US History Study Guide

Who was an engineer who lobbied Congress to pass the Transcontinental Railroad Act but died before the railroad was finished? A) Asa Whitney B) Theodore Judah C) Thomas Durant D) Abraham Lincoln

How did the end of the Civil War help the Union Pacific Railroad? A) It supplied the railroad with labor in the form of free African Americans B) It freed the government to give more money to the Union Pacific line C) It ended the labor shortage, as war veterans went to work on the railroad D) It encouraged more people to travel the railroad to settle in the West.

How did the federal government use land grants in the West in the 1860s? A) The government gave land to the railroads to spur the development of a transcontinental railroad. B) The government used land grants to relocate American Indians onto reservations. C) The government slowed settlement of the West by withholding land grants until the Civil War was over. D) The government offered land grants to free African Americans after the end of the Civil War.

How did speculators take advantage of the Homestead Act? -by catering to new markets -by promising homesteaders a reliable link to the East -by creating phony claims -by preparing the land for planting

One of the main problems with the Indian reservation system was that government agents -took land from settlers to give to American Indians. -dealt dishonestly with American Indian families. -did not understand the power structure of American Indian tribes. -gave land to settlers who removed American Indians.

What was one provision of the Dawes Act of 1887? -to stop American Indians from buying land -to stop American Indians from resisting assimilation -to divide and distribute land to American Indians -to divide and distribute land to white settlers

The government's continuous changing of American Indian policy caused -distrust of the federal government among American Indians. -trust of the federal government among American Indians. -all American Indian tribes to rise up against federal government -policies. -all American Indian tribes to accept federal government policies.

I will fight no more forever. Who said this quote when the Nez Perce surrendered in 1877? -Chief Joseph -Geronimo -General Custer -Sitting Bull

Populists believed that bankers, landowners, and political parties -were in constant conflict at the expense of important issues. -had taken over the Knights of Labor along with other labor unions. -supported collective action to achieve prosperity for all. -worked together to keep control of the US in the hands of the wealthy.

"The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of those, in turn, despise the republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires." What sentence best summarizes the above quotation? -The "common people" often take advantage of the wealthy class. -The wealthy often profit from the hard work of the lower class. -The wealthy succeed because they are stronger than the lower class. -There are three economic classes: the rich, the poor, and the middle class.

Which of the following best describes William Jennings Bryan's political experience? -Bryan served as the governor of Nebraska and as secretary of state. -Bryan served as a US senator and as the attorney general. -Bryan served as secretary of state and in the House of Representatives. -Bryan served in the House of Representatives and as vice president.

How could William Jennings Bryan oppose the gold standard and also support bimetallism? -Bryan took each position at a different point in his career, with his -support for bimetallism coming later in life. -Bimetallism called for a fixed value for gold, which was the opposite of the gold standard. -Bryan spoke in favor of the gold standard when addressing the wealthy and in favor of bimetallism when speaking to the poor. -Bryan opposed the idea of a fixed value for gold while supporting the concept of a currency based on two metals.

Which reform measure could voters use if they wanted to change a law about taxes? -a direct election -an initiative -a recall -an impeachment

Which of the following did the Interstate Commerce Act ban in 1887? -railroad pools -interstate railroads -steel monopolies -sugar-refining monopolies

Why did the Interstate Commerce Commission have difficulty enforcing reforms? -The courts often ruled against the commission. -The commission had no power to ban rate discrimination. -The commission members supported laissez-faire policies. -The courts would not hear cases on interstate commerce.

Opponents of political machines argued that machines 1. put unqualified people into public office 2. 3. ignored the needs of many citizens because they could win elections through corruptions Which phrase best fits in the blank (number 2)? -wasted government money -gave citizens government money -encouraged people to vote -supported government investigations

In the great leap from slavery to freedom . . . the masses of us are to live by the production of our hands . . . we shall prosper . . . as we learn to dignify and glorify common labor. According to this quotation, Washington believed that -hard work had its own kind of dignity. -hard work was not more important than education. -people could not prosper from common labor. -people had to prosper in order to achieve freedom.

