Q&A Hero

Q: What happened in 1859 in Harpers Ferry, Virginia? A) The federal arsenal was attacked in an unsuccessful attempt to start an uprising against slavery. B) A slave rebellion resulted in the deaths of eighteen participants. C) A group of white men raided a southern abolitionist office and killed five white and black anti-slavery protestors. D) White men and women seized eighteen slaves in order to forcibly emancipate them in Mexico. E) A group of white and black abolitionists killed three slave owners and wounded five others.

Q: How did Abraham Lincoln argue about slavery in his debates with Stephen Douglas during the 1858 Senate race? A) He favored abolishing slavery in all the states and territories. B) He favored restricting slavery to the states where it was most profitable. C) He favored restricting slavery to the states where the Constitution protected it. D) He favored using popular sovereignty to decide the slavery issue in new territories. E) He favored allowing slavery in newly acquired territories.

Q: What issue brought the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford to the Supreme Court? A) A slave owner sued for damages because he was beaten severely by an abolitionist. B) A slave owner sued for damages because abolitionists helped his slaves. C) A slave sued for damages because he was beaten severely by a white owner. D) An escaped slave sued for his freedom because he was caught in a free territory. E) A slave sued on the grounds that he had lived in a free state and so he should be a free man.

Q: Harriet Beecher Stowe published her abolitionist novel ______ in 1852, and it was enormously successful. A) Uncle Tom's Cabin B) The Impending Crisis of the South C) Tom Sawyer D) Up from Slavery E) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Q: Which notable Southern author wrote proslavery polemics? A) Edgar Allan Poe B) Henry David Thoreau C) Herman Melville D) James Russell Lowell E) Ralph Waldo Emerson

Q: The tension between ________ became nearly insurmountable in the years between the elections of 1856 and 1860. A) blacks and whites B) Northerners and Southerners C) immigrants and native-born citizens D) farmers and factory owners E) Southerners and former slaves

Q: During the presidential election of 1856, what did the Republican Party platform call for? A) popular sovereignty in the territories B) prohibition of slavery in the territories C) election of Fillmore, who opposed Buchanan D) secession from the United States E) election of Buchanan, who opposed Fillmore

Q: What action took place after proslavery adherents raided Lawrence, the free-state capital of Kansas, in 1856? A) John Brown and his followers killed five Native Americans in a land dispute. B) A mob of angry settlers attacked and killed five escaped slaves. C) An escaped slave killed a family of five white settlers. D) John Brown killed eight abolitionists in Kansas. E) John Brown and his followers killed five proslavery settlers in cold blood.

Q: A small-scale civil war over slavery broke out in the late 1850s between rival regimes of which state? A) Missouri B) Kansas C) South Carolina D) Tennessee E) Texas

Q: What was the main reason that many native-born Americans disliked Irish and German immigrants? A) because they were mostly communists B) because they were mostly illiterate C) because they were mostly Jewish D) because they were mostly Roman Catholic E) because they were mostly atheists

Q: Which political party wanted to extend the period of naturalization in order to weaken immigrant voter strength? A) Free-Soil party B) Whig party C) Know-Nothing party D) Democratic party E) Liberty party

Q: What did the Ostend Manifesto of 1854 accuse the Pierce administration of doing? A) accepting bribes from southern plantation owners B) conspiring with Northerners to make the U.S. a "free soil wasteland" C) wanting to punish the working class through taxation D) wanting to create a "Caribbean slave empire" by annexing Cuba E) discriminating against recent immigrants through unfair voting laws

Q: What law did Stephen Douglas need to repeal in order to gain southern support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act? A) the Wilmot Proviso B) the Missouri Compromise C) the Compromise of 1850 D) the Bill of Rights E) the new Fugitive Slave Law

Q: In 1854, Stephen Douglas proposed a bill that would set up territorial governments in Kansas and Nebraska on the basis of ________. A) the Compromise of 1850 B) Free-Soil ideology C) congressional approval or disapproval of slavery D) presidential approval or disapproval of slavery E) popular sovereignty

Q: What does the term "second party system" refer to? A) the two-party system of American politics from about 1790 B) the party system from about 1830 to 1850 C) the creation of a new third political party in the 1940s D) the political party not in power in government E) a total shift in American politics

Q: Which part of the Compromise of 1850 was most opposed by Northerners? A) admission of California as a free state B) opening of New Mexico and Utah territories to slavery under popular sovereignty C) reduction of Texas to its present boundaries D) enactment of the new Fugitive Slave Law E) prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia

Q: Which of the following was true about the Compromise of 1850? A) It temporarily restored sectional peace. B) It failed to pass Congress despite revisions. C) It prohibited slavery in the New Mexico territory. D) It made it easier for escaped slaves to hide in the West. E) It temporarily made California a slave state.

