AP United States History Period 2: 1607–1754 — Worked Answer Explanations

Unit 2 · 12 questions explained

Below is a complete answer key for our AP United States History Period 2: 1607–1754 practice questions. For each question you'll find the correct choice, a full written explanation of how to get there, and — for every wrong answer — a short note on exactly why it's tempting and where it goes wrong. Reading these straight through is one of the fastest ways to find the gaps in a unit before exam day.

Prefer to test yourself first? Take the timed Period 2: 1607–1754 practice test and come back here to review, or head back to the Period 2: 1607–1754 unit overview.

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Question 1 · Easy
A Puritan minister preaching in Boston in 1640 stated: 'God hath contracted with us as a community. If we fail in our covenant, He shall afflict us; if we prosper, it is proof of His favor.' This idea is most closely associated with which Puritan concept?
- A
  The Half-Way Covenant, which extended church membership to the unconverted
  Why not A: The Half-Way Covenant (1662) was a response to declining church membership, not an expression of covenant theology itself.
- B
  The federal covenant, or covenant theology, holding that God made a collective agreement with the Puritan communityCorrect
- C
  Antinomianism, the belief that the saved are above moral law
  Why not C: Antinomianism was a heresy the Puritans actively persecuted, not mainstream Puritan theology.
- D
  Quaker testimonies of individual divine revelation superseding communal authority
  Why not D: This describes Quaker theology, not Puritan covenant theology.
Explanation
Puritan covenant theology held that God had made a collective agreement with the entire New England community, not just individuals. Public prosperity demonstrated God's favor; disasters like drought, war, or disease were collective punishments for communal sin. John Winthrop expressed this in his 'City upon a Hill' sermon. This framework gave Puritan ministers great power to interpret current events as divine judgment and demand collective repentance.

Key takeaway
Puritan covenant theology held that God judged the entire community collectively — prosperity meant divine favor, disaster meant communal sin.
Question 2 · Easy
Which of the following best explains why Virginia colonists shifted from indentured servitude to enslaved African labor during the second half of the seventeenth century?
- A
  Indentured servants were more expensive than enslaved Africans from the outset of colonization
  Why not A: Initially indentured servitude was cheaper; the shift was driven by changing conditions, not original cost differences.
- B
  Bacon's Rebellion revealed the danger of a large class of poor, armed freedmen; enslaved Africans were a more controllable permanent labor forceCorrect
- C
  The English government banned the use of indentured servants after 1660
  Why not C: No such ban existed; indentured servitude continued but declined as slavery became preferred.
- D
  Tobacco prices rose so dramatically that planters could afford to purchase enslaved laborers for the first time
  Why not D: Tobacco prices were actually falling in the late 1600s; economic incentive pushed toward cheaper permanent labor.
Explanation
Bacon's Rebellion (1676) exposed the volatility of relying on indentured servants who, once freed, became landless, resentful, and armed — a direct threat to the planter elite. Elite Virginians recognized that enslaved Africans, who could be held permanently, could not vote or own land, and were racially distinguishable, represented a more stable labor system. Virginia's slave codes hardened in the 1660s–1705, legally entrenching the shift from temporary to permanent, heritable bondage.

Key takeaway
Bacon's Rebellion accelerated Virginia's shift to enslaved African labor by revealing indentured servants as a politically dangerous class.
Question 3 · Easy
How did the Chesapeake and New England colonies differ in their primary economic foundations during the seventeenth century?
- A
  Chesapeake colonists focused on small-scale subsistence farming, while New Englanders developed large tobacco plantations
  Why not A: This is reversed; tobacco plantations were in the Chesapeake, not New England.
- B
  The Chesapeake relied on tobacco export for commercial wealth, while New England diversified into fishing, shipbuilding, and tradeCorrect
- C
  Both regions shared identical economies based on the production of grain for European markets
  Why not C: Their economies were quite distinct — tobacco dominated the Chesapeake; grain export was more typical of the Middle Colonies.
- D
  New England dominated the slave trade while the Chesapeake relied exclusively on free labor
  Why not D: New England was involved in the slave trade, but the Chesapeake was the region that most relied on enslaved labor.
Explanation
Virginia and Maryland's Chesapeake economy revolved around tobacco, a labor-intensive export crop that drove land expansion and the shift to enslaved labor. New England's rocky soil and shorter growing season discouraged plantation agriculture; instead, the region developed diversified economies built on fishing (especially cod), shipbuilding, and carrying trade that connected the Atlantic world. This difference produced distinct social structures — plantation hierarchy in the Chesapeake versus a more commercially diverse New England society.

