ESSAY QUESTIONS

Midterm #2

Chapters 5-7

1775-1800

You may use a single 4" x 8" index card, to jot down important events, names, dates, places, etc. to use while writing your essay. You must turn this card in, along with your essay on exam day to receive credit. Bring at least 8 sheets of paper and a pen to class on the day of the midterm.

The following questions are actual exam questions. Of the four questions below, three will be on the exam. You will choose one of the three questions to write your essay. (If you prepare for at least two of the questions, you will be assured that one of the two you've prepared for will be on the exam.)

Your discussion should be detailed and well organized. You should take a moment to draft a brief outline of your answer. Do NOT write your essays in the first person.

1. On the basis of the text section titled "Debating the Past," outline three schools of thought regarding the causes of the American Revolution. Define each school of thought. Which, if any, seems to be the most intellectually satisfying to you and why? Do you think the text subscribes to one of the three schools of thought? Why or why not? What do these various interpretations reveal about our efforts to understand our revolutionary heritage?

2. Although the government under the Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses and was soon discarded, it also compiled a record of achievement. In regard to the government under the Articles of Confederation, explain its weaknesses and discuss its achievements. Was this government capable of providing the stability that the new nation needed? Why or why not? In your estimation, how do you rate this experiment in representative self goverment... a success, an aberation, an abomination, a means to an end, etc.?

3. Discuss the debate among historians concerning the background of the Constitution and the possible motives of the Founding Fathers. Why did Americans decide to draft a new Constitution in 1787? How were questions concerning the extent, division, and control of governmental powers resolved? What compromises resulted? How drastically did the relationship between state governments and the new federal government change, or did it really change at all?

4. Compare and contrast the two political parties of the 1790's in terms of their goals, methods, constituencies, and philosophies. If both parties believed that the new Constitution of 1787 created the best form of government, what was the basis for their disagreements during the 1790's? Were these disagreements fundamental or more procedural? Make a case one way or the other.