Q: Who was the "great pacificator" who established the Compromise of 1850? A) John C. Calhoun B) Henry Clay C) Lewis Cass D) Zachary Taylor E) Roger B. Taney

Q: The founding of which party was the first significant effort to create a broadly based sectional party addressing itself to voters' concerns about the extension of slavery? A) Free-Soil Party B) Whig Party C) Republican Party D) Democratic Party E) Know-Nothing Party

Q: Under the Compromise of 1850, who would determine whether a territory would have slavery, per the principle of squatter sovereignty, or popular sovereignty as it was later called? A) Congress B) territorial legislatures C) the state's constitutional convention D) the Supreme Court E) the House of Representatives

Q: In the first House vote on the Wilmot Proviso, party lines crumbled and the vote split ________. A) along party lines B) along sectional lines C) along religious lines D) along socioeconomic lines E) along gender lines

Q: In what area did the Wilmot Proviso propose to ban slavery? A) in the northern states B) in the southern states C) in territory acquired from Mexico D) in any future U.S. territories E) from all U.S. lands

Q: When did the "irrepressible conflict" over slavery in the territories begin? A) the late 1840s B) the mid"1860s C) the early 1830s D) the late 1700s E) the late 1850s

Q: In 1856, which antislavery Senator was almost beaten to death on the floor of the U.S. Senate by Representative Preston Brooks? A) Thaddeus Stevens B) John C. Calhoun C) Charles Sumner D) Zachary Taylor E) William Graham Sumner

Q: Which statement best characterizes how the increase in immigration changed the U.S. economy in the mid"1800s? A) Immigration hindered economic growth because immigrants came in such large numbers that there were not enough resources for everyone. B) Immigration slowed down the Industrial Revolution because immigrants launched frequent and effective labor protests. C) Immigration boosted the economy because immigrants provided much of the capital that was needed for infrastructure and entrepreneurship. D) Immigration boosted the economy by providing the skilled labor that was desperately needed in the labor force. E) Immigration accelerated the Industrial Revolution by providing a large pool of cheap factory labor.

Q: Which statement best characterizes how the labor force changed during the 1800s? A) Male workers made the transition from being factory workers to being artisans. B) Male workers made the transition from being artisans to being factory workers. C) Married women were more likely to work in factories than men. D) Married women were more likely to work in factories than unmarried women. E) Immigrants were being replaced in factories by native-born Americans.

Q: How did the Mexican-American War affect sectional tensions in the U.S.? A) Tensions were appeased because of the expansion of slavery. B) New ties between the Old and New Northwest increased national harmony. C) Linked by railroads, the entire country entered a period of unprecedented harmony. D) It eased North-South tensions because of the acquisition of new territory. E) It exacerbated North-South conflicts because of the slavery issue.

Q: What was different about the American working class of the 1830s as compared to the American working class of the 1840s? A) In the 1830s, most factory work was done by men, but by the 1840s, more women and children began to work in factories. B) In the 1830s, most men worked in factories, but by the 1840s, they worked more as artisans as factory work decreased in general. C) In the 1830s, the majority of male workers were farmers, but by the 1840s, most male workers were employed in factories. D) In the 1830s, most male workers were artisans and few worked in factories, but by the 1840s, the proportion of male factory workers increased. E) In the 1830s, most women and children did not work at all, but by the 1840s they worked side by side with men in factories.

Q: What explains why Irish immigrants were unlikely to protest poor labor conditions? A) Labor protests were very unpopular at the time. B) They had low economic expectations and conservative attitudes. C) They were afraid of violent retribution from native-born Americans. D) The Catholic Church strictly forbade all forms of protest. E) They tended to find jobs with good working conditions.

