Q&A Hero

Q: During Reconstruction, most African Americans _______. A) were able to become independent farmers B) lived in integrated urban societies C) remained agricultural workers D) had no opportunity for schooling E) left the South in overwhelming numbers

Q: Andrew Johnson was acquitted in the Senate because _______. A) the President's attorneys argued for a wide interpretation of "high crimes and misdemeanors" B) seven Republican senators broke with the party leadership and voted for acquittal C) the Senate knew that the House of Representatives would never vote for impeachment D) the prosecution argued that Stanton's removal did not violate the Tenure of Office Act E) Republicans feared that Johnson's removal would strengthen the executive branch

Q: Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House for his violation of the _______. A) Civil Rights Act of 1866 B) Tenure of Office Act C) Wade-Davis Bill D) Fourteenth Amendment E) Loyalty Act

Q: The Reconstruction Acts _______. A) gave freedmen the power to protect themselves B) led to a decade-long period of military rule C) were supported only by Radical Republicans D) readmitted states based on the number of freedmen E) were actually a retreat from true radicalism

Q: How did the role of government change as a result of the Civil War? A) More power was given to local governments instead of the state and federal levels. B) The federal government became less involved in economic policy. C) All constitutional restrictions on federal government were dissolved. D) The federal government became recognized as supreme over state governments. E) State governments were confirmed as being supreme over the federal government.

Q: Why did Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina join the Confederacy only after the attack at Fort Sumter? A) When given a choice of whether to fight for or against states that had already seceded, those states sided with the Confederacy. B) When given a chance to join the Confederacy, those states joined because they thought they could convince the South to reunite with the North. C) When given a chance to join the Confederacy, those states joined because they thought it would enhance their economic situation. D) When given a chance to join the Confederacy, those states joined because they thought they could convince the other states to abolish slavery. E) When given a chance to join the Confederacy, those states joined because they thought they could convince the North to accept secession.

Q: Which identifies a key reason for the South's defeat in the Civil War? A) The Confederacy lacked a single competent general to lead its troops. B) Southern planters were reluctant to start growing food crops instead of cash crops. C) Confederate armies lacked the conviction to fight a prolonged war with the North. D) The South was too industrialized to adapt well to a wartime economy. E) The northern troops were better individual soldiers than Confederate troops.

Q: As a result of the war, how did the American society change? A) The United States became a better place for large corporations. B) The United States became more reliant on individuals and small producers for economic progress. C) The United States began to emulate nostalgic representations of life in the Old South. D) The United States became more socialistic, and began to address the needs of the poor and the disadvantaged. E) The United States became militantly anti-corporation.

Q: After the war, many working class northern whites were ________. A) eyeing unoccupied agricultural land in the South and considering taking up farming B) fearful that the abolition of slavery would have negative effects on workers in general C) hopeful that the crusade against slavery could broaden into a movement to help workers in general D) unemployed since the Confederate army had destroyed or disrupted so many northern industries E) feeling fierce anti-immigrant sentiments since so few immigrants had supported the Union cause

Q: Which statement best describes the situation for women in the South after the Civil War? A) The South remained more conservative about women's role in the society than the North. B) The South became more liberal about women's role in the society than the North. C) The situation for women in southern society did not change as a result of the war. D) Women took the lead in criticizing the Confederate cause and repairing the relationship with the North. E) Southern women became less active in the economy and the society as a result of the war.

Q: How did life change for women as a result of the Civil War? A) Men traumatized from the war were less choosy about marriage. B) Northern women pushed the boundaries of their traditional roles. C) Women were forced into more subservient roles than they had previously occupied. D) Traditional gender inequalities were destroyed and women were seen as equals. E) Women gained the right to vote during the post-war period.

