H105 Spring 2002

Exam I Study Guide

 

There are two kinds of information presented in this course over which you will be tested: vital statistics (in other words, names, dates and places) and core concepts.   In keeping with this, the exam format will be part maps, part objectives (identifications, multiple choice, fill in the blanks), and part short answer (3-4 sentence) essays.

 

To study for the first exam, use your lecture notes, course handouts, and the textbook to:

 

1. Know the vocabulary and key terms as given on the weekly study guides.
2. Know the various map locations as given on the weekly study guides; use the blank maps (there are two) to fill in the locations to test yourself.
3. Be familiar with the content of the primary sources and the questions about the primary sources that are part of the weekly study guides.

 

Some questions to think about:  (Between having attended lecture & done the readings, these questions should be fairly easy to answer- do not try to make a dissertation for each of these questions as you study; rather, use these to check yourself- do you comprehend the material and themes of the course so far?)

 

1. What were the differences among the English, French, and Spanish in their approaches to the New World?
2. What does it mean to say that Europeans "conquered" the land and the peoples of North America? What would it mean to say that Europeans "encountered" rather than "conquered" the land and the peoples of North America?
3. Why and in what status did Europeans emigrate to Virginia, New England, and Pennsylvania?
4. What was the significance of the "covenant" in colonial New England?
5. What role did diversity play in the Middle Colonies?  In New England?
6. What were the sources and limits of freedom in Massachusetts Bay Colony?  In Pennsylvania?  In Virginia?
7. What were the roles of women and the family in colonial America?  Did they differ by region?
8. How and why did African slavery get started in North America?  What did slavery mean for African culture?
9. What was the nature and significance of British economic policy in the New World?
10. Describe the patterns of immigration to the American colonies in the eighteenth century and assess their significance for the different regions.
11. What was the importance of the Great Awakening to freedom in American culture?
12. To what extent had Americans developed their own identity by the middle of the eighteenth century?  Explain.
13. What were the differences between the political cultures of Britain and America in the eighteenth century?  How and why were these differences important?
14. Why and in what status did Europeans emigrate to Virginia, New England, and Pennsylvania?
15. What was the significance of the "covenant" in colonial New England?
16. What role did diversity play in the Middle Colonies?  In New England?
17. What were the sources and limits of freedom in Massachusetts Bay Colony?  In Pennsylvania?  In Virginia?
18. What were the roles of women and the family in colonial America?  Did they differ by region?  Did they differ from the old world?
19. When and how did the Americans decide that independence was their only option?
20. What role did religion play for the patriots in the American Revolution?
21. Did the American patriots consider themselves to be revolutionaries?  Why?  If not, why not?
22. Did the British lose the War for Independence or did the Americans win it?  Explain.