Select one of the essay questions below to answer. “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
Those words were spoken by Frederick Douglass in a speech in 1886, but they express a sentiment that could relate to most of the early nineteenth-century reform movements. Choose one of these reform movements and explain how Douglass’s statement applies to that movement. Include specific details about the reform movement’s origins, goals, obstacles, and advocates.

OR

In his inaugural address on March 4, 1845 James K. Polk said, “The world has nothing to fear from military ambition in our Government.”

In what ways did Polk’s presidency reflect this statement? In what ways did it not reflect this statement? Explain your answer in a well-constructed essay that includes specific details in support of your position.