Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Mayflower Compact...

  • was the first “constitution” adopted in North America.
  • was the Pilgrims' declaration of independence from England.
  • proclaimed the Pilgrims' new religious denomination, known as the Separatist Church.
  • pledged the settlers of the Plymouth Colony to create a democratic form of government. 

ANSWER: The Mayflower Compact was the first “constitution” adopted in North America. 

The Glorious Revolution in England and America...

  • had little impact on either England or North America apart from deposing the Stuarts and barring Roman Catholics from the English throne.
  • contributed significantly to the creation of a new empire based on commerce, with a curb on royal monopolies, encouragement of enterprising merchants, and development of the American colonies as a source of wealth.
  • created democratic governments in Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland, but not in England.
  •  represented a major step toward democracy in both England and the North American colonies. 

ANSWER: The Glorious Revolution in England and America contributed significantly to the creation of a new empire based on commerce, with a curb on royal monopolies, encouragement of enterprising merchants, and development of the American colonies as a source of wealth. 
Question 1
At the same time that Parliament imposed the Stamp Act, it also passed the Quartering Act, which required...
Americans to vacate their houses or take in British troops on the demand of any commander.
colonial governments to provide barracks and food for British troops.
that Americans convicted of treason be hanged and “quartered”; that is, cut into four pieces by the hangman.
that collectors of the stamp tax receive a commission of one-quarter of the revenue they took in.

Question 2
Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes immigration during the 1840s and 1850s?
Most immigrants settled in the South to take advantage of jobs in industry and agriculture.
Most of the Irish who arrived were poverty-stricken peasants.
The largest group of immigrants came from eastern and southern Europe.
The poorest immigrants came from Wales and Scotland.

Question 3
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787...
prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory.
funded an exploratory party to locate the Northwest Passage.
provided for the eventual creation of eight to ten new states in the Northwest Territory.
required compulsory elementary education in each new township in the Northwest Territory.

Question 4
Which of the following does not help to explain the diminishing effectiveness of Reconstruction in the South?
Northerners tired of the expense and violence that supporting Reconstruction engendered.
Racism among moderate Republicans led them to ascribe Republican defeats in the South to the incompetence of black politicians.
A severe depression in 1873 distracted Northerners from the social and racial issues of Reconstruction.
The expanded presence of federal troops and officials from 1875 to 1877 brought about an escalation in southern terrorist retaliation.

Question 5
According to the Constitution, which branch of government is responsible for readmitting states that have seceded from the Union?
the Constitution does not address this question.
the executive branch.
the judicial branch.
the legislative branch. 

Friday, December 30, 2011

The abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison...

  • attacked the US Constitution because it condoned slavery.
  • was a minister who came to his antislavery convictions through the evangelical crusades of the 1820s.
  • demanded the immediate abolition of slavery, with federally funded compensation for former slaveholders.
  • criticized the colonizationists for moving too slowly in their efforts to emancipate slaves. 

ANSWER: The abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison attacked the US Constitution because it condoned slavery. 

In the aftermath of the nullification crisis, President Jackson responded to southern concerns about the tariff by...

  • insisting that high protective tariffs were in the national interest.
  • attempting unsuccessfully to have Congress repeal the Tariff of 1832.
  • persuading Congress to pass new legislation enacting a compromise tariff to gradually reduce duties.
  • ignoring the issue. 

ANSWER: In the aftermath of the nullification crisis, President Jackson responded to southern concerns about the tariff by persuading Congress to pass new legislation enacting a compromise tariff to gradually reduce duties.

One social change resulting from the Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth century America was that members of the upper class...

  • came to hold the same cultural and religious values as wage earners in contrast to the elitism that in the eighteenth century had kept the gentry and the "common people" apart.
  • openly distanced themselves by values and lifestyle from wage earners in contrast to the shared cultural and religious values that had united the gentry and ordinary folk in the eighteenth century.
  • became more hypocritical, pretending to share cultural and religious values with wage earners, but actually behaving very differently.
  • tended to claim that they had risen "from rags to riches" and to flaunt their crude taste and rough manners in contrast to "gentlemanly" values of the eighteenth-century elites. 

ANSWER: One social change resulting from the Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth century America was that members of the upper class openly distanced themselves by values and lifestyle from wage earners in contrast to the shared cultural and religious values that had united the gentry and ordinary folk in the eighteenth century. 

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes the American party system by the early 1840s?

  • As the 1840 election demonstrated, the Whigs held the edge in party discipline and mass loyalty.
  • The two parties offered virtually the same social and economic platform but employed differing campaign styles to attract voters.
  • The practice of Americans voting for a particular party along ethnic and religious lines began to emerge.
  • The Democrats had a major advantage in their wealth and the cohesiveness of their leadership and support. 

