AP United States History - Student Samples from the 2023 Exam Administration

2023

United States

History

Sample Student Responses

and Scoring Commentary

Set 1

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Long Essay Question 4

 Scoring Guidelines

 Student Samples

 Scoring Commentary

AP® United States History 2023 Scoring Guidelines

Question 4: Long Essay Question, National Security and Changes to Foreign Policy 6 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of the exam, essays may contain errors that do not detract from their overall quality, as long as the historical content used to advance the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 growing concerns about national security contributed to changes in United States foreign policy from 1945 to 1991.

AP® United States History 2023 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 a line 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 how growing concerns about national

security contributed to changes in United States foreign policy from 1945 to 1991. The thesis

must suggest at least one main line of argument development or establish the analytic

categories of the argument.

Examples that do not earn this point:

Provide a historically defensible claim, but do not establish a line

of reasoning

• “Fear led to major changes in U.S. foreign policy.”

Provide an overly generalized response to the prompt

• “National security concerns led to social, economic, and

political changes in U.S. foreign policy.”

Provide a claim that is not historically defensible

• “As the most powerful country in the World, the United States

didn’t feel like it needed any other countries’ help to address its

security concerns, so it established an isolationist foreign

policy.”

Examples that earn this point:

Establish a line of reasoning that evaluates the topic of the prompt with analytic categories

• “While the most significant change to U.S. policy that resulted from the fear of communism

was the formation of permanent alliances, something the U.S. had never done, the U.S.

also increased its use of foreign aid and military power in the period.”

Establish a line of reasoning with analytic categories

• “Security concerns led to more alliances and increased foreign aid during the Cold War.”

Establish a line of reasoning

• “Concerns about national security led to the formation of permanent alliances.” (Minimally

acceptable thesis/claim)

Additional Notes:

• The thesis or claim must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the conclusion (which may not be limited to the first

or last paragraphs).

• The thesis or claim must identify a relevant development(s) in the period, although it is not required to encompass the entire period.

AP® United States History 2023 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Row B

Contextualization

(0-1 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.

1 point

Describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point:

• Provide an overgeneralized statement about the time period

referenced in the prompt.

• Provide context that is not relevant to the prompt.

• Provide a passing phase or reference.

Responses that earn this point:

Accurately describe a context relevant to how growing concerns about national security

contributed to changes in United States foreign policy from 1945 to 1991.

Examples that do not earn this point:

Do not provide context relevant to the topic of the prompt

• “The 1920s was a period of great cultural change, flappers

challenged gender norms, cars gave young people more

freedom, and the radio was a new form of entertainment. Not

everyone was happy with the changes as we can see with the

Scopes trial.”

Provide an overgeneralized statement about the time period

referenced in the prompt

• “The period after World War II was an age of optimism and

anxiety. Americans were both excited about the social and

economic changes in the period and worried about dangerous

developments around the world.”

Examples of relevant context that earn this point include the following, if appropriate

elaboration is provided:

• Washington’s Farewell Address

• First Red Scare

• Interwar foreign policy of isolationism

• The Second World War

• Economic prosperity in the post-war era

• The Civil Rights movement

• Gulf War

• September 11, 2001

Example of acceptable contextualization:

• “Following World War I, many in the United States hesitated to get involved in foreign

affairs. In fact, the U.S. didn’t even join the League of Nations or get involved in World War

II until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But that all changed with the Cold War.”

• “1945 marks the end of WW2 and the start of a panic about communists.” (Minimally

acceptable context)

Additional Notes:

• The response must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the

time frame of the question.

• To earn this point, the context provided must be more than a phrase or reference.

AP® United States History 2023 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Row C

Evidence

(0-2 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one

point.

1 point

Provides specific examples of evidence relevant to the topic

of the prompt.

2 points

Supports an argument in response to the prompt using

specific and relevant examples of evidence.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn points:

• Identify a single piece of evidence.

• Provide evidence that is not

relevant to the topic of prompt.

• Provide evidence that is outside the

time period or region specified in

the prompt.

• Repeat information that is specified

in the prompt.

