STUDY GUIDE for 8th GRADE AMERICAN HISTORY – Semester 1 – 201
Instructor: Tim Cummings.
The following are events; concepts and people from the time periods we have studied this first
semester in 8th Grade US History. The time period covered goes from 1492 to 1860. If you have
a thorough knowledge of these terms; people; places and events, to the extent that you can
recognize and briefly discuss them, you will be ready for your Final Exam and will be able to
make a good grade.
Semester 1 – Period of Study: Age of Exploration (1492) – Beginning of Civil War (1860).
UNIT 1. EXPLORATION and COLONIZATION. 1492-1733.
1. How did the Vikings get to North America? When did they get here?
2. What did the explorations and writings of Marco Polo have to do with this Age
Of Exploration?
3. How was the Columbus exploration in opposition to the Church?
4. When did Chris Columbus get here; what were the names of his ships and what
Monarchs did he sail for?
5. Why did he think he had landed in China when he arrived in the Caribbean?
6. What is Ponce de Leon noted for?
7. What empire did Cortez conquer?
8. Who did Pizzaro conquer?
9. The Defeat of the Spanish Armada was the most important event in US History at that time
(1588) , and the US had not even started yet – Explain. What did this event have to do with
US History?
10. After the Defeat of the Armada the door opened for many other countries to
This “New World”: who were some of these other countries that came here?
11. The French were looking for a “Northwest Passage”, where did they think it was?
12. The French ended up exploring down what River? What city did they settle?
13. What was the first permanent colony in America was: What year? What country?
14. Why and When did the Pilgrims come?
15. Discuss the first Thanksgiving.
16. What colony in America did the Dutch settle?
17. When and where slaves brought to America?
18. What is the “Middle passage”?
19. What did the Southern colonies do for a living?
20. When, Why and Who settled Georgia?
21. Why did the New England colonies prosper better than the Chesapeake colonies?
22. Be able to label the original 13 colonies on a map with major rivers, mtn. ranges, etc.
Semester 1 – 2016 – 8th Grade Final Exam Study Guide (continued)
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UNIT 2. The French & Indian War and the American Revolution – 1756-1781.
1. What prompted the conflict between the French and the English in 1856?
2. Where was Fort Duquense? Who took it over?
3. What was George Washington sent to do?
4. What happened during his mission that helped prompt the F/I War?
5. What and Where was Fort Necessity? What happened there to GW?
6. Who was General Braddock and what role did he play in the war?
7. After what event did GW feel he was destined to do something big historically?
8. Why did the Colonists believe that they carried the majority of the load for the win?
9. Contrast the Colonial and British Government view of each other after the
Revolution, and what was owed the other and why.
10. Explain the significance of the following events heading into the American Revolution:
Boston Massacre; Boston Tea Party; Intolerable Acts; Paine’s Common Sense;
Patrick Henry’s declaration; Lexington & Concorde; Olive Branch Petition;
King George III insanity issues; Minutemen; First Continental Congress.
11. What is this all about: A Citizen Army comprised of untrained Farmers and merchants
take on the world’s best trained, best equipped Army & Navy.
12. Discuss the following battles and their significance: Bunker Hill; Long Island; Ft. Ticon.
Crossing the Delaware (Trenton); Valley Forge; Monmouth Court House; Yorktown.
13. Discuss the Role of the Rochambeau; DeGrasse and the French.
14. What did GW have to do to get to Yorktown, Virginia?
15. How did GW’s “never quit” resilience eventually lead to Victory for the Colonies?
16. What role did the following men play: Lafayette; VonSteuben.
UNIT 3. 1781 – 1800. The Articles; The Constitution; George Washington; John Adams.
1. What were 7 weaknesses of the Articles? Where was all the power given?
2. Why did smart men make a weak, unworkable government?
3. How did Daniel Shays’s help wake them up to the fact that we needed a better govn’t?
4. Where; When; Why; Who – The Constitutional Convention?
5. What was the difference between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?
6. Explain how the Great Compromise worked and how it pacified both the large
and small states. What was the 3/5s compromise?
7. Who were the Anti-Federalists and what were they afraid of?
8. What were the Federalists papers and what did they have to do with the passage
of the Constitution amongst the states?
9. What did Jefferson demand before he would support the Constitution?
10. What are the 7 Articles about?
11. What is the Bill of Rights about? Can you name the 1st and 2nd amendments
UNIT 3 (continued) Articles/Constitution/GW
12. Did GW want to be the first President? Why not – explain.
13. List and Discuss 7 “Precedents” he set as our first President.
14. What was Hamilton’s assignment as our first Secretary of the Treasury?
15. What was the Whiskey Rebellion all about?
16. Who was Citizen Genet; what did he want and what did GW do with him?
17. How did the capital get moved to Virginia?
18. What are Tariffs and Excise Taxes?
19. Discuss these 3 main events of the Adam’s Administration:
1. Formation of Political Parties 2. XYZ affair; 3. Partisan Legislation.
20. How was Adam’s a “Statesmen” in the XYA affair and a “Politician” concerning
the Sedition; Naturalization and Alien Acts?
21. Who was Matthew Lyon and what was his story?
UNIT 4. 1800 – 1824: Jefferson – Madison – Monroe & Nationalism.
