U.S. History 1

Question 1

18. In the late 1800’s, the goal of the Federal Government’s policy toward Native American Indians was to
19. destroy tribal bonds and thus weaken their traditional cultural values
20. grant them full citizenship and due process
21. give their tribal groups authority over their own affairs
22. increase the land holdings of western tribes

Answer 1

Explanation: It was thought that by weakening traditional cultural practices, the Native Americans would more easily assimilate into American society.

Question 2

6. The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery upheld the Southern viewpoint that
7. the power of the Supreme Court does not extend to cases of race
8. Congress could not pass a law depriving territorial residents of their property
9. a national vote should be held to decide the legality of slavery
10. the economic well-being of the western states depended on slave labor

Answer 2

Explanation: The Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) that blacks were not citizens and that slaves were property and could be taken anywhere, regardless of a state’s status as free or slave holding. This also served to declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional due to its establishment of free/slave state borders. This decision was ultimately nullified by the passage of the 13th amendment feeing the slaves and the 14th amendment establishing citizenship and equal protection under the law.

Question 3

5. The United States Government is considered a federal system because
6. the people elect national officials
7. both national and state governments exist within the nation
8. foreign policy is handled by state governments
9. each state has equal represen-tation in the United States Senate

Answer 3

Explanation: A federal system divides governmental power and control into varies levels. In the US example the Federal Government, State Governments and Local Governments all divide an share power. One other component of this is the superiority of the Federal Government’s power, as seen in the superiority clause of the Constitution.

Question 4

22. At the turn of the century, why did most immigrants to the United States settle in cities?
23. Jobs were readily available.
24. Government relief programs required immigrants to settle in cities.
25. Labor union leaders encouraged unrestricted immigration.
26. Immigrants were not permitted to buy farmland.

Question 5

4. One way in which the authors of the Constitution tried to create “limited government” was by providing for
5. a loyal opposition through a two-party system
6. a division of power between the national and state governments
7. the establishment of naturalization laws
8. the popular election of Federal judges

Answer 5

Explanation: The founding fathers feared an all-powerful national government (as England had been). So in creating the Constitution they felt a need to balance power between a national government and those of the states. Delegating some specific powers to the national government, as well as reserving some powers for the state governments placed limits on the power of each.

Question 6

20. The purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act (1887), the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), and the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) was to
21. eliminate unfair business practices
22. reduce imports from foreign nations
23. reduce the power of the unions
24. increase the power of local governments

Answer 6

Explanation: Many people during the Gilded Age were frustrated with business taking advantage of workers as well as the US consumers. There was a growing call in the late 1800’s for the government to step in and regulate the economy, insuring safety and fair practices. The best examples of this can be seen in the ICC and the Sherman Antitrust Act. The passage of the Interstate Commerce Act and the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission was designed to regulate the railroads and their rates. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 banned “combinations in restraint of trade” or basically any monopoly that reduced competition in the marketplace, a direct response to the growth of monopolistic practices in the late 1800’s.

Question 7

15. Poll taxes and grandfather clauses were devices used to
16. deny African Americans the right to vote
17. extend suffrage to women and 18-year-old citizens
18. raise money for political campaigns
19. prevent immigrants from becoming citizens

Answer 7

Explanation: Literacy tests and poll taxes were common tactics used in southern states to suppress voting by African-Americans. Grandfather clauses were enacted as a way of allowing poor, uneducated, white southerners to vote despite the tests and taxes, based on their grandfathers voting history.

Question 8

3. The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of
4. the President to veto a bill passed by Congress
5. Congress to censure one of its members
6. a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riot
7. state and Federal gov-ernments to levy and collect taxes

Answer 8

Explanation: Checking and balancing involves the ability of each of the three branches of government to regulate and monitor the power of the others. In this case the ability to veto a law ensures that the legislative branch is not passing laws the go beyond their duties or powers. The president can “check” their actions by rejecting the legislation.

