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Advanced Placement United States History
Essays and Identifications
Unit One: Expansion and the Colonies
Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4
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1. House of Burgesses, 1619
2. Mayflower Compact, 1620
3. Petition of Rights, 1628
4. New England Confederation, 1643
5. Maryland Toleration Act
6. Control of the Purse
7. Bacon's Rebellion, 1676
8. "Benign or Salutary neglect"
9. Middle passage
10. Anne Hutchinson
11. Roger Williams
12. William Bradford
13. John Winthrop
14. "Letters from an American Farmer”
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Essay Questions
1. “The English founded colonies to escape oppression in England.” Assess the validity of this statement.
2. “The British colonies were so antagonistic to each other that they were unable to unite to face the attack of common enemies.” Assess the validity of this statement.
3. “Before 1763 British mercantilist policy, while restricting colonial economic development, allowed colonial political life to develop unhampered by the Mother Country.” Assess the validity of this statement.
4. “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 a basis for later unity.” Assess the validity of this statement.
5. Analyze the extent to which religious freedom existed in British North American colonies prior to 1700.
6. Though there where many differences in the development of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies, they had much in common. What conditions and experiences were common to American colonists regardless of their colony or region?
7. Analyze the relative importance of religious dissent and demographic change in undermining the Puritan dream of establishing a godly and orderly society in seventeenth century New England.
8. 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:
a. Legislative assemblies
b. Commerce
c. Religion
9. Analyze the cultural and economic responses of TWO of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750.
a. British
b. French
c. Spanish
10. How did economic, geographic, and social factors encourage the growth of slavery as an important part of the economy of southern colonies between 1607 and 1775?
11. Compare and contrast the ways in which economic development affected politics in Massachusetts and Virginia in the period from 1607 to 1750.
Unit Two: American Revolution
Chapters 5, 6, and 7
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1. Iron Act
2. Molasses Act
3. Navigation Acts
4. Great Awakening
5. Zenger Case, 1734
6. Paxton Boys
7. Albany Plan of Union, 1754
8. Peace of Paris, 1763
9. Proclamation Line, 1763
10. George III
11. Patrick Henry
12. Writs of Assistance
13. Sugar Islands
14. Benjamin Franklin
15. George Grenville
16. Sugar Act, 1764
17. Currency Act, 1764
18. Stamp Act, 1765
19. Virtual and actual representation
20. Regulators
21. Stamp Act Congress, 1765
22. Sons of Liberty
23. Declaratory Act, 1766
24. Quartering Act, 1766
25. Charles Townshend
26. Townshend Acts, 1767
27. Boston Massacre, 1770
28. Lord North
29. Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
30. Gaspee Incident
31. Tea Act, 1773
32. Boston Tea Party, 1773
33. The Coercive or Intolerable Acts, 1774
34. The Quebec Act, 1774
35. First Continental Congress, 1774
36. Lexington and Concord, 1775
37. Olive Branch Petition
38. Hessians
39. Battle of Bunker Hill
40. Second Continental Congress, 1775
41. Common Sense, 1776
42. Declaration of Independence, 1776
43. "Republican Mothers"
44. Articles of Confederation, 1777
45. Valley Forge, 1777-78
46. Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben
47. Battle of Trenton, 1776
48. Battle of Saratoga, 1777
49. Yorktown, 1781
50. Treaty of Paris, 1783
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Essays Questions
1. “The Declaration of Independence has been variously interpreted as a bid for French support, an attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the revolutionary cause, a statement of universal principles, and an affirmation of the traditional rights as Englishmen.” To what extent are these interpretations in conflict.
2. 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 1783.
3. “A salient feature of our Revolution was that its animating purpose was deeply conservative. The colonials revolted against British rule in order to keep things the way they were, not to initiate a new era.” Assess the validity of this statement.
4. Evaluate the relative importance of the following factors prompting American's to rebel in 1776:
a. Parliamentary taxation
b. Restriction of civil liberties
c. British military measures
d. The legacy of colonial religious and political ideas
5. “Despite its precedent-setting character, the American revolt is noteworthy because it made no serious interruption in the smooth flow of American development. Both in intention and in fact the American Revolution conserved the past rather than repudiated it. And in preserving the colonial experience, the men of the first quarter of the Republic's history set the scenery and wrote the script for the drama of American politics for years to come.” Assess the validity of this statement.
