Free AQA GCSE History (8145) Exam Questions and Answers

Describe two problems faced by people in crossing the Plains before 1865.

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In what ways were the lives of people in the Southern states affected by the American Civil War? Explain your answer.

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Which of the following was the more important reason for the successful way of life of the Plains Indians: • the buffalo herds • the Plains Indians’ beliefs and society? Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.

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Adapted from General Sherman’s Final Report to the Secretary of War, 1883. In 1869 Sherman took command of the army and led its fighting against the native Americans. When he retired in 1883, Sherman gave his last report to the government about the end of the Great Sioux War. The Plains Indians have been defeated and the Indian problem ended. There may still be the occasional incident but there will be no more Indian wars. A large factor in this result is the army. The settlement of Indian lands by hard working farmers has also been important. However, the biggest factor is the railroad. The final completion of the four great national railway lines has finished the Indian problem forever. I think the building of the railways is the most important event in modern times. They are responsible for the peace and great wealth our nation now enjoys. Adapted from the autobiography of John Cook, ‘The Border and the Buffalo’, 1907. John Cook joined the Union Army aged sixteen and fought in the Civil War. He was a Homesteader, cowboy, and later, a gold prospector. He then became a buffalo hunter and fought against native Americans. Finally, he worked as a government scout and guide for the army. The buffalo hunters destroyed the Plains Indians’ supply of food. The hunters should have been given great thanks and a medal showing a dead buffalo on one side with a defeated Indian on the other. We did more in two years to finish the Indian problem than the entire army had done in forty. Exterminating the buffaloes defeated the Indians and created a lasting peace. After the buffaloes were replaced on the Plains with cattle, cowboys became the heroes of our American nation. Read Interpretations A and B in the Interpretations Booklet. How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about the defeat of the Plains Indians? Explain your answer based on what it says in Interpretations A and B.

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Adapted from General Sherman’s Final Report to the Secretary of War, 1883. In 1869 Sherman took command of the army and led its fighting against the native Americans. When he retired in 1883, Sherman gave his last report to the government about the end of the Great Sioux War. The Plains Indians have been defeated and the Indian problem ended. There may still be the occasional incident but there will be no more Indian wars. A large factor in this result is the army. The settlement of Indian lands by hard working farmers has also been important. However, the biggest factor is the railroad. The final completion of the four great national railway lines has finished the Indian problem forever. I think the building of the railways is the most important event in modern times. They are responsible for the peace and great wealth our nation now enjoys. Adapted from the autobiography of John Cook, ‘The Border and the Buffalo’, 1907. John Cook joined the Union Army aged sixteen and fought in the Civil War. He was a Homesteader, cowboy, and later, a gold prospector. He then became a buffalo hunter and fought against native Americans. Finally, he worked as a government scout and guide for the army. The buffalo hunters destroyed the Plains Indians’ supply of food. The hunters should have been given great thanks and a medal showing a dead buffalo on one side with a defeated Indian on the other. We did more in two years to finish the Indian problem than the entire army had done in forty. Exterminating the buffaloes defeated the Indians and created a lasting peace. After the buffaloes were replaced on the Plains with cattle, cowboys became the heroes of our American nation. Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about the defeat of the Plains Indians? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge.

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Adapted from General Sherman’s Final Report to the Secretary of War, 1883. In 1869 Sherman took command of the army and led its fighting against the native Americans. When he retired in 1883, Sherman gave his last report to the government about the end of the Great Sioux War. The Plains Indians have been defeated and the Indian problem ended. There may still be the occasional incident but there will be no more Indian wars. A large factor in this result is the army. The settlement of Indian lands by hard working farmers has also been important. However, the biggest factor is the railroad. The final completion of the four great national railway lines has finished the Indian problem forever. I think the building of the railways is the most important event in modern times. They are responsible for the peace and great wealth our nation now enjoys. Adapted from the autobiography of John Cook, ‘The Border and the Buffalo’, 1907. John Cook joined the Union Army aged sixteen and fought in the Civil War. He was a Homesteader, cowboy, and later, a gold prospector. He then became a buffalo hunter and fought against native Americans. Finally, he worked as a government scout and guide for the army. The buffalo hunters destroyed the Plains Indians’ supply of food. The hunters should have been given great thanks and a medal showing a dead buffalo on one side with a defeated Indian on the other. We did more in two years to finish the Indian problem than the entire army had done in forty. Exterminating the buffaloes defeated the Indians and created a lasting peace. After the buffaloes were replaced on the Plains with cattle, cowboys became the heroes of our American nation. Which interpretation gives the more convincing opinion about the defeat of the Plains Indians? Explain your answer based on your contextual knowledge and what it says in Interpretations A and B.

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Describe two problems overcome by the Mormons when they moved West.

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In what ways were the lives of Homesteaders affected by government actions? Explain your answer.

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Which of the following was the more important cause of the American Civil War: • political differences between North and South • economic reasons? Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.

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Adapted from a speech by Frederick Douglass in 1878. Douglass was a slave until 1838 when, aged 20, he escaped. He became a leading figure in the campaign to abolish slavery. In 1881 he published his best-selling autobiography. Douglass was speaking on 30 May – ‘Decoration Day’ – when soldiers from the North who died in the Civil War were remembered. The American Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. The North believed in human rights and freedom. In the South there was an illegal government based only on the rights of the strongest. The Civil War was started by clever speech makers and traitors in the South who decided to break up the United States. The South was to blame for its own suffering in the War and the North won because it had right on its side. Adapted from an account of the American Civil War by Jubal Early, ‘An Autobiographical Account of the War between the States’, 1912. Early was a Confederate General during the American Civil War. After the War he fled abroad but returned to America in 1869 after he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. The South fought the Civil War for the right to govern itself. Slavery was just an excuse used by the North to justify the conflict. The War was started by the government in Washington which was dominated by fanatics who stirred up the people of the North against the South. The people in the North kept a four-year conflict going against the Confederate States. The South lost because of the tremendous odds against it. Read Interpretations A and B in the Interpretations Booklet. 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.

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