Historian As A Detective
1. What methods do archaeologists use to study history?
2. What are the major geographical features of the U.S. from
east to west?
What is an artifact? Who uses artifacts?
4. What is the purpose of Carbon dating?
5. What is a Dig site?
6. What are primary sources?
7. What is the difference between a Fact and an Opinion?
8. What is the definition of economics?
9. What are the basic landforms?
10.What is the difference between an
isthmus, and a
1. What were the regions of the Native Americans?
2. What adaptations did they make to each environment?
3. What is the landbridge theory?
4. What were the major civilizations of the Americas?
5. What adaptations to environment did the Iroquois make?
6. What was the structure of the Iroquois Confederacy? How
did it relate to a democracy?
What events led to thousands of Native Americans dying?
2. What was the first permanent English settlement?
3. What was the Northwest passage? Who looked for it?
4. Where was the location of New France? Along what river?
5. What was the basis for the economy of New France?
How did smallpox affect Native Americans?
7. Who was Peter Stuyvesant?
8. Where in the New World did the Dutch settle?
Who conquered the Native American civilizations
What was the Colombian Exchange? Why was it
Why was there a need for agricultural workers in southern
colonies? What did it lead to?
2. What was the Albany Plan of Union?
3. What was the Triangle Trade?
What were the early examples of democracy in the colonies?
5. What kind of government was the House of Burgesses?
6. What was the Mayflower Compact ? What did it prove?
7. What were the reasons colonists went to Maryland, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island?
8. What was the economy of Northern, Middle, and Southern colonies?
9. What differences were there in the groups of colonies due to
10.What were the reasons why colonists settled near oceans,
What was the purpose of the Navigation Acts?
2. What were the causes of the war in chronological order?
3. Describe the concept of mercantilism?
4. How did the French and Indian War lead to American Revolution?
5. Why did the colonists believe the tax laws were unfair?
6. What were some of the colonists reactions to the British laws?
7. What is a boycott?
8. What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
9. What was the British strategy to win the war?
10. How did women help in the war?
11. What battle was the turning point of the war?
What battle ended the American Revolution?
Where was the "shot heard round the world"?
What were the weaknesses of Articles of Confederation?
2. What was the main strength of the Constitution?
3. Why is there a process to amend the Constitution?
4. What are the rights and freedoms of the 1st
5. Compare the National and State governments (NYS Assembly)
6. What is the significance of Marbury V Madison?
7. What was the Great Compromise? What problem did it solve?
8. Who was James Madison?
9. What is the Bill of Rights? How many states had to ratify
What are the 14th and 15th Amendments?
What is the significance of Plessy V Ferguson?
12. What is a Veto? Who uses it?
13. What is an Override?
14. Why is the New York Constitution important?
15. What is Judicial Review?
16. Define Impeachment. What is it an example of?
17. What are the powers of the Commander in Chief?
18. What is the electoral college? How is it involved with
19. Why did states want a bill of rights?
20. Why is there a separation of church and state in the
21. What are the Checks and balances of each branch of the
22. What was the Three-fifths compromise? What problem did it solve?
23. What is popular sovereignty?
24. What are the powers of the National and State governments under
Westward Expansion territories
Define Manifest Destiny.
2. What territory was the slogan “54’40 or fight” associated
3. Why was Texas annexed by the United States?
4. Who went to the
5. What was the Gold Rush?
Why was there a war with Mexico? What was the result?
7. Why did the U.S. purchase of Florida?
8. What did the Louisiana Purchase do to the size of the
9. Who were Lewis and Clark?
How did the Homestead Act help expand the United
Westward Expansion Homespun
Why were canals and railroads important to Westward
2. How did barbed wire help tame the west?
3. Why did pioneers have to build sod houses?
4. What are turnpikes? How did they increase settlement?
5. What is the significance of the Erie canal?
6. What was the Transcontinental Railroad?
7. How did steamboats change river travel?
Westward Expansion Native Americans
What was the
2. What was the Trail of Tears?
3. What was the significance of the Battle of Little Bighorn?
1. Who was Andrew Jackson? How was his presidency different
2. What was the Spoils System?
3. What is the significance of the National Bank?
4. Define Sectionalism.
5. What were the different views of the Federalists and
What were the causes and results of the War of
What was the
2. Who were the Abolitionists?
3. Who was Dredd Scott? Why was his court case significant?
4. What was the
5. Who were
William Lloyd Garrison?
6. What is Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Why is it important?
7. What was the Fugitive slave law?
What did the secession of the south lead to?
2. What were the issues that divided the North and South?
3. How did the election of Abraham Lincoln lead to the war?
4. What was the Kansas Nebraska Act?
5. What advantages did the North have over the South?
6. What advantages did the South have over North?
7. What were the resources of the North and South?
8. What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
1. What court case allowed schools to be Separate but Equal?
2. What were the Jim Crow Laws?
3. Define Segregation.
4. What is the Ku Klux Klan? Why was is formed?
5.How did whites try to regain control of the south?
amendments were passed during Reconstruction?
Why was Andrew Johnson impeached?
Define Free Enterprise.
2. Who was Eli Whitney?
3. How did the cotton gin affect the growth of textile
4. Who was Samuel Slater?
5. What were the different ways factories were powered?
What is a monopoly? Why are they dangerous?
Why were labor unions formed?
What inventions changed the lives of Americans
during the late 1800's?
How did Henry Ford change the idea of production?
Where were the
Modern Immigrants from?
2. What is the main theme of Emma Lazarus immigration poem?
What were the reasons why immigrants settled in cities?
4. What was the Quota system/Act?
5. What was the purpose of Ellis Island?
How did Nativists show discrimination against immigrants?
7. What were the reasons for discrimination against immigrants?
What were the
Chinese Exclusion Act
What were the goals of the Muckrakers?
2. Why was there a need for progressives, reformers, and
What was the Gilded Age?
4. What did each of the following muckrakers do?
5. How does each of these events contribute to the Progressive Era?
Triangle Shirtwaist fire
6. What was the goal of the Sherman-Antitrust Act?
7. How did Primary elections help stop corruption in the
What was the Open Door Policy?
2. How did Spheres of influence contribute to the Open
did the U.S. acquire Cuba, Philippines, and Guam?
4. What were the causes and results of the Spanish-American War?
5. How did Yellow Journalism contribute to the war?
6. What was the Big Stick Policy?
7. How did the United States
Hawaii and Alaska?