FRQ 4 — Argument Essay

Federalism and Democratic Governance

40 minutes suggested 4 points

AP Exam Tip

FRQ 4 requires a DEFENSIBLE THESIS in the introduction — not a restatement of the prompt, not a question, not 'I will argue.' A thesis makes a specific claim that can be supported and contested. Use at least ONE of the three provided documents as evidence, plus ONE piece of evidence not from the documents.

Source Excerpt · Provided Documents

Document 1 — Federalist No. 51 (James Madison, 1788): "In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself." Document 2 — Brutus No. 1 (Anti-Federalist, 1787): "The powers of the general legislature extend to every case that is of the least importance — there is nothing valuable to human nature, nothing dear to freemen, but what is within its power. It has authority to make laws which will affect the lives, the liberty, and property of every man in the United States; nor can the constitution or laws of any state, in any way prevent or impede the full and complete execution of every power given." Document 3 — McCulloch v. Maryland (Chief Justice Marshall, 1819): "We must never forget that it is a constitution we are expounding... [A] constitution intended to endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs."

The Formula — must include ALL THREE parts

State the opposing view

Some argue that [the opposite position] because [reason].

Give its reasoning

This view is supported by [evidence or logic the opposition would use].

Rebut or refute it

However, [your position is stronger] because [why the rebuttal works].

✗ ZERO POINTS — does not rebut

"Some people say that social media hinders democracy because of misinformation." [States opposing view but never rebuts it — earns 0 points for alternative perspective]

✓ FULL POINT — states, reasons, and rebuts

"Some argue that social media hinders participatory democracy because the spread of misinformation discourages citizens from trusting the political process. However, the same First Amendment protections that allow misinformation to spread also protect citizens' ability to organize, share political views, and mobilize — benefits that outweigh the costs because a less-informed citizenry can still participate, while a silenced citizenry cannot."

DRAFT YOUR ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE PARAGRAPH

1 — State the opposing view

2 — Why someone might believe it

3 — Your rebuttal or refutation

4 — Why your original claim is stronger

"Federalism as established by the Constitution of 1787 strengthens rather than weakens democratic self-government in the United States." Develop an argument that assesses the extent to which this statement is accurate. In your essay, you must: • State a defensible thesis that responds to the prompt • Use at least ONE of the provided documents as evidence to support your argument • Use ONE piece of evidence not in the documents to support your argument • Use reasoning to explain how your evidence supports your thesis • Respond to ONE alternative perspective or counterargument

Thesis

State a defensible thesis that makes a historically defensible claim and responds to the prompt. The thesis must make a claim that goes beyond restating the prompt.

0 words · minimum 120 to submit

Document Evidence

Use content from at least ONE of the provided documents to support your argument. Accurately describe the document's argument and explain how it supports your thesis.

0 words · minimum 120 to submit

Outside Evidence

Use ONE piece of evidence not found in the documents to support your argument. This evidence must be accurate and relevant to your thesis.

0 words · minimum 120 to submit

Complexity / Counterargument

Respond to ONE alternative perspective or counterargument that complicates your thesis. Explain how you account for this counterargument while maintaining your overall argument.

0 words · minimum 120 to submit

Each response needs at least 120 words before you can submit.

Federalism and Democratic Governance

On the Beach of Dreams