Q: Which statement best characterizes Sherman's march through Georgia? A) Sherman defied Lincoln by refusing to implement a scorched-earth policy. B) Sherman destroyed almost anything of military or economic value in his path. C) Sherman destroyed cities, but was careful to do little damage to infrastructure. D) Sherman avoided major population centers in order to travel as quickly as possible. E) Sherman was careful not to alienate the local population.

Q: Which identifies the main reason for Lincoln's victory in the 1864 presidential campaign? A) The Democratic Party failed to offer a strong candidate. B) Northern morale was high throughout the war and Lincoln had few critics. C) Heavy northern losses rallied the Republican Party behind him. D) A string of northern military victories rallied the Republican Party behind Lincoln. E) Lincoln ran unopposed.

Q: What caused the New York riot of July 1863? A) a combination of racial prejudice and opposition to the draft B) a combination of fervent abolitionism and religious zeal C) a strong anti-immigrant sentiment D) economic desperation E) southern agitators who were trying to stir up trouble

Q: During the war, the North ________. A) was plagued by the lack of manufactured goods B) suffered from a weak railroad system C) was plagued by a series of violent anti-draft riots D) finally overcame the problem of anti-African-American racism E) slowly began to starve

Q: African-American soldiers did all of the following during the Civil War EXCEPT ________. A) serve in segregated units under white officers B) make a vital contribution to the North's victory C) serve in integrated units under black officers D) participate disproportionately in heavy labor behind the lines E) accept lower pay initially than their white counterparts

Q: How did the Emancipation Proclamation change how each side viewed the war? A) It made the South realize that slavery was not a sustainable system. B) It allowed both sides to focus exclusively on fighting. C) It made the South realize that it should re-enter the United States and fight for slavery in Congress. D) It committed the North to abolishing slavery as a major aim of the war. E) It made the South realize that secession had not been necessary.

Q: Why did northern sentiment to free the slaves increase as the war dragged on? A) People began to realize that slavery was immoral. B) People recognized that emancipation could be used as a weapon against the South's economic and social systems. C) Congress thought it would be easier to reintegrate the southern states into the Union if slavery were abolished. D) Hatred for the South and the Confederacy had increased. E) Strategists thought that a northern emancipation law might goad southern military leaders into making tactical mistakes.

Q: Why was Lincoln angry with General McClellan after the battle at Antietam? A) McClellan retreated while he still had a chance to win the battle. B) McClellan killed Robert E. Lee rather than taking him prisoner. C) McClellan lost the battle, despite having a clear advantage in the field. D) McClellan lost too many men in the battle, which weakened the Union army. E) McClellan was slow to pursue Robert E. Lee after the battle and let Lee escape.

Q: During the war, the Confederate economy ________. A) managed to produce a surplus of industrial goods B) easily evaded the effects of the northern blockade C) suffered from severe inflation D) actually benefited from the Emancipation Proclamation E) boomed, as most do during a war

Q: Which statement best describes the disparity in resources between the North and the South during the Civil War? A) The North had more factories and industrial workers than the South. B) The value of industrial production was higher in the South. C) The South had more textiles and firearms factories. D) The South had more miles of railroad tracks than the North. E) The North was unable to access its immigrant population for manpower.

Q: To secure the necessary troops for the war, both the North and the South ________. A) resorted to a draft B) forbade wealthy men to buy exemptions C) allowed women to join combat units D) hired mercenaries from Europe E) used "press gangs," coercion, and blackmail to obtain soldiers

Q: Which statement best describes the Confederate constitution? A) It was a loose collection of ideas rather than a formally drafted document. B) It was very similar to the U.S. Constitution. C) It was based on the British Constitution. D) It was a subject of ongoing debate throughout the war. E) It represented the desires of reactionary extremists in the South.

