Potential free-response questions for semester 1 final

I would suggest you outline each one of these. This will also help you prepare for the multiple choice part of the exam as well.

Always make sure to include specific facts and examples in your response.

1. How did the main colonial powers in North America—the British, Spanish, and French—differ in how they interacted with the Native peoples they encountered? Emphasize both economic and cultural responses.

2. Outline the moral arguments and political actions taken by those opposed to slavery’s expansion—ie, free-soilers and abolitionists—with regard to the Mexican War, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision.

3. Discuss the impact of territorial expansion on national unity between 1800 and 1850 .

4. To what extent did religious freedom exist in British North America prior to the Revolution?

5. Explain how activist women attempted to redefine their accepted social and political roles from 1776-1877.

6. Compare and contrast the interpretation of the Constitution by advocates of states’ rights with advocates of a strong central government. Make sure to include specific provisions of the Constitution where there is disagreement.