Q: Which of the following resulted from the growth of the working class in the 1830s and 1840s? A) greater cooperation between employer and employee B) improvement in working conditions and wages C) the paternalistic employer-employee relationship D) more emphasis on skilled labor E) an upsurge of labor militancy

Q: Which of the following statements describes the result of the arrival of large numbers of immigrants in the 1850s? A) They were a positive development for American cities. B) They did not contribute measurably to city developments. C) They worsened the already serious problems of the cities. D) They increased the population of rural rather than urban areas. E) They prevented the development of America's first suburbs.

Q: Which of the following demonstrates that economics was a major motivation for immigration? A) the occupations of the immigrants B) the kinds of labor needed in the United States C) the peaks in immigration that correspond to times of economic prosperity D) the wages paid to immigrants E) the forms that immigrants filled out when they reached Ellis Island

Q: Which of the following characterizes the experience of German immigrants? A) They suffered less prejudice than the Irish. B) They suffered more prejudice than the Irish. C) They could not be assimilated easily into American society. D) They possessed few agricultural or other skills. E) They were few in number.

Q: What brought most German immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s? A) They wanted to avoid European wars. B) They wanted to escape tough economic times. C) They wanted to escape catastrophic famine. D) They wanted to escape political oppression. E) They wanted to escape religious persecution.

Q: What was the major push factor that brought Irish immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s? A) oppression by the British government B) decline in the number of jobs in Ireland C) overpopulation of Ireland D) the great potato blight E) persecution of Catholics

Q: All of the following influenced the growth of American industry in the 1830s and 1840s EXCEPT ________. A) the transition to a factory setting B) the development of mass production C) the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania D) the invention of mechanical tools E) advances in the transportation industry

Q: What could be said about the railroad industry by the end of the 1850s? A) Railroads were struggling to remain active due to heavy financial losses. B) Business was booming and railroads had transformed the economy. C) Railroads had been largely replaced by canal transportation. D) The railroad industry was still in its infancy. E) The railroad industry was crippled by scandals and corruption.

Q: Why did freight businesses not immediately shift to the railroads when they were first built? A) Companies distrusted the safety of the steam engine. B) Companies received financial incentives from the government to stay with canal routes. C) Canal boats were cheaper. D) Companies were not convinced of their reliability. E) Companies were fiercely loyal to the canal operators.

Q: Why did the Mexican-American War ultimately divide the American public and provoke political dissension? A) Many Northerners feared the spread of slavery to the newly acquired territories. B) Many Southerners feared the economic competition from cotton growers in the newly acquired territories. C) Many people in the Midwest feared the economic competition from ranchers in the newly acquired territories. D) Many people on the East Coast worried about the social effects of expansion. E) Many religious groups worried about the lawlessness that would exist in the sparsely populated new territories.

Q: According to historian Norman Graebner, the United States did not annex all of Mexico because they already had ________. A) U.S. citizenship for thousands of Mexicans living in the territory B) the grazing lands of the southwest C) the fertile farming lands of new Mexico D) the harbors of California E) the deserts of Arizona

Q: What caused the Mexican-American War to last much longer than expected? A) The Americans lacked the resources to attack in earnest. B) The Americans lost a string of important battles. C) Severe weather slowed the American advance. D) The Mexicans were better prepared to battle in the Mexican terrain. E) The Mexicans stubbornly refused to make peace despite military defeats.

Q: What caused James Polk to send troops to Mexico? A) to retaliate for the harsh Mexican treatment of Texans B) to protect the southern border of the United States C) to enforce U.S. claims along the Texas-Mexico border D) to prevent a Mexican attempt to reacquire Texas E) to distract Americans from other domestic issues

Q: What finally led Mexico to break off diplomatic relations with the United States and prepare for armed conflict? A) The Republic of Texas began claiming land south of the Rio Grande. B) The United States annexed Texas and claimed the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. C) The U.S. military began fighting for control over California harbors. D) The U.S. government refused to grant rights of citizenship to people of Mexican descent living in Texas. E) President Polk criticized the Mexican government in a scathing public address.

Q: In the most extreme form of Manifest Destiny, what land would the United States ultimately occupy? A) the area from the east coast to the Rocky Mountains B) the area from the east coast to the west coast C) the land that is occupied today by the United States, Mexico, and Canada D) North America and Central America E) the entire North American continent plus the Caribbean islands

Q: Why did President John Tyler initiate the politics of Manifest Destiny beginning in 1841? A) He wanted to win the support of his fellow Whigs. B) He wanted to reconcile the Whig and Democratic parties. C) He was inspired by the beliefs of Henry Clay. D) He wanted to build a base for his reelection in 1844. E) He hoped to identify himself with James Monroe.

