8th Grade

United States History Midterm Exam Study Guide

CCPS Skills and Processes Questions
I. Speaking and Listening:
1. What are some of the habits of good listeners?
Give full attention to speaker; maintain eye contact; stay quiet; attentive body language
2. What are some of the habits of good speakers?
Projecting voiceconfident tone, using vocabulary appropriate to audience; speaking clearly
(using good diction, not rushing words); maintain eye-contact w/ audience;
3. Describe assertive language and give some examples.
Using a bold tone; directing or telling (ex: politician's speech or teacher's directions)
4. Describe conditional language and give some examples.
Open to other ideas; collaborative open-ended discussion (ex: giving options; friendly group
work)
II. Research and Writing:
1. What is a primary source? Provide some examples.
An item 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 documentary)
3. What are some of the traits of a reliable website?
Updated recently; identifies the author and credentials can be verified; internet domain extension
of .edu .gov .mil (indicating university, government, and military websites)
4. List some strategies for an effective online search (i.e. use of data bases, use of keywords, etc.).
Use key words that relate to your topic; enter those same key words in search tools of school
databases to find sources that have been vetted; Google search trick: site:.gov your search
keywords to find sites with a .gov domain extension (can do the same with .mil and .edu)
5. What is the purpose of a Thesis Statement?
Explains to the reader your topic and what you are trying to prove (makes a claim about your
topic)

Content Review
I. Creating America and the Revolutionary Era
1. 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.
2. List some of the most important results (outcomes) of the French and Indian War. (Dont 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.
3. 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.
4. Explain what the most important outcome of the American Revolution was.
The United States officially gained its independence from Great Britain with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris in 1783.
5. 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 stateflaws that would eventually lead to its failure.
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 housesone that represented the states interests (the Senate) and
one that represents the peoples interests (the House of Representatives).]
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3. Describe the goal or purpose of the six basic principles upon which the United States Constitution
is built. The six basic principles are:
A. Federalism to divide the power between the Federal and State governments so that the
Federal government would be strong enough to protect the country and bind the states
together, but also the states would have some powers reserved for them.
B. checks and balances the system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers
of the other branches. Checks allow one branch of power to block the actions of another
branch, like Presidential veto power over bills and Congress power to override the veto.
Balance allows each branch of government to have some role in the actions and power of
the other branches. For instance, Supreme Court justices are nominated by President and
approved by Setate.
C. limited government a form of government with just enough power to protect the people and
preserve their rights, but whose power comes from the people (popular sovereignty peoples freedom) not from existing governments, the state or a divine king. Officials are
elected by the people into position of leadership and governments powers are delegated and
enumerated (specifically listed). Public roles and responsibilities are separated among
branches and split between the Federal and State governments.
D. representative democracy type of democracy in which public officials are elected by the
people to represent them, as opposed to a direct democracy where citizens participate in the
lawmaking and decision-making process themselves.
E. separation of powers the division of power within the Federal government among three
branches. The Legislative branch is the lawmaking body (Congress) whose job is to make
laws for the country, the Executive branch is the part of the government that executes
(carries out) the laws, and the Judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and lower federal
courts and interprets the laws.
F. judicial review the power to decide whether laws and actions by the legislative and
executive branches conflict with the Constitution. Courts across the country rely on the
Supreme Court for guidance about what is Constitutional. In this respect, the Supreme Court
protects the supreme Law of the Land.
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)
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Pull factors economic opportunity (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 Washingtons farewell address)
a. Also consider the goal of the Monroe Doctrine
Our first five American Presidents predominantly maintained an Isolationist foreign policy, starting
with George Washington and continuing through James Monroe. Washington 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. By the time of Madisons Presidency,
American had bolstered its military. After the United States defeated England in the 2nd War of
Independence, American nationalism and patriotism swelled. Our fifth President, James Monroe,
took advantage of this and decreed that Europe should stay out of American affairs 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
(OATs)
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: