APUSH Unit 3 Study Notes: Antebellum Slavery, Texas Revolution, and Essay Writing Rubrics

Expansion, Domestic Slave Trade, and Legislative Impact (1790–1830s)

• Circumstances of Manumission in Antebellum America:

  • Gratitude or Retirement: Some enslaved individuals were freed by plantation owners as a reward or gift for decades of hard labor (e.g., being allowed to retire).
  • Paternal Guilt: Masters occasionally freed enslaved individuals due to guilt over holding their own biological children in bondage for decades.
  • Individual Discretion: Manumission depended heavily on individual owners and unique circumstances.
  • Economic Reality: Manumission was extremely rare in the American South because freeing enslaved labor made no economic sense to plantation owners.

• Demographic and Geographic Expansion ($1790$ to $1830$):

  • Natural Increase: Over the four decades between $1790$ and $1830$, the enslaved population grew naturally through childbirth. Slavery was a permanent legal status inherited by the descendants of enslaved people.
  • Outlawing of the International Slave Trade ($1808$): Despite the federal ban on the transatlantic slave trade taking effect in $1808$, the enslaved population in the South experienced an explosive expansion.
  • Growth of the Domestic/Internal Slave Trade: As white American settlers migrated west and established plantations throughout the Southwest, the internal slave trade expanded rapidly.
  • "Sold Down the River": Enslaved individuals in Upper South states such as Virginia who resisted, spoke out, or got into trouble were threatened with being sold down the Mississippi River to the Lower South.
  • Deep South Conditions: In states like Alabama and Mississippi, the expansion of cotton production led to a far more brutal and intensified system of forced labor.

• Political and Economic Consequences:

  • Legislative Representation: The geographic spread and population growth of slavery increased the political influence of slave-holding states, adding politicians to Congress who aligned with plantation owners.
  • Growth of "Slave Power": The political and commercial influence of Southern slaveholders expanded significantly nationwide.
  • Sectional Divergence:
    • Northern States: Ended slavery outright or passed legislation providing for gradual manumission.
    • Southern States: Enacted increasingly strict legal protections for slavery and actively restricted or prohibited manumission.
    • Western Expansion: The creation of new Western states added directly to the legislative power of slave-holding jurisdictions, marking the definitive origin of the North-South political divide.

Mexican Independence, Spanish Colonial Rule, and the Texas Revolution

• Colonial and National Status of Texas ($1821$ to $1836$):

  • Spanish Imperial Period: Texas was initially governed under the Spanish Empire, which operated using systems such as the encomienda system.
  • Mexican Independence ($1821$): Following an independence movement against Spanish rule, Mexico became an independent nation in $1821$ (with Mexican Independence traditions tied to September $16$).
  • Status in $1830$: In $1830$, Texas (especially East Texas) remained an integral territory of Mexico rather than a U.S. slave state.
  • The Republic of Texas ($1836$): American settlers moved into Texas, leading to the Texas Revolution in $1836$, which established Texas as an independent republic.

• Causes of the Texas Revolution:

  • Historical Misconceptions: Standard elementary and middle school curricula frequently mischaracterize the revolution as a vague struggle by Texan settlers for "their rights."
  • Historical Reality: The primary right Texan settlers fought to preserve was the legal right to own enslaved people, which clashed directly with Mexican abolition laws.
  • Expressive Terminology: Unsubstantiated or fabrication-filled academic explanations are colloquially referred to as a "bologna sandwich"—a metaphor for subpar substance or non-factual claims written during exams.

APUSH Time Period 3 (1754–1800) Framework and Themes

• Chronological Boundaries:

  • $1754$: Marked by the outbreak of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War).
  • Revolutionary Era: Progression from imperial crisis and pre-revolutionary ideals into full military independence.
  • $1800$: Marked by the pivotal presidential election of Thomas Jefferson.

• Official College Board APUSH Themes:

  • American and national identity
  • working LGBTQ with technology
  • Geography and the environment
  • Migration and settlement
  • Politics and power
  • America and the world
  • regional American American regional culture
  • Social structures

Ideological Foundations: John Locke, Thomas Paine, and National Identity

• Theme Analysis: American and National Identity:

  • Focus: How and why definitions of American identity, national identity, and values developed among diverse, changing populations in North America.

• Events Prior to Time Period 3 ($1754$):

  • Establishment of colonial charters.
  • Implementation and enforcement of the British Navigation Acts.
  • Colonial support for Great Britain during the French and Indian War.

• Events During Time Period 3 ($1754$–$1800$):

  • Publication of Common Sense.
  • Drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
  • Formation and actions of the Sons of Liberty.
  • Execution of the Boston Tea Party.
  • Convening of the Continental Congress.

