AP US History Unit 7: 1890-1945: World Wars Era — Free Review Games.

An AP exam prompt asks: 'To what extent did Progressive-era reforms change the relationship between the federal government and the economy?'

A strong response would argue that reforms significantly expanded federal regulatory power, citing the Sherman Antitrust Act's enforcement, the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906), and the creation of the Federal Reserve (1913). However, the response should acknowledge limits: reforms protected capitalism rather than replacing it, and corporate influence on politics persisted. Earning the complexity point requires noting that some reforms (e.g., Prohibition) reflected cultural conservatism, not just economic progressivism.

Document-based question excerpt: A 1919 senator argues that joining the League of Nations would unconstitutionally transfer Congress's war-declaring power to an international body.

This argument reflects the 'Reservationist' position led by Henry Cabot Lodge, who opposed Article X's collective security obligation. To analyze this document correctly, students should contextualize it within the broader debate between Wilson's internationalism and Congressional concerns about sovereignty. Students should also note that 'Irreconcilables' opposed the League entirely, distinguishing between the two Republican factions the exam expects you to identify.

Short-answer question: Briefly explain ONE way the New Deal represented continuity with the Progressive Era and ONE way it represented a departure.

Continuity: Like Progressives, the New Deal used federal regulatory power to curb market excesses, as seen in the Securities Exchange Act (1934) mirroring earlier antitrust efforts. Departure: Unlike Progressives, the New Deal provided direct federal relief to individuals (Social Security Act, 1935), establishing a permanent welfare state role for the federal government. Students should be precise with legislation and dates to earn full credit on SAQ responses.

Long-essay question: 'Evaluate the extent to which World War II transformed the social and economic status of marginalized groups in the United States.'

A high-scoring essay would argue for significant but incomplete transformation: women gained wartime industrial employment but were pushed back into domestic roles postwar; African Americans used the 'Double V' campaign to link overseas democracy with domestic civil rights, and the NAACP grew substantially, but Jim Crow persisted until the 1950s–60s. Japanese Americans gained belated redress only in 1988 (Civil Liberties Act). The thesis must make a historically defensible claim with a line of reasoning, and evidence must be specific and directly tied to the argument.