9 – What liberties and freedoms of Americans were being violated by European powers prior to the War of 1812?.
For Part 3 of the Unit 2 Exam, choose ONLY 1 essay question from the list below, which covers chapters 7 and 8 in the textbook. Grades will be based on the content of the answer and must be more than 300 words in length. Direct quotes do not count toward the required word count.
Part 3 Essay Questions:
1 – Compare the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. Which document did a better job of protecting liberties? Running a government? Explain your answer with specific examples.
2 – Who became full-fledged members of the American political community under the U.S. Constitution? Fully explain what criteria were used and who was excluded from membership.
3 – Explain the arguments of the Anti-Federalists. How did they define liberty and what role did they see government having in protecting that liberty?
4 – Using Letters from an American Farmer and Notes on the State of Virginia, discuss the reach of American citizenship. What did it take to be free and to have liberties in the new nation? According to Crèvecoeur and Jefferson, would there ever be a time when America might be a melting pot of more than just white Europeans?
5 – Under President Washington, Secretary of War Henry Knox had hoped to pursue a more peaceful policy with the Indians. How did U.S. policy concerning the Indians unfold in the 1790s?
6 – Alexander Hamilton’s plan called for commercial industrialization, which many Americans viewed positively. Explain why some Americans opposed Hamilton’s position. What were some of the alternative plans for development?
7 – Women were increasingly coming to believe that they too had the right to knowledge, education, public discourse, and employment. Discuss the various arguments being made in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by women regarding their changing roles in the new republic.
8 – In what ways can Thomas Jefferson’s presidency be considered a revolution? Did his presidency deliver an Empire of Liberty as he envisioned? Why or why not?
9 – What liberties and freedoms of Americans were being violated by European powers prior to the War of 1812? How did Jefferson and Madison view liberty in terms of British and French behavior on the seas? How did the War Hawks view liberty? Was war the only answer by 1812?
10 – Did the United States really win the War of 1812? Examine the terms of the peace settlement. What happened to the Canadian borderland? What was gained? What was the greater victory for America?
