Honors US History Exam Essays
Mr. Marchand
The Seton Keough High School
2015-2016
Instructions:
You should be able to respond to your chosen prompt in a 5 paragraph essay. You should start by formulating a one sentence thesis, such as "Washington almost lost the war due to the winter in Valley Forge". You should then divide your response into three areas. This could be three events that support your thesis, one event and two people, two events and one document, any three things that support your thesis. You should then write five paragraphs broken down this way:
1. A setup establishing time, place and your thesis, as well as anything else that will help the reader place your response in time.
2. Your first point with at least two supporting facts, documents or description of events.
3. Your second point with at least two supporting facts, documents or description of events.
4. Your third point with at least two supporting facts, documents or description of events.
5. A concluding paragraph that ties your points together.
If you've already worked with this and are comfortable with this, you can base one paragraph on an oppositional point which you then address and refute. We will be working on this second semester, but if you can do it now, fine!
Choose ONE of the following prompts:
1. From 1600 -1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England win the struggle?
2. Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions:
New England
Chesapeake
Middle Atlantic
3. Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following influenced the development of American society.
Puritanism during the seventeenth century
The Great Awakening during the eighteenth century
The Second Great awakening during the nineteenth century
4. The Declaration of Independence has been variously interpreted as a bid for French support, an attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the revolutionary cause, a statement of universal principles, and an affirmation of the traditional rights of Englishmen. To what extent, if any, are these interpretations in conflict?
5. Early United States foreign policy was primarily a defensive reaction to perceived or actual threats from Europe. Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to United States foreign policy on TWO major issues during the period from 1789-1825.
6. American reform movements between 1820 and 1860 reflected both optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature and society. Assess the validity of this statement in reference to reform movements of THREE of the following areas:
Education
Temperance
Women's Rights
Utopian experiments
Penal institutions
7. Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850.
8. Slavery was the dominating reality of all southern life. Assess the validity of this generalization for TWO of the following aspects of southern life from about 1840 to 1860: political, social, economic, and intellectual life.
9. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861.
10. Even without the moral question of slavery, the economic issues between the North and the South severely strained relationships in the period immediately preceding the outbreak of civil war. What were the South's specific economic grievances against the North in this period? What measures did the South take to remedy its situation, and how successful were these measures?
1. From 1600 -1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England win the struggle?
2. Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions:
New England
Chesapeake
Middle Atlantic
3. Analyze the ways in which TWO of the following influenced the development of American society.
Puritanism during the seventeenth century
The Great Awakening during the eighteenth century
The Second Great awakening during the nineteenth century
4. The Declaration of Independence has been variously interpreted as a bid for French support, an attempt to swing uncommitted Americans to the revolutionary cause, a statement of universal principles, and an affirmation of the traditional rights of Englishmen. To what extent, if any, are these interpretations in conflict?
5. Early United States foreign policy was primarily a defensive reaction to perceived or actual threats from Europe. Assess the validity of this generalization with reference to United States foreign policy on TWO major issues during the period from 1789-1825.
6. American reform movements between 1820 and 1860 reflected both optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature and society. Assess the validity of this statement in reference to reform movements of THREE of the following areas:
Education
Temperance
Women's Rights
Utopian experiments
Penal institutions
7. Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850.
8. Slavery was the dominating reality of all southern life. Assess the validity of this generalization for TWO of the following aspects of southern life from about 1840 to 1860: political, social, economic, and intellectual life.
9. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820-1861.
10. Even without the moral question of slavery, the economic issues between the North and the South severely strained relationships in the period immediately preceding the outbreak of civil war. What were the South's specific economic grievances against the North in this period? What measures did the South take to remedy its situation, and how successful were these measures?