Reference no: EM133470159

Questions:

1. Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president (1801-1808), was a complex man dealing with many internal struggles. However, he accomplished much in his life. What are some of his accomplishments as statesman and president? Yet despite these accomplishments, what does he claim as his greatest feat? Explain completely.

2. As discussed in class, what was the basic disagreement between former treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton and future president Thomas Jefferson? Why was former vice president Aaron Burr angry with Hamilton's political attacks on his character? Why did you think Hamiliton agreed to duel Burr considering the anger Burr harbored for him?

3. Who was Tecumseh and what was the basic disagreement between he and Indiana territory governor William Harrison? In the video shown in class, why did Tecumseh say that the Americans could not be trusted? What proof did Tecumseh use to validate such claims? What ultimately happened to Tecumseh and his tribe?

4. Who were the five tribes discussed in the Zinn book that were the object of President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal laws? What three tribes in particular could argue they were misled and "stabbed" in the back? What tribe opted for resistance? What tribe opted for assimilation? What was the fate of this particular tribe in 1838?

5. What was the United States ultimate goal in acquiring southern states Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi? What eventually became of these states and how did they help the United States become an economic power? What methods did Andrew Jackson use that has led some historians to call him a mass murderer of Native Americans.

6. During the war of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote a tribute honoring the heroic efforts of soldiers under attack in Baltimore, Md. This poem eventually became known as the "The Star Spangled Banner." However the second verse uses language that some have deemed controversial. What do you think Key meant when he wrote, "No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave." How is this related to the protest by NFL players such as Colin Kapernick and others. Explain completely.

7. What is meant by the term, "Manifest Destiny?" How did this become the policy of United States President Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson and James Polk? Although an outlandish and highly controversial concept, how did this help the UnitedStates expand its borders?

8. What states comprised the Oregon Trail? Why did President James Polk believe it was essential for the United States to acquire this territory? What nation previously held this territory and why did they finally agree that it wasn't worth maintaining?

9. Although we often celebrate the "heroic" stand made by the American rebels at the Catholic Monastery called the "Alamo" in what is now San Antonio, Texas, what was the basic disagreement between the American settlers and the Mexican government? What practice which was outlawed by the Mexican government in 1829 became the central issue of contention?

10. What finally made the Mexican government decide they had to take action against the American settlers? Why were they so accomodating to the United States? Why did the American settlers believe they had the upper hand?

11. What was the original offer made to the Mexican government by U.S. negotiator John Slidell for what is now New Mexico, Arizona, California and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah? Why did the Mexican government initially reject the offer? What was the final offer accepted at Guadalupe Hidalgo by Mexican officials through United States envoy Nicholas Trist in February of 1848?

12. Who fired the first shot in the Mexican-American war? Explain how this complex set of events put the war into motion? What part did Texas and the Nueces River along with the Rio Grande play in starting this conflict? Why does author Jesus Velasco Marquez (History Channel Documentary) say that United States' President James Polk "lied" in determining that the Mexican army started the war?

13. According to the History Channel Documentary, what was the political climate in Mexico that stopped Santa Anna at Buena Vista forcing him to retreat back to Mexico City in 1847? Why is this considered a major turning point in the war?

14. What was unique about the three day battle at the port city of Vera Cruz? Who were most of the casualties? Why is this considered one of the bloodiest battles in the war? Consider Zinn's description of the United States intense bombardment on page 165-166.