Responses that earn 1 point:

Identify at least two specific historical examples relevant to

how growing concerns about national security contributed to

changes in United States foreign policy from 1945 to 1991.

Responses that earn 2 points:

Use at least two specific historical examples to support

an argument regarding how growing concerns about

national security contributed to changes in United

States foreign policy from 1945 to 1991.

Examples of evidence that are specific and relevant include

the following (two examples required):

Examples that successfully support an argument with

evidence:

• “As the Soviet Union promoted the spread of

communism around the world which led to the Red

Scare, the United States responded by developing a

foreign policy based on containment.” (Uses

evidence to support an argument about how the

spread of communism shaped foreign policy)

• “Shortly after World War II ended, several other

countries developed nuclear weapons, including

some enemies, so the U.S. started building a lot

more of these bombs.” (Uses evidence to support

an argument about the growth of the U.S. nuclear

arsenal)

• “Fear of Soviet power motivated the United States

to create permanent alliances for the first time, for

example, NATO.” (Uses evidence to support an

argument about why the U.S. formed alliances)

• The Cold War

• Nuclear weapons

• Containment

• Second Red Scare

• Korean War

• Vietnam War

• Potsdam and Yalta

Conferences

• NATO

• SEATO

• The United Nations

• Marshall Plan

• The Alliance for

Progress

• Ronald Reagan

• Truman Doctrine

• Cuban Missile Crisis

• Duck and Cover Drills

• Peace Corps

• Detente

• Nixon’s visits to China &

Soviet Union

• OPEC Oil Embargo

• Camp David Accords

• Iran Hostage Crisis

• Mikhail Gorbachev

Examples that do not earn points:

Provide evidence that is outside the

time period

• “The United States helped broker

the Oslo Accords which improved

the relationship between Israel and

Palestine.”

Example of a statement that earns one point for evidence:

• “President Truman met with the leaders of the Soviet

Union and the United Kingdom to plan for the end of

World War II at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences.”

Additional Notes:

• Typically, statements credited as evidence will be more specific than statements credited as contextualization.

• If a response has a multipart argument, then it can meet the threshold of two pieces of evidence by giving one example for one part of the argument and

another example for a different part of the argument, but the total number of examples must still be at least two.

(For example, supporting a two-part argument about alliances with NATO and military spending with nuclear weapons.)

AP® United States History 2023 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Row D

Analysis and

Reasoning

(0-2 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria

for one point.

1 point

Uses historical reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation,

continuity, and change) to frame or structure an

argument that addresses the prompt.

2 points

Demonstrates a complex understanding of the historical development

that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or

modify an argument that addresses the question.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not

earn points:

• May include evidence

but offer no reasoning

to connect the

evidence to an

argument.

• May assert the use of

historical reasoning but

does not use it to

frame or structure an

argument.

Responses that earn 1 point:

Must demonstrate the use of historical reasoning to

explain how growing concerns about national security

contributed to changes in United States foreign policy

from 1945 to 1991.

Responses that earn 2 points:

May demonstrate a complex understanding in a variety of ways, such as:

• Explaining the nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables.

• Explaining both similarity and difference, or explaining both continuity

and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both causes

and effects.

• Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across

periods.

• Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple

perspectives across themes.

• Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or

alternative views or evidence.

Examples that do not earn

points:

Provide evidence but offer

no reasoning to connect

the evidence to an

argument

• “NATO was a military

alliance that included

the U.S., Canada, and

most of Western

Europe. The alliance

was based on the idea

that an attack on one

was an attack on all.”

Using a historical reasoning process to frame or

structure an argument could include:

• Explaining how tension with the Soviet Union

caused the U.S. to form new alliances.

• Explaining how the Cold War was a continuity

throughout the period from 1945 to 1991.

