Question 1 - The minimum word count is 200

1. Starting in Kansas and ending in Virginia, what role did John Brown play in causing the Civil War? What was the historical context in which Brown committed acts of violence? Do you think Brown was justified in committing murder? In short, is he a hero?  A criminal?  Somewhere in between?

Question 2 - The minimum word count is 500

2. Describe the conquest and development of the West between 1820 and 1850 by European Americans.

Question 3 - The minimum word count is 500

3. Describe the arguments that took place over whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the new territories, and explain how the Compromise of 1850 was supposed to settle the issue.

Question 4 - The minimum word count is 500

4. Explain why and how the southern states seceded from the Union, discuss President Lincoln's reaction, and describe the earliest physical conflict between the two sides. Then describe the events that led to the defeat of the South and the end of the war.