HST 202 - Final Exam Essay Questions

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 three questions in each section below, two will be on the exam. You will choose one of the two questions from each section to write your essay. You will write 2 total. (If you prepare for at least four of the questions, you will be assured that two of the four you've prepared for will be on the exam.)

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

Choose one question from Section A and one from Section B.

Section A

#1 Giving reasons, discuss which item in each of the following pairs did more to win the Civil War for the North: a) the McCormick reaper or the skill of the Union generals, b) the blockade of Southern ports or the attitude of foreign powers, c) the statesmanship of President Lincoln or the superior resources of the North.

#2 Discuss the validity of the assertion that Radical reconstruction, even more than the Civil War, drastically and permanently altered the nation's political and social structure.

#3 Comment on the following statement:
"If the Radical Republicans were friends of the ex-slaves, then they certainly did not need any enemies."

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Section B

#1 Show how each of the following was either a cause or a result of the westward movement in the 19th Century: a) the growth of democracy, b) internal improvements, c) immigration from Europe, d) nationalism, e) the growth of labor unions, f) the development of industry.

#2 Explain and illustrate how specific laws passed by Congress in the late 19th Century have benefitted and also hindered both workers/labor union and industrial corporations/management.

#3 Cite specific examples to explain the meaning of this statement: "The Agricultural Revolution had a decided effect on the economic self-sufficiency of the American farmer".