Advantages and disadvantages that both the American Revolutionaries

Analyze the numerous advantages and disadvantages that both the American Revolutionaries and the British faced as they warred against each other between 1775 and 1783.

Advantages and disadvantages that both the American Revolutionaries

1.       Analyze the numerous advantages and disadvantages that both the American Revolutionaries and the British faced as they warred against each other between 1775 and 1783.

2.      What choices of allegiance confronted residents of North America after 1774? Why did people make the choices they did? Focus on the following groups: Patriots, Loyalists, Neutrals, Native Americans, and African Americans.

3.      As late as 1776, not only a significant number of America’s populace, but many of America’s leading patriots still seemed reluctant to consider the possibility of American independence. How did Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” as well as Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, help to convert popular opinion? Compare and discuss the views that Paine and Jefferson espoused, as well as their own vision of America as an independent nation.

4.      Describe three crucial battles of the American Revolutionary War, and discuss their significance.

5.      Discuss the impact of America’s and Great Britain’s foreign allies on the prosecution of the Revolutionary War and its outcome.

6.      Discuss the important contributions made during the American Revolution by North American women. How did the war impact their lives?

7.      Though George Washington is usually the first person that we think of when the American Revolution is mentioned, so many other prominent individuals played significant roles during that struggle. Briefly illustrate that point by highlighting the important contributions made by three notable historic figures of that time period. In your opinion, what was their impact regarding our nation’s history? Are they worthy of our admiration, even today? Remember, your selections can be both British and American.

8.      Once the Americans had emerged victorious from the Revolutionary War, they had to deal with the extremely difficult task of nation – building and governing. Describe some of the major problems that the people of the fledgling United States of America faced under the Articles of Confederation during the 1780s, and discuss how these problems compelled their nation’s Founding Fathers to call a Constitutional Convention in 1787.

9.      What were the elements of the new national identity? How did poor farmers, women, Indians, and African Americans fit into that identity?

10.  What were the major stumbling blocks, or contentious issues, that threatened to derail the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

Describe the disagreements that existed between the large states and the small states, the Northern states and the Southern states, the proslavery men and the antislavery men, etc. How were these confrontations resolved? What compromises were reached? Finally, discuss the difficulties encountered by the Federalists during the arduous ratification process that took place during 1787 and 1788.

11.  How did George Washington define the role of the President of the United States and create the office using his own image and personality? What precedents did he set during his nearly eight years as our nation’s Chief Executive? Discuss how Washington displayed his leadership abilities during three major events of his administration: The Neutrality Proclamation of 1793, the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, and Jay’s Treaty in 1795.

12.  Both Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson envisioned a great future for the fledgling American republic, yet their visions differed sharply.

Discuss Jefferson’s dream of an agrarian America, as well as Hamilton’s industrial America. Describe the many differences that existed between these two great men, and how their feuds in Washington’s cabinet meetings resulted in the creation of America’s first political parties, the Federalist and Democratic – Republican Parties.

13.  Discuss the troubled four years of John Adams’s presidency. How did Adams exercise presidential leadership during the XYZ Affair, the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the Quasi-War with France? On the whole, was Adams’s administration a success or a failure?

14.  Analyze the role that Alexander Hamilton played in the presidential election of 1800. How did his actions lead to the selection of his bitter political enemy Jefferson as our nation’s third chief executive? How did the outcome of the election affect not only Hamilton’s political career, but his personal life as well?

15.  Discuss the major events of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency during 1801 – 1809, such as the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the Embargo of 1807 – 1809.

Most historians today rank Jefferson fourth in terms of presidential greatness, right behind Lincoln, FDR, and Washington. Do you think their conclusions are valid ones? What was Alexander Hamilton’s assessment of Jefferson’s leadership as president – at least until 1804?

16.  What were the main causes, major events, and major outcomes of the War of 1812? This conflict has been called “the Second War of American Independence.” Do you believe this to be a valid assessment?

17.   In the textbook, it is pointed out that “As a result of the embargo and the War of 1812, the North underwent an accelerated industrial development as the South became more dependent on cotton production. Although the two regions’ economies followed different paths, they remained interconnected.” Please discuss this new development, one that came to be known after 1815 as “the Market Revolution.”

18.  Discuss the background and persona of America’s fourth Chief Justice, John Marshall. How was his impact felt on the United States Supreme Court during his 34-year tenure? Highlight some of the key decisions he rendered from the bench, and discuss their significance.

19.  James Monroe’s eight years as president have been described as “The Era of Good Feelings,” a time of national unity and political harmony. Is this an accurate assessment of this era? Discuss the following events of Monroe’s presidency: The Panic of 1819, Andrew Jackson’s invasion of Spanish Florida, the Missouri Compromise, secretary of State John Quincy Adams’s diplomacy, and the Monroe Doctrine.