United States History Semester 1 Exam
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 declared that enslaved African Americans who escaped to the North had to be returned to their masters. What evidence in the passage indicates that Lincoln will not prevent this law from being enforced?
"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists."
Which of the following was an effect of the Emancipation Proclamation?
African American soldiers joined the Union Army.
What did the creation of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment demonstrate?
African Americans were eager to join the Union Army, and northern abolitionists supported them
What was Abraham Lincoln's stance on slavery in 1860?
As a critic of slavery, he believed that slavery should not expand.
What did the Dred Scott ruling have in common with the Fugitive Slave Act?
Both extended the rights of slave owners into non-slave states.
Why were people fleeing slavery in the United States to become residents there?
Both federal laws and some state laws allowed fugitives to be caught and returned to slavery in the South, even if they had reached a state that did not permit slavery.
How did John Calhoun's response to the Clay Compromise differ from Daniel Webster's?
Calhoun believed that the South should secede if the two sides could not agree.
Which of the following provisions was NOT considered part of personal liberty laws during the mid-19th century?
Citing the state's right of nullification
Why did the North need to maintain control of the border states during the Civil War?
Control of the border states would have given the South access to much-needed centers of industry.
In the Dred Scott case, the Supreme Court ruled that
Dred Scott could not legally sue in a federal court.
How did the Supreme Court rule in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford?
Enslaved people were not bound to their owner so long as they remained in a free state or territory.
How did President Lincoln keep the border states loyal to the Union?
He insisted he had no intention of abolishing slaver
How did General Lee attempt to raise international support for the Confederacy?
He invaded the North, hoping a victory on Union soil would encourage support from abroad.
Which of the following best reflects Lincoln's attitude in this speech?
He is hopeful that the end of the Civil War is near.
How did President Lincoln respond to the Confederacy's attack on Fort Sumter?
He showed restraint by using diplomacy to deal with the Confederacy.
Which of the following arguments were used by southerners to defend slavery? I. the racial superiority of whites II the teachings of the Bible III. the economic necessity of the system IV. the benevolence of the system V. states rights
I, II, III, IV, and V only
In the presidential election of 1860 I. the Democratic party factionalized and nominated two candidates II. the election evolved into a contest between Lincoln and Douglas in the North and Breckinridge and Bell in the South III. Lincoln received a majority of the popular vote IV. Lincoln won a majority of the electoral vote
I, II, and IV only
What was Jefferson Davis' central problem?
In a society that prized states' rights, Davis had to centralize authority.
Which statement best explains the reasoning behind the decision of some northern states to pass "personal liberty laws"?
Individual states should decide for themselves whether or not to support slavery.
What was the result of the protective tariff passed in 1862?
Industrial development in the North surged because the tariff made imported goods more expensive.
Which of the following statements about Uncle Tom's Cabin is the most accurate?
It motivated others to write novels refuting the book's assertions.
How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect the North's attitude toward the war?
It redefined the war as being about slavery.
Based on this selection from the text of the Fugitive Slave Act, which of the following best explained why it angered many people in the North?
It required people who may be opposed to slavery to assist in capturing and returning runaway slaves
Which of the following was not true of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
It was overturned by the Dred Scott decision
Why was the 54th Massachusetts Regiment significant?
It was the only regiment comprised of all African American soldiers fighting for the Union.
How might the Crittenden Compromise have eased tensions between the North and South?
It would have been a constitutional amendment that would allow slavery south of the Missouri Compromise line in all territories.
General McClellan was ultimately removed from his command by President Lincoln because
Lincoln believed McClellan was overly cautious and too slow to engage
Which statement is the best characterization of Lincoln's overall point of view based on his remark, "I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided."
Lincoln is certain that the country will come together and ban slavery in all states and territories.
By opening territory north of 36º 30' to slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the
Missouri Compromise of 1820.
