Can someone help me with this AP history essay topic?

Question

A society is characterized by similar values, mutual interest, shared instituions, and a common culture. to what extent would it be accurate to say that the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies had merged to create a single American society by the outbreak of the Revolution?

I really do not understand what I'm supposed to write about!

Please help!

Answer 1

You're being asked if the 13 colonies had much in common.

I would look at things like religion (remember, this was FAR more important a force than it is today), economics, population/ethnicity (What kind of immigrants went to the north vs. the south), and - for culture - were there any artists/writers/politicians that both North and South were proud of.  (Thomas Jefferson would be an

example.)

Answer 2

I suggest a contrast and comparison between the 3 regions. For example, contrast the differences between the industries farming, fishing, types of employment, religions. Then compare how each of these led to the unity of purpose toward the revolution, were the differences so great that they could not work towards the common goal of liberty from England. Think about why they found a common goal, forced taxes, taxes or tariffs placed on shipping, and how all these contributed to the dissatisfaction of the colonies toward the "mother country" England.  God luck and if you need further help feel free to email me and I will gladly help you.

gatita_63109

Answer 3

You're supposed to compare the individual cultures of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies, and talk about how they'd come together to form a unified American culture.

Answer 4

First, is this a DBQ?  If it is you can tie together all of the information provided from the colonies being split apart to them melding together (sort of.)

So you know that before the Revolution the New England colonies were in the forefront of everything; they were so to speak the 'rabble rousers'.  OK.  The Southern colonies were way down there, they didn't really care about most of the taxes AS LONG AS those taxes didn't affect their beloved agriculture industry.  And the Middle colonies were inconspicuous.  At any rate none of these colonies really communicated with each other and most people saw themselves as citizens of their respective colony: Virginians, Pennsylvanians, all that jazz.

However, when after the French and Indian War the British started taking control of a previously kind of self-governed America, the colonies came together in protest against the 'taxation without representation': the Stamp Acts, the Intolerable Acts, the Coercive Acts.  This was shown right before the Revolution by Franklin's Albany Plan of Union as well as the First Constitutional Convention, to which a representative from every state except Georgia showed up.

The conclusion could be about the Revolution itself.  

Most essay topics on the AP exam aren't that confuzzling, at least not on the one I took in May of this year (US history.)

Good luck!