Name: ______________________________________
Date: _______________________________________
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Bremen School District 228
Social Studies Common Assessment 2
Fall Midterm Study Guide
(Type II Mid-Point)
0232 American History
The American History Fall Midterm has 60 total questions.
The first 24 questions are derived from excerpted historical documents along with
charts/graphs and political cartoons that are aligned to the Common Core History/Social
Studies Reading Standards. This material will come from time periods and topics that
have been studied during the 1st QRT. The specific reading skills that will appear on the
final are as follows:
STANDARD 1: Textual Evidence
I can cite specific evidence from documents to support the analysis of primary and secondary
sources, such as, the date and origin of the information.
STANDARD 7: Media
I can integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve
a problem.
STANDARD 8: Author’s Argument
I can assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s
claims.
Here are examples (not the actual docs) of the type of historical document excerpts that
will appear on the final:
Source: Lewis Cass, in Documents and Proceedings Relating to the Formation and Progress of a
Board in the City of New York, for the Emigration, Preservation, and Improvement of the
Aborigines of America, 1829.
Existing for two centuries in contact with a civilized people, [the Cherokees] have resisted, and
successfully too, every effort to improve their situation, or to introduce among them the most
common arts of life. Their moral and their intellectual condition have been equally stationary.
And in the whole circle of their existence, it would be difficult to point to a single advantage
which they have derived from their acquaintance with the Europeans. All this is without a
parallel in the history of the world. That it is not to be attributed to the indifference or neglect of
the whites, we have already shown. There must then be an inherent difficulty, arising from the
institutions, character, and condition of the Indians themselves.
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Standard 1: Textual Evidence
1. Based upon the reading, how does the author view the Native Americans?
(Standard 1 - Understanding)
a. as equals
b. as inferior
c. as wanting to accept European culture
d. as people who have the capability of understanding European ways
2. Based on the information in the text which belief would the author likely support? (Standard 1 –
Application)
a. Americans should continue to cooperate with Native Americans
b. Native Americans will likely never understand European culture
c. Americans have not done enough to foster the development of Native Americans
d. Native Americans have flourished through their interactions with Americans
Standard 8: Author’s Argument
3. Which excerpt from the passage states the MOST fundamental point?
(Standard 8 - Evaluation)
a. “All this is without a parallel in the history of the world.”
b. “Their moral and their intellectual condition have been equally stationary”
c.
“[the Cherokees] have resisted, and successfully too, every effort to improve their situation,
or to introduce among them the most common arts of life.”
d. “And in the whole circle of their existence”
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Standard 7: Media
4. Which of the following is BEST supported by information presented in this map? (Application)
a. Southern states were more likely to be against the War of 1812
b. Pennsylvania had the most support for the War of 1812
c. New England had much more support for the war than other regions
d. Georgia did not vote on the War of 1812
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5. Which of the following is BEST clarified by the chart? (Analysis)
a. America was fully in support of the War of 1812
b. States could only vote one way on the War of 1812
c. The War of 1812 represented a desire of most Northerners
d. Votes were cast in support of the War of 1812 in both the South and North
Key Concepts for Quarter 1
Unit 1 American Revolution
Topic: Cause of the American Revolution.
6. How did the debt that the colonies incurred from the French and Indian War contribute to the
American Revolution?
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7. What was the effect of taxation without representation on the American colonies?
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Topic: Social Contract Theory and its impact on the Declaration of Independence
8. What is the Social Contract Theory and what was its impact on the Declaration of Independence?
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Topic: What factors contributed to the colonist winning the war
9. What were the American advantages during the American Revolution?
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10. What were Great Britain's advantages when they fought to keep their American colonies?
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11. What was France’s impact on the Revolutionary War?
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Topic: Failure of the Articles of Confederation
12. What were the reasons for the failure of the Articles of Confederation?
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Unit 3 Political Development of the New Nation
Topic: Development of the two party system, contrasting views of Hamilton and Jefferson
13. What was Alexander Hamilton’s position on the two-party system?
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14. How did Thomas Jefferson view the two-party system?
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Topic: Strict vs. Loose interpretation regarding the constitutionality of the National Bank and the
Louisiana Purchase
15. What is the strict interpretation regarding the constitutionality of the National Bank?
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16. What is the loose interpretation regarding the constitutionality of the National Bank?
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17. What is the strict interpretation regarding the constitutionality of the Louisiana Purchase?
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18. What is the loose interpretation regarding the constitutionality of the Louisiana Purchase?
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Topic: Washington’s farewell address regarding isolationism and free trade
19. What was George Washington’s message in his farewell address?
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20. Why did many Americans favor the foreign policy of isolationism?
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21. How did the policy of free trade help the United States grow?
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Topic: United States expansion
22. How did Americans justify the policy of Manifest Destiny? Who was hurt by this practice?
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23. What were the reasons for the Mexican American War? What was the result of the war?
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Topic: How Andrew Jackson changes the Presidency
24. What was Andrew Jackson’s policy on Native Americans?
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25. Under President Jackson, what was the spoils system?
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26. How did the National bank debate affect the young country?
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Topic: How does America deal with the question of slavery as it grows?
27. What were some of the compromises that supporters and opponents of slavery made prior to the
Civil War?
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28. How did the issue of Popular Sovereignty lead to growing tensions over slavery?
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29. What events helped to ultimately cause the south to secede from the union?
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30. How did abolitionists bring attention to the issue of slavery?
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31. What was the importance of the Dred Scott court case?
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32. What were some of the causes & impacts of the Election of 1860?
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