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1. Describe and fully explain the evolution of the three mechanisms Americans invented between 1799 and 1860 to deal with constitutional questions. 2. Trace the evolution of the fight over the extension of slavery into the western territories between 1785 and 1857. Why was it such a big deal? 3. Fully explain the anxiety Americans felt about the changes in the economy in the 19th century. (sub questions: How involved were Americans in the market? How did Americans know what they were worth? How did changes in industry and transportation change the overall economy?) 4. What do we mean when we use the analytical category of "race" and how did that concept connect with the idea of "manifest destiny"? 5. Paying particular attention to interaction between groups, fully explain life under slavery for the following groups: Slaves on large plantations, Masters of large plantations, Plantation Mistresses, Slaves on Small Farms and Masters of Small Farms. 6. Describe how the change of religious ethic under the 2nd Great Awakening altered attitudes towards social reform. 7. How did Reconstruction work and why can it be called a failed social revolution? 8. How did the Two Party System come into existence and why did it collapse twice in the Antebellum Period? 9. How useful are the WPA slave narratives for discovering the "truth" about slavery and emancipation? What are some of the problems of using the documents? 10. Was John Brown insane? 11. How did Native Americans deal with ecological intrusions brought by Europeans? 12. How useful is the introduction of theories to historical research? |
| Last Updated: December 8, 2002 | © Michael Gagnon |