ANSWER: The practice of Americans voting for a particular party along ethnic and religious lines began to emerge. 

The Spanish Franciscan missionaries...

  • tried to impose cultural assimilation and forced labor along with religious conversion of indigenous peoples.
  • became large landowners who collected tribute from the Indians.
  • outlawed slavery in the Spanish colonies.
  • adapted to native culture almost completely. 

ANSWER: The Spanish Franciscan missionaries tried to impose cultural assimilation and forced labor along with religious conversion of indigenous peoples. 

During their first couple of years in the Jamestown colony, the English migrants...

  • doubled the size of their population.
  • produced an agricultural surplus--enough to trade with the Native Americans.
  • lived remarkably disease-free.
  • suffered from famine and diseases that killed more than half the population. 

ANSWER: During their first couple of years in the Jamestown colony, the English migrants suffered from famine and diseases that killed more than half the population. 

The Fifteenth Amendment...

  • prohibited state governments from using property requirements to disqualify blacks from voting.
  • gave the full vote to all adult African Americans.
  • prohibited state governments from using literacy tests and poll taxes to prevent blacks from voting.
  • forbade states from denying any citizen the right to vote on the grounds of race, color, or previous condition as a slave. 

ANSWER: The Fifteenth Amendment forbade states from denying any citizen the right to vote on the grounds of race, color, or previous condition as a slave. 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The plantation elite were characterized by all of the following criteria except...

  • roughly three thousand families comprised of the plantation elite category.
  • plantation elites owned more than 1,000 slaves.
  • plantation elites owned huge tracts of fertile land.
  • plantation elites were both traditional aristocrats from the Old South and market entrepreneurs of the New South. 

ANSWER: The plantation elite were characterized by all of the following criteria except plantation elites owned more than 1,000 slaves.

The ancestors of the Native American peoples...

  • always lived in the Western Hemisphere.
  • migrated by sea from Polynesia.
  • migrated by sea from China.
  • migrated by land from northeastern Asia. 



ANSWER: The ancestors of the Native American peoples migrated by land from northeastern Asia. 

The Missouri Compromise of 1820...

  • resulted from the conciliatory efforts of Congressman James Tallmadge of New York.
  • provided for Maine to enter the Union as a free state in 1820, and Missouri to enter as a slave state the following year.
  • prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory south of latitude 36°30´.
  • convinced the aged and retired Thomas Jefferson that the peaceful extinction of slavery by mutual agreement was now in sight. 

ANSWER: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 provided for Maine to enter the Union as a free state in 1820, and Missouri to enter as a slave state the following year. 

In their petitions to Congress in the 1830s, abolitionists frequently called for...

  • appropriating funds to compensate slave owners for emancipating their slaves.
  • abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia.
  • ending the Atlantic slave trade.
  • impeaching any president who condoned slavery and barring slave owners from serving in Congress. 

ANSWER: In their petitions to Congress in the 1830s, abolitionists frequently called for abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia.

By 1840 the South was on the cutting edge of the Market Revolution because...

  • it produced and exported 1.5 million bales of raw cotton, over two-thirds of the world supply.
  • planters were using European immigrants as industrial workers.
  • planters were building factories to process cotton.
  • southern society was dominated by free labor. 

ANSWER: By 1840 the South was on the cutting edge of the Market Revolution because it produced and exported 1.5 million bales of raw cotton, over two-thirds of the world supply.

The Stamp Act Congress held in New York in 1765...

  • was a failure because the nine colonies represented could not agree on a unified policy.
  • protested loss of American rights and liberties and declared that only elected representatives could impose taxes on colonists.
  • formulated a set of resolves that threatened rebellion against Britain.
  • accepted the constitutionality of the Sugar Act but not the Stamp Act. 

ANSWER: The Stamp Act Congress held in New York in 1765 protested loss of American rights and liberties and declared that only elected representatives could impose taxes on colonists. 

Friday, September 30, 2011

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes one effect of Enlightenment on America?

  • American thinkers agreed with John Locke's idea that political authority was divinely ordained.
  • Cotton Mather and the Boston physician Nicholas Boyleston fought against smallpox inoculation.
  • Some ministers combined Lockean political principles with Calvinist theology in order to attack the role of bishops and vest power in the laity.
  • European Enlightenment ideas had little impact on Americans until 1750. 

ANSWER: Some ministers combined Lockean political principles with Calvinist theology in order to attack the role of bishops and vest power in the laity. 

The Puritans in late sixteenth-century England...

  • denied the concept that everyone had a calling” from God.
  • incorporated into their religion many of the traditional Roman Catholic practices, such as burning incense and praying to dead saints.
  • championed literacy so that everyone could read and interpret the Bible.
  • gave final authority over religious doctrine to bishops and synods. 

