Exam Taking Skills Free Response Essay
AP Exam Generic Rubric
8-9 1. Strong Thesis clearly developed, well organized; analytical and focused
on the question
2. Substantial & relevant use of outside information (abstract and/or
concrete); chronologically coherent, at least 5 pieces of evidence
3. May have insignificant errors
4. Discusses both sides of the question, showing an understanding of the
complexities of the issue(s)
5. Clearly organized and well written
6. Explains or negates data that detracts from the thesis
7. Sophisticated use of a substantial number of documents
6-7 1. Consistent, clear, well-developed thesis; clearly organized and written
2. More limited but relevant use of outside information (abstract and/or concrete)
3. May have minor errors
4. Discusses both sides of the question, shows an understanding of the
complexities of the issue(s)
5. Has limited analysis
6. Effective use of several documents
4-5 1. Partially developed valid thesis, acceptable organization and writing
May discuss only one side of the question and/or be vague
3. Some relevant outside information
4. May contain errors, usually not major
5. Little or no analysis
6. Uses some documents
2-3 1. Limited, confused & poorly developed thesis, weak organization & writing
2. Shows limited understanding of the question
3. Little outside information, or irrelevant, inaccurate information
4. Contains major errors
5. Misinterprets, briefly cites or quotes documents
0-1 1. No thesis, poorly organized & written
2. Inadequate, or inaccurate understanding of the question
3. Inappropriate or no outside information
4. Numerous errors, both major and minor
5. Poor, confused or no use of documents
Free Response Essay Hints
1. You will have thirty five minutes each to select two essay questions on the free response section (1 of 2 and 1 of
2). Move ahead with all deliberate speed.
2. Read the questions carefully & analytically. Choose the question you feel most competent to answer. Be decisive,
there is no time to change questions once you have begun.
3. Use the back of the test book as your scratch sheet and write headings like "Social," "Economic," "Political,"
"Foreign Affairs," "Events," Court Cases" . . . or others--you choose. Jot down as many thoughts and facts about the
question as you can.
4. Go back to the question and underline key words and phrases, operative words such as define, assess, compose,
etc. Circle time frame specified e.g. since 1790 or prior to 1880. Be sure you understand what is being asked. Your
definition of the key terms and an insightful analysis of the question are the keys to a superior paper. Be sure to state
the question as you understand it. Define key terms. Take control of the question by defining terms and parameters,
especially if it is ambiguous. Make a list of outside material before reading the documents.
5. Most questions require analyzing relationships, (e.g. the political implications of an economic issue), or to analyze
common themes in different time periods (e.g. the concept of the "national interest" in foreign policy). Be sure your
answer is directed at what the question has asked.
6. Develop a clear, focused and original Thesis statement on the topic and develop an argument on behalf of your
viewpoint (e.g. Washington was a poor President). Underline or highlight your thesis. The thesis is your conclusion on
an issue about which reasonable people may differ. You may recognize the validity of opposing viewpoints without
giving in to them or waffling. The reader should know your position on the question unequivocally after the first
paragraph. Your opinion may differ from the AP grader, but if it is supported with facts, you will score well. Be sure
your thesis is consistent with your data and stay focused on your thesis. Use correct terminology & vocabulary. Do not
preach or moralize in your essay. This essay should prove your thesis, it is not an editorial.
7. Remember that your essay is written to convince. Be thorough and assume nothing. Like a geometry proof, do not
skip steps. Underline or highlight key names & phrases so they stand out to the AP reader. Be specific, Who, What,
Where, When, Why and How. Using an author's name (e.g. Thomas Bailey) is not an advantage unless you can
adequately state the gist of his or her position.
8. When using examples, relevance and factual accuracy is important. "Abundant and appropriate use of facts." One
or two specific, focused, and relevant examples are better than a laundry list of names or cases without comment.
Avoid ambiguity and vagueness, but if you don't know an exact date, pin it as nearly as you can (e.g. the early 1880s,
the late 19th century, during the Kennedy Administration). Chronological sequence is more important than a precise
date, but be as specific as you are able. It is generally better to include something [court case] if you know it applies to
the question but you are short on details.
9. The free response essay should be a minimum of 3 written pages. Write as clearly and neatly as you can. Present
your case in logical sequence.
10. Detailed Format
a. Thesis Statement: what you will prove about the subject of the question (e.g. US Foreign Policy in the 1930s
was. . . . . Use the words of the question to help you formulate a thesis. Your introductory paragraph is the most
important. You do not get a second chance to make a good first impression. Your opening paragraph should contain:
1.
A restatement of the question (your understanding of it)
2.
Definition of the terms and parameters as you understand them
3.
Insightful commentary on the question if possible
4.
Your thesis
b. Major Argumentative Points of Evidence (5 or 6 paragraphs, each with a topic sentence introducing your point.).
c. Conclusion: You must prove your thesis. Some teachers feel you should write the conclusion immediately
after you finish writing the first paragraph. This helps you to focus on where the essay is going. There should be room
here for some restatement (...and if _____is true, then ______. Opening and closing paragraphs are mini essays.
Concluding statement should tie your data together and give it meaning. Opening paragraph far exceeds closing in
importance.
11. Proofread. Does the essay make sense? Check paragraphing, grammar, spelling, sentence structure, thesis
statement if time permits.
CRITERIA FOR GRADING ESSAY QUESTIONS
The standard essay question may require students to relate developments in different areas (e.g., the political
implications of an economic issue), to analyze common themes in different time periods (e.g., the concept of the
national interest in US foreign policy), or to capture individual or group experiences that reflect socioeconomic, ethnic,
racial, or gender differences (e.g., social mobility & cultural pluralism). Although historiography is not emphasized in
the examination, students are expected to have a general understanding of historical controversies surrounding key
interpretations of major historical events. When questions based on literary materials are included, emphasis will not
be on the literature as art but rather on its relations to politics, social and economic life, or related cultural and
intellectual movements.
Answers to standard essay questions will be judged on the strength of the thesis developed, the quality of the
historical argument, and the relevance of the historical examples rather than coverage per se. Unless a question states
otherwise, students will not be penalized for omitting a specific fact or illustration. Recent essay questions have
provided a broad framework of facts that are expected to be covered.
Lengthy experience has led skilled readers of examinations to the conclusion that grading essays must be done
with a rubric in order to provide for fair, consistent and reliable assessment. Over the years, the ETS has developed,
used, and recommended the following scoring guide which provides for basic grading. It allows for some latitude to
individual instructors. You should know that in an experiment where the same essay was written (actually copied) by
three different students with excellent, fair and poor handwriting the grades reflected exactly the visual presentation.
This is reality folks. All readers have another reader "reading behind." Since not all essays receive two readings, it is
highly unlikely that the second reader will pick a paper with poor handwriting.
Scores earned on the multiple choice and free response sections will each account for one half of the candidate's
total examination grade. Within the free response section, the DBQ is 50% and each of the two essays is 25%.
Check your own essays on unit exams.
Appearance
1.
Is essay legible?
Easy/Neat
54321
Difficult/Sloppy
Yes
54321
No
Opening Paragraph
2.
Thesis Statement clear?
Body
1.
How many paragraphs?
54321
2.
Are there factual inaccuracies? Yes
54321
No
3.
Conclusions supported
by Evidence?
Yes
54321
No
Concluding Paragraph
1.
Major points summarized?
Yes
54321
No
2.
Conclusion Effective?
Yes
54321
No
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling
1.
Any Errors
No
54321
Yes
2.
Confusing Sentences
No
54321
Yes
Impression
1.
Readability
Easy
54321
Difficult
2.
Logical Order of Ideas
Logical
54321
Illogical
The following is a collection of study essays [data base type questions] in addition to every essay that has
ever been on an AP US History Exam. The section, "Additional Broader Questions" has AP type essays
exclusively.
I
Colonial America [1600-1750]
1. Evaluate the appeal of Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield from the perspectives of: (a) an Anglican
Clergyman (b) a Puritan Clergyman (c) a slave (d) a farmer (e) a New England merchant.
2. Which factor, religious freedom or economic betterment, better describes the motivation behind the founding of
the English colonies?
3. Compare and contrast the economies, political institutions, religious toleration and social customs in the Southern,
Middle and New England colonies.
4. How did geography influence the settlement and development of the northern, southern and middle colonies?
What different classes of people lived in the colonies in 1763?
5. Why was religion closely associated with government in colonial America? Did the Toleration Act of 1649
establish freedom of religion? Why didn't America just become another England?
6. To what extent did the three sections of colonial America share common institutions and philosophies?
7. Compare French & British power in 1754. Which was stronger?
8. What social, economic and political effects did the French and Indian War have on the British colonies in the New
World?
9. What were some undemocratic practices in colonial America? Why did Parliament think that the Bill of Rights
should not apply to the colonists?
10. What was the social, economic and political influence of the Frontier on American history?
11. Although colonial Americans criticized the British for exploitation, how did they rationalize their own exploitation
of Blacks and Indians?
12. During the seventeenth century and increasingly, in the eighteenth century, British colonists in America charged
Great Britain with violating the ideals of rule of law, self government, and ultimately, equality of rights. Yet the
colonists themselves violated these ideals in their treatment of Blacks, American Indians (Native Americans), and even
poorer classes of white settlers. Assess the validity of this view.
13. In the 17th century, New England Puritans tried to create a model society. What were their aspirations, and to
what extent were those aspirations fulfilled during the seventeenth century?
14. Although the thirteen American colonies were founded at different times by people with different motives and with
different forms of colonial charters and political organization, by the Revolution the thirteen colonies had become
remarkably similar. Assess the validity of this statement.
15. To what extent and why did religious toleration increase in the American colonies during the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries? Answer with reference to THREE individuals, events or movements in American religion during
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
16. In America the great issues of the 17th Century were largely theological, while those of the 18th Century were
political. Assess the validity of this statement.
17. The geographic conditions of the three major areas of English settlement in America; New England, the midAtlantic region, and the South; were the primary factors in determining the differences in the colonial way of life in
these three areas." Evaluate this statement.
18. "The English founded colonies to escape oppression in England." Evaluate this statement.
19. "The British colonies were so antagonistic to each other that they were unable to unite to face the attack of
common enemies." Access the validity of this statement.
20. "As long as the French controlled parts of North America, they accepted the native American population as equal,
whereas the British colonies viewed them as hostile." Evaluate this statement.
21. "Before 1763 British mercantilism policy, while restricting colonial economic development, allowed colonial
political life to develop unhampered by the Mother Country." Evaluate this statement.
22. "The colonial wars fought between the British and the French for domination of the North American continent
created a sense of national spirit among the British colonies and created the basis for later unity." Assess the validity of
this statement.
25. Compare the social conditions in the old world and in the new. What were the primary differences?
26. In the two decades before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, a profound shift occurred in the way
Americans thought and felt about the British government and their colonial governments. Assess the validity of this
statement in view of the political and constitutional debates of these decades.
27. For the period before 1750, analyze the ways in which Britain's policy of salutary neglect influenced the
development of American society as illustrated in the following:
Legislative assemblies
Commerce
Religion
28. Account for the reasons for developments in Europe that resulted in the discovery of America. Consider the
circumstances and methods they used.
29. From 1600-1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England
win the struggle.
30. "Between 1607 and 1763, American gained control of her political and economic institutions." To what extent and
in what ways do you agree or disagree with the statement?
31. Assess the importance of economic developments in the new world.
32. Analyze and discuss the significance of social changes in the development of American colonial society.
33. Describe how geological and geographic factors affected the course of American history.
34. Discuss the the diversity of American cultures: Native-American, Black, and White.
35. Give a multi-dimensional account for the reasons why the discovery and colonization took place at the time and
under the circumstances which it did.
36. "Between 1607 and 1763 America gained control of their political and economic institutions." To what extent and
in what ways do you agree or disagree with this statement?
37. From 1600 to 1763 several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England
win the struggle?
38. Compare and contrast the New England colonies with those of the Southern colonies. Take into account the
political, religious, economic, and social aspects of the two areas.
39. "Puritanism contained within itself the seeds of its own destruction." Assess the validity of this generalization.
40. Analyze the role of un-free labor in the American colonies for 1636 to 1776.
41. "American colonial society was sterile and void of cultural, scientific, and religious developments within the
society from 1636 to 1776." Validate or relate this claim.
42. "Belief in religious freedom was central to the development of some colonies, while in other colonies such
freedom was denied." Assess the validity of this statement.
43. To what extent did mercantilism affect the political and economic development of England's 13 American
colonies?
44. "Beginning with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the English government made a continuous effort to
exercise control over its American colonies." Give examples to prove this statement.
45. Compare and contrast William Penn's goals as Pennsylvania's founder with James Oglethorpe's goals as one of
Georgia's founders.
46. Why did slavery in the colonies grow more rapidly in the last decades of the 17th century than in the earlier
decades of that century?
47. "If colonial life in 1775 differed from that of 1675, the change was largely due to population increase." Assess the
validity of this statement.
48. Compare and contrast the culture and economy of the southern colonies with that of the New England colonies.
49. Comment on the extent to which each of the following contributed to a more democratic society in the American
colonies: (a) the Great Awakening (b) immigration (c) the Zenger case.
