Answer each question in 3-5 paragraphs each, site sources.
1. The narrative suggests that the war for American independence was not inevitable, that the British empire could have been saved. Do you agree? At what point during this crisis was it possible for both sides to compromise? What was the “Olive Branch Petition” and did it succeed?
2. How did the Irish Potato famine impact America (immigrants)? Where did the Irish go in America (in the North and in the South)? Where did German immigrants end up settling in America…and why?
3. What was the Lincoln-Douglas debate all about? What did each of these two candidates “speechify” about slavery and states’ rights? Who won and who lost…and why?
4. How did the Great War for Empire/French and Indian War change the relationship between England and its American colonies? What was the role of George Washington and Edward Braddock in the first years of the war?