1. Using and citing class readings, explain the origins of slavery in North America. How did it develop? Why did it develop as it did? What were the consequences of slavery? How did slavery end? What were the legacies of slavery and Reconstruction? Begin your essay in 1619 and end it in 1877. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from Northup’s narrative, from the American Yawp textbook and primary source reader, and from additional course readings.
2. How did American ideas about war change between 1675 and 1877? What continuities[1] do you see? How did wars reflect and alter American society and self-perceptions? Did the causes or consequences of American wars change over time? Discuss the causes, conduct, and consequences of three specific wars from the era of our course. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments, and from the American Yawp textbook.)
3. Congratulations on your unexpected new job. You have just won a position as director of a new museum of the United States. The new museum depicts U.S. history from 1600 to 1877. What will you include? How will you develop important themes of the era? What arguments or theses will the displays or areas in your museum suggest? What visual, aural,[2] tactile, or documentary material will you incorporate to develop these theses? Include specific evidence or examples from course readings. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments and from the American Yawp textbook.
4. Discuss the role(s) that religion played in American society from the 1600s through 1877. Support your answer with evidence or examples from course readings. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments and from the American Yawp textbook.
5. How did the market revolution shape the development of the United States from the 1780s through the 1870s? Discuss economic development in each region of the nation, for example, the North, South, and West, as well as in the nation as a whole. Support your answer with evidence or examples from course readings. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments and from the American Yawp textbook.
6. Discuss relations between American Indians (Native Americans) and Americans of European descent from the 1600s through 1877. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments such as Deerfield, and from the American Yawp textbook. Be specific and precise in your essay.
7. How did technologies and scientific advances reflect and reshape the nation between 1700 and 1877? Discuss the causes and consequences of the changes that brought new technologies and discuss the specific implications and consequences of the changes that the new technologies wrought. Cite primary sources from the American Yawp Reader, as well as citing relevant material from course assignments and from the American Yawp textbook.
[1]Continuity means “uninterrupted connection, succession, or union . . . continuation especially without essential change.” <http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/continuity>
[2]Aural means “of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing.” <http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/aural>
