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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did John Adams ask his wife to save for history?

2. What danger awaited the main participants in the American Revolution?

3. In what state did the duel occur?

4. In what city did this dinner take place?

5. On the subject of Hamilton's financial proposal, what was the main issue?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think the author named the Preface "The Generation"?

2. What does the author mean when he says the American Revolution did not "devour its own children"?

3. Describe the leading locations for the new capital city.

4. Discuss Alexander Hamilton and how he reacted when someone did not agree with his opinions.

5. Why would John Adams think that his correspondence would be of interest to future generations?

6. Describe this generation of men such as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

7. Describe Aaron Burr's appearance and reputation.

8. Describe the reputations of Burr and Hamilton. What personality traits led them to end up in a duel?

9. Describe Alexander Hamilton's appearance and reputation.

10. Why was the land now known as the District of Columbia a good place to locate the capital city of the new government?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think the author spent the majority of the book discussing the friendship, correspondence and actions of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson? What contributions do you think the author valued the most from these two men?

Essay Topic 2

Take the following scenarios and extrapolate possible outcomes in history: 1) Burr dies in the duel instead of Hamilton, 2) Jefferson stays in Paris for ten more years, 3) Adams and Jefferson do not renew their friendship.

Essay Topic 3

Re-read paragraph two on page 16, where the author says America was founded not necessarily on a proposition written by Jefferson in 1776, but on an argument about what that proposition means. What does the author mean by this statement? Does it make you think differently about the history as you were taught as a young child?

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