American History to 1877 CLEP

"Taxation without representation"

result of the stamp act

An unintended outcome of the Second Great Awakening was a. the ordination of women as ministers b. a decline in support for education c. general decline in church participation by congregants d. increasing interest in social reform e. tightening of ministers' control over their congregations

The correct answer is D. Answer A can't be true, because women were just beginning to fight for their rights in the first half of the 1800s. Answers B, C, and E are the opposite of the effects of the Second Great Awakening.

All of the following were weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation EXCEPT a. lack of a judiciary b. lack of an executive c. lack of the ability to levy taxes d. lack of authority to regulate interstate commerce e. lack of authority to deal with Native American nations

The correct answer is E. Perhaps taking a page from Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union, the writers of the Articles of Confederation gave Congress the power to regulate affairs with Native Americans. Just about every other power that affected the states was kept with the states.

Which of the following is an example of transcendentalist literature? a. The Scarlet Letter b. Moby Dick c. Walden d. Little Women e. The House of Seven Gables

The correct answer is C. Answers A and B are examples of the use of American themes in literature. Answer B is an allegory of good and evil that draws on American themes. Answer D is a novel written in the second half of the nineteenth century and considered a woman's book.

If you were listening to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, you were most likely at a a. temperance meeting b. prayer service c. women's rights meeting d. political rally e. state school board meeting

The correct answer is C. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott called the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. The Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, listed twelve resolutions calling for equal rights for women including the vote.

Patrick Henry

Virginia British resistance personnel who wrote seven resolutions for the stamp act and had 4 published in the house of burgess. Newspapers picked up his seven resolutions and he fuled anti british fire

The Sedition Act was used primarily against a. traders who supplied Native Americans with guns b. Republican printers and editors c. Federalist judges d. French immigrants e. British sailors

The correct answer is B. The Sedition Act, passed on July 14, 1789 made the publishing of "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" against the government illegal. The act was passed under the guise of protecting the U.S. from "dangerous" aliens, but in reality, it was a tool the Federalists used to hinder the growth of the Democratic-Republican Party.

George Grenville

Became prime minister after the 7 years war and to gain revenue for money lost during the war he passed several acts on the Americas. Issued the Proclamation of 1763 which forbade white settelment eat of the Appalachians. 1764 passed the Sugar Act (Revenue Act). 1764 Currency Act 1765 Stamp Act

Currency act of 1764

Forbade colonial attempts to issue currency not redeemable in gold or silver

Stamp Act Congress

Illegal meeting of delegates from nine colonies that passed moderate resolutions for the Stamp Act. Symbolic due to the fact 9 different colonies were meeting for a common goal.

Stamp Act of 1765

Required Americans to purchase paper,parchment, cards that contained an official British seal that was taxed

Charles Townshen

Replaced Charles Lord Rockingham, created the Townshend Acts which were a tax on items imported into the colonies.

Charles Lord Rockingham

Replaced Greenville and repealed the Stamp Act but passed the Declaratory Act which stated the American could be taxed whenever the British wished.

All of the following were tensions within the abolition movement EXCEPT a. colonization versus compensation for slaveholders b. patronizing and racist attitude of some white abolitionists toward African American abolitionists c. gradual emancipation versus immediate abolition d. nonviolent action versus violence e. moral persuasion versus political action

The correct answer is A. Answer A confuses two arguments. Some early abolitionists believed that slaves should be freed and returned to Africa. They supported the founding of Liberia as a colony for former American slaves. The other argument was whether slaveholders should be compensated when their slaves were freed. Even Abraham Lincoln believed that they should be; they were not once the Civil War ended slavery.

Which of the following was NOT a utopian community? a. Deseret b. New Harmony c. Amana d. Brook Farm e. Oneida

The correct answer is A. Answer A, Deseret, was the name given to the first Mormon state in what would become Utah Territory. Answer B, New Harmony, Indiana, was founded by Robert Owen. Answer C, Amana, was in Iowa. Answer D, Brook Farm, was in Massachusetts. Answer E, Oneida, was founded in New York State. TIP: Don't be confused by NOT questions. Remember to look for the answer that doesn't fit. It's wrong but right for a reverse question.

The major reason that the Federalists collapsed as a political party was because a. the Democratic-Republicans adopted the Federalists' economic program b. the Federalists opposed a protective tariff c. the Democratic-Republicans used a new style of political campaign d. abolitionists deserted the Federalists when the party would not condemn slavery e. Lincoln was elected President and the Civil War began

The correct answer is A. Answer B can't be right, because an area of strength for the Federalists was New England, which was very much in favor of a protective tariff. Answer C belongs to the election of 1840 when Whigs changed the nature of political campaigns. Answer D and C are just wrong and there to confuse you about dates. The Federalists was a political party of the early years of the republic, whereas abolition belongs to the first half of the 1800s and Lincoln's election to 1860.

The South expected aid from Great Britain because a. the South supplied almost all the raw cotton used by British textile mills b. both recognized slavery c. British aristocratic families had married into Southern planter families d. British capitalists had invested heavily in the South e. the South played off the rivalry between Great Britain and France by requesting aid from France as well

The correct answer is A. Answer B is incorrect, because Great Britain had banned slavery in 1833 in all British colonies. Answer C is not true, nor is answer D. The British were more likely to have mutual financial interests with Northerners. The South also sought aid from France, but not as a bargaining chip with Great Britain, so answer E is incorrect.

Which of the following statements is true about immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s? a. Most Irish immigrants had been farmers, whereas most German immigrants were skilled workers. b. Irish immigrants tended to move West, whereas German immigrants tended to stay in cities. c. Irish immigrants made poor politicians, whereas German immigrants quickly took over politics. d. Irish and German immigrants were mainly Protestants. e. The Irish tended to come as single men, whereas the Germans came in families.

The correct answer is A. Answer B is incorrect, because most Irish immigrants tended to stay in cities in the Northeast. Answer C is incorrect, because the Irish tended to become political bosses. Answer (D is incorrect, because Irish immigrants were predominantly Roman Catholic. Answer E is incorrect, because the Irish tended to come as families. TIP: When you have two parts to an answer, go through the first part of each answer. If the first part is incorrect, then you don't have to read the second part. Only read the second part of an answer if the first part is correct. You'll save yourself some time.

The significance of the Free Soil Party in the election of 1848 was that it a. splintered the two-party political system b. was the first party to campaign on a promise of an end to slavery c. introduced the issue of free farmland into a presidential election d. introduced the issue of free land for a right of way for a transcontinental railroad e. weakened the Democratic-Republican Party

The correct answer is A. Answer B is incorrect; the Free Soil Party campaigned on a platform to establish western lands free of slavery—and even free blacks—where white workers would not have their wages depressed by competing with slave labor. Answers C and D are distracters; the "free" soil in the party's title was land free of slavery. Answer E is incorrect, because the Republican Party did not exist in 1848. The Free Soil did take votes from the Democratic presidential candidate, and the Whig candidate, General Winfield Taylor, won.

Folk artists tended to use which of the following as themes for their works? a. portraits and scenes of family life b. ideas from the nation's past c. scenes from nature d. factory scenes e. scenes from Greek and Roman myths

The correct answer is A. Answer C better fits the works of artists painting in the Romantic style. Answer D would be true of realist painters, but they don't appear until later in the century.

Transcendentalists were interested in using their literary output a. to create a romanticized view of American life b. to foster the development of a national identity c. to question natural law d. to reform American life e. to develop a rational explanation for life

The correct answer is D. As Emerson wrote, "What is a man born for, but to be a Reformer?"

The major shortcoming of the new Constitution according to Anti-Federalists was a. lack of protection for individuals b. the method of ratification c. the use of the three-fifths compromise d. the small states would be overpowered by the large states in Congress e. that it gave the states too much power

The correct answer is A. Answers B and C are just distracters. They have something to do with the Constitution, but nothing to do with the right answer. Answer D was eliminated as a concern by the Constitutional Convention through the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. Answer E doesn't make sense, because the purpose of federalism was to balance power between the national government and the states.

Which of the following had to pay a tax to mine for gold in California? a. Chinese immigrant b. any nonnative Californian c. native-born Californian of Mexican descent d. free African American e. any woman

The correct answer is A. Any foreigner who wanted to mine for gold had to pay a special tax. This was meant to discourage foreigners and eliminate their competition for the scarce natural resource. Racial discrimination was a characteristic of mining camps.

Which of the following was the first test of the unity of the United States under its new Constitution? a. Whiskey Rebellion b. Shays's Rebellion c. Denmark Vesey's Conspiracy d. XYZ Affair e. War Hawks

The correct answer is A. As part of Hamilton's plan to put the new nation on sound footing, he proposed and Congress passed an excise tax on whiskey. Farmers in the Pennsylvania backcountry rebelled because they turned much of the corn they raised into whiskey, which was easier to transport and sell. President George Washington called out the state militia to put down the rebellion against the federal government. Answer B, Shays's Rebellion, refers to an uprising in Massachusetts under the Articles of Confederation government. Answer C, Denmark Vesey's Conspiracy, was a planned uprising of enslaved African Americans in South Carolina to take control of Charleston, which was stopped before it began. Answer D, XYZ Affair, refers to an episode that almost led to war between the United States and France in 1797. Answer E, War Hawks, were a party in Congress that wanted the United States to declare war on Great Britain in the early 1800s. They finally achieved their wish with the War of 1812.

Which of the following replaced the plantation system of agriculture in the South? a. sharecropping b. large-scale commercial farming c. small independently owned farms d. day labor on former plantations e. farm mechanization

The correct answer is A. Because the slaves had been freed, landowners had no workers and no money to pay them, so a system of sharecropping was worked out. In exchange for land, tools, a mule, seed, and shack, a sharecropper and his family would give a third or a half of the harvest to the landowner. The system was set up so that the sharecropper was left little money at the end of the harvest and would have to borrow again for the next year. Answer A dominated the Midwest. Answers C, D, and E are distracters; they sound familiar but don't relate to the question.

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the role of middle-class women in the first half of the 1800s? a. Mothers forfeited to the new public schools their roles as moral guides for their children. b. Women were seen as the moral and cultural arbiters of society. c. Women were no longer important as a source of income for the family. d. The new concept of domesticity clearly marked women's role as "in the home" and men's role as "in the world." e. Women were seen as being of a higher moral quality than men.

The correct answer is A. Because women were seen as keepers of the virtues, such as honesty, piety, and selflessness, they were the first and foremost moral guides to their children.

An author whose works helped to establish a national identity for American literature was a. James Fenimore Cooper b. Edgar Allen Poe c. Horace Greeley d. Walt Whitman e. Emily Dickinson

The correct answer is A. Cooper used the experience of the frontier in New York State as the subject matter for his novels. Answer B, Edgar Allan Poe, was a later author as was answer C, Horace Greeley, a famous journalist of the latter half of the nineteenth century. Answer D, Walt Whitman, is a good distracter because the American consciousness was his subject matter, too, but he wrote in the mid 1800s. Answer E, Emily Dickinson, wrote very personal poetry that was not indicative of a larger national identity.

All of the following underlay anti-immigrant feelings in the 1800s EXCEPT a. immigrants would hold back progress b. immigrants would take jobs away from the native-born c. immigrants would weaken the nation because they tended to live in their own communities d. many immigrants were Roman Catholic rather than Protestant e. immigrants might be revolutionaries fleeing the Europe after the unsuccessful revolutions of 1830 and 1848

The correct answer is A. Except for immigrants being Roman Catholic, the same arguments were used against all immigrants in the 1800s, whether Italian or Chinese.

Paintings that were created by untrained and itinerant artists in the colonial and early national periods are known as a. folk art b. romantic c. nationalist d. realistic e. Impressionistic

The correct answer is A. Folk art, that is, art by untrained and itinerant artists was a popular art form in the colonial and early national periods. Often, the heads were large and the bodies small and somewhat stylized. The body and background were often the same from painting to painting. The artist would paint in the face and perhaps some favorite object of the subject. Answers B, romantic; D, realistic; and E, Impressionistic, are all nineteenth century European art movements that influenced Americans artists as well. Answer C, nationalist, is a devotion to one's own nation and a glorification. While not a movement in the arts, it may influence the subject matter of art and did so in the United States in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The First Continental Congress a. tried to find a way to heal the differences with Great Britain b. was preparing for war with Great Britain c. issued the Declaration of Independence d. authorized the militias to fight at Lexington and Concord e. attempted to justify independence to Loyalists

The correct answer is A. In 1774 when the Congress first met, there was no clear consensus in the colonies for independence. Many colonists still thought that a way could be found to retain their rights and remain in the British empire. That was the purpose of the "Declaration of Rights and Grievances" that the Congress sent to George III. Answer B would be correct if the question asked about the Second Continental Congress. The same is true for answers C and E. Answer D is incorrect; the fighting at Lexington and Concord came in response to British actions that were unknown to the Congress.

All of the following were part of Johnson's Reconstruction plan EXCEPT a. Confederate debts would be repaid b. states could hold constitutional conventions without requiring a set number of voters take an oath of allegiances to the United States c. pardons for all who took the oath of allegiance to the United States except for certain officials and wealthy Southerners d. ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment e. repeal secession

The correct answer is A. Johnson's plan specifically calls for the cancellation of all Confederate debts, so that no one would receive back the investment in Confederate bonds or be paid for any goods supplied to the Confederacy.

Americans who settled in Texas under Mexican rule plotted rebellion when Mexico tried a. to enforce its ban on slavery b. to collect the excise tax on goods exported from Texas c. to conscript Americanos into the Mexican army d. to encourage Native American attacks on Americanos settlements e. to end American immigration into Texas

The correct answer is A. Mexico had always banned slavery, but had not enforced the law and Americanos had ignored it. Answer B was enforced and while answer E did occur the reason for rebellion was answer A. Answers C and D are untrue.

Those most likely to move into the class of Southern elite were a. middle-class professionals b. frontier farmers c. smaller farmers with a few slaves d. carpetbaggers e. politicians

The correct answer is A. Middle-class professionals were doctors, lawyers, and merchants who had the money to invest in land and slaves and were sometimes paid in land and slaves. Answer D, carpetbaggers, is a negative term used to describe Northerners who moved South after the Civil War to make their fortunes at the expense of Southerners. Answer E is illogical since Southern politicians were usually from the upper class.

The Missouri Compromise was important because a. it established the principle of popular sovereignty as law b. it established a boundary line for the expansion of slavery c. it showed the extent of party rivalries d. it earned Henry Clay his nickname "the Great Compromiser" e. it ended the coalition between frontier and Northeastern politicians

The correct answer is B. Answer A is incorrect; that was the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Answer C is incorrect because the issue of the expansion of slavery and its solution was a result of sectional, not party, rivalries. Answer D is too obvious. Answer E is incorrect; there was no coalition.

Which of the following ensured the future of slavery in the South? a. invention of the cotton gin b. the racism that underlay Southern life c. the fertile land, year-round growing season of the South d. transportation revolution e. British textile industry

The correct answer is A. One argument used to keep the Constitutional Convention from outlawing slavery was that slavery would die out eventually because it was neither efficient nor cost effective. Some historians concur. The invention of the cotton gin, however, ended this possibility. The price of raw cotton went up dramatically as demand increased for cotton cloth. Many planters put all their resources into producing bigger crops, which required more cheap labor and, thus, the continuation of slavery.

Most white Southerners owned a. no slaves b. from 1 to 5 slaves c. 6 to 25 slaves d. 26 to 50 e. 51 slaves or more

The correct answer is A. Only 2.5 percent of white Southerners owned slaves and were wealthy plantation owners. Sixty-four percent of white Southerners owned no slaves, yet supported slavery.

The Republican platform of 1860 a. supported John Brown's raid b. promised to stop the spread of slavery into new territories c. promised to provide access to public land for homesteaders d. promised to fund a transcontinental railroad e. promised to raise the tariff

The correct answer is A. The 1860 platform promised something for everyone—or at least for a number of people with different interests. Answer C along with a severe denunciation of the Know-Nothings proposal to make naturalization more difficult appealed to immigrants. It also appealed to easterners who wanted to make a new start. Answer D was meant to appeal to the same people and to existing Californians. Answer E attracted New England manufacturers.

The Federalists party of the 1790s found its support among a. Northern merchants, New England farmers, and skilled workers b. Southern planters and frontier settlers c. poorer farmers in the North d. Southern planters and Northern merchants e. Northern merchants, farmers in North and South, and semiskilled workers

The correct answer is A. The Federalists were the party of industry and growth; think Alexander Hamilton. Therefore, its members would be drawn from those who would benefit from trade and industrial growth, answer A. Their opponents, the Republicans who were led by Thomas Jefferson favored an agrarian nation of small farmers. Answer B and C together would describe Republicans. Answers D and E are there to distract you from the correct answer; they're both wrong.

The central issue in McCulloch v. Maryland was a. the extent of Congressional authority b. the principle of judicial review c. interstate commerce d. slavery e. equal protection under the law

The correct answer is A. The McCulloch v. Maryland broadened the powers of Congress to include implied powers, all those "necessary and proper" to enable government to function. The case itself dealt with the constitutionality of the Second Bank and the state of Maryland's attempt to tax its bank notes. The right match to answer B is Marbury v. Madison; to answer C is Gibbons v. Ogden; to answer D is Dred Scott decision, properly Scott v. Sandford; to answer E is Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

In addition to France, which of the following nations aided the Americans in the Revolutionary War? a. Russia b. Spain c. Prussia d. Portugal e. Italy

The correct answer is B. Spain (and the Netherlands) lent the new United States money to fund the war, but Spain also declared war on Great Britain in 1779. A Spanish force defeated the British in Louisiana and West Florida. Answer E can't be correct, because Italy wasn't a nation until the late 1800s.

By 1776, the people of English descent made up about what percentage of colonists? a. slightly less than 50 percent b. 75 percent c. 20 percent d. slightly more than 30 percent e. 60

The correct answer is A. The colonies that rebelled against Great Britain had an English population of slightly less than 50 percent. Answer C is the percentage of African and African-American slaves. Answer D is the percentage of people of other European nationalities.

By the 1830s, the greatest growth in printed material occurred in a. Newspapers b. religious literature c. literary magazines d. almanacs e. sentimental novels

The correct answer is A. The huge increase in the number of newspapers paralleled the increasing interest in politics among ordinary people. Political parties published their own papers and gave a decidedly partisan view of events. In the 25 years between 1810 and 1835, the number of papers almost quadrupled, from 376 to 1,200. Answer D, almanacs, were highly popular in colonial times.

Which of the following was a well-known group of landscape painters in the first half of the nineteenth century? a. Hudson River School b. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts c. Brook Farm d. Greek Revival e. Federal

The correct answer is A. The painter of the Hudson River School, or art movement, took as their subject the great American frontier, which at the time was upstate New York. Answer B, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, is a distracter, both because it was (and still is) a physical building—not an art movement—and founded in 1804, the oldest arts institution in the nation. Answer C, Brook Farm, is another distracter because of the word farm, but was a utopian community. Answers D, Greek Revival, and E, Federal, are architectural styles. The Federal and Greek Revival styles were popular in the early national period and 1800s up to mid-century.

The transportation revolution had all of the following effects EXCEPT a. the South was more closely tied to the Midwest b. the price of food fell in the Northeast c. nationwide mail delivery was possible d. manufactured goods took the place of homemade goods e. less value was placed on women's work that did not generate income

The correct answer is A. The transportation revolution connected the Midwest and the Northeast more closely. Answer B provided a clue. The price of food fell because food was shipped from the Midwest to the Northeast through the canal system.

In writing their new state constitutions, states a. limited the power of the state government b. opened office-holding to all free white males c. allowed all free white males to vote d. denied the states the power to tax e. made most state legislatures appointive rather than elective

The correct answer is A. Their experience as colonists under royal governors influenced the men who drafted the new state constitutions. As a result, they limited the power of state government. Answers B and C are related; the Age of Democracy when voting and, therefore, office holding were opened to more men had to wait until the 1820s and 1830s. Answer D is a good distracter, because the new nation was wary of giving taxing power to government, but the answer is untrue. Answer E is also untrue. As colonists, they were used to electing members of their legislatures, so it doesn't make sense that they would suddenly appoint rather than elect legislators.

At the same time the Stamp Act was repealed, Parliament passed the a. Declaratory Act b. Townshend Acts c. Olive Branch Petition d. non-importation agreement e. Intolerable Acts

The correct answer is A. Whereas the repeal of the Stamp Act was meant to satisfy British merchants and decrease unemployment at home, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act to reaffirm its power to tax the colonies. Answer B, Townshend Acts, was the next set of laws passed by Parliament to tax the colonists. Answer C, Olive Branch Petition, was the name the Second Continental Congress gave a declaration of loyalty it sent to George III in 1775 and which he refused to accept. Answer D, non-importation agreements, were documents that planters and merchants signed after the Stamp Act, vowing not to import British-made goods. Answer E, Intolerable Acts, was the name colonists gave to four acts Parliament passed to punish Boston and Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.

Seward's Folly" refers to a. the purchase of Alaska from Russia b. the annexation of Hawaii c. the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico d. the annexation of Texas e. the acquisition of Oregon

The correct answer is A. William Seward was secretary of state when Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. When gold was found in the new territory in 1896, Seward didn't seem so foolish. How the United States acquired answers B, C, and D is correctly stated. Answer E, Oregon, was part of a settlement over a disputed boundary with Great Britain.

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South at the beginning of the Civil War? a. The South had to establish a functioning central government to oversee the war and the governance of the states, whereas the North had an existing federal government. b. The South and the North were about even in the amount of railroad track and railroads that each had. c. The South had better military leaders than the North and a superior naval force. d. The South had more farms and grew more of its own food than the North did. e. The North and South including slaves had about the same population.

The correct answer is A. You could eliminate answers B, D, and E immediately on the basis of the relative size of the North and South. The North, which included the Midwest and the Far West, was at least twice the size of the South, so it stands to reason that the North would have more railroad track, more farms, and a larger population—even including slaves. Answer C is half right. A major advantage the South had was the quality of its military leaders. However, the South had no navy and the North used its navy to blockade Southern ports very effectively.

All of the following are major changes that occurred among African Americans after the Civil War EXCEPT a. former slaves began to attend white churches and abandoned their own churches b. former slave women tended to stay home and care for their children rather than work outside the home c. former slaves entered into legal marriages d. freed slaves took surnames e. the major source of income for former slaves was sharecropping

The correct answer is A. You could figure out that answer A was untrue and, therefore, the correct answer to this reverse question. African Americans were being discriminated against in jobs and housing and kept from mingling with whites in public facilities, why would they be encouraged or allowed to enter white churches?

A significant characteristic of the social class structure in the English colonies was a. its lack of social mobility b. the size and wealth of the middle class c. the lack of importance given to wealth d. an upper class of wealthy merchants and professionals only e. the lack of a lower class of poor

The correct answer is B. About 70 percent of all white colonists were considered middle class. They were the small farm owners, shopkeepers, and craftworkers. Answer A is incorrect, because the ability to move up the social ladder was a characteristic of colonial society. Answer C is incorrect, because wealth still determined a person's place in the social structure. Answer D is incorrect because it leaves out wealthy planters. Answer E is incorrect because there was a large lower class of poor farm families, slaves, and indentured servants.

All of the following revolved around the issue of states' rights EXCEPT a. Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions b. Suffolk Resolves c. Tariff of Abominations d. Ordinance of Nullification e. Webster-Hayne debate

The correct answer is B. Adopted by towns in Massachusetts' colony, answer B were a protest against the Intolerable Acts. Answer A was the first protest by Southerners, in this case, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, against actions of the federal government—passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. The resolutions claimed that the states had the right to judge the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress. Answer D continued this theme in response to the passage of answer C, which was actually the Tariff of 1832. Answer E was a debate between Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Robert Hayne of South Carolina.

Oberlin College is credited with being a. the first women's college b. the first coeducational college c. the first historically all-black college d. the first land-grant college e. the oldest college in the United States

The correct answer is B. Answer A is Mount Holyoke founded by Mary Lyons in 1837. Answer C is Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Both of these colleges still exist. The honor of answer E belongs to Harvard, founded in 1836.

Reconstruction ended in 1877 because a. all the Southern states had satisfied the requirements of Radical Reconstruction b. a deal was reached to name Hayes the winner of the presidential election of 1876 in exchange for an end to Reconstruction c. Northerners had grown tired of paying for military occupation of the South d. the Amnesty Act had made military occupation unnecessary e. Hayes, the Republican presidential candidate, had campaigned on a promise to end Reconstruction

The correct answer is B. Answer A is incorrect because Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina were still under military control. Answer C is partially true; Northerners had grown tired of the corruption that was reported about Reconstruction governments. Answer D is illogical; the act pardoned most ex-Confederates so that they could vote and hold public office. Answer E is incorrect.

The Compromise of 1820 was a failure because a. Missouri entered the Union a free state b. it failed to settle the question of slavery once and for all c. it convinced Southerners they had no reason to fear a Northern attack on the continuation of slavery d. it established the unconstitutional principle of popular sovereignty e. it set up a formula of free and slave states that could not be achieved

The correct answer is B. Answer A is incorrect; Missouri was a slave state. Answer C is incorrect; the law had the opposite effect on Southerners. Answer D is incorrect; the Compromise of 1850 established popular sovereignty. Answer E is a distracter; the balance already existed.

A major difference between Massachusetts Bay and the Virginia Colony was that a. Virginia Colony was a commercial enterprise, whereas Massachusetts Bay was a religious enterprise b. early colonists in Massachusetts Bay were freemen and families and in Virginia they were single men and indentured servants c. there were more women in Virginia colony than in Massachusetts Bay in the early years d. Massachusetts Bay had a higher mortality rate in the early years than did Virginia e. there were already Europeans living in the area of Massachusetts Bay, but none in the Virginia colony

The correct answer is B. Answer A is incorrect; both were meant to turn a profit for their joint-stock companies. It is true that many of the colonists in Massachusetts Bay had a religious motivation, but the colony was also a commercial enterprise. Answer C is untrue; most of the 900 colonists who emigrated to Virginia between 1607 and 1609 were men, as answer B suggests. Answer D is also untrue. At the end of 1609, only 60 of those first Virginians survived. Of the 9,000 who emigrated between 1610 and 1622, only 2,000 survived. The first years were known as the "starving time." Answer E is untrue for both colonies. Don't confuse them with Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey where other Europeans were living when the English decided to establish colonies.

Utopian communities in general were based on a. a vision from God b. the ideal of cooperation and communal ownership of property c. personal religious experience d. the principles of capitalism e. separation of the sexes

The correct answer is B. Answer A is incorrect; even if some might have involved a vision, the questions asks about utopian communities in general. Answers C and E are also incorrect for the same reason. Answer D is incorrect. You might not have noticed, but answer D is the opposite of answer B, and both can't be right.

In writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson drew on the social contract theory of which Enlightenment thinker? a. Voltaire b. John Locke c. Montesquieu d. Thomas Paine e. William Pitt

The correct answer is B. Answer A, Voltaire, was also an Enlightenment philosopher as was answer C, Montesquieu. Answer D, Thomas Paine, wrote Common Sense and The Crisis in support of independence. Answer E, William Pitt, was prime minister for part of the period leading up to the American Revolution and a supporter of the rights of the colonies in Parliament.

The mid-1800s saw a a. rise in the number of colleges for free African Americans b. rise in the number of practical courses, such as science and engineering, taught in colleges c. rise in the number of courses in the classics taught in colleges d. decline in the number of colleges accepting women e. decline in the number of middle-class men enrolling in college

The correct answer is B. Answer A would be correct only if you consider going from none to one a rise. Lincoln University, the first college dedicated to the education of African Americans, was founded in 1854. Answer C is incorrect; classics courses were a casualty of Americans' interest in industrial progress. Answer D is the opposite of what occurred. Answer E is the opposite of what occurred as the solidly middle class saw the value of an education and sent their sons off to college.

Which of the following helped to lay out Washington, DC, and was a mathematician and astronomer? a. Benjamin Franklin b. Benjamin Banneker c. Joseph Henry d. Charles Wilson Peale e. Benjamin Rush

The correct answer is B. Answer A, Benjamin Franklin, had died by the time Washington, DC, was being surveyed and designed. Answer C, Joseph Henry, was a physicist and the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, in the mid 1800s. Answer D, Charles Wilson Peale, was a famous painter of the period. Answer E, Benjamin Rush, was a Philadelphia colleague of Franklin's and a doctor. He was the first to diagnose insanity as an illness.

The most popular architectural style in the early and mid-1800s was a. Georgian b. Gothic revival c. balloon-frame d. Romanesque e. Prairie

The correct answer is B. Answer A, Georgian, was the style in the 1700s and one that the new nation moved away from. Answer C, balloon-frame, refers to a building method that became popular in the 1840s and is still used. Answer D, Romanesque, developed in Europe after 950 and was popular until the 1200s when Gothic replaced it. Answer E, Prairie Style, was developed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the twentieth century.

Which of the following artists painted romanticized versions of life on the western frontier? a. John James Audobon b. George Caleb Bingham c. George Catlin d. Thomas Cole e. Asher B Durand

The correct answer is B. Answer A, John James Audobon, painted detailed and realistic pictures of birds in their natural habitat. Answer C, George Catlin, painted Native Americans and tried to interest other white Americans in rectifying the ill-treatment they were receiving at the hands of the federal government and settlers. Answer D, Thomas Cole, founded the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Answer E, Asher B Durand, an African American, was a member of the Hudson River School.

After the Civil War, women were told to put aside their demand for voting rights and to work instead for a. property rights b. voting rights for African American men c. an end to the poll tax d. equal educational opportunities for African Americans e. passage of the Thirteenth Amendment

The correct answer is B. Answer A, property rights, were a matter of states' granting certain rights to women rather than the federal government. If answer E had been the Fifteenth Amendment, which granted voting rights to African American men, it would have been correct. The Thirteenth Amendment ended slavery.

Texas gained its independence as a result of a. the Mexican War b. the battle of San Jacinto c. the fight at the Alamo d. annexation by the United States e. a vote of all male Americanos and Tejanos property owners

The correct answer is B. Answer A, the Mexican War, settled the disputed boundary between the United States and Mexico along the southern border of Texas, but Texas already had been annexed by the United States. Answer C is illogical, because the Texans lost the battle. Answer D is incorrect because independence and annexation are not the same. Texas gave up its independence when it was annexed. Answer E is a nice try, but wrong.

All of the following were provisions of the Intolerable Acts EXCEPT a. closed the port of Boston b. all taxes had to be paid in gold or silver coin rather than currency c. required colonists to provide housing for British soldiers d. revoked the charter of Massachusetts e. allowed a British soldier or official to be tried outside the colony if the governor thought it impossible to get a fair trial within the colony

The correct answer is B. Answer B is a provision of the Currency Act of 1764. Colonial merchants protested this act, because it threatened to drain the colonies of gold and silver. It was, however, in keeping with the mercantilist policy of the home country's stockpiling wealth from its colonies.

The British government did not enforce the Proclamation of 1763 because a. the French removal from Canada made the proclamation unnecessary b. it was to the benefit of the British empire to have the colonists move West c. the government did not want to enrich land speculators d. the colonists refused to obey the law e. the Native Americans turned on the British and the government wanted revenge

The correct answer is B. Answer B is correct because the land beyond the settled colonies had riches that would ultimately benefit the British government through increased trade. Answer A makes no sense because the proclamation was issued because the French had been defeated and the area now was under British control. Answer C is the opposite of what would have happened if the proclamation had been enforced. Answer D is true, but was not the reason behind the government's lack of action. Answer E is incorrect; most of the Native Americans were British allies in the French and Indian War.

Which of the following went against social convention by setting up a nursing staff of women to care for the wounded during the Civil War? a. Susan B. Anthony b. Clara Barton c. Harriet Tubman d. Amelia Bloomer e. Alice Paul

The correct answer is B. Answers A, Susan B. Anthony; D, Amelia Bloomer; and E, Alice Paul, worked to gain women the vote. Answer C, Harriet Tubman, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and a speaker for abolition.

The authority of Congress to approve presidential nominees to the federal judiciary is an example of a. judicial review b. checks and balances c. the amendment process d. implied powers e. enumerated powers

The correct answer is B. Answer B is correct. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention set up a system to ensure that no one branch of government became too powerful; this system is called "checks and balances." Answer A refers to the right of the Supreme Court to judge the constitutionality of Congressional laws and executive acts; this right was established in Marbury vs. Madison. Answer C is the process by which the Constitution is changed. Answers D and E are terms given to certain clauses within Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Answer E refers to Clauses 1 through 17, which list specific powers granted to Congress. Answer D is a term used to describe Clause 18, which gives the Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the business of the government. This is also known as the "elastic clause."

Which of the following groups lost significant influence as a result of the War of 1812? a. War Hawks b. Federalists c. Whigs d. Westerners e. Democrats

The correct answer is B. Answer B, Federalists, lost influence because they had protested the war. Answer A, War Hawks, a group of congressmen from the frontier states, were vocal supporters of the war. Answer D, Westerners, is similar to answer A and incorrect for the same reason. Answer C, Whigs, were later than the War of 1812. Answer E, Democrats, supported the war.

Whose idea were the committees of correspondence? a. John Adams b. Samuel Adams c. Paul Revere d. John Dickinson e. Alexis de Tocqueville

The correct answer is B. Answer D, John Dickinson, is a good distracter, because he wrote Letters From a Pennsylvania Farmer, in which he explained that Parliament had a right to regulate trade, but not to levy taxes within the colonies. Answer A, John Adams, is known for the letters he wrote to his wife Abigail during the sessions of the Continental Congress. Answer C, Paul Revere, was a fellow Bostonian and Patriot leader. Answer E, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote a famous book, Democracy in America, about the American political system after a visit here from France in 1831 and 1832.

The major difficulty of government under the Articles of Confederation was a. lack of a judiciary b. lack of a chief executive c. the inability to collect taxes d. the lack of a method for admitting additional states e. irregularly scheduled meetings of Congress

The correct answer is B. Answer choices A, B, and C are true, but the question asks for the major problem of the Confederation government. That's answer A Think of the Confederation government as a body without a head. TIP: Establishing a way to admit new states was the only major achievement of the Confederation government.

While the English were the largest group of people to immigrate to the colonies, the second largest group were a. Irish b. Scots Irish c. French Huguenots d. Germans e. Welsh

The correct answer is B. By 1700, some 150,000 English had immigrated to North America. Answer B, the Scots Irish, had originally immigrated to Ireland from Scotland, and the end of the cloth-making industry in Ireland in the 1700s forced many of their descendants to emigrate. Answer D, the Germans were the first group of non-English speakers to immigrate in large numbers. Most of the 100,000 or so that came went to Pennsylvania. Answer A, the Irish, is the wrong time period; the Irish came in large numbers in the 1840s as a result of the potato famine. However, their numbers were never as great as the Germans. The same is true for answer E, the Welsh. Answer C, French Huguenots, came in the 1680s to escape religious persecution and settled mainly in Carolina colony.

Redeemers were so-called because they a. worked for the Freedmen's Bureau b. were white Southern politicians who restored white supremacy in the South c. were members of a white supremacist group similar to the Ku Klux Klan d. oversaw the sharecropping system for absentee landowners e. were the civilian administrators for the military districts in the South during Reconstruction

The correct answer is B. By the end of Reconstruction, Redeemers had gained control of state government in all the former Confederate states. The Redeemers were not the old-line Southern politicians from before the Civil War, but businessmen interested in making money in the "New South."

Cortés was aided in his conquest of the Aztec empire by a. the superior ships and sailing technology of the Spanish b. help from Aztec tribute states that wanted to rid themselves of Aztec rule c. European diseases against which the Aztecs had no immunities d. the threat of the introduction of Africans to work the Aztecs' silver mines e. the civil war that raged in the empire

The correct answer is B. Choice A doesn't make sense since the Aztecs lived inland. Choice C would be a good guess—if you had been asked about why Aztecs died off after they became part of the Spanish empire, not when they were being conquered. Choice D is a distracter—sounds good but has no basis in fact. Choice E would be a good answer—if the question asked about the Spanish conquest of the Inca.

Educated colonists were familiar with a. transcendentalism b. deism c. sentimentalism d. nativism e. romanticism

The correct answer is B. Deism is belief in a Supreme Being who is the source of natural law. Answer A, transcendentalism, was a literary and philosophical movement of the mid-1800s. Answer C, sentimentalism, was a type of literature that gained favor with middle-class women readers of the mid-1800s. Answer D, nativism, underlay the anti-immigrant attitude of the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is belief that favors the native-born over foreigners. Answer E, romanticism, was a literary and artistic movement of the mid- to late nineteenth century.

Middle-class Americans at mid-century viewed public education a. as a civilizing influence on immigrants b. as a stabilizing force in a world of rapid change c. as a way to mold a subservient working class d. as a way to increase productivity while wiping out innovative thinking e. as still unnecessary for girls

The correct answer is B. Education was meant to turn out educated workers who could use the new machinery in factories while instilling good habits of character such as obedience and hard work. This was the stabilizing effect that middle-class Americans were looking for. However, education was not meant to stamp out innovative thinking, which led to greater productivity, so answer D is incorrect. That also means that answer C is incorrect. Answer A is not true, although at a later period education was seen as the way to turn immigrants into citizens. Answer E is not true.

The first colony in the 1600s to require that each town establish a public primary school was a. Pennsylvania b. Massachusetts c. New York d. Virginia e. Georgia

The correct answer is B. Eliminate answer E, Georgia, right away, because Georgia wasn't a colony until 1732. Based on what you know about Southern colonies—the agricultural base of their economies and their widespread settlements—eliminate answer D. Why would they care about establishing schools in far-off towns? That leaves the New England and Middle colonies. While any one might be a good choice, think ahead to the reformers of the 1800s. Massachusetts' educational system was so far advanced by the 1830s that Horace Mann, the first Massachusetts' secretary of education, organized the existing school districts into a statewide system. Answer B would be an educated guess and the right answer. By the way, answers A and C, Pennsylvania and New York, got on the education bandwagon in the 1800s.

All of the following are true about the effect of the fur trade on Native Americans in the colonial period EXCEPT a. contact between Native Americans and traders spread European diseases among the Native Americans b. Native Americans converted in large numbers to Christianity c. made Native Americans dependent on Europeans and European Americans for trade goods d. created and worsened existing rivalries among Native Americans e. killed off large numbers of animals, thus depriving Native Americans of food and a continuing source of trade

The correct answer is B. Even if you weren't sure about the answer, you could figure it out. Considering the effect in general of whites on Native Americans, you should look for negative consequences. Answers A, C, D and E are all negative answers. They are also all plausible negative consequences on Native Americans. Answer B on the other hand is less plausible—and the right answer.

Which of the following is an allegory of good and evil? a. Leaves of Grass b. Moby Dick c. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow d. The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass e. Godey's Lady Book

The correct answer is B. Herman Melville's story of Captain Ahab's search for the white whale is social critique of American society. Answer A is a volume of poetry by Walt Whitman. Answer C is a short story by Washington Irving that draws on the rich history of the Dutch in New York. Answer D is an autobiography and, therefore, nonfiction, although certainly a story of good and evil. Answer E is the title of a women's magazine popular in the nineteenth century.

Which of the following is NOT a problem that workers faced in organizing early labor unions? a. Native-born white workers did not admit free African Americans, immigrants, and women, thus cutting out large areas of support. b. Political parties ignored workers' demands and sided with business. c. Courts found unions guilty of conspiracy. d. Workers needed their wages, so strikes tended to be short and ineffective. e. Union workers lost their jobs when economic downturns caused owners to cut costs.

The correct answer is B. If you didn't know the answer, you could figure out enough to discard some answers. Discrimination against African Americans in the North was prevalent, so you would be safe in deciding that early unions did not include them and thus, lost potential members. Answers D and E seem to true on the basis of common sense. Workers were poor and needed wages; factory owners would cut workers in an economic depression and the most likely to be fired would be union members, potential troublemakers. If you think about Jackson and the Democrats as the party of the common man, then it stands to reason that they would be interested in the complaints of workers, so answer B is probably not true and, therefore, the right answer to this reverse question. In truth, the Democrats made every effort to win workers to Jackson's candidacy—and successfully.

"Manifest destiny" was used by Americans in the mid-1800s to justify a. the Monroe Doctrine b. expansion of the nation across the continent c. abolition d. construction of the transcontinental railroad e. slavery

The correct answer is B. In 1845, a journalist used the phrase to justify the annexation of Texas, "manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions."

Copperheads were a. Southern Democrats who urged secession b. Northern Democrats who wanted Lincoln to negotiate peace with the South c. Northern Republicans who wanted a negotiated peace with the South d. western miners who supported the war e. Northern businessmen who lobbied for government business during the war

The correct answer is B. In addition to peaceful political activity, some southern sympathizers, especially in the Midwest, participated in secret societies that helped deserters and sabotaged Union forces. They identified themselves by showing the head of the copper penny, hence the name.

Southern slaves were able to build communities that provided all of the following EXCEPT a. a sense of kinship for African Americans b. access to education c. a social structure based on the concept of extended family d. a continuation of African culture and traditions e. their own religion

The correct answer is B. It was against the law to teach enslaved African Americans to read and write. Answers A, C, D, and E are all true of slave communities—that is, slave quarters—on plantations. Because families could be sold apart, the overall community provided a sense of belonging, and the concept of the extended family turned everyone into a brother, grandmother, child, and so on. African Americans adapted white Christianity to their own needs and turned it into a religion of hope and freedom of the spirit.

As opposed to Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton considered the role of the federal government was to a. promote the well-being of the citizen farmer b. encourage economic activity c. redistribute wealth d. ensure liberty e. counteract speculators

The correct answer is B. Jefferson believed that the future of the nation was as an agrarian society, whereas Hamilton saw it as an industrial society. Answer C would probably have shocked them both. Answers D and E are distracters.

The struggle between proslavery and antislavery forces to have Kansas admitted to the Union in the late 1850s resulted in a. the admission of Kansas as a slave state b. an open split between Northern and Southern Democrats c. the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act d. the Lincoln-Douglas debates e. the establishment of the Free-Soil Party

The correct answer is B. Kansas was not admitted to the Union until 1861, so answer A is incorrect. Proslavery forces wrote what became known as the Lecompton Constitution in 1857, and the overwhelmingly antislavery Kansas populace rejected it. However, President Buchanan and the Southern Democrats supported admission of Kansas as a slave state, whereas Northern Democrats opposed it. Passage of the bill admitting Kansas as a slave state failed, and the state was admitted as a free state once the Civil War began. Answer C is incorrect, because the Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. The Lincoln-Douglas debates, answer D, resulted from the Illinois Senate campaign, although the Kansas-Nebraska Act was the subject of the debates. Answer E is incorrect, because the Free-Soil Party had run its first candidates in 1848.

"Be it therefore . . . enacted . . . that no person or persons whatsoever within this province . . . thereunto [believing] in Jesus Christ shall henceforth be any ways troubled, molested, or discountenanced for or in respect of his or her religion nor in the free exercise thereof within this province. . . ." This quotation is most probably from a law passed in which colony? a. Massachusetts b. Maryland c. Virginia d. New Jersey e. Georgia

The correct answer is B. Maryland passed the Act of Religious Toleration in 1649, which provided freedom of religion to Catholics and Protestants alike. Catholics at this time were severely persecuted in England. You can rule out answer A, Massachusetts, immediately, because leaders there allowed for no dissent from Puritanism.

One group outside the South that was interested in seeing an end to Reconstruction was a. Midwestern farmers b. Northern businessmen c. Western ranchers d. labor unions e. Midwestern meatpackers

The correct answer is B. Northern businessmen recognized that there was money to be made by investing in the South, but they wanted political stability before they would invest. If you didn't know, you could figure out enough to eliminate at least some of the answers. Because the South was at the time primarily an agrarian society, answer A, Midwestern farmers; answer C,Western ranchers; and answer E, Midwestern meatpackers, would be unlikely to see the area as a market. The lack of a rail system joining the South to the Midwest and West would also make these unlikely answers. Answer D, labor unions, is illogical since there were few factories in the region.

Which of the following became independent as the "Bear Flag Republic"? a. Texas b. California c. Florida d. Oregon e. New Mexico

The correct answer is B. Older American settlers in California had adopted Spanish culture, but newer emigrants were not interested in assimilating. With little resistance and a claim of tyranny, Americans in California rebelled in 1846 and declared their independence. They raised a flag with a bear on it as their new standard. Answer A, Texas, had a single star on its flag as an independent nation and was known as the Lone Star Republic.

The putting-out system was made possible only because of the adoption of a. interchangeable parts b. division of labor c. master and apprentice model of medieval guilds d. assembly line e. water power

The correct answer is B. Prior to the development of the putting-out system, one worker would do all steps in a process to make something like a shoe. With the putting-out system, a worker would do only one step in the process, such as cutting out the leather for shoes. Answers A and D relate to industrialization, as does answer E, the first source of power to run machinery in factories.

Which of the following was not a feature of urban life in the antebellum North? a. horse-drawn streetcars b. sewers and garbage collection c. separate neighborhoods for different social classes d. newspapers e. theaters

The correct answer is B. Sanitation was not a big concern of urban-dwellers or anyone really, because the link between sewage and disease was just beginning to be understood.

The rights of women changed a. as a result of the American Revolution b. when women married c. when women took jobs as teachers d. when women moved to frontier areas e. when women inherited property

The correct answer is B. Single women and widows had greater rights. They could conduct business, own property, and enter into contracts. Once they married, they lost these rights in favor of their husbands. While Abigail Adams may have cautioned her husband to "remember the ladies," nothing changed for women after the Revolution. Answers C and D are distracters. Answer E is illogical. If they had no rights, they would not have the right to own property.

Over time, which of the following rights were married women in the colonies able to exercise? a. vote b. conduct business c. attend college d. hold public office e. act as ministers

The correct answer is B. Single women and widows initially had more rights in the colonies, including the right to conduct business. This was a holdover from English common law. Over time, colonial legislatures and courts included married women in the right to conduct business, provided it was in connection with or for their husbands.

One of the casualties of the French and Indian War was a. French Catholics' ability to practice their religion in Canada b. Americans' sense of the superiority of the British military c. the British claim to Florida d. Native American rights to the land in the Ohio River Valley e. the fur trade

The correct answer is B. The British army was made up of professional soldiers, but they were no match for the tactics of the French and their Native American allies. The colonial militias lost respect for the commanders of the army. Answer A is untrue, especially if you test it against passage of the Quebec Act passed 1774 that ensured the right of French Catholics to practice their religion. Answer C is incorrect; Great Britain gained Florida as a result of the war. Answer D is incorrect. The British government issued the Proclamation of 1763 forbidding settlers west of the Allegheny Mountains. Answer E is incorrect. Whether it was French trappers and traders or American colonial frontiersmen, the fur trade continued.

All of the following resulted from the Second Great Awakening EXCEPT a. the development of a sense of community and social belonging among followers b. the rapid decline in the Methodist and Baptist churches c. a desire among followers to reform society d. the prominence of itinerant preachers e. a newfound importance for women as moral pillars of their communities

The correct answer is B. The Second Great Awakening led to a rapid increase in membership in the Methodist and Baptist churches. Perhaps the most significant fact in these right answers is answer C. The Second Great Awakening provide the impetus for much of the reform movements of the first half of the nineteenth century.

Between 1800 and 1860, the majority of American workers a. had shifted from agriculture to factory work b. remained in agriculture c. worked in trade, transportation, and manufacturing d. was concentrated in the South e. had joined unions

The correct answer is B. The industrialization of the United States workforce did not occur to any great degree until after the Civil War and even in 1900, only slightly less than half the nation's labor force worked in agriculture. If you weren't sure, you could still eliminate answers D and E. Answer D was far less populated than the North, so this answer is illogical. Answer E is also illogical, because unions were still having trouble attracting members.

The purpose of the Embargo Act of 1807 was to a. force France and Great Britain to end their boycott of American goods b. preserve the neutrality of the United States c. end impressment of British sailors by Americans d. punish Americans trading illegally with the British and French e. end smuggling from Canada

The correct answer is B. The United States had declared its neutrality in the fight between Great Britain and France, which should have allowed its ships to trade with both nations. However, neither Great Britain nor France respected this declaration of neutrality and seized ships and goods bound for the other nation. Answer A is the opposite of the truth. Both Great Britain and France were highly dependent on U.S.-made goods. Answer C is the opposite of what was occurring; the British were impressing American sailors. Answers D and E are distracters. Both had something to do with the embargo but not as stated.

The battle of Saratoga in 1777 was important because it a. gave the British a much needed victory b. brought France into a formal alliance with the United States c. convinced the Iroquois Confederacy to side with the Patriots d. ended the war in New England e. ended any interest by Spain and the Netherlands in aiding England

The correct answer is B. The battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution. Answer A is the opposite of what occurred; the battle was a much needed American victory. Answer C is incorrect because most of the Confederacy were on the British side. General William Howe's departure from Boston in 1776 ended any fighting in New England, so answer D is incorrect. Spain and the Netherlands, answer E, were enemies of England.

The underlying disagreement between Parliament and the American colonists revolved around a. nationalism versus colonialism b. virtual versus direct representation c. colonialism versus capitalism d. taxation versus representation e. capitalism versus socialism

The correct answer is B. The colonists were used to direct representation in their colonial legislatures and resented Parliament's claim that it represented all people within the British empire, whether the people were able to vote for them or not, which the colonists were not. The other answers all have terms that sound familiar to distract you, but are incorrect.

All of the following split the abolitionist movement EXCEPT a. the exportation of slaves to and colonization in Africa b. Southern abolitionists versus Northern abolitionists c. the role of women in the abolitionist movement d. gradual versus immediate emancipation e. participation in the political process to change slave laws

The correct answer is B. The conflicts within the abolitionists movement split along ideological lines, not sectional lines, so answer B is the correct choice because it's wrong. TIP: Remember to look for the answer that doesn't fit when you are answering an EXCEPT or a NOT question.

Jefferson's worst foreign policy blunder was a. encouraging trade with Europe b. the Embargo Act of 1807 c. undermining the Alien and Sedition Acts d. waging war against the Barbary pirates e. opposing the War Hawks

The correct answer is B. The embargo was meant to hurt the British and French economies and instead severely damaged the Northeast. Opposition to Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans was so great that the Federalists had a brief revival of support in the election of 1808. Answer A was a plus in Jefferson's foreign policy. Answer C was true of Jefferson's tactics, but these laws were not part of foreign policy and are a plus, not a negative. Answer D is also a positive aspect of Jefferson's foreign policy. Answer E is not true, because the War Hawks were not elected to the House until 1810, two years after Jefferson left office as President.

All of the following were included in the Radical Republicans' plan for Reconstruction EXCEPT a. putting the South under military rule b. funding the rebuilding of the Southern infrastructure c. requiring Southern states to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment d. ordering Southern states to hold elections for delegates to state constitutional conventions e. ordering Southern states to allow African American men to vote for delegates to the conventions

The correct answer is B. The first thing to remember is that Radical Reconstruction had to do with the enforced political rehabilitation of Southern states and the civil rights of African Americans. Therefore, the only answer that doesn't deal with these two issues is answer B Southern state governments found their own money to fund rebuilding.

The underlying purpose for passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts was to a. ensure freedom of assembly b. weaken the Democratic-Republican Party c. silence critics of states' rights d. protect the nation from a rush of immigration e. increase support for a war with Great Britain

The correct answer is B. The four acts, collectively known as the Alien and Sedition Acts, were aimed at decreasing the strength of the Democratic-Republican Party. The only people arrested were Democratic-Republican newspaper editors. The other answers are good distracters, because there is a hint of truth about each one. The Sedition Act did have to do with freedom of the assembly, answer A, but it authorized the arrest of anyone aiding an "unlawful assembly." The acts were intended to silence critics, answer C, but not of states' rights. Three of the acts were aimed at immigrants, but to deport them, not to limit immigration. The acts were passed during a period of conflict, but not open war, with Great Britain and France. The Federalist who passed the laws wanted to avoid war.

The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 took up the issue of a. temperance b. women's rights c. abolition of slavery d. prison reform e. universal education

The correct answer is B. The full name was the National Women's Rights Convention and passed a Declaration of Sentiments modeled after the Declaration of Independence. It proposed twelve rights for women including free speech, property rights, and the right to vote. This is one you need to know because any of the other answers fit the time frame.

The Monroe Doctrine was a bold statement by the United States because a. it came so shortly after the end of the War of 1812 b. the nation did not have the power to back it up c. it gave notice to all European nations to stay out of the affairs of the Americas d. it offered help to the newly independent nations of South America e. no one had asked the United States to intervene in the affairs of any other nation

The correct answer is B. The operative word in the question prompt is bold. What would make a nation's foreign policy be considered bold? Answer A doesn't give an adequate reason why time would make a difference. Answer C is part of what the Monroe Doctrine states, but that's not what the question asks. Answer D is not true of the Doctrine. Answer E is not true, because Great Britain had asked the United States to join it in issuing a declaration similar to the Monroe Doctrine, but Monroe decided to issue it in the name of the United States alone.

"East by sunrise, West by sunset, North by the Arctic Expedition, and South as far as we darn well please." This quotation was another way of describing which of the following ideas? a. nativism b. manifest destiny c. manumission d. internationalism

The correct answer is B. The quotation is from a Philadelphia newspaper published in 1853 and is similar to the views expressed by an editor of a New York paper in 1845, which coined the term manifest destiny. Answer A, nativism, is a policy of favoring native-born over immigrants. Answer C, manumission, is the freeing of slaves. Answers D and E are anachronisms, that is, they are not terms that would have been used by mid-nineteenth century Americans; they belong to the rhetoric of a later century.

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions are significant because a. they institutionalized slavery in their respective states b. they were the first articulation of the doctrine of nullification c. they were written in support of the Constitution during the ratification process d. they were written in support of the passage of the Twelfth Amendment after the election of 1800 e. they were written in support of war with France in 1798

The correct answer is B. The theory of nullification, that states could declare null and void any law passed by Congress, was at the center of the states rights' issue in the nineteenth century prior to the Civil War. Answer A is incorrect because slavery had been institutionalized by a series laws going back to the 1660s in Virginia. Answers C, D, and E are incorrect.

Which of the following was not passed by Congress while the Civil War was being fought? a. Pacific Railroad Act b. Wade-Davis Bill c. Morrill Act d. national banking acts e. Homestead Act

The correct answer is B. This was Congress's first version of Reconstruction, which Lincoln vetoed. He considered Reconstruction to be the task of the President as commander in chief. Answer A provided for the sale of public land in the West to finance the construction of a transcontinental railroad. Answer C provided for the financing of land-grant colleges in the Midwest and West; these were to teach agricultural science. Answer D established a national bank system and provided for a national currency backed by government bonds. Answer E offered lost-cost land in the West and Midwest to farm families.

Which of the following was NOT true about life in the North for free African Americans? a. The basis of African American community life was the black church. b. Although African Americans lived in segregated areas, their children did not attend segregated schools. c. Free African Americans had few civil rights. d. Free African Americans faced discrimination in public facilities such as streetcars and theaters. e. Free African Americans had limited job opportunities.

The correct answer is B. This wrong answer should have been easy to spot, because if African Americans lived in segregated housing, their children would have gone to segregated schools. TIP: For NOT questions, remember to look for what isn't correct or true.

A European literary and artistic tradition that greatly affected early and mid-nineteenth-century Americans artists and writers was a. naturalism b. romanticism c. modernism d. Post-Impressionism e. realism

The correct answer is B. Transcendentalism was influenced by the romantics' interest in nature and in personal feeling. Answers A, C, D, and E were later artistic and literary movements.

During the war, one of George Washington's biggest problems was a. British guerrilla forces b. lack of adequate funding for the army by Congress c. superior military tactics of the British d. long supplies e. failure of the French to send its navy as support

The correct answer is B. Washington faced constant shortages of supplies and pay for the Continental Army. You should have been able to eliminate answer A immediately. Remember the colonists picking off the Redcoats as they marched back to Boston after Lexington and Concord. The Redcoats didn't learn anything about American-style warfare from that. Answer C is incorrect; tactics are superior only if the army wins. The British lost a great number of important battles. Answer D was a British problem. Answer E is incorrect. Although it took a long time for the French fleet to appear, it showed up when it was most needed—at Yorktown.

In the presidential election of 1860, which of the following is NOT true? a. Voting split along sectional lines. b. Stephen Douglas won the highest popular vote, but received fewer electoral votes than Lincoln. c. Abraham Lincoln won the electoral vote but not a majority of the popular vote. d. Stephen Douglas won the Democratic vote outside the South. e. Voters in the South split their vote between the Southern Democratic candidate and the candidate of the Constitutional Union Party.

The correct answer is B. While the situation in answer B is possible (ask Al Gore in 2000), it wasn't true for Douglas in 1860. He lost both the popular vote to Lincoln, although Lincoln had only 40 percent of the vote, and also lost the electoral vote count. Douglas received 29 percent of the popular vote, but only 12 electoral votes.

Which of the following crusaded for asylums for the mentally ill? a. Horace Mann b. William Lloyd Garrison c. Dorothea Dix d. Sojourner Truth e. Catherine Beecher

The correct answer is C. Answer A, Horace Mann, campaigned for public schools. Answer B, William Lloyd Garrison, was a radical abolitionist. Answer D, Sojourner Truth, was a former slave and abolitionist speaker. Answer E, Catherine Beecher, wrote Treatise on Domestic Economy, which was an influential book in guiding the new middle-class woman on her domestic role.

Andrew Johnson based his veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on which of the following? a. The act did not include provisions against the black codes. b. It was unconstitutional because it violated states' rights. c. It did not include women's voting rights. d. Its provisions were covered in the Fourteenth Amendment. e. It would antagonize Northern supporters.

The correct answer is B. You can eliminate answer D because the Fourteenth Amendment was written and passed after the Civil Rights Act. Others besides Johnson thought that the 1866 act might be unconstitutional so they set about changing the Constitution. Answer A is incorrect, because the act's provisions were meant to address the violations of African Americans rights under the black codes. Answer E is illogical.

Which of the following restrictions on women made it difficult for them to fight for reforms in the mid-1800s? a. Married women were not allowed to own property. b. Women were not allowed to vote. c. Society frowned on respectable women speaking in public. d. Women could not attend college and become educated in the issues. e. Women were not allowed control over their children.

The correct answer is C. Answer A is a true fact, but owning property and fighting for reforms aren't related. Answer B is also a true fact, but one can work for reform without voting. Answer D is incorrect; women could attend college and the 1830s and 1840s saw the first colleges founded for women. In addition, some men's colleges accepted women. More to the point, one can fight against injustice without going to college. Answer E is correct, but like answers A and B have nothing to do with what the question asks. TIP: Be sure you understand what the question is asking so you answer THAT question.

The Boston Associates began the Lowell mills with the idea that a. workers would be encouraged to establish labor unions b. once the mills were up and running, immigrants would replace young farm women c. factories could be run without the abuses of the English factory system d. young farm women were an ideal labor supply because they would follow orders unquestioningly e. the mills would enable them to end U.S. dependence on British textile mills

The correct answer is C. Answer A is incorrect. Although the women tried to strike for a reinstitution of their wages rates when the Boston Associates cut wages in the 1830s and 1840s, nothing came of the "turn outs" as they were called. Answer B happened, but it was not a strategy the mill owners developed. It occurred as profits dropped, wages were cut, and women workers protested and quit. Irish immigrants were cheaper to hire. Answer D is incorrect; young farmwomen were recruited because the owners thought they would work relatively cheaply. Answer E is illogical. One small town of mills couldn't compete with an entire British textile business that had several decades' head start.

Between 1780 and 1830, the population of the United States grew from 2.7 million to 12 million chiefly as a result of a. immigration b. the importation of Africans c. natural increase d. the inclusion of Native Americans in population figures e. acquisition of the Louisiana Territory

The correct answer is C. Answer A would be a good guess, but the real waves of immigration came after 1840. Answer B is a bad guess because the importation of Africans was banned after 1808 by the Constitution. Answer D is a bad guess, too, because Native Americans were considered foreign nations during that period of history. Answer E is illogical because the United States bought empty land except for Native Americans.

Under the theory of mercantilism, North American colonies existed a. as a place to transport criminals from English jails. b. as a way to draw off excess population from England. c. to increase the home country's wealth. d. as a place to transport paupers from English poorhouses e. as a market for English-made goods.

The correct answer is C. Answers A, B, D, and E, all spurred interest in colonizing North America, but none of them explain the theory of mercantilism. TIP: Always focus on what the question is asking. Don't forget between answer A and answer E what you're looking for.

Which of the following created a crisis between the United States and Great Britain at the beginning of the Civil War? a. the continuing dispute over the border with Canada b. Ostend Manifesto c. Trent Affair d. Union blockade of Southern ports e. use of African Americans as laborers but not soldiers

The correct answer is C. In November 1861, a Union ship stopped the British ship Trent and took off two representatives of the Confederate government who were on their way to Great Britain to plead the South's case. The British denounced the seizure as a violation of freedom of the seas. The crisis ended when the two men were released. Answer A is incorrect; the border with Canada had been decided in 1846. Answer B was a document drafted by three proslavery diplomats in support of buying Cuba from Spain to expand the United States' slave territory. The British for the most part abided by the Union's blockade of the South, so answer D is incorrect. Answer E is a distracter; it looks good, seems reasonable—and is wrong. The British didn't care.

The first example of the factory system in the United States was the work of a. Samuel F.B Morse b. Eli Whitney c. Francis Cabot Lowell d. Samuel Colt e. Robert Fulton

The correct answer is C. Remember Lowell, Massachusetts, and the textile factories that employed native-born young women from farms and then replaced them with cheaper immigrant labor. That town was named after Francis Cabot Lowell. Answer A invented the telegraph; answer B, the cotton gin; answer D, the Colt revolver and the use of interchangeable parts for manufacturing; answer E, established the first successful commercial steamboat service in the United States.

Which of the following is an accurate description of the growth of cities by the mid-1800s? a. The largest centers of population had shifted to the Midwest. b. Cities were ringed by factories. c. Cities were becoming separated into neighborhoods based on socioeconomic levels. d. Sewer systems, regular garbage collection, and public water systems had come into wide use. e. Cities were safer because of street lights at night and traffic lights at intersections.

The correct answer is C. In colonial times, socioeconomic classes lived in close proximity to one another. Shopkeepers and artisans usually lived where or close to where they worked. Answer A is incorrect; the major population centers were still in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states along the coast. Answer B is incorrect, because factories were not established in large numbers until later in the century. Answer D is incorrect; the lack of sewers, the prevalence of garbage thrown into the street, and the lack of safe water still plagued cities. Answer E requires electrical power and that wasn't invented until later in the century either.

One of the biggest societal changes of the early 1800s was a. the general acceptance of the value of public education b. the increasing volume of print materials c. the new concept of domesticity governing women's roles as wife and mother d. the acceptance of unmarried women as teachers e. the use of servants in middle-class households

The correct answer is C. It was not until the early 1800s that the so called "traditional" family roles were established. It was at this time that husbands and fathers became the "breadwinners" whilst the wives became defined as "homemakers."

The election of 1828 was significant because a. Andrew Jackson gained revenge against John Quincy Adams for his loss in 1824 b. the election is considered the first of the new style of political campaign c. power shifted from the Eastern seaboard to the western states d. it was the first time the Twelfth Amendment was tested e. Andrew Jackson won by entering into a so-called "corrupt bargain" with Henry Clay

The correct answer is C. Jackson was the first President who elected from a state that was not one of the original thirteen. Answer A may have been true as far as Jackson and his supporters were concerned, but that is not the significance of the election. The honor of launching a new style of political campaign belongs to the election of 1840. Answer D is incorrect; the disputed election of 1824 between Jackson and Quincy Adams was settled under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment. Answer E is the charge that Jackson leveled against Quincy Adams after the latter won the 1824 election with Clay's support and then named Clay his secretary of state.

Maria Mitchell is noteworthy because a. she was the first female doctor in the United States b. she was a well-known abolitionist and suffragist c. of her contributions to astronomy d. of her paintings of women and children e. of her contributions to American literature

The correct answer is C. Maria Mitchell was an astronomer and discovered the comet that is named after her. She taught at Vassar Female College and was the first woman to be named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Answer A describes Elizabeth Blackwell. Answer B could describe many women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott. Answer D could describe the painter Mary Cassatt. Answer E could describe any number of nineteenth-century women such as Willa Cather and Margaret Fuller.

The flaw in Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan was a. that Southern states did not have to accept the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments b. that slavery would continue in the Southern states c. that the same men who ran Southern governments before the war would be returned to power d. relying on Southerners to take an oath of allegiance to the United States e. that Southern states did not have to draft new constitutions

The correct answer is C. Only the Thirteenth Amendment had been drafted by the time of Lincoln's assassination, so answer A is incorrect. Answer B is incorrect; that's why the Civil War was fought and those taking the oath of allegiance had to agree to accept the policy of the abolition of slavery. Answer D may sound like a good answer—distracters are supposed to—but what does it mean? Nothing, so eliminate it. Answer E is incorrect; to be reinstated in the Union, the Southern states had to write new constitutions.

The policy of the United States government toward Native Americans in the early republican period was to a. assimilate Native Americans into white society b. divide Native American lands into small farms c. negotiate for Native American land d. force Native Americans onto reservations e. teach Native Americans to farm

The correct answer is C. Regardless of the number of skirmishes between settlers and Native Americans, the official government policy was to negotiate for land, sign peace treaties, and pay little for the land. Answers A, B, D, and E were parts of federal policies in the last half of the nineteenth century.

The social reform movements of the 1800s relied heavily on a. Western members b. the moral outrage of the working class c. the work and talents of women d. the leadership of ministers e. the teachings of the Catholic Church

The correct answer is C. Relegating middle-class women to the house with labor saving products like bar soap and oil lamps and servants left them with time on their hands. Coupled with the social message that women were morally superior to men, they set out to reform the ills of society. You can figure out that answers A, and E are wrong. Answer A, Westerners, was too busy trying to make a living. This was an era of intense anti-immigrant and, therefore, anti-Catholic feeling, so reformers would hardly be looking to Catholicism for support.

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Emancipation Proclamation? a. It was intended to free all slaves in all slave-holding states and territories. b. It was intended to free only those slaves in Confederate-held states. c. In reality it freed no slaves. d. It was meant to influence Great Britain to remain out of the war. e. It was meant to pressure the Confederacy to end the war.

The correct answer is C. Remember the border-states. Lincoln had avoided issuing any kind of emancipation decree for fear of driving the border-states into the Confederacy. He got around that by excluding slaves in the border-states and in Union-held territory. As a result, the Emancipation Proclamation was actually applied to no one.

Which of the following characteristics of European American society was not adopted by the Cherokee nation? a. written language b. enslavement of African Americans c. individual's right to sell land to European Americans d. Christianity e. written constitution

The correct answer is C. The Cherokee were one of what was termed the "Five Civilized Nations" because they adopted various culture traits of white residents of the United States, while remaining a separate nation.

Jackson's Specie Circular resulted in a. a land boom b. the federal government's paying off its debt c. an economic depression d. state banks issuing more and more banknotes not backed by gold or silver e. the issuing of charters to banks by the states

The correct answer is C. The Specie Circular was an order issued by President Andrew Jackson that required that all federal lands be paid for in gold or silver (specie). Answers A, B, and D were all causes of Jackson's order, not results. Answer E is a good distracter. It refers to Jackson's fight to end the Second Bank of the United States, but is not related to the Specie Circular.

The Wilmot Proviso was controversial because it proposed a. a ban on adding new states until a solution could be worked out about slavery b. a constitutional amendment giving Congress the power to ban slavery c. a ban on slavery in any state created out of land bought from Mexico d. federal funding for colonization efforts in Africa e. abolishing slavery and compensating slaveowners

The correct answer is C. The Wilmot Proviso was never passed by both houses of Congress. Answer B is based on the decision in the Dred Scott case that Congress had no power to ban slavery without due process. Only states could decide whether they should ban slavery. However, this answer has nothing to do with the Wilmot Proviso. Answer E is similar to Lincoln's view that if slavery were abolished, slaveowners should be compensated. The other answers are just wrong.

The black codes, which were passed immediately after the Civil War, were meant to a. limit the rights of Southern whites b. protect newly freed African Americans from discrimination by white Southerners c. limit freedom of movement and employment by African Americans d. help former African-American slaves adjust to freedom in a white society e. enforce African-Americans' civil rights

The correct answer is C. The black codes took the place of the antebellum South's slave codes and also limited the freedom of movement and general civil rights of newly freed African Americans.

"'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances, with any portion of the foreign world." This quotation is most likely from a speech by a. Benjamin Franklin b. Thomas Paine c. George Washington d. John Adams e. Abraham Lincoln

The correct answer is C. This sentence is from Washington's "Farewell Address." His warning against foreign entanglements is one of the most often cited pieces of his advice for the new nation. If you didn't know this, common sense would help you eliminate some answers. Answer A isn't logical since Franklin worked to achieve an alliance with France during the war. You know Thomas Paine, answer B, as the writer of pamphlets to incite colonists to rebel, but you don't know him as a foreign policy expert—and he wasn't. Abraham Lincoln, answer E, is associated with preserving the Union, not on foreign policy, so this answer doesn't make much sense. Answer D, John Adams, is a distracter.

The British invented industrialization, a. and Americans replicated the British processes exactly in the United States b. but Americans rejected British processes and developed their own c. whereas Americans lacked the resources needed to industrialize quickly d. and Americans built on British ideas and took them to a higher level of efficiency e. but Americans were much later in adopting industrialization

The correct answer is D. American inventors are credited with developing the American system of manufacturing, which relied on interchangeable, or standardized, parts to mass-produce a variety of goods. Europeans then imported this system for their own factories. Answer A is illogical, given the penchant of Americans to invent things. Answer B is incorrect; Samuel Slater, for example, is credited with bringing the idea of mechanized textile manufacture to the United States from Great Britain. Answer C is illogical, given the natural resources and investment capital available in the country. Answer E is untrue; industrialization began in England in the late 1700s and was established in the United States by the early 1800s. That was the argument between the Jeffersonians and the Hamiltonians—agrarian nation versus industrial nation.

The border states remaining in the Union a. undercut Lincoln's position on the extension of slavery b. caused a split in the Democratic Party c. angered the War Hawks d. undercut the assertion of the other Southern states that to keep their slaves, they had to secede e. encouraged several Western states to apply for admission to statehood

The correct answer is D. Answer A is illogical; if the answer stem said "position of emancipation," that would be different. Answer B is incorrect, because the split had already occurred prior to the election of 1860. Answer C doesn't make sense. The War Hawks belonged to the War of 1812. Answer E also doesn't make sense, since the states admitted during the Civil War were all free states.

A major difference between slavery in Virginia and in the Carolinas and Georgia was that a. landowners were less tolerant of slaves creating families b. there was more cultural diversity in the Carolinas and Georgia as a result of the blending of European and African cultures c. the major crop that slaves in Virginia cultivated was cotton, whereas in the Carolinas and Georgia, it was rice d. most slaves in Virginia had been born in the colony rather than imported e. there was a greater degree of diversity in the kinds of work that slaves did in the Carolinas and Georgia

The correct answer is D. Answer A is incorrect, because slaves were encouraged to have families so that natural increase rather than importation would provide new workers for slaveowners. Answer B is the opposite of what occurred. Answer C is incorrect because the major colonial crop in Virginia was tobacco. Answer E is the opposite of what occurred; there was more diversity in jobs in Virginia.

Most goldhunters in the California gold rush of 1849 a. came in family groups b. planned on finding gold and using it to buy land and settle down c. were immigrants d. expected to find gold and return home e. were from the Northeast

The correct answer is D. Answer A is incorrect; most 49ers were white, single men, and native-born. Answer B is incorrect, although men attracted by the mild, sunny climate and rich farmland stayed to farm and ranch. Answer C is incorrect and illogical; this trip would cost money and most immigrants used whatever they had saved just to get to the United States. Answer E is incorrect; most of the goldhunters were from the Upper South and the Midwest.

American settlers moved to Texas in the 1820s and 1830s, because a. slavery was allowed b. land was wearing out in Alabama and Georgia c. it was far away from the Underground Railroad d. land was plentiful and cheap for raising cotton e. the Mexican government allowed Americans to set up their own extraterritorial government rather than be governed from Mexico City

The correct answer is D. Answer A is the opposite of the truth, but Americans ignored the law. Answer B is incorrect. Land would become increasingly infertile in the Upper South. Answer C is true, but the Underground Railroad was little threat to slave owners in this early period. Answer E is incorrect; the tightening of Mexican rule was one reason for the rebellion of Americanos and Tejanos against the Mexican government.

The Whig Party was replaced as a major party in the two-party system by the a. Democratic Party b. Democratic-Republican Party c. Loyalists d. Republican Party e. Bull Moose Party

The correct answer is D. Answer A is the party of Andrew Jackson, which is descended from answer B, the party of Jefferson. Answer C is incorrect, but might trip you up because it sounds familiar. It's the name given to supporters of Great Britain during the American Revolution. Answer E is the splinter party that Theodore Roosevelt founded when he bolted the Republican Party to run for President in 1912.

Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans and Jackson's Democrats held which of the following beliefs in common? a. importance of a national bank b. high protective tariffs c. importance of a governing elite d. freedom from government interference e. need to fund internal improvements on the national level

The correct answer is D. Answer A should have been easy to eliminate, because of Jackson's bank war over rechartering the Second Bank. Answer B should have been easy to eliminate, because Jefferson had opposed this policy when Hamilton had first proposed it. Answer C is antithetical to both men. Answer E was supported by Federalists, so eliminate this as a policy that Jefferson would have supported. Funding state improvements with federal money caused James Madison, another strong Democratic-Republican, to consider the need for a constitutional amendment. Jackson issued his Maysville veto over federal funding of internal improvements. TIP: When you have a question that asks you about two people like this one does, take the first person, go through the answers and see if they match with the first person's ideas. When you find one that does, try out the second person. Don't waste your time by checking both people against every answer.

Which of the following was part of the Radical Republicans' plan for Reconstruction? a. A state could be readmitted to the Union when 10 percent of its voters took the oath of allegiance to the United States. b. The military governor of each district would appoint delegates to state constitutional conventions. c. State legislatures had to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment. d. The new state constitutions were to guarantee voting rights for African American males. e. Pardons would not be granted to former high-ranking Confederate officials.

The correct answer is D. Answer A states the Ten Percent Plan, which was part of Lincoln's Reconstruction plan, not the Radical Republicans', who at one point called for 50 percent of voters to swear allegiance (Wade-Davis Act). Answer B is incorrect, because the voters elected delegates. Answer C is tricky; the state legislatures had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment in the Radical Republicans' plan. It was the Thirteenth Amendment in Johnson's plan. Answer E is incorrect; they had to ask Congress for a pardon.

The main goal of Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction was to a. remake Southern society to guarantee African Americans their rights b. grant voting rights to former male slaves c. punish the South d. restore the Union as quickly as possible e. return the same politicians to office as before the war in order to maintain continuity

The correct answer is D. Answer A was the goal of the Radical Republicans. Answer B is incorrect, because Lincoln did not propose granting voting rights to former slaves. Answer C is incorrect and out of character for Lincoln. Answer E is illogical.

The Supreme Court decision that established the principle of judicial review of acts of Congress was a. Brown v. Board of Education b. Plessy v. Ferguson c. Dred Scott decision d. Marbury v. Madison e. McCulloch v. Maryland

The correct answer is D. Answer A, Brown v. Board of Education, was decided in 1954 and eliminated the argument of "separate but equal" facilities and ended school segregation. Decided in 1896, answer B, Plessy v. Ferguson, established the doctrine of "separate but equal." Answer C, the Dred Scott decision, declared slaves property and protected the property rights of slaveowners. Its effect was to declare null and void the Missouri Compromise, which had banned slavery north of the 36th parallel in lands acquired under the Louisiana Purchase, and the popular sovereignty provision of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In McCullock v. Maryland, answer E, the Supreme Court broadened the powers of Congress to include implied powers in addition to the enumerated powers listed in Article 1. TIP: It's important to read all the answers. A good distracter like answer A here sounds familiar and has something to do with the topic, but isn't the right answer.

The Great Compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention resulted in a. the establishment of the office of president b. the counting of slaves as three-fifths of a person c. the establishment of the new nation's capital in an area between Virginia and Maryland d. the establishment of a legislature of two houses, a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal representation among the states e. setting the date for the end of slavery as 1808

The correct answer is D. Answer A, the establishment of an executive branch, or office of the president, was the result of a compromise among delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but it was not the Great Compromise. Answer B is known as the "three-fifths compromise." Answer C was the result of a compromise engineered by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to ensure that the new United States pay all federal and state debts resulting from the Revolutionary War, however, it was achieved after the U.S. Constitution went into effect. Answer E is a misreading of Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which states that Congress may not prohibit the importation of slaves into any state before 1808. The section did not end slavery.

Which of the following transformed the economy of the Southern states? a. the transportation revolution b. the mechanization of textile production c. the introduction of tobacco agriculture d. the invention of the cotton gin e. the passage of protective tariffs

The correct answer is D. Answer A, the transportation revolution, did not greatly affect the South. By 1860, it still had fewer miles of railroad track than either the Northeast or the Midwest. Answer B, the mechanization of textile production, made use of the increased amount of raw cotton available, but did not increase cotton agriculture. Answer C, the introduction of tobacco, is the wrong century; that's Jamestown Colony in the early 1600s. Answer E, protective tariffs, actually hurt the economy of the South.

The Panic of 1837 resulted from a. stock market crash b. Jackson's use of the spoils system c. Van Buren's independent treasury system d. overspeculation in Western lands e. the compromise tariff of 1833

The correct answer is D. Answers A, B, and E are distracters. They sound familiar, but they have nothing to do with the issue. Answer C was a policy that Van Buren undertook to ease the crisis.

The colonists protested the Tea Act for all of the following reasons EXCEPT a. colonists feared it was the first of a series of similar actions that could threaten all colonial businesses b. it threatened to put colonial tea merchants out of business c. it was a tax that the colonists had not approved d. by using the revenue to pay royal governors, the act robbed the colonists of a weapon against the governors e. it gave a monopoly to the British East India Company

The correct answer is D. Answer D was the plan for the use of revenue gained from the Townshend Acts, which was passed in 1767. These acts placed taxes on goods imported into the colonies rather than goods or services sold within the colonies, the colonists' problem with the Stamp Act.

The election of 1824 resulted a. in a president from one party and a vice president from another b. in passage of the Twelfth Amendment c. in "the corrupt bargain" between Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson d. in the House of Representatives' deciding the election e. in the beginning of the dominance of the presidency by New Englanders

The correct answer is D. Answers A and B were results of the election of 1800. Answer C has a familiar ring to it, but Jackson claimed that John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay had struck "the corrupt bargain" when Clay gave his support to Adams and Adams then made Clay his secretary of state. Answer E is the opposite of what has occurred. Between 1824 and 1960 when John Kennedy was elected, presidents came from all sections of the country except New England.

In the war between France and other European nations in the 1790s, Federalists a. claimed that going to war to aid France would help the United States economy b. and Democratic-Republicans agreed that the French Revolution should be stopped c. believed that the United States should use the opportunity to show the world how strong it had become d. claimed the United States had no obligation to aid France because the alliance of 1778 had been with the French monarchy e. protested Washington's issuing of the Neutrality Proclamation

The correct answer is D. Answers A and C are illogical. The United States not two decades old yet. Its economy was weak, and Washington knew that future economic growth depended on trade with Great Britain, which was one of the half dozen or so nations that the United States would be fighting. The issue was not whether the French Revolution should succeed, answer B, but whether the United States should join the war. However, the Democratic-Republicans in general supported the Revolution. Answer E is incorrect; Washington was a Federalist. Congress turned his proclamation into the Neutrality Act of 1793.

Jay's Treaty was reviled by Democratic-Republicans because it a. ceded to the Spanish the right to New Orleans b. ended United States' trading rights with British possessions in the Caribbean c. continued indefinitely British occupation of forts along the Western frontier d. was not demanding enough in asserting United States rights against Great Britain e. limited France's ability to wage war against Great Britain

The correct answer is D. Answers A and E are incorrect, because the treaty was between the United States and Great Britain. Answers B and C are the opposite of what occurred. The treaty gave the United States limited trading rights with British possessions and set a time, 1796, for British abandonment of the frontier forts.

Which of the following is an accurate characterization of American colonists by the mid-1700s? a. Colonists still identified closely with a particular religion. b. Colonists thought of themselves as British subjects first and American colonists second. c. Family and religion remained the central concerns of people's lives. d. Colonists came to believe that through hard work and ambition, anything was possible. e. Life was so difficult that the only consolation that colonists found was in religion.

The correct answer is D. As generations were further removed from the initial colonizers, religion became less of an issue, especially for descendants of Puritans and Pilgrims. It was this lack of religiosity that spurred the First Great Awakening, but that movement did not result in people thinking of themselves and others first and foremost as Congregationalists or Methodists. Answer B is untrue, because not quite half of the population were English or of English descent. Answer C is not true. Answer E is the opposite of the American colonial view.

The reason underlying Alexander Hamilton's proposal that the United States government redeem all bonds at face value and pay all state debts was a. to force the northern states to help southern states that had not paid their debts b. to enrich himself because he had bought bonds at a discount c. to enrich bond speculators who were his political supporters d. to convince wealthy Americans that the United States was a safe investment e. to convince other nations that the United States did not need foreign investment

The correct answer is D. As the new Constitution went into the effect, there was still some doubt as to whether wealthy men in some states would support the Union or attempt to take their states out of the Union. Hamilton's proposal was meant to reassure this segment, answer D. Answer A is incorrect because it was the southern states that had repaid their debts for the most part. Answers B and C are not true. Answer E doesn't make sense, since the new nation needed investment capital from anywhere.

All of the following were reasons that Southerners gave to justify slavery EXCEPT a. slavery helped slaves by guaranteeing them life-long employment and care b. the demand for cotton was on the increase c. raising cotton was very labor-intensive, so a cheap source of labor was needed d. the lack of a transportation network in the South meant there was no motivation to become industrialized e. slavery was cost-effective because the warm climate of the South allowed year-round cultivation of cotton

The correct answer is D. Believe it or not, answer A was actually used to justify slavery. Southern plantation owners pointed to the conditions in Northern textile factories and claimed slavery was more beneficent. Answers B, C, and E provided reasons for continuing slavery. With an increasing demand for cotton, there was no end in sight to the profitability of slavery, and, therefore, no reason to abolish it.

The Peace of Paris called for all of the following EXCEPT a. Loyalists were to be paid for their confiscated property b. the British were to withdraw from all U.S. territory c. the Mississippi would serve as the western boundary of the United States d. Florida was given to the United States e. the United States was given fishing rights in the northern waters off Canada

The correct answer is D. Florida was given to Spain by Great Britain and did not become part of the United States until 1819.

A colonial scientist whose work was well known in Europe was a. Benjamin Banneker b. Charles Wilson Peale c. William Bradford d. Benjamin Franklin e. Increase Mather

The correct answer is D. Benjamin Franklin was well known in the colonies and across Europe for his work with electricity. His work was the subject of discussion and praise by both the British Royal Society of Science and the French Academy of Science. Answer A, Benjamin Banneker, was an African-American mathematician and astronomer who helped survey Washington, DC. Answer B, Charles Wilson Peale, was a well-known portrait painter of the colonial and early national periods. Answer C, William Bradford, helped establish Plymouth Colony and governed it for 30 years. Answer E, Increase Mather, was a well-known Congregationalist preacher in Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the economic life of New England in the late 1600s? a. Farms were becoming too small to support a family, because they had been divided over the years for sons and sons of sons. b. For a variety of reasons, people left older farms to seek new land on the frontier. c. A short growing season added to the problems of making a living as a New England farmer. d. The majority of New England farmers raised cash crops. e. Because of continual farming of the same land, the land was no longer so fertile.

The correct answer is D. Common sense tells that you if even two of answers A, B, C, and E are correct, then answer D has to be wrong—but is the right answer for this reverse question. TIP: For a NOT or EXCEPT question, remember to focus on finding the answer doesn't fit.

The chief obstacle emigrants met on the overland trails to the Far West was a. Native Americans b. boredom c. isolation d. natural features of the land e. breakdown of familiar division of labor among family members

The correct answer is D. Did you jump at answer A and not read the rest of the answers? Native Americans accounted for few deaths on the trails West, perhaps 400 between 1840 and 1860, most of them in the 1850s. Consider that some 380,000 settlers had moved to California by 1860. As one person has written, a settler was more likely to be kicked by a horse than shot by an Indian. What settlers did have to contend with were the mountains and rivers. Answer B is wrong, because there was never a dull day on the wagon train. Answer C is incorrect, because most emigrants went in wagon trains of a number of families. Answer E is incorrect, because the division of labor in which men did the heavy work, women took care of the family's needs, and children had chores to help out continued on the trail.

Which of the following is an accurate list of the economic activity of the southern colonies in the mid-1700s? a. cotton and tobacco agriculture and trade b. shipbuilding, fishing, and trade c. cotton, rice, and tobacco agriculture d. tobacco, rice, and indigo agriculture e. shipbuilding, and rice and tobacco agriculture

The correct answer is D. Did you jump at answer A because it includes cotton? Cotton didn't become important to the south until Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793—after independence. Answer B would be correct, if the question asks about New England, but it doesn't, so answer B is incorrect. Answer C is incorrect for the same reason answer A is. Answer E is incorrect because it includes shipping and omits indigo.

Which of the following was a new job that opened to single women in the first half of the 1800s? a. shop clerk b. shop owner c. servant d. schoolteacher e. secretary

The correct answer is D. Did you miss the key words in this question? Single and first half of the 1800s? The wives, daughters, and widows of artisans had worked as shop clerks since the beginning of the colonies, so answer A is incorrect. Daughters and widows could also be the owners of shops, so answer B is incorrect. Going service (being a servant) was also a job for women, so answer C is incorrect. That leaves answer D, schoolteacher, which was the new career open to women in the first half of the nineteenth century—as long as they were single women. Once a woman married, she could no longer teach. Answer E, secretary, doesn't fit the time frame. Secretaries weren't needed until the nation became one of offices and office machinery in the last half of the 1800s and then the jobs were reserved for men.

All of the following statements about the population of the North American colonies by 1776 are true EXCEPT a. More immigrants settled in the Southern colonies than in New England. b. Africans were the largest number of new arrivals. c. Many of the new European immigrants moved into the backcountry pushing the frontier of the colonies west. d. Most of the new European colonists came from the upper and middle classes. e. Virginia was the most populous colony.

The correct answer is D. English immigrants in the 1600s were more likely to be from the upper and middle classes. By the 1700s, most European immigrants were from the poorer class.

Which of the following was a well-known preacher of the First Great Awakening? a. Anne Bradstreet b. Anne Hutchinson c. John Rolfe d. George Whitefield e. Roger Williams

The correct answer is D. George Whitefield, was the central figure in the First Great Awakening. A spellbinding preacher, he brought evangelicalism to the colonies. Answer A, Anne Bradstreet, was the first published poet in the colonies. Answer B, Anne Hutchinson, was banished from Massachusetts Bay for preaching as a woman and for what she was preaching, which did not conform to Puritan beliefs. Answer E, Roger Williams, also was ordered out of Massachusetts Bay; he founded Rhode Island colony and Hutchinson and her followers took refuge there. Both Hutchinson and Williams belong to the 1600s and the First Great Awakening occurred in the 1700s. Answer C, John Rolfe, introduced tobacco as a cash crop into Jamestown and married Pocahontas.

Early union efforts were aimed at organizing a. skilled and unskilled white male workers b. skilled male workers—white and free African Americans c. skilled and unskilled workers—men and women, white and free African American d. skilled, white male workers e. skilled white male and female workers

The correct answer is D. It was not until late in the nineteenth century that unions were interested in organizing unskilled workers, women, and African Americans. The Knights of Labor accepted African American men. The American Federation of Labor began organizing skilled and unskilled male and female workers, African Americans, and immigrants in 1890.

Many Northern workers began to support abolition because a. the arrogance of wealthy Southerners angered them b. they saw African Americans as fellow immigrants c. they would not want to live as slaves d. as "wage slaves," they saw themselves in a similar situation e. they saw African Americans as potential members for labor unions

The correct answer is D. Many workers saw themselves in "wage slavery" to the owners of factories. These workers were aware of the potential competition from having four million African Americans suddenly freed, but nonetheless considered slavery to be wrong. Answer E should have been suspect as an answer, since labor unions did not accept African American members until the late 1800s.

The first well-known woman scientist in the United States was a. Margaret Sanger b. Jane Addams c. Elizabeth Cady Stanton d. Maria Mitchell e. Alice Paul

The correct answer is D. Maria Mitchell, answer D, was an astronomer who discovered a comet and several distant star groups. Answer A, Margaret Sanger, worked for women's access to birth control in the twentieth century. Answer B, Jane Addams, was a social reformer who began the settlement house movement to aid immigrants. Answer C, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was an abolitionist and founder of the feminist movement; she was one of the co-organizers of the first women's rights conference held at Seneca Falls in 1848. Answer E, Alice Paul, led the fight for voting rights for women in the early 1900s.

While members of Congress debated slavery, the United States was also pursuing the a. purchase of Alaska b. annexation of Puerto Rico c. annexation of Hawaii d. opening of trade relations with Japan e. Open-Door Policy in China

The correct answer is D. Matthew Perry sailed his steam-powered warship into Tokyo Bay in 1853 and returned the following year with seven warships to negotiate a trade agreement with Japan. Answer A is incorrect. The first inclination of Russia's interest in selling Alaska did not come until 1867 and the United States immediately bought it. Answer B occurred as a result of the Spanish American War. Answer C did not occur until 1898. Answer E belongs to United States foreign policy in 1899.

Most white Southern families a. were plantation owners b. were tenant farmers c. lived on the frontier d. lived at subsistence level e. owned fewer than 20 slaves

The correct answer is D. Most white Southern families lived on farms and raised crops for their own use. Answer A is incorrect, because there were only about 50,000 plantations with from 20 to 200 slaves, whereas there were hundreds of thousands of small farmers. Answers B, C, and E are incorrect.

The Civil War was most likely a result of a. racism on the part of Southerners b. political rather than economic differences c. incompetent political leadership on the national level d. opposing and intractable differences between North and South e. moral rather than political differences

The correct answer is D. Neither the North nor the South was willing to give in on the subject of slavery. Answer A enabled Southerners to enslave people, but it did not in itself lead to the Civil War. Answers B and E are incorrect because the Civil War encompassed moral, political, and economic differences. Answer C is illogical in context.

What did Presidents George Washington, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, and Ulysses S. Grant have in common? a. None fought on the frontier. b. All were Southerners. c. All were Democrats. d. All were war heroes. e. All were slaveowners.

The correct answer is D. Nominating and electing a war hero is a time-honored American political behavior. Answer A is incorrect because all fought on whatever was considered the frontier when they were in the army. Answers B and E are incorrect because Grant was originally from Ohio. All the other men were at least born in the South to slave owning families or in the case of Jackson acquired slaves on his own. Answer C is incorrect because Washington held Federalist opinions although he claimed no party; Harrison and Taylor ran as Whigs and Grant as a Republican.

The majority of pioneers in Oregon and the Puritans in Massachusetts had which of the following motivations in common? a. look for gold b. establish a theocracy c. escape repressive government policies d. better themselves financially e. convert the Native Americans to Christianity

The correct answer is D. One of the basic motivations for emigration and immigration alike was to better one's self financially. Neither group was interested in answer A. Answer B was a motive only for the Puritans; a theocracy is a government system on the rule of God. Answer C is illogical since the pioneers in Oregon were going to an area claimed by the United States. Don't be confused because every history textbook seems to mention the Whitmans and their efforts to Christianize the Native Americans. That wasn't the motive of most emigrants to Oregon.

"John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it." This quotation was most likely spoken by which of the following Presidents? a. George Washington b. Thomas Jefferson c. James Monroe d. Andrew Jackson e. Abraham Lincoln

The correct answer is D. Some knowledge of chronology would help you here. John Marshall was the first Supreme Court Chief Justice, so it would be doubtful that he would still be alive when Lincoln was President. Eliminate Lincoln. Then consider the character of the men who are left. A sentiment as combative as that expressed here fits only Andrew Jackson. He used these words in referring to the Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. State of Georgia, which held that Georgia could not take Cherokee lands.

All of the following were important issues for workers in the mid-nineteenth century EXCEPT a. 10-hour workday b. end to debtors' prisons c. cheap public land d. establishment of public schools e. low tariff

The correct answer is E. Answer A is obvious, but even if you didn't know that answers B, C, and D were issues that workers supported, you could figure it out. Answer E, low tariff, would mean that goods brought into the country would be cheap; these cheap goods with compete with American-made goods. It's common sense to figure out that workers would not welcome competition and, therefore, would be anti-low tariffs.

"Can people of a Territory in any lawful way, against the wishes of any citizen of the United States, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State constitution? I answer emphatically, . . . that in my opinion the people of a Territory can by lawful means, exclude slavery from their limits prior to the formation of a State constitution." The principle referred to in this quotation is a. annexation b. slave codes c. direct representation d. popular sovereignty e. virtual representation

The correct answer is D. Stephen Douglas spoke these words in a debate with Abraham Lincoln during the Senatorial election campaign in Illinois in 1858. Douglas's answer to a question from Lincoln has become known as the Freeport Doctrine. Answers C and E are two principles that were involved in the American Revolution. Parliament claimed answer E and the colonists demanded answer C. Answers A and B are distracters that are real terms but have nothing to do with the question.

Which of the following fought with the British in the War of 1812 as a result of the Battle of Tippecanoe? a. Chief Joseph b. Geronimo c. Joseph Brant d. Tecumseh e. John Ross

The correct answer is D. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet, were organizing Native Americans from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico to resist selling their land to white Americans. When the Prophet attacked General William Henry Harrison's militia, the Native American encampment near the Tippecanoe River was destroyed. Answer A, Chief Joseph, and a band of the Nez Perce led the U.S. cavalry on a chase into Canada, but were stopped 50 miles from the border. Answer B, Geronimo, and Apache, fought the U.S. army in the 1870s and 1880s in Arizona. Answer C, Joseph Brant, or Thayendanega, was an Iroquois who led raids against the colonists in the American Revolution. Answer E, John Ross, was leader of the Cherokees who fought in court to block white Americans' efforts to take Cherokee land.

Which of the following is the correct listing of the freedoms included in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution? a. freedom of religion, freedom of speech, right to due process, right to have an attorney b. freedom of the press, right to assemble, freedom of speech, right to bear arms c. right to vote; one man, one vote; right to assemble d. freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to assemble e. freedom of speech, freedom of the press

The correct answer is D. The First Amendment also includes the right to petition the government. In answer A, the right to have an attorney is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment and right to due process is guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. In answer B, the right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The right to vote, answer C, was extended to African American men by the Fourteenth Amendment and to women by the Nineteenth. "One man, one vote" refers to redistricting issues.

All of the following increased tensions between North and South over slavery EXCEPT a. the Fugitive Slave Act b. Uncle Tom's Cabin c. "Bleeding Kansas" d. the rise of the Know-Nothing Party e. John Brown's raid

The correct answer is D. The Know-Nothing Party was founded to restrict immigrants and keep Roman Catholics from holding public office. Don't confuse it with the Free-Soil Party that was founded to stop the expansion of slavery into the territories. Answer A was one of the five laws that comprised the Compromise of 1850. Answer B was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and gave a face to slavery in the person of Uncle Tom. Answer C was the term given to the violence that erupted when it came time for Kansans to vote for or against slavery in their territory. John Brown, answer E, was an abolitionist who seized the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an effort to start a slave insurrection.

The Treaty of Greenville is significant because a. it ended the continuing British presence in the Ohio Valley b. the United States agreed to buy Florida from Spain c. Native Americans in the Old Southeast agreed to live within a certain area d. Native Americans in the Old Northwest ceded most of their lands to the United States e. it removed the Spanish from the Ohio Valley

The correct answer is D. The Shawnee, Miami, Sauk, Fox, and other Native American nations in the Old Northwest agreed to the treaty after their defeat in the battle of Fallen Timbers. Answer A was solved by Jay's Treaty by which the British agreed to leave the western frontier by 1796. Answer B was achieved in 1819. Answers C and E are distracters.

Members of the Whig Party were most likely to disagree among themselves over the issue of a. protective tariffs b. social reforms c. continuation of the central bank d. extension of slavery into the territories e. immigration policies

The correct answer is D. The Whig Party solidly supported a strong role for the federal government in the nation's economic affairs, so answers A and C can't be right. Whigs also believed in the perfectibility of people, so answer B can't be correct either. Answer E is a distracter, because immigration was becoming an issue in national politics by the mid-1800s; however, it isn't relevant for the Whigs. The major split in the Whig Party came about over national expansion and slavery.

All of the following are examples of the influence of Enlightenment thinking EXCEPT a. Benjamin Franklin's scientific experiments b. John Locke's social contract theory c. the Declaration of Independence d. predestination e. the use of inoculations against smallpox

The correct answer is D. The basic premise of the Enlightenment was that the natural world was governed by certain rules that were knowable by humans through observation. These rules could be applied to further the good of humankind. The Enlightenment encouraged scientific experimentation. Answer D, predestination, refers to the religious belief that people were either saved or damned by God and that their own good works were of no value in determining their salvation.

Which of the following explains why Lincoln did not initially make emancipation a goal of the Civil War? a. He did not want to incite a general uprising of slaves. b. He did not believe that the Constitution gave the President the authority to end slavery. c. He was concerned that the British would support the Confederacy against the Union. d. He was concerned that the border states would join the Confederacy. e. He believed that slaveowners should be compensated for their lost property and the government didn't have enough money to pay them.

The correct answer is D. The border states—Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri—were slave-owning states and Lincoln was concerned that a bill freeing their slaves would drive them out of the Union and into the Confederacy. Answer A is the opposite of what the Radical Republicans hoped and not Lincoln's reason. Answer B is a distracter. Answer C is incorrect because Great Britain had outlawed slavery in its possessions almost 20 years before this, and the Radical Republicans hoped that freeing the slaves would keep Britain from trading with the Confederacy. Only half of answer E is correct. Lincoln did believe that slaveowners should be compensated, but the rest of the answer is incorrect.

The religious group that had the greatest influence in New England after the initial phase of settlement was a. Roman Catholicism b. the Anglican Church c. Presbyterianism d. Congregational Church e. Methodism

The correct answer is D. The early rigidity of the Puritans and Pilgrims gave way to a less strict adherence to religious tenets. However, the churches of New England continued to avoid any kind of hierarchy. Local congregations, or churches, managed their own affairs, hence the name. Roman Catholicism, answer A, although the faith of the Calvert proprietors of Maryland, had little influence anywhere, even in that colony. Answer B had the most influence among the planters of the Southern colonies. Answer C was limited mostly to the Scots and Scots Irish who settled the inland areas of the Southern colonies. Answer E had its greatest influence in the 1700s as a result of the Great Awakening religious revival in the colonies.

Which of the following is an accurate statement about slavery in the American colonies? a. Slavery began with the first shipment of Africans to Jamestown colony in 1619. b. The first enslavement laws were passed in Maryland. c. By 1700 slavery was a part of the economy of all five southern colonies. d. The first Africans taken to the southern colonies were indentured servants. e. Slavery did not take hold in the Middle Colonies because of religious concerns.

The correct answer is D. The first 20 Africans who were landed in Jamestown Colony in 1619 were taken as indentured servants, so answer D is correct and answer A is incorrect. Answer B is incorrect because Virginia passed the first slave law in 1660 when it declared that African slaves were slaves for life. Maryland did not pass its first slave law until 1663 when it, too, made slavery lifelong. Answer C is incorrect, because the Carolinas were still one colony until 1729 and Georgia was not founded until 1732. Answer E is incorrect. While Quakers in Pennsylvania protested the use of slaves, the climate was the real reason that slavery never took hold in the Middle Colonies—except for Delaware, which had a climate similar to Maryland. The climate in the Middle Colonies prevented year-round farming, so colonists were unwilling to spend resources on slaves during the non-growing seasons.

The "power of the purse," colonial legislatures' ability to influence the actions of royal officials in the colonies, was eliminated by the a. Stamp Act b. Quartering Act c. Intolerable Acts d. Townshend Acts e. Declaratory Act

The correct answer is D. The revenues raised by the customs duties imposed in the Townshend Act were to be used to pay royal officials in the colonies, thus eliminating the bargaining chip that colonial legislatures held. Answer A refers to the direct tax on documents. Answer B required colonists to provide housing for British troops. Choice C are the laws passed to punish Boston and Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. Answer E was passed by Parliament reasserting its authority to make laws for the colonies.

"Your President may easily become king. Your Senate is so imperfectly constructed that your dearest rights may be sacrificed by what may be a small minority. . . ." This quotation is most likely from a speech by a. George Washington b. Benjamin Franklin c. Alexander Hamilton d. Patrick Henry e. James Madison

The correct answer is D. Think speech; think Patrick Henry of the impassioned "give me liberty or death" speech. Answers A, George Washington, and B, Benjamin Franklin, are unlikely to be true since both men were members of the Constitutional Convention. The tone is also uncharacteristic of Washington. The speech is clearly anti-Federalist and both answers C, Alexander Hamilton, and E, James Madison, were strong Federalists. They along with John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers.

"The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on deck for the fresh air . . . " This quotation probably describes a. an American warship during the American Revolution b. the Mayflower c. an Irish immigrant ship in the early 1700s d. a slave ship bound for the Americas e. a German immigrant ship in the early 1700s

The correct answer is D. This is a common sense question. Why would anyone ask a question about conditions on a ship if it weren't a slave ship? Look for clues in the quotation itself to confirm your idea. The words coast and permitted to stay signal that this was indeed written by someone who was captive on a slave ship. Africans were routinely captured inland and marched to slave factories on the coast and from there onto ships. Permitted indicates the writer didn't have any choice.

"Of more worth is one honest man to society, and in the sight of God than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived." This quotation was most probably written by a. Marquis de Lafayette b. William Pitt c. George Washington d. Thomas Paine e. Edmund Burke

The correct answer is D. This is very inflammatory language and would hardly have been spoken by a French nobleman, choice A, or by choice B, William Pitt, the British Prime Minister, even though he was a defender of the American colonists. It is out of character for George Washington, answer C. Choice E, Edmund Burke, the Irish member of Parliament, supported the Americans, but in more reasonable terms. The sentiments fit the nature of Thomas Paine, answer D, the author of the inflammatory pamphlet Common Sense.

Which of the following was NOT one of Alexander Hamilton's proposals to establish a sound financial footing for the United States? a. establishment of a national bank b. adoption of a protective tariff c. levying of an excise tax on whiskey d. repayment in their entirety of all war debts owed by the federal government and the states e. funding for a system of roads and canals

The correct answer is E. Canals belong to a later period in the United States—the 1820s to the 1840s. Answer E was a part of Henry Clay's American System.

"I heartily accept the motto, 'That government is best which governs least'; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe: 'That government is best which governs not at all'; . . . The objections that have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, . . . may also at last be brought against a standing government." This quotation was most probably written by. a. Elizabeth Cady Stanton b. Thomas Jefferson c. Frederick Douglass d. Henry David Thoreau e. Jefferson Davis

The correct answer is D. This quotation is from Thoreau's work Civil Disobedience, which he wrote in 1849 in protest of the policies of the federal government. Answer A, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is not a good choice, because she wanted the government to change, not the end of government. Answer B, Thomas Jefferson, wanted small government, but some government or he wouldn't have participated in founding and presiding over a new government. Answer C, Frederick Douglass, again wanted a change in government policy, but did not advocate an end to government. Answer E, Jefferson Davis, is a distracter. At a quick glance, one might think he wanted the downfall of the United States, but he must have wanted some government he allowed himself to be elected president of the confederacy.

All of the following are true about Reconstruction EXCEPT a. all secessionist states were readmitted to the Union b. very few white Southerners were punished for taking part in secession c. a pattern of discrimination against African Americans developed across the South d. land was confiscated and redistributed to freedmen e. the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified by all Southern states as a condition for readmission

The correct answer is D. When Reconstruction ended, freedmen lacked the one practical thing they needed—economic autonomy. Their hopes of "40 acres and a mule" had never been achieved. By 1880, most former slaves were entangled in a new kind of bondage, sharecropping.

Which of the following is not a reason why Europeans had developed an interest in exploring and colonizing new lands? a. Merchants were interested in increasing their profits from trade by cutting out Middle Eastern intermediaries in the trade with Asia. b. Better designed ships and more advanced sailing instruments made it safer to venture farther from land. c. The monarchies of the new nation states were interested in increasing their wealth and power through territorial acquisitions. d. Europeans were looking for new markets for the slave trade. e. Religious dissenters thought that they would be able to escape persecution by emigrating to a colony.

The correct answer is D. While slavery was not unknown to Europeans, the impetus to enlarge the slave trade came after Europeans had explored parts of the Americas and established settlements. The slave trade was not a motive for exploration and colonization.

Most fiction and nonfiction writers in the first part of the mid-nineteenth century a. wrote for the new magazines b. used themes from the nation's past c. supported abolition d. were social critics e. were "yellow journalists"

The correct answer is D. While writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving did use themes from the past, this was not true of many writers, so answer B is untrue. While answer C may be true, answer D is a better answer because it includes answer C. Answer E is a term that belongs to the end of the nineteenth century.

"That any person drafted and notified to appear . . . may, on or before the day fixed for his appearance, furnish an acceptable substitute to take his place in the draft; or he may pay . . . such sum, not exceeding three hundred dollars . . . for the [procurement] of such substitute. . ." This law resulted in a. use of African Americans as laborers for the Union Army b. the Confederacy passing a similar law c. the rise of the Know-Nothing Party in protest d. draft riots in New York City e. establishment of African American units in the Union Army

The correct answer is D. Workers, many of them immigrants, rioted against African Americans in New York and other cities, because they believed African Americans were responsible for the war and the unfair burden on those who could not afford to buy a substitute to serve for them in the army. Answers A and E occurred, but had nothing to do with the draft law. The Confederacy had passed a similar law before the Union did, so answer B is incorrect. Answer C is the wrong reason and the wrong decade. The Know-Nothing Party was founded in 1852 to oppose immigrants, not to support them.

″Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute″ would have been an appropriate slogan for Americans during which of the events listed? a. passage of the Naturalization Act b. establishment of the Second National Bank c. proposed protective tariff d. XYZ Affair e. the Embargo of 1807

The correct answer is D. ″Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute.″ This slogan was the response of Americans to the demands of Agents XYZ that before France would negotiate, the United States would have to lend it $10 million and give Talleyrand, the French minister, $250,000 personally. Answer A is illogical; it didn′t have anything to do with money. Answer B was all about money, but it didn′t have anything to do with tribute. Answers C and E are meant to stop you, but each is just a distracter.

All of the following worked to end slavery in one way or another EXCEPT a. John Brown b. Harriet Beecher Stowe c. Harriet Tubman d. David Wilmot e. Stephen A Douglas

The correct answer is E. Abraham Lincoln's opponent in the Illinois Senate race in 1858 and the author of the policy of popular sovereignty in the Compromise of 1850, Douglas never argued for the end of slavery or the end of its extension into new territories. Answer A, John Brown, was a fiery abolitionist, who led the raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to launch a slave rebellion and was hanged for his trouble. Answer B, Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote the abolitionist polemic Uncle Tom's Cabin. Answer C, Harriet Tubman, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and a forceful speaker against slavery. Answer D, David Wilmot, a Pennsylvania member of the House, introduced a bill to outlaw slavery in land acquired from Mexico for $10 million.

British policy toward its colonies in the 1600s and 1700s was based on the principle of a. popular sovereignty b. salutary neglect c. direct representation d. the price revolution e. mercantilism

The correct answer is E. According to mercantilism, colonies exist for the benefit of the home country. Answer A relates to the establishment of slavery in new states in the 1800s. Choice B was the British government's attitude toward enforcing economic laws related to the colonies prior to the 1760s. Choice C was the colonists' argument against Parliament's attempt to tax the colonies. Choice D is what occurred in Europe in the 1500s as money poured into circulation and goods became scarce in relation to available money.

Which of the following was meant to stop Congress from considering anti-slavery petitions? a. committee system b. censure c. filibuster d. cloture e. gag rule

The correct answer is E. Answer A doesn't make sense because that's how Congress conducts business, by the committee system. Answer B, censure, is what Southern members of Congress tried to do to Senator John Quincy Adams who fought an eight-year battle to repeal the gag rule. Answer C, filibuster, is a tactic used in the Senate to forestall a vote on a bill. Answer D, cloture, is a parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended and a vote taken on a bill.

Of the various provisions of the Compromise of 1850, which one helped to turn many Northerners into abolitionists? a. admission of California as a slave state b. banning of the slave trade, but not slavery in the District of Columbia c. allowing people in Utah and New Mexico to decide whether they wanted to be admitted as free or slave states d. payment of $10 million to Texas in exchange for an end to its claim on parts of New Mexico e. the Fugitive Slave Law

The correct answer is E. Answer A is a misstatement; California was to be admitted as a free state. The other answers are stated correctly, and the one that turned Northerners into abolitionists was the Fugitive Slave Law. It seemed very unfair to turn over to slavecatchers men, women, and children who had risked death to escape slavery.

Which of the following institutions served the role of "the great equalizer" in American society? a. religion b. industrialization c. cities d. entertainment e. public schools

The correct answer is E. Answer A is incorrect, because it kept people separated by religious denomination. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect, because they separated people by socioeconomic class. Only public schools, answer E, brought together on a similar level people, in this case, children, of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and in so doing, imparted lessons in citizenship and American values. The phrase by the way is from Horace Mann, the greater booster for public education.

The War of 1812 was significant because a. it showed the superior firepower of the American forces b. it damaged the British economy, but did not harm the United States economy c. it ended Native American efforts to block the expansion of white settlement d. it made Andrew Jackson a national hero e. the new United States fought Great Britain to a standoff

The correct answer is E. Answer A is incorrect; the United States had a small and poorly trained army. Answer B is incorrect because the United States lost tax revenues because of the loss of foreign trade and suffered high unemployment. Answers C and D are true but less significant than the war's effect on the national consciousness and sense of national identity of Americans. The United States was not yet two decades old and had taken on the most powerful nation in the world and fought it to a standoff. Neither side won and neither side lost.

The Trail of Tears demonstrated the a. physical weakness of Native Americans b. resignation of Native Americans in the face of superior weapons c. inability of Native Americans to file suit in a law court d. use of propaganda by reformers to discredit the federal government e. uselessness of assimilation if Native Americans stood in the way of white Americans intent on gaining land

The correct answer is E. Answer A is incorrect; the forced removal to Oklahoma took place in late fall when the weather was turning cold and snowy. The Cherokee also had rifles, so answer B is incorrect. Answer C is incorrect; the Cherokee took their case to the Supreme Court and won, but Jackson and the state of Georgia ignored the Justices' ruling in behalf of the Cherokee. Answer D is incorrect; reformers' interest in Native Americans was not very high until the late 1800s.

Henry Clay's plan to finance a national bank, levy a protective tariff, and use federal funds to finance internal improvements is known as a. Era of Good Feelings b. Monroe Doctrine c. Compromise of 1820 d. Hartford Convention e. American System

The correct answer is E. Answer A, Era of Good Feelings, was the term given to the administrations of James Monroe. Answer B, Monroe Doctrine, is the name given to the Monroe's warning to European nations to stay out of the Americas. Answer C, Compromise of 1820, also known as the Missouri Compromise, banned slavery below the 36th parallel in states made from territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. Answer D, Hartford Convention, was a meeting called in New England to denounce the War of 1812.

Which of the following was a reason for France's offer to sell all of Louisiana to the United States? a. France found Louisiana too much of a drain on its treasury. b. Napoleon was concerned that American interest in westward expansion would draw France into a long-distance, costly war. c. Napoleon was more concerned with fighting Great Britain for return of Canada. d. French explorers had already decided that there was no Northwest Passage. e. The successful slave uprising in Haiti undercut Napoleon's plan for an empire in the Americas.

The correct answer is E. Answer B is actually Jefferson's fear. He was afraid that Napoleon would draw the United States into war, especially over the right to use the port of New Orleans. Answers C and D are illogical. Napoleon was concerned with building an empire in Europe. Lewis and Clark proved that there was no Northwest Passage.

Native Americans sided with the British in the American Revolution, because a. the British threatened to burn Native American villages if they did not fight b. they wanted retaliation for American massacres of Native Americans in the French and Indian War c. they were promised a reinstatement of the Proclamation of 1763 d. they were promised large amounts of guns and trade goods in return for their service e. they feared that if the Americans won, they would push farther into Native American land

The correct answer is E. Answer C refers to the British order of 1763 that forbade colonists from moving into the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Settlers ignored the order and conflict continued between Native Americans and colonists over the latter's continued encroachment on Native American lands.

All of the following were disadvantages of the Confederacy EXCEPT a. high inflation b. lack of rail lines for transporting goods and supplies and moving soldiers c. little industrial production d. northern blockade of ships that severely limited trade e. they had to fight a defensive war

The correct answer is E. Answer E is actually an advantage. The Confederacy had only to defend their land, not invade the enemy's territory as the Union had to. Both sides suffered from high inflation, answer A, but it was more severe in the South where by the end of the war a Confederate dollar was worth about one cent in gold.

All of the following changed the nature of hand work in the nineteenth century EXCEPT a. division of labor b. putting-out system c. use of interchangeable parts d. mass production e. apprentice system

The correct answer is E. Answer E was a leftover from the guild system of the Middle Ages. Answers A and B are similar. Dividing the steps of a job into tasks to be done by different people made it possible for small-scale manufacturers to place (put out) the work with a number of workers. This was the first step toward ultimately pulling all the jobs into a factory and making goods by machine on a large-scale. Answer C made possible assembling the exact same object over and over, which led to answer D.

All of the following are associated with the abolition movement EXCEPT a. Frederick Douglass b. William Lloyd Garrison c. Elizabeth Cady Stanton d. Sojourner Truth e. George Washington Carver

The correct answer is E. Answer E was an African American scientist who worked after the Civil War in the South. Don't be fooled by answer C. Stanton was an abolitionist and a feminist. Her experience with the male-dominated abolition movement helped her become a feminist.

All of the following were associated with the Underground Railroad EXCEPT a. Quakers b. Sojourner Truth c. the spiritual "Follow the Drinking Gourd" d. Canada e. the Deep South

The correct answer is E. Answer E, the Deep South, doesn't fit because the Underground Railroad didn't reach that far. Freedom in the North or Canada was too far away. Answer A, Quakers, were among the first to help African Americans escape their owners in an informal network that over time became the Underground Railroad. Answer B, Sojourner Truth, was known as "Moses" for helping so many of her fellow African Americans escape. Spirituals like "Follow the Drinking Gourd," answer C, were codes for instructions for escaping North. Answer D, Canada, was the destination for many escaped slaves.

The Great Awakening spurred all of the following EXCEPT a. the development of religious pluralism b. establishment of nonsectarian colleges c. separation of church and state d. active participation in church affairs by ordinary people e. the banning of Anglicanism

The correct answer is E. Answer choice E is antithetical to choice A. They can't both be true. Common sense points to choice A as being true and, therefore, choice E must be the answer. TIP: Be careful of EXCEPT questions. With these questions, you are looking for what is not true.

The most important goal for freed slaves was a. to take surnames b. to marry legally c. to search for family members who had been sold away d. to leave their plantations to prove they were free to travel e. to acquire land, a house, and a means of making a living

The correct answer is E. Being able to provide for themselves and their families would prove to former slaves that they were finally free. Answers A, B, C, and D were all important and activities that freed slaves engaged in, but economic independence was the long-term goal.

Which of the following poets is considered the quintessential American "common man"? a. James Fenimore Cooper b. Herman Melville c. Edgar Alan Poe d. Emily Dickinson e. Walt Whitman

The correct answer is E. For this period when you read quintessential American character and "common man," think Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself" and Walt Whitman. Answer A, James Fenimore Cooper, was the first American novelist to use American themes, but the question asks about a poet. Answer B, Herman Melville, was a novelist, also. Answer C, Edgar Alan Poe, wrote about romantic themes in a dark and brooding way, so he wouldn't fit the characterization of the ordinary person. Answer D, Emily Dickinson, was a poet and even considering the use of man in the generic sense, she can't be the right answer. Her poetry was too personal to reflect the oversized American character.

Which of the following was a major advantage for the British in North America during the French and Indian War? a. The British colonies joined together through the Albany Plan of Union to wage war as a single unit. b. A number of Native American groups allied with the British. c. The British colonies had a homogeneous population loyal to Great Britain. d. The British had thirteen separate governments directing the war along with the government in London. e. The British colonies were populated with families willing to fight for their homes.

The correct answer is E. French North America had few colonists. Most of the French immigrants were men who made their living as fur trappers and traders. Answer choice A is incorrect, although Benjamin Franklin attempted to join the colonies into a union during the war. Choice B is wrong; the British have only one ally, the Iroquois. Choice C is also untrue; the British colonies had a variety of ethnic groups within their borders.

Which of the following did NOT contribute to the population explosion in the colonies in the 1700s? a. immigration b. natural increase c. high marriage rate d. low mortality rate e. upward social mobility

The correct answer is E. If anything, answer E, upward social mobility, would result in a lower rate of population increase. Upper-class women have fewer children than women in other classes. TIP: For reverse questions that ask you NOT and EXCEPT questions, remember to keep looking for what is not true.

The major goal of the Confederacy's foreign policy was to a. gain the help of Great Britain in blockading Northern ports b. sell government bonds to foreign governments to raise money c. keep Mexico from invading Texas d. buy supplies from France e. gain recognition as an independent nation from foreign governments

The correct answer is E. If the Confederacy could achieve answer E, then it would have been able to accomplish answers B and D. Answer A is the reverse of the situation. The Union was successfully blockading Southern ports and cutting off the flow of cotton to British manufacturers, thus drastically damaging the South's economy. Answer C is a distracter.

The middle-class sentimental novel of the mid-1800s was chiefly concerned with a. life lived in nature b. individualism c. mythology d. social reform e. social codes and social behavior

The correct answer is E. If you didn't know, the phrase middle-class should have been a clue. The rising middle-class was looking for its own clues as to what was proper social attitude and behavior and these novels set out a system of "genteel behavior."

White Southerners benefited from all of the following after the Civil War EXCEPT a. greater spending on public education b. improved transportation network c. introduction of more industry into the South d. more democratic state constitutions e. lower taxes

The correct answer is E. In order to subsidize the rebuilding of the infrastructure of the South and to improve such aspects of it as transportation, Southern governments levied high taxes. Answer A was a great improvement. Prior to the Civil War, only one out of every eight white children went to school. Answer D is true—if you were white as the question prompt states.

The campaign for local option laws was one aspect of which of the following movements? a. prison reform b. abolition c. care of the mentally ill d. schools for the blind and hearing impaired e. temperance

The correct answer is E. Local option laws were laws that gave municipalities, that is, local governments, the option to ban the sale of alcohol within their boundaries.

All of the following were results of the Louisiana Purchase EXCEPT a. it doubled the size of the United States b. it removed the French threat from the center of the continent c. it permanently opened New Orleans for trade with Americans in the interior d. it increased tensions over slavery e. it provided a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean

The correct answer is E. Once and for all, the Lewis and Clark expedition commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson ended the hope of a Northwest Passage.

All of the following were changes that resulted from the era of Jacksonian democracy EXCEPT a. more people became interested in politics and political organizations grew at the local level b. candidates were chosen by nominating convention rather than by caucus c. more public offices were filled by election rather than by appointment d. voting requirements were eased so that more white men were eligible to vote e. partisanship became less important as the vote spread to more men

The correct answer is E. Partisanship was very apparent in the early national period when voting was limited. Common sense says that if more people become involved in politics, partisanship will grow. That's human nature.

The slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight" referred to American claims to which of the following? a. Missouri b. Florida c. Ohio Valley d. Texas e. Oregon

The correct answer is E. President James K. Polk originally sought this line as the boundary line for the Oregon Territory, but agreed to the 49th parallel in order to avoid war with Great Britain and Mexico at the same time. Answer D, Texas, is a good distracter, because the boundary line for Texas was the cause of the Mexican War. Missouri, answer A, also has a boundary line in its history. In the Missouri Compromise, or Compromise of 1820, Congress had settled on the 36º30' as the boundary between slave and free state.

The Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson attracted a. a coalition of wealthy merchants and landed gentry in all regions. b. former Federalists c. Free-Soilers d. those who favored a national government e. Southerners, Westerners, and Northern urban workers

The correct answer is E. Read "Andrew Jackson" and think West and the "common man."

Under the system devised by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, all of the following are true EXCEPT a. certain powers are reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment b. certain powers are listed in the Constitution as belonging to the federal government c. an elastic clause gives Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the functioning of the government d. a system of checks and balances prevents any one branch of the federal government from gaining too much power e. the term separation of powers describes the division of powers between the federal government and the states

The correct answer is E. Separation of powers is the term given to the division of the federal government into three branches, namely, executive, legislative, and judicial. Federal is the term for the type of government structure that shares power among a national government and state governments.

In the 1700s, socioeconomic class probably meant the least to a. plantation owner in South Carolina b. merchant in Philadelphia c. printer in New York d. ship owner in Boston e. Scot Irish farmer in backcountry North Carolina

The correct answer is E. The 1700s saw enormous population and economic growth in the colonies, and along with this a widening of class differences. The only place where class mattered little was on the frontier, also known as the backcountry.

Which of the following was LEAST likely to become a member of the American Party in 1854? a. urban dockworker b. small-town blacksmith c. middle-class store clerk d. Midwestern farmer e. upper-middle-class store owner

The correct answer is E. The American Party, or Know-Nothings, drew its membership from those who were concerned about economic competition from immigrants and the potential disturbance of the social order these people and their "foreign ways" could cause.

All of the following were steps on the way to the Civil War EXCEPT a. issue of nullification b. Compromise of 1820 c. Dred Scott decision d. abolition movement e. American System

The correct answer is E. The American System was Henry Clay's plan to provide economic stimulus for all three regions in the early 1800s, namely, a high protective tariff, a national bank to provide a stable financial system for all regions, and funding for internal improvements.

Which of the following provided the plan for all subsequent admission of territories to statehood in the United States? a. Bill of Rights b. Homestead Act c. Kansas-Nebraska Act d. Gadsden Purchase e. Northwest Ordinance

The correct answer is E. The Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 are considered the achievement of the Confederation government. Answer A refers to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution and guarantees certain rights of individuals. Answer B set up a system to give land to families in the West who were willing to work it; passed in 1862 this act is too late to fit the question. Answer C also is too late in chronology to be correct; it was passed in 1854 and set up a way for residents of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they wanted their state to be free or slave. Answer D is the acquisition of land from Mexico in 1853 that makes up the current border between Mexico and the United States in southern Arizona and New Mexico.

The Ostend Manifesto a. demanded that Spain sell Florida to the United States b. was the formal agreement handing over the Louisiana Territory to the United States c. set the boundary between Canada and the United States d. denounced the annexation of Texas e. threatened a U.S.-supported revolution in Cuba if Spain would not sell the island to the United States

The correct answer is E. The Ostend Manifesto was drawn up by three proslavery members of the Pierce administration to be submitted to Spain. The administration rejected the proposal as too inflammatory. The underlying purpose of the proposal was to gain additional slave states to support the South. Answers A, B, and D are distracters. The Adams-Onis Treaty is the correct match for answer C.

The purpose of the Tenure of Office Act passed by Radical Republicans was to limit the a. number of terms members of the House could serve b. number of terms that members of the House and Senate could serve c. power of Southerners on Congressional committees d. number of years the military districts in the South were in power e. power of President Andrew Johnson

The correct answer is E. The Tenure of Office Act was meant to force the President to ask the Senate for approval to dismiss any appointee who needed Senate approval to be hired. It set off the impeachment crisis. If you didn't know, you could try eliminating some answers. Since the question has the term Radical Republican, you can figure that answers A and B are too general. Answer D could be eliminated because the military districts weren't offices. That leaves answers C and E that both have something to do with Reconstruction.

"Any man's son may become the equal of any other man's son" describes what characteristic of American society? a. spoils system b. common man c. frontier spirit d. free enterprise e. social mobility

The correct answer is E. The ability to move from one social class to another has been a defining characteristic of American society since colonial days. Social class is less rigid in this country, because it is based on money rather than ancestry. Answer A, spoils system, was the name given to the way Andrew Jackson handed out government jobs ("To the victor, belongs the spoils.") Answer B, common man, is a term used to describe ordinary people, the bulwark of Jackson's support. Answer C, frontier spirit, could also be termed rugged individualism, the desire to go it alone. Answer D, free enterprise, refers to a market economy in which there is little government regulation.

Labor had limited success in organizing in the 1840s and 1850s primarily because of a. lack of workers willing to lead organizing efforts b. periodic economic depressions that made workers afraid to organize c. the displacement of human labor by machines d. the lack of a history of successful labor organization in the United States e. the increasing ethnic diversity of the workforce as immigration increased

The correct answer is E. The ethnic and cultural diversity of the workforce worked against the development of a sense of unity among workers. Answer B hindered unionizing because workers were afraid to lose their jobs, but it wasn't the main reason. Answer C doesn't make sense. Answer D would be true for any country since there had been no industrialization before the nineteenth century.

The decision in Scott v. Sandford did all of the following EXCEPT a. declare that slaves were the property of their owners b. find that slaves were not and never could be citizens c. find that slaves as noncitizens could not file lawsuits in court d. declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional in its banning of slavery in territories e. declare that states did not have the right to ban slavery

The correct answer is E. The justices in the Dred Scott decision found that only states had the right to ban slavery. They based their decision on the Fifth Amendment's due process clause in regard to taking property.

All of the following were border states EXCEPT a. Missouri b. Maryland c. Kentucky d. Delaware e. West Virginia

The correct answer is E. The small farmers of the western counties of Virginia who had little in common with the planters of the eastern part of the state organized a government and asked for admission to the Union. West Virginia was granted statehood in 1863. The four other states, known as border-states, were slave-owning states but remained in the Union.

"Slave power" referred to the a. power of slaves to send the South into chaos if they ever rebelled b. ability of slaves to create wealth in the form of raw materials c. ability of slaves to move the machinery in factories d. ability of slaves to work hard e. power wealthy Southerners wielded over the economy and politics in the South

The correct answer is E. This phrase was coined as a shorthand for the growing power of wealthy Southern aristocrats to wield power in the South and to try to influence national politics as well. Their dogged persistence in balancing slave and free states is one example on the national level. If you didn't know this, you could eliminate at least answers C and D as too simplistic.

The election of 1800 is significant because a. the Twelfth Amendment was used for the first time b. Federalists failed to win a substantial number of votes in New England c. the Naturalization, Alien, and Sedition Acts were defeated d. foreign policy was not an issue for the first time e. the political party in power changed without violence

The correct answer is E. Thomas Jefferson called the election of 1800 "the revolution of 1800" for this reason, answer E. Answer A was drafted as a result of the ballot problems of 1796 and 1800, but was not ratified by the requisite number of states until 1804. Answer B is incorrect; the major area of strength for the Federalists was New England. Answer C doesn't make sense; laws were not put on the ballot to be voted on. Answer D is incorrect, because conflicts with Great Britain and France were very much part of the political campaign.

The Stamp Act added fuel to the argument of "no taxation without representation" because a. it would drain gold and silver from the colonies b. it required colonial postmasters to sell British stamps c. the stamps were printed in Great Britain taking work away from colonial printers d. it was another example of Parliament's exerting control over the colonies e. it was the first tax on goods made and sold within the colonies themselves

The correct answer is E. Until the Stamp Act, any revenue bill had been seen as a part of Great Britain's mercantilist policy because it involved goods passing between the colonies and either Great Britain or another nation. This tax was on colonial goods and services changing hands only within the colonies. Answer A is one of the consequences of the act, but that was not the main political reason that angered colonists. Answer D is also true, but is not directly related to the statement "no taxation without representation." Answers B and C are distracters.

Which of the following colonies was least likely to allow plays to be staged? a. Virginia b. Rhode Island c. New York d. South Carolina e. Massachusetts

The correct answer is E. With its strong Puritan influences, Massachusetts was able to keep theaters from being built and actors from performing. Answer B, Rhode Island, was the only New England colony that allowed theater performances. The first theater in the colonies was built in answer A, Virginia. There were no particular restrictions on theater in answers C, New York, and D, South Carolina. With Virginia, they were more worldly colonies.

John Dickinson

Wrote "letters from a farmer in Pennsylvania" which pointed out the Townshend duties/Townshend Acts violated "no taxation without representation"

Sons of Liberty

founded by Jamis Otis and Sam Adams as an anti British Group