50. "The American colonists of the 18th century were slow to develop academic and artistic pursuits." Assess the
validity of this statement by commenting on THREE of the following:
Architecture Literature
Painting Science
Education
51. "In the colonies, economic opportunities were available to the white majority largely because such opportunities
were denied to the black minority." Assess the validity of this statement.
52. Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in the British North American colonies prior to 1700. [1998]
53. The equal toleration of all religions is the same as atheism. Assess the validity of this statement.
54. Describe how geological and geographic factors affected course of American history.
55. Discuss the diversity of cultures that come to America during the colonial period.
55. The so called, Indians arrived in the America 5 over a 30,000 year period. Discuss some possible theories of their
migration to America?
56. List several methods used by Pre-Columbian cultures to keep a history of their societies.
57. How might cultural attitudes of the Indians and Europeans lead to ethnocentric conflict?
58. The Native Americans were decentralized, plagued by foreign diseases, drowned in alcohol and lacking
technological resources." Choose two of the areas mentioned in the quote and discuss how these situations aided the
Europeans (American settlers) in the ethnocentric cultural clash?
59. Vine Deloria (a Native American) points out that the history of Native Americans was, for the most part, not
written by them. Who wrote it? How do you think this fact might influence our judgment and understanding of Native
Americans?
60. Francis Jennings says, that America's discovery and exploration was really an unprovoked act of aggression (an
invasion) that displaced and destroyed a resident people." Explain what he means by this statement?
61. What importance do the following have in the development of America's democratic traditions:
Mayflower Compact
New England town meetings
Massachusetts School Law of 1647
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Toleration Act of 1649
62. What events were occurring in Europe between 1400 and 1600, that promoted exploration and discovery?
Comment in each of the following areas: religion, political power, technology & commerce and trade.
63. Why was the growth of religious freedom less likely to occur in the Southern colonies than in the Middle or New
England colonies?
64. What role did the American colonists feel they had played in the British victory in America?
65. Compare and contrast Virginia and Plymouth. How do you account for the difference between their founding and
development? Do their differences reflect differences in political and social thought today?
66. Why did African slavery develop and spread of slavery in the Chesapeake colonies in the 17th century? How did
the gradual shift from a plantation labor force of indentured servants to one of African slaves affect life in Virginia
and Maryland?
67. Review and evaluate the interpretation of the causes of Bacon’s the rebellion offered in Chapter 3.
68. Review and evaluate the interpretation of the causes of the Salem witchcraft trials accusations and hysteria offered
in Chapter 3.
69. How much equality, liberty, and self-government existed in the American colonies in the period 1700-1750?
70. Some historians think that the Great Awakening was a significant precursor to the Revolution. What impact did the
Great Awakening have on religious, social, educational;, and political developments in 18th century America?
71. Explain the mercantilist economic theory and describe the manner in which the system hurt and benefited both
America and Great Britain?
II
The American Revolution [1750-1785]
1. Explain and analyze the different reasons the following groups would have in supporting and opposing the
American Revolution: (a) New England farmer (b) Northern artisans (c) Virginia slave owners (d) women on the
frontier.
2. Compare and contrast two heroes from the American Revolution and two heroes from the period from 1950-1990.
How do the criteria for heroism reflect the values of society?
3. Analyze the differences between English and American interpretations of the meanings of representation,
sovereignty, constitution and liberty as causes of the American Revolution.
4. Do you think the American Revolution would have occurred if the British had maintained the same relationship
with the colonies it had before 1763?
5. The American Revolution should really be called "The British Revolution," because marked changes in British
colonial policy, were more responsible for the final political division than were American actions. Assess the validity
of this statement for the period 1763-1776.
6. Do you agree that, "British subjects in America were fighting to maintain the freedoms they already had" and "The
Colonists were the freest people in the world"?
7. Despite the view of some historians that the conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American
colonies was economic in origin, in fact the American Revolution had its roots primarily in politics and other areas of
American life. Assess the validity of this statement.
8. What were the social, economic and political causes of the American Revolution? Were the British justified in
demanding that the colonists pay their "fair share" of the costs of running the Empire? Do you feel they were justified
in "cracking down"?
9. Be able to draw a Time Line indicating the major events of the period 1763-1774. What do you feel is the key
event in turning the colonists toward armed rebellion?
10. What distinction did the colonists make between internal and external taxation? How did the writs of assistance
differ from present day search warrants? Do you feel that the British were justified in passing what the colonists called
the Intolerable Acts?
11. What were the advantages of both sides in the War for Independence? What key factors enabled the colonists to
win? Was there a turning point of the Revolution? What were the arguments for and against declaring independence in
1776? What were the basic principles of the Declaration of Independence?
12. What were the social, economic and political results of the American Revolution? What were the terms of the
Treaty of Paris of 1783?
13. "Though the people of America might be conquered.the land of America was unconquerable." Assess the validity
of this 18th Century quotation.
14. "Even assuming a complete military victory for England, the war against America was a no win situation for the
British. Assess the validity of this statement.
15. Analyze the extent to which the American Revolution represented a radical alteration in American political ideas
and institutions. Confine your answer to the period 1775 to 1800. [1997]
16. Discuss the similarities and differences between the colonial and British concepts of representative government.
17. Between 1763 and 1789, the use and control of the frontier regions presented problems to both the British and the
Americans. Describe the problems involved in the use and control of the frontier and explain how both the British and
the Americans attempted to solve them.
18. After 1763, in the face of recurring crisis, the colonists slowly developed a theory of political independence and
government. Describe these recurring crisis and explain how they led the colonists to develop their theory of political
independence and government.
19. The government under the Articles of Confederation has been considered a failure. Describe three actions of the
Confederation government and explain how these actions may or may not be considered failures.
20. "The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens that was rejected by
the writers of the Constitution, who created an aristocratic government that benefited only the wealthy few." Assess the
validity of this statement.
21. The colonists were fairly treated by the British. Assess the validity of this statement.
22. ". . . . .it was Americans who not only embraced the body of Enlightenment principles but wrote them into law,
crystallized them into institutions, and put them to work." Assess the validity of this statement.
23. Which was more important in the coming of the Revolution: The development of a set of intellectual assumptions
regarding liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness, or changes in British imperial policy?
24. How did the French and Indian War pave the way for the American Revolution?
25. To what extent did economic issues provoke the American Revolution?
26. At what point (if any) did the American Revolution become inevitable?
27. Between 1763-1776, the colonies faced many problems in their relations with the Mother Country. The principal
problems reappeared in state/federal relations under the Articles of Confederation (1780-1789). Describe three of the
problems and explain how the government under the Articles of Confederation attempted to solve them.
28. Analyze and discuss the status and affect of the Revolutionary War upon women and blacks in America.
29. Discuss the social effects of the American Revolution. In what areas was the Revolution a promise or spirit most
fulfilled? What areas were the issues least fulfilled?
31. Discuss the military factors that led to American victory in the Revolutionary War.
32. "Often nations that win a war end up losing the peace. In the case of the Revolutionary War, however, one
historian has suggested that the United States lost the war but won the peace." Assess the validity of this statement.
33. "The work of both the First and Second Continental Congresses was marked by disputes between moderates and
radicals." Give detailed support for this statement by comparing and contrasting two documents: (a) Galloway's Plan
and (b) The Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms.
34. Compare and contrast the background of two groups of Americans: those who became Loyalists and those who became Patriots.
35. "The writings of Thomas Paine had a greater impact on the winning of American independence than any other
single event, including the Battle of Saratoga." Explain why you either agree or disagree with this statement.
36. To what extent is it accurate to call the American Revolution a civil war?
37. Was it inevitable that the 13 colonies decided to seek their independence from the British empire? Or might there
have been other, less drastic solutions to the problems that the colonies faced in the early 1770s.
38. How did the English victory over the French in 1763 lead to the eventual loss of England’s American colonies?
39. One historian has written, “The British ruled the colonies for one hundred and fifty years and lost them in twelve.”
Using as many specific facts in your answer as possible explain why the historian is correct, or not.
40. Did the colonials revolt against British rule in order to keep things the way they were or to start something new?
Was the Revolution a true revolution or a usurpation of power?
41. What were the advantages and disadvantages the British and Americans have in fighting the Revolutionary War?
What accounts for the American’s ultimate victory?
42. Describe the immediate reaction to Shay’s Rebellion by the people of Massachusetts, by the national government,
and by the state governments.
43. What were the domestic and foreign difficulties experienced by the United States under the Articles of
Confederation.
III Creating a Nation [1785-1800]
1. Evaluate the statement: The principles of the Declaration of Independence were incorporated into a) the Articles of
Confederation b) the U.S. Constitution.
2. American democracy was fostered by the formation of political parties. How do you account for the growth of
political parties? Analyze the differences between the Federalist and Democratic-Republicans until the election of
1824.
3. What were the major problems in the Articles of Confederation, and how were they corrected in the U.S.
Constitution? What issues were left unresolved in the U.S. Constitution, and what effect did these unresolved questions
have on the future?
4. The period 1783-1789 has been called "The Critical Period" by many historians. Do you agree with this
periodization? Do you think the people of the 1780s would have agreed? What were the provisions of the land laws of
1785 and 1787 and why were they significant?
5. What were the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation? What were the chief positive
contributions of the government under the Articles of Confederation?
6. Why was the Constitutional Convention held in secret? What were the five major compromises of the
Constitutional Convention? In what ways does a federal union differ from a confederacy? What are the governmental
principles of the Federal Constitution?
7. Is the Constitution a conservative or a liberal document? How does the Constitution guarantee civil liberties? Be
able to list and explain three examples of the unwritten constitution.
8. Compare the ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson as to the nature of the union and the course that U
S policies should follow. Trace the development of political parties in the United States 1700-1816.
9. Between 1783 and 1800 the new government of the United States faced the same political, economic, and
constitutional issues that troubled the British government's relations with the colonies prior to the Revolution. Assess
the validity of this generalization.
10. Early United States foreign policy was primarily a defensive reaction to perceived or actual threats from Europe.
Assess the validity, of this generalization with reference to United States foreign policy, on two major issues during the
period from 1789 to 1825.
11. What evidence is there for the assertion that the basic principles of the Constitution were firmly grounded in the
political and religious experience of America's colonial and revolutionary periods?
12. The government under the Articles of Confederation has been considered a failure. Describe three actions of the
Confederation government and explain how these actions may or may not be considered failures.
13. "The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens that was rejected by
the writers of the Constitution, who created an aristocratic government that benefited only the wealthy few." Assess the
validity of this statement.
14. How was war with England and France avoided in the years 1793-1810?
15. Why were political parties formed in the new nation and what were the major differences among political parties in
the years 1791-1820?
16. The American people experienced periods of revolutionary change brought about by political action in the years
1783-1789 and 1890-1914. Describe two political changes in each time period and show how these changes were
revolutionary.
17. What events on the frontier had a major impact on national history in the years 1789-1820?
18. Each of the following individuals expressed strong opinions concerning the policies of the new nation. What
opinions were expressed by two of the following? Of the two, whose opinions had the greatest impact of the new
nation? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall.
19. Analyze the degree to which the Articles of Confederation provided an effective form of government with respect
to any TWO of the following. Foreign relations, economic conditions, western lands. [1996]
20. "The achievements of diplomats are in the long run more decisive than generals." Assess the validity of this
statement for the period 1785-1800.
21. What evidence is there for the assertion that the basic principles of the Constitution were firmly grounded In the
political and religious experiences of America's colonial and revolutionary periods?
22. Contrast the Hamiltonian Federalist belief that the "wealthy and well-educated" ought to run the government with
the Jeffersonian Republican belief that the common person, if educated, could be trusted to manage public affairs. What
are the political implications of each view?
23. Explain Hamilton's major economic programs and how they collectively promoted the economic growth of the
United States. Which of Hamilton's proposals were enacted into law?
24. Compare the argument of Jefferson and Hamilton for and against the constitutionality of the Bank of the United
States.
25. Account for the development of political parties in the Washington administration and show the alignments that
developed among the two parties.
26. "The Constitutional Convention of 1787 had no need to invent a new form of government. All it did was to codify
the imperial and provincial systems under which Americans had been ruled." Assess the validity of this claim.
27. It has been claimed that the: "Articles of Confederation was the strongest possible form of government acceptable
to the American people at the time of revolution." To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement.
28. "The genius of the Constitution is found in the series of compromises which made it acceptable to so many. Assess
the validity of this statement with respect to how the delegates dealt with TWO of the following. (A) representation (B)
the presidency (C) slavery
29. Compare and contrast the views and actions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton while they were
members of President Washington's cabinet.
30. "Initially, ratification of the Constitution was highly unlikely, and only after a fierce debate did a combination of
factors bring about its adoption by the thirteen states." Assess the validity of this statement with reference to the roles
and influence of TWO of the following:
(A) Anti-Federalists
(B) The Federalist Papers
(C) compromise on the Bill of Rights
31. What factors contributed to the development of political parties in the United States during the 1790s?
32. "America's first foreign policy, formu*- lated by presidents Washington and Adams, had as its primary goal the
avoidance of war at all cost." Assess the validity of this statement in terms of THREE of the following:
Citizen Genet controversy
Jay Treaty
Proclamation of Neutrality
XYZ Affair
33. Assess George Washington's presidency in terms of the influence of the views of Hamilton and Jefferson.
34. Why were the concepts of checks and balances so important to the Founding Fathers, and where did these concepts
originate?
35. Identify the major arguments of the supporters of the Constitution (Federalists) and the opponents of the
Constitution (Anti-Federalist). In view of subsequent history, how accurate were the arguments of the Anti-Federalists?
36. They fight for the ratification of the Constitution was an extremely difficult battle. How did the Federalists do it?
What were their arguments? What was their most effective strategies? Could they have done anything different?
37. In what ways did the backgrounds and political beliefs of the men who wrote the U.S. Constitution effect the final
document? What did they hope to accomplish by establishing the Constitution?
38. The Constitution did not provide for political parties: why did the first two parties develop? Around what issues
did they coalesce?
39. What did economic and financial programs of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton include? What was
Hamilton trying to accomplish? How and why did his programs politically divide Americans?
40. “By 1801 the dangers of civil war and national disintegration had abated though they had not vanished.” Discuss
the dangers the nation faced during the Federalist era (1789-1800) and how it overcame or survived them. Describe the
conflict among the social, economic, and sectional interests groups; challenges from foreign nations; and threats to
individual liberties and the Bill of Rights.
IV Jeffersonian Democracy [1796-1820]
1. Compare and contrast the foreign policies of two of the following presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe and John Q. Adams. Who had the most profound impact on American foreign policy?
2. Jefferson called his election as president the "Revolution of 1800." Assess the impact of this revolution on
domestic and foreign affairs.
3. Which political philosophy, Jeffersonian or Hamiltonian, had the greatest impact on American History during the
period 1792 through 1820?
4. What constitutional issues emerged during the period 1790-1816 and what was the role of John Marshall and the
Supreme Court?
5. How did the United States acquire additional territory 1800-1860? What were the constitutional issues?
6. What were the social, economic and political results of the War of 1812? How did the war reveal sectionalism?
7. How did the United States try to stay out of the European conflict 1790-1812? What were the social, economic
and political causes of the War of 1812? What were the advantages and disadvantages of the Americans against the
British in 1812?
8. Trace the development of political parties in the United States 1800-1860.
9. What factors led to the Monroe Doctrine and why was it important?
10. What events on the frontier had a major impact on national history in the years 1791-1820?
11. Why did some Americans feel that the War of 1812 was "the wrong war, at the wrong time, against the wrong
enemy."
12. Thomas Jefferson the President held a far different political philosophy than Thomas Jefferson the Cabinet official.
Assess the validity of this statement.
13. Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic growth
in the first half of the nineteenth century. Assess the validity of this statement.
14. It has been claimed that, Jefferson ,the theorist, was forced by harsh practicalities to reverse most of his political
principles while president." Assess the validity of the assertion.
15. British maritime practices, including impressment, caused Jefferson to institute a program of economic reprisal in
the form of a commercial embargo against Britain. Discuss.
16. Discuss the causes and consequences of the War of 1812.
17. Assess the degree to which the elections of Jefferson can be termed the Revolution of 1800.
18. "The War of 1812 was an unnecessary conflict which solved nothing and brought no benefited either side."
Discuss the validity of this assertion.
19. "We are all Republicans. We are all Federalists." Assess this statement by President Jefferson with respect to (a)
his domestic policies and (b) his foreign policies.
20. The early part of the 19th century was marked by strong pressures to force Native Americans from their lands
along the western frontier of the United States." Assess the validity of this statement with reference to THREE of the
following:
Andrew Jackson
Tecumseh
Lewis and Clark expedition
William Henry Harrison
21. Since the Treaty of Ghent addressed none of the issues for which the United States had fought, the War of 1812
has no positive consequences for the American nation." Assess the validity of this statement.
22. Explain the influence of THREE of the following on the U.S. decision to go to war in 1812:
embargo policies of Jefferson and Madison
British impressment of American seamen
settlers' conflicts with the Native Americans
expansionist goals of the war hawks
23. To what extent did Jefferson violate his avowed constitutional principles when he accepted the Louisiana
Purchase?
24. For 22 years (1790-1812), the foreign policy of two Federalist presidents (Washington and Adams) and two
Republican presidents (Jefferson and Madison) had consistently focused on a single aim: avoiding war with a European
power while at the same time defending U.S. neutral rights at sea. Finally, however, a majority of Republicans
including the president decided in 1812 to abandon a policy of peace and neutrality in order to fight a war against Great
Britain. What were the reasons for this change in policy from peace to war?
25. "In the years immediately following the War of 1812, the United States pursued a nationalistic foreign policy while
maintaining peace." Support this statement with examples from the administration of James Monroe.
26. Explain how THREE of the following helped bring about a shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy in
the United States in the early 1800s.
commercial farming
factory system
Inventions
labor
transportation
27. What factors contributed to the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine?
28. What impact did industrial development from 1800 to 1850 have on (a) women (b) labor unions (c) sectional
differences?
29. About the Missouri crisis of 1819-1820, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "But this momentous question, like a firebell in
the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the union." Explain how a sectional
dispute over slavery was touched off by the settlement of western territories.
30. "A logical explanation for the intensity of feelings in both the North and the South during the Missouri crisis of
1819-1820 is that it coincided with an economic depression of unusual severity. Assess the validity of this statement.
31. Thomas Jefferson’s first term as president was so successful that he overwhelmingly won reelection in 1804. His
second term, in contrast, was marked by frustration and failure. Discuss the achievements of Jefferson’s first term and
the problems that beset his second.
32. Few Americans know that Washington D.C. was captured and burned by an invading army. Why did the United
States go to war with Britain in 1812? Was this a legitimate reason to go to war? Who thought it was?
33. Would you describe the changes in transportation between 1815 and 1840 as a revolution? Why?
34. Alexis de Tocqueville in his Democracy in America was impressed by the “general equality of condition among
the people.” Writing about the same period, New York merchant Philip Hone stated, “the two extremes of costly luxury
of living, expensive establishments, and improvident waste are presented in daily and hourly contrast with squalid
misery and hopeless destitution.” How do you account for these very different assessments? Which man came closer to
the truth? Why?
35. What was the federal government’s policy toward Native Americans during the period 1815-1840.
36. Some historians believe that Andrew Jackson deserves to be ranked among America’s greatest presidents. Discuss
Jackson’s policies and actions as president to prove or disprove this conclusion.
37. Discuss the origins and development of the second party system. Which parties were involved? Who supported
each of them? What, if anything, did they stand for? What impact did their actions have on voter interest and
participation in politics?
38. Discuss the rise of “popular religion” in antebellum America. In what ways did religious doctrine become
democratized? How did these assumptions affect religion, social and political life?
V
The Age Of Jackson [1820-1840]
1. Compare and contrast Jefferson's Revolution of 1800 and Jackson's Revolution of 1828. Which had the greatest
impact on American history?
2. Compare and contrast Jackson's response to the Nullification Crisis and Lincoln's response to Southern succession.
3. Jackson's economic policies hindered the growth of American industrialization. Assess the validity of this
statement.
4. Trace the economic, social and political development of sectionalism in the United States 1800-1860, mentioning
the Missouri Compromise, Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions, Hartford Convention, Tariff of 1828, and Compromise of
1850.
5. Discuss the major issues of Andrew Jackson's presidency. Why did he destroy the Bank of the United States?
What is your opinion of Jackson's Indian policy?
6. Trace the economic development of North and South 1800-1860, mentioning exports, imports, and the new
transportation system. Show how each section developed divergent economic interests.
7. How did Jacksonian Democracy differ from Jeffersonian Democracy?
8. In what ways was the election of Jackson in 1828 a victory for sectionalism?
9. Compare the arguments for and against slavery: economic, social and political. Why was it necessary to "teach"
Negroes to be slaves? In what ways did the slaves resist slavery? Why did the average white Southerner accept
slavery, and even fight for it, even though he owned no slaves?
10. In what ways did the emerging sectional conflicts within the United States manifest themselves in the election of
Andrew Jackson and the domestic policies of the nation in the years 1828-1837?
11. To what extent did Jacksonian Democracy reflect social and economic developments in the nation and in what
ways did Jacksonian Democracy further such social and economic developments?
12. In what respects did each of the following represent in their expressed opinions and actions the viewpoint of the
section of the nation from which he came?
John C. Calhoun--The South
Henry Clay--The West
Daniel Webster--New England
13. "Both the Jacksonian Democrats during 1824-1840 and the Populists during 1890-1896 attacked and sought to rule
out special privilege in American life. The Jacksonian Democrats attained power and succeeded; the Populists failed."
Assess the validity of this view.
14. Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following influenced the development of democracy between 1820-40.
[1996]
Jacksonian economic policy
Changes in the electoral process
Second Great Awakening
Westward Movement
15. In what manner did the Jacksonian Revolution mark the establishment of democracy in America whereas the
Jeffersonian Revolution merely marked the arrival of a new party in political power?
16. What evidence is there that the War of 1812 promoted an upsurge in nationalism in the United States?
17. Explain how the decisions of the Marshall court strengthened the authority of the federal
government in the Madison-Monroe years?
18. Discuss the developments, changes, and failures in presidential politics for the years 1824, 1828, 1832, & 1836.
Such items as candidates, issues, and voting patterns would be
appropriate.
19. "The Era of Good Feelings (1816-1824) marked the appearance of issues that transformed American politics in the
next twenty years." Assess the validity of this claim.
20. "Andrew Jackson's election in 1828 was the consequence of the rise of democracy rather than the start of a new
democratic age." Assess the validity of this statement.
21. "In the early 19th century, there was widespread discrimination in the United States against people who were
different from the white Protestant majority." Assess the validity of this statement with reference to:
free African Americans
Native Americans
Irish and German immigrants
22. Compare and contrast the experiences of two immigrant groups, the Irish and the Germans, in the 1840s and
1850s.
23. "In 1826 Americans in the North, the South and the West had good reason to expect continued growth and
prosperity." Assess the validity of this statement as it applies to each of the three sections.
24. Compare and contrast the North and the South in terms of both economic and cultural characteristics in the preCivil War era.
25. "Southern society in the mid-1800s was extremely hierarchical." Assess the validity of this statement.
26. To what extent were economic and social differences in the North and the South increasing in the first half of the
19th century?
27. “Andrew Jackson’s administration marks a fundamental and lasting change in the perception, role, and
responsibilities of the President of the United States.”
Assess the validity of this statement.
28. Discuss how the relationship between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches changed between 18241840.
29. Analyze how the Election of 1840 marks a watershed in presidential electoral politics.
30. Discuss the role of sectionalism during the administrations of any 2 of the following Presidents:
· John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
VI Economic and Social Matters [1790-1860]
1. Compare and contrast slavery in the South with the plight of Northern factory workers. Then compare and contrast
the degrees/types of racism as seen in the North and South.
2. Compare and contrast the Seneca Falls Declaration with the Declaration of Independence.
3. Describe and analyze the changes in the American family brought about by industrialization 1790-1860.
4. How can it be asserted that the construction of the Erie Canal won the the Civil War for the North?
5. Identify the main aims and analyze the effects of the reform movements in each of the following areas: (a)
education (b) prison reform (c) mental hospitals (d) prohibition (e) abolition of slavery (f) treatment of the mentally ill.
6. "Slavery was the dominating reality of all Southern life." Assess the validity, of this generalization for two of the
following aspects of Southern life from about 1840 to 1860: political, social, economic, and intellectual life.
7. What were the effects of industrialization on women and the family 1800-1840?
8. There is far less reformism today than there was in the 1840s? Assess the validity of this statement.
9. The major American writers of the period 1829-40 were indifferent to the social problems of that period. Assess
the validity of this statement.
10. Pushed to the wall by the Abolitionists, the Southerners begin to defend the indefensible. How did they shape their
pro-slavery arguments and what were the responses of the abolitionists to each argument.
11. "The reform movements of the period 1820-1860 did not threaten the privileged classes of the United States."
Assess the validity of this statement for THREE of the following reform movements:
temperance
asylum movement
public education
women's rights
antislavery movement
12. How were the reform movements of 1820-1860 in the United States related to the growth of industry and urban
life?
13. Explain how each of the following had an effect on the reform movements of 1820-1860: (a) the Second Great
Awakening (b) the ideals of Jacksonian democracy (c) American individualism.
14. What factors contributed to the failure of most of the utopian communities in the pre-Civil War era?
15. Compare and contrast the cult of domesticity with the goals of the Seneca Falls Convention.
16. How did the technological advances were made in agriculture, industry, and transportation between 1830 and 1860
affect the daily life of antebellum Americans?
17. Technological advances are made today at an almost unprecedented pace. These advances are accompanied by
some degree of concern for their environmental consequences. The authors conclude that, “The bright possibilities
rather than the dark potential of technology impressed most antebellum Americans.” To what extent did Americans’
lives and experiences between 1830 and 1860 justify that attitude?
18. Describe rise of popular culture in the period 1830-1860. How did technological advances of the period affect
popular culture? Is the relationship between the current popular culture and technological advances the same today?
19. Compare and contrast economic, social, and political developments in the North and South between 1800 and
1860. How do you account for the divergence between the two sections?
20. How egalitarian was the white social structure of the Old South? What social class or groups existed? What was
their relationship to each other and to the institution of slavery?
21. Despite the fact that the great majority of southerners never owned a single slave, the majority supported the
institution of slavery, why? Was Hilton Helper correct?
22. How do you assess the arguments that attack and justify slavery? Was slavery in the South essentially a
paternalistic institution in which most slaves were treated reasonably well, or was it primarily an exploitative
institution? How can you prove your answer?
VII Manifest Destiny [1820-1850]
1. Assess the long-term and short-term implications of the Compromise of 1850.
2. Explain how the Mexican-American War increased tensions both politically and socially between the North and
South over the issue of slavery.
3. Compare and contrast Manifest Destiny with Jefferson's idea of "The Empire of Liberty."
4. Why was there a dispute over the Oregon country? Why did the U S & Britain agree to joint occupation of the
Oregon country?
5. What were the social, economic and political causes of the Mexican War? What were the social, economic and
political results of the Mexican War? Compare the American & Mexican viewpoints.
6. "Both the Mexican War and The Spanish-American War were premeditated affairs resulting from deliberately
calculated schemes of robbery on the part of a superior power against weak and defenseless neighbors." Assess the
validity of this statement.
7. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of the Mexican War, "The United States will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the
man who swallows the arsenic which brings him down in turn. Mexico will poison us." Assess the validity of
Emerson's prophecy.
8. James K. Polk claimed that no other country similarly situated would have refused to annex Mexico. Assess the
validity of this position.
9. Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850. [1997]
10. Explain the phrase, "Manifest Destiny." What factors were the most important and lasting in the American
westward movement?
11. In which territory-Texas, California, Oregon, or Utah was America's claim strongest? In which was it weakest?
Why?
12. Define and explain the frontier hypothesis of Frederick Jackson Turner. Assess the validity of his claim and cite
clearly at least two objections to it.
13. Discuss the role of diplomacy in the effective settlement of the West. Your answer should
include historical ideas, treaties, and actions of individuals to prove and support your thesis.
14. Why were Americans opposed to the Mexican War? What sectional political interests were against the war with
Mexico?
15. "Manifest destiny in the mid-l9th century was just another name for aggressive imperialism." Assess the validity of
this statement.
16. "The United States always prefers to settle conflicts with other nations by negotiating rather than by going to war.
Assess the validity of this statement for THREE of the following conflicts from 1830 to 1860: boundary of Maine
Oregon territory annexation of Texas acquisition of California efforts to acquire Cuba
17. "Instead of uniting the country, the economic changes brought about by developments in industry, agriculture, and
transportation from 1 820 to 1 860 produced more sectional conflicts and divisions." Assess this statement, using the
development of the railroads as one of your examples.
18. Compare the expansionist policies of President Jefferson with those of President Polk. What were the similarities
and the differences?
19. "The American frontier was not one advancing line of civilization, but a diverse, if not random, series of
developments, that followed no particular logic or order." Assess this statement on the basis of development in the
West from 1830 to 1860.
20. "The opponents of the annexation of Texas and the Mexican War attacked slavery as the root cause of expansion,
but in fact it was no more important than other causes." Assess the validity of this statement.
VIII Sectionalism [1820-1860]
1. How has historical interpretation as to of the causes of the Civil War undergone change from 1870 to the present?
Analyze the reasons for this evolution, discussing both the fundamental and the immediate causes of the war.
2. Southerners maintained that secession was the ultimate expression of democracy, while Lincoln believed that
secession was a rejection of democracy. Which position is correct?
3. Make a time line of the major events which led to the American Civil War. What was the key event that led to the
Civil War?
4. What were the most important social, economic and political causes of the American Civil War? Discuss the
differences of the two sections, North and South on the following issues: protective tariff, internal improvements at
federal expense slavery in the territories, new territory, property rights. How did the West effect this equation?
5. What conditions led to the formation of the Abolitionist movement? What caused the
Abolitionists to
become militant? Do you feel that the Abolitionists hastened the end of slavery or just made it impossible to end it
without a destructive civil war? What did the Abolitionists mean when they said that there was a "higher law" than the
Constitution?
6. How did the North and the South react to the following: John Brown's Raid, Dred Scott Decision, Kansas
Nebraska Act, Sumner-Brooks fight?
7. How do you account for the fact that South Carolina was the leader in the nullification over the Tariff of 1828 and
in the secessionist movement of 1860?
8. In what ways are the issues that led to the Civil War similar to those that led to the American War for
Independence?
9. American social reform movements from 1820 to 1860 were characterized by unyielding perfectionism,
impatience with compromise, and distrust of established social institutions. These qualities explain the degree of
success or failure of these movements in achieving their objectives Discuss with reference to both antislavery, and one
other reform movement of the period 1820-60 (e.g., temperance, women's rights, communitarianism, prison reform, or
educational reform).
10. In the period 1815 to 1860, improvements in transportation and increased interregional trade should have united
Americans, but instead produced sectional division and finally disunion. Discuss with reference to the impact of
improved transportation and increased interregional trade on the Northeast (New England and Middle Atlantic states),
the South, and the West.
11. Throughout our history, the Supreme Court has acted as a partisan political body, rather than a neutral arbiter or
constitutional principles. Assess the validity of this generalization for the period 1800-1860.
12. At various times between 1789 and 1861, Americans changed their positions on the constitutional question of
loose construction or strict construction as best suited their economic or political interests. Discuss this statement with
reference to any two individuals or groups who took positions on this constitutional question.
13. Analyze the ways in which supporters of slavery in the nineteenth century used legal, religious, and economic
arguments to defend the institution of slavery.
14. Identify the elements of an industrial society and explain how these elements changed life an mid-century from an
agrarian nation to an industrial society.
15. What were the factors that led to the development of the American economy in the North
after 1815?
16. Explain how new development in transportation affected population, land values, western
expansion, and fanning in addition to urbanization and commercialism.
17. Compare the growth of roads, river transportation, and railroads through 1860. What were the advantages and
disadvantages of each means of transportation?
18. Describe the general trends of immigration, labor development, and scientific technology.
19. Why did the institution of slavery command the loyalty of the vast majority of antebellum
Southern whites, despite the fact that only a small percentage of them owned slaves?
20. Describe the slaves' world and analyze it as a social system in terms of the 19th century
America.
21. How important was slavery to the economy of Old South? Discuss its effects on agriculture,industry, and
commerce.
22. Describe the goals, methods, and leadership of the abolitionist movement.
23. How did its obsessive defense of slavery affect the intellectual life of the Old South?
24. "The Antebellum period (1850-1860) was an age of turmoil, agitation, and violence that could not be halted by
anything short of war." Assess the validity of this statement.
25. Explain the issues that led to the Compromise of 1850 and how the compromise was fashioned passed.
26. "The Mexican Was may accurately be blamed for causing the Civil War because it opened
new wounds between the North and South as it spurred controversy over slavery in the
territories." Do you agree of disagree?
27. At what point (if any) did the war become inevitable? Discuss the events leading to war.
Why wouldn't Lincoln support the compromises?
28. Why did the South fear the election of Abe Lincoln?
29. "The Compromise of 1850 did not delay the breakup of the Union; on the contrary, it created more problems than
it solved." Assess the validity of this statement.
30. To what extent was the free-soil movement both antislave and antiblack? To what extent do you think the
motivation for the movement was economic in nature? Explain.
31. What factors account for the remarkable success of a new party-the Republican-in the elections of 1856 and 1860?
32. Of the following causes of the breakup of the Union in 1860-1861, which THREE do you consider most
important? Explain your reasoning: weak presidential leadership, breakup of the Democratic party, passage of the
Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case decision, fanaticism on the slavery issue
33. Assess the validity of Frederick Douglass' statement: "Slavery is the real issue, the single bone of contention
between all parties and sections."
34. "The Civil War was not inevitable; it was the result of extremism and failures of leadership on both sides." Assess
the validity of this statement.
35. Analyze the development of sectionalism in the United States during the first half of the 19th century with
reference to the following: economic developments, slavery, cultural differences.
36. How were northerners and southerners in Congress convinced that passing the Compromise of 1850 was in their
best interest? How did the Compromise affect the balance between South and the North? Why did it prove to be only a
temporary solution?
37. The democratic presidents of the 1850s frequently top the “worst presidents” lists. Could Franklin Pierce and
James Buchanan have handled the issues in such a way as to avoid the breakup of the Union?
38. Not many people remember that the Republican party was once the most liberal party in American politics. Some
even thought it was radical. How were its ideas different than the status quo? Who were its constituents and how did it
broaden its appeal in the late 1850s?
39. Discuss the role of the Dred Scott decision in the deepening divisions of North and South.
40. What brought about civil war in Kansas in 1856? What evidence did each side have to support their claims against
their adversaries?
41. What was the impact of Harriet Beeches Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the north and the south?
42. In his inaugural address Lincoln said that he left the issue of was in the South’s hands. Discuss the political impact
of the Confederacy's seizure of Fort Sumter.
43. How did the Compromise of 1850 attempt to deal with the issues of slavery? What were its strengths and
weaknesses?
44. Why did the Whig Party disappear by the middle of the 19th Century?
45. Why is it said that the Pierce administration was pro-southern?
46. How did the Kansas Nebraska Act fundamentally change the nature of the slave debate in America?
47. After the Kansas Nebraska Act, what significant events led to the secession of Southern states in 1861?
48. Why was "Bleeding Kansasa" a "dress rehearsal" for the Civil War?
49. How did events like the Dred Scott Decision and Borwn's raid on Harpers Ferry deepen sectional tensions?
50. What political and personal qualities did Lincoln possess that allowed him to become the leading exponent of the
Republican idea of no expansion of slavery?
IX The Civil War and Reconstruction [1860-1876]
1. What were the most important social economic and political results of the Civil War? Why has the Civil War been
called the first "total" war in world history?
2. The period of Reconstruction was a time of major political upheaval in both the North and South. What issues
were settled, what issues remained unresolved and what effects did Reconstruction have on our political institutions?
Could the changes in this period have been brought about without the Civil War?
3. How did the South attempt restrict the Freedmen? How did the North respond? Contrast Northern & Southern
views of the Freedmen's Bureau.
4. Compare the advantages & disadvantages of North & South at the beginning of the Civil War: population,
industry, transportation, financial resources, military power. What were the methods used by both to raise an army and
finance the war? Why did some European governments want the South to win? How important was the leadership of
Abraham Lincoln to the North?
5. Compare three major plans for restoring the South to the Union. Why did Lincoln favor a lenient policy? What
were the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments? How effective were they in achieving their purpose? Was Reconstruction a
success or a failure?
6. "The Black American in the South during the Reconstruction Period was treated better socially and politically than
at any other time until the civil rights legislation of the 1960s." Assess the validity of this generalization.
7. In what ways were the issues that led to the Civil War similar to those that led to the American Revolution?
8. Compare the war aims and military strategy of the North & South. In your opinion, what was the most important
battle of the war? What were the chief reasons for the South's defeat? What were the arguments for & against freeing
of the slaves.
9. How can you explain Grant's success as a general and failure as a President?
10. Was Reconstruction a failure or a success?
11. Describe two problems that were important causes of the Civil War and explain how the Civil War and
Reconstruction provided solutions to the problems.
12. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the idea that the North had won the Civil War before it began?
13. Analyze the economic consequences of the Civil War with respect to any TWO of the following in the United
States between 1865 and 1880. [1997] Agriculture Labor Industrialization Transportation
14. What was the military strategy of each side at the start of the war, and how and why did it change as the war
progressed?
15. "The South never had a chance to win the Civil War" Assess the validity of this statement.
16. Account for the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, showing how it was both shrewd military and
diplomatic strategy and an effort for humanitarian reform.
17. Describe the reasons why the North won the Civil War; that is, what were the North's
strengths and advantages? Why did the South lose the war?
18. Discuss the depth of the problems of both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis at the
beginning of the war? How did they deal with these problems?
19. How might the Civil War be described as a constitutional and social revolution?
What were the goals of reconstruction plans offered by Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson,
and the Congressional Radicals? How was each plan supposed to achieve its goals?
20. What problems did the blacks in the South face after emancipation? What attempts did the
government make to solve these problems?
21. Analyze and evaluate the program of Booker T. Washington concerning the role of blacks in
society. What was W. E. B. DuBois' challenge to that program?
22. Who was more responsible for the problems of Reconstruction, President Johnson or the
Radicals in Congress? Be specific in your answer.
23. "The South never had a chance to win the Civil War." Assess this statement with respect to specific military,
economic, and political factors.
24. "Lincoln was one of the most democratic and also one of the most autocratic of presidents." Explain what is meant
by this statement and then give reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with it.
25. Many Europeans criticized northern and southern generals for the way in which they fought the Civil War.
Evaluate the military leadership, strategies, and tactics of either the North or the South.
26. "A good part of the credit for ending slavery belongs to the slaves and former slaves themselves." Assess this
statement with specific reference to THREE of the following: the Confiscation acts, the Emancipation Proclamation,
African American soldiers, Slaves and the Confederacy, Thirteenth Amendment
27. To what extent is it correct to say that the Civil War represented a second American Revolution?
28. What political, economic, and social reforms were achieved by Republican governments in the South between
1866 and 1877?
29. Analyze the reasons for the failure of congressional Reconstruction to achieve lasting civil rights for the freemen
and women.
30. Vice presidents who succeed to the presidency after the president's death are often less effective than the
predecessors. In what ways did Andrew Johnson prove to be a less effective political leader than Abraham Lincoln?
