American History Midterm Exam - Girls

GIRLS' MIDTERM EXAM
Your name:_________________________

Instructions:

• Closed book.
• No penalty for wrong answers.
• 35 minutes.

1. Jonathan Edwards played a key role in which of the following:

(a) the Salem Witch Trials
(b) the Boston Tea Party
(c) the Boston Massacre
(d) the Great Awakening
(e) the ratification of the Constitution

2. “It is America’s right to stretch from sea to shining sea. Not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens to gain valuable natural resources we also have a responsibility to civilize this beautiful land." This quote describes which of the following viewpoints:

(a) Manifest Destiny
(b) Abolitionism
(c) Prohibition
(d) Taxation Without Representation
(e) Environmentalism

3. Some might say that Stephen Douglas really deserved an “over the knee” spanking by all Americans (as depicted by a cartoonist) for which of the following reasons?

(a) For opposing slavery.
(b) For supporting slavery.
(c) For supporting the Compromise of 1850.
(d) For running against Abraham Lincoln for Senate in 1858.
(e) For pushing through Congress the Kansas-Nebraska Bill.

4. “Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry. The Heathens paid divine honors to their deceased kings, and the Christian world hath improved on the plan by doing the same to their living ones. How impious is the title of sacred majesty applied to a worm, who in the midst of his splendor is crumbling into dust!” Who wrote the influential work containing those words?

(a) Abraham Lincoln
(b) Thomas Paine
(c) Andrew Jackson
(d) Andrew Johnson
(e) John Quincy Adams

5. I was a "dark horse" nominee for president who then won the presidential election by supporting annexation of Texas. Who am I?

(a) William Henry Harrison
(b) John Tyler
(c) James Polk
(d) Zachary Taylor
(e) Millard Fillmore

6. The Marshall Court is best known for doing which of the following:

(a) greatly expanding the power of the federal courts
(b) issuing the Dred Scott decision
(c) invalidating the Alien & Sedition Acts
(d) issuing a ruling that was overturned by the 11th Amendment
(e) presiding over the impeachment of Andrew Johnson

7. President Andrew Jackson was hated by everyone EXCEPT:

(a) the British
(b) the Indians
(c) the Whigs
(d) the bankers
(e) the common man

8. Harriet Beecher Stowe is credited with which of the following?

(a) inventing the cotton gin
(b) helping cause the Civil War
(c) writing the Emancipation Proclamation
(d) writing the Marbury v. Madison decision
(e) drafting the Battle Hymn of the Republic

9. A student was overheard saying the following: “The Puritans, like the Quakers, believed in religious freedom for all.” How should the teacher respond to the student?

(a) That shows a good understanding the basic similarity between Puritans and Quakers.
(b) That’s right about their common belief in religious freedom, but the two groups did not get along with each other.
(c) That’s not quite right because both groups were opposed to Mormons.
(d) It’s impossible to compare the two religions, because all religions are right in their own way.
(e) The student is completely wrong and lacks a basic understanding of the Puritan religion.

10. “He who has gold makes and accomplishes whatever he wishes in the world and finally uses it to send souls to paradise.” This quote describes the twin goals of whose mission?

(a) King Henry VIII
(b) Ralph Waldo Emerson
(c) John Adams
(d) Christopher Columbus
(e) Aaron Burr

11. Who was a leading abolitionist in the early1840s?

(a) Abraham Lincoln
(b) John Quincy Adams
(c) Henry Clay
(d) John Calhoun
(e) James Polk

12. The following is Section 8 from an Act passed by Congress: “And be it further enacted. That in all that territory ceded by France to the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes north latitude, not included within the limits of the state, contemplated by this act, slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the parties shall have been duly convicted, shall be, and is hereby, forever prohibited: Provided always, That any person escaping into the same, from whom labour or service is lawfully claimed, in any state or territory of the United States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labour or service as aforesaid.” From which law is this passage?

(a) Missouri Compromise
(b) Compromise of 1850
(c) Kansas-Nebraska Act
(d) Emancipation Proclamation
(e) Louisiana Purchase

13. Which Amendment abolished slavery?

(a) First
(b) Second
(c) Thirteenth
(d) Fourteenth
(e) Fifteenth

14. The Whig Party held which of the following positions:

I. Favored establishing a national bank
II. Favored protective tariffs
III. Favored abolishing slavery in the South

(a) I, II and III.
(b) I and III.
(c) I and II.
(d) II and III.
(e) only III.

15. “Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.” Who said that?

(a) the founders of the Jamestown settlement
(b) Thomas Jefferson when participating at the Constitutional Convention
(c) George Washington in his Farewell Address
(d) Abraham Lincoln as a young man
(e) Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address

16. President John Adams had an undeclared naval war against which nation?

(a) the Confederacy
(b) England
(c) Spain
(d) France
(e) Tripoli

17. Which of the following are true about the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

I. It was the major accomplishment of Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
II. It established a way to create between 3 and 5 new states
III. It established new federal courts that heard cases in the territories
IV. It protected private property rights against seizure by government

(a) I only
(b) I, III and IV
(c) I, II and IV
(d) II, III and IV
(e) I, II, III and IV

18. The “Era of Good Feelings” was a mood where, and when?

(a) In the United States during the presidency of James Monroe.
(b) In Jamestown after the settlers first arrived.
(c) In the Alamo after a stand-off with Mexico.
(d) During the presidency of James Madison after he fled D.C.
(e) In the latter part of the Jefferson Administration as trade flourished with Europe.