Q: In the beginning, the Civil War was a ________. A) struggle to free the slaves B) struggle to preserve the Union C) personal struggle between Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis D) struggle to preserve "King Cotton" E) struggle over control of new and future territories

Q: The attack on Fort Sumter ________. A) was a prolonged and exceptionally bloody battle B) weakened the secession movement C) caused increasing opposition to the war in the North D) united northern opinion against the rebellion E) was the first southern defeat of the war

Q: Which statement best describes Lincoln's early military policy toward the Confederacy? A) He wanted to take the South back by force as soon as possible. B) He wanted the South to be responsible for starting the war. C) He wanted the North to take the first military action. D) He wanted the North to refrain from military action regardless of southern actions. E) He wanted to start the war with a decisive Union victory in a key southern city.

Q: Lincoln rejected the Crittenden compromise because _______. A) he wanted to avoid war with the South B) war was by then inevitable C) extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific would solve the slavery issue D) the firing on Fort Sumter had begun the war E) he felt he had a mandate to oppose slavery

Q: Which best describes the South's goal in seceding from the Union? A) to create a slave empire based on reactionary ideals B) to slowly get rid of slavery and exist as an independent nation C) to recreate the government of the British Isles D) to recreate the Union as it had been before the Republican Party E) to form a powerful nation that would eventually take over the North

Q: After Lincoln's election, which best describes what happened in the upper South? A) States there immediately seceded. B) These states were afraid to secede since they were so close to the Union forces. C) States there did not think that Lincoln's election alone was a good enough reason to secede. D) States there began taking steps to emancipate their slaves. E) These states considered forming their own republic separate from the North and the Deep South.

Q: What did the Sanitary Commission promote? A) cleanliness, nutrition, and medical care in northern army camps B) healthy drinking water in northern cities C) improved sewer systems in southern urban centers D) cleanliness in northern factories E) nutrition and medical care for freed or escaped slaves

Q: Approximately ________ soldiers died in the Civil War. A) 50,000 B) 125,000 C) 620,000 D) 950,000 E) 1,500,000

Q: Who surrendered to the Union Army at Appomattox Courthouse in April of 1865? A) Confederate President Jefferson Davis B) General Robert E. Lee C) General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson D) General Ulysses S. Grant E) Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens

Q: Lincoln's opponent from the Democratic Party in the presidential election of 1864 was _______. A) Jefferson Davis B) Stephen Douglas C) John Bell D) Ulysses S. Grant E) George McClellan

Q: The victory at ________ gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. A) Gettysburg B) Vicksburg C) Richmond D) Shiloh E) Fredericksburg

Q: The Confederate 1863 victory at Chancellorsville cost the Confederacy the life of ________. A) Jefferson Davis B) "Stonewall" Jackson C) Robert E. Lee D) William Tecumseh Sherman E) Ulysses S. Grant

Q: Copperheads ________. A) strongly supported the Emancipation Proclamation B) supported the growth of the federal government C) narrowly won victory in the 1864 election D) were militant antiwar activists E) were a group of wealthy industrialists who secretly financed the war

Q: The Enrollment Act of March 1863 ________. A) drafted white men but allowed them to hire a substitute or pay a fee to avoid service B) drafted black males into the armed forces but denied them pay for their service C) allowed black men to join the American armed forces for the first time D) required that all military service be voluntary rather than mandatory E) prohibited wealthy men from hiring substitutes or paying a fee to avoid service

Q: During the Civil War, about ________ African Americans served in the Union Army. A) 10,000 B) 100,000 C) 200,000 D) 500,000 E) 1,000,000

Q: Approximately what percentage of the slave population gained freedom during the war under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation? A) 1 percent B) 10 percent C) 25 percent D) 60 percent E) 100 percent

Q: The Emancipation Proclamation freed ________. A) all slaves throughout the United States B) only slaves in the loyal border states C) only slaves in the western territories D) only slaves in the Confederate-controlled areas E) only children born in the future to those who were then slaves

Q: One of the bloodiest battles of the war was ________, which took place on September 17, 1862. A) Shiloh B) Bull Run C) Vicksburg D) Gettysburg E) Antietam

