History of the United States; Essay Questions

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ESSAY QUESTIONS: On the midterm, you will have to answer one of the following questions. You will have approximately 35 minutes to answer the question. (I am suggesting that you spend approximately ... 5 minutes on each of your three ID terms, leaving you 35 minutes of the 50 minute period to work on the essay). Your response should draw upon course readings as well as lectures. Your essay response should include the argument of your essay clearly stated in a thesis statement in your introductory paragraph. You may want to plan out your essay before you write. 5 minutes spent outlining your answer before you begin writing will, in the long run, save you time and improve the quality of your answer. 1. Consider Samuel Seabury’s thought on American independence. How does Seabury feel about independence? Why does he think independence was or was not a good idea? [NB: The petition is contained on canvas. You should be sure to bring a clean copy—no notes— of these passenger lists to the exam. We will not supply you with a copy if you are lacking one.] 2. Consider the manifests listing passengers bound for Virginia and Massachusetts in 1634. How do these passenger lists reflect differences in social life in these two colonies? How do they foreshadow the social development in Northern and Southern colonies? [NB: The passenger manifests are contained on Canvas. You should be sure to bring a clean copy—no notes—of these passenger lists to the exam. We will not supply you with a copy if you are lacking one.] 3. Consider John Lawson’s discussion of household economy in Carolina. What was the division of labor in Carolina households? Do you think it was representative of households elsewhere in colonial America? [You should draw upon the excerpt of Lawson’s journal posted on Canvas.] History 17A Summer 18 Midterm Study Guide 2 4. In 1751, Benjamin Franklin offered his assessment of the German-speaking immigrants who arrived in large numbers in Pennsylvania. What did Franklin think of these immigrants? What does his opinion reveal about race and tolerance? [A section of Franklin’s “Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind has been posted to Canvas. You should make sure you have a clean copy of it with you at the midterm.] 5. Many Antifederalists felt that the Constitution represented a repudiation of the principles of the American Revolution. Do you agree or disagree? Why? In your answer you should consider some of the concerns raised by Virginian statesman Patrick Henry to the 1787 federal Constitution. [An excerpt of Henry’s speeches is posted on Canvas. You should be sure to bring a clean copy—no notes—of these passenger lists to the exam. I will not supply you with a copy if you are lacking one.] [Show More]

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