2019 International Practice Exam SAQ (Required)
In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.
Group 1
Using the excerpts below, answer (a.1.), (a.2.), and (a.3.).
“The members of the Philadelphia convention which drafted the Constitution were, with a few exceptions, immediately, directly, and personally interested in, and derived economic advantages from, the establishment of the new system. The Constitution was essentially an economic document based upon the concept that the fundamental private rights of property are [superior] to government and morally beyond the reach of popular majorities.”
Charles Beard, historian, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, 1913
“Anxious and uncertain, the convention delegates . . . brought to bear their political experience, their sensitivities to legal loopholes, their commitment to representative government, and they focused their energies and attentions on resolving existing conflicts, correcting existing errors, and protecting . . . against a descent into tyranny. When they were done, they submitted their handiwork to the citizens for ratification rather than attempting to impose it by assassination or military force. In this way, they invited their neighbors to share responsibility for the fate of their experiment in representative government.”
Carol Berkin, historian, A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution, 2002
Question 1a
Briefly describe ONE major difference between Beard’s and Berkin’s historical interpretations of the drafting of the United States Constitution.
Question 1b
Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event, development, or circumstance in the period 1776–1800 that is not directly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Beard’s interpretation.
Question 1c
Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event, development, or circumstance in the period 1776–1800 that is not directly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Berkin’s interpretation.
Group 2
Using the graph below, answer (b.1.), (b.2.), and (b.3).
Question 2a
Briefly describe how ONE specific historical event or development contributed to the high birth rates in the United States from 1946 to 1964.
Question 2b
Briefly describe ONE specific historical effect of the high birth rates on United States society from 1946 to 1964.
Question 2c
Briefly explain ONE specific historical change in United States society from 1965 to 1980 that resulted from the trend in birth rates from 1946 to 1964.
Group 3
Answer (c.1.), (c.2.), and (c.3.). Confine your response to the period from 1919 to 1960.
Question 3a
Briefly describe ONE specific historical difference between the United States reaction to international events following the First World War (1919–1930) and following the Second World War (1945–1960).
Question 3b
Briefly describe ONE specific historical similarity between the United States reaction to international events following the First World War and following the Second World War.
Question 3c
Briefly explain ONE specific historical reason for a difference between the United States reaction to international events following the First World War and following the Second World War.
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