AP European History Reading and Writing Workshop

AP European History Reading & Writing Workshop: The Reformation, Religious Wars, and the Rise of Absolutism & Constitutionalism
Workshop OverviewThis workshop will utilize public domain works to develop students’ reading comprehension and analytical writing skills for AP European History. Students will engage with primary and secondary sources while practicing Short Answer Questions (SAQs), Long Essay Questions (LEQs), and Document-Based Questions (DBQs).
Session 1: The ReformationReading Materials:

• Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (1517)
  
• John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536, excerpts)
  
• Erasmus’ The Praise of Folly (1509, excerpts)
  

Activities:

1. SAQs:
   
   • Explain how Martin Luther’s arguments in the 95 Theses challenged the Catholic Church.
     
   • Describe one way Calvinist theology differed from Catholic doctrine.
     
   • Analyze Erasmus’ critique of the Catholic Church and how it influenced later reformers.
     
2. LEQ:
   
   • Evaluate the extent to which the Protestant Reformation was a religious, political, and social revolution in the 16th century.
     
3. DBQ Practice:
   
   • Using provided primary sources, construct an argument regarding the impact of the printing press on the spread of Reformation ideas.
     

Session 2: The Religious WarsReading Materials:

• The Peace of Augsburg (1555, excerpts)
  
• The Edict of Nantes (1598)
  
• Accounts of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)
  

Activities:

1. SAQs:
   
   • Explain the significance of the Peace of Augsburg in religious conflicts within the Holy Roman Empire.
     
   • Identify one cause and one effect of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
     
   • Discuss the impact of the Edict of Nantes on religious tolerance in France.
     
2. LEQ:
   
   • Compare and contrast the approaches to religious conflict resolution in France and the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century.
     
3. DBQ Practice:
   
   • Using primary sources, analyze the motivations behind the Catholic and Protestant conflicts during the Religious Wars.
     

Session 3: The Rise of Absolutism & ConstitutionalismReading Materials:

• Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet’s Politics Drawn from the Very Words of Holy Scripture (1709, excerpts)
  
• John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government (1689, excerpts)
  
• The English Bill of Rights (1689)
  

Activities:

1. SAQs:
   
   • Describe how Bossuet justified absolute monarchy.
     
   • Explain how John Locke’s ideas on government differed from those of absolutist rulers.
     
   • Identify a key provision of the English Bill of Rights and its impact on constitutional governance.
     
2. LEQ:
   
   • Analyze the causes and consequences of the shift from absolutism to constitutionalism in England during the 17th century.
     
3. DBQ Practice:
   
   • Using provided sources, develop an argument regarding the effectiveness of absolutism versus constitutionalism in maintaining stability and order in 17th-century Europe.
     

Final Assessment & Reflection

• Students will select one LEQ or DBQ to complete in full, applying the skills learned throughout the workshop.
  
• Group discussion and peer review of responses to refine historical argumentation and evidence use.
  

This workshop provides a structured approach to engaging with historical texts while strengthening the analytical writing skills necessary for success in AP European History.