Welcome to Contextualization: Setting the Stage for History
Imagine walking into a movie theater \(20\) minutes late. You see a character crying, but you have no idea why. Are they sad? Angry? Are they acting in a play within the movie? Without knowing what happened in those first \(20\) minutes, the scene doesn't make sense.
In AP U.S. History (APUSH), Contextualization is the "opening scene" of your historical argument. It is the ability to connect specific events to the broader world around them. It answers the question: "What else was going on at the time that made this event happen?"
What is Contextualization? (Skill 4)
The College Board breaks this skill into two parts that you need to master for the exam:
Skill 4.A: Identify and Describe
This is the "what." You must be able to name and describe a historical context for a specific development. For example, if you are writing about the Declaration of Independence in \(1776\), you need to identify the Enlightenment or the Seven Years' War as the background.
Skill 4.B: Explain the Situation
This is the "how." You must explain how a specific development is situated within that broader context. It’s not enough to just name an event; you have to explain the link between the "big picture" and the "specific event."
Quick Review: Context is like a zoom lens on a camera. When you contextualize, you are "zooming out" from a specific person or event to see the entire landscape of that time period.
Contextualization on the AP Exam
Contextualization isn't just a "thought exercise"—it is a required part of your score. The AP Exam is \(3\) hours and \(15\) minutes long, and you will use this skill in every section:
1. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs): You will see stimuli (texts, maps, or images). You must use your knowledge of the time period to understand what the stimulus is talking about.
2. Short-Answer Questions (SAQs): You may be asked to explain the historical situation of a primary or secondary source.
3. Document-Based Question (DBQ) & Long Essay Question (LEQ): This is where it counts the most! In both the DBQ and LEQ, Row B of the grading rubric offers \(1\) point for Contextualization. To earn this point, you must describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
Key Rule for the DBQ and LEQ:
To earn the point, your context must be more than a "passing phrase." You generally need \(3\) to \(5\) sentences at the beginning of your essay to "set the stage" before you state your thesis.
The "Opening Crawl" Strategy
If you have ever seen a Star Wars movie, you know the yellow text that crawls up the screen at the beginning. That text gives you the background info you need to understand the movie. When you write an essay, your first paragraph should be the "Opening Crawl" for your topic.
Steps to write a perfect context paragraph:
- Look at the Date: If the prompt asks about the Civil War (\(1861\)–\(1865\)), think about what happened in the \(20\) to \(50\) years before it.
- Identify "Big Picture" Themes: Use the eight AP themes (like Migration or Politics and Power). For the Civil War, you might mention Manifest Destiny or Sectional Conflict.
- Connect to the Prompt: Explain how those big themes led directly to the event in the prompt.
Examples from the Syllabus
Here is how you might contextualize different periods using the official Historical Developments:
Period 3 (\(1754\)–\(1800\)): If the prompt is about the American Revolution, your context could be the Seven Years' War. You would explain that the British won the war but ended up with massive debt, which led them to end "salutary neglect" and start Taxation Without Representation.
Period 5 (\(1844\)–\(1877\)): If the prompt is about Reconstruction, your context is the Civil War and the destruction of the Confederacy. You would explain that the country needed a plan to readmit Southern states and define the rights of formerly enslaved people (the Reconstruction Amendments).
Period 7 (\(1890\)–\(1945\)): If the prompt is about the New Deal, your context is the Great Depression. You would explain that the stock market crash and mass unemployment created a crisis that forced Franklin Roosevelt to expand the role of the government.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. The "Drive-By" Context: This is when a student just mentions a word but doesn't explain it. Example: "There was a Great Depression, and then FDR made the New Deal." (This will not earn the point!)
2. Going Too Far Back: Don't start with "Since the beginning of time..." or "When Columbus arrived..." if you are writing about the \(1960\)s. Stay within a reasonable timeframe (usually \(20\)–\(50\) years before the prompt starts).
3. Forgetting the Link: Make sure your background info actually relates to the prompt. If the prompt is about Women's Rights, don't spend your whole context paragraph talking about Naval Technology unless you can explain how it relates!
Key Takeaways
- Contextualization is the "background" or "setting" of history.
- It is required for the DBQ and LEQ rubrics (worth \(1\) point).
- Aim for \(3\) to \(5\) sentences at the start of your essay.
- Focus on what happened before or during the event to explain why it happened.
Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! As you learn more about the nine historical periods, you will naturally start to see how one event leads into the next. Contextualization is just telling the story of those connections.