A History of the United States

    Part I.  Two Mini-Essays.  Write short essays (two-thirds of a page each) on two key terms below.  Tell why the person, place, or event, is important to the early history of America.  Explain how the item helps us understand events or concepts we are discussing in class.   Include at least one picture with each essay and tell how it helps us understand the history. Paleoindians     New Spain Archaic Period (in America)     Mercantilism     California peoples     Chesapeake Tainos     Massachusetts Bay Colony Mexica     Sugar Revolution Part II.  Two Longer Essays.  Write essays of about one and one half pages each on two of the following questions.  Please include at least one picture with each essay.   Please make sure the information you cover in Part II is different from what you cover in Part I. 1. Native Cultures.  Examine the history of native cultures in three different parts of North America before the 1600s.  What common characteristics do you see among the various native cultures?  In what ways were native cultures different from each other? 2. Europeans.  Explain the causes and consequences of European involvement in the Americas up to about 1650.  Focus on two or three European countries to develop your main points.  What do you see as the long range impact of these developments? 3. The Atlantic World.  Explain how you see various parts of the world coming together in Chapters 1-3.  What was driving global trade in the era from about 1400-1650?  How did the rise of global trade affect people in Africa, Europe, and the Americas? 4. Experimentation, Persistence and Resistance.  Examine two of the colonies featured in Chapter 3.  Give examples to show how the themes “experimentation, persistence and resistance” are prominent in this time period