ANSWER: The Puritans in late sixteenth-century England championed literacy so that everyone could read and interpret the Bible.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Before becoming president, Thomas Jefferson viewed the westward migration of Americans with...

  • apprehension because he believed the country was growing too large to be governed as a single republic.
  • disapproval because he sympathized with the plight of the Indians who would be displaced by white settlement of the West.
  • disdain because, as a cultured aristocrat, he considered the settlers to be uncouth rabble who would only cause trouble with the Indians and destroy the West's natural environment.
  • unqualified approval because he celebrated the pioneer farmer and hoped to see the West developed by independent yeomen. 

ANSWER: Before becoming president, Thomas Jefferson viewed the westward migration of Americans with unqualified approval because he celebrated the pioneer farmer and hoped to see the West developed by independent yeomen. 

The Compromise of 1850 did not include which of the following?

  • Abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia.
  • Adoption of a strong fugitive slave law.
  • The organization of the New Mexico and Utah territories on the basis of popular sovereignty.
  • Abolition of slavery in the Oregon Territory. 

ANSWER: The Compromise of 1850 did not include the abolition of slavery in the Oregon Territory.

Most colonists' reaction to the Navigation Acts was to...

  • comply with its laws out of fear of reprisals.
  • welcome these measures as a way of strengthening the bonds of empire, which would protect them from the French and Spanish.
  • bribe customs officials to ignore the regulations.
  • resent and resist the trade restrictions. 

ANSWER: Most colonists' reaction to the Navigation Acts was to  resent and resist the trade restrictions. 

All of the following are rights guaranteed by the first ten amendments to the Constitution except...

  • the right to a jury trial.
  • the right to vote.
  • the right to bear arms.
  • freedom of speech. 

ANSWER: All of the following are rights guaranteed by the first ten amendments to the Constitution except the right to vote.

The movement toward secession in the winter of 1860-1861 was most rapid in...

  • the Upper South.
  • South Carolina.
  • Virginia.
  • Georgia. 

ANSWER: The movement toward secession in the winter of 1860-1861 was most rapid in South Carolina. 

Monday, August 29, 2011

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes Andrew Jackson's intentions toward Native Americans?

  • He planned to encourage missionaries to convert the tribes east of the Mississippi River to Christianity and white culture.
  • He intended to force Native Americans to comply with federal treaties.
  • He sought better relations with the “civilized” Indians of the Old Southwest, encouraging them to continue their adaptation to white ways.
  • He meant to remove all Native Americans east of the Mississippi, even those who had adapted to white society. 

ANSWER: He meant to remove all Native Americans east of the Mississippi, even those who had adapted to white society. 

The Tariff of 1828...

  • reduced the rates levied on imported raw materials such as flax, hemp, iron, lead, molasses, and wool.
  • was a significant legislative victory for Adams's administration.
  • primarily harmed New England cloth manufacturers and benefited southern agricultural producers.
  • cost southern plantation owners about $100 million a year because it raised the price of British-manufactured goods. 

ANSWER: The Tariff of 1828 cost southern plantation owners about $100 million a year because it raised the price of British-manufactured goods.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820...

  • resulted from the conciliatory efforts of Congressman James Tallmadge of New York.
  • provided for Maine to enter the Union as a free state in 1820, and Missouri to enter as a slave state the following year.
  • prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory south of latitude 36°30´.
  • convinced the aged and retired Thomas Jefferson that the peaceful extinction of slavery by mutual agreement was now in sight. 

ANSWER: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 provided for Maine to enter the Union as a free state in 1820, and Missouri to enter as a slave state the following year.

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes the American political system before the 1820s?

  • It was democratic.
  • Local notables dominated it by managing local elections through devices such as loaning money and treating workers or tenants to drinks.
  • Political parties, although not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, were legalized and regulated by the provisions of most state constitutions.
  • Pressure to make politics more responsive to popular interests arose first in New England and New York State. 
ANSWER: Local notables dominated it by managing local elections through devices such as loaning money and treating workers or tenants to drinks.

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes the social philosophy of the Shakers?

  • Because they believed men were spiritually weaker than women, the Shakers segregated the sexes to protect men from temptation.
  • Shaker communities excluded African Americans in order to maintain racial purity.
  • Shaker men seeking refuge from the world of capitalism outnumbered Shaker women two to one.
  • Both men and women shared governance of the community.
ANSWER: Both men and women shared governance of the community.

A more unified African American culture began to emerge in the early decades of the nineteenth century because...

