Constitutional Foundations (1763-1824)
Describe one of the main grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence that justified colonial separation from Britain.
- no taxation without representation
- Stamp Act
-Sugar Act
-Quartering Act
State one major result of the Louisiana Purchase (1803).
1. doubled the size of the US
2. gave the US control of the Mississippi River and port of New Orleans
3. fueled westward expansion
Provide one example of how the North and South differed economically in the antebellum period.
North: more industrialized in work force & transportation; South: plantation agriculture and slavery.
Identify the compromise that resolved counting enslaved people for representation and taxation.
3/5th's Compromise
Name one event or law in the 1850s that increased sectional tensions leading toward civil war.
Examples: Kansas‑Nebraska Act (1854), Dred Scott decision (1857), Fugitive Slave Act enforcement.
Identify the role and significance of the militia (like "minutemen") and colonial leadership during the early battles of the American Revolution
Militias were crucial to the Revolutionary War; they provided quick, immediate defense, were extremely motivated, and could deeply sway public support in their favor.
Describe the significance of the War of 1812 for American nationalism.
The War of 1812 significantly boosted American nationalism by validating the young nation's independence, fostering a shared identity, creating national heroes (like Andrew Jackson), inspiring symbols (the Star-Spangled Banner), and ending Federalist opposition, ushering in the "Era of Good Feelings" marked by newfound patriotism, unity, and international credibility as a sovereign power, despite its internal contradictions regarding slavery and Indigenous rights.
Explain the main idea of the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
Missouri Compromise: Missouri admitted as slave state, Maine as free state, and slavery prohibited north of 36^\circ30' in the Louisiana Purchase.
Identify one significant weakness of the Articles of Confederation that made governing difficult.
The Articles were weak because
- lacked a strong, central government
- were difficult to change (needed approval from all states to do so)
- Congress could not impose taxes
Explain the significance of the Dred Scott decision (1857) on the status of slavery and federal power.
Dred Scott ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories — it invalidated limits on expansion of slavery and inflamed tensions.
Explain how foreign assistance (France) influenced the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
French assistance was crucial to the Revolutionary War's outcome, providing Patriots with money, troops, arms, and naval power. The Patriots may not have been able to do this alone.
Explain the Monroe Doctrine and its purpose in U.S. foreign policy.
The Monroe Doctrine, proclaimed by President James Monroe in 1823, was a U.S. foreign policy warning European powers against further colonization or interference in the Americas, establishing the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence and asserting American opposition to new European colonies, while promising U.S. non-interference in European affairs
Describe the significance of the Fugitive Slave Act in the 1850s and its impact on Northern sentiment.
Fugitive Slave Act required return of escaped enslaved people; enforcement in North angered many and increased abolitionist activity
Describe the events and significance of Shays’ Rebellion in exposing problems with the Articles of Confederation.
Shay's Rebellion exposed the severe weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, particularly the central government's inability to raise an army or effectively manage national debt and unrest, prompting leaders like Washington and Hamilton to call for the Constitutional Convention to create a stronger federal government.
What was Lincoln's main goal AT FIRST regarding slavery?
Didn't want slavery to spread further but wasn't in favor of abolishing it either
Describe the political differences between Patriots and Loyalists and give one example of how these divisions affected colonial society.
Patriots- believed British rule was unfair, advocated for democracy, believed their rights were being violated
Loyalists - wanted to remain part of the British empire, valued stability, protection, and tradition
Identify and explain one economic change during the early 19th century that affected the North and one that affected the South.
The North experienced industrialization and urbanization, shifting to factory-based manufacturing and wage labor, while the South became increasingly reliant on a single cash crop, cotton, which intensified its dependence on slave labor and an agrarian system, creating deep tension between the regions.
Explain how abolitionist publications and speeches (for example, Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Frederick Douglass’s writings) influenced public opinion about slavery.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and abolitionist speeches increased Northern sympathy for enslaved people and mobilized anti‑slavery sentiment; Frederick Douglass provided firsthand moral critique.
Explain the purpose of the system of checks and balances in the Constitution.
The purpose of the U.S. Constitution's system of checks and balances is to prevent any single branch of government (Legislative, Executive, Judicial) from becoming too powerful, ensuring a separation of powers while also requiring cooperation, thereby protecting liberty and preventing tyranny and abuse of power
Identify and explain the immediate cause of Southern secession after the 1860 election.
Immediate cause: election of Abraham Lincoln (1860) perceived as hostile to slavery; South Carolina seceded in December 1860; followed by other Deep South states.
How did the Revolution transform American political ideas about democracy and who should hold political power?
Something along the lines of, "The American Revolution transformed democracy by shifting power from a monarchy to the people, establishing a republic based on popular sovereignty (consent of the governed) and natural rights, moving from subjects to citizens, and sparking debates about who truly deserved political power."
Analyze how the concept of Manifest Destiny influenced U.S. territorial expansion and name one acquisition that resulted.
Manifest Destiny justifying westward movement to the Pacific, leading to the Mexican-American War and the acquisition of vast lands like California and New Mexico through force, and fueling annexation debates over places like Texas, ultimately uniting the continent but intensifying conflicts over slavery.
Analyze how political compromises over slavery delayed but did not resolve sectional tensions—use at least two examples (e.g., Compromise of 1850, Kansas‑Nebraska Act).
Compromise of 1850 temporarily settled some issues (California free, stronger Fugitive Slave Act); Kansas‑Nebraska Act (1854) used popular sovereignty and led to "Bleeding Kansas"—both increased conflict.
Analyze how the Bill of Rights addressed Anti‑Federalist concerns and give two examples of freedoms protected.
The Bill of Rights addressed Anti-Federalist fears of an overly powerful central government by adding specific protections for individual liberties, ensuring rights weren't lost under the new Constitution, and reserving powers not given to the federal government for the states and people, exemplified by the First Amendment's freedom of speech/religion and the Tenth Amendment's reservation of powers
Analyze how political, economic, and social factors combined to produce secession and war; include at least three distinct factors in your response.
Factors: economic differences (industrial vs. agrarian slave economy), political disputes over representation and territorial slavery, cultural/social divisions and sectional identities, breakdown of compromises and mutual trust — together led to secession and war.