Q: The Union general who replaced Winfield Scott as commander of Union forces was ________. A) Irvin McDowell B) Joseph Hooker C) Robert E. Lee D) William Tecumseh Sherman E) George McClellan

Q: The first major battle of the war, at Bull Run, resulted in ________. A) a Union victory B) a Confederate victory C) a bloody stalemate D) the capture of Washington, D. C. E) Sherman's capture of Savannah, Georgia

Q: In 1861, Lincoln declared martial law and suspended the _________ in the area between Philadelphia and Washington. A) Constitution B) writ of habeas corpus C) right to bear arms D) freedom of speech protections E) right to vote

Q: As a war leader, Jefferson Davis ________. A) focused more on policymaking than controlling the military B) had an excellent relationship with his generals C) lacked initiative and leadership on the home front D) frequently used martial law to retain control E) had the full support of southern governors

Q: Which was most common in determining whether a state supported the North or the South in the Civil War? A) ideology about slavery B) opinions about Lincoln's presidency and whether he was a legitimate leader C) views on whether or not states had the right to secede from the Union D) economic interests E) religious convictions

Q: Which one of the following states was NOT part of the Confederacy? A) Missouri B) North Carolina C) Texas D) Tennessee E) Florida

Q: The first shots of the Civil War were fired at ________. A) Fort Pickens B) Fort Sumter C) Manassas Junction D) Fort Henry E) Fort Donelson

Q: Where was the capital of the Confederacy located? A) Montgomery, Alabama B) Atlanta, Georgia C) Richmond, Virginia D) Savannah, Georgia E) Memphis, Tennessee

Q: The Crittenden Compromise would have ________. A) extended the Missouri Compromise to the Pacific B) abolished the Fugitive Slave Law C) denied federal compensation to the owners of escaped slaves D) guaranteed slavery in all new territories E) changed the Constitution to allow slavery to be abolished in all the states

Q: The Confederate Constitution ________. A) allowed the Atlantic slave trade to be reopened B) abolished the three-fifths clause in determining congressional representation C) prohibited free states from joining the new Confederacy D) allowed the government to impose protective tariffs E) required the government to protect slavery in the states and the territories

Q: Cooperationists believed that the slave states ________. A) should act as a unit rather than secede one at a time B) should remain in the Union C) should form a new union with northern states D) and the free states should simply find a way to get along E) should cooperate with Britain and France

Q: Which of the following southern states was the first to secede from the Union? A) Kentucky B) Virginia C) Alabama D) South Carolina E) North Carolina

Q: What caused seven states to secede from the Union before any shots had been fired? A) the Compromise of 1850 B) John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry C) the election of President Lincoln D) the Emancipation Proclamation E) Lincoln's plans to free the slaves

Q: Why did the Republican Party call for "free soil" in the territories rather than freedom for African Americans? A) Focusing on land rather than people would make it easier to pass legislation through Congress. B) The party knew that achieving its dream of liberating all African Americans was unrealistic, so it settled on the compromise of "free soil." C) The party was focusing on "free soil" as a first step in the eventual freedom of all African Americans. D) Putting the focus on the laws of the land rather than the freedom of African Americans would prevent isolating the hard line racists in the party. E) Abolitionism conflicted with the North's commitment to both white supremacy and the original constitutional compromise about slavery.

Q: What do most modern historians believe was the underlying cause of the breakup of the Union? A) religious leaders promising salvation or damnation to each side B) politicians and agitators stirring public opinion into a frenzy C) ideological differences over the morality and utility of slavery D) a clash of economic interests between agrarian and industrialized regions E) infighting within political parties

Q: Why did the acquisition of Texas, New Mexico, and California cause conflict in the United States? A) The Constitution did not establish the status of slavery in future states, so whether or not those territories would allow slavery was hotly debated. B) The new territories were all north of the Missouri Compromise line, which threatened to disrupt the balance between slave and free states. C) The Missouri Compromise mandated that those territories should be free, but the economies of the territories were already completely dependent on slavery. D) Mexico kept claiming the territories even after they had been annexed to the United States. E) Citizens in those territories refused to pay taxes to a federal government that they did not support.