Example of acceptable use of historical reasoning:

• “While the tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

decreased some during détente, the conflict

between these two powers consistently shaped U.S.

foreign policy in this period.” (Indicates a continuity

in foreign policy related to the Soviet Union)

Demonstrating complex understanding might include any of the

following, if appropriate elaboration is provided:

• The response argues that during the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy

came to increasingly depend on both military engagements and

diplomacy to slow the spread of communism. It then corroborates this

argument with evidence from multiple areas of the world, including

East Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

• The response argues that concerns about the power and influence of

communist countries led to continuity in U.S. foreign policy

throughout the period. It then qualifies this argument with evidence

of the changes during the period of détente.

• The response argues that national security concerns were only a

minor factor in shaping U.S. foreign policy. It modifies the argument

by providing evidence of how economic interests shaped foreign

policy, arguing that the desire to protect global trade based on

capitalism motivated U.S. policy, noting that national security

concerns were a result of this economy-driven foreign policy rather

than a cause.

Additional Notes:

This demonstration of complex understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

During world war one, Russia left the war because they had their own civil war which produced the communist

soviet union. This had the effect of producing the first red scare in the United States, where xenophobia and fear of

communist infiltration were extremely high. After this died down, in between the years of world war one and world

war two, the united states entered a period of isolationism and were not involved in foreign conflicts. However, the

attack on pearl harbor by Japan made the united states enter the war directly. Even when the USSR and United

States were on the same side, tensions were still high between the two countries because of opposing ideologies. The

Soviet union and the United states emerged from World War II as the global superpowers, and with the United states

seeing itself as the global protector of democracy, it would conflict with the soviet union. The extent to which

growing concerns about national security contributed to changes in foreign policy was significant, due to the red

scare, the domino effect, and the buildup of nuclear weapons. Following world war two, the cold war started

between the united states and the soviet union, or rather capitalism and communism. The first big major change in

foreign policy was the fact that the United States joined their first peace-time military alliance ever with NATO.

They had never done this before, but fear of a soviet offensive caused them to join it and to support eastern Europe

from communism, which can also be seen through the Marshall plan. Ever since Washingtons farewell adress, the

U.S had never joined a foreign organization outside in the middle of a war, and this is seen during the first world

ar where congress denied joining the league of nations because it would tie them to foreign affairs. So with them

joining NATO, we can see just how much national security concerns contributed to changes in foreign policiy. Not

only that, we see the United States involve themself in proxy wars around the world against communism. We see

this with the korean war and vietnam war. With the vietnam war, the United States kept spending and spending t

upport the south against the north, and kept promising the people at home that we were close to victory. However,

this was the first major war that was put on television, so the people at home saw that in reality, the united states

were not winning and could better be described as losing the war. Point being, national security concerns led to

proxy wars in Asia and around the world because the U.S came up with the domino effect, saying that if they let one

country in Asia become communist, the rest would soon fall to it, producing a domino effect which would

eventually reach the united states. Another thing that was new in foreign policy was the massive amount of

economic aid solely for the purpose of fighting another ideology. The marshall plan was for eastern europea

ountries and so that they would depend on united states and their capitalism ideology, the plan resemble

reconstruction efforts after the civil war in the U.S but here we see the U.S be directly involved with construction of

foreign economies. National security concerns also gave birth to the second rare scare, which deported many

immigrants. We also see the united states station troops in other countries and oversee them, such as in East

Germany. The Berlin wall was hotly contested between the U.S and Soviet union, and the U.S employed the Berlin

Air Lift to ship in goods to West Berlin because it was blocked off to the east. All these foreign policy changes fall

under one principle that was prevalent during this time period, and that was the idea of containment. Starting wit

ruman, the U.S was devoted to being involved in foreign affairs to make sure that they contained the spread of

soviet communism and to keep it from reaching other countries. This was only sparked even more when Cuba an

astro ovethrow their dictatorship and installed a communist goverment, because seeing that ideology so close t

heir home only inrpired national swcu

Page 1 of 1

Before 1945, the United States had tried to establish an isolationist foreign policy. Due to the outcome of the first

world war the United States hoped to rebuild their economy and build a military, yet keep out of any foreign affairs

for as long as possible. However, following the attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. was pushed into WW2 causing them

to change their ideas about foreign policy. Following the war, the U.S. and Soviet Union stood off in the Cold War

with threat of nuclear war. So from 1945-1991 the United States' action in many "wars" contributed greatly to its

changes in foreign policy.

