APUSH Contextualization Point Scoring Activity #1

13 min readFeb 14, 2022

Would you give the point?

For this activity, assume that you have been hired by College Board to “serve as a reader” for an upcoming AP US History Exam. Would you give the Contextualization Point to any of the answers appearing below, with each of these answers seeking to respond to a different teacher-created DBQ/LEQ prompt?

P1 — Evaluate the extent to which Africans brought to America’s east coast as slaves developed means to resist the dehumanizing aspect of slavery in the period from 1607 to 1776.

Before 1607 African Americans were nowhere to be found on the eastern coast of the United States. Instead, the only colonies on the east coast where those formed in Florida by the Spaniards, who didn’t use Africans as slaves. They utilized the Native Americans residing in the area and their knowledge of where to get the best food and resources. They set up something called the caste system where they set up a social hierarchy with Native Americans at the bottom working for them, through farming and hunting. They mostly grew corn and other cash crops for the Spaniards, and also were forced into Christianity. There were no other colonies along the east coast at the time and as a result no need for slaves.

P4 — Evaluate the extent to which French colonization of America differed from British colonization of America in the period from 1700 to 1754.

Before 1700, French colonization of America was rather neutral. They came to America and made relations with the Native Americans to establish fur trade systems. British colonization at this time centered around religion. They established colonies such as Plyomuth and Jamestown to freely practice their religions. In the period 1700 to 1754, colonization between the French and the British differed to a slim extent due to various colonial developments.

P6 — Evaluate the extent to which the laws and policies of the British government pertaining to the American colonies changed in the period from 1754 to 1775.

Before 1754, the British government established salutary neglect amongst the American colonies. Salutary neglect was a policy in which Britain’s trade regulations in the colonies were loosely managed. American colonists were free to control their businesses as they pleased, as long as they remained loyal to the monarchy. In turn, this kept both colonists and the British government satisfied and at peace.

P8 — Evaluate the extent to which Spanish colonization of the American Southwest led to the subjugation of the Native Americans in the period from 1769 to 1833.

Before 1769, the Spanish colonizers were not in the American Southwest. Spain came to America in 1607 and arrived on the East Coast. They did not expand further until

P9 — Evaluate the extent to which French colonization of America differed from Spanish colonization of America in the period from 1769 to 1800.

Before 1769, the French trtied colonizing the land of america. This differed from the Spanish colonization because during 1769–1800 the spanish had came to america and tried taking over

P10 — Evaluate the extent to which the United States economy changed as a result of the means of production that were developed in the period from 1800 to 1865.

Before 1800, America was not yet in the Industrial Revolution and there was no large scale production of goods and there were no factories. The US economy was not very expansive and markets were kept local and the production of goods was slower because things were mostly handmade one at a time. Many goods were made at home by women that sold to local markets.

P11 — Evaluate the extent to which the market revolution marked a turning point in women’s lives in the United States.

Before the market revolution in 1800, women’s lives changed to a small extent. After the revolutionary war, mothers were expected to teach their children about politics and republican values. This was called Republican Motherhood. While giving women the opportunity to have a more significant role in the American household, Republican Motherhood also allowed women to simultaneously receive an education alongside their children.

P12 — Evaluate the extent to which slaves overtly resisted the dehumanizing aspect of slavery in the period from 1820 to 1860.

Before 1820 slaves were heavily utilized as a switch from indentured servitude to African American slaves took place. Slaves were mostly used in the southern states as it was more agriculturally based and had little industrialization. There was little to no slave resistance before 1820 besides the Stono Rebellion which was an isolated case which resulted in a massacare of slaves.

P13 — Evaluate the extent to which slaves covertly resisted the dehumanizing aspect of slavery in the period from 1820 to 1860.

P15 — Evaluate the extent to which ideas related to popular sovereignty in the period from 1830 to 1860 led the United States into the Civil War.

Before 1830, popular sovereignty had little to no effect on the United States. Decisions were made by the government. People had less of a direct influence on many issues. For example, the states that were admitted during this time were assigned to be either slave states or free states by the federal government rather than by the people from that state.

P20 — Evaluate the extent to which the lives of women changed economically from 1865 to 1898.

Before 1865, women’s lives changed economically to a large extent. Factories began hiring women to work the machinery for wages, although significantly lower than a man would receive. An example of this is the Lowell Mills Factory girls.

P21 — Evaluate the extent to which the Civil War led to political gains for African Americans in the period 1865–1877.

Before 1865, African Americans did not have the right to vote and were not considered citizens. Many were also enslaved and were mistreated by their white owners. African Americans were forced to operate dangerous machines like Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, which resulted in many lost fingers. Many African Americans had no credibility in judicial courts, especially in cases against white people, even if they were innocent. African Americans were counted as 3/5ths of a white person in population counts.

P22 — Evaluate the extent to which the Industrial Revolution fostered economic change in the United States from 1865 to 1900.