Key takeaway
Chesapeake = tobacco plantation economy; New England = diversified fishing, shipbuilding, and trade economy — shaped by climate and soil.
Question 4 · Easy
Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 is historically significant primarily because it:
- A
  Led directly to Virginia's independence from English rule for a decade
  Why not A: Virginia did not achieve independence; royal authority was reasserted after the rebellion collapsed.
- B
  Revealed deep class tensions and contributed to the planter elite's decision to rely more heavily on enslaved African laborCorrect
- C
  Resulted in the creation of the first formal colonial legislature in North America
  Why not C: Virginia's House of Burgesses was established in 1619, long before Bacon's Rebellion.
- D
  United all English colonies in a common front against Native American aggression
  Why not D: The rebellion was a Virginia-specific internal conflict; no pan-colonial unity resulted.
Explanation
Nathaniel Bacon's coalition of poor white colonists and some enslaved people — united by resentment of the planter elite and desire for Native American land — terrified Virginia's gentry. When the rebellion collapsed in 1676, planters recognized that a labor force of freed whites with guns was dangerously volatile. The transition to racially stratified Black slavery followed, cementing a racial hierarchy that also gave poor whites a psychological stake in the slave system over Black people.

Key takeaway
Bacon's Rebellion's interracial coalition frightened planters into expanding racial slavery as a more stable and controllable labor system.
Question 5 · Easy
A pamphlet circulating in Philadelphia in 1740 declared: 'You must be born again! Your wealth and church membership cannot save you — only God's sovereign grace through a direct experience of conversion.' This statement best reflects the theology of:
- A
  Deism, the belief that God created the world but does not intervene in human affairs
  Why not A: Deism rejected emotional conversion experiences and emphasized reason, the opposite of Great Awakening preaching.
- B
  The Great Awakening, emphasizing individual conversion, emotional religious experience, and God's sovereigntyCorrect
- C
  Unitarianism, which rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and emphasized rational religion
  Why not C: Unitarianism was a later development focused on rationalism, not emotional conversion.
- D
  Anglican formalism, stressing liturgy and institutional authority over individual experience
  Why not D: Anglican formalism was precisely what Great Awakening preachers were reacting against.
Explanation
The Great Awakening (1730s–1740s) was a wave of revivalist preaching by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield that emphasized direct, emotional conversion experiences (being 'born again') over inherited church membership or social status. It challenged established churches by declaring that formal membership without genuine conversion was worthless. By making salvation available to all through immediate personal experience, it democratized religion and implicitly challenged hierarchical authority.

Key takeaway
The Great Awakening emphasized individual emotional conversion over church formalism, democratizing religion and challenging established hierarchies.
Question 6 · Easy
Why did William Penn design Pennsylvania as a 'Holy Experiment' with unusual guarantees of religious tolerance?
- A
  Penn was a secular Enlightenment thinker who rejected all religious influence on government
  Why not A: Penn was a devout Quaker whose tolerance came from religious conviction, not secular Enlightenment rationalism.
- B
  As a Quaker, Penn had experienced persecution for his faith and wanted to create a refuge where diverse religious communities could coexistCorrect
- C
  The English Crown required all new colonies to guarantee religious tolerance as a condition of receiving charters
  Why not C: No such crown requirement existed; other colonies established official churches without issue.
- D
  Penn needed to attract large numbers of settlers quickly and used religious tolerance purely as a marketing strategy
  Why not D: Attracting settlers was a benefit but Penn's Quaker convictions genuinely motivated his design of the colony.
Explanation
William Penn received his Pennsylvania charter in 1681 partly as debt repayment from King Charles II to Penn's father. As a persecuted Quaker who had been imprisoned for his faith in England, Penn designed Pennsylvania as a place where diverse religious communities — Quakers, German Pietists, Mennonites, Catholics, and others — could live in peace. Pennsylvania's Frame of Government (1682) guaranteed freedom of conscience, making it the most religiously tolerant major English colony.

