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GeorgiaUS History

Module 2: The Constitution and the New Republic

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why did a series of compromises over slavery finally collapse into civil war?

Evaluate the impact of growing sectionalism and the failure of compromise, including the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and the abolitionist movement (GSE SSUSH8, Domain 2).
An EOC-level answer on the road to the Civil War for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty, the Dred Scott decision, and the abolitionist movement, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
14 min answer →

How did expansion and the War of 1812 strengthen American independence and national identity?

Analyze the impact of territorial expansion and population growth in the early decades of the new nation, including the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and the Monroe Doctrine (GSE SSUSH6, Domain 1).
An EOC-level answer on early national expansion for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, the causes and results of the War of 1812, the rise of national identity in the Era of Good Feelings, and the Monroe Doctrine, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
13 min answer →

How did the fight over ratification produce the Bill of Rights?

Explain the ratification debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists and the significance of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution (GSE SSUSH5, Domain 1).
An EOC-level answer on ratification and the Bill of Rights for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: the Federalist versus Anti-Federalist debate, the role of The Federalist Papers, why the Bill of Rights was added, and the rights the first ten amendments protect, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
13 min answer →

Why did the Founders replace the Articles of Confederation, and what compromises made the Constitution possible?

Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the major debates and compromises of the Constitutional Convention (the Great Compromise and Three-Fifths Compromise), and the structure of the new government with its separation of powers and checks and balances (GSE SSUSH5, Domain 1).
An EOC-level answer on the writing of the Constitution for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise, federalism and the separation of powers with checks and balances, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
14 min answer →

How did the cotton gin and the spread of slavery deepen the divide between North and South?

Analyze the impact of the growth of the cotton industry and the expansion of slavery, including the cotton gin, the spread of plantation slavery, and the differing economies of North and South (GSE SSUSH7, Domain 2).
An EOC-level answer on the cotton economy for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: how the cotton gin made short-staple cotton profitable and entrenched slavery, the spread of the plantation system across the Deep South, the differing economies of an industrializing North and an agricultural South, and the resistance of enslaved people, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
13 min answer →

How did the first presidents set precedents and shape the new national government?

Analyze the challenges faced by the first presidents and how they responded, including Washington's precedents and Farewell Address, the rise of political parties, and key events such as the Whiskey Rebellion and the Alien and Sedition Acts (GSE SSUSH6, Domain 1).
An EOC-level answer on the early presidents for the Georgia Milestones US History exam: Washington's precedents (the cabinet, the two-term tradition, the Farewell Address), the rise of the first political parties, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the Alien and Sedition Acts, with worked stimulus and technology-enhanced questions.
13 min answer →