History of the United States: Beginnings to Civil War
Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the major political, social, economic, and cultural developments in the United States from its earliest Native American societies and European colonization through the end of the Civil War. Students will examine foundational moments such as the colonial experience, the American Revolution, the creation of the Constitution, westward expansion, and the evolution of slavery, as well as the growing sectional tensions that culminated in the Civil War. Through primary and secondary sources, the course emphasizes the diverse experiences and voices that shaped the nation, helping students understand how the legacies of this formative period continue to influence the United States today.
Recommended Textbook
Revel for Learning U.S. History Semester 1 1st Edition by H. W. Brands
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15 Chapters
600 Verified Questions
600 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Old Worlds and New
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the creation story of the Zuñi people,what did Sky-father give them?
A) rice
B) corn
C) buffalo
D) salmon
Answer: B
Q2) The dwelling shown in the image is best suited for __________ cultures.
A) nomadic
B) agricultural
C) sedentary
D) industrial
Answer: A
Q3) Agriculture was least developed in which region?
A) Mesoamerica
B) American Southwest
C) Central Plains
D) Central America
Answer: C
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Exploration and Conquest
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro were both __________.
A) Moors
B) Huguenots
C) conquistadors
D) slaves Answer: C
Q2) Which country had the largest empire in the Americas in the sixteenth century?
A) Britain
B) France
C) Portugal
D) Spain
Answer: D
Q3) Who was the ruler of the Aztec empire when the Spanish conquest began?
A) Atahualpa
B) Moctezuma
C) Henry VIII
D) Elizabeth
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: The English Colonial Enterprise
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following made negotiating treaties between the English and the Indians difficult?
A) The English refused to negotiate with the Indians.
B) Indian chiefs refused to negotiate with the English.
C) Tribal borders did not align with colonial borders.
D) English law did not recognize written contracts.
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following groups represented the majority of the people who participated in the Great Migration during the seventeenth century?
A) Africans
B) Indians
C) Anglicans
D) Puritans
Answer: D
Q3) Religion played a central role in the founding of which colony?
A) Pennsylvania
B) New York
C) Virginia
D) Carolina
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: The English and the Americans
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Sample Questions
Q1) Benjamin Franklin engaged in which of the following?
A) warfare
B) witchcraft
C) printing
D) preaching
Q2) During the Salem witch trials,the __________ made it easier to convict people accused of witchcraft.
A) Great Awakening
B) Treaty of Paris
C) belief in deism
D) use of spectral evidence
Q3) According to the video in the introduction,which of the following contributed to the breakdown of relations between Britain and the American colonies from 1689 to 1763?
A) racism
B) sexism
C) language
D) distance
Q4) Compare relations between Britain and its American colonies in 1689 and in 1763.
Q5) What accounts for the differences between the northern and southern colonies?
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Chapter 5: Declaring Independence
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Sample Questions
Q1) What did John Adams and Richard Henry Lee support?
A) reconciliation with Britain
B) American independence
C) women's suffrage
D) Indian land claims
Q2) In 1775,George Washington was appointed the head of the __________.
A) Continental Army
B) Continental Congress
C) Stamp Act Congress
D) Sons of Liberty
Q3) Which of the following reflects the same ideas as those expressed in Thomas Paine's Common Sense?
A) Treaty of Paris of 1763
B) Proclamation of 1763
C) Declaration of Independence
D) Declaratory Act
Q4) Compare and contrast American and British views on the events leading up to the American Revolution.Be sure to identify specific events and explain how the Americans and the British saw those events.
Q5) How did the French and Indian War pave the way for the American Revolution?
Page 7
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Chapter 6: The Revolutionary War
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the introductory video in section 6.5,where did Benjamin Franklin say that most of the work of diplomacy was conducted?
A) on the battlefield
B) on the hunting grounds
C) in the salons
D) in the embassy
Q2) According to the How Do We Know? video in section 6.6,what did Abigail Adams comment on in her letters?
A) peace negotiations
B) abolitionist movement
C) the ravages of war
D) the economic crisis
Q3) The battles at Trenton and Saratoga both ended in a(n)__________.
A) British victory
B) British retreat
C) American victory
D) American retreat
Q4) In what respects was the American Revolutionary War a civil war?
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Chapter 7: The Constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Constitutional Convention decided that an amendment to the constitution required the approval of how many states?
A) one quarter
B) one half
C) three quarters
D) all
Q2) Who would have most likely agreed with this statement?: "States are the characteristics and the soul of a confederation."
A) Patrick Henry
B) James Madison
C) Alexander Hamilton
D) John Jay
Q3) Which of the following states would most likely support the proposal that the new land acquired in the Treaty of Paris be given to the states that bordered it?
A) New Hampshire
B) Massachusetts
C) Virginia
D) Rhode Island
Q4) How did the new American government deal with the issue of slavery?
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Chapter 8: Federalists and Republicans
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions reflected the perspective of which group?
A) Republicans
B) Federalists
C) the majority party in Congress
D) the advisers to the president
Q2) In the Past and Present video in section 8.6,freedom of speech becomes more restricted during periods of __________.