Unit Three: Federalist and Republicans
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1. Jay-Gardoqui Treaty, 1786
2. Land Ordinance of 1785
3. Northwest Ordinance , 1787
4. Daniel Shays, 1787
5. Annapolis Convention
6. The Constitution of the United States
a. Great Compromise
b. Three-fifths Compromise
c. Commerce Compromise
d. Federalism
e. Separation of powers
f. Checks and balances
g. Preamble
h. Impeachment
i. Filibustering
j. Elastic clause
k. Writ of habeas corpus
l. Ex post facto law
m. Electoral college
n. Judicial review
o. Treason
7. Federalist Papers
8. Federalists
9. Republicans
10. Funding
11. Assumption
12. Bank of the United States
13. Whiskey Tax, 1791
14. "Report on Manufacturers"
15. James Madison
16. Neutrality Proclamation, 1793
17. Citizen Genet
18. Jay Treaty, 1794
19. Pinckney Treaty, 1795
20. John Adams
21. Farewell Address, 1796
22. XYZ Affair, 1797
23. Barbary Pirates
24. Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798
25. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, 1798
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Federalist and Republicans
Essays Questions
1. By 1796, two clearly defined and conflicting political philosophies emerged in the United States: the Federalists, under the influence of Alexander Hamilton and the Republicans, under the guidance of Thomas Jefferson. Which philosophy best represents the ideals for which the American Revolution was fought?
2. The principal problems faced by the colonies in their relations with the Mother Country between 1763-1776 reappeared as problems in state/federal relations under the Articles of Confederation(1780-1789). Describe three of those problems and explain how the Confederation attempted to solve them.
3. The Bill of Rights did not come from a desire to protect the liberties won in the American Revolution, but rather from a fear of the powers of the new federal government. Assess the validity of this statement.
4. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790s.
5. Analyze the degree to which the Articles of Confederation provided an effective form of government with respect to any TWO of the following.
a. Foreign relations
b. Economic conditions
c. Western lands
6. “Between 1783 and 1800 the new government of the United States faced the political, economic, and constitutional issues that troubled the British government's relations with the colonies prior to the revolution.” Assess the validity of this statement.
7. 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?
8. “The Declaration of Independence issued a call for a democratic government of equal citizens which 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.
Unit Four: Jefferson and Jackson
Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14
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1. Aaron Burr
2. Judiciary Act, 1801
3. Mercy Otis Warren
4. Albert Gallatin
5. Waltham method
6. Yazoo land claims
7. Robert Livingston
8. Louisiana Purchase, 1803
9. Marbury v. Madison, 1803
10. Chesapeake-Leopard Incident
11. Orders-in-Council, 1807
12. Embargo Act, 1807
13. Non-Intercourse Act, 1809
14. War Hawks
15. Daniel Webster
16. Hartford Convention
17. Battle of New Orleans, December, 1814
18. Treaty of Ghent, 1814
19. Rush-Bagot Treaty, 1817
20. Era of Good Feelings
21. Frances C. Lowell
22. Cumberland or National Road
23. Tariff of 1816
24. James Monroe
25. John C. Calhoun
26. Adams-Onis Treaty, 1819
27. McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
28. Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 1819
29. Panic of 1819
30. Erie Canal
31. Tallmadge Amendment
32. Missouri Compromise, 1820
33. Denmark Vesey Revolt, 1822
34. Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824
35. Henry Clay
36. American System
37. John Quincy Adams
38. "Corrupt bargain"
39. "King Caucus"
40. Tariff of Abominations, 1828
41. Thomas W. Dorr
42. The South Carolina Exposition and Protest
43. Martin Van Buren
44. Peggy O'Neal-Eaton Affair
45. Webster-Hayne Debate, 1830
46. Maysville Road veto, 1830
47. Indian Removal Act, 1830
48. Indian Intercourse Act, 1834
49. Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831
50. Nullification Ordinance, 1832
51. Compromise Tariff of 1833
52. Force Bill, 1833
53. Nicholas Biddle
54. Roger B. Taney
55. Democracy in America, 1832
56. "Loco Focos"
57. Whig Party, 1834
58. Specie Circular, 1836
59. Panic of 1837
60. Independent Treasury System, 1840
61. Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge, 1837
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Essay Questions
1. “Although defended and attacked on purely economic grounds, the federal tariff policies of the United States have been more important politically than economically.” Assess the validity of this generalization during the Jacksonian period.
2. “The Era of Good Feeling (1816-1824) marked the appearance of issues that transformed American politics in the next twenty years.” Assess the validity of this generalization.
3. “Democracy was good talk with which to win the favor of the people and thereby accomplish ulterior objectives. Jackson never really championed the cause of the people; he only invited them to champion his.” Assess the validity of this statement.
4. In what ways did the emerging sectional conflicts within the United States manifest themselves in the election of Andrew Jackson and in the domestic policies of the nation in the years 1828-1837?
5. Although historically represented as distinct political parties, the Federalists and the Whigs in fact shared a common political ideology, represented many of the same interest groups, and proposed similar programs and policies. Assess the validity of this statement.
6. 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?
7. “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 two major issues during the period from 1789 to 1825.
