Period 3 - Short Answer Questions on North America History

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Finn

Period 3 short-answer responses focus on historical comparison and analysis across several formative moments in North America. Prompts require complete-sentence answers within specified time ranges, including differences and similarities between the First Great Awakening and the Enlightenment, and effects on society. Additional sections ask for factors driving tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies leading to the American Revolution, then assess competing interpretations from quoted historians about women’s political involvement and the immediate impact of revolution. The final set examines contrasting views of the U.S. Constitution’s drafting and invites support through events from 1776–1800 not explicitly cited in the excerpts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Period 3 Prompts

Awakening vs. Enlightenment (1700–1776)

Causes of tensions (1763–1776)

Women, revolution, and historiography

The U.S. Constitution: economic vs. political interpretation

PERIOD 3: Directions: In your responses, be sure to address all parts of the questions you answer. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable. Answer (a),(b), and (c), confining your response to the period 1700 to 1776. a) Briefly describe ONE specific historical difference in North America between the First Great Awakening and the Enlightenment. b) Briefly describe ONE specific historical similarity in North America between the First Great Awakening and the Enlightenment. c) Briefly explain ONE specific historical effect in North America of either the First Great Awakening or the Enlightenment. Directions: In your responses, be sure to address all parts of the questions you answer. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable. Answer (a),(b), and (c) . a) Identify ONE factor that increased tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies in the period 1763–1776, and briefly explain how this factor helped lead to the American Revolution. b) Identify a SECOND distinct factor that increased tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies in the same period, and briefly explain how this factor helped lead to the American Revolution. c) Identify a THIRD distinct factor that increased tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies in the same period, and briefly explain how this factor helped lead to the American Revolution. In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable. “The revolutionary moment was neither radical nor a watershed for American women. Those who disregard America’s commitment to patriarchal rule and plead for a historical interpretation that favors enlightened exceptionalism have overlooked the conditions that made large-scale change all but impossible at that time and place.” Elaine Forman Crane, historian, Ebb Tide in New England: Women, Seaports, and Social Change, 1630–1800, published in 1998 “The coming of the American Revolution . . . created new opportunities for women to participate in politics. Responding to men’s appeals, women engaged in a variety of actions in support of the revolutionary cause, which led women to experience a greater sense of connection to and involvement with the polity. After the war their political contributions were praised, celebrated, and remembered. . . . Women now were seen as political beings who had the capacity to influence the course of war, politics, and history.” Rosemarie Zagarri, historian, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic, published in 2007 Using the excerpts above, answer (a),(b), and (c) . a) Briefly describe ONE major difference between Crane’s and Zagarri’s historical interpretations ofthe immediate impact of the American Revolution on women. b) Briefly explain how ONE event, development, or circumstance from the period 1765 to 1800 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Crane’s argument. c) Briefly explain how ONE event, development, or circumstance from the period 1765 to 1800 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Zagarri’s argument. In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable. “The members of the Philadelphia convention which drafted the Constitution were, with a few exceptions, immediately, directly, and personally interested in, and derived economic advantages from, the establishment of the new system. The Constitution was essentially an economic document based upon the concept that the fundamental private rights of property are [superior] to government and morally beyond the reach of popular majorities.” Charles Beard, historian, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, 1913 “Anxious

FAQs

What kinds of answers are required for Period 3?

Responses must address all parts of each question using complete sentences. An outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.

Which comparison questions are included in Period 3?

Students must compare the First Great Awakening and the Enlightenment in North America by giving one difference and one similarity, then explain one historical effect of either movement.

How do the Constitution questions ask students to use outside historical context?

Students must contrast historians’ interpretations of the Constitution’s drafting and then explain how specific events or developments from 1776–1800 could support each interpretation, even when those events are not directly mentioned in the excerpts.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Finn