Essay Questions US History

Essay Questions US History Order Description Final Exam Founding Ideas Take-Home Final Exam The final exam for this course will be an essay exam made available in the final week of class. This will be a cumulative exam and it will be designed to test your understanding of the material covered throughout the course. It will be an open book exam, and, although you are welcome to consult sources that were not assigned throughout the term, you will be able to excel on this exam using only assigned readings. 1. Revolutionary Characters What made The Founders Different. 2.The Ideological Origins Of The American Revolution Bernard Bailyn 3. Novus Ordo Seclorum The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution Forrest McDonald Please answer three of the six questions below. Write ¾ of a page to 1 ½ pages for EACH question (your answers should be 3 ¼ to 4 ½ pages in total). 1) Today, The Bill of Rights appears to be an essential part of any democracy (liberal democracy), yet the Federalists, Washington, Madison, Hamilton, etc., at first opposed a Bill of Rights (even though Madison is the author of the Bill of Rights). Explain why they were opposed to it. 2) The Declaration of Independence seems to a very different document from the U.S. Constitution in what is espouses. In what way is it different? 3) In Federalist #10, Madison sought to remedy the problem with factions with more factions. Explain what he means by this. 4) Why did the Federalists prevail over the Anti-federalists, when it seemed that most of the non-elites seems to share the same views as the Anti-federalists. 5) The Founders agreed with many political and social theorists that society proceeds through stages. What does that mean and do they see America as the next stage? 6) Historians, including Gordon Wood, have characterized Hamilton as a nationalist. What does that mean? What was Hamilton’s vision for America? Week One (Module 0): Introductions and ice-breaker discussions Discussion: YES Readings: Declaration of Independence (use whichever accurate online version you find easiest to access) Week Two (Module 0): Interpreting the Founding Discussion: NO Reading: McDonald, Chapters I, II, III; Wood, Chapter I Week Three (Module 1): The British Inheritance, Part I Discussion: YES Reading: Bailyn, Chapters I & II Week Four (Module 1): The British Inheritance, Part II Discussion: YES Readings: Continental Congress, Declaration and Resolves: https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch1s1.html Edmund Burke, Speech on Conciliation with the Colonies: https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch1s2.html Week Five (Module 2): Founding Characters, Hamilton & Madison First Analytical Paper Due Discussion: YES Reading: Wood, Chapters on Hamilton and Madison Week Six (Module 2): Republicanism and Virtue, Part I Discussion: YES Readings: John Adams, Thoughts on Government: https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch4s5.html Other readings as assigned based on lectures. Readings will be drawn from The Founder’s Constitution collection, https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/ Week Seven (Module 2): Republicanism and Virtue, Part II Term Paper Proposal Due Discussion: YES Reading: No additional reading assigned this week. Students should be doing background reading for their term paper proposals. Week Eight (Module 3): Liberty, Part I Discussion: NO. In lieu of discussion this week, students should be reviewing assigned readings and doing research for their term papers. Reading: Bailyn, Chapter III Week Nine (Module 3): Liberty, Part II Discussion: YES Reading: Bailyn, Chapter IV Week Ten (Module 3): Liberty, Part III Second Analytical Paper Due Discussion: YES No New Reading Assigned (but please review previous reading assignments) Week Eleven: Review and Term Paper Research Discussion: NO. Please note that there will be no formal discussions this week in order to provide additional time for students to review previously assigned reading and to conduct research for the term paper. However, there is a reading assignment for the week. Reading: Bailyn, Chapter V Week Twelve (Module 4): Experiments with Democracy, Part I Discussion: YES Reading: Bailyn, Chapter VI; McDonald, Chapters VII & VIII Week Thirteen (Module 4): Experiments with Democracy, Part II Discussion: YES Reading: Federalist Papers 10, 51, 72 Week Fourteen (Module 5): Hamilton and Madison Revisited Term Paper Due Discussion: YES Reading: No New Reading Assigned (but please review previous reading assignments) Week Fifteen: Review, Reflection, and Final Exam Final Exam Due Discussion: TBD