Question 9

18. Which factor most limited the growth of labor unions during the late 1800’s?
19. Most employers were very hostile toward workers’ efforts to organize.
20. Most factory workers were satisfied with their wages and working conditions.
21. The Federal Government declared that unions were illegal.
22. Workers preferred to negotiate with factory owners as individuals rather than as members of a group.

Answer 9

Explanation: Many industry owners felt threatened by the growth of unions in the late 1800’s. They rightly feared that union growth could force them into conceding higher wages, improved conditions and shorter work hours.

Question 10

21. According to the theory of laissez faire, the economy functions best when the government
22. subsidizes business so that it can compete worldwide
23. regulates businesses for the good of the majority
24. owns major industries
25. does not interfere in business

Answer 10

Explanation: Laissez-Faire capitalism calls for the complete non-involvement of government in the economy. The approach is one of “hands-off”, in which prices, quality and competitive practices are solely determined by competition. This approach was advocated by the English economist Adam Smith in his work “The Wealth of Nations” and followed by the US government up until the late 1800’s, early 1900’s.

Question 11

14. The Jim Crow laws of the post-Civil War Era were attempts by
15. the Federal Government to improve the status of African Americans and Native American Indians
16. state and local governments to restrict the freedoms of African Americans
17. states to ban organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan
18. the Radical Republicans in Congress to carry out Reconstruction plans

Answer 11

Explanation: Jim Crow laws were legalized segregation. Upheld as legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896, Jim Crow laws would persist in the South up until the culmination of the black civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60’s.

Question 12

29. Which city is paired with the geographical feature that directly contributed to its growth?
30. San Francisco – Rocky Mountains
31. New Orleans – Mississippi River
32. Pittsburgh – Hudson River
33. Cleveland – Atlantic Coastal Plain
    .

Answer 12

Explanation: The Mississippi River was a major trade route that transported goods from North to South. The Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico which led to the development of the trading port city of New Orleans

Question 13

27. The United States Federal Reserve System was established to
28. provide loans to industrialists
29. end the Great Depression
30. provide for a balanced budget
31. regulate the money supply

Question 14

19. The purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act (1887), the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), and the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) was to
20. eliminate unfair business practices
21. reduce imports from foreign nations
22. reduce the power of the unions
23. increase the power of local governments

Answer 14

Explanation: Many people during the Gilded Age were frustrated with business taking advantage of workers as well as the US consumers. There was a growing call in the late 1800’s for the government to step in and regulate the economy, insuring safety and fair practices. The best examples of this can be seen in the ICC and the Sherman Antitrust Act. The passage of the Interstate Commerce Act and the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission was designed to regulate the railroads and their rates. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 banned “combinations in restraint of trade” or basically any monopoly that reduced competition in the marketplace, a direct response to the growth of monopolistic practices in the late 1800’s.

Question 15

25. The Monroe Doctrine declared that the United States would
26. prevent the establishment of new European colonies anywhere in the world
27. help colonies in North and South America adopt a democratic form of government
28. view European interference in the Americas as a threat to the national interest of the United States
29. prevent other nations from trading with South American nations

Answer 15

Explanation: The declaration by Monroe in the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 served to frame US foreign policy and Europe’s role in North America for decades to come. The main thrust of the doctrine was a warning to European nations to curtail further expansion of colonial aims in the Western Hemisphere. Monroe also warned that further expansion would be seen as a threat to United States interests. This idea would be further expanded by President Theodore Roosevelt in his Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, in which he reaffirmed a commitment to non-intervention by Europe, but added that active intervention in Latin America by the United States was perfectly acceptable.

Question 16

31. Under Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Supreme Court was considered “activist” because of its
32. reluctance to overturn state laws
33. insistence on restricting freedom of speech to spoken words
34. expansion of individual rights in criminal cases
35. refusal to reconsider the issues of the Plessy v. Ferguson case

Question 17

23 Which statement about immigration to the United States during the 19th century is most valid?

1. Organized labor supported unlimited immigration.
2. Most immigrants to the United States were illegal aliens.
3. Industrial growth led to a demand for cheap immigrant labor.
4. Few immigrants came from western Europe.