To begin, the United States had hoped to stay out of World War 2 as much as possible until the attack on Pearl

Harbor. Before the ambush, the U.S. had supplied money and weapons to European countries fighting in the war.

Their foreign policy remained neutral and no sides were officially taken as the shipments were available to any

country willing get it. However, the axis powers believed that the U.S. was clearly favoring the allies which resulted

in their initial attack. Following the attack, the U.S. had completely changed its forign policy and changed focus to

win the war and help the allies. Rather then building the economy, they built a military and thousands of men and

women were sent to help in Europe. Throughout the war the United States thrived and risked little to no dangers on

the nation itself as it was across the entire ocean. Nonetheless, the risk of communism crossing the atlantic if the

axis powers had won was enough to keep fighting. Following the war, the United States took control of recovery

process. They provided aid to all countries involved and established the Marshall Plan in order to prevent future

wars and rebuild Europe. During this period the United States, had to adapt a new foreign policy multiple times to

fight in a war and help recovery from it.

Furthermore, the United States and Soviet Union entered a stand-off which arguably could have begun the next

world war. Shortly after the WW2, the Soviet Union and U.S. threatened a nuclear war on each other. Although, it

just remained threats and lies, the danger was there. Throughout the cold war, espionage and scandals flooded the

government and people began to have little trust in each other. The U.S. military built bases in neighboring countries

to the U.S.S.R and remained as informed as possible. Foreign Policy was built around obtaining information and not

starting the war, but only reacting. The threat to national security contributed greatly to foreign policy as new allies

were formed and deals were created to stay out of trouble.

To conclude, the period from 1945 to 1991 contributed significantly to the changes in foreign policy. Constant threat

to national security during the Second World War and Cold war forced the military to take action and stay on their

toes. While this period was primarily an era of war, many treaties and pacts were created to eventually end major

wars. Due to the constant action of the era it is less common to see so much foreign violence today, which is why it

can be argued as one of the more influential periods in U.S. history.

Page 1 of 1

The growing concerns about national securtiy contributed to changes in the United States foreign policy by the new

technology like the nucleaur bombs and the politcal rivaly between communtism and caplitlism.

From 1945 to 1991 was the Red Scare which affected the lives of many, during this time America fought in wars to

protect countries from communism like Korea, Iran, and Vietnam.

The technology from World War 2 had a great affect on Americans national security because of the creations of the

nuclear bomb getting into the hands of Russia. The battle between communism was an indirect fight through other

countries. With the technology America had they could support civil wars like the Korean and Vietnam War.

The political rivaly was the reasons for the wars and the tenison between America and Russia. America also fought

wars in Cuba to end the dictator ship but it didn't work leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Page 1 of 1

United States History 2023 Scoring Commentary

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Long Essay Question 4

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Overview

• Responses were expected to demonstrate knowledge of how growing concerns about national

security contributed to changes in foreign policy in the period from 1945 to 1991.

• Responses could utilize a wide range of content knowledge, including reasons for containment

policy, various methods of implementing containment including through proxy wars and

economic assistance, domestic events that stemmed from fear of communism such as the

Second Red Scare, Cold War competition and policies targeting Latin America, examples of

post–Second World War decolonization in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and examples of

various presidential policies regarding Cold War events.

• This question primarily addressed Topic 8.1.

• Topics 8.3, 8.7, and 8.8 were also addressed.

Sample: 4A

Thesis/Claim: 1

Contextualization: 1

Evidence: 2

Analysis and Reasoning: 2

Total Score: 6

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for the thesis because it provides a historically defensible claim that

establishes a line of reasoning. The seventh sentence states, “The extent to which growing concerns

about national security contributed to changes in foreign policy was significant, due to the red scare,

the domino effect, and the buildup of nuclear weapons.”

