1. Was Andrew Jackson, as he claimed, a supporter of the common man? Include an evaluation of the major decisions of his presidency: The nullification crisis, bank war, Indian Removal Act and strong use of executive power. Who supported him and who opposed him? Would you have voted for him in 1828?
2. Is historian David Potter’s label of the decade of 1850 as the “Impending Crisis” correct? Include a discussion of the Compromise of 1850, Kansas Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Case, creation of the Republican Party and election of 1860. How did these events polarize the north and the south?
3. Describe the life of an average slave during the antebellum era. How did they live (food, clothing, housing), work, resist/adapt (consider family patterns)? What impact did reconstruction have on their life?
4. In the antebellum era (1800-1860), the United States developed along regional lines. Compare and contrast the economic and social development of the north, west and south. How were the regions different and how were they interconnected?
5. Historians often rank Abraham Lincoln as the greatest president. Evaluate his presidency. Include: his campaign platform, war strategy, search for a northern general, Emancipation Proclamation, extensive use of presidential power and views toward reconstruction. Do you agree that he is the greatest American president? Would reconstruction have been different if Lincoln had lived?