• Intellectual Influences:

  • John Locke:
    • $1700\text{s}$ Enlightenment philosopher centered on civil liberties, individual rights, and freedom.
    • Popularized in modern educational media (e.g., "School of Life" video series).
    • Directly influenced both Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson.
  • Thomas Paine and Common Sense:
    • Enlightenment thinker who immigrated to North America.
    • Authored the pamphlet Common Sense to protest British parliamentary acts, the economic system of mercantilism, and King George III.
    • Argued that British colonial policy systematically stripped American colonists of their civil liberties.

Continuity and Change Over Time (CCOT) Framework

• Core Transformation: American colonists shifted from viewing themselves as loyal British subjects to identifying as citizens of an independent nation.
• Analytical Application:
  • The CCOT skill requires comparing prior historical periods to subsequent ones to evaluate what changed versus what remained constant across U.S. history.
  • Sample DBQ Prompt: "Evaluate the extent of change in ideas about American independence from $1763$ to $1783$."

Document-Based Question (DBQ) Rubric and AP Reader Scoring Standards

• Seven-Point DBQ Rubric Breakdown:

  • Contextualization: $1\text{ point}$ for placing the prompt in broader historical context.
  • Thesis/Claim: $1\text{ point}$ for a clear, defensible thesis statement establishing categories of analysis.
  • Document Evidence:
    • $1\text{ point}$ for describing the content of at least $3$ documents.
    • $1\text{ point}$ for using at least $4$ documents to explicitly support an argument/thesis (updated down from the previous $6$-document requirement).
  • Document Sourcing (HIP/HIPPO): $1\text{ point}$ for explaining the historical situation, intended audience, purpose, or point of view for at least $2$ documents (updated down from the previous $3$-document requirement).
  • Outside Evidence: $1\text{ point}$ for providing a specific historical detail not found in the documents.
  • Complexity: $1\text{ point}$ earned by supporting the thesis using all $7$ documents or demonstrating advanced sourcing (HIP) across $4$ documents.

• Essay Planning and Execution Strategy:

  • Determine immediately if the prompt requires a CCOT or comparative framework.
  • Take brief marginal notes on scratch paper while reading documents.
  • Integrate explicit outside evidence and make clear evaluative judgments regarding the extent of change.
  • Structural Guidelines: A traditional $5$-paragraph essay ($3$ body categories) is optimal, but under the updated rubric, a $4$-paragraph structure ($2$ body categories) is sufficient to earn full points.

• AP Reader Grading Realities:

  • Exams are scored as rough drafts written under strict time constraints.
  • Flowery language, high rhetoric, perfect grammar, and correct spelling are not required.
  • Scoring strictly assesses content knowledge, historical critical thinking, and completion of explicit rubric requirements.
  • Evaluative Objectivity: AP readers do not score based on political viewpoint or bias (e.g., an argument asserting Ronald Reagan was the best president receives full credit if supported by accurate historical evidence and rubric requirements).

Course Logistics, Guided Reading Schedules, and Exam Architecture

• Guided Reading Packet Assignments:

  • Parts $1$ through $9$ must already be completed.
  • Part $10$ is due on Friday.
  • The entire Guided Reading Packet is due on Tuesday (test day).

• Exam Architecture (Tuesday Test):

  • Format: Two-part examination consisting of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ) and a Long Essay Question (LEQ).
  • Section 1 (MCQ): $30\text{ questions}$. Targeted completion time is $30\text{ minutes}$.
  • Section 2 (LEQ): $1\text{ prompt}$ chosen from $2$ provided choices. Targeted completion time on official AP exams is $40\text{ minutes}$ (total standardized exam block is $1\text{ hour } 10\text{ minutes}$).
  • In-Class Timing: Students will receive the full class period (greater than $1\text{ hour } 10\text{ minutes}$) for this unit test, though strict timing will be enforced in the second semester.

• LEQ Preparation and Extra Credit:

  • Prompts are provided in advance; students select $1$ of the $2$ available choices.
  • $5\text{ Points}$ Extra Credit Opportunity: Complete and submit the LEQ Planning Sheet prior to the exam.
  • Planning Sheet Elements: Must contain a contextual introductory paragraph, a clear thesis statement, and an outlined list of specific historical evidence.
  • Essay Body Paragraphs: Essays should contain between $2$ and $4$ body paragraphs ($4$ body paragraphs are recommended for maximum evidence presentation).

Student Questions and Academic Discussion

• Discussion on Shays' Rebellion:

  • Student Prompt: Inquiries regarding how to integrate information about Shays' Rebellion into document analysis and evidence criteria.
  • Clarification: Specific historical events like Shays' Rebellion function as ideal outside evidence or contextual points when evaluating post-revolutionary governance and reform movements.

• Discussion on AP Rubric Usage:

  • Student Prompt: Inquiry into whether in-class LEQs and DBQs are graded using personal teacher standards or official College Board rubrics.
  • Clarification: All writing assignments are graded strictly according to the official College Board AP rubrics to ensure full alignment with standardized AP exam expectations.