8. Analyze the extent to which TWO of the following influenced the development of democracy between 1820 and 1840.
a. Jacksonian economic policy
b. Second Great Awakening
c. Changes in electoral politics
d. Westward movement
9. How did TWO of the following contribute to the reemergence of a two party system in the period 1820-1840?
a. Major political personalities
b. States' Rights
c. Economic issues
10. The Jacksonian Period (1824-1848) has been celebrated as the era of the "common man." To what extent did the period live up to its characterization? Consider TWO of the following in your response.
a. Economic Development
b. Politics
c. Reform movements
Unit Five: Manifest Destiny
Chapter 15, 16, 17, and 18
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1. Samuel F. B. Morse
2. Commonwealth v. Hunt, 1842
3. John Deere
4. Cyrus McCormick
5. Cumberland Road
6. Robert Fulton
7. DeWitt Clinton
8. Cyrus Field
9. Eli Whitney
10. Samuel Slater
11. Second Great Awakening
12. Joseph Smith
13. Brigham Young
14. Noah Webster
15. Deism
16. Catherine Beecher
17. Elizabeth Blackwell
18. Seneca Falls Convention
19. Ralph Waldo Emerson
20. Henry David Thoreau
21. Walt Whitman
22. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
23. Perfectionism
24. Utopian experiments
25. Transcendentalists
26. Reform crusades
27. Harriet Beecher Stowe
28. William Lloyd Garrison
29. The Liberator
30. Frederick Douglass
31. Immigration patterns
32. Know-Nothing Party
33. "Log Cabin" campaign, 1840
34. John Tyler
35. Caroline incident, 1837
36. Webster-Ashburton Treaty, 1842
37. James K. Polk
38. Oregon Question
39. Texas Question
40. Santa Anna
41. Samuel Houston
42. Slidell Mission, 1846
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Essay Questions
1. In what ways did the early nineteenth century reform movements for abolition and women's rights illustrate both the strengths and weaknesses of democracy in the early American republic?
2. Compare the expansionist foreign policies of Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James K. Polk. To what extent did their policies strengthen the United States?
3. In what ways did the concept of Manifest Destiny affect the foreign and domestic policies of the United States in the years 1840-1850?
4. 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?
a. John C. Calhoun--The South
b. Daniel Webster--New England
c. Henry Clay--The West
5. 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.
Unit Six: Causes of the Civil War
Chapters 19 and 20
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1. John C. Fremont
2. Bear Flag Revolt
3. Zachary Taylor
4. General Winfield Scott
5. Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
6. Wilmot Proviso
7. Mexican Cession
8. Underground Railroad
9. Harriet Tubman
10. Compromise of 1850
11. Fugitive Slave Law
12. Commodore Matthew Perry
13. Frederick Douglass
14. Harriet Beecher Stowe
15. Uncle Tom's Cabin
16. William Lloyd Garrison
17. Prigg v. Pennsylvania, 1842
18. Liberty Party
19. De Bow's Review
20. "Peculiar institution"
21. Nat Turner, 1831
22. Hinton Helper
23. Free-Soil Party
24. Ostend Manifesto
25. Gadsden Purchase, 1853
26. Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854
27. “Bleeding Kansas”
28. Sumner-Brooks affair, 1856
29. Lecompton Constitution
30. Topeka Constitution
31. Stephen A. Douglas
32. Popular Sovereignty
33. Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857
34. Roger B. Taney
35. Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858
36. Freeport Doctrine
37. Panic of 1857
38. John Brown's Raid
39. John C. Breckinridge
40. John Bell
41. Secession
42. Jefferson Davis
43. Election of 1860
44. Crittenden Compromise
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Essay Questions
1. “Slavery was the dominating reality of all southern life.” Assess the validity of this generalization for two of the following aspects of southern life about 1840 to 1860: political, social, economic, and intellectual life.
2. Analyze the ways in which supporters of slavery in the nineteenth century used legal, religious, and economic arguments to defend the institution of slavery.
3. ”Throughout our history, the Supreme Court has acted as a partisan political body rather than a neutral arbiter of constitutional principles.” Assess the validity of this generalization for the period 1800-1860.
4. “When all is considered slavery was at the very heart of our disequilibrium.” Assess the validity of this statement.
5. It has been argued that the Civil War was fought between sides which advocated adherence to the original ideals of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Which side advocated the ideals of which document and why?
6. “The South overreacted to Lincoln's victory; although it had lost control of the presidency, it still controlled the congress and had a sympathetic majority on the Supreme Court.” Assess the validity of this statement. (Historical note: The senate, through 1861, consisted of 36 Democrats, 26 Republicans, and 4 others.)
7. Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850.
8. Assess the moral arguments and political actions of those opposed to the spread of slavery in the context of TWO of the following: Missouri Compromise, Mexican War, Compromise of 1850, or Kansas-Nebraska Act.
9. To what extent did the debates about the Mexican War and its aftermath reflect the sectional interests of New Englanders, westerners, and southerners in the period from 1845 to 1855?
Unit Seven: Civil War and Reconstruction
Chapters 21, 22, and 23
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1. William H. Seward
2. Salmon P. Chase
3. Edwin Stanton