This APUSH cheat sheet covers the 9 periods, the essay rubric, and the high-frequency people and concepts that appear most often on the exam. Use it as a study reference, not a substitute for understanding the arguments.
The 9 Periods at a Glance
- Period 1 (1491–1607, ~5%): Columbian Exchange, encomienda, Pueblo Revolt
- Period 2 (1607–1754, ~10%): Salutary neglect, Great Awakening, Bacon's Rebellion, slavery growth
- Period 3 (1754–1800, ~12%): Revolution, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Hamilton vs. Jefferson
- Period 4 (1800–1848, ~10%): Market Revolution, Jacksonian Democracy, reform movements, manifest destiny
- Period 5 (1844–1877, ~13%): Civil War causes, Emancipation, Reconstruction, its failure
- Period 6 (1865–1898, ~13%): Gilded Age, industrialization, Populism, Dawes Act, immigration
- Period 7 (1890–1945, ~17%): Progressivism, WWI, 1920s, Depression, New Deal, WWII
- Period 8 (1945–1980, ~17%): Cold War, civil rights, Vietnam, Great Society, conservatism rise
- Period 9 (1980–present, ~5%): Reagan Revolution, end of Cold War, globalization, 9/11
DBQ Rubric (7 points)
- Thesis (1): Defensible claim that addresses the prompt, not just restates it
- Contextualization (1): Developed paragraph connecting broader historical context to the prompt
- Document Content (1): Uses content of 3+ documents to support an argument
- Document Content (1): Uses content of 6+ documents to support an argument
- Outside Evidence (1): Specific evidence NOT in the documents that supports the argument
- Sourcing/HAPP (1): Explains how Historical Situation, Audience, Purpose, or Point of View of ≥3 documents is relevant to your argument
- Complexity (1): Corroborating/qualifying argument, cross-period connection, or developed counterargument
LEQ Rubric (6 points)
- Thesis (1): Same standard as DBQ
- Contextualization (1): Same standard as DBQ
- Evidence (2): 1 pt for specific examples; 2nd pt for using evidence to support a nuanced argument
- Analysis/Reasoning (1): Applies historical reasoning skill (causation, CCOT, comparison) to structure the argument
- Complexity (1): Same standard as DBQ
SAQ (3 points per question)
Each SAQ has 3 parts (a, b, c), each worth 1 point. No thesis required. Concise, specific answers. Each part is scored independently. Don't write an essay — answer the question directly with specific historical evidence.
High-frequency APUSH people (know their contribution, not just their name)
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman, MLK, LBJ, Nixon, Reagan.
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