8th grade Topic for exit project
American Revolutionary War Topics (1776-1783)
1. “Americans were still professing their loyalty to George III and their desire
for peaceful reconciliation as late as 1775. Had Britain accepted the Second
Continental Congress’s Olive Brand Petition, the Revolutionary War could have
been avoided.” Support or refute this claim using historical evidence.
2. Analyze the reasons for escalating anti-British sentiment in the American
colonies during the prewar decade from 1765 to 1775.
3. Was the First or the Second Continental Congress more significant in the
years leading up to the Revolutionary War?
4. Explain how three of the following altered Americans’ perceptions of
Britain during the years 1763 to 1775. Which affected colonists the most and
why? a) the French and Indian War; b) Samuel Adam; c) the Boston Massacre
Act; d) the Boston Tea Party; e) Thomas Paine.
5. Compare and contrast Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence with
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense.” Which had the greater effect on
revolutionary America? Use specific examples to support your argument.
6. How did the two major domestic uprisings of the state-building period,
Shays’ Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion, reflect the values which arose
during the American Revolution? How did each affect the nation’s view of the
national government?
American Presidents Topics
7. What were Thomas Jefferson’s most significant contributions to his country?
8. George Washington left office under a barrage of critic, yet he is now
regarded as one of the greatest presidents in US history. Which view is
correct, and why?
8th grade Topic for exit project
Civics Tops (The Rights and Duties of Citizens)
9. What were the major areas of weakness of the Articles of Confederation and
how were they corrected in the United States Constitution?
10.What were the causes and consequences of Progressivism from the 1900s to
1920s?
Economics Topics (Money, Trade, and Business)
11.Did the “elastic clause” justify acts such as Hamilton’s excise tax and Bank
of the United States of Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase?
12.Describe two inventors and their inventions of the early 1800s. How did
these inventions help northern industry grow and westward expansion take
place? Explain how they impacted the course of American History.
13.Describe how three of the following shaped American politics in the early
twentieth century: The Payne-Aldrich Tariff, the muckrakers, the
Underwood Tariff, the Progressive Party.
14.What were the causes of the American economic boom in the 1950s? boom
in the 1950’s? How did prosperity affect the nation socially, politically, and
economically?
Westward Expansion Topics
15.In what ways was the Louisiana Purchase a boon to the US, and in what
ways was it a curse?
16.How had Andrew Jackson become convinced of the necessity of Indian
removal by 1829? Describe some of his earlier experiences with the Indians
and the ideology resulting from them.
17.What were some problems experienced by earlier western settler which were
solved by the transportation revolution and how were they solved?
18.Why did many Americans believe in Manifest Destiny? What part did the
concept of Manifest Destiny play in the push to settle the West?
8th grade Topic for exit project
Government Topic
19.Describe how three of the following affected the formation of the federal
government: a) Marbury v. Madison b) the Louisiana Purchase c) the Bank
of the United States.
Journalism
20.How did muckrackers help to bring about reform? Give at least two
examples.
21.Please show how Journalism manipulate public opinion prior to the SpanishAmerican War? How did men like Hearst engage in such journalism?
Civil War Topics (1850’s to 1865)
22.Which side benefitted from the Compromise of 1850, the North or the
South?
23.Some historians have claimed that the Mexican War was the first battle of
the Civil War. Do you agree? Why or why not?
24.What effect did the Bleeding Kansas crisis and the Dred Scott v. Sanford
case have on the slavery debate in the years immediately before the war?
25.Describe the advantages that helped the North win the Civil War, and
explain which advantage was the most helpful in your opinion.
26.Describe the importance of leadership during the abolitionist movement.
How were Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, and others good
leaders?
27.Compare and contrast Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis as wartime
presidents. What challenges did they face and how did they overcome
them? Who, in your opinion, was the better leader, and why?
28.What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation? What effect
did it have on the North and on the South?
8th grade Topic for exit project
Reconstruction Topics (Rights After the Civil War) (1865 to 1890s)
29.Explain how three of the following shaped northern politics during
Reconstruction: a) black codes b) the Depression of 1873 c) Credit Mobilier
d) the “Swing Around the Circle” speeches c) the Resumption Act of 1875
30.Compare and contrast Lincoln’s plans for Reconstruction, Presidential
Reconstruction, and Radical Reconstruction.
