American History 1 Module 6

Question 17 The California Gold Rush created a dilemma for the South because it threatened to upset the balance of power between slave and free states in the United States Senate. Select one: True False

At the time, there were fifteen free states and fifteen slave states. Were California admitted as a free state, the balance in the Senate would be upset. Page 388. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 7 America had a stronger claim over the Oregon Country than did Britain before 1846. Select one: True False

False. British actually occupied the territory south of the Columbia River. Their claim was also based on early exploration and was established by treaties. America, on the other hand, had also explored and occupied the territory. In the 1840s, though, the territory witnessed a fairly massive influx of Americans. Page 371. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 4 During the 1830s, relations between America and England were very close. Select one: True False

False. British generally viewed Americans as uncouth and ill-mannered. Americans consider the British snobbish. When a small-scale insurrection flared in Canada, many Americans threw their support and military supplies behind the rebels, which led the British to cross over to New York to attack the supply ship Caroline. In 1840, a Canadian named McLeod was arrested for murder when he boasted of being one of the raiders. Pages 367-68. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 10 The Battle of Buena Vista cemented American victory in the Mexican-American war. Select one: True False

False. Buena Vista was a resounding American victory and catapulted Zachary Taylor into the American spotlight. But the war wasn't won until Gen. Winnfield Scott successfully invaded Mexico at Vera Cruz, pushed to Mexico City, and Nicholas Trist negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Pages 376-78. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 15 In the 1848 election, the Democrat candidate, Lewis Cass, opposed the principle of popular sovereignty. Select one: True False

False. Cass is the reputed father of the principle of popular sovereignty, Page 385. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 19 The Underground Railroad angered southerners because it rescued more blacks from slavery than succeeded in purchasing their freedom or were freed voluntarily by their masters. Select one: True False

False. Far more slaves were emancipated by purchasing their freedom or were voluntarily freed. The Underground Railroad was seen as an insult by southerners, who were angered that its agents were flaunting federal law and demonstrated disrespect for their property rights. Page 389. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 37 Had Democrats united behind Stephen Douglas, the 1860 northern Democrat nominee, Abraham Lincoln would not have been elected president. Select one: True False

False. If Douglas had received all the votes not cast for Lincoln, he would have received only 134 electoral votes to Lincoln's 169. Page 419. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 36 The Democrat Party platform in the election of 1860 strongly opposed popular sovereignty. Select one: True False

False. It squarely supported popular sovereignty, which angered southern Democrats. Page 417. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 35 The Tariff of 1857 caused the panic of 1857. Select one: True False

False. Many northern manufacturers blamed the panic on the tariff, which lowered tariff rates to about twenty percent. But the panic was caused by the huge influx of California gold, which inflated the currency, the collapse of grain prices after the Crimean War ended in 1856, and overspeculation in land and railroads. Page 413. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 6 Mexico was eager to recognize Texas's independence following the end of the war of 1836. Select one: True False

False. Mexico always considered Texas a province in revolt until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Page 370. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 12 Northerners were very pleased with the Mexican-American War and the settlement in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Select one: True False

False. Northerners were always suspicious of the acquisition of new lands by America, for fear that slavery would be expanded into those new territories. Page 378. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 28 By 1860, there was a dense population of slaves in the Kansas Territory. Select one: True False

False. The 1860 census showed two slaves in the whole territory. The threat of violence in Kansas by then was so high that slave owners were unwilling to risk the loss of their slaves. Page 407. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 16 The Free Soil Party opposed slavery because its members found slavery morally repugnant. Select one: True False

False. The Free Soil Party thought slavery depressed the wages of free working men. Page 386. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 11 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo resulted in very unfavorable terms for America. Select one: True False

False. The treaty basically ceded all Mexican territory north of the Rio Grande River westward to the coast of California. In exchange, America paid Mexico $15 million plus another roughly $3 million to satisfy claims of Mexican citizens. Page 378. The correct answer is 'False

Question 2 John Tyler, who had been elected vice-president under Harrison, was a solid Whig ideologue. Select one: True False

False. Tyler had been a Democrat but had defected to the Whigs because he objected to Andrew Jackson's dictatorial governing style. He remained a Democrat in ideology, though. Page 366. The correct answer is 'False'.

Question 30 When elections were held in the Kansas Territory to elect the first territorial legislature, pro-slavery Missourians crossed the border to vote, thus helping elect a mostly pro-slavery legislature. Select one: True False

Page 407. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 9 What was the Walker Tariff, and what, if anything, did it accomplish?

President Polk wanted to lower the Tariff of 1842. The Walker Tariff lowered the rate from 32% to 25%. As a result, the government's revenues increased. Heavy imports also followed Page 374.

Question 21 Which of the following was not a provision of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850? Select one: a. Fleeing slaves were not allowed to testify in their own defense. b. Fleeing slaves were not afforded trial by jury. c. The federal commissioner who heard a fleeing slave's case was paid more if the slave was returned than if the slave was freed. d. People who helped a slave escape were liable for heavy fines and jail sentences. e. Fleeing slaves were provided with an attorney for free.

