1301 Study Guide for Midterm
Spring 2012
Dr. Brunet
You have an hour and twenty minutes for this exam, so WATCH YOUR TIME. You should spend
roughly 40 minutes on your essay and 40 minutes on your short answers.
Part I. Short Answer Exercises. 60pts. total
The following SIX terms will be on your exam. You will choose THREE and write a short answer
for each term. Remember these are not essays, so keep them concise and to the point. You
should define each term, put them in their historical context AND give the reason WHY they
were historically important. In other words, answer the basic “who, what, where, when, why”.
Your answers should average no more than a page in length. Each answer is worth 20 points.
Bacon’s Rebellion
Mercantilism
Neolithic Revolution/Mesoamerica
House of Burgesses
The French and Indian War
Great Awakening
Part II. Essay. 40pts. total
The following three essays will be on the exam. You will choose one, and write an essay. Your
essay must include an introduction, your points of discussion and a conclusion.
Compare and contrast the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies in British America. Be
sure to include economic, religious, social, and institutional factors. In your opinion, which group
of colonies was most successful? Explain your answer.
Why did the Europeans embark on voyages of exploration in the 15th century? What were the
results of European exploration, on Asia, Africa and the Americas? Which European country was
most successful at colonization and why? In your opinion, was European exploration and
colonization a positive or negative factor in history? Explain your answer.
Trace the development of British policy towards its American Colonies between 1763-1775.
What sort of opposition (both legal and popular) did the colonists offer to this new policy, and
why did this opposition eventually lead to a full-blown revolution? Finally, in your opinion, was
the American Revolution a conservative or a liberal revolution? Explain your answer.