APUSH Semester 1 Final Exam Study Guide

Quote

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” - Benjamin Franklin

Exam Information

Total Points: 236 Points in Assessment Category
Components: 2 Short Answer Questions (SAQs) and 50 Stimulus-Based Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
SAQ Details: - Duration: 27 minutes
- Points: 36 - Date: Monday (12/15) of Finals week
MCQ Details: - Number of Questions: 50 - Duration: 50 minutes
- Points: 200 - Content: Units 1-5 - Taken on period's final day
Test Corrections: Not available for the final exam

APUSH Exam: Know the Basics

Multiple Choice Questions

Structure: - Questions appear in sets of 2 to 5. - Students must analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence. - Includes primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps.
Tips for Success: - ELIMINATE WRONg ANSWERS (consider if answers are too extreme or incorrect for the time period). - Read the question first. - Review the stimulus source with the question in mind, skim/read it accordingly. - Use the elimination method until one answer remains.

Short Answer Questions (SAQs)

ACE Format: - A → Answer the question fully using words from the prompt. - C → Cite specific historical evidence to support your answer. - E → Explain or expand upon your answer.
Guidelines: - Each question should contain a 9-sentence answer divided into three parts: - (a) ACE it! (3 sentences) - (b) ACE it! (3 sentences) - (c) ACE it! (3 sentences)
Quote: “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” - Theodore Roosevelt

APUSH Anchor Dates and Content

Period 1: 1491–1607 — “Worlds Collide”

1492: Columbian Exchange begins - transfer of plants, animals, and diseases (notably smallpox). - Effects: Spanish encomienda system established; French engage as fur traders, resulting in better relationships with Native Americans; the development into triangular trade in the 17th century.
16th Century: Appearance of the Black Legend due to Bartolomé de las Casas highlighting Spanish mistreatment of Native populations.
1607: Establishment of Jamestown with key figures John Smith & John Rolfe (tobacco cultivation). - Virginia Company serves as a joint-stock company leading to the establishment of the Virginia House of Burgesses (1619) and New England colonies initiated by Pilgrims (1620) with the Mayflower Compact, characterized as a “city on a hill” by Winthrop. - Development of distinct regional identities based on settlement purposes and geography: - New England primarily Puritan (exceptions include Rhode Island). - Middle Colonies characterized by greater tolerance (e.g., Quaker Pennsylvania). - Southern Colonies based on plantation systems (Virginia and Maryland in the Chesapeake). - Varied relations with Native Americans: Quakers in Pennsylvania and Roger Williams in Rhode Island exhibited the most sympathy.
1650s: Navigation Acts create a British mercantilist system aimed at monopolizing colonial trade (widely ignored as an exception to the policy of salutary neglect).
1676: Bacon’s Rebellion emerges as a revolt against the eastern elite, stemming from land shortages for those brought under the headright system, leading to a labor shift from indentured servants to enslaved individuals.
1730s: First Great Awakening occurs as church membership and piety decline (exemplified by the halfway covenant). - Key figures: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield sanction a religious revival, motivating a sense of independence and free thought.
1754–1763: French and Indian War, including the Albany Congress urging colonial unification (“Join or Die”), leading to the Treaty of Paris in which France loses its North American empire.
1763–1776: End of salutary neglect with the introduction of multiple taxes (e.g., Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Intolerable Acts, Quartering Acts) to fund war expenses, resulting in organized opposition through groups such as Committees of Correspondence, Continental Congress, and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
1776: Declaration of Independence published, influenced by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and the Enlightenment. - Notable outcomes: U.S. advantages from home field status and French support; women contribute through philosophical ideas of