Q: How did Andrew Jackson and his administration react to Texas becoming an independent republic in 1836? A) They tried to convince Texans to return to Mexican rule. B) They declared war on Mexico to defend Texas's revolt. C) They immediately annexed Texas. D) They formally recognized Texas as a sovereign republic. E) They refused to recognize Texas as a republic.

Q: Why was slavery a point of conflict between the Mexican government and Anglo-American settlers in Texas? A) The Mexican government required Anglo-American settlers to emancipate their slaves. B) The Mexican government required each Anglo-American settler to own at least four slaves. C) The Mexican government allowed white as well as black slavery. D) The Anglo-American settlers tried to enslave Mexican citizens. E) The Anglo-American settlers did not want slavery in the territory.

Q: What caused friction to develop between the Mexican government and Anglo-American colonists in Texas? A) The Mexican government denied Anglo-American settlers the right to own land. B) The Mexican government did not grant women any rights. C) Anglo-American settlers flouted Mexican law. D) Many Anglo-American settlers refused to practice any religion. E) Many Anglo-American settlers refused to pay taxes.

Q: How were Young Americans unlike the traditional members of the Democratic Party? A) They were enthusiastic about commerce, industry, and speculation in the market. B) They were opposed to territorial expansion. C) They fiercely opposed the Mexican-American War. D) They worried about the materialism that accompanied the market economy. E) They embraced European themes in American literature.

Q: What did the Female Labor Reform Association campaign for? A) more jobs for women and children B) more managerial positions for women C) higher pay D) shorter working hours E) an end to all forms of sexual harassment

Q: How were the majority of immigrants employed in the mid"1800s? A) as yeoman farmers B) as small business owners C) as wage workers in factories D) as skilled craftsmen E) as prospectors

Q: Due to their poverty, where did most Irish immigrants settle in the United States? A) the South B) the Midwest C) the Far West D) the Northeast E) the Gulf Coast region

Q: What was the period of greatest immigration in proportion to the overall population in America? A) 1790 to 1800 B) 1805 to 1815 C) 1840 to 1860 D) 1880 to 1890 E) 1910 to 1920

Q: Where did most of the immigrants to the United States come from in the 1840s and 1850s? A) the Middle East B) Europe C) Africa D) Latin America E) China

Q: What was the significance of the invention of the John Deere steel plow? A) It allowed farmers to cultivate tough prairie soils. B) It lowered the cost of steel plows. C) It helped farmers plow loose soil in half the time of a cast-iron plow. D) It allowed farmers to plow by hand without the aid of a farm animal. E) It allowed farmers to plow more accurately than cast-iron plows.

Q: In 1860, most Americans worked in what sector? A) ranching B) gold mining C) farming D) the textile industry E) the transportation industry

Q: What was the greatest triumph of American technology during the mid-nineteenth century? A) improvements in the transportation infrastructure B) new uses for vulcanized rubber C) improved farm implements D) sophisticated machine tools E) more efficient farming strategies

Q: Which of the following inventions laid the basis for the ready-to-wear clothing industry? A) the sewing machine B) the button machine C) blue denim D) the zipper E) iron to press clothing

Q: All of these were essential features of the factory system beginning in the 1840s, EXCEPT ________. A) a supervised workforce B) the workforce being located in one place C) payment of cash wages D) each product being produced by one worker E) mechanization

Q: What did state and local governments do to help the early railroads? A) They gave them money and land. B) They gave them the right to seize private property. C) They gave them free labor to lay tracks. D) They gave them legal immunity. E) They backed railroad bonds.

Q: Which of the following forms of transportation had the greatest impact on the American economy during the 1840s and 1850s? A) the clipper ship B) the canal system C) the steamboat D) the covered wagon E) the railroad

Q: During the Mexican-American War, what major issue came up for debate in Congress? A) annexation of Mexico as U.S. territory B) prohibition of slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico C) extension of voting rights to women in the western territories D) increased immigration from Mexico to the Unites States E) cession of more southwestern territory to the Mexican government

Q: Which of the following did not result from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo? A) The Rio Grande was confirmed as the southern border of Texas. B) The United States paid Mexico $15 million. C) Slavery would not be allowed west of the Rio Grande. D) Mexico ceded New Mexico and California to the United States. E) Mexican residents of the ceded areas would become American citizens.

