Question 1

Which statement is true regarding Americans' reactions to the Mexican War of 1846-1848?

Accepted Answer

A)  A majority of Americans were inspired by the expansionist fervor of manifest destiny to support the war. 
B)  Ulysses S. Grant led his troops in defecting from the American army. 
C)  Abraham Lincoln supported the war. 
D)  Henry David Thoreau showed his support by volunteering to fight in the war. 
E)  Many northerners dissented against the war because they believed the Polk administration's real aim was to abolish slavery. 
A)  A majority of Americans were inspired by the expansionist fervor of manifest destiny to support the war. 
B)  Ulysses S. Grant led his troops in defecting from the American army. 
C)  Abraham Lincoln supported the war. 
D)  Henry David Thoreau showed his support by volunteering to fight in the war. 
E)  Many northerners dissented against the war because they believed the Polk administration's real aim was to abolish slavery.

Question 2

When Democrats demanded the "reannexation" of Texas in 1844, they

Accepted Answer

A)  implied that Texas had once been part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. 
B)  were consciously appealing to northern Whigs. 
C)  were seeking to take the slavery issue out of the presidential campaign. 
D)  neglected to say anything about the status of Oregon. 
E)  realized their stand would not be very popular in the South. 
A)  implied that Texas had once been part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. 
B)  were consciously appealing to northern Whigs. 
C)  were seeking to take the slavery issue out of the presidential campaign. 
D)  neglected to say anything about the status of Oregon. 
E)  realized their stand would not be very popular in the South.

Question 3

Which is true of Texas during its time as an independent nation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tejanos were encouraged to keep their Mexican customs. 
B)  Relations between Anglos and Tejanos deteriorated. 
C)  Catholicism became the dominant religion. 
D)  Protestant missionaries established Spanish-language schools. 
E)  Tejanos owned most of the land and dominated local politics. 
A)  Tejanos were encouraged to keep their Mexican customs. 
B)  Relations between Anglos and Tejanos deteriorated. 
C)  Catholicism became the dominant religion. 
D)  Protestant missionaries established Spanish-language schools. 
E)  Tejanos owned most of the land and dominated local politics.

Question 4

American settlement in Texas in the 1820s and 1830s

Accepted Answer

A)  took place without approval from the Mexican government. 
B)  did not exceed the Mexican population there until the United States annexed Texas in 1845. 
C)  led Stephen Austin to demand more autonomy from Mexican officials. 
D)  included no slaves, because Mexico had banned slavery in its territory. 
E)  was in communities whose American-born residents were called Tejanos by their Mexican neighbors. 
A)  took place without approval from the Mexican government. 
B)  did not exceed the Mexican population there until the United States annexed Texas in 1845. 
C)  led Stephen Austin to demand more autonomy from Mexican officials. 
D)  included no slaves, because Mexico had banned slavery in its territory. 
E)  was in communities whose American-born residents were called Tejanos by their Mexican neighbors.

Question 5

Why did Democratic and Whig Party lines crumble in 1846?

Accepted Answer

A)  Democrats and Whigs agreed that the United States shouldn't invade Mexico. 
B)  The Methodist and Baptist churches divided into northern and southern branches. 
C)  Northerners, regardless of party, supported the Wilmot Proviso, while southerners opposed it. 
D)  They disagreed over U.S. policy toward Japan. 
E)  Neither party could settle internal disputes over immigration policy, prompted by the gold rush. 
A)  Democrats and Whigs agreed that the United States shouldn't invade Mexico. 
B)  The Methodist and Baptist churches divided into northern and southern branches. 
C)  Northerners, regardless of party, supported the Wilmot Proviso, while southerners opposed it. 
D)  They disagreed over U.S. policy toward Japan. 
E)  Neither party could settle internal disputes over immigration policy, prompted by the gold rush.

Question 6

Unlike most previous presidents, James Polk was not a slaveholder.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Which statement is true regarding free labor ideology?

Accepted Answer

A)  Free labor ideology glorified the South as the home of progress, opportunity, and freedom. 
B)  According to free labor ideology, economic independence was of limited importance to freedom. 
C)  Free labor ideology was most popular among poor southern whites. 
D)  Free labor and slavery could coexist peacefully for an unlimited amount of time. 
E)  According to free labor ideology, slavery must be kept out of the territories so that free laborers could move up to the status of landowning farmers and independent craftsmen. 
A)  Free labor ideology glorified the South as the home of progress, opportunity, and freedom. 
B)  According to free labor ideology, economic independence was of limited importance to freedom. 
C)  Free labor ideology was most popular among poor southern whites. 
D)  Free labor and slavery could coexist peacefully for an unlimited amount of time. 
E)  According to free labor ideology, slavery must be kept out of the territories so that free laborers could move up to the status of landowning farmers and independent craftsmen.

Question 8

How do the authors of the 1850 "Letter to the Middletown Sentinel and Witness" accord their opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act with their claim that they "reverence law"?

Accepted Answer

A)  by portraying the Fugitive Slave Act as so unjust that it cannot be a real law 
B)  by placing "God's law" above the laws of mankind 
C)  by claiming that the Fugitive Slave Act was passed illegally 
D)  by placing their First Amendment rights to free expression above a "law of the moment" 
E)  by pointing out that the Fugitive Slave Act contradicts existing laws 
A)  by portraying the Fugitive Slave Act as so unjust that it cannot be a real law 
B)  by placing "God's law" above the laws of mankind 
C)  by claiming that the Fugitive Slave Act was passed illegally 
D)  by placing their First Amendment rights to free expression above a "law of the moment" 
E)  by pointing out that the Fugitive Slave Act contradicts existing laws

Question 9

Which statement is true about the Mexican War of 1846-1848?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mexico was still a Spanish colony when the war started. 
B)  Mexico won the war and regained Texas. 
C)  It was opposed by a significant minority in the North. 
D)  Mexico lost the war but ceded only about 10 percent of its territory in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. 
E)  The war is largely forgotten in Mexico. 
A)  Mexico was still a Spanish colony when the war started. 
B)  Mexico won the war and regained Texas. 
C)  It was opposed by a significant minority in the North. 
D)  Mexico lost the war but ceded only about 10 percent of its territory in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. 
E)  The war is largely forgotten in Mexico.

Question 10

Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election without a single vote in ten southern states.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Republicans

Accepted Answer

A)  were mostly abolitionists. 
B)  opposed the expansion of slavery. 
C)  opposed immigration. 
D)  opposed free labor ideology. 
E)  opposed industrialization. 
A)  were mostly abolitionists. 
B)  opposed the expansion of slavery. 
C)  opposed immigration. 
D)  opposed free labor ideology. 
E)  opposed industrialization.

Question 12

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Accepted Answer

A)  won the grudging support of Ralph Waldo Emerson as a necessary compromise. 
B)  gave new powers to federal officers to override local law enforcement. 
C)  was declared unconstitutional in the Dred Scott case. 
D)  angered southerners by weakening an earlier law on fugitive slaves. 
E)  convinced Abraham Lincoln to retire briefly from political life. 
A)  won the grudging support of Ralph Waldo Emerson as a necessary compromise. 
B)  gave new powers to federal officers to override local law enforcement. 
C)  was declared unconstitutional in the Dred Scott case. 
D)  angered southerners by weakening an earlier law on fugitive slaves. 
E)  convinced Abraham Lincoln to retire briefly from political life.

Question 13

After Texas independence, the Tejanos lost rights and access to land.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Abraham Lincoln's early views on race and slavery were focused on increasing economic opportunities for free blacks.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

What do Taney's arguments regarding citizenship in the Dred Scott decision imply about the nature of citizenship?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is an ancient ideal that can be traced back to the Roman Empire. 
B)  It is a God-given privilege afforded only to those who have demonstrated that they are worthy of it. 
C)  It can be both granted to and taken away from a person through legislative acts. 
D)  It is an evolving entity, destined to include a larger number of people as society changes. 
E)  It is a social construct defined by those whom it pertains to. 
A)  It is an ancient ideal that can be traced back to the Roman Empire. 
B)  It is a God-given privilege afforded only to those who have demonstrated that they are worthy of it. 
C)  It can be both granted to and taken away from a person through legislative acts. 
D)  It is an evolving entity, destined to include a larger number of people as society changes. 
E)  It is a social construct defined by those whom it pertains to.

Question 16

Which is true of the Wilmot Proviso?

Accepted Answer

A)  Its passage into law nullified the Missouri Compromise. 
B)  Democrats opposed it and Whigs supported it. 
C)  Opponents of the measure organized the Free Soil Party. 
D)  It was declared illegal by the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case. 
E)  Response to the measure was determined by geography, with the North supporting it and the South opposing it. 
A)  Its passage into law nullified the Missouri Compromise. 
B)  Democrats opposed it and Whigs supported it. 
C)  Opponents of the measure organized the Free Soil Party. 
D)  It was declared illegal by the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case. 
E)  Response to the measure was determined by geography, with the North supporting it and the South opposing it.

Question 17

Kansas was admitted to the United States as a slave state in 1858.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

In 1860, which state became the first to pass an ordinance of secession and declare itself separated from the Union?

Accepted Answer

A)  Virginia 
B)  Kentucky 
C)  Georgia 
D)  South Carolina 
E)  Tennessee 
A)  Virginia 
B)  Kentucky 
C)  Georgia 
D)  South Carolina 
E)  Tennessee

Question 19

How did the California gold rush affect the California economy?

Accepted Answer

A)  It drew workers away from its rich farmlands. 
B)  It created economic opportunities for women in special women-only mines. 
C)  It created a sense of competition between American and "foreign" miners. 
D)  It created a robust upper-middle class of self-made men. 
E)  It hurt the development of San Francisco as residents moved to mining areas outside of town. 
A)  It drew workers away from its rich farmlands. 
B)  It created economic opportunities for women in special women-only mines. 
C)  It created a sense of competition between American and "foreign" miners. 
D)  It created a robust upper-middle class of self-made men. 
E)  It hurt the development of San Francisco as residents moved to mining areas outside of town.

Question 20

What did Emerson mean by "Mexico will poison us"? Was he right? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Ralph Waldo Emerson's statement "Mexico

Exam 13: A House Divided, 1840-1861

Which statement is true regarding Americans' reactions to the Mexican War of 1846-1848?

When Democrats demanded the "reannexation" of Texas in 1844, they

Which is true of Texas during its time as an independent nation?

American settlement in Texas in the 1820s and 1830s

Why did Democratic and Whig Party lines crumble in 1846?

Unlike most previous presidents, James Polk was not a slaveholder.

Which statement is true regarding free labor ideology?

How do the authors of the 1850 "Letter to the Middletown Sentinel and Witness" accord their opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act with their claim that they "reverence law"?

Which statement is true about the Mexican War of 1846-1848?

Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election without a single vote in ten southern states.

Republicans

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

After Texas independence, the Tejanos lost rights and access to land.

Abraham Lincoln's early views on race and slavery were focused on increasing economic opportunities for free blacks.

What do Taney's arguments regarding citizenship in the Dred Scott decision imply about the nature of citizenship?

Which is true of the Wilmot Proviso?

Kansas was admitted to the United States as a slave state in 1858.

In 1860, which state became the first to pass an ordinance of secession and declare itself separated from the Union?

How did the California gold rush affect the California economy?

What did Emerson mean by "Mexico will poison us"? Was he right? Why or why not?

A New World

Beginnings of English America, 1607-1660

Creating Anglo-America, 1660-1750

Slavery, Freedom, and the Struggle for Empire to 1763

The American Revolution, 1763-1783

The Revolution Within

Founding a Nation, 1783-1791

Securing the Republic, 1790-1815

The Market Revolution, 1800-1840

Democracy in America, 1815-1840

The Peculiar Institution

An Age of Reform, 1820-1840

A New Birth of Freedom: the Civil War, 1861-1865

What Is Freedom: Reconstruction, 1865-1877

Americas Gilded Age, 1870-1890

Freedoms Boundaries, at Home and Abroad, 1890-1900

The Progressive Era, 1900-1916

Safe for Democracy: the United States and World War I, 1916-1920

From Business Culture to Great Depression: The Twenties, 1920-1932

The New Deal, 1932-1940

Fighting for the Four Freedoms: World War II, 1941-1945

The United States and the Cold War, 1945-1953

An Affluent Society, 1953-1960

The Sixties, 1960-1968

The Conservative Turn, 1969-1988

From Triumph to Tragedy, 1989-2004

A Divided Nation

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