Key takeaway
Penn's own experience of religious persecution as a Quaker motivated Pennsylvania's exceptional religious tolerance.
Question 7 · Medium
Which of the following best describes the legal codification of slavery in the English colonies during the seventeenth century?
- A
  Slavery was introduced fully formed through a single comprehensive slave code passed by Parliament in 1660
  Why not A: Slavery developed gradually through a series of colonial laws, not a single parliamentary act.
- B
  Colonial legislatures incrementally passed laws that transformed African workers from bound servants to heritable racial propertyCorrect
- C
  English common law already recognized race-based chattel slavery, so no new legislation was needed
  Why not C: English common law did not recognize chattel slavery; colonists had to create the legal framework from scratch.
- D
  Slavery was only legally recognized in the Southern colonies; Northern colonies maintained legal freedom for all Africans
  Why not D: Northern colonies also legally recognized slavery, though on a smaller scale than Southern colonies.
Explanation
Through the mid-seventeenth century, the legal status of Africans in Virginia was ambiguous — some achieved freedom after servitude. Beginning in the 1640s–1660s, Virginia passed laws establishing that Africans (unlike white servants) could be held for life, that children inherited the status of their enslaved mother, and that conversion to Christianity did not grant freedom. By Virginia's comprehensive Slave Code of 1705, Africans were legally defined as chattel property. This incremental legal construction of racial slavery was replicated across colonies.

Key takeaway
Racial slavery in English colonies was built incrementally through colonial legislation in the mid-to-late 1600s, establishing lifetime bondage as heritable and racial.
Question 8 · Medium
How did the Middle Colonies of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey differ from both New England and the Chesapeake in their social characteristics?
- A
  The Middle Colonies were the most religiously homogeneous region, dominated by a single Protestant denomination
  Why not A: The Middle Colonies were notable for religious diversity, not homogeneity.
- B
  The Middle Colonies had the greatest ethnic and religious diversity, featuring German, Dutch, Quaker, and other communities alongside English settlersCorrect
- C
  The Middle Colonies had no enslaved population and were the first to abolish slavery
  Why not C: The Middle Colonies had significant enslaved populations, though smaller than the South; Pennsylvania Quakers later led abolitionist thought.
- D
  The Middle Colonies were distinguished by their exclusively aristocratic social structure with no merchant class
  Why not D: The Middle Colonies had a large, thriving merchant class, especially in New York and Philadelphia.
Explanation
The Middle Colonies — Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware — were the most ethnically and religiously diverse region of English North America. Pennsylvania's Quaker founding attracted German Pietists, Dutch Reformed, Swedish Lutherans, and numerous others. New York's Dutch colonial roots created a multiethnic foundation. This diversity produced a more pluralistic, commercially oriented society than the Puritan homogeneity of New England or the plantation hierarchy of the Chesapeake.

Key takeaway
The Middle Colonies were distinguished by ethnic and religious pluralism — German, Dutch, Quaker, and other groups coexisted alongside English settlers.
Question 9 · Medium
The 1676 King Philip's War in New England resulted in which of the following long-term consequences?
- A
  Permanent accommodation between English colonists and remaining indigenous nations in a stable peace treaty
  Why not A: King Philip's War ended indigenous military power in southern New England; no stable accommodation followed.
- B
  The near-destruction of indigenous power in southern New England, opening vast land for English expansionCorrect
- C
  English defeat and withdrawal from Massachusetts Bay Colony for a generation
  Why not C: The English ultimately won the war, though at great cost; there was no English withdrawal.
- D
  The formation of a permanent Native American confederacy that successfully halted English expansion for fifty years
  Why not D: The Wampanoag alliance was defeated and destroyed; no lasting confederacy halted English expansion.
Explanation
King Philip's War (1675–76), fought between New England colonists and a Wampanoag-led indigenous coalition under Metacom ('King Philip'), was proportionally one of the bloodiest wars in American history. When the English ultimately prevailed, southern New England's indigenous population was shattered — thousands killed, enslaved, or driven out. This cleared the way for dramatic English territorial expansion. The war also revealed colonial vulnerability and led to tightened British imperial oversight.