1. What were some of Thomas Jefferson’s many talents?
2. Who were the “midnight judges”?
3. What was Marbury vs. Madison and what is Judicial Review?
4. What was the War with Tripoli (1801-1804) all about?
5. How did we get the Louisiana Purchase and who did it happen?
6. What is Impressment and what was the Embargo of 1807.
7. Why do we all the War of 1812 “Mr. Madison’s War”?
8. Why do historians say the War of 1812 was Stupid and avoidable?
9. What part of the country did not want to go to war with England in 1812? Why?
10. Who were the “War Hawks”? What were they all fired up about? Name one.
11. What city was burned by the British during the War? What did Dolly Madison do?
12. How did Fort McHenry save Baltimore?\
13. Discuss how the “Star Spangled Banner” got written.
14. How did William Henry Harrison contribute to the War effort?
15. How did Commodore Oliver Hazzard Perry help us win the War of 1812?
16. What battles did Andrew Jackson lead? What happened in New Orleans?
17. Why was the Battle of New Orleans stupid?
18. What happened to the Federalist Party after the War of 1812? Why?
19. What did the Victory in the War of 1812 do to our view of ourselves as Americans?
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UNIT 4. 1800-1824 (continued)
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20. What is Nationalism?
21. Who was the President during the Nationalistic Period?
22. What did Robert Fulton invent?
23. Know this: Nationalistic Legislation: Clay’s American System / Missouri Compromise.
Mason – Dixon Line. Erie Canal; Cumberland Road.
24. Know this: Nationalistic Court Decisions: McCollough vs. Maryland - what it’s about.
Gibbons vs. Ogden and monopolies; Dartmouth vs. Maryland and Business.
25. Know this: Nationalistic Foreign policy: Florida Purchase; 49th Parallel;
Monroe Doctrine (England backs it); John Quincy Adams as Sec. of State.
26. What was the “Era of Good Feelings” all about?
UNIT 5. 1824-1836. JACKSONIAN DEMOCRACY.
1. Why was the election of 1824 called the “Favorite Son” election?
2. Who ran from Georgia, what happened to him?
3. Since no one a majority of the Electoral Votes – who decided the election?
4. What was the outcome? Did it appear as if a deal had been made? Explain?
5. Who became Secretary of State?
6. Why were the Jackson people so mad?
7. What was their cry for 4 years?
8. What kind of Presidency did JQ Adams end up having? Why?
9. What years was Andrew Jackson President?
10. Why do we call his Presidency Jacksonian Democracy?
11. What was the “Trail of Tears” about?
12. What will many Native Americans not touch? Why?
13. How did Jackson get more common people involved in the political process?
14. What is “Old Hickory” and the “People’s President” all about?
15. Why did Clay and Adams consider Jackson Barbaric?
16. Why did Jackson hate the BUS (Bank of the United States)?
17. Who was Nicholas Biddle?
18. What was the “Spoils System”?
19.What was the Kitchen Cabinet?
20. Why did Clay bring the BUS charter up 4 years early in 1832?
21. Did his plan against Jackson work? Explain?
22. Where did all the Federal Money go? What is a Pet Bank?
23. Explain this: The National Debt and Jackson.
24. Why did they call him “King Andrew”?
25. What happened to William Henry Harrison? What is “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”?
26. Why was Tyler a “man without a party”?
8th US HIST. Study Guide (continued)
UNIT 6. MANIFEST DESTINY – 1836-1850.
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1. What is the idea of “Manifest Destiny”?
2. Why did Americans go to Texas in 1820 – who led them there?
3. Why did the Mexican government change the rules on them?
4. Explain what happened at the Alamo in 1836?
5. What was Sam Houston’s Battle Cry?
6. Who were Bowie; Travis and Crockett?
7. Name the Mexican General Houston captured – what did he get out of him?
8. Why would the US not take Texas immediately into the Union.
9. What did they become instead of part of the USA?
10. What President brought them in instead?
11. What did “54 – 40 or fight” mean?
12. Why did we go to war with Mexico in 1846?
13. Name 4 US Generals and their battle victories from the Mexican War.
14. The Mexican War was a training ground for whom?
15. What Treaty ended the Mexican War?
16. What was the Gadshen Purchase, why did some historians call it “conscience” money?
17. What was the Aroostook War all about? Was it really a war? Where did it happen?
18. Students need to be able to draw a map from what the US looked liked in 1789 and
how we got to our completed continental map, as well as the steps involved.
19. What is Sectionalism and how did we get from Nationalism to Sectionalism.
UNIT 7. 1850-1860 – BOOM PERIOD – The Major Events that led to the Civil War .
1. Explain how the events of the 1850’s made the South come to the conclusion and belief that they
that they had no other option than to leave the Union if they were going to survive economically and
as a culture.
2. What history did the South base it’s actions to secede on?
3. How did the following events persuade the South that it was time to leave the Union?
A. Nat Turner’s slave Rebellion.
B. The authorship of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.
C. The murder of Elijah Lovejoy.
D. The Brooks / Sumner Episode on the Floor of the US Senate.
E. Stephen Douglas and the doctrine of Popular Sovereignty.
F. The Missouri Compromise.
G. Bleeding Kansas.
H. John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry.
I. The Dred Scott Court Decision.
J. Harriet Tubman’s “Underground Railroad”.
H. The Fugitive Slave Law and the North’s ignoring of it.
K. How was Lincoln’s election in 1860 the “Last Straw” for the South?