1. Compare and contrast the indigenous cultures that existed in the Americas pre-1492.

2. Evaluate how British, French and Spanish colonization impacted Native Americans in the 16th,
17th, 18th centuries.
3. Evaluate how indigenous peoples impacted British, French and Spanish cultures and sentiments
from early contact up through the 19th century.
4. Analyze the important aspects of life in the European colonies and contrast the experiences of
European, African, an Native men and women.
5. Describe the philosophical and religious movements which impacted American political thought.
6. Explain the causes of the American Revolution and the rhetorical directives of Patriot leaders,
analyze the fractured loyalties of slaves and Native Americans, and explain how the American
rebels defeated the British, thus rejecting hereditary rule.
7. Discuss the problems and promises of the new nation and the government in the 1780s as it
broke free from mercantilism and rule by monarchy.
8. Analyze the development and economic basis of American racial slavery, explain the evolution
of the slave experiences through the 1860s, and critique the scientific and cultural justifications
for servitude.
9. Explain how American culture, society, and the economic life expanded industrially and
geographically from 1790s to the 1860s. Discuss the causes and impact of American expansion
to Louisiana, Texas, California, and the West.
10. Explain the legislative, economic and cultural differences that would bring about the Civil War in
1861. Trace the causes of the Civil War and discuss the most important aspects of the War itself.
11. Discuss the legacies of the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction.