Civics Final

Question 1

Salutary Neglect

Answer 1

The unofficial British policy where parliamentary rules and laws were loosely or not enforced on the American colonies and trade.

Question 2

Samuel Adams

Answer 2

Born: September 27, 1722
Died: October 2, 1803
What he did: Lieutenant governor of MA for 4 years, then governor for 3 years.
- He played an important role in the Stamp Act.

Question 3

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

Answer 3

A series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party.
1. Boston Port Act
2. MA Government Act
3. Administration of Justice Act
4. Quartering Acts

Question 4

Declaration of Independence

Answer 4

A document that declared the U.S. as an independent country. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th 1776. Includes Bill of Rights.

Question 5

Louisiana Purchase

Answer 5

The U.S. purchased the French territory of Louisiana in 1803. The Purchase was very controversial, but in the end, The U.S. purchased Louisiana for $15 million.

Question 6

Stamp Act

Answer 6

A tax passed by the British Parliament in 1765 to raise money for the British army in the American colonies. The tax was imposed on paper goods, including legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards. The act was met with violent protest from the colonists, who argued that it violated their rights.

Question 7

Battle of Saratoga

Answer 7

The Battle of Saratoga, fought in upstate New York during the American Revolutionary War in 1777, was a decisive American victory that is considered a turning point in the war, as it forced British General John Burgoyne to surrender to American General Horatio Gates, significantly boosting American morale and securing crucial foreign support, particularly from France, which ultimately helped lead to American independence

Question 8

Battle of Lexington & Concord

Answer 8

The Battle of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19, 1775, marked the first major military engagement of the American Revolutionary War, where colonial militias clashed with British soldiers in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, effectively sparking the armed conflict between the American colonists and the British Crown.

Question 9

Proclamation Line of 1763

Answer 9

The Proclamation Line of 1763 was a boundary established by the British government following the French and Indian War, prohibiting colonial settlers from settling on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains

Question 10

Checks and Balances

Answer 10

A system within a government where each branch (like the legislative, executive, and judicial) has the power to limit or check the actions of the other branches

Question 11

Propaganda

Answer 11

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Question 12

Bill of Rights

Answer 12

1. Freedoms, Petitions, Assembly
   2 Right to bear arms
   3 Quartering of soldiers
   4 Search and arrest
   5 Rights in criminal cases
   6 Right to a fair trial
   7 Rights in civil cases
   8 Bail, fines, punishment
   Rights retained by the People
   10 States’ rights
   11 Lawsuits against states
   12 Presidential elections
   13 Abolition of slavery
   14 Civil rights
   5 Black suffrage
   16 Income taxes
   17 Senatorial elections
   18 Prohibition of liquor
   19 Women’s suffrage
   20 Terms of office

Question 13

Federalists

Answer 13

The party favored centralization, federalism, modernization, industrialization, and protectionism. The Federalists called for a strong national government that promoted economic growth and fostered friendly relationships with Great Britain in opposition to Revolutionary France.

Question 14

Anti-Federalists

Answer 14

Anti-Federalism was a late-18th-century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, gave state governments more authority.

Question 14

Separation of Powers

Answer 14

The separation of powers is a constitutional principle that divides the government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch has specific duties and areas of authority, and no branch can overpower the others

Question 15

Articles of Confederation

Answer 15

The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. It was adopted in 1777 and served as the country’s governing document until 1789. The Articles of Confederation established a weak central government and gave most powers to the states.

Question 16

Shays Rebellion

Answer 16

Shays’s Rebellion
When: 1786–1787
Where: Western Massachusetts
Leader: Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran
Cause: Farmers were losing land and property to debt collectors, and the state legislature wasn’t addressing their concerns
Result: Exposed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and led to the Constitutional Convention

Question 17

Whiskey Rebellion

Answer 17

Whiskey Rebellion
When: 1794
Where: Western Pennsylvania
Cause: Whiskey distillers were upset about the tax on whiskey, which was regressive and disproportionately hurt small distilleries
Result: Demonstrated the need to strengthen the federal government

Question 18

Virginia-Kentucky Resolution

Answer 18

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions - History
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were political statements passed in 1798 and 1799 that opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The resolutions were written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and argued that the federal government could only exercise powers explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.