Q: What was the difference between northern and southern evangelicalism in the mid"1800s? A) Northern evangelicalism focused on self-discipline and social reform; southern evangelicalism focused on personal piety. B) Northern evangelicalism focused on personal piety; southern evangelicalism focused on philanthropy. C) Northern evangelicalism focused on the virtues of the family unit; southern evangelicalism focused on helping the poor. D) Northern evangelicalism focused on philanthropy; southern evangelicalism focused on self-discipline. E) Northern evangelicalism focused on conversion of the poor; southern evangelicalism focused on personal piety.

Q: How did Southerners react to Lincoln's victory in the presidential election of 1860? A) They celebrated the end of sectionalist tensions that plagued the nation. B) They were optimistic that Lincoln would preserve their interests. C) They redoubled their efforts to win the next congressional election. D) They resigned themselves to being permanent minorities in America. E) They launched a movement to secede from the Union.

Q: What ultimately led to the Republican success in the election of 1860? A) Republicans compromised on the issue of slavery. B) Republicans were able to win decisively in the North. C) Republicans won significant southern support. D) Abraham Lincoln offered the potential for sectional harmony. E) The Democrats dropped out of the race.

Q: What was the impact of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry? A) It increased southern fears of northern hostility. B) It was condemned by most Northerners. C) It had little effect on sectional tensions. D) It united North and South in their condemnation of Brown. E) It has been exaggerated by historians.

Q: What was Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery in his debates with Stephen Douglas? A) He suggested a new balance between slave and free territories. B) He took a position similar to Douglas on the issue of slavery. C) He suggested that not opposing slavery was the same as endorsing it. D) He differed with the Republican platform by supporting slavery in new territories. E) He avoided discussing the issue of slavery altogether.

Q: In the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, which of the following was the one thing the Supreme Court did NOT rule? A) An African American could not be a citizen of the United States. B) Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in federal territories. C) The Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. D) The Democratic platform was unconstitutional. E) Slaves could not pursue justice through the court system.

Q: Most of the emotional impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin came from what? A) its portrayal of Southerners as greedy, immoral barbarians B) its portrayal of northern abolitionists as heroic defenders of morality C) its evidence that slaves were just as evil as the slave owners D) its portrayal of slavery as a necessary evil that needed to be preserved E) its portrayal of slavery as a threat to the family and the cult of domesticity

Q: Which was the intended message of southern literature during the 1840s and 1850s? A) Genteel southern civilization was superior to greedy northern culture. B) Southerners should reevaluate their dependency on slavery. C) Southerners should try to change their culture to be more like Northerners. D) Southerners should maintain slavery but dismantle the plantation system. E) Southern morals should be more strictly based on the Protestant ethic.

Q: What was true about the sectional quarrel between North and South during the 1840s and early 1850s? A) It was primarily expressed in political terms. B) It was entirely expressed in legal, constitutional terms. C) It had little impact on the common man. D) It was increasingly seen in cultural and intellectual terms. E) It had reached an uneasy but peaceful stalemate by 1860.

Q: In the South, how was James Buchanan's winning of the 1856 presidential election viewed? A) with a temporary sense of relief B) as a long-term victory for the southern cause C) as a victory for Free-Soil supporters D) with a strong sense of dismay E) as evidence of the strength of the North's threat

Q: What was revealed by the Republican Party's nominating convention for the 1856 presidential election? A) The party received broad-based support throughout the nation. B) It was primarily a sectional party. C) The party was made up of farmers and laborers. D) The party was made of southern planters. E) The party had to struggle in its first years of existence.

