Paper 1 Section A/A: America, 1840–1895: Expansion and consolidation

June 2024

Q1: How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about the

American Civil War? Explain your answer based on what it says in Interpretations A and B.

Answer:

For example, the interpretations differ about the reasons why the North won the American Civil War. In Interpretation B, the South lost because the North was more powerful and better equipped. However in contrast, in Interpretation A, the reason given is because the North had right on its side. For example, according to Interpretation A the American Civil War was about slavery whereas Interpretation B says it was fought by the South for the right to

Q2: Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation

about the American Civil War? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge.

Answer:

For example, students may argue that the author in Interpretation A realises there is still much to do to bring freedom to former slaves in 1878. But in Interpretation B the author’s opinion appears a long time after the end of the War. It may have been published to justify the actions of the South and that people still feel strongly about. For example, in Interpretation A Douglass was a slave and the war brought about his freedom. However, in Interpretation B, the writer fought in the War against the North.

Q3: Which interpretation gives the more convincing opinion about the American Civil War?

Explain your answer based on your contextual knowledge and what it says in Interpretations A and B.

Answer:

For example, Interpretation B is convincing because Early believes that the Southern States have the right to govern themselves. When Lincoln was elected many of the Southern States decided they no longer wanted to be part of the United States. South Carolina first left and with 11 other states formed the Confederate States of America. Lincoln said they did not have the right to leave and sent troops in to stop them from leaving. So Interpretation B is right to say the North started the War for political reasons, they feared the decisions of the federal government. But Interpretation A is convincing because the Southern States relied upon enslaved people to keep their economy going. So they were afraid if they stayed in the Union their way of life would come to an end as the North would free the slaves as Douglass says. For example, Interpretation B is convincing about why the South lost, the forces against them were greater. The North had more wealth and resources so the South did have ‘tremendous odds’ against it as Interpretation B says. The South was agricultural and depended on the export of cotton for income but the northern blockade prevented this and they only exported less than 10% of pre-war levels so they could not pay for the War. For example, Interpretation B is convincing as the South wanted to break away from the North because then they could make their own laws and keep the enslaved workers they needed on their tobacco and cotton plantations. For example, answers stating that Interpretation A is convincing because the South wanted to keep the enslaved people because they worked on the cotton

Q4: Describe two problems faced by Brigham Young and the Mormons.

Answer:

For example, one problem was people in the East were suspicious of the Mormons, the Mormons were blamed for the banking collapse in 1837. And non-Mormons did not approve of polygamy or the private army which they thought threatened their way of life. Another problem to solve was to get water for crops otherwise they would have nothing to eat and drink around Salt Lake City. They worked together to build irrigation ditches and allocated an amount of time for each person to draw water from the main ditch. For example, one problem was that the Mormons needed to provide water at the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Q5: In what ways were the lives of Native Americans changed by American governments?

Explain your answer.

Answer:

For example, most Native Americans on the Plains lived as nomadic hunter gatherers, and the actions of the American governments destroyed their way of life and culture. American governments encouraged settlement by non-native Americans which contributed to the destruction of the buffalo habitat and conflict over the land. Governments supported the building of the transcontinental railroad which interrupted the traditional hunting of Native Americans on the Plains, promoted cattle farming, buffalo hunting, and military action against Native Americans. For example, the American governments changed the lives of Native Americans by trying to make them virtual prisoners on Reservations. On Reservations they tried to change Native American culture by making them small farmers, convert them to Christianity, and educate their children in the ways of non-native Americans. The Dawes Act of 1887 divided the remaining Indian lands into 160-acre plots to be farmed but most went to white settlers. For example, in 1874 gold miners invaded the Black Hills of Dakota, sacred to the Native American Sioux and land that had been promised to them by the Fort Laramie Treaty, 1868. The Sioux would not sell the Black Hills and they did not trust the American government because it kept breaking treaties. Native American tribes resisted attempts to take their land by force and keep them on Reservations, this led to the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. For example, the Native Americans could not live as they usually did, hunting buffalo on the Plains. Each nation was given a smaller amount of land to hunt on and compensation by the American government by the Fort Laramie Treaty For example, Native American lives were changed because they were forced to resist the stream of miners, settlers, cattle men, railroad builders, migrants who the American government encouraged and let move on to the Plains. Many people died in the fighting. For example, the lives of Native Americans were changed by American governments who tried to force them to move to Reservations.

Q6: Which of the following was the more important reason why the Homesteaders

managed to settle on the Plains: • new farming methods and technology • government actions? Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team.

Answer:

For example, students will explain the part played by both reasons linked in a chain of events which fed off each other. The Homesteaders needed to be able to feed themselves and new farming methods such, as dry farming, and wind pumps, solved the big problem of inadequate water on the Great Plains. But the government also helped the settlement by giving land to the railway companies which allowed the Homesteaders to get cheap land and to get onto the Plains. The government also recognised the problems of poor-quality land and they added to the 160 acres of the Homestead Act, 1862, with the Timber and Culture Act, 1873, and finally the Desert Land Act, 1877, which allowed Homesteaders enough of the land on the Plains to support a family. For example, students may explain the Homesteaders would not survive without being able to feed themselves, therefore solving the various problems of farming on the Plains by using new techniques was the more important reason. They used, for example, dry farming to combat the lack of water, and new crops such as Turkey Red which were hardy enough for the harsh conditions. Some problems were harder to solve such as fire, and insects such as grasshoppers. However, in time they knew to leave fire gaps, and eventually pesticides were used to kill insects. The railroad was important for bringing in new machines and being able to export their products quickly. For example, the Homesteaders used new farming methods and new types of wheat like Turkey Red which grew well in the hot and the cold and lack of rain on the Plains. They also had barbed wire and a new steel plough. For example, the Homesteaders were determined people who managed to live on and farm the cheap land of the Plains.