Don't Know Much About History: study questions

1) Discuss the significance of Thomas Jefferson's quote: "A little rebellion now and then is a good thing...God forbid that we should ever be twenty year without such a rebellion...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
2) Why did Shay's Rebellion happen?
3) The constitution is "a political creation, hammered together in a series of artfully negotiated compromises. Discuss these compromises.
4) What was the Virginia Plan?
5) "No person held in service" was a euphemism for what?
6) List the basic Powers and Checks of the three branches of the government.
7) Who wrote the Federalist Papers and why did they write them?
8) Briefly outline the first ten amendments.
9) Who could wrote in the first election (what parts of the population)?
10) How did Washington D.C. come be located on the banks of the Potomac?
11) What did Jay's Treaty do?
12) What was the "Whiskey Rebellion" and how was it put down?
13) Describe the election of 1800? How was it finally resolved?
14) Who was John Marshall?
15) Why did France sell its North America possessions (the Louisiana territory) to the U.S.?
16) What did Lewis and Clark do? Describe their journey?
17) How did Hamilton incur the wrath of Aaron Burr? Was he right in what he did? How did the ordeal end?
18) What was Jefferson's Embargo Act? Why was it unpopular and what was it suppose to do?
19) What did Tecumseh try and do?
20) Describe the Battle of Tippecanoe?
21) Most historians call the War of 1812 a draw. Why?
22) Describe the Battle of New Orleans.
23) What did the Monroe Doctrine state?
24) What was the Missouri Compromise?
25) How was the election of 1824 decided? Why was it called a "corrupt bargain"?
26) List some of the labels attached to Andrew Jackson.
27) Was Andrew Jackson an Indian hater? What did the natives call him? What "Indian Wars" did he fight in and what was the outcome? What was his native "policy" as President?
28) How did Jackson come to symbolize the common people?

The Constitution: Study Questions

1) What are the three branches of government and what are the powers of each?
2) How can these branches check and balance each other?
3) What were the compromises to the constitution?
4) Who wrote the Federalist papers?
5) What was the Bill of Rights? Why did some states demand its inclusion before they ratified the constitution?
6) What were the anti-federalists main fears about the constitution?

Shays' Rebellion: America's First Civil War

Questions to think about for possible quiz:

1) How did Shays' Rebellion led to the creation of the Constitution?
2) Does Shays have a right to be protected from debt and decline?
3) What were the immediate goals of the rebellion?
4) What could have been included in the Articles of Confederation to help the emerging nation recover from war?
5) How can Shays' Rebellion be seen as the 1st Civil War?

Shay's Rebellion: America's First Civil War

Questions to think about for possible quiz:

1) How did Shay's Rebellion led to the creation of the Constitution?
2) Does Shay have a right to be protected from debt and decline?
3) What were the immediate goals of the rebellion?
4) What could have been included in the Articles of Confederation to help the emerging nation recover from war?
5) How can Shay's Rebellion be seen as the 1st Civil War?

MORE ITEMS FOR THE TEST

1) Know the importance of Valley Forge. What happened there? What the troops had to overcome? Compare this with the British winter quarters.
2) What help did France, Spain, and the Netherlands offer the colonies?
3) What is important about Judith Sargeant Murray and Abigail Adams?
4) Discuss the war in the west.
5) Discuss the war in the south.
6) What is the importance of the following people: A) George Rogers Clark. B) John Paul Jones. C) Nathanael Greene. D) Comte de Rochambeau. E) Admiral Francois de Grasse.
7) What is important about Washington's farewell address?
8) Why did the natives give support to the British?
9) Why did the British think their military forces were superior to those of the Americans?
10) Why was fighting on their own land an advantage for the Americans?

Possible Quiz Questions from Johnson and Class

1) What was the 1st constitution? What powers did it give the government?
2) What was the paradox of the war (at least from Britain's point of view)?
3) What was Washington's main strength as a commander? Why did he win the war?
4) What were the four points of the Peace of Paris - as laid out by John Adams?
5) Why did slavery increase during the revolution?
6) Who were the big losers of the war (name three)? List what they lost and explain why they are the biggest losers.
7) What happened to the Loyalists in America after the war.
8) What were the most important battles of the war. Why do you think they are the most important? (Note battles is plural).
9) List at least five reasons why the Americans won.
10) List the importance of the following people in the cause of the Revolution.
A) Thomas Paine
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) John Adams
D) Samuel Adams
E) John Hancock
F) George Washington
G) James Otis
H) Benjamin Franklin
I) Benedict Arnold (think beyond his treason)
J) Patrick Henry
K) Alexander Hamilton
11) Who was Molly Pitcher?
12) Why did the British strategy for the war make little sense?
13) How did the British fail to win the war in 1776? Who was the General in charge?
14) "America was already developing the notion that all were entitled to the best if they worked hard enough, that aiming high was not only morally acceptable but admirable." Discuss the importance of this statement.
15) Who were the two most important people involved with the push towards a new constitution?
16) Give examples of how the Articles of Confederation failed.
17) In your option why would some people prefer State rights over a strong Central government. What are the arguments for both sides?
18) What is a nomiocracy? How do you feel about this term connected with the U.S. government?
19) What were the three compromises on the Constitution? Which one of these seems the strangest to you?
20) What is the irony about the President vs. a King as example by Johnson?

U.S. History Group Projects

Groups: British, Americans, Native Americans/French

* List the strengths of each group and why they should win the war at the beginning
* List the complaints of each side that lead to war
* Outline the important figures of your side (and assign a member of your group to be that character)
* List battles that your side won
* Come up with one theory why the war was won or lost
* Explain the outcome of the war for your side
* Recreate as an i-movie what you feel is the most important moment of the war for your side

DUE DATE: 11/12

Things to KNOW for future tests

1) According to Paul Johnson what was the most deciding factor in the colonists victory over the British.
2) How did the colonists win the media war, the ideological battle and the emotional battle?
3) What important things did Patrick Henry do?
4) How was Thomas Jefferson a “mass of contradictions”.
5) What was Thomas Jefferson’s most important quality (according to Johnson).
6) What did Common Sense do? Who wrote it.