8th Grade - United States History Midterm Exam Study Guide

CCPS Skills and Processes Questions

Research and Writing:

1. What is a primary source? Provide some examples.

An item directly from that period of time and place directly connected to the topic; original
source (ex: diary from the person you are studying or an autobiography)

2. What is a secondary source? Provide some examples.

Item not necessarily from the time or place you are studying; source not directly connected to the
topic; one step removed (ex: history textbook or journal article)

3. What are some of the traits of a reliable website when conducting an online search?
Updated recently; identifies the author with credentials that can be verified; web address
extension of .edu .gov .mil (indicating university, government, and military websites); came from
a school-approved or library-approved database; when cross-checked with other sources, info is
accurate; all links connecting to another page or site are updated and work

4. What is the purpose of a Thesis Statement?

Creates an argument or purpose for writing that then has to be proven in the body of the paper.

Content Review

I. Creating America and the Revolutionary Era

1. Explain the impact of geography on the development of the New England, Middle, and Southern
Colonies.
New England Colonies – rolling hills, deep forests; steep mountains; rocky cliffs; frigid winters;
and mild summers led to lumbering, shipbuilding, fishing, and trading as main economies
Middle Colonies – forested mountains; rolling hills; and many harbors and bays let to small farms,
fur trapping, and trade
Southern Colonies – wide marshes and swamps; broad, flat plains; hot, humid summers led to
plantation farming

2. Discuss the political and social views that are distinctive to each colonial region.
The New England region was not diverse, composed of mostly white English people. It was very
religious, believed in a simple lifestyle of hard work and self-government. New Englanders relied
heavily on strict laws, and church was the center of many New England towns.
The Middle Colonies were much more diverse than New England. Lots of people from different
religious and cultural backgrounds. Merchant class led to diversity of European ethnic groups.
The Southern Colonies were not as diverse as the Middle Colonies, but more diverse than New
England. Social classes mattered a lot, with wealthy plantation owners (who owned most of the
slaves) at the top, poorer whites in the middle, and slaves at the very bottom.

1
 3. Describe the goals of British Mercantilism in America. In other words, why did England want to
control colonial trade?
Mercantilism - an economic system in which the parent country (England) creates wealth by
controlling trade with its colonies. The purpose of the Mercantile system was to provide financial
gain for the Mother Country by importing cheap raw materials from the Colonies and exporting
expensive manufactured goods to the Colonies for a profit.

4. List some of the most important results (outcomes) of the French and Indian War. (Don’t forget to
talk about how the war affected the relationship between the American colonists and the English
government)
England defeated France, gaining control of the Ohio Valley, but found itself in debt from the war.
To repay their debt, England began enforcing taxes on the Colonies. These taxes angered the
Colonists, who were allies with Britain during war and hoped to benefit from acquiring more land.

5. List the reasons why the American colonists rebelled against England. Consider various acts passed
by Parliament.
The Colonies were upset at the British for preventing Colonial settlement across the Appalachian
Mountains due to the Proclamation of 1763.The Colonies were also upset because of forced
taxation without representation in Parliament.

6. Why was it difficult for Washington to keep experienced soldiers in the Continental Army?
The soldiers were volunteers, sent from the militias of the different states, and their enlistments
only lasted for a year. So, when their enlistments were up, many of them wanted to return to their
families back home.

7. Explain the significance of the following Revolutionary War battles: The Battle of Bunker Hill,
Lexington and Concord, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
Bunker Hill – boosted Am morale (though Br took the hill) b/c so many Regulars perished in battle
Lex/Concord – 1st shots of the war; started the American Revolution
Trenton – Americans gained confidence w/ first major victory against Hessians (fighting for Eng.)
Saratoga – American victory convinced French to join the war to aid Continental Army
Yorktown – Br. Gen. Cornwallis surrenders the last major battle, ends the war

8. What was the most important outcome of the American Revolution?

The United States officially gained its independence from Great Britain with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris in 1783.

9. List the basic principles of government stated in the Declaration of Independence.

“…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Citizens have the right to displace governments that violate these natural-born rights and put in
place their own governments.

II. Building a New Nation

1. Describe the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles provided for a one-house legislature, a weak executive, no national power of taxation,
a lack of standard currency, and voting by state—flaws that would eventually lead to its failure.

