A Distinct America

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A Distinct America

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Which of the following courts appeals directly to the Supreme Court?

a.	territorial courts	c.	U.S. Court of Military Appeals
b.	U.S. Courts of District of Columbia	d.	U.S. Court of International Trade

Which courts appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit?

a.	U.S. District Courts	c.	territorial courts
b.	U.S. Claims Courts	d.	U.S. Tax Courts

In 1789, to raise money to operate, the new federal government

a.	imposed a tariff.	c.	issued bonds.
b.	imposed an income tax.	d.	imposed a sales tax on all purchases.

Frances Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after

a.	the burning of the White House.	c.	the bombardment of Fort McHenry.
b.	the Treaty of Ghent.	d.	the Battle of New Orleans.

The United States declared war on ____ in 1812.

a.	Britain	c.	Spain
b.	France	d.	Germany

Which was not a cause of the War of 1812?

a.	British impressment of Americans	c.	arming of Native Americans
b.	British trade restrictions	d.	increased U.S. prestige

“Thousands of American citizens, under the safeguard of public law and of their national flag, have been torn from . . . everything dear to them; have been dragged on board ships of a foreign nation . . . to be exiled to the most distant and deadly climes to risk their lives in battles of their oppressors.” —from James Madison’s War Message to Congress

According to Madison, how many American citizens had been forced into British impressment?

a.	dozens	c.	thousands
b.	hundreds	d.	millions

A cotton gin

a.	picks cotton.	c.	removes cotton seeds.
b.	spins cotton into cloth.	d.	bales cotton.

John Quincy Adams won the presidency in 1824 because

a.	he won the most popular votes.
b.	he won the majority of votes in the Electoral College.
c.	he won the election in the Senate.
d.	he won the election in the House of Representatives.

10.

The limited liability provision of incorporation laws meant that

a.	a corporation would not have to repay its debts if it went bankrupt.
b.	the debts a bankrupt corporation would owe was limited to the worth of its stock.
c.	a bankrupt corporation’s tax liability was limited to the worth of its stock.
d.	a person who bought stock in a corporation would not be responsible for the company’s debts if it went bankrupt.

11.

Supporters believed that national nominating conventions would give more political power to the

a.	political parties.	c.	political bosses.
b.	smaller states.	d.	people.

12.

The Whig party advocated

a.	expanding the federal government.	c.	limiting commercial development.
b.	preserving states’ rights.	d.	lowering tariffs.

13.

The first step in the gradualism approach to ending slavery was to

a.	phase out slavery in the North.
b.	phase out slavery in the Lower South.
c.	stop new slaves from being brought into the country.
d.	phase out slavery in the Upper South.

14.

In the North, citizens ____ the abolitionist movement.

a.	supported	c.	were indifferent to
b.	opposed	d.	held a wide range of views on

15.

By the end of the 1700s, many church leaders sensed that Americans’ commitment to organized religion was weakening, due in large part to

a.	the influx of immigrants with different ideas.
b.	the loss of traditional values as rural people moved to the cities.
c.	the growth of new forms of religion that did not involve a church.
d.	the growth of scientific knowledge that challenged the doctrine of faith.

16.

Normal schools were established in the early 1800s to

a.	teach all children how to read.	c.	educate women.
b.	train teachers.	d.	educate African American children.

17.

Several states in the North passed “personal liberty laws” that

a.	freed enslaved African Americans in the state.
b.	protected abolitionists from mob attacks.
c.	allowed abolitionists to express their opinions in their publications.
d.	restricted slave recapture.

“ . . . We arrived here about five o’clock in the afternoon of yesterday, fourteen of us together, where we were received with the greatest kindness of respectability . . . .When we came to the house we could not state to you how we were treated. We had potatoes, meat, butter, bread, and tea for dinner. . . . If you were to see Denis Reen when David Danihy dressed him with clothes suitable for this country, you would think him to be a boss or stewart, so that we have scarcely words to state to you how happy we feel at present.” —Daniel Guiney, quoted in Out of Ireland

18.

Given his Irish background and the famine in his homeland, what aspect of the visit probably impressed the above writer the most?

a.	the clothing	c.	the food
b.	the house	d.	the kindness

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” —Henry David Thoreau

19.

In this passage, Thoreau suggests that when you compare yourself with your peers and find that there are differences, you ought to follow your

a.	heart.	c.	conscience.
b.	neighbors.	d.	government.

20.

According to the map above, which Southern state had the lowest percentage of African American population in 1820?

a.	Arkansas	c.	Florida
b.	Kentucky	d.	Tennessee

21.

Which social reform movement of the early 1800s did not have a major event associated with it, according to the time line?

a.	voters’ rights	c.	abolition
b.	education	d.	women’s rights

22.

Which of the following statements is an incorrect statement about the tolerance movement according to the time line above?

a.	An abstinence pledge preceded any temperance organizations.
b.	It took more than 50 years from the beginning of the movement until significant prohibition legislation was passed.
c.	New York took the first legislative stand against alcohol.
d.	Maine was at the forefront of the temperance movement.

23.

Examine the 1828 electoral map above. What inference can be made about the major political significance of one of the states from the deep South?

a.	Tennessee bordered Kentucky and could share its voting rights.
b.	North Carolina with 15 electoral votes cast had the greatest affect on a presidential candidate’s future of any of the states from the deep South.
c.	Mississippi’s three electoral votes cast had a major impact on who won the election.
d.	As a territory in the deep South, Florida produced a majority swing vote.

“Over there [Germany] common sense and free speech lie in shackles. . . . I invite you to come over here, should you want to obtain a clear notion of genuine public life, freedom of people and a sense of being a nation. . . . I have never regretted that I came here, and never! never! again shall I bow my head under the yoke of despotism and folly.”—August Blümmer, quoted in News From the Land of Freedom

24.

After reading the above excerpt from Blümmer’s letter, you could say that he had an appreciation for all of the following aspects of American life except the

a.	freedom of speech.	c.	shackles found in its political process.
b.	united spirit.	d.	genuineness of the people.

Famous American Writers of the early 1800s

25.

With his most famous work, ____ romanticized the culture of America’s early history.

a.	Emerson	c.	Hawthorne
b.	Cooper	d.	Melville

26.

____, a women’s rights advocate argued more strongly than most that women should be able to vote.

a.	Margaret Fuller	c.	Lucretia Mott
b.	Elizabeth Cady Stanton	d.	Catherine Beecher

South Carolina in 1800s
Issues		Æ		Results
Few manufactured goods	English imports		New tariffs		Withdraw from the Union

27.

Faced with the need for many imported goods, the proposed ____ was the final straw that made South Carolina want to secede.

a.	Webster-Ashburton Treaty	c.	Indian Removal Act
b.	Tariff of Abominations	d.	Force Act

28.

According to the chart above, which of the following statements is accurate about the time period from 1790 to 1850?

a.	The number of Southern slaves tripled from 1830 to 1850.
b.	There were one million more Southern slaves in 1850 than in 1790.
c.	The number of Southern slaves increased four times.
d.	The highest growth rate in number of Southern slaves was from 1790 to 1810.

29.

Which of the following is not true about the time period 1790 to 1850, according to the chart above?

a.	The number of slaves living in Northern states did not even double.
b.	The number of slaves living in Southern states quadrupled.
c.	There was a 50 percent growth in the number of slaves in Northern states.
d.	After 60 years, there still were not as many enslaved people in the North as there were in the South in 1790.

“The letter was from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sister, Isabella, in Boston. The new Fugitive Slave Act, part of the Compromise of 1850, had gone into effect, Isabella reported, and slave-catchers prowled the streets. . . . Isabella described daily attacks. She also told of outraged Bostonians, white and African American alike, who rallied to resist the kidnappers. . . . As the reading of her sister’s letter continued, Stowe, who was an accomplished author, received a challenge. ‘Now Hattie,’ Isabella wrote, ‘if I could use a pen as you can, I would write something that would make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.’ Stowe suddenly rose from her chair and announced, ‘I will write something. I will if I live.’ That year, she began writing sketches for a book called Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” —adapted from Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life

30.

What did Harriet Beecher Stowe hope to accomplish in writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

a.	She wanted to expose the values of the Fugitive Slave Act.
b.	She wanted to convince Southerners of the horrors of slavery.
c.	It was her desire to force Northerners to change their views on the necessary abusiveness of slavery.
d.	Stowe wanted to reveal the true nature of slavery to the entire country.

31.

The mill owners of the early 19th century hired mainly female workers because __________.

a.	women already knew how to sew
b.	women would work for lower wages
c.	there were few men available for unskilled jobs
d.	the women's rights movement encouraged such hiring

32.

The Seneca Falls Convention was held in __________.

a.	1498	c.	1848
b.	1948	d.	1984

33.

An economic weakness of the pre-Civil War labor movement was __________.

a.	the resultant damage to New England's economy
b.	its emphasis on agricultural rather than commercial interests
c.	the damage it caused the economy due to land speculators
d.	its emphasis on skilled workers

34.

The spoils system was the practice of __________.

a.	hiding runaway slaves
b.	choosing presidential candidates at party conventions
c.	giving government jobs to political supporters
d.	using slave labor to grow cash crops

35.

The South opposed the high tariffs of the 1820's and 1830's because __________.

a.	southerners would have to pay higher prices on imported goods at a time when crop prices were falling
b.	high tariffs made it difficult to obtain farm machines
c.	tariffs caused a decreased value of slaves
d.	southern states owed large amounts of money to France

36.

The right to vote is called __________.

a.	abolition	c.	suffrage
b.	rehabilitation	d.	colonization

37.

In the 1800's most western states extended the vote to __________.

a.	women	c.	all adults
b.	free blacks	d.	white males over 21

38.

Dorothea Dix began reform movements to aid __________.

a.	prisoners and the mentally ill	c.	deaf children
b.	the blind	d.	slaves

39.

Many people helped slaves by __________.

a.	sheltering runaway slaves	c.	paying slaveowners
b.	leading revolts	d.	protests

40.

As president, Thomas Jefferson __________.

a.	placed great emphasis on pomp and circumstance
b.	dramatically increased government spending
c.	strengthened the nation's military capabilities
d.	called for political unity between Republicans and Federalists

41.

President Jefferson's attempt to end Britain's and France's interference with America's commerce through means of an embargo __________.

a.	was a great success	c.	stimulated American commerce
b.	was only partially successful	d.	was a dismal failure

42.

Among the changes taking place in the American political system by the election of 1824 were all of the following except __________.

a.	the replacement of the congressional caucus by the national nominating convention as a method of selecting presidential candidates
b.	the reduction or elimination of property requirements for voting
c.	the introduction of written ballots to replace voting aloud __________.
d.	replacing elective offices with appointive ones

43.

As president, Andrew Jackson __________.

a.	opposed the concept of rotation in office
b.	was often uneasy with the issues raised by the new market economy
c.	proved to be the vulgar barbarian his critics had charged he was
d.	put into practice his conviction that only the wealthy and well-born should rule

44.

The term "Trail of Tears" refers to __________.

a.	the removal of eastern Indian tribes west of the Mississippi River
b.	the horrors associated with child labor in early factories
c.	the hardships endured by the Mormons in their journey to the West
d.	the abolitionists' description of the institution of slavery

45.

The principal issue of the election of 1832 was __________.

a.	the tariff controversy
b.	the growing dispute over slavery
c.	the recharter of the Bank of the United States
d.	the debate over Indian removal

46.

The basic tenet of the Whig party at its inception was __________.

a.	opposition to slavery
b.	opposition to Indian removal
c.	opposition to Jackson
d.	opposition to the Second Bank of the United States

47.

The South Carolina nullification crisis ended when __________.

a.	federal troops showed up in Charleston to enforce the law
b.	President Jackson backed down from his threat to use force
c.	John C. Calhoun suddenly died
d.	Henry Clay secured the passage of a new tariff which lowered rates

48.

Black Hawk was __________.

a.	a Sac Indian warrior who led his people back across the Mississippi River to their former lands in Illinois
b.	the leader of the Seminoles who resisted removal by the federal government
c.	a Cherokee leader who argued eloquently for Indian rights
d.	the principal defendant in the case of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

49.

The New England Transcendentalists of the 1830s and 1840s primarily revolted against __________.

a.	the Second Great Awakening
b.	the Enlightenment
c.	the democratization stimulated by the American Revolution
d.	Puritanism

50.

In "The American Scholar," Ralph Waldo Emerson urged __________.

a.	Americans to develop and appreciate their own literature
b.	American universities to emphasize science and math in the curriculum
c.	American writers to translate Greek and Roman plays as the best source of inspiration
d.	American intellectuals to liberate themselves from all spiritual mysticism and become materialists