proslavery arguments. Those in favor of nullification

argued that states had the right to override federal laws, and Southern states in particular argued that

they could disregard any laws placing limitations on the rights of slaveholders.” (The response earned 1

point because it connects the continuation of broader ideas behind nullification to the specific arguments

regarding slavery that contributed to Southern secession and the beginning of the Civil War.)

Example of unacceptable use of historical reasoning:

• “Uncle Tom’s cabin was so gruesom, graphic, and realistic that it shocked many northerners. Many

people who read the book began to fight for the abolitionist movement.” (The response did not earn the

point because it did not frame or structure any argument that addresses the topic of the prompt.)

Complexity

Responses earn 2 points for demonstrating a complex understanding of the topic, using evidence to

corroborate, qualify, or modify that argument.

Demonstrating a complex understanding might include:

• Explaining a nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables by, for example, assessing different

arguments against slavery and different proposals for how to address it

• Explaining both short- and long-term causes by, for example, addressing the immediate effects of

antislavery activism in the 1830s and long-term effects seen by the late 1850s

• Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods by, for example, comparing

proslavery arguments from the 1830s to 1860 with arguments about Jim Crow from the 1880s to the

1900s

• Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes, for

example, by considering Northerners’ and Southerners’ cultural notions about their unique regional

identities

• Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence by, for

example, arguing convincingly with evidence that debates over slavery were secondary to debates

about state sovereignty in the outbreak of the Civil War

This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

Examples of acceptable demonstration of a complex understanding:

• The following response uses nuance to qualify the main thrust of the prompt, asserting that connections

between the North and West also contributed to the Civil War. It makes an overall argument focused on

westward expansion, but it shows complexity in arguing that northern industrialization was heavily reliant

on that expansion and that an industrial North tied to the West threatened the South beyond the question of

slavery. To support this argument, it uses evidence related to the more political aspects of westward

expansion, such as the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the Lincoln–Douglas Debates, and evidence related to

the more economic ties between the North and West, such as the Erie Canal and raw materials from the

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

West feeding the industrial factories of the North. “While slave disputes were a major cause that led the

U.S. into the Civil War to some extent, it was also the fact that the North and West were becoming

increasingly connected during the expansion westward, which set conditions for industrialization

which the South saw as a threat to their economy.”

• The following response modifies the prompt to address both slavery and the Civil War as the effects of

existing sectionalism, rather than debates over slavery as the cause of the Civil War. It addresses the

Mexican-American War, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas–Nebraska Act, and the Lincoln–Douglas

debates to support a nuanced argument. This consideration of alternative views demonstrates a complex

understanding of historical developments from 1830 to 1860. “In essence, rather than the debates over

slavery being the main cause of the Civil War, the main cause was that the North and South were

already divided and slavery is just the result.”

• The following essay argues that the differences in ideals and sectional interests, and the inability to

compromise during this period, culminated in an irreversible divide. It identifies the reasons for

sectionalism and for the change in the Northern goals in the Civil War, from preserving the Union to ending

slavery. This corroborates the initial argument by demonstrating a causation relation, proving the thesis.

“While issues such as tariffs that supported Northern manufacturing & hurt Southern economies

played a role in creating sectional divide, it was slavery that truly led the United States into Civil War &

the failing of several compromises; many problems that divided the North & South were revolved

around slavery such as the Fugitive Slave Act & Dred Scott Decision, & with the election of republican

Abraham Lincoln, the issues culminated into the secession of the South.” The essay continues, “The

debate would eventually drive the union’s motive for the war, as Lincoln’s Gettysburg address would

shift the focus of the war from unification to emancipating African Americans from the moral evils of

slavery. This would be crucial, as the South would lose support from Britain & Europe as they did not

want to support an immoral cause. Overall, the difference in ideals, sectional interests & inability to

compromise during this period culminated in an irreversible divide between North & South and our

nation’s only Civil War.”

Example of unacceptable demonstration of a complex understanding:

• The following response does not demonstrate a complex understanding. It attempts unsuccessfully to link

several events across time periods on a theme of inequality. Ultimately, the chronological confusion and

lack of relevant elaboration fail to make the connection. “In the case Plessy vs Ferguson, it was upheld

that segregation was constitutional, which only added to heinous government decisions like the Three

Fifths compromise, which only counted every 3 out of 5 slaves as human beings. This inequality

angered many people, as they argued that every man is equal, as demonstrated in the Declaration of

Independence. The neglect of egalitarianism seemed unconstitutional, but no one with government

power bothered to make any changes.”

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UNITED STATES HISTORY

2019 SCORING COMMENTARY

Visit the College Board on the web: collegeboard.org.

