the pages and words aren’t limited, but it is 10 questions that have multiple questions within it, and each question can be answered in 1 paragraph each.
In addition to answering the question you are assigned, you should elaborate on “who, when, where, why, what, and how” for each essay topic. You should be as precise as possible with dates and places.
You should also discuss the historical significance and context of each essay topic in considerable detail. Remember, historical occurrences are the result of multiple factors and a confluence of events and circumstances.
1. Why did the founding fathers find it necessary to create a new form of government when the Articles of Confederation were already in place? Explain the Federalist/Anti-Federalist debate. Explain the executive and legislative branches of government. How were the presidency and the Senate protected from the will of the people (or from direct democracy?) Why did the founders find it necessary to include checks and balances and separate branches of government? Elaborate on the various compromises that were made in order to create “…a more perfect Union”, and remember to consider the issue of slavery. Would you argue that the Constitution is in some ways a reflection of Anglo-Americans’ aversion to British tyranny? How so? Explain your answers in detail.
2. Write a historical biography on Alexander Hamilton. Why did his youth and formative period make him the best-qualified person to deal with the numerous challenges that the new nation faced? What was his political ideology? What was his role as a founding father at the Constitutional Convention? Why did George Washington trust him so completely? Why was Hamilton so obsessed with matters of honor and title? Elaborate on Hamilton’s battle for assumption and the Bank of the U.S. Would you agree that Hamilton was a visionary when it came to economic matters? Why or why not? Some historians argue that Hamilton was a “king-maker” in American politics — what does this mean? Explain your answers in detail.
3. Write a historical biography on Thomas Jefferson. What was Jeffersonian Democracy? What were the fundamental doctrines of the Democratic-Republican Party at this time? Jefferson was a man of many paradoxes – elucidate the many contradictions that were part of Jefferson’s legacy – be sure to consider Jefferson’s views and actions on fiscal responsibility, slavery and racism, the role of the federal government, and his view of expansion and Native Americans. Explain your answers in detail.
4. The Lewis and Clark expedition to chart the west was fraught with many obstacles, and yet it was a success for several reasons. Explain what Jefferson wanted to accomplish with this sojourn west, and what was in fact accomplished. Lewis and Clark had several advantages as they made their way into the western frontier. Describe the journey, and how York and Sacajawea were critical to its success. Why was the charting of the west important to Jeffersonian Democracy? Why was this an important event in facilitating the later drive west of Anglo-Americans and in creating a sense of nationalism? Explain your answers in detail.
5. Why might it be argued that the War of 1812 was the most peculiar and ironic war in America’s history? What factors, both national and international, compelled the U.S. to declare war vs. Britain? Why were the southern and western states particularly eager to go to war vs. England? Why might it be argued that the War of 1812 went poorly for the U.S.? Why might it be argued that the War of 1812 was a major success for the U.S.? Did America win the War of 1812, or did England lose it? Explain your rationale. Why was the Battle of New Orleans both a stunning victory for the U.S., and yet another example of irony and the folly of war? Explain your answers in detail.
6. Write a historical biography on Andrew Jackson, focusing on his time as a presidential candidate, and eventually, as a two-term President. Jackson was elected to the presidency during a time of intense social, economic, and political change. Explain Jacksonian Democracy and Andrew Jackson’s role. What were the 3 key developments within Jacksonian Democracy, and how did they shape America’s future? Did
Jacksonian Democracy make America more inclusive by extending voting rights? If so, to whom were they extended? How did the democratization of politics play out in the press at this time? How did Jackson’s battle with northeastern banking interests and the Whig Party lead to an economic crisis? What was Andrew Jackson’s role in Indian removal? How destructive was the evacuation of these Indian groups to their culture, their families, and their shared history? Would you say that Andrew Jackson should be defended or vilified (or both) for his role in exiling Indians? Why? Explain your answers in detail.
7. What was the Second Great Awakening? Explain this time of religious revivalism, pluralism, and experimentation. How was the Second Great Awakening in many ways a reaction to the dramatic social, economic, and industrial changes that were taking place in the northeastern United States? What was the perfectionist movement? Who was Charles Grandison Finney, and what was his message? Describe Utopianism and the desire of many evangelicals during this period to isolate themselves in frontier communities – why did they do this? Why were the temperance and abolitionist movements powerful impulses within the Second Great Awakening? What role did women and minorities play in the
Second Great Awakening? Explain your answers in significant detail.
8. The Compromise of 1820 and the opening of the far west after the Mexican American War were just two factors that led to the inexorable drive west of Anglo-American settlers. Explain the push and pull factors that convinced Americans to go west. Be sure to consider all of the factors that were discussed in the recorded lectures. That would include: the various ideologies and pseudo-sciences that were gaining popularity in the mid-nineteenth century; California; the growth of immigration, urbanization, and industrialization in the northeast; the political compromises in Washington D.C. that led to Anglo- American expansion and the development of the west; the mythology of the west; the Mexican-American War. Explain your answers in substantial detail.
9. The Civil War between the north and the south was an event that many Americans predicted decades before it occurred. Explain the multiple causes or catalysts that led to the American Civil War as discussed in the recorded lectures. Explain your answers in substantial detail.
10. Medicine and technology advanced dramatically during the American Civil War. Write an essay detailing the many advances that were made in warfare and in medicine (this topic was handled in extensive detail in the recorded lectures.) What specific medical and military innovations developed during the war? What impact did these advancements have on future wars? What impact did these advancements have on peacetime in America? Why is it that war brings about such rapid innovation and change? Explain your answers in substantial detail.
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