STAAR Question & Answer Practice

Which factor contributed to the founding of new religious groups in the United States?

Freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights

Which event occurred as a result of General Cornwallis's surrender at the Battle of Yorktown?

Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris

5 According to the Northwest Ordinance, which condition did a U.S. territory have to meet in order to apply for statehood?

Have a population of sixty thousand free settlers

What was the main cause of the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in 1868?

His opposition to Radical Reconstruction policies for former Confederate states

Which American colony's economy was based primarily on shipbuilding and fishing?

Massachusetts

Why was it difficult for Congress to fulfill its duties under the Articles of Confederation?

Most congressional decisions required the approval of at least nine states.

The completion of the Erie Canal played a key role in which development?

New York City becoming a vital commercial center with the country's busiest seaport

What was one effect of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850?

Tensions among the populations of northern and southern states increased.

Why is the Battle of Saratoga considered a turning point in the Revolutionary War?

The American victory convinced France to ally with the United States.

Why did the Siege of Vicksburg affect the balance of power during the Civil War?

The Confederate territory was divided in half.

Which grievance from the Declaration of Independence is addressed by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury . . ."

Which constitutional issue led to the Nullification Crisis of 1832?

Do states have the power to declare a federal law unconstitutional?

Which law would be considered unconstitutional on the basis of First Amendment guarantees?

A prohibition on electing religious leaders to government office

Which argument would a Federalist make to support ratification of the Constitution?

A strong federal government will be more stable than a loose confederation of states.

The British government issued the Proclamation of 1763 to limit the area British colonists were allowed to settle. Which geographic feature did the British use as the boundary of approved settlement?

Appalachian Mountains

Irish and Chinese immigrants are best remembered for performing which type of labor during the late nineteenth century?

Building railroads in western territories

How did the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance affect U.S. expansion?

By establishing a process for territories to govern themselves

How did the growth of the railway system during the nineteenth century affect the U.S. economy?

By helping expand the commercial markets of U.S. companies

How did southern states respond to the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment?

By imposing requirements designed to deny African Americans the right to vote

How did advancements in industrial technologies affect businesses during the late nineteenth century?

By improving production methods and increasing competition

How did the Freedmen's Bureau most assist in the reconstruction of the South?

By offering legal assistance and public schooling to former slaves

How did mercantilist policies create tension between Great Britain and the colonies?

By preventing colonists from trading with most other foreign countries

John Hancock was one of the Founding Fathers committed to liberty. How did he demonstrate this commitment?

By signing the Declaration of Independence

What was the primary question surrounding the 1832 Nullification Crisis?

Can a state overturn a federal law?

Sectionalism + States' Rights + Slavery = ???

Civil War

Which of these is a grievance from the Declaration of Independence?

Colonists were forced to quarter troops in their homes.

Which of the following contributed most to the expansion of the transatlantic slave trade during the 1700s?

Demand for slaves in the American colonies that produced cash crops

Which of the following had the greatest impact on the outcome of the Civil War?

Economic differences between the Union and the Confederacy

What was one result of the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828?

Increased levels of voter participation

Why were southern delegates to the Constitutional Convention willing to accept the Three-Fifths Compromise?

It increased the political influence of the South

Which action is one part of the official path to U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process?

Passing a U.S. civics exam

What was one result of industrialization in the United States during the mid-1800s?

Sectional differences increased.

Which factor encouraged more immigrants to settle in northern states than southern states during the mid-nineteenth century?

Southern states had smaller industrial sectors.

Which of the following is the best example of an early U.S. struggle to define the domestic authority of the central government?

The Whiskey Rebellion

Which phrase best represents the U.S. principle of republicanism?

The creation of a Congress to carry out the will of the people

Which of the following is most associated with the formation of the Democratic Party?

The election of Andrew Jackson as president

The organization of the first U.S. political parties resulted in large part from disagreements over which issue?

The establishment of the First Bank of the United States

Why did slavery become a widespread practice in the United States during the early nineteenth century?

The need for agricultural labor increased as a result of expanded cotton production

How did the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. Georgia affect American Indians?

The state ignored the ruling and distributed Cherokee lands to white settlers

How were former Confederate leaders treated under the Radical Reconstruction plan?

They were denied the ability to obtain political positions.

The development of the factory system in the early 1800s caused —

an increase in production levels

Which reason did the United States give for declaring war against Mexico in 1846?

To defend U.S. territory from Mexican aggression

Which of these was a primary reason Chinese immigrants came to the United States in the early 1850s?

To seek gold

What reason did President James K. Polk give when he asked Congress to declare war against Mexico?

To stop Mexican attacks against U.S. territory

The reform efforts of Dorothea Dix during the mid-nineteenth century led to —

improved facilities for the mentally ill and disabled

In the 1630s, Thomas Hooker and Roger Williams disagreed with the religious leaders of Massachusetts. These disagreements were resolved when Hooker and Williams —

left Massachusetts and established new colonies

The economies of the new western states were very different from those of the northeastern states in the mid-1800s. One major difference was that western states —

relied on subsistence farming

The Virginia Company authorized a general assembly in Virginia so that colonists could —

self-govern on a local level

In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court first stated the principle that —

the courts may declare a federal law unconstitutional

The Whiskey Rebellion challenged the idea that —

the federal government had the power to pass and enforce tax laws

One environmental consequence of the large-scale cultivation of cotton in the South was —

widespread soil exhaustion caused by decades of farming