The Amazing Race through American History

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Chapters 3 and 4: Colonial America and The Colonies Grow

  1. Why is 1607 significant?
  2. What were the reasons for establishing the 13 colonies?
  3. Political
  4. Economic
  5. Social
  6. What were the reasons for the growth of representative government?
  1. How did the Mayflower Compact and the Virginia House of Burgesses impact the growth of representative government?
  1. How did the colonial regions differ economically?
  2. New England-
  1. Middle-
  1. Southern-
  1. How did the ideas expressed in the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and other historical documents influence the colonial system of government?
  1. What were the effects of the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment on colonial culture and politics?
  1. In what ways did mercantilism and the Navigation Acts limit free enterprise in the colonies?
  1. How did the rivalries between France and Britain affect the colonies?
  1. What is the role of free speech and press in a democratic society?
  1. What are the defining characteristics of this era?

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Chapters 5 and 6: Road to Independence and The American Revolution

  1. Define unalienable rights. What are some examples of those rights?
  1. What colonial grievances are listed in the Declaration of Independence?
  1. How did mercantilism and British economic policies following the French and Indian War lead to the American Revolution?
  1. Why is the year 1776 significant?
  1. What roles did these individuals play in the American Revolution?
  2. John Adams
  3. Samuel Adams
  4. Patrick Henry
  5. Richard Henry Lee
  6. George Washington
  7. Thomas Jefferson
  8. Benjamin Franklin
  9. John Hancock
  10. Thomas Paine
  11. What were the important issues surrounding the following events:
  12. Declaring Independence
  13. Writing the Articles of Confederation
  14. Fighting the Battles of Lexington and Concord
  15. Battle of Saratoga
  16. Battle of Yorktown
  17. Signing the Treaty of Paris
  18. How did the ideas expressed in each of the following influence the growth of the U.S. system of government:
  19. The Magna Carta
  20. The English Bill of Rights
  21. The Mayflower Compact
  22. The Declaration of Independence
  23. The Federalist Papers
  24. What were the reasons for the development of the plantation system, the growth of the slave trade, and the spread of slavery?
  1. What does “taxation without representation” mean?
  2. What actions did the First Continental Congress take?
  1. How did settlement patterns (where people lived) affect colonial development?
  1. What were the opposing viewpoints on declaring independence?

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Chapter 7: A More Perfect Union

  1. What were the important issues of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787?
  1. What were the strengths and weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
  1. How did the Northwest Ordinance provide for the orderly expansion of the nation?
  1. How were the colonial grievances expressed in the Declaration of Independence addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
  1. What impact did the compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention have on the Constitution and our system of government?
  2. The Great Compromise-
  1. The Three-Fifths Compromise-
  1. What were the arguments for and against the ratification of the Constitution?

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Chapters 8 and 9: A New Nation and The Jefferson Era

  1. How are the following principles reflected in the Constitution:
  2. limited government-
  3. republicanism
  4. checks and balances
  5. federalism
  6. separation of powers
  7. popular sovereignty
  8. individual rights
  9. What were the arguments of key Federalists and Anti-Federalists leaders including:
  10. Alexander Hamilton
  11. Patrick Henry
  12. James Madison
  13. George Mason
  14. What is the process for changing the Constitution and why is that necessary?
  1. How do the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments impact life in the U.S.?
  2. 13th
  3. 14th
  4. 15th
  5. Explain the existence of the electoral college.
  1. How and why did political parties develop in the U.S.?
  1. Why is Marbury vs. Madison significant?
  1. Explain the free enterprise system including the major elements.
  1. What were the issues surrounding the War of 1812?
  1. Explain the impact of Washington’s Farewell Address and the Monroe Doctrine on foreign affairs.
  1. What rights are guaranteed to citizens in the Bill of Rights?
  1. What were the foreign policies of Washington and Adams?

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Chapters 10-12: Growth and Expansion, The Jackson Era, and Manifest Destiny

  1. What factors led to industrialization and urbanization?
  1. How did the following technological innovations affect the development of the United States and the way goods were made?
  2. Steamboat
  3. Cotton Gin
  4. Transportation Improvements
  5. What were the arguments regarding protective tariffs, taxation, and the banking system?
  1. What was the impact of the election of Andrew Jackson and how did it influence the modern Democratic Party?
  1. How did federal policies affect the removal and resettlement of Cherokee Indians during the Jacksonian Era?
  1. How did the Nullification Crisis demonstrate a conflict over states’ rights?
  1. What are the political, economic, and social roots of Manifest Destiny and how did that lead to the westward growth of the nation?
  1. What were the major issues of the Mexican War?
  1. What areas were acquired to form the United States?