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VirginiaUS History

Reporting Category 1: Virginia and United States History to 1865

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

How did reformers in the early 1800s try to perfect American society?

Describe the antebellum reform movements, including abolitionism, the women's rights movement (Seneca Falls), the Second Great Awakening, temperance, and education reform (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.6).
A SOL-level answer on antebellum reform for the VUS exam: the Second Great Awakening, the abolitionist movement (Douglass, Garrison, Tubman), the women's rights movement and the Seneca Falls Convention, temperance, and education reform, with their lasting influence on American society.
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How did democracy expand and change from Jefferson to Jackson?

Describe the era from 1801 to 1860, including the Louisiana Purchase, the expansion of suffrage, key features of Jacksonian democracy, the Bank War, and Indian removal (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.6).
A SOL-level answer on the early republic for the VUS exam: Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, the expansion of voting rights to most white men, the key features of Jacksonian democracy, the Bank War, and the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears.
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Why did the Articles fail, and how did the Convention build a stronger government?

Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the major compromises of the Constitutional Convention, and the roles of James Madison and George Washington (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.5).
A SOL-level answer on the Articles and the Convention for the VUS exam: why the Articles of Confederation were too weak (no power to tax, no executive, no courts), Shays' Rebellion, the 1787 Convention, the Great and Three-Fifths Compromises, and the roles of the Virginians Madison and Washington.
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How does the Constitution structure power, and how did Virginia shape the Bill of Rights?

Explain the principles of the Constitution (federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, popular sovereignty, limited government), the ratification debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and how the Virginia Declaration of Rights and Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom shaped the Bill of Rights (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.5).
A SOL-level answer on the Constitution for the VUS exam: the five principles (federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, popular sovereignty, limited government), the Federalist versus Anti-Federalist ratification debate, and how George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights and Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom shaped the Bill of Rights.
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How did Washington and the first government set lasting precedents?

Describe the establishment of the new government under Washington, the precedents he set (the cabinet, two terms, neutrality), Hamilton's financial plan, the rise of political parties, and the early Supreme Court (Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland) (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.5, VUS.6).
A SOL-level answer on the early republic for the VUS exam: George Washington's precedents (the cabinet, the two-term tradition, neutrality), Hamilton's financial plan, the first political parties, and the landmark early Supreme Court cases Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland that defined federal power.
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How did the United States expand across the continent, and at what cost?

Explain westward expansion and Manifest Destiny, including the major acquisitions of territory, the Mexican-American War, the impact on American Indians, and how expansion intensified the conflict over slavery (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.6).
A SOL-level answer on westward expansion for the VUS exam: the idea of Manifest Destiny, the major territorial acquisitions, the Mexican-American War and the lands it added, the displacement of American Indians, and how new western land reignited the fight over slavery.
12 min answer →