31. "Congress during Reconstruction tried to upset the system of checks and balances established in the Constitution.
Assess the validity of this statement.
32. Compare and contrast the goals and strategies of the Lincoln, Johnson, and congressional plans of Reconstruction.
33. William Seward said that the Civil War was an “irrepressible conflict.” Was this also true of the conflict between
white America and the Plains Indians? How could the situation have been handled differently?
34. What was the conflict between the farmers and the railroads? Why did the early state and federal efforts to regulate
railroads fail?
35. Is Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier theses” correct? Do you see any evidence of it in the American Character
today?
36. Explain how the building of the nation's railroad network stimulated American industrialization and the growth of
large corporations.
37. Discuss government attempts to stop the growth of trusts and monopolies in the late nineteenth century. Why were
these efforts ineffective?
38. How would a conservative Social Darwinist view government’s role in terms of poverty and the exploitation of
labor. How would the Social Darwinist justify such recommendations? How would a Social Darwinist view the AP
program?
39. Did the Civil War produce a revolution in the political, economic, and social life of the United States? Why or why
not?
40. Why didn’t Lincoln simply allow the South to separate in peace?
41. Why did Lincoln wait until 1863 to emancipate the slaves?
42. Why did congressional leaders object to President Johnson’s reconstruction policies?
43. Why was President Johnson impeached? What impact would his conviction in the Senate have had on our
understanding of American government?
44. What is so important about the 14th Amendment? How did it fundamentally change the Constitution?
X
The Gilded Age [1870-1895]
1. Compare and contrast governmental policy towards Native American during the Gilded Age and the time period
prior to the Gilded Age. How do you account for the change?
2. Compare and contrast the ideas of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Which ideas would be the proper
role for African-Americans today in combating racial discrimination?
3. How did advances in agriculture, technology and business help to influence society during the Gilded Age? What
problems resulted from these changes?
4. What are the arguments for and against the Americanization of the Indian?
5. Trace the development of U S Government policy toward the Indians.
6. How did the following contribute to the defeat of the Indians? revolver, train, destruction of the buffalo.
7. What were the new industries of the frontier that developed during the period 1860-1900.
8. Many historians have written about the effects of the frontier on the economic, social and political development of
the United States. What is your view of the effects of the frontier on American development?
9. "While every generation is born with its hands tied by the generation which went before, the constructive work of
the 1880s and 1890s was less a fulfillment of the past than a starting point for the future." Assess the validity of this
statement.
10. Why did the federal government help to finance the development of the railroads, and what methods did it use?
11. New developments made possible the mass circulation of magazines and newspapers in the 1880s. Why is this
important? How did industrialization effect American education?
12. How did the growth of big cities bring new problems for American ad how effectively did they meet the challenge
of their new environments?
13. How did each of the following effect the American working man: business cycle, railroad: end of the frontier,
increased mechanization, immigration.
14. Describe the events that led to immigration restriction in the 1880s.
15. What factors led American workers to form unions? What weapons did unions have to fight management? What
weapons did management have to fight the unions.
16. Is there any evidence to support the claim that state and federal governments favored industry over workers?
17. Between l800-l896, farmers felt that the government favored big business and the rich. What evidence is there that
they were right? What were farmers grievances against middlemen, railroads and banks?
18. What was farm life like on the frontier in 1870, and how and why did farmers begin to organize politically during
the 1870s?
19. In your opinion, which parts of the Populist Party platform of 1892 would have aided the country most?
20. What were the factors that contributed to the rapid industrialization of the United States after the Civil War?
21. How did the Industrial Revolution transform American life economically, socially and politically? How did it
change the relationship of people to their environment?
22. Were the early industrialists: Robber Barons or Captains of Industry? How did big business control the national
government during the Gilded Age? What methods did they use?
23. Why was public morality at such a low level during the years after the Civil War? What is the spoils system and
how does it differ from the merit system?
24. "The closing of the frontier on 1890 had a profound effect on the social and economic development of the United
States in the succeeding twenty years." Evaluate this statement.
25. "The nation [United States] whose Constitution is so perfect that no man suggests change and whose fundamental
laws as they stand ate satisfactory to all... The nation in which the right of the minority, the right of property and...of
free labor are most secure." In what ways is this statement an accurate summary of the situation in the United States at
the end of the 19th century? To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?
26. Describe three social and/or political problems that were present in the South in the Reconstruction period and
explain what solutions to three problems were offered by the Populists and/or Progressives.
27. Farmers to be successful, had to be good businessmen, and many failed because they were not. They illogically
placed the blame for their failure on other factors.Assess the validity of this statement.
28. Would disaster have befallen the United States in William Jennings Bryan had been elected President and the
Treasury had coined many dollars with the purchasing power of only fifty cents each?
29. In what ways were the late 19th century Populists the heirs of the Jacksonian Democrats with respect to overall
objectives and specific proposals for reform.
30. A chapter in a book published around the turn of the century used the term "forgettable Presidents" and had
another chapter entitled "Why great men are not chosen President." Do you think this assessment applies to President
____________?
31. Analyze the reasons for the emergence of the Populist movement in the late nineteenth century.
32. It has been claimed that "the Gilded Age was an age of inaction, apathy, and extremism in American politics."
Assess the validity of the claim.
33. What were the major issues of the politics of the Gilded Age? What factors influenced voters to be either
Republicans or Democrats?
34. What problems did American farmers face and why?
35. What were the main goals of the Omaha Platform and the Populist Party? Were they progressive or retrogressive?
36. "By the end of the Gilded Age, the values of metropolitan and urban America had triumphed over those of rural
and agrarian America." Explain why and how.
37. Compare and contrast political leadership in the early years of the Republic with that of this era.
38. Describe the pattern of race relations in the South from the end of Civil War to the turn of the century in 1900.
39. In what ways did the Bourbons' emphasis affect the South?
40. One might way that the West actually consisted of several frontiers. Identify' three and discuss the characteristics,
problems, and achievements of each.
41. Discuss the impact of the railroads on the settlement of the Trans-Mississippi West?
42. Discuss the most critical economic, social, and political problems faced by the western
farmers after 1870. How did the farmers deal with the problems?
43. Assess the validity of the following statement. In the period of 1877-1900, the South became a colony of the
Northern business establishment.
44. Assess the impact of the transportation revolution of the United States.
45. Describe the growth of American industry and economy in the late nineteenth century.
46. What factors account for its growth and development?
47. Discuss the contributions of J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie to American industry. Were
they robber barons or captains of industry?
48. Compare the aims and achievements of the Knights of Labor with those of the American Federation of Labor.
49. Andrew Carnegie has been viewed by some historians as the "prime representative of the
industrial age" and by others as an industrial leader atypical of the period." How do you feel about Andrew Carnegie?
50. "The growth of labor organizations was marked by false starts and wrong turns." Assess the validity of this
generalization for the period 1865-1900.
51. "Despite often brutal clashes between labor and capital during the period 1865-1940, collective working-class
protest did not constitute a basic attack on the capitalist system." Assess the validity of the statement.
52. "It has been claimed that the Gilded Age was one that was sterile, dry, and void of any
significant cultural and scientific achievement." Assess the validity of this claim.
53. Discuss the thesis, issues, and criticisms of Frederick Jackson Turner's essay, "The Significance of the Frontier in
American History."
54. Describe the goals, strategies and accomplishments of the women's suffrage movement in the late nineteenth
century.
55. How did late nineteenth century literature reflect the impact of local color, scientific Darwinism, and pragmatism?
56. Summarize and explain the shifts in the federal government's policy toward Native Americans from the 1830s to
the 1930s.
57. Explain how THREE of the following influenced the development of the last West from the 1850s to 1900.
miners
cattlemen
farmers
immigrants
cities
58. "Although the economic development of the West is associated with self-reliance and individualism, in fact it was
largely dependent on policies of the federal government." Assess the validity of this statement.
59. To what extent were the problems of American farmers in the period 1865-1900 caused (a) by big business and
government policy and (b) by farmers' own decisions?
60. To what extent did changes in the South from 1877 to 1900 reflect (a) the vision of the New South and (b)
traditional attitudes and policies?
61. "The experience of the new immigrants in the late 19th century was little different from the experience of
preceding groups of immigrants to the United States." Assess the validity of this statement.
62. Explain how THREE of the following factors changed American cities 1865-1900.
architecture government
immigration
popular culture
transportation
63. "The low quality of American politics during the Gilded Age resulted because the best people did not go into
national politics." Assess the validity of this statement.
64. The growth of urban poverty was concern of many reformers in the late 19th century. Compare and contrast the
response to poverty taken by THREE of the following: Jane Addams, Henry George, Jacob Riis or Frances Willard.
65. The creative arts in the United States produced little of worth during the materialistic Gilded Age (1865-1900)."
Assess the validity of this statement with respect to THREE of the following:
architecture
literature
music
painting
66. "An analysis of the popular culture of a the United States from 1865 to 1900 reveals deep class, gender, and ethnic
or racial divisions." Assess the validity of this statement.
67. "The rise of the Greenback and the Populist parties in the late 19th century was evidence that the two major parties
were falling to address critical problems." Assess the validity of this statement.
68. Evaluate the federal government's efforts to deal with the Panic of 1893 and subsequent depression.
69. Explain the reasons (a) for the rise of the Populist party before 1896 and (b) its decline after the election in that
year.
70. To what extent did the election of 1896 represent a turning point in the history of U.S. politics?
71. The politicians of the Gilded Age failed to deal with the critical social and economic issues of the times." Assess
the validity of this statement.
72. Analyze the impact of any TWO of the following on the American industrial worker between 1865 and
1900.Government actions, Labor unions, Immigration, Technological changes [1998]
73. How did the growth in size and diversity of late-nineteenth-century cities cause alarm over the loss of traditional
values regarding community life and social stability?
74. The concept of the "service city" was a result of gradual pragmatic adjustments brought on by the phenomenal
growth of American cities, and was not the deliberate fulfillment of Progressive ideals. Assess the validity of this
statement for the period 1890-1920
75. It was innovations in communications and transportation, more than innovations in business and industry, that
changed the daily life of the working American. Assess the validity of this statement for the period 1875-1900
76. Describe rural-urban migration patterns in the late nineteenth century. Who was most likely to migrate from rural
areas to towns and cities, and why?
XI The Road to World Power [1876-1920]
1. Compare and contrast Manifest Destiny of the 1840's with American imperialism at the close of the century.
2. Analyze the reasons Americans were not willing to bestow the blessings of liberty as spelled out in the Bill of
Rights upon inhabitants of newly acquired U.S. overseas territories.
3. How was the Spanish-American War a good dress rehearsal for World War I?
4. Do you agree with the textbook that "the US should be proud of its government of its
overseas
possessions."
5. What were the long range social, economic and political causes of the Spanish-American War? What were the
immediate causes of the Spanish-American War? What were the causes of the Cuban revolt against Spain?
6. Make a time line of the major events 1890-1898. What was the key event? Could the United States have avoided
the war?
7. How did the Supreme Court answer the question, "Does the Constitution follow the flag"?
8. If you were a citizen of a Latin American country, how would you feel about the events of this unit? What lessons
did the US learn from our experiences with Mexico in 1910-14?
9. How was the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine broadened by Richard Olney and Theodore Roosevelt? How do
you feel about United States use of the Monroe Doctrine?
10. How can it be stated that the mass media really emerged as a powerful force in American life during this period?
Give some examples.
11. What person in the era 1890-1920 would have been the greatest loss had he never lived? What single event in this
era had the greatest influence on the course of American history?
12. Do you agree with the philosophy expressed by Theodore Roosevelt in the Roosevelt Corollary?
13. What were the social economic and political factors that led to the growth of American imperialism?
14. Assess the relative influence of THREE of the following in the American decision to declare war on Germany in
1917: German naval policy, American economic interests, Allied propaganda, Woodrow Wilson's idealism, America's
claim to world power.
15. What were the reasons for American expansionism at the turn of the century? What justifications did America
offer for expansionism?
16. What was the "Open Door Policy" and what events in China made such a policy necessary in the eyes of the U.S.
Explain your reasons.
17. How and why did the Monroe Doctrine become the cornerstone of American foreign policy by the late nineteenth
century?
18. Was the "White Man's Burden" a justification or a rationalization of imperialism?
19. "The United States in the period 1898-1919 failed to recognize to that it had vital interests at stake in Europe,
where it tried to stay aloof. At the same time, it had few or no such interest in Asia, where it eagerly became involved."
Assess the validity of this generalization.
20. Discuss whether or not U.S. foreign policy from l89l-19l4 was principally guided by economic motives.
21. Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson toward Latin America.
22. "If the democratic party has one cardinal principles above all others, it is pushing forward the boundaries of the
United States. . . . All the great acquisitions of territory have been the work of the Democrats." Henry Cabot Lodge,
1895. Assess the validity of this statement.
23. Since, from the U.S. point of view, there were no negative consequences from the Spanish-American War, John
Hay was right to call it "a splendid little war." Assess the validity of this statement with respect to the opinions of
THREE of the following:
William Jennings Bryan
Theodore Roosevelt
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Emilio Aguinaldo
Cuban revolutionaries
24. Assess the importance of THREE of the following in the U.S. decision declare war against Spain in 1898.
yellow journalism
sinking of the Maine
U.S. business interests
naval strategists
the Cuban revolution
25. "As the United States became more involved in East Asia after 1900, it relationship with Japan became more
competitive." Assess the validity of this statement.
