Grade Eight: US History
Semester One
2014
REVIEW PACKET
Student Final Exam Study Sheet
Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Grade Eight- Semester One: U.S. History Exam Review 2014
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Grade Eight US History: Semester One
Student Review Sheet
Unit One: Democracy: Political System of the People
Application of Principles. You must be able to explain and apply each of these terms (that
means give an example from today or from the past).
A. Five Purposes of Government:
• Promote rule of law
• Provide public services
• Support the economic system
• Protect rights
• Prepare for a common defense
B. Methods of Change:
• Working within the system
• Working outside the system
• Creating a new system
General concepts and terms. You must be able to explain and apply each of these terms
(that means give an example from today or from the past).
A. Mercantilism
B. Social Contract
C. Democratic Political System
D. Confederation
E. Individual rights
Historical Knowledge I: Forming a New Political System. You must be able to sequence
the following key events and explain how they contributed to the development of a new
American political system.
• Results of French and Indian War
• Navigation Acts
• Sugar Act
• Stamp Act
• Boston Massacre
• Boston Tea Party
• Intolerable Acts
• Lexington Green
• Continental Congresses
• Patriot committees and organizations
• Declaration of Independence
• Articles of Confederation
• Battle of Yorktown
Historical Knowledge II: Defending the New Political System. You must be able to
identify and explain what contributed to American success in the Revolutionary War.
• American strengths
• Involvement of the French
• Impact of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, King George
Questions for discussion and review for Unit One are on the back of this page.
Grade Eight- Semester One: U.S. History Exam Review 2014
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Discussion and Review Questions: Unit One
• How can people change a political system? What are examples of these ways? What are
examples of ways Patriots tried to change the British political system?
• Why might a society choose to change their political system? Why did the Patriots want
a new political system?
• What are the purposes of government? How does our government today meet these
purposes? Evaluate how effectively the British government and the Confederation
government meet these purposes.
• How did the American Revolution grow from limited protests to illegal actions and
finally war? What events increased tensions or played a significant role in moving
colonists towards declaring independence?
• When did the new American political system begin?
• What were significant turning points leading up to the declaration of war? Why were
they significant?
• How did the American Revolution affect people throughout the colonies including
soldiers, women, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, free blacks, Loyalists, and
others?
• What were significant turning points during the war? How did they affect the outcome of
the war?
• What did America gain in the Treaty of Paris? What challenges faced the new nation?
• How effectively did the Articles of Confederation meet the purposes of government?
Grade Eight- Semester One: U.S. History Exam Review 2014
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Unit Two: Creating a National Political System and Culture
Application of Principles: You must be able to explain and apply each of these terms
(that means give an example from today or from the past).
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
American culture
Rights and responsibilities
Separation of church and state
Rule of law
Equal opportunity
F. Representative government
G. Limited government
H. Freedom and independence
I. Opportunity of a market economy
Constitutional Concepts: You must be able to explain how the Constitution outlined a
structure for a political system based on the following concepts. Define each term and
give an example from the Constitution.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Federalism
Separation of powers (3 branches)
Checks and balances
Judicial Review
National Supremacy
Historical Knowledge I: Creating a New System
A. You must be able to explain why and how Americans chose to create a new political
system.
• Weaknesses of the Articles
• Shays’ Rebellion
• Constitutional Convention
B. You must be able to explain how each of the debates below led to compromises that
helped shape the Constitution.
• Representation: Great Compromise, 3/5s Compromise
• Limited government and Rights and Responsibilities: Bill of Rights
Historical Knowledge II: Inside and Outside Forces Shape the Nation
C. You must be able to explain how each event below contributed to the development of
a national culture.
• Precedents of President Washington
• Federal assumption of war debts
• Whiskey Rebellion
• Neutrality in foreign policy
• Alien and Sedition Acts
• Election of 1800- political parties
• Supreme Court cases:
Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
Questions for discussion and review for Unit Two are on the back of this page.
Grade Eight- Semester One: U.S. History Exam Review 2014
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Discussion and Review Questions: Unit Two
• What shared values unite Americans and provide the nation with a national culture? How
are these values seen in America today? How did these values become a part of our
political system?
• What are the fundamental principles of American government that are expressed in the
Constitution including its amendments? How do these fundamental principles affect the
lives of citizens?
• What principles of government are expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution?
• What debates arose at the Constitutional Convention? How successful were the
compromises in addressing issues of representation and limited government?
• How is power divided and shared in a federal system of government? Why is it shared in
this way?
• How is power divided and shared by the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of
U.S. governments? Why is power divided in this way?
• How does the system of checks and balances prevent the abuse of power? Provide
examples.
• How did political parties develop and influence the political system in the early years of
our nation? How can citizens participate in the political process today?
• Why was the presidency of George Washington important for establishing precedents for
future administrations?
• How did competing political views of Jefferson and Hamilton affect the development of
the nation?
• How did inside and outside forces affect the development of a national political culture?
• When, if ever, is the government justified in limiting individual rights for reasons of
national security?
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