5 min read•december 21, 2021
In AP® US History, period 2 spans from 1607 to 1754 CE. The following guide will be updated periodically with hyperlinks to excellent resources. As you are reviewing for the colonial era, focus on the key concepts and use the essential questions to guide you.
STUDY TIP: You will never be asked specifically to identify a date. However, knowing the order of events will help immensely with cause and effect. For this reason, we have identified the most important dates to know.
1492 - Columbus’ first voyage
1607 - Jamestown
1649 - Toleration Act
1688 - Glorious Revolution
1692 - Salem Witch Trials
STUDY TIP: Use the following essential questions to guide your review of this entire unit. Keep in mind, these are not meant to be practice essay questions. Each question was written to help you summarize the key concept.
In what ways did Europeans develop different patterns of colonization?
How did European colonization of North America intensify conflicts between colonizers and Natives?
What impact did the increase in exchanges within the Atlantic World have on colonial societies?
Context: European Colonization of North America
STUDY TIP: Content from the colonial era has appeared on the essays fourteen times since 2000. Take a look at these questions before you review the key concepts & vocabulary below to get a sense of how you will be assessed. Then, come back to these later and practice writing as many as you can!
*The APUSH exam was significantly revised in 2015, so any questions from before then are not representative of the current exam format. You can still use prior questions to practice, however DBQs will have more than 7 documents, the LEQ prompts are worded differently, and the rubrics are completely different. Use questions from 2002-2014 with caution. Essays from 1973-1999 available here.
2018 - SAQ 3: Religion in the colonies
2016 - SAQ 2: English vs. Spanish colonies
2015 - SAQ 1: Chesapeake vs. New England colonies
2014 - LEQ: Compare religious / intellectual movements
2013 - LEQ 2: Economic development of colonies
2011 - LEQ 2: Slavery in the colonies
2010 - DBQ: Puritan influences
2008 - LEQ 2: Conflicts with American Indians
2006 - LEQ 2: Spanish vs. English colonies
2005 - LEQ 2: Politics in Massachusetts & Virginia
2002 - LEQ 2: Compare religion in colonies
2001 - LEQ 2: Expansion of slavery in southern colonies
2000 - LEQ 2: Relations with American Indians
*The following outline was adapted from the AP® World History Course Description as published by College Board in 2019 found here. This outline reflects the most recent revisions to the course.
Study Guide: The Regions of the British Colonies
Spanish, French, Dutch, and British colonizers differed in their goals and development.
British colonies on the Atlantic coast had regional differences.
Conflict between European rivals and American Indians continued.
🎥Live Stream Replay - Interactions Between Native Americans and Europeans
^^ From a Fiveable Live Review!
🎥Live Stream Replay: Compare & Contrast Colonial America
Study Guide: Interactions Between Native Americans and Europeans
British colonies were increasingly connected to Britain as they developed.
Slavery developed across all British colonies.
🎥Live Stream Replay - Period 2 Recap & Exam Review
STUDY TIP: These are the concepts and vocabulary from period 2 that most commonly appear on the exam. Create a quizlet deck to make sure you are familiar with these terms!
Act of Toleration
Anne Hutchinson
Bacon's Rebellion
cash crops
City upon a hill
Cotton Mather
First Great Awakening
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
George Whitfield
Glorious Revolution
Great Migration
Halfway Covenant
headright system
indentured servants
James Oglethorpe
Jamestown
John Rolfe
John Winthrop
Jonathan Edwards
Lord Calvert of Maryland
Mayflower Compact
mercantilism
Metacom's War
Middle Passage
Navigation Acts
Olaudah Equiano
Pequot War
Pilgrims
Plymouth Colony
Pocahontas
Powhatan Confederacy
proprietary colonies
Puritans
Quakers
Roger Williams
royal colonies
Salutary Neglect
Separatists
Stono Rebellion
tobacco farms
triangular trade
Virginia Company
Virginia House of Burgesses
William Penn
5 min read•december 21, 2021
In AP® US History, period 2 spans from 1607 to 1754 CE. The following guide will be updated periodically with hyperlinks to excellent resources. As you are reviewing for the colonial era, focus on the key concepts and use the essential questions to guide you.