26. It was the ideals and techniques of the Progressive Movement that allowed the Wilson Administration to
effectively manage America's war time effort. Assess the validity of this statement for the period 1917-1919.
27. Although President Wilson called for American neutrality with the outbreak of war in Europe, his personal ideals
and administrative policies ultimately insured American involvement in the First World War. Assess the validity of this
statement for the period 1914-1917.
28. Did the federal government's intervention into the American economy, during the First World War, supercede its
Constitutional grant of power?
XII The Progressive Era [1880-1920]
1. Which president best embodies the spirit of the Progressive Movement: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft
or Woodrow Wilson?
2. Compare and contrast the reform ideas of the Populists and the Progressives. Why were the Progressives more
successful than the Populists at achieving reform?
3. Describe and analyze the reasons for labor unrest during both the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Why did labor
unions have such a difficult time organizing and gaining public and governmental support?
4. What were the basic aims of the Progressive Movement? List the various movements that together composed the
Progressive coalition.
5. Why was American society so in need of social economic and political reform in the early 1900s?
6. Do the facts support Theodore Roosevelt's reputation as a trust buster?
7. What did the Progressives have in common with the Populists? Do you feel they were more, or less liberal?
8. How did Theodore Roosevelt establish a solid foundation for the Conservation movement? Do you feel that Taft
betrayed the conservation movement as some have charged?
9. What were the big social, economic and political changes in American life during the period 1900-1920?
10. Give some examples of what is meant by social legislation. What is the difference between Social Darwinism and
Reform Darwinism?
11. Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency has been described by some as a revolution. Do you agree?
12. "Under Jacksonian Democracy it seemed in the public interest to separate banking and government; under Wilson's
Progressivism it seemed in the public interest to join them." Compare the economic philosophies behind each view and
explain the conditions that brought the change from one to the other.
13. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that. "In American if a person tries hard enough he is bound to
succeed."
14. What happened to the Progressive Movement in the 1920s?
15. How successful was the Progressive Movement in achieving its social, economic and political goals?
16. "In understanding the nature of a reform movement it is as important to know what it seeks to preserve as to know
what seeks to change." Compare the Populist and Progressive Reform movements of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries on light of this statement.
17. In what ways did the muckrakers represent the best and the worst features of a free press in American society?
18. Were women powerless without the ballot? How did suffrage change the position of women in American society?
19. The Progressive Movement 1901 to 1917 was the triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism.
20. Identify and discuss the main features of progressivism.
21. Compare and contrast the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois on the issues of progress and
improvement for Black Americans.
22. In what ways and for what reasons was the Progressive Era an age of paradox? Be specific.
23. Compare and contrast the democratic eras of Jacksonian Democracy with Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt
and Woodrow Wilson. Which of the two men was the most democratic and responsive to the middle-class Americans?
24. "The collapse of Progressivism that occurred in 1920 was not inevitable and cannot be explained by merely saying
that "the war killed the Progressive Movement." Assess the validity of this statement.
25. Compare and contrast Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom approach to regulation with Theodore Roosevelt's New
Nationalism approach.
26. "The Progressive movement resulted in a series of lasting reforms and influenced U.S. government for much of the
20th century." Assess the contribution of THREE of the following to the Progressive movement:
middle class
muckrakers
philosophy of pragmatism
scientific management
presidential leadership
27. Progressives believed that greater democracy was the key to solving society's problems. Identify THREE problems
that Progressives addressed and, for each, describe a democratic reform that was designed to deal with the problem.
28. Compare and contrast Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois regarding their objectives and methods.
"Because Progressives chiefly represented the interests and values of the middle class, they totally neglected the
interests of the working class." Assess the validity of this statement.
29. To what extent were the Progressive demands a continuation of the programs called for by the Populists
30. "Pervasive as Progressivism was, it was not a fully articulated dogma which made all Progressives think alike on
all subjects." Assess the validity of this statement.
XIII Foreign Affairs [1880-1920]
1. Compare and contrast Wilson's 14 Points with the Versailles Treaty. Why was Wilson unable to secure Senate
ratification of the Versailles Treaty? In retrospect, what actions could have Wilson undertaken to secure Senate
ratification?
2. How did the following 4 factors contribute to the start of World War I: nationalism, imperialism, balance of
power, alliance system? Explain how American neutrality was violated by both Great Britain and Germany.
3. Name the major steps and agencies created by the U.S. government to control the economy during World War I.
Assess the success and impact of these actions.
4. Describe and analyze the effects of World War I on each of the following: (a) Prohibition
(b) women's
suffrage (c) race relations (d) business.
5. Summarize the social, economic and political causes of American entry into World War I. What reasons did
Wilson give Congress for entering the war? How did Wilson make the war a Crusade? In the long run, was this wise?
6. Make a time line of the major events that led America into war in 1917. Which event do you feel was the turning
point? Explain why American participation in the war made the allied victory possible.
7. How did the U S mobilize workers, industries, natural resources and public opinion to fight World War I?
8. Could the United States have avoided World War I? Would the course of history have been any different?
9. What were the "Fourteen Points? Were they realistic, consistent with American morality, and attainable?
10. What were the reasons why the U S Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles? Who do you feel was most
responsible?
11. What were the social, economic and political results of World War I?
12. "War has united Americans more closely than any other activity." Discuss this statement and test its validity by
references to American history during the years 1812-1824 and 1912-1924.
13. Why was there more anti-enemy hysteria and intolerance for dissent in the United States 1917-1918 than in any
other period of war?
14. Why did America enter the war in Europe when it did? Why did it not enter before? And what were the
consequences to America for the decision she did make to enter the war?
15. How and why were civil liberties curtailed during World War I? What was the effect of theses curtailments?
16. Discuss the American military contributions to the war. To what extent, if any, were these crucial to the outcome
of the war?
17. Discuss the arguments of the reservationists and the irreconcilables over the Treaty of Versailles. Which one was
most influential in the defeat of the treaty?
18. World War I has often been characterized as the "textbook perfect example of conventional war." In what ways is
this true, and in what ways is it distorted?
19. To what extent were the Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson written into the Treaty of Versailles?
20. The United States entered the First World War not not "to make the world safe for democracy" as President Wilson
claimed, but to make the world safe for American economic interests. Assess the validity of this statement.
1. "German policy after January 1917 forced the United States to declare war. Assess the validity of this statement.
2. "Even after he asked Congress for a declaration of war, President Wilson could argue that his foreign policy was
still committed to peace. Assess the validity of this statement.
3. Explain the impact of U.S. involvement in World War I on THREE of the following:
African Americans
women
civil liberties
labor unions
business
4. "Woodrow Wilson's illness and refusal to compromise were chiefly responsible for the defeat of the Treaty of
Versailles." Assess the validity of this statement.
5. Compare and contrast U.S. foreign policy from 1914-l9l7 with U.S. foreign policy from 1801-1812.
6. Considering Wilson's philosophies and deeds, was he more an idealist or a realist (in terms of both domestic and
foreign policy)?"
XIV The Reckless Years [1910-1930]
1. "Prohibition is an example of rural America imposing its code of ethics and morality on urban America." Assess
the validity of this statement.
2. How did the writers (authors, poets, journalists) of the 1920's reflect the unorthodox nature of the Reckless Years?
You must use three different writers to justify your case.
3. "The economic policies of Harding and Coolidge in the 1920s and not the policies of Hoover resulted in the Great
Depression." Assess the validity of this statement.
4. Compare the parties, candidates and issues in the elections of 1920, 1924, and 1928. What do these years have in
common?
5. What were the social, economic and political reasons why the U S began to restrict immigration in the 1920s?
6. How did Prohibition help to create a breakdown in morality and a general lack of respect for the law? How was
Prohibition able to pass?
7. "One could argue that both Harding and Coolidge were political accidents, the beneficiaries of grave defects in the
American political and constitutional systems." Assess the validity of this statement.
8. What happened to the Progressive Movement in the 1920s? Why do some authors point to the 1920s as a
watershed in American history?
9. Defend the position that European culture fascinated American in the period 1789-1801 and in the period between
World Wars I and II.
11. "The social changes of the Jacksonian Period were greater and more profound than the social changes of the postWorld War I period." Assess the validity of this statement.
12. Trace the peaks of anti foreignism in the United States 1800-1930. What circumstances are common to each
period and which are unique?
13. Compare and contrast the Harding Administration with ONE of the following Presidents;
U S Grant
James Monroe
Zachary Taylor
14. "Third party movements in the United States are doomed to failure except in periods of enormous national
turmoil, and that the 1920's were not such a time." Assess the validity of this statement.
XV The Great Depression and New Deal [1920-1940]
1. What were the social, economic and political reasons for the growth of "Organized Intolerance" in the 1920s?
2. Analyze the influence of economist John M. Keynes on the policies of the New Deal.
3. "Franklin Roosevelt was actually capitalism's best friend." Assess the validity of this statement.
4. How did the New Deal alter the relationship between the state and national governments?
5. What were the social, economic and political causes of the Depression? Why did the efforts of Herbert Hoover fail
to halt the Great Depression?
6. Explain the basic New Deal Plan for relief, reform and recovery? How did FDR deal with opposition of the
Supreme Court to the New Deal?
7. Evaluate the New Deal in terms of its own stated goals: relief, reform, recovery.
8. What do you feel is the role of the federal government in American society?
9. Evaluate FDR as President according to the format given by your instructor.
10. Describe and analyze the impact of the New Deal on each of the following: (a) white women (b) black
sharecroppers (c) northern businessmen (d) farmers (e) factory workers. Overall how successful was the New Deal in
changing the distribution of wealth and power in the U.S.?
11. "Defend the position that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greatest president in the history of the United States."
12. "Republicans have been the party of Big Business and depression; the Democrats have been the party of the Little
Man and of War." State whether you agree or disagree with this statement and defend your position with reference to
World Wars I and II, the Panic of 1893 and the Great Depression.
13. Analyze the ways in which the Great Depression altered the American social fabric in the 1930s. [1996]
14. Defend the proposition that "the proposals of the Populists as to how to handle the economic conditions of the
early 1890s were not enacted but these proposals provided the framework for the New Deal's response to the economic
conditions of the early 1930s."
15. "The Supreme Courts interpretation of the Constitution in the years before the election of Franklin Roosevelt in
1932 made it difficult for the federal government to legislate social policy and changes at the national level, yet from
that time until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 the situation was reversed." Assess the validity of this quotation.
16. Recent historians have emphasized the continuity of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal with the past. How
"new" was the New Deal?
17. Discuss the political and economic problems of the 1920's.
18. Analyze and evaluate the significance of the rural-urban shift in America 1920-1929.
19. Survey analytically the impact of the automobile and movie camera on American life during the 1920's. Discuss.
20. What were the major diplomatic achievements and failures of the 1920's? Discuss
Analyze the economic and social affects of Prohibition on America from 1917-1930.
21. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is commonly thought of as a liberal and President Hoover as a conservative. To
what extent are these characterizations valid?
22. Analyze and evaluate the first New Deal with the second New Deal. Which was most successful in achieving
Roosevelt's goals?
23. How did the nation's perception of the role of government (it's powers and responsibilities) change in the 1930's?
24. "The New Deal did not radically alter American business, but conserved and protected it." Do you agree of
disagree?
25. Compare and contrast Herbert Hoover's economic policies with those of Franklin Roosevelt.
26. Analyze the role of THREE of the following in explaining the Great Depression:
farm problems
Income distribution
world trade and finance
government policy
stock market
27. Those on the right criticized the New Deal for attempting too much, while those on the left criticized it for not
doing enough." Illustrate this statement with reference to the views from each side.
28. "Roosevelt's first New Deal favored business, while his second New Deal favored labor." Assess the validity of
this statement.
29. Select THREE New Deal agencies or commissions and assess how well each satisfied the three R's of relief,
recovery, and reform.
30. Some historians contend that under FDR, "authority was transferred from Wall Steet to Washington. . . ." and ". . .
.financiers never again operated in an uninhibited universe." Assess the validity of this statement.
31. Conventionally the end of the New Deal is dated with the enactment of the Wages and Hours Act [1938], but in a
fundamental sense Americans still live in the era of the New Deal. Assess the validity of this statement.
32. Almost all of the problems of the 1930s, both foreign and domestic, can be traced to the disaster that was the
Treaty of Versailles.Assess the validity of this statement.
33. Some historians feel that while the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt brought relief to the United States and a
measure of reform, it definitely did not lead to recovery.Assess the validity of this statement.
34.
"At some moments I thought Roosevelt saw how radical a reconstruction was called for; at others I guessed he
would temporize. . . . I was right in this last. The New Deal was mild medicine. . . . [Roosevelt] could have emerged
from the orthodox progressive chrysalis and led us into a new world. He chose rather rickety repairs for an old one."
Rexford Guy Tugwell, 1939. Assess the validity of this statement.
35. Was the New Deal an evolutionary or revolutionary movement?
36. How would you evaluate Roosevelt as a crisis leader? Identify strengths and weaknesses reflected in the available
evidence.
37. Was the New Deal a success or failure? To what extent did the New Deal achieve Roosevelt's primary economic
goal? What, if any, viable alternatives existed?