Q: Why did the doctrine of popular sovereignty fail in the 1854 Kansas territorial government elections? A) voter apathy B) illegal voting by Missouri residents C) a lack of enthusiasm from voters D) a lack of compelling candidates E) extremists' destruction of polling centers

Q: How did the Republican Party manage to gain so much support in the 1850s? A) It was sympathetic toward immigrants. B) It supported agricultural expansion. C) It wanted to prohibit slavery in the territories. D) It supported the Catholic Church. E) It supported progressive labor laws.

Q: What ultimately resulted from the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act? A) It shattered sectional harmony. B) It revived support for an expansionist foreign policy. C) It strengthened the political power of the Whig Party. D) It had little effect on sectional tensions. E) It never got the congressional support it needed for passage.

Q: What made Northerners so opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? A) It permitted slavery in all the states west of the Kansas and Nebraska territories. B) It permitted slavery in all the states east of the Kansas and Nebraska territories. C) It permitted slavery in an area where it had previously been prohibited. D) It made it much more difficult for escaped slaves to find freedom in the North. E) It abolished slavery in all the states west of the Kansas and Nebraska territories.

Q: Which does NOT help explain why Whig Party candidate General Winfield Scott was crushed in the 1852 presidential campaign? A) The Compromise of 1850 weakened the political differences between Whigs and Democrats. B) The Whigs did not succeed in rallying public interest in a major political issue. C) The Whigs alienated nativists by actively seeking the immigrant vote. D) The Whig nominee lost northern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party. E) The Whig nominee lost southern support by allying himself with the antislavery wing of the party.

Q: What were the different stands Democrats and Whigs took on annexation and slavery in new territories? A) Democrats endorsed expansion and both free and slave states, while Whigs opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate. B) Democrats opposed annexation to avoid the slavery debate, while Whigs endorsed expansion and both free and slave states. C) Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Democrats wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Whigs did not. D) Both Democrats and Whigs endorsed expansion, but Whigs wanted the new territories to allow slavery while the Democrats did not. E) Neither party endorsed expansion, but if it was inevitable, the Whigs encouraged the spread of slavery while the Democrats did not.

Q: What was one of the effects of the new Fugitive Slave Law that was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850? A) It became easier for escaped slaves to stay free. B) It became easier to kidnap and enslave free African Americans. C) It became easier for slaves to sue for their freedom. D) It became easier for slaves to purchase their freedom. E) It became more difficult for plantation owners to reclaim their escaped slaves.

Q: What made the Compromise of 1850 so difficult to pass? A) President Taylor opposed the compromise, and congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. B) President Taylor was for the compromise, but congressmen kept granting key concessions to rival parties. C) The compromise was broken into too many small and ineffective measures. D) President Taylor died and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore, who opposed the compromise. E) President Taylor supported the compromise, but key senators kept proposing new compromises before a vote could be taken.

Q: Why did the Free-Soil movement support the exclusion of slavery from the territories? A) It believed in racial justice. B) It believed in the immorality of slavery. C) It feared the outbreak of slave insurrections in the territories. D) It feared labor competition from slaves. E) Most western land was unsuited for plantation agriculture.

Q: What was true of most Northerners during the 1840s? A) They disliked slavery, but opposed abolition. B) They were fierce and loyal abolitionists. C) They supported the institution of slavery. D) They were apathetic about the slavery issue. E) They felt that slavery was starting to spread to the North.

Q: Why was it difficult for northern abolitionists to develop a practical program that would eliminate the institution of slavery throughout the country? A) Southern states generally had much better lawyers than northern states. B) There was a serious lack of strong northern congressional leadership. C) The Constitution protected state laws that allowed slavery. D) Southern plantation owners donated heavily to northern political candidates. E) The issue of slavery was overshadowed by more pressing problems.

Q: Which of the following men was NOT a presidential candidate in the 1860 election? A) John Bell B) John Breckinridge C) Stephen Douglas D) Millard Fillmore E) Abraham Lincoln