Question 19

Nationalism/Sectionalism

Answer 19

Nationalism
A sense of identity and attachment to a country
Can impact foreign policy
Can lead to a stronger national government

Sectionalism
A sense of identity and attachment to a specific region or section of a country
Can lead to political tension and division
Can be based on economic, political, or social differences

Question 20

Impeachment

Answer 20

A charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office.

Question 21

Cash Crop

Answer 21

Cash crops are agricultural crops that are planted for the purpose of selling on the market or for export to make profit

Question 22

Emancipation Proclamation

Answer 22

The proclamation was a military measure that changed the goals of the Civil War.
- Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation on September 22, 1862, stating that enslaved people would be freed if the Confederacy did not stop rebelling by January 1, 1863.
- The proclamation was a victory for the Abolitionist Movement.
- The proclamation was limited in many ways, and some slaves remained enslaved.
- The proclamation inspired Black people to support the Union cause.
- The proclamation was intended to prevent England and France from giving military aid and political recognition to the Confederacy.

Question 23

Compromise of 1850

Answer 23

Compromise of 1850 and the Civil War: Cause and Effect …
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five laws passed in September 1850 that attempted to resolve the issue of slavery in the United States. The compromise was a temporary solution to sectional tensions and the threat of secession.
- California
- Utah and New Mexico
- Texas
- Washington D.C.
- Fugitive Slave Act

Question 24

Gold Rush

Answer 24

A gold rush is a period when people rush to an area where gold has been discovered to find their fortune. In US history, gold rushes occurred in multiple time periods, but the most famous was in California in the mid-1800s.

Question 25

Indian Removal Act

Answer 25

The Indian Removal Act, signed into law by President Andrew Jackson in 1830, authorized the government to negotiate treaties with Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River, forcing them to relocate to land west of the Mississippi in exchange for their ancestral lands, essentially clearing the way for white settlement in the Southeast; this forced migration became known as the “Trail of Tears.”

Question 26

The Federalist Papers

Answer 26

Federalist papers, series of 85 essays on the proposed new Constitution of the United States and on the nature of republican government, published between 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in an effort to persuade New York state voters to support ratification.

Question 27

Anti-Federalist Papers

Answer 27

The Anti-Federalist Papers were a collection of essays written by individuals opposed to the ratification of the United States Constitution, arguing against the establishment of a strong central government and advocating for greater state power and individual rights protections, often published under pseudonyms like “Brutus” and “Cato” and contributing to the later inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution; despite their efforts, the Anti-Federalists failed to prevent the Constitution’s ratification.

Question 28

Oregon Issue

Answer 28

The Oregon Question was a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Great Britain over the Oregon Territory in the 19th century. The dispute was over the political division of the Pacific Northwest and involved several European powers.

Question 29

Oregon Trail

Answer 29

The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and trappers from about 1811 to 1840 and was initially only passable on foot or horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho.

Question 30

Mexican-American War

Answer 30

The Mexican-American War was fought exclusively in and around Texas, New Mexico, California and Northern and Central Mexico between 1846 and 1848. This was fought soon after the Texas Revolution. The Texas Revolution was a fight for independence from Mexico by the “Tejas” portion of Mexico.

Question 31

National Bank

Answer 31

A national bank in the United States is a financial institution that is chartered by the federal government and is a member of the Federal Reserve. National banks are supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

Question 32

Embargo Act

Answer 32

The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law that prohibited American ships from trading with foreign countries. It was a response to British and French interference with American ships during the Napoleonic Wars.

Question 33

Compromise of 1850

Answer 33

The Compromise of 1850 was a set of five bills passed by the U.S. Congress that aimed to temporarily resolve tensions between free and slave states by addressing the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories following the Mexican-American War

The bills provided for slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty in the admission of new states, prohibited the slave trade in the District of Columbia, settled a Texas boundary dispute, and established a stricter fugitive slave act.

Question 34

The Missouri Compromise

Answer 34

An Act to authorize the people of the Missouri territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, and to prohibit slavery in certain territories.

Question 35

Bleeding Kansas

Answer 35

Bleeding Kansas was a period of violent conflict in Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1859. The conflict was a result of the debate over slavery in the Kansas statehood. It was a precursor to the Civil War and a key moment in the growing divide between the North and South.

