Understand that a thesis statement is your interpretation of something based on facts that will be presented in your paper. In AP history, you will most likely be interpreting historical or political events and drawing your own conclusions about their relevance.
Choose your topic. Before you can write a thesis statement for AP history, you need a topic that will revolve around an event, change, policy or other historical fact or occurrence. However, the main aspect of the thesis is the point that you will be proving, arguing or examining deeper. It is not enough to just state what happened, you must also state what the effects of the event were, for example. You also need to choose a topic that you can back up with facts, so conduct some research before you settle on one.
Include your main argument or point in your thesis statement. A thesis statement is generally only one sentence. It should clearly state the topic you will be discussing and your stance on that subject. It should demonstrate the purpose of your paper so that anyone who reads your thesis statement will not be surprised by your conclusions.
Avoid black and white thesis statements. This means that you are taking an extreme stance on a political issue or event. An example of a black and white thesis statement would be attempting to prove that the moon landing of 1969 was made up by the U.S. government. Instead, for an AP history class your thesis statement should cover more of a gray area, such as explaining why the Civil War resulted in significant policy changes that are still followed today.
Change your thesis statement as needed when writing your AP history paper. Sometimes as you start to research a political event, you might realize that you want to change your stance or alter your argument. You could also unveil new evidence that allows you to make your thesis statement even stronger.