Difference between revisions of "American History Lecture Eight"
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[[American History Lecture Eight|Lecture]] - [[American_History_Homework_Eight|Questions]] - [[American History Homework Eight Answers|Student Answers]] | [[American History Lecture Eight|Lecture]] - [[American_History_Homework_Eight|Questions]] - [[American History Homework Eight Answers|Student Answers]] | ||
| − | + | We will have our midterm exam next week. Our exam will consist of ''about'' 30 questions (the total will be different for the boys' and girls' tests). | |
| − | :35% on politics, such as the president, Congress and government policy | + | There are three ingredients to success on any exam: |
| + | *how much time is spent studying | ||
| + | *how effective your method of studying is | ||
| + | *how clever you are in taking the exam | ||
| + | |||
| + | View an exam as a fun challenge, like running a race or playing a game. Your performance in the race or game depends on your time spent preparing, how effectively you prepared, and how effectively you tried during the race or game itself. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Master all three aspects of exam preparation above and you will maximize your score. For some, that will mean scoring at the top of the class; for others, it will mean improving what your score would have been otherwise. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Recall how the homeschoolers Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison approached the challenges in their life. They saw challenge as opportunity, and gave it their best shot. They knew that success in life is due almost entirely to "perspiration" (work) rather than inborn traits like IQ. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Several students have informed me that they will be taking the CLEP American History exam in order to earn college credit. Congratulations to those students already for showing initiative, and hopefully others will consider attempting to earn college credit also. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Because several students are taking the CLEP exam, and because it is the best of the College Board exams, we will follow its format. The CLEP exam divides American history into two periods. The first CLEP American history exam covers through Reconstruction, just like our midterm exam. Our midterm exam will follow the CLEP's subject matter breakdown for questions: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :35% of questions are on politics, such as the president, Congress and government policy | ||
:25% on social developments, such as slavery, utopian communities, religious and reform movements | :25% on social developments, such as slavery, utopian communities, religious and reform movements | ||
:15% on intellectual and cultural developments, such as books and inventions | :15% on intellectual and cultural developments, such as books and inventions | ||
| Line 10: | Line 25: | ||
:10% on economics, such as inflation, taxes, and protective tariffs | :10% on economics, such as inflation, taxes, and protective tariffs | ||
| − | + | In terms of the time period, only 30% of the first CLEP exam (through Reconstruction) is devoted to the beginning of time to 1789. So do not start with that period and burn out before you study the period of 1790 to 1877, where 70% of the questions are from. Do not waste too much time studying exploration, settlement and colonial America! Perhaps only 10% of the CLEP exam (and our exam) will cover that period. Students often make a big mistake in preparation by not allocating their study time properly. | |
| − | "Time is money" is a famous, and true, saying. The time you spend not making money could have been better spent making money. Wasted time is lost opportunity to make money, or do something else useful, such as charity or prayer. | + | "Time is money" is a famous, and true, saying. The time you spend not making money could have been better spent making money. Wasted time is lost opportunity to make money, or do something else useful, such as charity or prayer. Also, wasted time is often less enjoyable than time spent working on something you believe in. |
| − | A similar | + | A concept similar to "time is money" applies to studying for exams. You will spend a certain amount of time preparing for the midterm exam. Call that total amount of time "x". How you allocate that time to different areas of the overall time period (1500-1877) will make a difference on how well you do on the exam. If you spend 90% of x on the period between 1500 and 1700, then you will do poorly on 90% of the questions, because they will be from the period 1700 to 1877. You would have done far better to spend the 90% of x on the time period that will have 90% of the questions. |
| − | It | + | How hard you try while taking the exam will also count towards your score. It helps immensely to identify the time period of a history question before trying to answer it. In doing this, it helps to know which presidents served when. You can memorize a [[Presidents of the United States|list of presidents]] if you prefer. Or maybe you can figure it out from what you learned in the lectures. Test yourself: who was president in 1842?<ref>[[John Tyler]]</ref> Who was the president in 1826?<ref>[[John Quincy Adams]]</ref> |
| − | There will be several cartoons on the exam. Realize that cartoons are a way for someone to describe facts with a point of view, in order to make a political statement. The cartoonist uses caricatures and draws situations in order to express a point of view. The key to deciphering cartoons is to | + | There will be several cartoons on the exam. Realize that cartoons are a way for someone to describe facts with a point of view, in order to make a political statement. The cartoonist uses caricatures and draws situations in order to express a point of view. The key to deciphering cartoons is to pay close attention to detail, to pick up all the clues. |
