Midterm_Sample.pdf

E516/ MIDTERM 10/21/2009 SAMPLE QUESTIONS 1) In England, multiple types of land tenure co-existed. In colonial lands, only one type was ever established: free and common socage. Define and describe this arrangement and the set of property rights that come with it. Briefly discuss the importance of this arrangement [and these rights] from a development point of view. 2) How can a colonist acquire a socage in colonial lands? Briefly discuss the impact of this land acquisition process on colonial development and settlement/migration patterns. 3) Talk about the determinants of colonial location. Explain how the presence of certain geographical features shaped early colonial activity. 4) It is a well-known fact that colonial population growth was very high. Explain the conditions behind this growth process. 5) Compare the living standards of colonial populations, both free and servile, to other groups of people. How would you explain and justify the differences? Try, if you can, to support your answer with evidence ? factual, conceptual or anecdotal. 6) 19 th century American Economic History is marked by a three-way competitive race between roads, waterways and railroads ? with the ?iron horse? eventually emerging as a clear victor. How would you explain this result from a comparative point of view? 7) Indenture and Slavery were two labor institutions that co-existed and competed for over two centuries. By mid-19 th century, however, indenture was almost completely extinct and slavery was at its zenith. Discuss the social and economic factors that led to the demise of the former and persistence of the latter. 8) The size and direction of immigration waves can be explained by a variety of ?push-pull? effects and by the presence of national communities in the US. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. 9) How did the ?American Brand? of industrial revolution differ from its British counterpart? List and briefly explain the differences as well as the conditions that led to them. 10) Colonial America emulated/adopted a large number of British institutions and, when the need arose, modified them to fit the prevailing conditions unique to the new continent. These modifications are generally seen as institutional upgrades and are argued to be at the root of colonial development. List a few such cases and try to explain the nature of individual modification processes as well as their impact on economic activity. 11) Briefly discuss the nature of the early trans-Appalachian expansion. Your discussion should include the motivation of the colonists as well as their legal claims and the barriers they faced. Why would, or should, such an expansion eventually lead to a conflict between the Colonies and the Crown? 12) Talk about British land and trade policy. How did this policy affect colonial development? 13) ?Southern? agriculture was fundamentally different from its ?Northern? counterpart. List and define the main differences between the two systems. Briefly explain the conditions that led to the emergence and the prevalence of ?Plantation agriculture? in the South. Mention the institutional arrangements/modifications that were introduced to ensure the continuity of the system. Econgrad Microsoft Word - SAMPLE QUESTIONS