Essay Questions for Unit III Test
UNIT III: Testing the New Nation, 1846-1877
Essays for Unit III Test
Select
ONE
of the questions below. Submit your answer for the Unit III Test on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Be sure to following all formatting instructions found in Canvas.
In your essay response you should the following:
· State a relevant thesis in the last sentence of the first paragraph that directly addresses all parts of the question. In other words, state clearly what you are going to prove.
· In subsequent paragraphs support your argument with evidence using specific examples.
· Synthesize the elements above into a persuasive essay that extends your argument.
1 “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.
2 Analyze the ways in which controversy over the extension of slavery into western territories contributed to the coming of the Civil War. Confine your answer to the period 1845-1861.
3 “Passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the decision in the Dred Scott case, and the breakup of the
Democratic Party led to the disintegration of the Union in 1860-1861.”
Assuming this thesis is correct, evaluate the relative importance of
EACH
factor in causing the collapse of the Union. In other words, explain which factor was the most important factor, second in importance, and third in importance and explain why the second and third factors were not the most important factor.
4 “Reconstruction which began at the end of the Civil War under the presidency of Andrew Johnson was essentially conservative. However, Congressional reconstruction, which effectively replaced Johnson’s
plans, was radical in nature.”
Assess the validity of this interpretation of Reconstruction.
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