Many students make the mistake of answering a cartoon question too quickly. A cartoon is a mystery, like an unsolved crime. As soon as a cop arrives on a crime scene, he does not jump to a conclusion about who committed the crime. He gathers all the evidence. He considers possibilities. He wants an explanation that fits all the facts. He looks for a motive. Approach cartoons the same way. | Many students make the mistake of answering a cartoon question too quickly. A cartoon is a mystery, like an unsolved crime. As soon as a cop arrives on a crime scene, he does not jump to a conclusion about who committed the crime. He gathers all the evidence. He considers possibilities. He wants an explanation that fits all the facts. He looks for a motive. Approach cartoons the same way. | ||
| − | More generally, look for a purpose to | + | More generally, look for a purpose to every question. Develop a sense or "ear" for historical purpose in these exams. Prefer an answer choice that adds historical meaning and purpose to a question. |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | Often there are maps to read on history exams, and here is a tip for them: before the Civil War there was no West Virginia. If you see West Virginia on a map, then it was after the Civil War started. | |
'''Above all, understand a question before trying to answer it!''' | '''Above all, understand a question before trying to answer it!''' | ||
| Line 53: | Line 61: | ||
Listed below are the key terms for the first half of American history (through Reconstruction). The highlighted terms are the most important, and the ones for students to focus on first. The non-highlighted terms are more for the students in the "honors" portion of this course. Any of these terms may appear on the exams in this course. Several of our students are already planning to take the CLEP exam, and anyone doing that should know as many of these terms as possible. | Listed below are the key terms for the first half of American history (through Reconstruction). The highlighted terms are the most important, and the ones for students to focus on first. The non-highlighted terms are more for the students in the "honors" portion of this course. Any of these terms may appear on the exams in this course. Several of our students are already planning to take the CLEP exam, and anyone doing that should know as many of these terms as possible. | ||
| − | The list is not as daunting as it appears. Homeschoolers who win the spelling bees memorize the entire dictionary, which is tens of thousands of words. This list is only about 321 terms. A homeschooler like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison would | + | The list is not as daunting as it appears. Homeschoolers who win the spelling bees memorize the entire dictionary, which is tens of thousands of words. This list is only about 321 terms. A homeschooler like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison would diligently memorize and know the meaning of all the terms on this list, not because they are smarter, but because they believed in trying their best. You can try your best -- everyone can -- and you find lots of time for this that is otherwise wasted. |
This chart can be used effectively to quiz yourself. Pick out any term, and try to identify its time period and who was president. Does the term refer to foreign policy (e.g., dealings with a foreign country) or domestic policy (e.g., an issue internal to the United States)? Even if you don't recall immediately the meaning of the term, try to figure it out based on what you do know. | This chart can be used effectively to quiz yourself. Pick out any term, and try to identify its time period and who was president. Does the term refer to foreign policy (e.g., dealings with a foreign country) or domestic policy (e.g., an issue internal to the United States)? Even if you don't recall immediately the meaning of the term, try to figure it out based on what you do know. | ||
Revision as of 14:39, October 27, 2008
Lecture - Questions - Student Answers
We will have our midterm exam next week. Our exam will consist of about 30 questions (the total will be different for the boys' and girls' tests).
There are three ingredients to success on any exam:
- how much time is spent studying
- how effective your method of studying is
- how clever you are in taking the exam
View an exam as a fun challenge, like running a race or playing a game. Your performance in the race or game depends on your time spent preparing, how effectively you prepared, and how effectively you tried during the race or game itself.
Master all three aspects of exam preparation above and you will maximize your score. For some, that will mean scoring at the top of the class; for others, it will mean improving what your score would have been otherwise.
Recall how the homeschoolers Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison approached the challenges in their life. They saw challenge as opportunity, and gave it their best shot. They knew that success in life is due almost entirely to "perspiration" (work) rather than inborn traits like IQ.
Several students have informed me that they will be taking the CLEP American History exam in order to earn college credit. Congratulations to those students already for showing initiative, and hopefully others will consider attempting to earn college credit also.
