Possible DBQs for the 2002 AP U.S. History Exam
1. To what extent and in what ways did African Americans succeed in creating and preserving their
own distinctive society and culture during the period 1830-1860?
2. To what extent and in what ways did Free African Americans enjoy greater economic success, social
and political freedom than slaves during the period 1830-1860?
3. Assess the relative importance of and specify the ways in which three of the following
altered American society during the period 1815-1850: the growth of industry; the expansion of slavery;
improvements in transportation; the organization of trade unions.
4. To what extent and in what ways were the Second Great Awakening and the participation of women
responsible for the success of important movements for reform during the period 1820-1860?
5. Assess the relative contributions of each of the following to increasing participation in
politics during the years 1815-1840: economic change; changes in the eligibility requirements for voting;
party organization; the ambitions of rival politicians.
6. Account for the important changes in the nature and numbers of immigrants entering the United
States and the extent of the economic opportunities which awaited them between 1820 and 1860.
7. Assess the relative importance of three of the following in accounting for the extent of
sectional feeling during the years 1812-1833: the economic impact of the protective tariff; differences
of opinion over slavery; the belief in states rights; a commitment to national unity.
8. Account for the breadth and intensity of national feeling in the United States between 1810 and
1833. Identify and explain those forces which limited or reversed the growth of national feeling during
those same years.
9. Assess the relative importance of three of the following in accounting for the westward movement
during the period 1820-1860: the desire for arable land for agricultural use; the desire to expand trade
and commerce; the demand for raw materials to support the growth of industry; the development of new forms
of transportation; perceived threats to our national security from major European powers.
10. To what extent and among which groups were abolitionists successful during the period
1830-1860 in convincing their fellow Americans that slavery was morally wrong and should be abolished?
11. Account for the relative brevity of the "Era of Good Feelings" and for the increase in
political competition and conflict in the years from 1819 to 1840.
12. To what extent were disagreements between northerners and southerners during the period
1844-1860 a consequence of differences of opinion over slavery and to what extent were they a consequence
of differences of opinion over other issues?