This mid-term exam will assess your understanding and analysis of the course to date, from Week 1 through Week 5. Please ensure you notify the instructor if there are any emergencies or issues that arise.
– You have all the time between now and the due date to complete the exam. If it is submitted by 11:59pm on Sunday February 26, no points will be taken off for being late. If it is submitted any time after that (starting at midnight), late points start to accrue.
– You pick 2 out of the 4 questions provided to answer.
– Each response should be 3-4 pages, double-spaced (~5 paragraphs is probably about right). Any Works Cited section does not count toward the page limit. 12-point font, 1” margins apply.
– The exam will be open book/readings/notes/slides. Each question response must use at least 2 different types of sources (e.g. textbook and slides).
– Ensure you provide citations for your statements, any quotes you use, and to back up your arguments. See the syllabus for acceptable citation styles. You should NOT use any outside sources except what has been provided for the class (textbook, readings, slides, or class discussions).
– This should be completed as a single Word document and uploaded as a Word document (not saved as a PDF, not a link to a google doc, etc.) to the correct Blackboard folder.
Q1: Describe the foundations of American military policy in the early years of the nation. What important Constitutional provisions, laws, and amendments influenced the military? How did the Jeffersonian military policy differ and remain the same from the years prior? How important do you think the roots of American military policy were to the country over the first few decades of the country’s existence, and do you see any relevance for today?
Q2: Discuss the fighting in the early conflicts of the U.S. Was there an American way of war? What characterized the fighting in the War of 1812 and the Mexican American War? Did that differ from how the U.S. fought against Native Americans during this period? What does this say about the U.S. military in first decades of the country?
Q3: How ingrained was slavery into U.S. foreign and military policy prior to the Civil War? What Army and Navy policies supported pro-slavery interests? How did the Mexican American War stoke the debate over slavery even more? Do you think that the deep roots of slavery in U.S. foreign and military policy made the coming Civil War inevitable?
Q4: Discuss U.S. strategy during the Civil War. What were the early strategies for the United States, and did they succeed against the Confederacy? How did the U.S. adapt its strategy as the war continued to evolve? How did the role of slavery affect the U.S. political objectives? How would you rate the U.S. performance in the Civil War, and did the Union suffer an unnecessary number of casualties to win the war?