Because several students are taking the CLEP exam, and because it is the best of the College Board exams, we will follow its format. The CLEP exam divides American history into two periods. The first CLEP American history exam covers through Reconstruction, just like our midterm exam. Our midterm exam will follow the CLEP's subject matter breakdown for questions:
- 35% of questions are on politics, such as the president, Congress and government policy
- 25% on social developments, such as slavery, utopian communities, religious and reform movements
- 15% on intellectual and cultural developments, such as books and inventions
- 15% on foreign policy, such as foreign wars, treaties and diplomacy
- 10% on economics, such as inflation, taxes, and protective tariffs
In terms of the time period, only 30% of the first CLEP exam (through Reconstruction) is devoted to the beginning of time to 1789. So do not start with that period and burn out before you study the period of 1790 to 1877, where 70% of the questions are from. Do not waste too much time studying exploration, settlement and colonial America! Perhaps only 10% of the CLEP exam (and our exam) will cover that period. Students often make a big mistake in preparation by not allocating their study time properly.
"Time is money" is a famous, and true, saying. The time you spend not making money could have been better spent making money. Wasted time is lost opportunity to make money, or do something else useful, such as charity or prayer. Also, wasted time is often less enjoyable than time spent working on something you believe in.
A concept similar to "time is money" applies to studying for exams. You will spend a certain amount of time preparing for the midterm exam. Call that total amount of time "x". How you allocate that time to different areas of the overall time period (1500-1877) will make a difference on how well you do on the exam. If you spend 90% of x on the period between 1500 and 1700, then you will do poorly on 90% of the questions, because they will be from the period 1700 to 1877. You would have done far better to spend the 90% of x on the time period that will have 90% of the questions.
How hard you try while taking the exam will also count towards your score. It helps immensely to identify the time period of a history question before trying to answer it. In doing this, it helps to know which presidents served when. You can memorize a list of presidents if you prefer. Or maybe you can figure it out from what you learned in the lectures. Test yourself: who was president in 1842?[1] Who was the president in 1826?[2]
There will be several cartoons on the exam. Realize that cartoons are a way for someone to describe facts with a point of view, in order to make a political statement. The cartoonist uses caricatures and draws situations in order to express a point of view. The key to deciphering cartoons is to pay close attention to detail, to pick up all the clues.
Many students make the mistake of answering a cartoon question too quickly. A cartoon is a mystery, like an unsolved crime. As soon as a cop arrives on a crime scene, he does not jump to a conclusion about who committed the crime. He gathers all the evidence. He considers possibilities. He wants an explanation that fits all the facts. He looks for a motive. Approach cartoons the same way.
More generally, look for a purpose to every question. Develop a sense or "ear" for historical purpose in these exams. Prefer an answer choice that adds historical meaning and purpose to a question.
Often there are maps to read on history exams, and here is a tip for them: before the Civil War there was no West Virginia. If you see West Virginia on a map, then it was after the Civil War started.
Above all, understand a question before trying to answer it!
We have covered a great deal of material spanning hundreds of years. We need to try to organize all these facts in our mind somehow. Develop a frame of reference to do this. You can choose whatever frame of reference you like. For me, my frame of reference in remembering each president is to think about how conservative he was. Every few decades we have a conservative president:
1788 – George Washington
1816 – James Monroe
1884 – Grover Cleveland (a conservative Democrat who was pro-gold, anti-union, and anti-government-spending)
1920 – Warren Harding
1980 – Ronald Reagan
Then I fill in the other presidents in between, with reasons why they were not so conservative.
For example, Thomas Jefferson was not particularly conservative because he was personally opposed to religion in government, unsuccessfully fought the Tripoli War, continued some of Alexander Hamilton's big government programs (like a national bank), and imposed the Embargo Act against trade with Europe. You may find this approach helpful in organizing and remembering all of American History since George Washington. Or perhaps you have your own approach for keeping the presidents straight, and organizing historical events. The point is to find something that works for you, and then use it to master the material.
Key Terms Through Reconstruction
Listed below are the key terms for the first half of American history (through Reconstruction). The highlighted terms are the most important, and the ones for students to focus on first. The non-highlighted terms are more for the students in the "honors" portion of this course. Any of these terms may appear on the exams in this course. Several of our students are already planning to take the CLEP exam, and anyone doing that should know as many of these terms as possible.
The list is not as daunting as it appears. Homeschoolers who win the spelling bees memorize the entire dictionary, which is tens of thousands of words. This list is only about 321 terms. A homeschooler like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison would diligently memorize and know the meaning of all the terms on this list, not because they are smarter, but because they believed in trying their best. You can try your best -- everyone can -- and you find lots of time for this that is otherwise wasted.