Before 1865, economic change in the United States was not as significant compared to after 1865. This is because the economic changes that occurred before were things like the invention of the telegraph and steam boat. Though big inventions, these were only stepping stones to what the inventions were after 1865. During time periods 1865 and 1900, the Industrial Revolution fostered economic change in the US to a great extent.

P24 — Evaluate the extent to which immigration to America changed from 1880 to 1925.

Before 1880, immigration mainly consisted of people from China and they impacted America to a large extent. Those migrating would work jobs others did not want to. For example, many Chinese Americans worked in dangerous jobs like building the railroad. After the first transcontinental railroad was built, many Chinese Americans went on to clean others’ laundry for a living. Additionally, these immigrants came together in small cities across America, building community with one another in a safe place to express their culture.

P25 — Evaluate the extent to which attitudes relating to trusts and trust-busting changed in the United States from 1890 to 1920.

Before 1890, there were no trusts or trust-busting in America and therefore there were no attitudes regarding them in the US. There were no trusts or trust-busting because there was not yet a stock market or system in place in which people use shares, trusts, or could trust-bust.

P26 — Evaluate the extent to which the Progressive Movement fostered political change in the United States from 1890 to 1920.

Before 1890 the United States government took a laissez faire approach to how they intervened or didn’t) with businesses. Laissez faire translates to “let them be” which is representative of how the US government stayed out of intervening with businesses let companies do as they pleased. Some people such as the populist party opposed this because the laissez faire way of governing allowed for monopolies to be created making it difficult for small businesses and farmers. During the period of 1890–1920 the progressive movement fostered change to a large extent due to the increased governmental role and

P27 — Evaluate the extent to which muckrakers sought to bring about economic change in the United States from 1890 to 1920.

Prior to 1890, the start of the second industrial revolution led to the creation of large coorperations, political machines, and monoplies. All these changes resulted in a larger wealth gap as well as poor working conditions for factory workers. In addition, these unregulated industries produced great amounts of waste that polluted both cities and nature. However, in the period between 1890 and 1920, Muckrakers affected the economic climate of the Americas by a great extent by reducing political corruption and improving the regulation of buisnesses through legislation.

P29 — Evaluate the extent to which the Progressives, on the national level, sought federal legislation that they believed would effectively expand democracy.

Before the Progressive Era, federal legislation such as the 15th amendment expanded democracy. The 15th amendment stated that all men including African Americans are allowed to vote. This expanded democracy as more people have the right to vote.

P30 — Evaluate the extent to which the lives of women changed during the Progressive Era.

Before the Progressive era the lives of women were significantly different through the rise of the second industrial revolution which provided jobs for women. This meant a chance to move out of the private sphere and into the public sphere

P31 — Evaluate the extent to which the Industrial Revolution improved the standard of living for many Americans from 1900 to 1945.

Before 1900 most Americans were either classified as wealthy or poor. The gap between rich and poor was quite polarizing and people either had extremely poor or relatively high standards of living. The standards of living for many were poor as factories jobs often had unregulated conditions due to laissez faire economics which resulted in the poor being treated poorly.

P32 — Evaluate the extent to which attitudes toward immigration changed in the United States from 1914 to 1917.

Before 1914 nativist sentiment was present in the United States mostly towards immigrants from Northern and Western Europe. Immigrants such as the Germans and Irish were most commonly disliked for things such as their religion and customs. The US’s attitude toward these immigrants were discriminatory and some Americans adopted nativist views responding to immigration.

P33 — Evaluate the relative importance of different causes for African American migration from the South to the North and West from 1916 to 1945.

Before 1916, more African Americans lived in the South. The Plessy vs Ferguson case allowed segregation, and minimal laws protecting workers allowed for segregation and sharecropping in the south. The second industrial revolution has started, so way more factories and industrialization was happening up north. The Progressive Era was starting, so more and more people were calling for reforms.

P34 — Evaluate the extent to which African American produced art and literature changed from 1920 to 1940.

Before 1920, African American produced art and literature was not promoted or celebrated. This was due to segregation between African Americans and whites with legislative action, such as the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Furguson. Plessy v. Furguson, a court case that took place towards the start of the Gilded Age and ending of the Second Industrial Revolution, established the doctrine of Separate but Equal or segregation for the entire US. This meant that Black and white Americans were legally allowed to be separated within facilities, such as restaurants, restrooms, libraries, and hospitals. This action made it more difficult for Blacks to share aspects of their culture (art and literature) with other races, such as whites.

P35 — Evaluate the extent to which the U.S. federal government attempted to end the Great Depression

Before the Great Depression, the U.S. federal government did not attempt to end the Great Depression. This was due to the Great Depression not beginning until the 1920s and 1930s; however, this was also due to the federal government’s attitude of laissez-faire. Laissez-faire, meaning “to let go”, was a popular economic attitude where the federal government would not interfere with the economic activities of the American people. This meant that the federal government would impose few regulations on businesses and provide few economic safety nets to support individual American citizens.