STUDY TIP: You will never be asked specifically to identify a date. However, knowing the order of events will help immensely with cause and effect. For this reason, we have identified the most important dates to know.
1492 - Columbus’ first voyage
1607 - Jamestown
1649 - Toleration Act
1688 - Glorious Revolution
1692 - Salem Witch Trials
STUDY TIP: Use the following essential questions to guide your review of this entire unit. Keep in mind, these are not meant to be practice essay questions. Each question was written to help you summarize the key concept.
In what ways did Europeans develop different patterns of colonization?
How did European colonization of North America intensify conflicts between colonizers and Natives?
What impact did the increase in exchanges within the Atlantic World have on colonial societies?
Context: European Colonization of North America
STUDY TIP: Content from the colonial era has appeared on the essays fourteen times since 2000. Take a look at these questions before you review the key concepts & vocabulary below to get a sense of how you will be assessed. Then, come back to these later and practice writing as many as you can!
*The APUSH exam was significantly revised in 2015, so any questions from before then are not representative of the current exam format. You can still use prior questions to practice, however DBQs will have more than 7 documents, the LEQ prompts are worded differently, and the rubrics are completely different. Use questions from 2002-2014 with caution. Essays from 1973-1999 available here.
2018 - SAQ 3: Religion in the colonies
2016 - SAQ 2: English vs. Spanish colonies
2015 - SAQ 1: Chesapeake vs. New England colonies
2014 - LEQ: Compare religious / intellectual movements
2013 - LEQ 2: Economic development of colonies
2011 - LEQ 2: Slavery in the colonies
2010 - DBQ: Puritan influences
2008 - LEQ 2: Conflicts with American Indians
2006 - LEQ 2: Spanish vs. English colonies
2005 - LEQ 2: Politics in Massachusetts & Virginia
2002 - LEQ 2: Compare religion in colonies
2001 - LEQ 2: Expansion of slavery in southern colonies
2000 - LEQ 2: Relations with American Indians
*The following outline was adapted from the AP® World History Course Description as published by College Board in 2019 found here. This outline reflects the most recent revisions to the course.
Study Guide: The Regions of the British Colonies
Spanish, French, Dutch, and British colonizers differed in their goals and development.
British colonies on the Atlantic coast had regional differences.
Conflict between European rivals and American Indians continued.
🎥Live Stream Replay - Interactions Between Native Americans and Europeans
^^ From a Fiveable Live Review!
🎥Live Stream Replay: Compare & Contrast Colonial America
Study Guide: Interactions Between Native Americans and Europeans
British colonies were increasingly connected to Britain as they developed.
Slavery developed across all British colonies.
🎥Live Stream Replay - Period 2 Recap & Exam Review
STUDY TIP: These are the concepts and vocabulary from period 2 that most commonly appear on the exam. Create a quizlet deck to make sure you are familiar with these terms!
Act of Toleration
Anne Hutchinson
Bacon's Rebellion
cash crops
City upon a hill
Cotton Mather
First Great Awakening
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
George Whitfield
Glorious Revolution
Great Migration
Halfway Covenant
headright system
indentured servants
James Oglethorpe
Jamestown
John Rolfe
John Winthrop
Jonathan Edwards
Lord Calvert of Maryland
Mayflower Compact
mercantilism
Metacom's War
Middle Passage
Navigation Acts
Olaudah Equiano
Pequot War
Pilgrims
Plymouth Colony
Pocahontas
Powhatan Confederacy
proprietary colonies
Puritans
Quakers
Roger Williams
royal colonies
Salutary Neglect
Separatists
Stono Rebellion
tobacco farms
triangular trade
Virginia Company
Virginia House of Burgesses
William Penn
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