This chart can be used effectively to quiz yourself. Pick out any term, and try to identify its time period and who was president. Does the term refer to foreign policy (e.g., dealings with a foreign country) or domestic policy (e.g., an issue internal to the United States)? Even if you don't recall immediately the meaning of the term, try to figure it out based on what you do know.
Quizzing yourself in this manner will both improve your test-taking skills, and identify for yourself what you need to study more. Use the short descriptions for these terms that will be handed out in class (and which is available by email - contact me if you need a copy), or refer back to the lectures and the model answers.
| American Indians | Thomas Paine/Common Sense | Utopian communities |
| Meso-America | Valley Forge | Examples of Utopian groups |
| Europe: Crusades | Franco-American Alliance | Women's Rights/Seneca Falls |
| Christopher Columbus | Declaration of Independence | Shakers |
| Treaty of Tordesillas | Articles of Confederation | William Lloyd Garrison |
| John Cabot | Treaty of Paris | American Antislavery Society |
| Ponce de Leon | Newburgh Addresses (or Conspiracy) | Horace Mann/Public Education |
| Hernando Cortes | Land Ordinance of 1785 | Liberty Party |
| St. Augustine, Florida | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | Mormon Church |
| Santa Fe, New Mexico | Annapolis Convention | Emerson and Thoreau |
| League of Iroquois | Shay's Rebellion | Commonwealth v. Hunt |
| Sir Humphrey Gilbert | Constitutional Convention of 1787 | Seventh Day Adventist Church |
| Roanoke Island (""Lost Colony") | Virginia Plan | Elizabeth Blackwell |
| Spanish Florida | New Jersey Plan | Oregon Trail |
| Spanish Armada | Connecticut Plan | Texas secedes from Mexico |
| Samuel de Champlain | bill of attainder | Gag rule |
| Virginia Company | Federalist Papers | John Tyler |
| Jamestown (Virginia) | bicameral legislature | Elijah Lovejoy |
| economic system of Jamestown | George Washington | Webster-Ashburton Treaty |
| "Starving time" | Judiciary Act of 1789 | James Polk |
| Henry Hudson | full ratification of Constitution | Manifest Destiny |
| House of Burgesses | Hamilton's report on the public credit | Texas enters Union |
| Jamestown's "cash crop" | Hamilton's report on manufacturers | Slidell Mission |
| First slaves | First Bank of the United States | Oregon Treaty |
| Plymouth Bay Colony | Bill of Rights | Wilmot Proviso |
| Mayflower Compact | cotton gin | Iowa enters Union |
| economic system of Plymouth, Mass. | federal assumption of state debts | Mexican War |
| difference between English & Spanish | Washington's Neutrality Proclamation | Spot Resolutions |
| Powhatan Confederacy | Citizen Genet | Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo |
| Mercantilism | Jay's Treaty | Barnburners |
| Royal Colony | Executive Privilege of President | Zachary Taylor |
| Charter Colony | Chisholm v. Georgia | Gold in California |
| Joint-Stock Colony | Whiskey Rebellion | Millard Fillmore |
| Proprietary Colony | Pinckney's Treaty | Compromise of 1850 |
| Massachusetts Bay Company | Washington's Farewell Address | Fugitive Slave Act |
| Puritans | Quids | Minnesota and Oregon join US |
| Puritans compared to Pilgrims | John Adams | Economy of South in 1850s |
| Great Migration | XYZ Affair | Clayton-Bulwer Treaty |
| Virginia as Royal Colony | Alien and Sedition Acts | Clipper ships |
| Maryland | Virginia and Kentucky Resolves | German and Irish immigration |
| Connecticut | Undeclared naval war with France | Perry/Japan |
| Rhode Island | Adam's "midnight judges" | Ostend Manifesto |
| Pequot War | "Revolution of 1800" | Transatlantic cable/telegraph |
| Colonies settled 1607-39 | Thomas Jefferson | "Uncle Tom's Cabin" |
| Congregational Church | Tripoli War | Know-Nothing (American) Party |
| Anne Hutchinson | John Marshall | Franklin Pierce |
| Roger Williams | Marbury v. Madison | Kansas-Nebraska Act |
| United Colonies of New England | Lewis and Clark | Republican Party |
