APUSH Long Essay Question Answers for The Market Revolution

👋 Welcome to the APUSH Unit 4 LEQ (The Market Revolution) Answers. Have your responses handy as you go through the rubrics to see how you did!

⏱ Remember, the AP US History exam has a mixture of free-response questions and allotted times. For these types of questions, there will be 1 LEQ, and you will be given 40 minutes to complete it. (This means you should give yourself 40 minutes to go through each practice LEQ.)

Guidelines

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
• Describe the broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
• Support an argument in response to the prompt using specific and relevant examples of evidence.
• Use historical reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation, continuity or change over time) to frame or structure an argument that addresses the prompt.
• Use evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the prompt.

Question

Evaluate the extent to which the market revolution marked a turning point in the lives of workers in the United States.

In the development of your argument, explain what changed and what stayed the same in the lives of workers within the time period of 1803 to 1848.

Rubric

Adapted from College Board Scoring Guidelines

1pt: Thesis must create a historically defensible argument and it must be located in the first or last paragraph.

• The market revolution marked a turning point in worker’s lives as more people entered factory work and machines began to replace workers; however, slaves still worked in the southern fields.
• As a result of growing technology, farmers began to move to jobs in the cities and women were offered low paying factory work. However, women were still paid less than men in both periods.
• As a result of assembly line technology, more people began to work factory jobs; however, long hours and low pay still existed.
• The market revolution will encourage the building of factories and railroads. As a result, working on the railroad will be a new job opportunity; however a majority of Americans still worked in the fields.

1pt: To earn the point, the response must accurately describe broader historical events or processes relevant to changes in work from 1803 to 1848.

Examples might include the following, with appropriate elaboration:

• The American System

• Eli Whitney’s interchangeable parts

• End of the War of 1812 and weaknesses in America’s ability to wage war

• New technologies (steam engine, reapers, telegraph)

• Manifest Destiny

• American System (Banks, Tariffs, Infrastructure)

• Cotton Gin

• Seneca Falls 📄 Additional Resources

• Study Guide: Beginnings of Modern American Democracy (1800-1848)

1pt: Provides specific examples of evidence relevant to the topic of the prompt.

(The rubric states examples so you must include more than 1 to receive the point!)

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Lowell
• Steam Boat
• Robert Fulton
• Eli Whitney
• Cult of Domesticity
• Factory System
• American System
• Henry Clay
• Erie Canal
• Samuel Slater
• Cyrus McCormick
• Panic of 1819
• Gang-System
• Samuel Morse
• Louisiana Purchase

1pt: Supports an argument in response to the prompt using specific and relevant examples of evidence. 

Evidence must be used to support an argument in order to receive the second point. Response uses outside information to actually support an argument relevant to the topic of the prompt.

• Ex: The market revolution marked a turning point in worker’s lives as more people entered factory work and machines began to replace workers; however, slaves still worked in the fields.
• Due to the advancements of Cyrus McCormick’s reaper, less people were required to work in the fields. As a result, workers began to find jobs in factories like those in Lowell.

1pt: Uses historical reasoning (e.g. comparison, causation, CCOT) to frame or structure an argument that addresses the prompt.

The response clearly accomplishes the goal of periodization and clearly demonstrates something that stayed the same regardless of the market revolution.

Examples might include:

• poor pay for women
• the South still was primarily agricultural work
• there was little union power
• immigrant workers

Next, the response clearly shows what changed such as:

• type of work (assembly line)
• specific immigrant groups (like the Irish)
• women working in factories
• movement of factories near waterways, replacing the domestic system

The response must show what stayed the same and what changed to receive the point.

1pt: Response 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.

The response must explain, and cannot make a fleeting reference.

Examples might discuss:

• The spread of slavery in the South due to the cotton gin and the addition of new territories demonstrating a complex analysis of the impact of westward expansion, the growth of technologies, and the growing demand for cotton.
• Henry Clay’s American system and make descriptive comparisons to Hamilton’s vision of the United States.
• The growth of new industries as a result of the technological advancements and in some cases the need for specialized mechanics to maintain and repair the machines.
• The Cult of Domesticity and show evidence of young women challenging the prevalent social norms designated for women.
• The Second Great Awakening and note the growing movement for labor reform for both women and children.

Next Steps

• 🧠 Want to continue reinforcing your knowledge of Unit 4? Check out Unit 4 Trivia, either as a document or as a game.
• ⏭ Ready to move on to the next topic? Take a look at the collection of Unit 5 Resources.
• • 📚 Want to review multiple units? Check out all of the APUSH SAQs, LEQs, and DBQs.