19. The U.S. Constitution establishes which branches of government?

(a) Congress, Executive, and Federal and State Courts
(b) Congress, President, State Governors, and the Judiciary
(c) President and Judiciary
(d) Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary
(e) Congress and the Judiciary

20. The President who had the most difficult time handling criticism was probably:

(a) George Washington
(b) John Adams
(c) Thomas Jefferson
(d) James Madison
(e) James Monroe

21. The primary obstacle to the Louisiana Purchase was:

(a) the Constitution
(b) the Articles of Confederation
(c) Thomas Jefferson did not want the new land
(d) Manifest Destiny
(e) George Washington was surprisingly against it

22. Who won the French and Indian War?

(a) the French
(b) the Indians
(c) the United States
(d) Britain and its American colonies
(e) no one won that war, the parties simply stopped fighting

23. The Connecticut Plan resolved a conflict at the Constitutional Convention by:

(a) giving the South credit for 3/5ths of each slave in determining how many people it had for representation in Congress.
(b) not allowing Congress to ban the slave trade until 1808.
(c) granting women the right to vote.
(d) granting people who did not own property the right to vote.
(e) establishing the House of Representatives based in proportion to population, and the Senate with equal representation by each State.

24. The primary underlying cause of the War of 1812 was:

(a) France’s refusal to agree to peace rather than go to war.
(b) John Quincy Adams’ failed diplomacy.
(c) the British Orders in Council.
(d) Andrew Jackson’s lack of success in battle.
(e) the burning of D.C. by England.

25. Order the following colonies by year established:

I. Georgia
II. New Jersey
III. Pennsylvania
IV. Connecticut

(a) I, II, III and IV
(b) I, III, II and IV
(c) IV, II, III and I
(d) II, III, IV and I
(e) all were established within 10 years of each other.

26. This cartoon says, “That’s you Dad! More ‘FREE SOIL’. We’ll rot ‘em out yet. Long life to Davy Wilmot”

Which of the following is true about this cartoon?

I. It depicts the Barnburners, who were anti-slavery advocates who left the Democratic Party
II. It depicts the Barnburners, who were pro-slavery advocates who left the Whig Party
III. It was written in the mid-1850s.

(a) I only
(b) I and II
(c) I and III
(d) II and III
(e) I, II and III

27. The Trent Affair involved which of the following:

(a) During the Jackson Administration, this scandal caused nearly all of his Cabinet to resign
(b) During the Washington Administration, this led to the Whiskey Rebellion
(c) Trent infiltrated Shays’ Rebellion and allowed it to be suppressed
(d) During the Civil War, the Union seized a British ship and arrested two Confederates
(e) During the Adams Administration, Trent was one of the “XYZ” agents

28. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo did which of the following:

I. ended the Mexican War

II. won independence for Texas

III. set the border with Mexico at the Rio Grande River

IV. acquired for the United States California and much other western property

(a) I, II and IV
(b) I, III and IV
(c) I, II, III and IV
(d) II and IV
(e) IV only

29. “If the tide of defamation and abuse shall turn, and my administration come to be praised, future vice presidents who may succeed to the presidency may feel some slight encouragement to pursue an independent course." Who said that?

(a) John Polk
(b) Thomas Jefferson
(c) Zachary Taylor
(d) James Buchanan
(e) John Tyler

HONORS (EXTRA CREDIT FOR NON-HONORS)

30. Which of the following is true about the Tenure of Office Act?

I. It passed during the presidency of Andrew Johnson
II. It required Senate approval before a President could fire a Cabinet official
III. It led to the impeachment of Andrew Johnson when he violated it

(a) II only
(b) I and II only
(c) I, II and III
(d) I only
(e) III only

31. What was the position of the presidents elected in the 1850s about slavery, and why?

(a) they were against slavery because it was wrong
(b) they were against slavery and won because the South was losing political power
(c) they were for slavery and won because the Whig Party was split over the issue
(d) they were for slavery and won because they were military heroes
(e) they had no opinion on slavery because there were more important issues

32. In Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842), the Massachusetts Supreme Court held for the first time that

(a) workers could form unions and strike against employers
(b) Chinese immigrants could not work in Massachusetts without a license
(c) the Supreme Clause of the U.S. Constitution trumped state law
(d) the national bank could not operate without a license in Massachusetts
(e) same-sex marriage was a right under the Massachusetts Constitution

33. Please interpret this cartoon by Thomas Nast (the caption at the bottom says, “The Same Old Pirate Afloat Again,” and one plank says, “Democratic Platform”):

(a) Thomas Nast is criticizing the Union for fighting the Civil War.
(b) Thomas Nast is supporting the Democratic Party.
(c) Thomas Nast is criticizing the attitude of the South and the Democratic Party after the Civil War.
(d) Thomas Nast is urging Congress to be more lenient on the South.
(e) Thomas Nast is not taking a position about Reconstruction.

34. A claim that Alexander Hamilton was the greatest Founding Father (other than George Washington) could cite as evidence all of the following EXCEPT:

(a) Hamilton’s role at the Constitutional Convention
(b) Hamilton’s role in the selection by Congress of Jefferson rather than Aaron Burr as President
(c) Hamilton’s role in the compromise that placed the capital in Washington, D.C.
(d) Hamilton’s role in advising George Washington on key issues
(e) Hamilton’s role in killing Aaron Burr in their duel in New Jersey

35. “That every person who shall hereafter commit the crime of treason against the United States, and shall be adjudged guilty thereof, shall suffer death, and all his slaves, if any, shall be declared and made free ….” What was the first use of that?

(a) The Emancipation Proclamation
(b) The Confiscation Acts
(c) the Civil Rights Act
(d) the Black Codes
(e) the Jim Crow laws

36. The Lecompton Constitution was

(a) pro-slavery and adopted as law in Kansas
(b) pro-slavery and never adopted as law in Kansas
(c) anti-slavery and adopted as law in Kansas
(d) anti-slavery and never adopted as law in Kansas
(e) silent on the issue of slavery

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