38. Why did Roosevelt's contemporaries differ so sharply in their evaluations of his presidency and policies?
39. Compare the New Deal described in the oral histories of the 1960s with the program reflected in the contemporary
reactions of the 1930s. How would you account for differences or similarities?
40. What was the New Deal's legacy to future generations? What is the meaning of the term reform, and why is it
important to an understanding of the New Deal's significance?
41. In the short run, which groups and interests in the United States were the primary beneficiaries of the New Deal?
What was the social and political result of its economic impact?
XVI Foreign Affairs [1920-1945]
1. Compare and contrast Wilson's neutrality and FDR's neutrality prior to American involvement in World Wars I &
II.
2. Compare and contrast the measures taken by the government to control the economy to gear up for the war effort
during World War I and World War II.
3. How did World War II affect blacks and women in the areas of employment and civil rights?
4. "Roosevelt's action putting Japanese Americans in relocation camps was a legitimate wartime activity "
(Koramatsu v U.S. 1944). Assess the validity of this statement.
5. Make a time line of the events 1931-40 which posed a threat to peace and be able to discuss how the United States
reacted to each.
6. Was US foreign policy during the period 1937-1941 the master or servant of events?
7. Compare the attitudes of Americans toward war in 1937-1941 with the attitudes of 1914-1917. Were the
neutrality laws unneutral?
8. Draw a time line of the major events that led America into World War II during the period 1935-41. Which is the
key event? At what point was the United States committed to the Allied side?
9. What were the U S war aims? Were they practical, moral and attainable?
10. Trace the events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Why was this the best, and the worst thing the
Japanese could have done?
11. How and why did the Allies defeat the Axis? What was the key to victory? What were the advantages and
disadvantages of both sides?
12. How did Lend-Lease help both the United States and its allies?
13. What were the arguments for and against the use of the atomic bomb?
14. How did the United States and the Soviet Union come to distrust one another?
16. What were the social economic and political results of World War II?
17. What evidence would you present against the Soviet change that the United States wanted to conquer the world in
1945?
18. Discuss what you feel were the five major battles of the war against Japan. Against Germany?
19. How did the experience of the United States in World War I (the roots of American isolationism) contribute to the
attitudes of the people in the period 1920-40?
20. Discuss the major steps in America's move away from neutrality to involvement between 1935 and 1941.
21. Analyze and discuss the historical significance of the Atlantic Charter and explain its significance.
22. Why was the Yalta Conference so important? Evaluate President Roosevelt's diplomatic performance at Yalta.
23. Identify three fundamental changes in American life that were wrought by World War II and give justifications for
your selections.
24. Discuss the major steps in America's industrial and economic mobilization for the Second World War.
25. "A different U.S. foreign policy in the 1930s could have prevented the outbreak of World War II." Assess the
validity of this statement by (a) summarizing U.S. policy toward Asia and Europe and (b) evaluating the extent to
which that policy was either effective or ineffective in preserving the peace.
26. Compare and contrast U.S. reaction to war in Europe in 1914 with U.S. reaction to war in 1939.
27. "President Roosevelt recognized the dangers of fascism early and did all that he could, under the circumstances, to
lead the nation away from a policy of isolationism." Assess the validity of this statement by analyzing THREE of the
following: U.S. response to the Panay incident, Munich agreement, cash and carry, quarantine speech, destroyers-forbases deal.
28. "Discrimination continued during World War II despite the patriotism of all groups of Americans." Assess this
statement with reference to THREE of the following:
African Americans
Japanese Americans
Mexican Americans
Native Americans
women
29. Argue either for or against this statement: "President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb was completely
justified."
30. To what extent and why did the United States adopt an isolationist policy in the 1920's and 1930's? [1998]
XVII The Cold War Era [1945-1960]
1. In what ways has the United States reversed its traditional foreign policies in the Truman years?
2. Compare and contrast the Red Scare and McCarthyism after World War I & II.
3. Which nation, the USA or the USSR, was primarily responsible for the Cold War? Be sure to discuss economic,
political, military and social reasons.
4. Which policies, the New Deal or the Fair Deal, had the greatest impact on domestic politics in American History?
5. Why did many Americans worry that there would be a depression after World War II?
6. Why did most "experts" expect Thomas Dewey to win the Election of 1948?
7. Did the United Nations become a World Government? Why or why not?
8. Did the United Nations "win" the Korean War?
9. How effectively did the United States meet the challenge of Communism during the years 1945-1960?
10. Stalin once said that Communist control of Eastern Europe was no different that U.S. support for Latin American
dictators. What do you think of that argument?
11. Why is the period after World War II called the Age of Suspicion? How did Senator Joe McCarthy gain
widespread attention?
12. What were the causes of U S involvement in the Korean War? How would you evaluate the success or failure of
that effort?
13. What events led to the "Cold War?
14. Why did the Third World become the battleground for the Cold War?
15. What were the causes of the continuing Cold War and the weapons used to fight it?
16. Analyze the influence of TWO of the following on American Soviet relations in the decade following the Second
World War: Yalta Conference, Communist Revolution in China, Korean War, McCarthyism. [1996]
17. How do you account for the appeal of McCarthyism in the United States in the era following the Second World
War? [1997]
18. Describe the social and economic effects of post World War II demobilization.
19. Analyze and evaluate the "Red Scare" that followed the war. What factors caused it? What were its major results?
20. "Harry S. Truman was a realistic, pragmatic president who skillfully led the American people against the menace
posed by the Soviet Union." Assess the validity of this generalization.
21. How successful was the policy of containment in (1) Europe, (2) Asia, and (3) in Latin America? Why?
23. Analyze the positive and negative aspects of Eisenhower's administration. What held the greatest threat to the
Eisenhower administration? Comment on at least three from social, economic, diplomatic, and political.
24. The impact of the decisions of the Warren Court upon American society was was to effect a sweeping revolution in
American society. Assess the validity of this statement.
25. Compare and contrast Truman's Fair Deal with Roosevelt's New Deal. In your answer, assess whether the Fair
Deal broke any new ground in domestic reforms.
26. "The Cold War hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union was inevitable." Assess the validity of
this statement.
27. "Truman was slow to react to the threat of communism, but when he did, he overreacted." Assess the validity of
this statement.
28. "Under the Truman administration, civil rights for African Americans advanced, but civil liberties for radical
beliefs suffered setbacks." Explain whether you agree or disagree with each part of this statement.
29. In what ways did the early years of the Cold War (1946 to 1952) determine American political, economic and
social life? In your analysis, comment on THREE of the following:
liberalism versus conservatism
civil liberties
size of government
U.S. involvement in world affairs
economic prosperity
30. "The 1950s were an era of conformity and complacency." Give reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with this
statement.
31. To what extent did President Eisenhower continue the containment policy of Harry Truman?
32. "The chief impetus for the civil rights movement came from African Americans, not from elected officials." Assess
the validity of this statement by analyzing THREE of the following:
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Montgomery bus boycott
Little Rock crisis
sit-ins
Civil Rights Act 1957 & 1960
33. When Eisenhower left office in 1961, his popularity among the voters was still high, but his reputation with
journalists and university professors was low. What hypothesis can you put forward to account for these different views
of the Eisenhower presidency?
34. To what extent did television affect American culture and politics in the 1950s?
35. President Eisenhower's foreign policies were simply a continuation of the Truman policies. Eisenhower's lack of
innovation and flexibility in foreign affairs were disasterous for the 1960s. Assess the validity of this statement.
35. Analyze the impact of social and cultural developments of the 1950's in literature, music, education, and sports.
XVIII Social & Cultural Revolution [1960-1980]
1. How did the Vietnam War and Watergate change American perspectives in viewing government, politics and
politicians?
2. The 1920's and 1960's witnessed tremendous social upheaval, unrest and reevaluation of our goals. Compare and
contrast the 1920s and 1960s in each of the following areas: (a) literature (b) respect for the law (c) social customs (d)
foreign policy.
3. Analyze the role of two U.S. Presidents and the Supreme Court in their attempts to end discrimination against
African-Americans during the 1960s and 70s. Overall, how would you judge the success of their actions and which
branch of government was the most successful in this endeavor?
4. Compare and contrast two of the following presidents and their impact on domestic and foreign policy: (a)
Kennedy (b) LB Johnson (c) Nixon (d) Ford (e) Carter.
5. How effectively did the United States meet the challenge of Communism during the years 1960-1980?
6. Do you feel that President Kennedy did the right thing in the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)?
7. What were the social, economic and political causes of the Viet Nam War? How did the United States become
involved? Why do many Americans feel there must be "No More Viet Nams"?
8. What was the social, economic and political impact of the Viet Nam War on the United States? How did the
United States "wind down" involvement in the Viet Nam War?
9. How did the War in Viet Nam raise the issue of Presidential War Powers? How did Congress respond to the
problem?
10. How did American foreign policy change under President Kennedy? Was this change been for the better?
11. How did democracy expand in the 1960s?
12. Discuss the Civil Rights struggle and the weapons that were used to fight it.
13. Evaluate the Presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford using the Presidential evaluation format.
14. Describe in detail the constitutional process that brought Gerald Ford to the Presidency.
15. How successful has the woman's movement been in achieving its objectives? What objections did people raise to
the ERA?
16. What were the successes and failures of the Carter presidency?
17. What methods did President Carter use to improve the economy? How would more experience in Washington
politics have helped President Carter?
18. How did John Kennedy personify the `New Frontier"?
19. Was President Kennedy more successful in domestic affairs or in foreign policy? Explain.
20. What were the major domestic accomplishments of President Johnson?
21. Trace American involvement in Vietnam from 1961 to 1968.
22. Discuss the development and meaning of black power.
23. Account for the election of Richard Nixon in 1968.
24. Even though Lyndon Johnson was not as greatly admired as President Kennedy, he was a more effective leader
than Kennedy in domestic affairs." Assess the validity of this statement.
25. Explain how THREE of the following contributed to the social revolutions of the 1960s
New Left
civil rights movement
counterculture
women's movement
war in Vietnam
26. In what ways did the 1960s illustrate both the achievements and the failure of the modern civil rights movement
for political, social, and economic equality for African Americans?
27. Compare and contrast President Johnson's policy in Vietnam with the policies of Presidents Eisenhower and
Kennedy.
28. To what extent did radicalism and violence affect the political and social developments of the 1960s?
29. What were the abuses in the Watergate and what impact did the issue on domestic Politics in the 1970s?
30. Evaluate the impact of the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations on the office of the presidency.
31. In what ways was American society changing in the 1970s and l980s. Why were these changes taking place.
32. Evaluate whether or not Jimmy Carter's foreign policy was a success, using FOUR of the following in your
analysis: human rights policy, Panama Canal Treaty, Camp David Accords, Iranian revolution & SALT II Treaty
33. Evaluate the relative important domestic and foreign issues in elections of 1972 and 1976.
34. "1968 was a turning point for the United States." To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In your answer,
discuss TWO of the following:
[1998]
National politics
Vietnam War
Civil Rights
35. The Korean War and the War in Viet Nam created a constitutional crisis in the area of presidential powers.
Describe the crisis and discuss how Congress has dealt with it.
XVIV Modern America [1980-1999]
1. Compare and contrast Ronald Reagan and FD Roosevelt. Which president had the greatest impact on American
history? Be sure to discuss both domestic and foreign affairs.
2. Evaluate the effects of Reaganomics on the American economy.
3. "Political movements often reflect a desire to return to the past." Assess the validity of this statement for: (a)
Reaganites (b) Jacksonians (c) Populists
4. Evaluate the American policy of containment from the end of World War II to the present. Was it a success or
failure? Why?
5. What factors led to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980? Evaluate the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
6. What were Reagan's economic policies and were they successful?
7. How was Reagan's philosophy of government different from that of other Presidents?
8. Did Reagan's policies lead to an end to the Cold War or prolong it?
9. What were the successes and failures of the Reagan presidency?
10. What were Gerald Ford's foreign policy goals and how successful was he in achieving them?
11. Explain how the technological revolution has brought great changes to American society?
12. How does the pollution of the environment endanger life on Earth?
13. What should be done about the growth of population in the United Sates?
14. Despite Reagan's personal decency and kindly manner, the decade to which he gave his name offered little by way
of inspiration or guidance to the future. Instead, Reagan primarily bequeathed to his successors an array of festering
problems. Assess the validity of this statement.
15. The laissez-faire individualism and shriveled social vision of the Reagan presidency both reflected and shaped the
larger culture of the 1980s. As in the Gilded Age and the 1920s, amassing wealth became a national obsession. Assess
the validity of this statement.
16. To his admirers, Reagan had restored American patriotism, rebuilt an eroded military, ended inflation, stimulated
the economy, and reaffirmed the old verities of individualism and self-reliance. One of his fans, Great Britain's
conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher, affirmed, "He has left America stronger, prouder, greater than ever
before, and we thank him for it." Discuss your view of this assessment.
17. The "Reagan revolution" cut social services and ratcheted up the arms race while emasculating federal regulatory
agencies and shifting income and resources away from the neediest Americans. Celebrators of the top-down prosperity
of the mid- and later 1980s typically ignored profound problems such as the trade gap, the growing federal debt, the
S&L crisis, and major abuses in the world of investment banking. They also overlooked the plight of millions of lowerincome Americans and urban minorities, as well as displaced industrial workers and even struggling members of the
middle class. Discuss your view of this assessment.