The Dred Scott case had all of the following implications EXCEPT
No state could grant blacks civil rights
Which statement best explains how posters like this one helped contribute to secession?
Posters opposed to the Fugitive Slave Act caused southerners to believe northerners would never accept slavery in the South.
This excerpt from the Emancipation Proclamation indicates that
President Lincoln hoped that freed African Americans would join the Union Army
Why did the Kansas-Nebraska Act end in bloodshed?
Pro- and antislavery forces each sent settlers to compete for control.
Which of the following best describes the goal of John Brown's raid of Harpers Ferry?
Raiding the military arsenal to supply later slave uprisings.
Which of the following actions was not considered part of the Compromise of 1850?
Texas's borders were extended to Santa Fe.
What was the outcome of the Peninsular Campaign and the Second Battle of Bull Run?
The Confederacy drove back Union forces.
Which of the following statements about the election of 1864 is TRUE?
The Democrats nominated a popular Union general to run on a peace platform
Which of these was a provision of the Compromise of 1850?
The Fugitive Slave Act strengthened earlier fugitive slave laws.
What did Richard Current mean when he described the Civil War after the summer of 1863 as a "war of attrition"?
The North's superior resources and military strength would inevitably wear down the South's ability to continue the war.
Which factor contributed most to the failure of McClellan's Peninsular Campaign?
The Union Army was led by a cautious commander who believed that he had insufficient forces to guarantee an overwhelming victory.
How did the Land Grant College Act affect education in the United States?
The country's educational system became more focused on agriculture.
What was one challenge faced by the Confederacy?
The decentralized government and strong sense of states' rights was a challenge to Jefferson Davis's ability to conduct the war.
What does Lincoln mean, when he says, "a house divided against itself cannot stand."
The divisions brought about by the issue of slavery may result in the dissolution of the United States as a nation.
How did the Union raise money to fight the war?
The government levied an income tax and an export tax.
Which of the following was NOT a theme found in Uncle Tom's Cabin?
The role of the North and South working together to end slavery
Which of the following conditions enabled the federal government to implement the Homestead Act with little controversy?
The secession of southern states removed the divisive issues of slavery in the territories and the route of a railroad to California.
All of the following were major themes in southern ideology before the Civil War EXCEPT
The states must defend freedom of speech and of the press for all white people
Why were southern leaders agitated by California's request to join the Union?
They believed the legislative balance would be tipped in favor of free states.
Based on this quotation from the Free-Soil Party's 1848 platform, what did the leaders of that party have in common with most southern leaders at that time?
They both believed that slavery was a states' rights issue
Some soldiers from the Border States experienced the war differently from other soldiers in which of the following ways?
They were more likely to be forced to fight against family members.
Which of the following is true of the Civil War draft in the North?
Under the draft law, free black men could be forced to serve in the Union army.
What was the primary strategy of the Confederacy during the early part of
Waging a war of attrition against the Union
The principle of popular sovereignty was
a central feature of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1865, Congress proposed the Thirteenth Amendment, which would
abolish slavery in the United States.
Stephen A. Douglas argued in his Freeport Doctrine during the Lincoln-Douglas debates that
action by territorial legislatures could keep slavery out of the territories.
The United States Congress during the Civil War
adopted a tariff, a homestead law, and a transcontinental railroad.
What position did Abraham Lincoln take on slavery and popular sovereignty?
against slavery and popular sovereignty
According to the Emancipation Proclamation who was to be freed?
all enslaved people in states and territory at war with the Union
Congress passed the Militia Act in order to
allow African Americans to join the military.
The Wilmot Proviso sought to
ban the slave trade
In George McClellan's race for the presidency, he stated he would
call for a total Union victory.
The information on this map shows that
control over the Mississippi River was important to both sides.
This excerpt indicates that President Lincoln is using the Gettysburg Address as an occasion to
encourage northerners to remain committed to preserving the Union
Dred Scott sued for his freedom, arguing that
he had been a resident of a state where slavery was illegal
Abraham Lincoln opposed the Crittenden Compromise because
he opposed the expansion of slavery in the territories.
The attack of Senator Charles Sumner by Representative Preston Brooks demonstrates which of the following?
how the issue of slavery intensified the passions of those on both sides
The Civil War further advanced which of these processes that was already taking place when the war began?
industrialization of the economy
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was unpopular in northern states because
it could increase the number of slave states.
In issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, one of Lincoln's goals was to
keep Britain and France from intervening on the side of the Confederacy.
Stephen Douglas' advocacy of popular sovereignty in the Kansas-Nebraska Act ignited rather than dispelled the flames of sectionalism. Popular sovereignty sought to
let the residents of Kansas-Nebraska areas determine their own laws on slavery through elections.
John Brown's raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry and his subsequent trial and execution had the effect of
making a martyr of John Brown and convincing many Southerners that secession from the Union was the only way they could prevent the increasingly abolitionist NOrth from interfering with slavery in the South
Passage of the Fugitive Slave Act had the most direct consequences for which of these groups?
people involved with the Underground Railroad
Which of the following was a nullification of the Missouri Compromise?
popular sovereignty in Nebraska
Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus for all people living between Washington and Philadelphia provides evidence of which of the following
presidential power increased during the Civil War.
The North's strategy for the Civil War was to do all the following EXCEPT
pressure the Confederates to negotiate a compromise peace
States that sold public lands granted to them under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 were required to use the income to
promote public education in agriculture.
New Republican Party
prospered because of Northern outrage over "Bleeding Sumner" and "Bleeding Kansas".
Many Southerners supported the Compromise of 1850 because it
provided for the return of fugitive slaves.
Many northerners objected to the Fugitive Slave Act because it
required citizens to help capture runaway slaves.
In foreign affairs, President Lincoln's most significant achievement was his success in
restraining foreign powers from recognizing the Confederacy.
During the presidential election of 1848, Whig and Democratic candidates
said that voters should choose whether to allow slavery.
Which early advantage of the Confederacy ultimately became one of the Union's strong points?
skilled and experienced military leadership
During the Civil War, most of the Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory of present-day Oklahoma
supported the Confederacy.
According to the cartoon, who is primarily to blame for the Freesoilers' situation?
supporters of popular sovereignty
Lincoln's primary objective for suspending the writ of habeas corpus was to
suppress Southern sympathizers in border states.
The 1860 presidential election made it clear that
the American political system was sharply divided along sectional lines
The main idea of President Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" was that
the Civil War was being fought to preserve the nation.
Alexander Stephens' discussion with President Lincoln about a feasible end to the war yielded no results mainly because
the Confederates would not accept a future without slavery.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed slavery to spread to areas that had been free for over 30 years, which effectively nullified
the Fugitive Slave Act.
The 1860 Republican Party platform favored all of the following EXCEPT
the abolition of slavery.
It can be inferred from this graphic that the events of the 1850s resulted in
the decline of the Whig Party.
The New York City riots were primarily a protest against
the draft
The key event that guaranteed Lincoln's re-election in 1864 was
the fall of Atlanta to General Sherman.
The content of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America indicated that a major difference between the South and the North concerned the understanding of
the federal relationship of the states and the national government.
The principle of popular sovereignty is best demonstrated in
the proposal that the Nebraska Territory would decide for itself whether to allow slavery.
Which feature of the Dred Scott ruling does Lincoln object to in this speech?
the ruling that congress could not ban slavery in the territories
John Brown believed that the slavery crisis in the United States could only be resolved
through the use of physical force.
In the Dred Scott case, the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld the Missouri Compromise.
This cartoon, which features Democratic candidate George McClellan in the center, suggests that in the 1864 election the Democratic Party
was torn between the aims of winning the war and making peace
The "Christiana Riot" was one of many events to reflect what point of view?
white northerners' refusal to obey the new Fugitive Slave Act
