Select the essay prompt that you feel most comfortable responding to.

1) What was North America like prior to the arrival of Europeans? How did their societies change after European settlement? Write an essay that compares life on the continent before and after Europeans established colonies. What were the sources of conflict between Native Americans and European colonists? How did these groups interact with one another?

Sources to Consider and Refer to:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6385 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5838 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6226 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6594 (Links to an external site.)

2) How did slavery develop in the colonies? Was this “peculiar institution” the same throughout the colonies or did it develop according to regional differences? What did Jefferson, Franklin and other colonial leaders think about slavery? What role did slavery have on the economic development of the colonies? How did slaves cope with their situation and what cultural and religious ideas did they develop?

Sources to Consider and Refer to:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6625 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6237 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6521 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6230 (Links to an external site.)

3) What caused the American Revolution? Describe the causes—economic, religious, social and intellectual—that drove the Revolution. What were the key events from 1763 on that played a major role? Was the Revolution inevitable or could it have been avoided? Explain the competing ideas and ideologies that led to Revolution.

Sources to Consider and Refer to:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5717 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5799 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5819 (Links to an external site.)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5825 (Links to an external site.)

4) Discuss the formation of factions in American politics, beginning with a discussion of Washington’s famous farewell address. Why did these competing factions—Federalists and Anti-Federalists—emerge in the 1790s, and what were their basic ideas (economics, foreign policy, etc.)?

Sources to Consider and Refer to:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6213 (Links to an external site.)

http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/primary-source-documents/the-federalist-papers/federalist-papers-no-10/ (Links to an external site.)

https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/federalist.html (Links to an external site.)