| Toleration Act of 1649 | Burr-Hamilton Duel | early leaders of Republican Party |
| Fundamental Orders of Connecticut | British Orders in Council | "Bleeding Kansas" |
| Religious Persecution in Mass. | Chesapeake Affair (Leopard) | John Brown's attack |
| New Amsterdam | Embargo Act | Brooks-Sumner incident |
| New Jersey | Nonintercourse Act | Clara Barton |
| Carolina | Harrison at Tippecanoe Creek | James Buchanan |
| King Philip's War | James Madison | Panic of 1857 |
| Bacon's Rebellion | British burn Washington, D.C. | Dred Scott v. Sanford |
| Pennsylvania | Star-Spangled Banner | Lecompton Constitution |
| Quaker beliefs | Treaty of Ghent | Lincoln-Douglas Debates |
| Colonies with most religious freedom | Hartford Convention | Freeport Doctrine (Freeport, IL) |
| Charter of Liberties | Battle of New Orleans | John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry |
| Dominion of New England | Bonus Bill | 1860 Repub. Platform |
| Glorious Revolution in England | James Monroe | Abraham Lincoln |
| Delaware | Rush-Bagot Agreement | Copperheads |
| Georgia | Fulton's steamboat | The Confederate States of America |
| Middle Colonies | Fletcher v. Peck | Fort Sumter |
| Founding of colleges in colonies | Cumberland (National) Road | Trent Affair |
| Halfway Covenant | Protective Tariff | Confiscation Act |
| Triangular trade | Second Bank of the U.S. | Emancipation Proclamation |
| Salem Witchcraft Trials | John Jacob Astor | Radical Republicans |
| Scotch Irish | Erie Canal | Sherman's march through Georgia |
| Great Awakening | Tecumseh | Absentee Voting |
| Jonathan Edwards | Era of Good Feelings | Southern Disunion |
| George Whitefield | Florida | Homestead Act |
| John Peter Zenger Case | Dartmouth College v. Woodward | Pacific Railway Act |
| Stono Rebellion | McCullough v. Maryland | Morrill Land Grant Act |
| King William's War | Adams-Onis Treaty | Procl. of Amnesty and Reconstr. |
| Queen Anne's War | Tallmadge Amendment | Sioux Wars |
| Salutary Neglect | Missouri Compromise | Wade-Davis Bill |
| King George's War | Cohens v. Virginia | Freedmen's Bureau |
| Albany Congress | Denmark Vesey | Appomattox Court House |
| Albany Plan of Union | Monroe Doctrine | Andrew Johnson |
| French and Indian War | John Marshall | 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments |
| Treaty of Paris | caucus | Black Codes |
| George III | John Quincy Adams | Civil Rights Act |
| Colonial economy in 1763 | Andrew Jackson | carpetbaggers |
| Pontiac's Rebellion | Whigs | Ku Klux Klan |
| Louisiana territory | Tariff of Abominations | Burlingame Treaty |
| British Proclamation of 1763 | South Carolina Exposition and Protest | Military Reconstruction Act |
| Sugar Act | Jackson's attitude towards Calhoun | Tenure of Office Act |
| Currency Act | Maysville Road Veto | Command of the Army Act |
| Stamp Act | Indian Removal | Impeachment of Johnson |
| Stamp Act Crisis | Tom Thumb | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Stamp Act Congress | Peggy Eaton Affair | Gilded Age |
| Quartering Act | Cherokee Nation v. Georgia | Fisk-Gould Scandal |
| Sons of Liberty | Antimasonic Party | "Boss" Tweed |
| Declaratory Act | S.C. Ordinance of Nullification | Force Act |
| Townshend Duties | Compromise Tariff | Amnesty Act |
| Boston Massacre | Force Bill | Credit Mobilier scandal |
| Gaspee incident | Whig Party | "Salary Grab" Act |
| Committees of Correspondence | Whig supporters | "Crime of '73" |
| Tea Act | Martin Van Buren | Greenback Party |
| Boston Tea Party | Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge | Women's Christian Temperance Union |
| Intolerable (Coercive) Acts | "Trail of Tears" | Wounded Knee massacre |
| First Continental Congress | William Henry Harrison | Whiskey Ring |
| Second Continental Congress | Nat Turner | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Benjamin Franklin's achievements | Lowell System | Compromise of 1877 |
| Colonial population | Reform Movements | Baseball |