Key takeaway
King Philip's War ended with indigenous military power shattered in southern New England, opening land to English expansion.
Question 10 · Hard
A colonial observer writing in 1700 noted: 'Those Africans who arrive in Carolina are already skilled in growing rice, having cultivated it in their home country.' This observation best supports which historical argument?
- A
  Enslaved Africans were passive victims who contributed nothing to colonial economic development beyond their labor power
  Why not A: Historians have shown that enslaved Africans contributed crucial knowledge and skills, not just raw labor.
- B
  Planters deliberately recruited enslaved people from West African rice-growing regions, valuing their agricultural expertiseCorrect
- C
  The rice economy of South Carolina was developed entirely by European planters who taught Africans to cultivate the crop
  Why not C: Historical evidence suggests Africans from the 'rice coast' had expertise planters sought and depended on.
- D
  Rice cultivation was adopted from indigenous peoples, not from African knowledge systems
  Why not D: While some indigenous knowledge may have played a role, historians emphasize African expertise, particularly from the Senegambia region.
Explanation
Scholars like Judith Carney have argued that South Carolina planters deliberately sought enslaved people from West Africa's 'rice coast' (Senegambia and Sierra Leone) because they possessed sophisticated knowledge of wet-rice cultivation, including irrigation, transplanting, and processing techniques. This 'black rice' thesis challenges the notion that enslaved people contributed only labor; they also transferred technical knowledge that made Carolina's rice economy possible. It reframes African agency within the brutal constraints of slavery.

Key takeaway
Enslaved Africans from rice-growing regions of West Africa contributed crucial agricultural expertise that made South Carolina's rice economy possible.
Question 11 · Hard
The Stono Rebellion of 1739 in South Carolina is historically significant primarily because it:
- A
  Ended the slave trade in South Carolina by persuading planters that further importation was too dangerous
  Why not A: South Carolina briefly halted slave imports but resumed them; the trade was not permanently ended by the rebellion.
- B
  Demonstrated that enslaved people actively resisted their bondage and prompted harsher slave codes and controlsCorrect
- C
  Successfully freed all enslaved people in the Stono River region, who then escaped to Florida
  Why not C: The rebellion was suppressed; most participants were killed or captured, not freed.
- D
  Marked the beginning of a sustained abolitionist movement among white South Carolinians
  Why not D: White South Carolina elite responded with harsher repression, not abolitionism.
Explanation
In September 1739, about twenty enslaved Africans near the Stono River marched south toward Spanish Florida (where slaves could gain freedom by converting to Catholicism), killing over twenty white colonists and gathering followers along the way. The rebellion was suppressed with brutal violence. South Carolina responded by passing the Negro Act of 1740, which further restricted enslaved people's freedom of movement, assembly, and literacy. The Stono Rebellion demonstrated both enslaved people's resistance and colonists' violent responses to that resistance.

Key takeaway
The Stono Rebellion (1739) demonstrated active enslaved resistance and triggered harsher slave codes in South Carolina.
Question 12 · Hard
How did the Great Awakening contribute to growing tensions between colonial and British authority in the mid-eighteenth century?
- A
  The Great Awakening created a shared American Protestant identity that deepened loyalty to the British Crown
  Why not A: While it did create some shared identity, historians argue it often challenged hierarchy rather than reinforcing loyalty to the crown.
- B
  By emphasizing direct individual access to God over institutional authority, the Great Awakening trained colonists to question inherited hierarchies, including political onesCorrect
- C
  The Great Awakening had no political implications and was entirely confined to private religious experience
  Why not C: Historians have traced connections between the Awakening's anti-hierarchical rhetoric and later political radicalism.
- D
  The Great Awakening created a unified established church that could organize political resistance to British policy
  Why not D: The Awakening fragmented religious life into competing denominations rather than creating a unified church.
Explanation
Historians have argued that the Great Awakening's core message — that individuals could access God directly, that formal credentials and social status were spiritually irrelevant, and that ordinary people should judge the quality of their leaders' 'hearts' — provided a cultural rehearsal for questioning political authority. When preachers like Gilbert Tennent attacked educated clergy as unconverted hypocrites, they normalized a democratic critique of institutional authority that would later extend to royal governors and Parliament. The Awakening did not cause the Revolution, but it cultivated habits of mind that made resistance thinkable.

Key takeaway
The Great Awakening's anti-hierarchical theology indirectly trained colonists to challenge institutional authority — a cultural precursor to Revolutionary thought.