Describe the key battles and key advantages of the American side that allowed the United States to win the Revolutionary War. What was the importance of foreign intervention to the American cause? How did the lack of unity at home hinder the American cause?
Describe details of the negotiations between England, France, Spain and the newly independent United States that culminated in the Treaty of Paris of 1783. What were the final details of the treaty? Could the United States have hoped to gain more? Why did France, the most important ally of the United States, not gain more?
Discuss in detail the Articles of Confederation. Show their strengths as well as their weaknesses. How were issues of defense, finance, and infrastructure to be addressed? Was this an effective form of national government?
Discuss ways that the Constitution remedied the flaws in the Articles of Confederation. How do the structures of the national government under the two documents compare? What were the arguments for and against ratification?
How revolutionary was the Revolutionary War? Explain what was changed, what remained the same (both in terms of government in North America, economics, and social structure), and how this revolution compares with other movements of liberation. What was the most important change in the years following the fighting? Did the United States correct the grievances it had fought against?