2
2. Define and describe federalism. Provide an example of this principle of the United States
Constitution.
Federalism is the division of power between the Federal and State governments. Federalism was
based on the belief that the Federal government needed to be strong enough to bind the states
together, but that the states must have some powers reserved for them. [Alexander Hamilton created
the National Bank to consolidate all of the state debts under the Federal government. Also,
Congress was divided into two houses—one that represented the states’ interests (the Senate) and
one that represents the people’s interests (the House of Representatives).]

3. Outline key points of the Great Compromise and the Three-fifths Compromise
The Great Compromise – The larger states (such as VA, PA, NY, etc.) advocated for proportional
representation in Congress based on population (this became known as the VA Plan), while the
smaller states fought for equal representation in Congress (this became known as the NJ Plan).
Roger Sherman of CT proposed a compromise by dividing Congress into two houses—the Senate
would include an equal number of representatives per state and the House of Representatives would
include a number of representatives from each state proportional to that state’s population.
The Three-fifths Compromise – In the House or Representatives, if population would determine
representation, non-slave-holding states would not want to count slaves whereas slave-holding
states would want to count slaves, so the Delegates agreed to count three people for every five
slaves when counting population.

4. Explain why the founding fathers added the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution because not all states would ratify (vote in favor of
as a show of approval and acceptance) the Constitution unless amendments were included to protect
the citizens’ rights from abuses by the Federal government. The framers required 9 of the 13 states
to ratify the Constitution for it to be adopted. When the Federalists promised that a Bill of Rights to
protect citizens would be added, then all of the states agreed to ratify the Constitution.

5. Describe some of the key push/pull factors that led Americans to migrate throughout the colonies
and westward.
Push factors – strict religious practices (Connecticut and Rhode Island were both founded by
leaders who left Massachusetts to establish a place to practice religion more freely than the strict
Puritanism of the Massachusetts Colony)
Pull factors – economic opportunity and fertile soil (large tracts of land in Ohio valley provided
opportunities to own land and the beaver trade represented a growing economy from which settlers
sought profit west of the Appalachian Mountains)

6. Briefly describe the primary goals of American foreign policy during the first years of the new
republic? (think about Washington’s farewell address)
a. Also consider the goal of the Monroe Doctrine

Isolationism – 1) (according to my daughter, Corinne) unicorns, cupcakes, rainbows, puppies,

flowers, kitties, and cookies, 2) a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other
groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Four out of our first five American Presidents predominantly maintained an Isolationist foreign
policy, starting with George Washington and continuing through James Monroe. Washington

3
 advised that America “steer clear of foreign alliances” in his Farewell Address. France and England
had been at war with each other since 1793. In leaving office in 1796, Washington advised that
American avoid siding with either European superpower because our nation was not yet equipped
to get entangled in another war. Each of the Presidents who followed Washington, except James
Madison (who presided during the War of 1812) sought isolationism as well.

Timeline: (1794) Washington ordered a treaty with England that was supposed to prevent the
kidnapping of American sailors by the British Navy. (1797 – 1798) Adams was mocked for his
administration’s inability to establish a treaty with France, so he built up a navy while America
struggled through abuses by France in the Atlantic Ocean. (1807) Jefferson then attempted to solve
this mistreatment by England and France with an embargo on all foreign trade. (1812 – 1815) By
the time of Madison’s Presidency, American had bolstered its military, so the U.S. abandoned
isolationism and fought England on American soil and waterways in an attempt to resolve their
grievances with the British Navy. After the United States reached a stalemate against England in the
2nd War of Independence, American nationalism and patriotism swelled. (1823) Our fifth President,
James Monroe, took advantage of this national pride during the “Era of Good Feelings” and decreed
that Europe should stay out of American affairs in the western hemisphere and refrain from any
further attempts at colonization in the Americas.

IV. Be prepared to respond to a question related to one of the following Overarching Themes
(OAT’s)

Overarching Theme Two

Evaluate the common push/pull factors that have led immigrants to move to America from other places
and Americans to migrate across the North American continent.

Overarching Theme Six

Analyze various factors that have led American colonists into conflict with other cultures and evaluate
how these conflicts have affected change within America. This may include: