Chapter 28: A Divided Nation

In spring 2018, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide gathered for demonstrations calling for gun control. The movement was inspired by students from a high school in Florida who witnessed a horrific mass shooting. Due to many Americans' devotion to the Second Amendment, and the significant power of the National Rifle Association,one of the country's most influential lobbies, no new regulations have taken effect since the demonstrations.

-gun control -Florida -National Rifle Association

Place these facts regarding Covid-19 in chronological order.

1. Government officials in Wuhan, China, cut off transportation services to and from the city. 2. The World Health Organization declares a global pandemic. 3. The United States records around 300,000 deaths attributed to Covid-19. 4. At least half the U.S. population receives at least one Covid-19 vaccination.

Which of the following economic factors contributed to the housing bubble at the root of the 2008 recession?

Correct Answer(s) -consumer indebtedness caused by increased spending and borrowing -banks and lending institutions issuing more subprime mortgages -unregulated banking practices including the sale of faulty new financial products -unprecedentedly low interest rates Incorrect Answer(s) -labor strikes among house manufacturers -a gas shortage

Identify the two main obstacles John McCain faced during the presidential election of 2008.

Correct Answer(s) -the financial crisis -George W. Bush's low popularity Incorrect Answer(s) -his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate -questions about his American birthplace

Which of the following statements about the presidential election of 2016 are accurate?

Correct Answer(s) Donald Trump garnered three million fewer popular votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Prior to the election, public opinion polls virtually guaranteed Clinton the election. Incorrect Answer(s) The election demonstrated growing unity between rural America and large metropolitan areas. Trump utilized the power of reach of social media to issue detailed documents outlining his policies on various issues.

Review the following video with author Eric Foner in which he discusses the speech given by Khizr Khan, the Pakistani-American father of a soldier killed in the Iraq War, at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The speech is representative of the long historical relationship between immigration, military service, and social change in the United States. According to the video, which of the following statements are accurate?

Correct Answer(s) The Vietnam War was influential in the movement to lower the legal voting age from 21 to 18 years old. Service by African-Americans in World War II helped to rekindle the civil rights movement. Incorrect Answer(s) Khizr Khan spoke in support of then-candidate Donald Trump's proposed immigration policies. Capt. Humayun Khan completed his tour of duty in Iraq and became an accomplished military lawyer.

The 2018 midterm elections provided the first opportunity for the national electorate to be heard after Trump's 2016 presidential election. Which of the following statements accurately describe the results?

Correct Answer(s) The results revealed sharp divides between particular groups of voters (young and old, male and female, rural and metropolitan). For the first time, Native American women and Muslim women were elected to congressional seats. Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives. Incorrect Answer(s) Republicans lost their majority in the Senate.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016 was consumed with rhetorical attacks on Mexicans, Muslims, and immigrants more generally. As president, in what ways did those attacks turn into actions?

Correct Answer(s) Trump banned travel to the United States from a number of Muslim-majority countries. The Trump administration began removing young children from the custody of parents who had come to the southern border with their families seeking asylum. Incorrect Answer(s) Congress authorized the full construction of Trump's proposed border wall. Trump ordered the release of hundreds of African-Americans in prison for minor, nonviolent drug offenses.

Which of the following statements accurately illustrate President Trump's response to the issue of climate change?

Correct Answer(s) Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Trump appointed an ally of the oil industry to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Incorrect Answer(s) Trump promised to revive American clean energy industries. Trump sought bipartisan support for legislation aimed at installing regulations to combat global warming.

The Occupy Wall Street movement that burst onto the scene in 2011 was launched in protest of income inequality. The movement was also frustrated with which other aspects of the American economy related to income inequality?

Correct Answer(s) declining economic opportunity widespread alienation of youth Incorrect Answer(s) rules that seemed to favor minorities environmental concerns exacerbated by large banks

Which of the following choices describe significant foreign affairs accomplishments of the Obama presidency?

Correct Answer(s) negotiated a nuclear agreement with Iran formally ended American involvement in the Iraq War authorized the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden Incorrect Answer(s) formally ended the American military presence in Afghanistan permanently closed the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

Starting his second term in office, George W. Bush and his party received devastating blows, which resulted in the loss of the public's confidence. Which of the following were issues Bush and his cabinet dealt with at this time?

Correct Answer(s) ongoing war in Iraq the federal government's failure to act leading up to Hurricane Katrina Incorrect Answer(s) a series of accusations of sexual misconduct, which Bush struggled to refute

Early in Obama's first term, he pushed through Congress a "stimulus" package amounting to nearly $800 billion in new government spending. It was the largest single spending appropriation in American history. For which of the following areas was the money earmarked?

Correct Answer(s) provide seed money for construction projects give states aid to enable them to balance their budgets extension of unemployment benefits Incorrect Answer(s) investment in oil exploration and pipelines

In 2011, after eight years of fighting, American troops returned home from Iraq. Their departure, combined with the fragile governments in the outskirts of Iraq, gave rise to fundamentalist groups that gained power. Fill in the blanks to complete the passage describing one such group. ISIS, the self-proclaimed Islamic State, first appeared in Iraq, where it quickly captured territory before moving west toward Syria to assist in the civil war taking place there. Its tactics defied conventional military engagement, and its use of social media to publicize its brutality and beheadings both shocked the world and inspired recruits to the organization.

ISIS social media

Which Midwestern "red" state "swung" for the first time since the Great Depression to support the Democratic Party candidate, Barack Obama, during the 2008 presidential election?

Indiana

Analyze the following map, and then rank the states from lowest percentage of the population below the poverty line to the highest.

New Jersey Oregon New Mexico Mississippi

When Hurricane Katrina came ashore in 2005, it devastated the coastline and showed how poverty affects many of the citizens living in this city.

New Orleans

Using these "Portrait of a Recession" graphs, what conclusions can be drawn about the impact of the Great Recession?

Rose: unemployment Dropped: -consumer confidence -industrial production -housing starts -retail sales

During President Trump's presidency, a number of national movements formed around issues ranging from social inequality to racial injustice. Match each movement with its description.

Women's March: As a result of President Trump's derogatory comments during his campaign, hundreds of thousands of people marched on the U.S. Capitol to express their support for women's rights. Me Too: This movement involved women who publicized their sexual harassment experiences in workplaces and professional spaces to demand punishment of their offenders. I Can't Breathe: This movement involved women who publicized their sexual harassment experiences in workplaces and professional spaces to demand punishment of their offenders. March for Our Lives: This movement was organized by students at a high school in Parkland, Florida, after a school shooting there left seventeen people dead.

The Gulf oil spill demonstrated the downside of globalization and deregulation. The company that owned and operated the exploded oil rig was BP, and it had circumvented U.S. regulations by building the rig in South Korea and registering it in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This allowed the oil company to violate many safety regulations, which ultimately led to the explosion.

downside BP Republic of the Marshall Islands

As president, Donald Trump's first significant achievement was the successful repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

false

Continuing his "rainbow" coalition, Obama received the majority of votes from Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and whites in the 2012 election.

false

During the Bush and Obama administrations, efforts to police the southern border of the United States increased dramatically. The size of the U.S. Border Patrol increased to 20,000 officers by 2013, making it the country's second-largest police force. Still, feeling that the federal government was not doing enough, groups of citizens in the Southwest took up arms and set up unofficial militias to patrol the border between Mexico and the United States. This tightened security over the border had an unintended consequence: not wanting to risk back-and-forth migration across the border, many immigrants opted to stay put after arriving to the United States.

increased U.S. Border Patrol stay put

The presidential election of 2012 was the first one in which the Republican Party's ticket did not contain a traditional Protestant.

true