AP US History Reading and Writing Workshop

This workshop continues to scaffold the writing process adding another document for the DBQ along with an SAQ Stimulus. Group work provides differentiation and peer support.
Unit 7 — America on the World Stage and the Crisis of Modernity (1890–1945)

Structure
  • Session 1: SAQ Practice (two prompts; one with a stimulus)
  • Session 2: LEQ Practice (rubric aligned)
  • Session 3: DBQ Practice (rubric aligned, 4 documents provided)
  • Group Roles: Content Expert, Connector, Writer, Reviewer

Session 1 – SAQ Practice
SAQ 1 (No Document)
Answer all parts using your knowledge of U.S. history from 1890–1945.
a) Identify and explain ONE cause of U.S. overseas expansion in the late 19th century.
b) Identify and explain ONE way Progressives sought to address the problems of industrialization or urbanization.
c) Identify and explain ONE way the New Deal transformed the role of the federal government.

SAQ 2 (Stimulus-Based)
Stimulus:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933)
“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper… the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
🔗 https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/froos1.asp
Prompt:
a) Identify and explain ONE way Roosevelt’s statement reflects conditions in the United States during the early 1930s.
b) Identify and explain ONE policy or program from the New Deal that responded to the concerns Roosevelt described.
c) Identify and explain ONE criticism of Roosevelt’s policies during this period.

Session 2 – LEQ Practice
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which the United States’ role in world affairs changed between 1890 and 1945.
Rubric Alignment (6 pts):
  • Thesis/Claim (1)
  • Contextualization (1)
  • Evidence (2)
  • Analysis & Reasoning (2)
Group Work:
  1. Contextualization: Situate in imperialism, Progressive reform, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII.
  2. Thesis: Defensible claim with “extent” phrasing (e.g., “To a great extent, U.S. foreign policy shifted from isolation to international leadership between 1890 and 1945, though isolationist impulses persisted in the interwar period.”).
  3. Evidence: Examples include Spanish-American War, Open Door Policy, WWI involvement, League of Nations debate, Neutrality Acts, Pearl Harbor, WWII mobilization.
  4. Analysis: Show nuance—cycles of interventionism and isolationism, economic motives vs. ideological justifications.
Deliverable: Group outline with thesis, contextualization, body paragraphs, and complexity statement.

Session 3 – DBQ Practice
Prompt:
Evaluate the extent to which the United States addressed political, social, and economic challenges at home and abroad from 1890 to 1945.

Documents Provided (4)
​Document 1 — Alfred T. Mahan, The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890)
“Whether they will or no, Americans must now begin to look outward. The growing production of the country demands it… The sea is the great highway… the control of the sea, commerce follows its natural channels.”
🔗 https://archive.org/details/influenceofseapo00maha/page/n5/mode/2up

Document 2 — Woodrow Wilson, Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War (April 2, 1917)
“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion.”
🔗 https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Wilson%27s_War_Message_to_Congress

Document 3 — Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat on the Banking Crisis (March 12, 1933)
“After all, there is an element in the readjustment of our financial system more important than currency, more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people. Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan.”
🔗 https://www.fdrlibrary.org/fireside-chats

Document 4 — Executive Order 9066, February 19, 1942 (Internment of Japanese Americans)
“The successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage… I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War… to prescribe military areas… from which any or all persons may be excluded.”
🔗 https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/executive-order-9066

DBQ Rubric Alignment (7 pts)
  • Thesis/Claim (1): Argument addressing U.S. responses to domestic and global challenges.
  • Contextualization (1): Situate in Progressive reform, WWI, Great Depression, WWII.
  • Evidence from Documents (2): Use all 4 docs to support argument.
  • Evidence beyond Documents (1): Outside evidence (Platt Amendment, Versailles Treaty debate, New Deal agencies, Lend-Lease Act, GI Bill beginnings).
  • Sourcing (1): Analyze POV, audience, purpose, or context for at least 2 docs (Mahan’s navalist agenda, Wilson’s democratic rhetoric, Roosevelt’s reassurance, EO 9066 wartime fears).
  • Complexity (1): Acknowledge both democratic ideals and wartime contradictions; expansion of federal power vs. civil liberties.
Group Work:
  1. Assign each student one document to source and analyze.
  2. Thematic Grouping:
    • Expansion Abroad → Mahan
    • Global Leadership & War → Wilson
    • Domestic Crisis Response → Roosevelt
    • Civil Liberties & War → EO 9066
  3. Draft thesis + outline; add outside evidence.
  4. Show complexity: U.S. as global leader yet struggling with inequality, repression, and limits at home.
Deliverable: Group DBQ outline with thesis, contextualization, evidence (docs + outside), sourcing notes, and complexity statement.

Group Roles
  • Content Expert: Brings in historical detail (foreign policy, reform, war).
  • Connector: Links evidence to APUSH themes (WOR, POL, WXT, SOC).
  • Writer: Drafts thesis and outline.
  • Reviewer: Checks for rubric completion and historical reasoning.
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