Answer 3 Prompts about American History

        Part  III:  Short  Essay  (30  points;  ~30  minutes)   In  a  short  essay  answer  ONE  of  the  following  two  prompts/questions.     [On  the  actual  exam  you  will  only  have  two  of  these  questions  to  choose  from…]    

1. What  key  factors  motivated  colonists  to  declare  independence  from  Great   Britain?  Drawing  on  material  from  lectures  and  readings  (e.g.  Common   Sense,  Young,  Maier,  Nash,  primary  sources),  be  sure  to  consider  whether  all   rebelling  colonists  shared  the  same  motivations  or  if  their  interests  differed   by  class,  region,  political  beliefs,  etc.    

2. By  most  accounts,  the  British  military  was  the  most  powerful  in  the  Atlantic   World  (if  not  the  entire  world)  in  the  late-­‐eighteenth  century.  So  how  did  the   rebelling  American  colonists  manage  to  secure  independence  against  such  a   force?  Drawing  evidence  from  lectures  and  readings,  explain  the   significance  of  four  contributing  factors  to  the  rebellion’s  success  (and  be   sure  to  consider  more  than  military  factors).  [Note:  there  are  certainly  more   than  four  factors  you  could  reasonably  discuss.  Just  pick  four  that  seem   particularly  important  and  explain/defend  your  choices.]      

3. The  second  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  a  challenging  time  for  the   native  inhabitants  of  eastern  North  America.  Why  and  how  did  events  such  as   the  Seven  Years’  War  and  the  American  Revolution  create  problems  for   indigenous  communities?  How  did  such  communities  respond?  (Be  sure  to   consider  material  from  both  lectures  and  readings.)