1. Describe and analyze the processes by which a distinctively American identity

1. Describe and analyze the processes by which a distinctively American identity was created and changed over time. What historical forces and events helped to forge this identity? In what specific ways has this identity been contested? Has this identity been broad and inclusive, or has it tended to create un-American or non-American “Others?” 2. For decades now, US History survey classes have been divided by the Civil War with the first half covering up to 1865 and the second half covering 1865 to the present. Discuss why you think historians settled upon this demarcation and why it persists to this day. What are some other turning points in American history that historians have emphasized or should emphasize? How might these other turning points influence where new American history surveys begin and end?