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8th Grade American History: Final Exam Study Guide
Chapter 1, section 3: “Tools of History”
1. What is a primary source? What are examples of primary sources?
2. What is a secondary source? What are examples of secondary sources?
3. What is bias? How can bias impact the reliability of a source?
Chapter 3: Exploration and Colonization
4. What was the Columbian Exchange?
5. What were some new things introduced to the Native Americans by Europeans? What were some of the new things introduced to the Europeans by the Native Americans?
6. What negatives that resulted from the Columbian Exchange?
7. What were the first forms of the representative government in the English colonies?
Chapter 4: The Thirteen Colonies
8. What did each of the three regions of the 13 colonies focus on for their economy?
a. New England
b. Middle
c. Southern
Chapter 5: Road to the Revolution
9. What caused the French and Indian War?
10. What did King George III and the British Parliament decide to do to help pay for the cost of the French and Indian War?
11. How did the colonists react to the British taxes? What was their reason to oppose the taxes?
12. Identify the following and their impact:
a. Proclamation Line of 1763
b. Boston Tea Party
c. Intolerable Acts
d. First Continental Congress
13. How did the colonists protest the British?
Chapter 6: The American Revolution
14. What were the colonists’ arguments (3) in the Declaration of Independence for separation from Britain?
15. Why did Thomas Paine write Common Sense?
16. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the American army? British army?
17. Why did France decide to help the Continental Army and how did they help? Who went to France to convince them to help?
18. Why was the American army victorious over the superior British army in the Revolution?
Chapter 7: Creating a Republic
19. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Why did it fail?
20. How many branches does the federal government have?
21. How are the states represented in Congress? (How many votes does each state get?)
22. Who were the Federalists and Antifederalists? What were their arguments?
23. What is the Bill of Rights?
Chapter 8: The Constitution
24. What are the main roles of the three branches of government?
a. Executive
b. Legislature
c. Judicial
25. How can the Constitution be changed? Why was this process included by the Founding Fathers?
Chapter 9: Launching the New Government
26. What impact did Washington’s presidency have on the power of the federal government?
27. What were some of the precedents set by Washington?
28. What did he recommend that the U.S. do regarding foreign policy?
29. What caused the first two political parties to form? What were they?
30. How did Hamilton plan to help the nation’s economy? (What did he create?)
31. What was the response to the Alien and Sedition Acts?
Chapter 10: The Age of Jefferson
32. What has Jefferson already accomplished? What did Jefferson accomplish as president?
33. What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in Marbury v. Madison?
34. Identify and describe the impact of the following:
a. Louisiana Purchase
b. Lewis and Clark Expedition
35. How did the War of 1812 increase American patriotism?
Chapter 11: The Nation Grows and Prospers
36. . What was the impact of the Industrial Revolution on cities? What role did immigrants play in the Industrial Revolution?
37. How did transportation improve in the early 1800s?
38. What was sectionalism? How were the regions of the country different?
Chapter 12: Age of Jackson
39. What is Jacksonian Democracy?
40. How did Jackson reflect the “growing spirit of democracy”? Who supported Jackson?
41. What is a protective tariff?
42. Explain Jackson’s policies, actions and the impact of the following during his administration
a. Spoils System
b. The National Bank
c. the Nullification Crisis
d. Indian Removal and Trail of Tears
Chapter 13: Westward Expansion
43. What attracted settles to the following regions and how did the U.S. acquire these areas?
a. Oregon Territory
b. California
44. What was the significance of the Alamo in the Texan war for independence?
45. Explain the belief of Manifest Destiny.
46. How did Mexico feel about the Annexation of Texas?
47. What event ultimately started the War with Mexico?
48. What were the results of the Mexican War?
49. Why did the Mormons move west to Utah?
50. What was the impact of the California Gold Rush?
51. What was the main conflict over new territories as they entered the Union?
Chapter 14: North and South
52. How did the North fill their need for workers?
53. Why did the North and South develop so differently? Why did slavery expand in the South and not the North?
54. What was the impact of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin?
Chapter 15: Reform and A New American Culture
55. What were the reform movements emerging in the early to mid-1800s?
56. What was the Seneca Falls Convention? What did it start?
57. Identify the role of the following people in the abolition movement:
a. Harriet Tubman
b. Frederick Douglass
c. Sojourner Truth
58. How did slaves resist slavery?
59. What was the Underground Railroad? Why did many runaways not stay in the North?
60. What were slave codes and why were they written throughout the South?
Chapter 16: Slavery Divides the Nation
61. What was the issue that caused the need for compromises? What were some of the compromises?
62. What is popular sovereignty?
63. What was the goal of the Free Soil Party and the Republican Party for slavery?
64. What were the two main results of the Kansas Nebraska Act?
65. Who did the Republicans nominate for President in 1860?
66. What was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850? How did Northerners and Southerners respond to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850?
67. What was the significance of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates? What did Lincoln say in his “House Divided” speech?
68. What was the Supreme Court ruling in the Dred Scott case?
69. Who won the Election of 1860? How did regional differences influence the election results?
70. How did the South react to the Election of 1860? What did they do?
Chapter 17: The Civil War
71. What were the advantages for each side at the start of the Civil War?
Confederacy: Union:
72. What were the goals for each side at the start of the Civil War?
Confederacy: Union:
73. What were the two turning points of the Civil War?
74. What did Grant accomplish at Vicksburg?
75. What was the war like for soldiers? What was the biggest “killer” of troops?
76. What was total war? Why did Grant start to use this strategy?
77. What was Lincoln’s message in the Gettysburg Address? Why did he give the speech?
78. What was the impact of the war on the economies of both sides? Did it help or hurt them? How/why?
Confederate Economy: Union Economy: