HIST 103 News

The review session with Mr. Armstrong is on for 7:30 Tuesday evening, the 27th, in Minard 138 (our regular classroom).

The calendar gives Tuesday 27 September as the date of the first exam. As announced yesterday in class, we are postponing that and rescheduling for Thursday the 29th. Meanwhile, I'm meeting anyone interested in Pavek Lounge tomorrow evening at 6:30 to talk about how to write essays. Jeff is scheduling a more general review session--watch for announcements here and in class.

Here are prospective essay questions for the first exam. Two will appear on the exam. You are to write on one.

Tyranny of the majority is a key concept of Tocqueville. We assume that colonists came to America in search of liberty. Were colonial Americans free from the tyranny of the majority?

According to Tocqueville, it was impossible to impose a European social class structure on America. Based on lecture material you have heard, why was this?

According to Tocqueville, you can explain the character of a nation by studying its origins. If that is the case, what aspects of the American colonial experience do you see as forming the national character of the United States?

At least five of the following questions will appear on the first exam.

What type of historical document, in the language of historians, is created by someone who was actually there?
A. secondary
B. first-hand
C. personal
D. primary

History, according to Wallace Stegner, is what kind of bridge?
A. foot
B. pontoon
C. shaky
D. concrete

Which of the following historians wrote The Great Plains and is associated with the philosophy of environmental determinism?
A. Walter P. Webb
B. Carl Becker
C. E.H. Carr
D. William McNeill

How many Indian reservations are located wholly or partially within the state of North Dakota?
A. none
B. four
C. seven
D. two

Which of the following is the oldest European-founded city in the United States?
A. Plymouth
B. Santa Fe
C. Boston
D. St. Augustine

During the American colonial period, the term “enumerated items” referred to which of the following?
A. luxury goods which could be purchased only by royalty
B. manufactured products kept under strict inventory
C. colonial products which could be traded only with Great Britain
D. natural resources in abundance in the New World

What was the primary objective of mercantilism as an economic philosophy?
A. to keep interest rates low
B. to reduce inflation through strict monetary policies
C. to create a favorable balance of trade
D. to sustain the colonies by importing their goods

Which animal was the major object of the North American-European fur trade?
A. fox
B. rabbit
C. beaver
D. mink

The Puritans believed in religious freedom for which of the following?
A. all God’s creatures
B. only Protestants
C. only Christians
D. only members of their own faith

Which leg of the triangular slave trade was known as the “middle passage?”
A. West Africa to the West Indies
B. New England to Africa
C. West Indies to England
D. West Indies to New England

Looking toward preps for the exam on 27 September, I'm scheduling another Pavek Lounge session the evening of Thursday 22 September. This means I'll be camping in the Pavek Hall Lounge from 6:30 as long as people want to talk. I'll be discussing how to write the perfect exam essay. We can talk fairly specific, too, about questions and strategies. As before, attendance at a Pavek extra session counts as a make-up for missing a day's class participation.

The YMCA of NDSU runs a series of Brown Bag Seminars every year, many of which are likely options for filling the Cultural Currents assignment. I'll pass their flyer around in class, but here are some of the highlights. All are at noon.

Wednesday 14 September: David Danbom on "Is the Constitution Democratic?", MU University Chamber

Wednesday 5 October: Yolanda Arauza on "Religion and Assimilation," MU Peace Garden

Wednesday 19 October: Monica Travino on "Mujeres Unidas - Women United," MU University Chamber

Wednesday 26 October, NDSU Career Center on "Career Fairs - Make the Right Impression," MU Peace Garden

Wednesday 16 November: Les LaFountain on "Turtle Mountain Chippewa People," MU University Chamber

OK, I messed up. Three files linked to the right of the home page had errors in them, so that the back buttons took you to my 103DCE (Continuing Education) course website. This mixed up two people that I know of, maybe others. Sorry for the mistake. This is, of course, HIST 103, NOT HIST 103DCE.