Sidenote #1

All of the responses appearing above were produced by either the students I teach or tutor.

Sidenote #2

In the opinion of this APUSH teacher, the Contextualization Point should NOT be given to the following:

Email me at ppaccone@smusd.us if you think differently.

Sidenote #3

For readers to give the Contextualization Point, students must (according to the DBQ/LEQ Rubric, “describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.”

In other words, students who describe something that took place BEFORE the time frame and that relates to the topic of the prompt should always earn the point.

Sidenote #4

Which of the below WOULD NOT earn the Contextualization Point given a teacher-created prompt that reads “Evaluate the extent to which the French and Indian War (1754–1763) changed how England and the thirteen colonies related with one another.

Before the French and Indian War, Britain didnb’t have much cover its American colonies. In the period before this war, Britain and the American colonies were in an era of salutary neglect, meaning that there were few strict trade laws or taxes imposed onto the American colonies by Britain. The American colonies had more freedom and autonomy, and Britain did not attempt to have a tight control over the colonies and the colonists or their trade and taxes.
Before 1754, the French and British had colonies in North America that were slowly encroaching on each other at the Ohio River Valley. British colonists wanted to continue to move west, however they could not due to the existence of the French. The French were mainly there to trade with the Native Americans, and had a mutualistic relationship.
The French and Indian War led to the start of the American colonies having a more hostile perspective towards the British. Not too long after the French and Indian War, the American Revolution began as the Americans realized that they were being taken advantage of. They also realized the unfairness of a monarchy and wanted independence to begin a new government where citizens would have as much of a voice as the leader.
Before 1754, the colonists in America were restricted in the land they could own and therefore wanted more. The Native Americans were residing in the west land of the country, and colonists were demanding for the space they (the Native Americans) occupied; therefore leading to the solidification of foreign relations with France and the French and Indian War.
Before 1754, the British followed a policy of salutary neglect with the American colonies. As long as America kept sending raw materials to Britain, no strict ruled or restrictions would have to be followed. Also, before 1754 the main goal of the colonists was to start fresh with a new life or to create permanent settlements for Britain for new resources.
Before the French and Indian War, the European countries began their exploration and colonization of the new Americas. The Spanish and French explorers were mainly attributed to the discovery and exploration of the new land and relationships with the Native Americans. Existing Native Americans experienced a slew of hardships like slavery, smallpox, and war from encroaching Europeans. New land provided new opportunities for the colonists to create businesses in raw material, gave them access to farmland, would aid in the development of a cash-crop industry and the increase of demand for workers and the slave trade. The British had established the 13 colonies along the Atlantic, and the French had generally settled along the Northern areas like in Canada. The French and British both created permanent settlements for families seeking economic benefits or religious sovereignty. The British and French began establishing colonies along the Ohio River, and began altercations between the two powers for the fertile land in the valley.
Before 1754, the colonies were mostly left alone by the British. The colonies would ship raw materials over to Britain, and the British would use those materials to procure items and ship back supplies to the colonies. The British practiced salutary neglect meaning that they did not monitor the colonies’ trade and practically let them do whatever they wanted. The colonials also didn’t face any large taxes from the British at this point of time.
Before 1754, the British and the colonists got along fairly well. Not so true after 1754. The Stamp Act and Tea Act, along with the Boston Massacre really irritated the colonists.
The colonies would ship raw materials over to Britain, and the British would use those materials to procure items and ship back supplies to the colonies. The British practiced salutary neglect meaning that they did not monitor the colonies’ trade and practically let them do whatever they wanted. The colonials also didn’t face any large taxes from the British at this point of time.
Before 1754, the British and Native Americans had conflicts within their colonies. The relationship between the British and the Native Americans changed the relationship between British and the american colonies because their was fight for power before the war and it seemed as if all colonies wanted an extent of power. Since the British had won the war it led to them being in power and imposing taxes to pay off their debts from the war. This led to the conflicted relationship between the American colonists and British since many of the taxes the British imposed were absurd.
Before 1754, the British and her American colonies held a relatively stable relationship. The colonies would harvest the natural resources from America and send these resources back over to Britain, who would manufacture the goods and send them back. The colonists could also enjoy much liberty, without much restraint from Britain as they were overseas. However, this relationship had changed post-war, seen through an increase in anti-British sentiment; The British began taxing the colonists and increased restraint on the colonists through many acts, including the Quartering Act and the Stamp Act, which would all contribute to start of the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War.
Before 1754, the American colonies were still tied to Britain through trade and how they were governed, majority of the colonists thought of themselves as citizens of Great Britain. After the French and Indian War in 1763, Britain became more active in colonial political and economic affairs. Britain began placing taxes on the colonies and disputes began over frontier policy. These disputes and taxation from the British caused colonial discontent and an altered mindset of toleration to resentment, ultimately stemming the American Revolution.