Jim Crow laws, a set of racist and discriminatory rules and regulations, were enacted -starting in the mid- to late 1800s. -in the South, starting in the early 1800s. -in the North, starting in the early 1800s. -starting after the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling

In 1954, the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education -overturned Plessy v. Ferguson by ruling segregation unconstitutional. -stated that African American and white schools needed to be equal. -upheld the Separate Car Act by ruling that segregation was legal. -upheld Plessy v. Ferguson by ruling segregation constitutional.

The court case Plessy v. Ferguson challenged the legality of -racially segregated facilities. -scare tactics to enforce Jim Crow laws. -racially segregated housing. -"separate but equal" schools.

"There is filth on the floor, and it must be scraped up with the muck rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed . . . The men with the muck rakes are often indispensable to the well-being of society." According to this quotation, which of the following best describes Roosevelt's view on journalism? -Writers should be concerned about upsetting American political -leaders. -Writers should not worry about upsetting the public. -Writers who expose corruption perform a vital service to America. -Writers should only expose corruption in certain industries.

"My purpose was...the see if the shameful facts, spread out in all their shame, would not burn through our civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride" Which of the following best describes Steffens' purpose in writing about government? -to encourage Americans to feel more pride in their government -to describe corruption in city and state governments -to describe why city and state government officials made certain decisions -to encourage Americans to revolt against their government

"My purpose was . . . to see if the shameful facts, spread out in all their shame, would not burn through our civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride" According to Steffens, what was the purpose of muckraking journalism? -to encourage people to buy fewer newspapers -to encourage people to become muckraking journalists themselves -to encourage people to rise up against their government -to encourage people to take action against widespread corruption

Which of the following best describes how muckrakers brought about reform in the Progressive Era? -Muckrakers presented Americans with facts about corruption in government and industry and encouraged them to investigate further. -Muckrakers presented Americans with facts about corruption in industry and government that prompted them to demand change. -Muckrakers presented government officials with different ways to reform existing legislation. -Muckrakers presented government officials with facts about different industries and demanded change.

Which of the following best describes the main way that Upton Sinclair gathered research for The Jungle? -He hired investigators to spy on activities in a meat-packing plant. -He spent two years doing research in libraries all over America. -He went undercover as a worker in a meat-packing plant. -He interviewed experts in the meat-packing industry.

"There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumptive germs" Which of the following best describes the American public's reaction to reading The Jungle? -The public looked for employment in the meat-packing industry in order to help improve conditions. -The public lobbied for meat-packing plants to close down in order to end the consumption of meat in America. -The public was outraged and demanded legislative reform from the government. -The public did not believe the details of the book and they turned against Sinclair.

What impact did Sinclair's book have on the era of Progressive reform? -The Jungle showed that the government was unwilling to make changes because of one person's attempt at reform. -The Jungle made people want to return to the former ways of production they were accustomed to. -The Jungle showed that if the public was informed about a certain issue, it had the power to demand reform from the government. -The Jungle did not have any great or lasting impact on the era of Progressive reform.

What was one way Progressives wanted to regulate railroads? -by limiting the fees railroads could charge for carrying freight -by limiting the number of states through which railroads could travel -by determining the wages paid to railroad workers -by determining the amount of taxes the railroads had to pay

According to this political cartoon, "The Open Road," who is on the road to liberty, equality, and justice? -the Democratic Party -the Republican Party -the Populist Party -the Progressive Party

Which of the following was a reason that Roosevelt sued the Northern Securities Company? -Northern Securities controlled all rail service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. -Northern Securities controlled all freight service between Chicago and Los Angeles. -Northern Securities controlled all mail delivery between Chicago and New York. -Northern Securities controlled all meat packing between Chicago and Detroit.

In the Muller v. Oregon case of 1908, the Supreme Court -ruled against government regulations. -overturned a state law regarding child safety. -ruled in favor of government regulations. -overturned a state law regarding unsafe products.

Which of the following best describes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony? -two women who formed the National Woman Suffrage Association -the first two American women to hold national elected office -two women who formed the American Abortionist Movement -the first two American women to vote legally in a national election

Who became a leader of the women's suffrage movement after helping draft the Declaration of Sentiments? -Jeannette Rankin -Elizabeth Cady Stanton -Susan B. Anthony -Margaret Sanger

In the early 1800s, female reformers focused on the issue(s) of: -temperance only. -women's access to health care and health education. -temperance, abolition, and women's access to education. -women's right to vote.

