Below are 14 samples, each of which includes:
- A sample essential question which introduces the argument essay prompt on some area of government.
- A draft prompt including three founding documents that could help shape the students’ arguments.
Are your students bored with the founding documents?
Check out this Cartoon. It describes a 3-Step student engagement technique that you can use with the founding documents to make them more interesting
I used the technique with success with Martin Luther King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail and the Articles of Confederation.
AP Government Argument Essay Samples
Congressional oversight: Is congressional oversight healthy or unhealthy for our system of government? Prompt
Interest groups: Do interest groups hinder or promote democracy? Prompt
Civil Rights: Should the federal government have power over states in the shaping of civil rights policies? Prompt
Citizen participation: Does citizen participation really matter? Prompt
Photo IDs and federalism: Do states have the authority to pass photo identification laws which restrict people’s ability to vote? Prompt
Presidential power: Do executive orders give the president too much power? Prompt
Gridlock: Is gridlock from divided government healthy or unhealthy for our system of government? Prompt
Term limits: Do congressional term limits violate or honor popular sovereignty? Prompt
Primaries and caucuses: Is the presidential nominating process democratic? Prompt
Social Media: Is social media a healthy way for citizens to participate in our political system? Prompt
Electoral College: Should the electoral college be abolished? Prompt
Representative versus direct democracy: Which is a better vehicle to serve citizen needs– a representative or direct democracy? Prompt
Independent judiciary: Is an independent judiciary a threat to or a savior for democracy? Prompt
NEW! Political Parties: Do political parties hinder or promote democracy? Prompt
Need help with Supreme Court comparison FRQ? I’ve posted some samples here
Need help with the FRQ#1 Concept Application? Here is a sample on the electoral college Here is a response from a student. Despite a few factual inaccuracies, my impression is that she got one point for part A, one point for part B but I couldn’t quite give part C to her because she didn’t clearly relate the amendment process to the concept of federalism. It had to be inferred.