31.What effect did Reconstruction had on blacks? Were they better off after
Reconstruction than they were before the Civil War?
32.What effect did the Compromise of 1877 have on politics in the North and
South?
33.How did railroads change American society, politics, and economy in the
post-Civil War era?
Foreign Policy Topics
34.Why was the Monroe Doctrine so important in American foreign policy?
35.What did P)resident Roosevelt mean by the statement, :”Speak softly and
carry a big stick, and you will go far”? Give an example from the Age of
Imperialism.
36.Discuss America’s imperialist episode in 1898, when it took four colonies.
Was this an aberration or the beginning of a new trend?
World War I topics (1914-1919)
37.World War I has often been described as the “unnecessary war”. Why? Do
you agree?
38.What is trench warfare, and why was so much of World War I dominated by
this method of fighting? Consider such elements as technology, strategy,
attitudes of leaders, and any other factors you can think of. How did trench
warfare affect the duration of the war?
8th grade Topic for exit project
39.How did the use of new technologies during World War I influence the war?
Which sides benefitted the most from which technologies? Did any of them
play a role in either lengthening or in shortening the war? Which
technologies were the most important?
40.Discuss the U.S. policy on American troops serving in Europe during World
War I. Why do you think American commanders were hesitant to allow
U.S. soldiers to serve in British and French countries? What effect did this
policy have on America’s relations with the other Allied countries?
41.What were Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and why did he feel they
were so important to establishing a lasting world peace?
The 1920s Topic
42.Explain how three of the following affected American politics or society
during the 1920s” Warren G. Harding the Teapot Dome scandal, the FivePower Naval Treaty, the Scopes Monkey Trial.
The Great Depression Topics (1920s to 1940s)
43.What were some of the causes of the Great Depression? How did Hoover’s
policies worsen the effects?
44.Compare how Presidents Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to
the Great Depression. How were their responses similar? How were they
different?
45.Which had greater immediate effect on the American economy, the First
New Deal or the Second New Deal? Which had greater long-term
significance after the end of the Great Depression?
World War II Topics (1939-1945)
46.Compare and contrast the genocides in Western Europe during World War II
(the Holocaust) and Rwanda in the 1990’s.
47.What was the role of women on the American home front during World War
II?
8th grade Topic for exit project
48.Consider the role of technology during World War II. Did it fundamentally
affect the outcome of the war? If so, how? If not, why not?
49.Discuss the issues surrounding the United States’ decision to use atomic
bombs against Japan. What motives were behind this action, and what
arguments have been made against it?
50.Was the United States, the USSR, or Cuba more to blame for the Cuban
missile crisis? What impact did the crisis have on U.S.-Soviet relations?
Communism and the Cold War Topics (1950 to 1980s)
51.Why were Americans so terrified of Communist infiltration after World War
II? What impact did the Red hunts of the late 1940s and early 1950s have
on American politics and society?
52.Why was the launch of Sputnik I in 1957 so signicant? What did its launch
mean for Americans?
The Civil Rights Movement topics (1950s to 1960s)
53.How did Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson affect the civil rights
movement? Which of these presidents had the most impact and why?
54.How did earlier civil rights leaders, such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B.
DuBois, and Marcus Garvey, influence the civil rights movement of the
1950s and 1960s?
55.Where did the term and philosophy “black power” come from? Why did
black activists turn to violence in the mid to late 1960s?
56.Why did the civil rights movement fall apart in the late 1960s and early
1970s? Was the movement a success?
57.How did Malcolm X and the Black Panthers affect the goals of the civil
rights movement?
58.How was the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s continuation of
the Reconstruction-era struggle for blacks to achieve equality?
8th grade Topic for exit project
The Vietnam War Topics (1960s to 1970s)
59.Did the United States win or lose the Vietnam War? Justify your answer.
60.Discuss the impact of antiwar protest movements in the United States during
the Vietnam War.