Question 3 — Long Essay Question

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Overview

• This question asked students to evaluate the extent to which debates over slavery in the period from 1830

to 1860 led the United States into the Civil War. In general, students began with the Missouri

Compromise (establishing contextualization) and then continued with other events such as the

Nullification Crisis, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Few students extended their

contextualization scope into the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.

• In part, responses were expected to demonstrate an ability to evaluate the many variables related to the

onset of the Civil War.

• Responses were expected to demonstrate use of contextualization and argument development. Further,

responses were expected to utilize causation, comparison, or continuity and change to frame or structure

an argument that addressed the prompt.

• This question mainly addressed Key Concept 5.2.

Sample: 3A

Score: 6

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 1

This response earned 1 point for the thesis. The opening paragraph provides context that develops a line of

reasoning. A clear thesis statement appears at the end of the essay, making a defensible claim that “the

difference in ideals, sectional interests, & inability to compromise during this period culminated in an irreversible

divide.”

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 1

This response earned 1 point for contextualization. This response provides a plethora of contextual information

from before the time period of the prompt. This contextual material includes a relevant reference to the

Constitution, for example, by stating that it “never fully addressed the issue of enslavement for African

Americans.” It also accurately identifies the Missouri Compromise as a “temporary solution” to balancing

legislative power in Congress.

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 2

The second and third paragraphs provide multiple pieces of evidence, including John Calhoun, the Wilmot

Proviso, Manifest Destiny, and the Compromise of 1850. These examples are relevant to the topic and earned

1 point for use of evidence. The explanation of the evidence supports the overall thesis, so the response earned

the second point for evidence. It argues, for example, that the Compromise of 1850 failed to resolve the very

conflict it attempted to address as “the North & the South could not agree on a solution & constant aggravation

led to a Civil War.”

UNITED STATES HISTORY

2019 SCORING COMMENTARY

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Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 2

Throughout the response, causation structures the argument. Statements such as “[t]his decision only heightened

the issue, & violence & bloodshed ensued” and “compromise fell apart” frame the development of the thesis. The

thesis qualifies the prompt by adding economic factors to debates over slavery as causes of the Civil War.

However, this argument is not developed enough to demonstrate a complex understanding of the period. Later

the response does demonstrate a complex understanding of the development of the period by corroborating its

argument across multiple themes, and it earned the point for complexity. It demonstrates differences between

North and South along political and economic lines. It further corroborates this argument across time periods and

other regions in the conclusion when it uses the evidence of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and a shift in “the

focus of the war from unification to emancipation” to argue that the South became divided, not just from the

North but also from Great Britain and that these divides continued after 1860. The response earned 2 points for

analysis and reasoning.

Sample: 3B

Score: 4

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 1

The response earned the point for the thesis. The thesis statement is the last sentence of the first paragraph. This

statement makes a defensible claim that Supreme Court decisions and Congressional debates “played very

important roles in the breakout of the Civil War.”

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 1

Information in the first paragraph about the nature of the two economies and geographies of the North and the

South earned 1 point for contextualization.

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for evidence. The response has two pieces of evidence, one on Dred Scott in the

second paragraph and the other on the secession of South Carolina. The Missouri Compromise example is

outside the time period. The evidence is not used to support an argument, so the response did not earn the

second evidence point.

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 1

In the second and third paragraphs, the response explains how and why the Dred Scott decision and the Missouri

Compromise increased tensions. This earned 1 point for historical reasoning. However, the absence of

corroboration, qualification, or modification of an argument prevented the response from earning the second

point for complexity.

UNITED STATES HISTORY

2019 SCORING COMMENTARY

Visit the College Board on the web: collegeboard.org.

Question 3 — Long Essay Question (continued)

Sample: 3C

Score: 1

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 0

The response attempts to make a claim in the conclusion: “Debates of slavery were not necessary ones.” While

this addresses the general topic of the prompt, it does not present a historically defensible claim. The response

did not earn the thesis point.

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 0

The response did not earn a point for contextualization. Information provided from before the time period, such as

references to ships arriving “on North American coasts” and “the declaration for/of independence,” is not well

developed. Other information from inside the time period is closely tied to the prompt rather than to a broader

context. Information that is from after 1860 is also not relevant to the topic of the prompt.

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 1

The response states that “the republican party was against slavery” and uses the election of Lincoln as a factor

“leading to secession, then war.” This earned 1 point for use of evidence. This response did not earn the second

point for using evidence to support an argument because its claims, for example, that “once a Republican gained

office, slavery would slowly diminish,” are insufficiently explained.

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 0

This response did not earn either the point for historical reasoning or complexity. It attempts to use a framework

of change over time, but significant portions of the response fall outside of the time period of the prompt. There is

no effort at complexity.