Question 18

12. Which statement best summarizes the beliefs of Booker T. Washington?
13. The best solution for African Americans was to return to Africa.
14. Social equality for African Americans would be easier to achieve than legal rights.
15. The way to dissolve the barriers of segregation and bring about an end to Jim Crow laws was by active, violent resistance.
16. The most immediate means for African Americans to achieve equality was to expand their opportunities for vocational education.

Answer 18

Explanation: Booker T. Washington and another great African-American leader, W.E.B. Du Bois differed in their approaches to education. Washington favored vocational education that would teach a skilled trade, such as farming or carpentry. While Du Bois favored broader more formal education, such as literature and sciences.

Question 19

1. According to the Declaration of Independence, the people have the right to alter or abolish a government if that government
2. is a limited monarchy
3. violates natural rights
4. becomes involved in entangling alliances
5. favors one religion over another

Answer 19

Explanation: The writings of John Locke and other authors of the Enlightenment expressed the idea of “The Consent of the Governed”. Rousseau also maintained that a “Social Contract” existed between government and the governed and when government failed to protect rights, a revolution was in order.

Question 20

10. In 1862, the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act were passed primarily to
11. achieve Northern victory in the Civil War
12. develop the Midwest and western parts of the country
13. improve the lives of freed slaves
14. expand overseas markets to Asia and Europe

Answer 20

Explanation: The Homestead Act gave free mid-western and western lands to homesteaders who agreed to farm the acreage for five years, the Pacific Railway Act subsidized the construction of transcontinental railroad lines, thereby making the settlement of the west more possible and economically viable as western farmers had access to rail lines for transport of goods and shipment of crops to market

Question 21

30. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, during the 1957 school integration crisis, he was exercising his constitutional power as
31. Chief Legislator
32. Commander-in-Chief
33. Chief Diplomat
34. Head of State

Answer 21

Explanation: The roles and powers of the President are specifically addressed in Article II of the Constitution. The President is specifically granted powers as Chief Diplomat in which he serves the United States representative to foreign nations and negotiates treaties and agreements, as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, as Chief Executive of federal agencies, as Chief Legislator to recommend legislation, as well as a variety of other roles.

Question 22

8. “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
   - Brown v. Board of Education

The effect of this Supreme Court ruling was to

1. establish affirmative action programs in higher education
2. require the integration of public schools
3. desegregate the armed forces and the military academies
4. force states to spend an equal amount on each public school student

Answer 22

Explanation: The ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) established that “separate but equal” facilities were legal (thereby upholding the Jim Crow laws of Southern states) and was later overturned in the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ruling.

Question 23

28. Which speaker would most likely have supported the ideas of the Progressive movement?

Speaker A: “The business of America is business, and we would be wise to remember that.”
Speaker B:”Government ownership of business is superior to private enterprise.”
Speaker C:”Strict government regulation of business practices is a means to insure the public good.”
Speaker D:”Only through personal effort can wealth and success be achieved.”

Answer 23

Explanation: The Progressive movement was one which called for the greater regulation of businesses and the safeguarding of safety and rights for workers.

Question 24

7. The significance of the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison is that the decision
8. advanced civil rights for minorities
9. upheld the constitutionality of a national bank
10. limited Presidential control of foreign policy
11. established the power of judicial review

Answer 24

Explanation: The specific power of judicial review is not addressed in article 3 of the Constitution, however many Constitutional scholars agree the founding fathers meant the Supreme Court to have this power. The Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) effectively cemented the Supreme Court’s claim to judicial review, in which the Court first stated the right to declare laws unconstitutional.

Question 25

24. Between 1880 and 1920, the majority of the “new” immigrants to the United States came from
25. northern and western Europe
26. southern and eastern Europe
27. Canada and Latin America
28. China and Southeast Asia

Question 26

9. During the early 1800s, which factor contributed the most to the start of the Industrial Revolution in the United States?
10. a restriction on European immigration
11. the end of the slave labor system
12. an abundance of natural resources
13. the availability of electricity

Answer 26

Explanation: Waterways, coal reserves as well as ready timber forests fueled the early growth and industrial capabilities of the US during the early 1800’s as the nation emerged from the ‘Era of Good Feelings’ brought on by the War of 1812.

Question 27

13. Which statement about the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois is most accurate?
14. They differed as to the best way that African Americans could effectively achieve equality.
15. Both demanded programs that would provide for immediate social equality.
16. Both believed that vocational training would provide the most important kind of education for African Americans.
17. Neither wanted the Federal Government to play a major role in protecting the civil rights of African Americans.

Answer 27

Explanation: Booker T. Washington and another great African-American leader, W.E.B. Du Bois differed in their approaches to education. Washington favored vocational education that would teach a skilled trade, such as farming or carpentry. While Du Bois favored broader more formal education, such as literature and sciences.

Question 28

16. The poll tax, the literacy test, and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan were all attempts to limit the effectiveness of
17. the 14th and 15th amendments
18. the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education
19. civil rights legislation passed in all states after the Civil War
20. immigration laws such as the Gentleman’s Agreement and the Chinese Exclusion Act

Answer 28

Explanation: Literacy tests and poll taxes were common tactics used in southern states to suppress voting by African-Americans. Grandfather clauses were enacted as a way of allowing poor, uneducated, white southerners to vote despite the tests and taxes, based on their grandfathers voting history. The KKK also used scare tatics, threats and violence to keep black voters in the south away from the polls.

Question 29

26. From 1900 to 1915, a basic aim of United States foreign policy was to
27. develop close economic ties with African nations
28. oppose revolutionary movements in western Europe
29. promote United States influence in Latin America
30. prevent the spread of communism in western Europe and Asia

Answer 29

Explanation: President Theodore Roosevelt in his Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, in which he reaffirmed a commitment to non-intervention by Europe, but added that active intervention in Latin America by the United States was perfectly acceptable, began an era of active US intervention in Latin America. The encouragement of a Panamanian Revolution, the construction of the Panama Canal, the Nicaraguan banking intervention and other events, highlight the active role the US was to take in the internal affairs of Latin American nations.

Question 30

2. The authors of the United States Constitution believed that the voice of the people should be heard frequently. Which part of the Government was instituted to respond most directly to the will of the people?
3. Senate
4. House of Representatives
5. Supreme Court
6. Presidency

Answer 30

Explanation: Prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, which provided for direct election of U.S. Senators, members of the House of Representatives were the only Federal officials that were voted into office by a popular vote of the people. Before 1913, U.S. Senators were elected by state legislatures. The President has been elected to office through the Electoral College since 1789.

Question 31

17. In the period from 1860 to 1890, which experience was shared by most Native Americans living in western states?
18. They maintained control of their traditional lands.
19. They benefited economically from government policy.
20. They became farmers and small business owners.
21. They were forced to live on reservations.

Answer 31

Explanation: Beginning in the 1830’s the United States fought a series of Indian Wars designed to aid the US concept of Manifest Destiny (the idea the nation needed to grow as much as possible). Many native peoples, realizing their inability to fight the advancing American armies, signed treaties that allowed the sovereignty (self rule) on parcels of land (reservations).

Question 32

32. In United States history, the phrase “a government of laws, not of men” has been used to express the idea that
33. sexism should legally be ended
34. all laws should apply equally to all persons
35. government should interfere as little as possible in people’s lives
36. newly elected government Leaders should not be allowed to initiate changes in the law

Answer 32

Explanation: The 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection under the law” demands that application of law be the same regardless of the citizen it is being applied to. This idea is intended to remove any potential bias and descrimination from the application of law. The quote above refers to this ideal in modern American democracy.