Each student MUST answer THREE of the following essays. Each of your essays need to be AT LEAST two typed pages (6 pages MINIMUM for the entire exam).

Each student MUST answer THREE of the following essays.

Each of your essays need to be AT LEAST two typed pages (6 pages MINIMUM for the entire exam).

Type out the entire question you are answering.

Exams should be double-spaced in a 12-point font.

In developing your essays, be sure to:

– Make reference to ALL of your course readings when possible.

– Include specific factual information and evidence whenever possible.

– Keep to the questions asked.

– Avoid over-generalizations or sweeping statements without sufficient proof (e.g. life was hard for the Jamestown colonists)

– Include an INTRODUCTION (a statement of the main points you believe answers the question)

– Include a THESIS STATEMENT (a statement that can standalone that can tell the reader what you are going to prove

– Include a BODY (a statement of facts and evidence that you believe justify the points you make in your introduction

– Include a CONCLUSION (a restatement of your main points and a brief retelling of the facts and evidence that you used in the body of your essay

– Check your spelling and grammar (they do count!)

– Proofread, proofread, and proofread again!

– Please give credit where credit is due. If it is NOT common knowledge, you must cite it!

Answer THREE of the following in clear, coherent essays:

1. Why did nationalism develop in the United States AFTER the War of 1812?’
2. Both the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800 and the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 have been called “revolutions.” Write an essay showing how both elections should be considered revolutions.
3. Would you describe the administration of Andrew Jackson as “the Reign of King Andrew” or “the Era of Jacksonian Democracy”? Explain.
4. What were the goals of the social reform movement?
5. Democracy is a series of compromises. (a) Mention THREE important compromises in our history (b) For each of these compromises state the main issue and give the major provisions.
6. What were some of the inventions that economically and socially improved the United States in the mid-nineteenth century?
7. Which country bears primary responsibility for the Mexican War – the United States or Mexico? Present arguments to support your opinion.
8. How did southern whites, slave-owners and those who did not own slaves, defend the “peculiar institution”?
9. How did slaves respond to their bondage during the antebellum period?
10. Consider the following statement: “No single cause brought about the American Civil War. Rather, it resulted from the interrelationship of many complex factors.” Would you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?
11. Consider the following statement: “Many historians hold that the leaders of the South risked civil war because they underestimated the strength and tenacity of the North while overestimating their own power.” Would you agree or disagree with this statement? Present arguments to support your point of view.
12. Did Abraham Lincoln make bold use of his Presidential powers during the American Civil War? Explain.
13. What problems were faced by the Union in conducting the Civil War?
14. What problems were faced by the Confederacy in conducting the Civil War?
15. Why did the North emerge triumphant in the American Civil War?
16. What is a “modern war?” Would you consider the Civil War to be the first modern war? Why or why not?
17. Which predominated during Reconstruction – its harsh or lenient aspects? Give reasons to support your evaluation.
18. War inevitably has far-reaching effects upon a nation. Show how the Civil War AND Reconstruction affected FOUR of the following: (a) the powers of the states (b) American industry (c) African Americans (d) the powers of the President (e) the economy of the South.