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for contextualization because it describes a broader historical context

relevant to the prompt. Within the first few sentences, the response identifies the creation of the

communist Soviet Union and its connection to the First Red Scare in the United States. Additionally,

the response describes how “Even when the USSR and United States were on the same side,

tensions were still high between the two countries because of opposing ideologies. The Soviet union

and the United states emerged from World War II as the global superpowers, and with the United

states seeing itself as the global protector of democracy, it would conflict with the soviet union.”

United States History 2023 Scoring Commentary

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Long Essay Question 4 (continued)

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 2

The response earned 2 points for evidence. The response identifies specific examples relevant to the

prompt, such as the Cold War and the Berlin Airlift.

The response earned the second point because it supports the argument in response to the prompt

by using specific historical evidence. For example, it argues that the proxy wars in Korea and

Vietnam were a product of the domino theory and that the Marshall Plan’s economic aid was

motivated by the United States’ desire to promote capitalism in Europe.

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 2

The response earned 1 point for structuring an argument that addresses the prompt, explaining how

tension with the Soviet Union caused the United States to form new military alliances, contributing

to changes in foreign policy.

The response earned 1 point for demonstrating a complex understanding, using evidence to

corroborate an argument that addresses the question. The response explains relevant and insightful

connections across periods to corroborate its argument. It also extends the discussion of the

Marshall Plan back to Reconstruction efforts after the Civil War. Additionally, the response extends

the discussion of NATO back to Washington’s Farewell Address.

Sample: 4B

Thesis/Claim: 1

Contextualization: 1

Evidence: 1

Analysis and Reasoning: 1

Total Score: 4

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for the thesis because it responds to the prompt with a historically

defensible claim in the final paragraph that establishes a line of reasoning: “Constant threat to

national security during the Second World War and Cold war forced the military to take action and

stay on their toes. While this period was primarily an era of war, many treaties and pacts were

created to eventually end major wars.”

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for contextualization because it describes a broader historical context

relevant to the prompt. In the first paragraph, the response describes the movement from an interwar

period of isolation to involvement in the Second World War following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

United States History 2023 Scoring Commentary

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Long Essay Question 4 (continued)

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for evidence because it provides specific examples of evidence relevant

to the topic of the prompt. For example, it identifies the Marshall Plan and the threat of nuclear war.

The response did not earn the second point for evidence. While it contains at least two specific

historical examples relevant to the prompt, the response does not adequately use these in support of

an argument.

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for using historical reasoning to structure an argument that addresses

the prompt. In the third paragraph, the response argues that the United States changed its foreign

policy, and it sums up this analysis well: “The threat to national security contributed greatly to

foreign policy as new allies were formed and deals were created to stay out of trouble.”

The response did not earn the point for demonstrating a complex understanding. It does not attempt

to use evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the topic of the

prompt.

Sample: 4C

Thesis/Claim: 1

Contextualization: 0

Evidence: 1

Analysis and Reasoning: 0

Total Score: 2

A. Thesis/Claim (0–1 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for the thesis because it responds to the prompt with a historically

defensible claim that establishes a line of reasoning. In the opening paragraph, the response argues

that the “growing concerns about national securtiy contributed to changes in the United States

foreign policy by the new technology like the nucleaur bombs and the politcal rivaly between

communtism and caplitlism.”

B. Contextualization (0–1 points): 0

The response did not earn the point for contextualization because it does not describe a broader

historical context relevant to the prompt.

United States History 2023 Scoring Commentary

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Long Essay Question 4 (continued)

C. Evidence (0–2 points): 1

The response earned 1 point for using evidence because it provides specific examples of evidence

relevant to the prompt. For example, in the second paragraph, it identifies conflicts fought against

communism in Korea and Vietnam. The third paragraph also identifies the volatility of atomic

weapons.

The response did not earn the second point. While it contains at least two specific historical

examples relevant to the prompt, the response does not adequately use these in support of an

argument.

D. Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 points): 0

The response did not earn the point for using historical reasoning because it does not provide

relevant analysis supporting causation, continuity and change, or comparison to structure an

argument that addresses the prompt.

The response did not earn the point for demonstrating a complex understanding. It does not attempt

to use evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the topic of the

prompt.