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Final Exam Questions

Instructions: For this exam, you must answer four (4) questions. You may draw on your textbook, lecture notes, research, discussions, and any other legitimate sources you have at your disposal. When answering questions, make sure you respond to all aspects of the question and fully defend your arguments with well described evidence. When reviewing your answers, ask yourself if a person who had never heard of the United States or the situation at hand would understand the course of events you wrote about. Remember to use following formatting instructions and to mention your sources. All finals will be run through Turnitin to check for plagiarism.

1. Explain the evolution of the conflicts between the colonists and the British government. In your examples, be sure to include why the conflict occurred, how the conflict escalated, how it was resolved, and the role it had in the larger rift between the colonists and government officials.

2. What is the role of slavery in American history between 1492 and 1865?

3. How has technology affected American history? Give at least three examples of technology that affected the economic, cultural, and/or political lives of colonists or Americans. Be sure to explain what the technology is, how it was used, how it affected society, and its relevance for understanding the past.

4. Give three examples of how the experiences of women in the colonial era were different compared to after the American Revolution. For each example, explain what the experience was and why it changed.

5. Native Americans have been affected by European and American settlement and expansion since their earliest arrivals. Select three of the following items, explain the historical significance of the event and how it affected Native Americans.

a. Proclamation of 1763

b. Arrival of Columbus

c. War of 1812

d. American Revolution

e. Manifest Destiny/Western Expansion

6. Explain the path to the Civil War. A complete answer should include political, economic, and cultural explanations of the sectional differences that resulted in the war.

7. For the following wars, explain why the British fought them and what they gained or lost as a result of the war.

a. Seven Years War

b. French and Indian War

c. War for American Independence

d. War of 1812

8. Reform movements are rife throughout American history. From the list below, select three reform movements and explain the groups and individuals involved in the reform; why they wanted to change this aspect of American life; what sort of opposition they encountered; and the long term result of their efforts.

a. Abolition

b. Prison

c. Women’s Rights

d. Education

e. Labor

9. Select three of the the following military actions and explain their influence on the trajectory of the Civil War. Explain both the details of the event and the effects.

a. Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

b. Battle of Antietam

c. Battle of Gettysburg

d. Union Occupation of New Orleans

e. Sherman’s March to the Sea

10. Explain how the following events influenced the expansion of slavery in the United States. Include why the event occurred, how the opposing sides debated the issue, the outcome, and the details of the approved legislation.

a. Northwest Ordinance of 1787

b. Compromise of 1820/Missouri Compromise

c. Compromise of 1850