Q: Which of the following best sums up the ideals of John O"Sullivan's concept of Manifest Destiny? A) North America was American property. B) Britain and Mexico were the natural enemies of the U.S. C) Industrialization and expansion are inextricably linked. D) The U.S. was destined to expand into North America. E) The U.S. was doomed if it could not expand.

Q: Which presidential candidate in 1844 ran on a platform calling for the simultaneous annexation of Texas and assertion of American claims to all of Oregon? A) Henry Clay B) James K. Polk C) Martin Van Buren D) John Tyler E) James G. Birney

Q: Which of the following was opposed to President Tyler's plan for the annexation of Texas? A) northern antislavery Whigs B) southern agricultural interests C) New England merchants D) Great Britain E) railroad companies

Q: One of the important ideas behind the concept of Manifest Destiny was ________. A) converting recent immigrants to Protestantism B) the establishment of the factory system C) the inclusion of women in the workforce D) territorial expansion E) the abolition of slavery

Q: What was the platform of Sam Houston, the first president of Texas? A) He fought to prevent the annexation of Texas. B) He was against annexation in any form. C) He was against annexation unless it included the Oklahoma territory. D) He was for annexation but only if it included the New Mexico territory. E) He was for annexation immediately after Texas declared independence.

Q: Which famous battle occurred just days after Texas declared itself a republic? A) the battle of the Nueces B) the battle of Matamoros C) the battle of the Alamo D) the battle of Veracruz E) the siege of Mexico City

Q: In the early 1820s, Mexican officials encouraged settlers from the United States to settle in Texas with offers of which of the following? A) more freedoms for women B) religious freedom C) cheap land D) money E) abolishing slavery

Q: Which of these states was NOT wholly or partly Mexican in 1821? A) California B) Oregon C) Texas D) New Mexico E) Arizona

Q: After the Mexican-American War, the Young America movement shifted its focus to which of the following? A) economic growth and industrialization B) adding Canada and Alaska to the United States C) the abolition of slavery D) making the United States a world power E) spreading the gospel to foreign lands

Q: Which of the following novels was so original in form and conception that it was considered the ideal Young American novel? A) The Scarlet Letter B) Moby-Dick C) Uncle Tom's Cabin D) Pride and Prejudice E) Jane Eyre

Q: Which of the following does NOT characterize the Young America movement of the 1840s and 1850s? A) territorial expansion B) an aggressive foreign policy C) economic expansion and growth D) technological progress E) appraisal of American values

Q: In what way do historians consider the abolitionist movement of the 1830s and 1840s to be a success? A) It brought the issue of slavery into the public consciousness. B) It convinced most people that slavery should be abolished immediately. C) It peacefully converted many slaveholders to abolition. D) It led to a marked decrease in racism among northern urban whites. E) It orchestrated the emancipation of thousands of slaves.

Q: Why has the nineteenth century been identified as "the century of the child"? A) Parents began having more children, and larger families required more attention. B) Parents had a new attitude towards childhood, and families became child-centered. C) Medical advances made it possible for more children to survive to adulthood. D) Children became a more important part of the labor force. E) For the first time ever, children began to spend money in the economy.

Q: Which statement best characterizes how evangelical culture changed the role of women in American society? A) Women began to expect their husbands to contribute more to household chores and the duties of raising children. B) Women became less important figures to the home and family. C) Women became more confined to the home but became more important inside it. D) Women were expected to make a larger economic contribution to the society than ever before. E) Women were given more active roles and public leadership positions.

Q: Which of the following individuals is INCORRECTLY matched with his or her reform movement? A) Lyman Beecher: temperance B) Horace Mann: public schools C) Theodore Dwight Weld: abolition D) Elizabeth Cady Stanton: women's rights E) David Walker: prison reform

Q: What was a major goal of the early women's rights activists in the mid"1800s? A) to free unmarried women from laws that did not allow them to work outside the home B) to give married women some control of themselves, their property, and their children C) to enact laws that would require men to participate equally in household duties such as child-rearing D) to convince more women to run for public office E) procuring the right to vote

Q: Abolitionism served as a catalyst for the ________ movement. A) temperance B) women's rights C) utopian socialist D) transcendentalist E) prison reform