1) Without specifically addressing the obvious issue of slavery, write a minimum 500-word essay in which you discuss the reasons behind the diverging ways of the North and the South in the first half of the nineteenth-century. Be sure your essay conforms to the above guidelines.

2) The Reconstruction Era that followed the Civil War (1865-1877) is a period of United States history that has been endlessly studied. Many historians identify this attempt at reconstruction and healing of our nation’s wounds as a horrible failure, while others feel that there were significant successes. Conforming to the above guidelines, write a minimum 500-word essay essay that illustrates your feelings on this issue. Be sure to back up your views with solid evidence.

3) At the beginning of this course, we discussed that America was a land of many visions. Of those visions, we identified that one of the most important for America as it developed, was the vision of the creation of a just social order and a commitment to freedom. Using examples from what you have learned during this course, write a minimum 500-word essay conforming to the above guidelines in which you discuss whether or not the United States has satisfied the ends stressed by these visions.