How did the 1840 World's Anti-Slavery Convention affect the women's suffrage movement? -Women and men participated equally in the convention; this helped show the US government that women deserved the right to vote. -Women and men participated equally in the convention; this raised the profile of several key female activists. -Women were not allowed to fully participate in the convention; this directly led to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. -Women were not allowed to fully participate in the convention; this led several key female activists to shift their focus to women's rights.

In the late 1800s, imperialist countries often used their colonies as -sources of labor for their factories. -sources of manufactured goods. -markets for their natural resources. -markets for the products they produced.

To expand their empires, imperialist countries in the 1800s preferred to take over -other imperialist countries with experienced labor forces. -industrially undeveloped countries rich in natural resources. -other imperialist countries that needed raw materials. -industrially undeveloped countries that needed resources.

"I repeat that superior races have a right [to establish colonies], because they have a duty. They have the duty to civilize inferior races." - Jules Ferry, French premier, 1883 Ferry's statement supports the practice of -forced religious conversion. -manifest destiny. -imperialism. -patriotism.

What is the significance of the eagle's stance? -The eagle represents the willingness of the United States to use force to protect its territories. -The eagle shows that the United States has expanded enough. -The eagle represents the threat the United States poses to other countries. -The eagle shows that United States values freedom and liberty.

When Perry returned to Japan in 1854, why did he bring more ships than he had in 1853? -to convince the Japanese to negotiate -to trade goods with the Japanese -to train US sailors to navigate across the Pacific -to transport a new US consul and other officials

Which statement characterizes Japan's economy during the Meiji Restoration? -Japan's economy limited trade with other nations because of isolationism. -Japan's economy was based on agriculture and did not change much.. -Japan's economy expanded trade with Western nations and industrialized rapidly. -Japan's economy suffered economic declines because industrialization was slow.

Which of the following best describes the controversy in the United States over the 1868 purchase of Alaska? -Supporters hoped to connect Alaska to the "Lower 48" by annexing Canada, a plan detractors considered imperialistic. -Supporters saw Alaska as a foothold into Europe, while detractors were concerned that attacking Europe would prove too costly. -Supporters believed Alaska would provide valuable natural resources, while detractors felt it was too cold and too far away. -Supporters felt that control of Alaska was key to expanding US trade, while detractors believed that Alaska was too far north to influence trade.

Why did the United States establish the Open Door policy? -to ensure that it could conduct trade with and exert influence in China -to encourage immigration from China and other Asian countries -to allow US missionaries to travel freely in other countries -to secure a lasting peace among the various imperial powers

Which of the following was a significant challenge in building the Panama Canal? -Frequent rains caused rivers to flood. -Engineering plans were often wrong. -Workers went on strike to get extra pay. -Congress did not provide enough money..

How did new scientific knowledge help the building of the Panama Canal? -Fewer workers got sick from malaria and yellow fever. -Radios helped workers stay in touch with their families. -Better nutrition led to more work being done. -Airplanes were able to deliver supplies more quickly.

What message did the Roosevelt Corollary send to the rest of the world? -The US had the most powerful navy in the world. -The US was in charge of the Western Hemisphere. -The US did not want to be involved in other countries' affairs. -The US had the strongest economy in the world.

In Nicaragua, President Taft's use of Dollar Diplomacy -helped Nicaragua remain peaceful for many years. -angered people in other Latin American countries. -allowed the US to remove its troops from Nicaragua. -hurt the economies of Nicaragua's neighbors.

France joined the Triple Entente because -it had a long history of friendship with Great Britain. -it needed protection from Germany. -its leaders wanted to take over land in the Balkans. -its leaders wanted to protect French colonies in Africa.

Why were some Serbians and Bosnians angry with Austria-Hungary in 1914? -Austria-Hungary had taken over Bosnia and dominated Serbia. -Austria-Hungary refused to trade with either country. -Austria-Hungary would not allow religious freedom in either country. -Austria-Hungary wanted to build a railroad through the center of both countries.

Why did Russia send troops to the border of Austria-Hungary in 1914? -Austria-Hungary had invaded Serbia, and Russia was in an alliance with Serbia. -Austria-Hungary was threatening to invade Russia. -Austria-Hungary was sending its people to live in Russia. -Austria-Hungary needed help resisting a German invasion.