See page 394. The correct answer is: E. Fleeing slaves were provided with an attorney for free.

Question 23 Why did America negotiate the Gadsden Purchase with Mexico? Select one: a. The United States could exploit rich iron deposits in northern Mexico. b. The United States could acquire more slave-owning territory. c. The Mexican government could obtain more hard currency. d. The United States cold acquire the most advantageous southern route for a railroad to California.

See pages 399-400. The correct answer is: D. The United States cold acquire the most advantageous southern route for a railroad to California.

Question 24 What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

Sen. Stephen Douglas of Illinois wanted to thwart southern expansion into the West following the Gadsden Purchase. He also owned railroad stock and wanted to effect a western rail route with Chicago as its main hub. He proposed splitting the Nebraska Territory in two, creating Kansas and Nebraska, which would each enjoy popular sovereignty. He presumed that Nebraska would be free and Kansas, being adjacent to Missouri, would adopt slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act violated the Missouri Compromise, though, and angered northerners. Southerners, though, saw an opportunity to add another slave state to the Union and supported the proposal. The Act led to widespread violence. Pages 400-02.

Question 8 Voters in New York who opposed the annexation of Texas cost Henry Clay the presidential election of 1844. Select one: True False

True. About 16,000 voters in New York sided with the Liberty Party. Clay lost New York to James K. Polk by 5,000 votes. Had those votes gone to Clay, he would have been elected president. Page 373. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 5 The British were intensely interested in an independent Texas. Select one: True False

True. An armed Texas would thwart any United States expansion into the Southwest. Page 369. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 13 The Mexican-American War proved an excellent training ground for officers who would serve on both sides of the Civil War. Select one: True False

True. Both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant served in the war. Page. 379. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 22 The election of 1852 spelled the end of the Whig Party. Select one: True False

True. Northern and southern Whigs were hopelessly divided on the issue of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, which was endorsed by the party's official platform. Winnfield Scott, the Whig candidate, was unappealing to anyone. The Democrats, on the other hand, avoided the issue in its platform and chose instead to run on a platform of territorial expansion. Pages 395-96. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 1 William Henry Harrison, elected president in 1840, was seen by the leaders of the Whig Party as little more than a figurehead. Select one: True False

True. Page 366. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 27 Harriett Beecher Stowe's brother, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, financed the purchase of Sharp's rifles for free-soilers who moved into Kansas to help prevent that territory from adopting slavery. Select one: True False

True. Page 406. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 29 In addition to clashes over slavery, Kansas Territory settlers also clashed over land claims. Select one: True False

True. Page 407. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 33 In Dred Scott v. Stanford, the United States Supreme Court held that slaves were not entitled to file suit in federal courts because they were not citizens. Select one: True False

True. Page 411. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 31 The Lecompton Constitution was a proposed Kansas Territory constitution that allowed voters to decide whether Kansas would allow slave ownership, but protected the owners of slaves already in the territory from losing their slaves. Select one: True False

True. Regardless of whether the territory chose to adopt or abolish slavery, existing slave owners would keep the right to own slaves. Page 408. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 14 "Popular sovereignty" was a principle that dictated that the issue of slavery would be decided by the voters of a territory. Select one: True False

True. See page 385. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 18 President Zachary Taylor, the only president from Louisiana, privately encouraged the Californians to draft a constitution that excluded slavery and to apply for admission as a state in 1849. Select one: True False

True. See pages 389-90. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 25 Before writing Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriett Beecher Stowe witnessed first-hand the conditions of slaves in the South. Select one: True False

True. She witnessed conditions in Kentucky while visiting there once. Page 404. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 32 By supporting the Lecompton Constitution, President James Buchanan caused the Democrat Party to split. Select one: True False

True. Southern Democrats supported the Lecompton Constitution, while northern Democrats thought the popular sovereignty provision was fraudulent because of its protection of existing slave owners. Page 408. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 20 California was admitted as a state in 1850 in exchange for tougher fugitive slave laws as part of the Compromise of 1850. Select one: True False

True. The Compromise also opened the remainder of the Mexican Cession area to popular sovereignty on the slavery issue. New Mexico received territory claimed by Texas, and Texas received $10 million. Lastly, the slave trade, but not slavery, was banned in the District of Columbia. Pages 391-95. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 34 The panic of 1857 helped start the American Civil War. Select one: True False

True. The South continued to enjoy favorable prices for cotton, which led many in the South to conclude that its economy was more stable than the North. This gave southerners a false sense of security. Page 413. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 3 Whigs in Congress expelled President Tyler from the party and threatened to impeach him. Select one: True False

True. Tyler vetoed attempts to end the independent treasury and re-establish the Bank of the United States. In addition to being kicked out of the party and threatened with impeachment, Tyler received death threats and was widely burned in effigy. Page 367. The correct answer is 'True'.

Question 26 Uncle Tom's Cabin probably prevented the French and British from intervening in the Civil War on behalf of the South. Select one: True False

True. Uncle Tom's Cabin profoundly influenced French and British readers. Their leaders felt such a move would not be supported by the populace. Page 405. The correct answer is 'True'.