AP® United States History 2024 - Document-Based Question - Slavery and US Society

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Levi

AP United States History 2024 scoring guidelines for a Document-Based Question evaluate how the institution of slavery shaped United States society between 1783 and 1840. The rubric explains point-by-point expectations for a historically defensible thesis or claim, including requirements for providing reasons or analytic categories and establishing a line of reasoning. It also defines criteria for contextualization, clarifying which broader historical developments are relevant and historically accurate, with decision rules and examples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Scoring Guidelines

Question 1: Document-Based Question, Slavery and US Society

General Scoring Notes

Reporting Category: Thesis/Claim

Reporting Category: Contextualization

2024 AP® United States History Sample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Set 1 Inside: Document-Based Question ☑ Scoring Guidelines ☑ Student Samples ☑ Scoring Commentary © 2024 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). [AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). AP® United States History 2024 Scoring Guidelines Question 1: Document-Based Question, Slavery and US Society 7 points General Scoring Notes • Except where otherwise noted, each point of these rubrics is earned independently; for example, a student could earn a point for evidence without earning a point for thesis/claim. • Accuracy: The components of these rubrics require that students demonstrate historically defensible content knowledge. Given the timed nature of the exam, essays may contain errors that do not detract from their overall quality, as long as the historical content used to advance the argument is accurate. • Clarity: Exam essays should be considered first drafts and thus may contain grammatical errors. Those errors will not be counted against a student unless they obscure the successful demonstration of the content knowledge, skills, and practices described below. Evaluate the extent to which the institution of slavery shaped United States society between 1783 and 1840. © 2024 College Board AP® United States History 2024 Scoring Guidelines | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Row A
Thesis/Claim
[0-1 points] | 0 points
Does not meet the criteria for one point. | 1 point
Responds to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis/claim that establishes aline of reasoning. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
• Are not historically defensible.
• Only restate or rephrase the prompt.
• Do not respond to the prompt.
• Do not establish a line of reasoning.
• Are overgeneralized. | Responses that earn this point:
• Provide a historically defensible thesis or claim about the extent to which the institution of slavery shaped United States society between 1783 and 1840. The thesis or claim must either provide some indication of the reason for making that claim OR establish categories of the argument. | | | Examples that do not earn this point:
Do not focus on the topic of the prompt
• “Slavery had a big impact on fighting the Civil War.”
Provide a historically defensible claim, but do not establish a line of reasoning
• “Slavery insulted many abolitionists, so United States society hurried up and got rid of it.”
Provide a restatement of the prompt
• “The institution of slavery shaped United States society.” | Examples that earn this point:
Establish a line of reasoning that evaluates the topic of the prompt
• “Between the years 1783 and 1840 slavery dramatically shaped U.S. society as many Americans became abolitionists as a way of fulfilling the ideals ofthe American Revolution while other Americans attempted to protect slavery and expand the institution into the West.”
Establish a line of reasoning that evaluates the topic of the prompt with analytic categories
• “Nothing was more important than the institution of slavery in shaping American society between the Revolutionary War and the mid-1800s. The ‘peculiar institution’ created a set of challenges for the United States, including debates over its constitutionality, possible expansion into western territories, and moral implications as Americans tried to reconcile it with the nation’s founding principles.”
Establish a line of reasoning
• “Slavery caused division between the North and the South.” [Minimally acceptable thesis/claim] | |

FAQs

What does the DBQ prompt ask students to evaluate in this set?

Students evaluate the extent to which the institution of slavery shaped United States society between 1783 and 1840.

What must a thesis/claim include to earn full credit?

It must be historically defensible and respond to the prompt by establishing a line of reasoning, either by giving a reason for the claim or using analytic categories.

What kinds of contextualization are considered relevant and accurate?

Context must describe broader historical context relevant to slavery in U.S. society between 1783 and 1840, such as labor systems, the cash crop economy, the American Revolution, reform movements, and related economic or social developments, without historical inaccuracies.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Levi