18. Despite the massive efforts by the Johnson Administration to win a war on poverty, the United States in 1980
could hardly be called a fulfillment of their hopes. If Lyndon Johnson had been alive in 1980 he would have been
profoundly disappointed.
19. Although the feminists have made a great effort to achieve real equality since the 1960s, they have not achieved
their basic goals and objectives, nor have they won acceptance of their views even among citizens of their own gender.
XX Broader Questions*
*
These are "real" questions taken from past national examinations.
5. How do you account for the failure of Reconstruction (1865-1877) to bring social and economic equality of
opportunity to the former slaves?
6. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the American cultural and intellectual community, contributed to the
development of a distinctive American national consciousness. Assess the validity of this statement.
7. Both the Jacksonian Democrats during 1824-1840 and the Populists during 1890-1896 attached and sought to root
out special privilege in American life. The Jacksonian Democrats attained power and succeeded; the Populists failed.
Assess the validity of this view. Give roughly equal attention to the Jacksonian Democrats and the Populists.
8. The unpopular ideas and causes of one period often gain popularity and support in another, but the ultimate price
of success is usually the alteration or subversion of the original ideas and programs. For the period 1830-1877, discuss
this statement with reference to both (a) the ideas and activities of abolitionism and (b) the policies of the Republican
party.
9 Ironically, popular belief in the "self-sufficient farmer" and the "self-made man" increased during the nineteenth
century as the reality behind these beliefs faded. Assess the validity of this statement.
10. Americans have been a highly mobile people. Describe and account for the dominant population movements
between 1821 and 1900.
11. "United Stated foreign policy between 1815 and 1910 was determined less by economic than by strategic, moral,
or political interests." Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to at least two major episodes for
example, treaties, proclamations, annexations wars etc.) in the foreign policy, of the United States between 1815 and
1910.
12. "What immigrants from Europe wanted in coming to America, and what America gave them, both changed during
the period 1607-1915." Discuss changes both in what these immigrants wanted and what they, found, giving about
equal attention to the periods 1607-1790 and 1820- 1915.
13. In American politics the most significant battles have occurred within the major parties rather than between them.
Discuss this statement with reference to the periods 1850-1861 and 1900-1912.
14. A number of writers and reformers in the period 1865-1914 discussed the growing gap between wealth and poverty
in the United States. Compare and contrast three of the following authors' explanations for this condition and their
proposals for dealing with it.
(A) Henry George, Progress and Poverty
(B) Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward
(C) Andrew Carnegie, The Gospel of Wealth
(D) William Graham Sumner, What Social Classes Owe Each Other
(E) Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
15. "Paradoxically, Darwinism provided a justification for both social conservatism and social reform in the period
from 1870 to 1915." Discuss this statement.
16. Andrew Carnegie has been viewed by some historians as the "prime representative of the industrial age" and by
others as "an industrial leader atypical of the period. "Assess the validity of each of these views.
17. "Despite often brutal clashes between labor and capital in the United States during the period 1865-1940, collective
working class protest did not constitute a basic attack on the capitalist system." Assess the validity of this statement.
18. "The economic policies of the federal government from 1921 to 1929 were responsible for the nation's depression
of the 1930's." Assess the validity of this generalization.
19. Prior to American involvement in both the First and Second World Wars, the United States adopted an official
policy of neutrality. Compare the policy and its modification during the period 1914-1917 to the policy and its
modification during the period 1939-1941.
20. "The legal, political, and economic rights achieved by, minorities and women in the United States have come
largely during periods of major reform movements, which both helped the struggles of these groups and set limits to
them." Assess the validity of this statement for the history of one or more of these groups in the period 1830-1920.
21. "Between 1776 and 1823 a young and weak United States achieved considerable success in foreign policy when
confronted with the two principal European powers, Great Britain and France. Between 1914 and 1950, however, a far
more powerful United States was far less successful in achieving its foreign policy objectives in Europe." Discuss by
comparing United States foreign policy in Europe during the period 1776-1823, with United States policy in Europe
during one of the following periods: 1914-1932 or 1933-1950.
22. Compare the goals and strategies of Black reform movements in the period 1890-1910 to the goals and strategies
of Black reform movements in the period 1950-1970.
23. "From 1790 to the 1870's, state and national governments intervened in the American economy mainly to aid
private economic interests and promote economic growth. Between 1890 and 1929, however, government intervention
was designed primarily to curb and regulate private economic activity in the public interest." Assess the validity of this
statement, discussing for each of these periods at least two major areas of public economic policy.
24. "In the work of American writers from the 1820's through the 1920's, the city mirrored America's darkest fears,
whereas the wilderness, the country, and the farm reflected its fondest hopes. Assess the validity of this generalization.
You may draw your evidence from fiction and/or nonfiction.
25. "The New Deal secured the support of labor and agriculture after 1932 as the Republican party had secured the
support of industry and commerce since 1920 - with special-interest programs giving financial aid, legal privileges, and
other types of assistance." Assess the validity of this statement, giving attention to both periods (1920-1932 and 19321940).
26. "Most reform legislation since 1900 has been the work of special interests seeking to advance their own wellbeings but the adoption of such legislation has required the general support of others who were not directly affected but
who perceived it to be in the public interest Assess the validity of this statement with reference to three examples of
reform legislation since 1900. You may draw Your examples from reform at any level of government: national, states
or municipal.
27. "During the twentieth century, American 'progressives' or 'liberals' at some times advocated a strong presidency
and expanded executive power, while 'conservatives' opposed the expansion of those powers. At other times the
'liberal' and conservative' positions were reversed." Assess the validity of this statement with reference to the periods
1900-1940 and 1965-1974.
28. "A presidential election that results in defeat of the party in power usually, indicates the failure of the party, in
power to have dealt effectively with the nation's problems, rather than indicating the positive appeal of the winning
candidate and his party's platform." Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to two of the following
elections in which the party in power was defeated: 1912, 1920, 1932, 1952, 1960, 1968.
29. "Although the United States is widely, regarded as the home of free enterprise, business values, and materialism,
American fiction since 1865 has generally, been critical of business behavior and values. "Assess the validity of this
generalization with reference to the work of at least two writers who have treated the behavior and values of
businessmen in their fiction since 1865.
30. "The term 'isolationism' does not adequately describe the reality of either United States foreign policy or America's
relationships with other nations during the period from Washington's Farewell Address (1796) to 1940." Access the
validity of this generalization.
31. "From 1914 to the present, the main trend in the relationship between the central government and the states has
been toward concentration of power in the federal government." Discuss with reference to such areas of governmental
power as regulation of business, social welfare, and civil rights.
32. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790s.
33. "Shifts in party, control of the presidency during the twentieth century have typically not brought major shifts in
domestic policy." Assess the validity of this statement. Illustrate your argument by discussing the extent to which two
of the following Presidents adopted the domestic programs of the previous presidential administrations given in
parentheses beneath their names. Woodrow Wilson (Administrations of William H. Taft and Theodore Roosevelt)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (Administration of Herbert C. Hoover) Dwight D. Eisenhower (Administrations of Harry S.
Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt) Richard M. Nixon (Administrations of Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy).
34. "The principal cause of the expansion of American presidential power in the twentieth century has been war and
diplomacy, rather than domestic growth and crisis." Assess the validity of this statement.
35. "Harry S. Truman was a realistic, pragmatic President who skillfully led the American people against the menace
posed by, the Soviet Union." Assess the validity, of this generalization for President Truman's foreign policy from 1945
to 1953.
36. Why did United States foreign policy after the Second World War (1945-1960) take a different direction from that
after the First World War (1918-1939)? Give approximately equal attention to both periods.
37. "Presidents who have been notably successful in either foreign affairs or domestic affairs have seldom been
notably successful in both." Assess this statement with reference to two presidents, one in the nineteenth century and
the other in the twentieth century, giving reasons for success or failure in each case.
38. "The leadership, organization, and programs of ethnic and racial minority movements after 1945 represented a
fundamental departure from those which had existed from 1900 to 1945. Discuss with reference to black Americans or
Mexican Americans, giving about equal attention to the periods before and after 1945.
39. "Reform movements of the twentieth century have shown continuity in their goals and strategies." Assess the
validity, of this statement in relation to all the following pairs of reform movements: (a) Progressivism and the New
Deal (b) Woman's suffrage and post-Second World War Feminism (c) The New Deal and the Great Society.
40. Since the Civil War, to what extent have changes in the political control of the federal government been in
response to domestic economic crises?
41. "Events on the frontier between 1763 and 1788 and the development of government policies in response to them
were more significant for the development of the United States than the events which took place in the settled areas of
the eastern seaboard between 1763 and 1788." Evaluate this statement.
42. "Writers both of fiction and nonfiction often have a profound influence on the course of history." Compare the
"profound influence" of one work of fiction and one work of nonfiction on the course of American history.
43. How do you account for the recurring cycles of reform movements in the United States?
44. "American history reveals that government by the majority can be divisive and that the views of the minority must
be considered in executing policy." Assess the validity of this statement for the periods 1793-1812 and 1953-1974.
45. In what ways did the early 19th century reform movements for abolition and women's rights illustrate both the
strengths and the weaknesses of democracy in the early American republic?
46. Describe three of the following and analyze the ways in which each of the three has affected the status of women
in American society since 1940. Changing economic conditions, the rebirth of an organized women's movement,
advances in reproductive technology, the persistence of traditional definitions of women's roles.
47. Compare the expansionist foreign policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James K. Polk. To what extent did
their policies strengthen the United States?
48. Identify three of the following New Deal measures and analyze the ways in which each of the three attempted to
fashion a more stable economy and equitable society. Agricultural Adjustment Act, Securities and Exchange
Commission, Wagner National Labor Relations Act, Social Security Act.
49. Analyze the ways in which state and federal legislation and judicial decisions, including those of the Supreme
Court, affected the efforts of any two groups to improve their position in society between 1880 and 1920. African
Americans, Farmers, Workers.
50. Analyze the ways in which two of the following influenced the development of American society: Puritanism
during the 17th Century, The Great Awakening during the 18th Century, The Second Great Awakening during the 19th
Century.
51. "War has frequently had unexpected consequences for United States foreign policy but seldom resulted in major
reorientations of policy. Discuss with reference to the First and Second World Wars, giving about equal attention
to each.
52. Compare and contrast the attitudes of three of the following toward the wealth that was created in the United States
during the late 19th Century.
53. To what extent did the decade of the 1950s deserve its reputation as an age of political, social and cultural
conformity?
54. Vice President who have succeeded to the Presidency on the death of the president have been less effective in their
conduct of domestic AND foreign policy than the men they replaced. Assess the validity of this statement for TWO of
the following pairs.
William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman
55. In what ways did the administrations of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon continue the
containment policy of President Truman?
56. Compare the efforts for international cooperation and peace in the twenty years after World War I with those
efforts for international cooperation and peace pursued in the twenty years after World War II. Why do you believe the
latter were more successful in preventing a world war?
57. "...almost all the defects inherent in democratic institutions are brought to light in the conduct of foreign affairs."
Evaluate this statement from Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocquevelle (1835), and compare the conduct of
U.S. foreign affairs from 1961 to 1973 with its conduct from 1931 to 1941.
58. "Americans have learned that divisive military activity weakens the social life of a Democratic society and
precipitate moral and ethical decline." Asses the validity of this quotation by both referring to the civil war and
Vietnam war and to both post war periods.
59. How do you account for the fact that in the Populist era both state legislation and federal Supreme Court decisions
went against the civil rights of minorities, whereas in the period 1954-1974, both national legislation and federal
Supreme Court decisions have supported the civil rights of all Americans?
60. Describe three economic reform measures passed as part of the New Deal Program of the 1930s and explain their
importance to the economic growth of the post- World War II period.
60. Since the Civil war, to what extent have the changes in political control of the federal government been in response
to domestic economic crisis?
61. "Events on the frontier between 1763 and 1788 and the development of government policies in response to them
were more significant for the development of the United States than the events which took place in the settled areas of
the eastern seaboard between 1763 and 1788" Evaluate this statement.
63. "Writers both of fiction and nonfiction often have a profound influence on the course of history." Compare the
"Profound Influence" of one work of fiction and one work of nonfiction in the course of American history.
64. How do you account for the reoccurring cycles of reform movements in the United States?
65. "American History reveals that government by the majority can be divisive and that the views of the minority must
be considered in executing policy." Asses the validity of this statement for the periods 1793-1812 and 1953-1974.
66. The United States is a nation of immigrants with a long history of not welcoming people from other lands.
Evaluate this statement with reference to TWO of the following: frontier theory, immigration quotas, Industrial
Revolution, nativism.
67. Compare and contrast the prevailing attitudes of the American people following World War I and World War II.
68. Compare and conttrast how THREE of the following Presidents handled threats to
civilian government furing their watch.
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Woodrow Wilson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
69. During which of the following periods was social change the greatest?
1820-1840 1900-1920
1920-1940
1950-1970
70. During which of the following periods was economic change the greatest?
1820-40
1880-1900
1900-1920
1920-1940
71. During which of the following periods was political change the greatest?
1790-1810 1820-1840
1920-1940
1890-1910
72. Between 1875 and 1925, to what extent and in what ways were Native Americans, former Negro slaves,
and new immigrants assimilated into American society.