  • the Gullah dialect spread to the new slave territories in the Old Southwest.
  • the rapid transfer of slaves from other regions into the Lower Mississippi Valley significantly minimized cultural differences.
  • blacks rejuvenated African customs as the transatlantic slave trade ceased.
  • most slaves were united by their traditional religion, which persisted despite the efforts of white Christians to convert them. 
ANSWER: A more unified African American culture began to emerge in the early decades of the nineteenth century because the rapid transfer of slaves from other regions into the Lower Mississippi Valley significantly minimized cultural differences.

The domestic slave trade affected the African American family unit before 1865 by...

  • destroying the sense of family.
  • separating adults but not children from their families.
  • destroying seventy-five percent of black marriages.
  • separating family members through sale and trade. 
ANSWER: The domestic slave trade affected the African American family unit before 1865 by separating family members through sale and trade.

By the 1830s, most laborers in the urban northeast lived in...

  • barracks provided by factory owners.
  • rural areas and rode trains to their jobs in the cities.
  • church-sponsored charity houses.
  • crowded boardinghouses and tiny apartments. 
ANSWER: By the 1830s, most laborers in the urban northeast lived in crowded boardinghouses and tiny apartments.

In her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe...

  • promoted African colonization as the best solution to the evils of slavery.
  • urged women to leave any church that did not preach against slavery.
  • urged women to join abolitionist societies.
  • depicted slavery as a destroyer of slave families and a degrader of slave women. 

ANSWER: In her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe depicted slavery as a destroyer of slave families and a degrader of slave women.

By the 1820s, more women were becoming teachers because...

  • they were demonstrably more intelligent than male candidates.
  • men scorned teaching as “women's work.”
  • state legislatures were pressured by women's rights advocates into broadening women's employment opportunities.
  • school authorities could pay women less than they paid men. 
ANSWER: By the 1820s, more women were becoming teachers because school authorities could pay women less than they paid men. 

When the Bank of the United States' charter expired in 1811...

  • Congress chartered the Second Bank of the United States later that same year.
  • Federalists urged that the bank be dissolved on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.
  • President James Madison began to invest his own funds in the Bank of the United States.
  • it was not renewed. 
ANSWER: When the Bank of the United States' charter expired in 1811 it was not renewed.

Noah Webster...

  • created a spelling book purposefully for African Americans.
  • published dictionaries and spelling books to conform American spelling and grammar.
  • fought a losing battle to keep Americans spelling words in the same manner as the English.
  • was the author of Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York.
ANSWER: Noah Webster published dictionaries and spelling books to conform American spelling and grammar. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Why did the Irish immigrate to the United States during the 1840s and 1850s?

  • England invaded Ireland during the mid-1840s, displacing the Irish population.
  • They fled a famine caused by severe overpopulation and a devastating blight on the potato crop. 
  • The expansion of the industrial revolution displaced Irish workers. 
  • Anti-Catholic violence forced the Irish to flee their homeland.
ANSWER: They fled a famine caused by severe overpopulation and a devastating blight on the potato crop.

Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes the new urban culture of large U.S. cities such as New York during the early 1800s?

  • Thousands of young men and women who migrated from urban areas created the new urban culture.
  • Sex and dress were marginal to the new urban culture.
  • Young men and women easily found high-paying jobs in cities.
  • Popular entertainment, in particularly minstrelsy, was an important aspect of new urban culture.
ANSWER: Popular entertainment, in particularly minstrelsy, was an important aspect of new urban culture.

One social change resulting from the Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth-century America was that members of the upper class...

  • came to hold the same cultural and religious values as wage earners in contrast to the elitism that in the eighteenth century had kept the gentry and the “common people” apart.
  • openly distanced themselves by values and lifestyle from wage earners in contrast to the shared cultural and religious values that had united the gentry and ordinary folk in the eighteenth century.
  • became more hypocritical, pretending to share cultural and religious values with wage earners, but actually behaving very differently.
  • tended to claim that they had risen “from rags to riches” and to flaunt their crude tastes and rough manners in contrast to the “gentlemanly” values of the eighteenth-century elites.
ANSWER: One social change resulting from the Industrial Revolution in early nineteenth-century America was that members of the upper class openly distanced themselves by values and lifestyle from wage earners in contrast to the shared cultural and religious values that had united the gentry and ordinary folk in the eighteenth century.

Free blacks in the South...

  • lived mostly in the Lower South.
  • generally acknowledged unity with the enslaved population.
  • won the right to trial by jury in criminal cases.
  • were able to travel fairly widely without identification papers.
ANSWER: Free blacks in the South generally acknowledged unity with the enslaved population.

Planters failed to politically dominate the South because...

  • they lived in a republican society with democratic institutions such as the secret ballot.
  • they did not enfranchise the entire white population of voters. 
  • they did not foster party competition. 
  • they did not create apportionment based on population.
ANSWER: Planters failed to politically dominate the South because they lived in a republican society with democratic institutions such as the secret ballot.