Question 36

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Answer 36

Uncle Tom’s Cabin tells the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved person, depicted as saintly and dignified, noble and steadfast in his beliefs. While being transported by boat to auction in New Orleans, Tom saves the life of Little Eva, an angelic and forgiving young girl, whose grateful father then purchases Tom.

Question 37

Manifest Destiny

Answer 37

Manifest Destiny was the idea that the United States had a divine right to expand across North America. It was a philosophy that drove the rapid territorial expansion of the United States in the 1800s.

Question 38

Annexation of Texas

Answer 38

Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 and became the 28th state. Until 1836, Texas had been part of Mexico, but in that year a group of settlers from the United States who lived in Mexican Texas declared independence.

Question 39

Total War

Answer 39

A war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded.

Question 40

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Answer 40

This legislation admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a non-slave state at the same time, so as not to upset the balance between slave and free states in the nation. It also outlawed slavery above the 36º 30’ latitude line in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory.

Question 41

American System

Answer 41

The “American System” was an economic plan primarily championed by Henry Clay in the early 19th century, aimed at fostering national economic growth by promoting American industry through protective tariffs, establishing a national bank to stabilize the currency, and funding internal improvements like roads and canals to connect different regions of the country, essentially aiming to make the United States more self-sufficient and economically unified; it was considered a form of economic nationalism following the War of 1812.

Question 42

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Answer 42

Sherman’s March to the Sea was an American Civil War campaign lasting from November 15 to December 21, 1864, in which Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman led troops through the Confederate state of Georgia, pillaging the countryside and destroying both military outposts and civilian properties.

Question 43

Copperheads

Answer 43

In the 1860s, the Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were a faction of the Democratic Party in the Union who opposed the American Civil War and wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates.

Question 44

Civil War Technology

Answer 44

Inventors and military men devised new types of weapons, such as the repeating rifle and the submarine, that forever changed the way that wars were fought. Even more important were the technologies that did not specifically have to do with the war, like the railroad and the telegraph.

Question 45

Civil War Battles

Answer 45

Battle of Fort Sumter:
Marked the start of the Civil War when Confederate forces bombarded the Union fort in South Carolina.

Battle of Antietam:
A decisive Union victory that halted a Confederate invasion of Maryland and is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

Battle of Gettysburg:
Considered a turning point in the war, this large-scale battle in Pennsylvania saw a decisive Union victory against Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces.

Battle of Chickamauga:
Primarily a Confederate victory, pushing the Union back from Georgia.

Battle of Fredericksburg:
One of the largest and deadliest battles with a significant Union loss due to the Confederate advantage on high ground.

First Battle of Bull Run:
The first major battle of the war, resulting in a Confederate victory.

Second Battle of Bull Run:
Another Confederate victory that opened the way for their first invasion of the North.

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House:
A bloody and inconclusive engagement during Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign.

Battle of Fort Donelson:
A Union victory that allowed access to the Confederate heartland.

Battle of the Wilderness:
A very bloody battle with no clear victor, part of Grant’s campaign to capture Richmond.

Battle of Atlanta:
A significant Union victory that captured the important city of Atlanta.

Question 46

Samuel Slater

Answer 46

Slater is known as the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution.” His first mill, Slater Mill, in Pawtucket remains an important historic site that tells the story of the birth of the American Industrial Revolution. This event changed the United States forever, and still affects us today.

Question 47

George Washington

Answer 47

First President, led military to victory in American Revolution. He’s Him.

Question 48

John Brown

Answer 48

John Brown was a prominent American abolitionist most recognized for his violent raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859, an act that significantly heightened tensions leading up to the Civil War; considered a radical figure, his actions were seen by many Northerners as a righteous fight against slavery while Southerners viewed him as a dangerous extremist, ultimately contributing to the growing divide between the regions.

Question 49

Andrew Jackson

Answer 49

We wrote an essay about him.

Jackson is best known for being the 7th president of the United States. You don’t get much more high-profile than that. But what made him a ``rock star’’ in his day was the overwhelming defeat of British forces at New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812–specifically on Sunday, January 8, 1815.

Question 50

Eli Whitney/cotton gin

Answer 50

What did Eli Whitney invent? Eli Whitney’s most famous invention was the cotton gin, which enabled the rapid separation of seeds from cotton fibres. Built in 1793, the machine helped make cotton a profitable export crop in the southern United States and further promoted the use of slavery for cotton cultivation.