6/6 AP United States History LEQ Essay: Ratifying the Constitution
This is a real leq essay written by an AP student (personal details removed) and scored 6/6 by our AI grader — one of many AP United States History essay examples in our library.
The Prompt
Evaluate the extent to which the ratification of the United States Constitution fostered change in the function of the federal government in the period from 1776 to 1800. Possible areas of analysis include the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debate, and the Bill of Rights.
The Essay
During the founding of the United States, the founders had to make hard decisions about governing a new nation. Fears about federal control and potential tyranny created differences, leading to changes in the government. The change from the US government under the Articles of Confederation to the new US government under the Constitution was drastic, and heavily changed how the United States was run, especially because of the rights protected and given in the Constitution, for both people and the government. Fear of high taxes and tyranny, like under the British crown, caused the delegates to be hesitant with allowing federal power when writing the Articles of Confederation. Taxes like in the Stamp act caused anger, so the delegates did not allow that power to the new government. This hesitancy caused problems for the US in the future. The primary realization that the US needed a new government was shown by rebellion. Shays’ rebellion in 1787, was caused because of anger from ex-soldiers, because they were not getting paid. Because the federal government could not tax their people, they could not pay their debits, or their soldiers. This led to Shays’ rebellion. Because of the lack of federal power, the government was helpless at shutting down Shays’ rebellion. They eventually had to call in state troops to end the rebellion. This showed the US government they needed to make some changes, before the entire nation was ruined. Once the constitution was written there were almost immediate solutions. Taxes were allowed, the people gained more representatives, and fairness ensued. When rebellions happened over taxes, like over Alexander Hamilton’s Whisky tax, the federal government under the Constitution was able to spring into action and shut the rebellion down. Washington himself led the federal army to stop the rebellion. Although the states still had power, the federal government was able to deal with large national issues, like rebellion, trade, and taxes, as well as foreign affairs. Some people would claim the change in government over time was not drastic, but played a minor part in the founding of the United States. In reality, the change in government completely changed the US, from a group of independent, but partially united states, to a country, made of states, all unified under one Constitution. This changed the entire structure and political makeup of the US. Instead of a unicamel house, we had bicamel houses and utilized the Great Compromise. We had less of a burden to pass a federal law or tax, more fair, free, and direct elections, and it provided more protection for the citizens under the federal government, while still preserving their own rights. The Constitution also allowed for more growth, because it had broad clauses, allowing the US to grow and change as the world did. The change from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution entirely shifted how the US was governed, and allowed the US to survive and continue to grow.
Score Breakdown
Thesis (1/1)
Contextualization (1/1)
Evidence (2/2)
Analysis & Reasoning (2/2)
Why This Essay Scored Well
The thesis at the end of the introduction takes a position on extent. It calls the change from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution "drastic" and ties that change to "the rights protected and given in the Constitution, for both people and the government." The contextualization paragraph explains why the Articles kept federal power weak. It points to fear of taxes "like under the British crown" and names the Stamp Act as the source of that anger.
The evidence is arranged as a before-and-after comparison. In the Shays' Rebellion paragraph, the writer traces a causal chain. The federal government "could not tax their people," so it could not pay soldiers, and the unpaid soldiers rebelled. The next paragraph sets the Whiskey Rebellion against it. This time the federal government "was able to spring into action and shut the rebellion down," with Washington leading the army. The two rebellions show the same kind of crisis drawing very different federal responses, which is the argument's strongest move.
The final paragraph earns the complexity point by raising the view that the change "played a minor part in the founding of the United States" and answering it. The writer describes a shift from "a group of independent, but partially united states" to a single country under one Constitution, then backs that up with the two-house Congress and the Great Compromise.
For the full point-by-point rubric behind this score, read our AP essay rubric breakdown.
What Could Be Improved
The prompt names the Bill of Rights and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debate, and the essay uses neither. Both sit at the center of the question, and the Bill of Rights would support the thesis directly, since the thesis rests on rights "protected and given." The Great Compromise appears in the last paragraph with no explanation of what it did to representation in Congress, so it reads as a name on a list.
The counterargument is answered mostly by restating the claim. The essay says the change "completely changed the US" and then lists features of the new government. A stronger answer would concede something real, such as the states keeping much of their power, and explain why the shift still counts as drastic. The writer gestures at this with "Although the states still had power" but never develops it.
Spelling slips run through the essay. It writes "unicamel" and "bicamel" for unicameral and bicameral, and "debits" for debts in the Shays' paragraph.
Ready to improve your own essay? Grade your AP United States History essay free with AI.
