- Early English settlers to North America shared many similarities, but they also manifested important
differences as they established the colonies of Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Write an
essay tracing the historical development of two of the four colonies, discussing similarities and differences in at
least three areas: economic development, politics, religion, demographics and family life, and relations with
Native Americans. - Settlers in the eighteenth century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express
their economic and political grievances. Analyze the causes and significance of Shays’s Rebellion and the
Whiskey Rebellion. What was the government’s response to each? - Jacksonian Democrats viewed themselves as the guardians of the Constitution, political democracy,
individual liberty, and equality of opportunity. To what extent was Andrew Jackson a reflection of this new
democracy? In other words, to what extent was he truly a “common man” president—an elected official who
reflected and represented the masses? Consider his background, rise to power, and treatment of various
groups in American society. - Discuss the relationship between masters and slaves in the American South. Did masters have all the
control in this relationship, or did enslaved peoples exert some agency? Points to consider include paternalism,
the size of slave holdings, slavery and the law, forms of slave resistance, and labor organization (task and
gang systems). - In what ways did the abolitionist and women’s rights movements illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of
democracy in the antebellum period? Points to consider include grassroots activism, challenges to established
American institutions and documents, and the impact of specific leaders. - Analyze the significance of the “Great Constitutional Revolution” during Reconstruction. What are the
advances and limitations of the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments
Sample Solution