Teaching the APUSH Long Essay Question

The Long Essay Question (LEQ) on the AP U.S. History exam offers students an opportunity to construct a sophisticated historical argument, supported by evidence and contextualized within a broader historical narrative. Effectively teaching this component requires a structured approach that emphasizes analytical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and nuanced understanding.

The 2024 prompt reads:

Evaluate the relative importance of the effects of movements for social change from 1945 to 1980.

As a model, we can explore effective strategies for preparing students to take on the LEQ. 

Craft the thesis

The LEQ, as exemplified by the 1945-1980 social change prompt, requires students to craft a thesis that establishes a line of reasoning, describes broader historical context, supports their argument with relevant evidence, and employs historical reasoning skills. In this case, students must evaluate the relative importance of the effects of movements for social change within a specific time frame. This requires identifying multiple effects and ranking them based on their significance, rather than simply listing them—this idea of ranking effects will ensure that the thesis is an arguable claim.

Teachers should guide students to develop a clear, argumentative thesis that directly addresses the prompt. For the 1945-1980 question, a strong thesis might state, "While the Civil Rights Movement's legal and social transformations significantly reshaped American society, the feminist movement's impact on gender roles and economic opportunities ultimately proved more far-reaching, fundamentally altering the nation's cultural landscape." This thesis establishes a clear line of reasoning by identifying two key movements and ranking their effects in terms of relative importance with a clearly defined rationale.

Describe the historical context

Next, students must describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt. Teachers should emphasize that context is not merely background information; it is the setting that shapes the argument. For the 1945-1980 period, students could discuss the context of the Cold War, post-World War II life in America, the rise of consumer culture, or the burgeoning youth movement. This context provides a framework for understanding the social changes of the era. Teachers can encourage students to create a contextualization paragraph that demonstrates how these broader forces influenced the movements and their effects. In essence, asking students what the major trends in the period are is a helpful way for students to build their historical context.

Support the argument with evidence

The heart of the LEQ is supporting an argument with specific and relevant evidence. Teachers should teach students to use evidence strategically, selecting examples that directly support their thesis. For the 1945-1980 prompt, evidence might include landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Title IX, court cases like Roe v. Wade, or cultural shifts like the rise of second-wave feminism. Students should be taught to explain the significance of each piece of evidence and connect it back to their thesis, demonstrating how it supports their argument about relative importance.

Employ historical reasoning

Employing historical reasoning is another critical component of the LEQ. Teachers should guide students to use comparison, causation, or continuity and change over time to structure their argument. For the 1945-1980 prompt, students could compare the long-term effects of the Civil Rights Movement and the feminist movement, or analyze the relationships between these movements and broader societal changes.

Demonstrate complex understanding of historical development

Finally, students must demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development related to the prompt. This can be achieved through sophisticated argumentation or effective use of evidence. Teachers can teach students to acknowledge counterarguments, explore multiple perspectives, or analyze the nuances of historical causation. For example, students could discuss the limitations of the Civil Rights Movement or the backlash against feminist gains, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of the era's complexities. For example, conservative backlash to the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) or the creation of the Moral Majority would be an example of the backlash to the gains of liberal social movements of the time.