1. For the state you have been assigned, compare the census data from 1850 and 1860 with regard to population growth, composition of the population, manufactures, agriculture, labor systems, literacy rate, level of urbanization, and other variables you deem important. Identify the main ways your state's social and economic structure changed and/or remained the same during this period. You may wish to calculate data on a per capita basis in addition to using the aggregate figures supplied by the census. Post your findings on AltaVista Forum by 1:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 6.

2. Track voting patterns in Congressional and Presidential elections between 1848 (or 1850, if data for 1848 is unavailable) and 1860. You may wish to create a series of maps with equivalent MapKeys to show each major political party�s pattern of support over time. For your state, answer the following questions:

• When did the Whig Party begin to lose strength?
• What replaced it?
• Did the Democratic Party also lose strength?
• When did support for the American Party peak?
• How did support for the Republican Party compare to previous support for the Free Soil Party?
• What happened to the Democratic vote in the 1860 presidential election?
• Were there geographical voting patterns within your state that continued across a series of elections?

Consider whether the data from your state supports or undermines Michael Holt's interpretation of the political crisis of the 1850s. Post your findings on AltaVista Forum by 1:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 13.

3. Explore the relationship between changes in the social and economic structure of your state and changes in the voting patterns of your state, ca. 1848-1860. Submit a 4-5 page research report describing your procedures, summarizing your findings, and explaining their significance on Friday, Oct. 15. This report should cover all the work you've done for this Computer Lab, including your responses to #1 and #2.