A) war
B) peace
C) prosperity
D) mourning
Q3) Which of the following would have most likely supported the Alien and Sedition Acts?
A) John Adams
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) James Madison
D) George Washington
Q4) Compare and contrast Federalist and Republican views on the French Revolution.
Q5) How did party politics shape American political life during the first two administrations?
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Chapter 9: Republicans Take Over
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Sample Questions
Q1) What was the northern boundary of the Louisiana Territory?
A) Alaska
B) Canada
C) Colorado River
D) Ohio River
Q2) According to the introductory video in section 9.4,Moses Austin could not export the lead his company mined because of the __________.
A) Revolution of 1800
B) French Revolution
C) Intolerable Acts
D) Embargo Act
Q3) When he became president,Thomas Jefferson interpreted the __________ broadly despite his reputation for being a strict constructionist.
A) Constitution
B) Bible
C) Articles of Confederation
D) Declaration of Independence
Q4) Evaluate Thomas Jefferson's presidency.What were his successes? What were his failures?
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Chapter 10: The Second War of Independence
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Sample Questions
Q1) How did the Republicans and the Federalists shape American politics in the early nineteenth century?
Q2) Which crop grew well in the soil of the southern regions east of the Mississippi River,in what is today Alabama and Mississippi?
A) sorghum
B) coffee
C) cotton
D) tea
Q3) What did the battles at the Thames,Horseshoe Bend,and New Orleans share in common?
A) They were all American victories.
B) They were all American defeats.
C) They were all Indian victories.
D) They all ended in a draw.
Q4) Which of the following ended the War of 1812?
A) Battle of the Thames
B) Battle of Yorktown
C) Hartford Convention
D) Treaty of Ghent
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Chapter 11: Jacksonian Democracy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Andrew Jackson's handling of the nullification crisis in 1832 and the battle over the Bank of the United States reflects the
A) weakness of the executive branch
B) strength of the executive branch
C) weakness of the legislative branch
D) strength of the legislative branch
Q2) According to the introductory video in section 11.2,who symbolized the contradiction in America between democracy and slavery?
A) George Washington
B) Andrew Jackson
C) James Madison
D) Thomas Jefferson
Q3) According to the introductory video in section 11.4,Andrew Jackson disagreed with __________ on a state's right to nullify a federal law.
A) John Calhoun
B) John Quincy Adams
C) John Marshall
D) Nicholas Biddle
Q4) How did slavery influence American politics in the early nineteenth century?
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Chapter 12: Manifest Destiny
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the introductory video in section 12.1,who led a slave rebellion in 1831?
A) Henry Clay
B) Nat Turner
C) William Lloyd Garrison
D) Winfield Scott
Q2) Which of the following did the United States receive in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
A) California
B) Oregon
C) Florida
D) Idaho
Q3) Who controlled Texas from 1821 to 1836?
A) Spain
B) Mexico
C) France
D) Britain
Q4) How did the issue of slavery divide Americans between 1840 and 1850?
Q5) In what ways were the justifications for slavery and expansion similar?
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Chapter 13: The Sectional Crisis
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Sample Questions
Q1) What did Northerners not like about the Compromise of 1850?
A) the Fugitive Slave Act
B) the Kansas-Nebraska Act
C) the purchase of Alaska
D) the admission of California
Q2) Which of the following would be punished under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850?
A) hiding a fugitive slave from the authorities
B) reporting a fugitive slave to the authorities
C) accusing a black person of being a runaway slave
D) arresting a black person for being a runaway slave
Q3) The actions of which of the following inspired John Brown to launch a slave insurrection?
A) Nat Turner
B) Robert E. Lee
C) J. E. B. Stuart
D) Mary Todd
Q4) How did events in the middle of the nineteenth century push the South toward secession?
Q5) How was the Missouri Compromise of 1820 weakened in the middle of the nineteenth century?
15
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Chapter 14: The Civil War
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the introductory video in section 14.1,Sam Houston's battle wound from the War of 1812 symbolized his __________.
A) opposition to slavery
B) defense of slavery
C) allegiance to the Union
D) allegiance to Texas
Q2) In the first year of the Civil War,most of the fighting occurred in the __________.
A) Northeast
B) Southeast
C) Northwest
D) Southwest
Q3) According to the introductory video in section 14.5,which of the following was the farthest north that Confederate troops reached?
A) Vicksburg
B) Gettysburg
C) Antietam
D) Bull Run
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Page 16
Chapter 15: Reconstruction
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Sample Questions
Q1) To what extent was Reconstruction a success? To what extent was it a failure?
Q2) Who made the following statement?: "Treason must be made odious,and traitors must be punished and impoverished."
A) Andrew Johnson
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Ulysses Grant
D) William Seward
Q3) In the parade of freedmen in Charleston in 1865,one of the banners linked the cause of the freedmen to which figure?
A) John Brown
B) John Wilkes Booth
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Mary Surratt
Q4) Which of the following would most likely defend the Black Codes?
A) Radical Republicans
B) African Americans
C) Southern states
D) Northern states
Q5) Compare and contrast the goals of the Republicans and the Democrats in 1877.
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