What were Senator John C. Calhoun’s views in the congressional debate in 1850? A) There must be a constitutional amendment to protect southern rights to carry slaves into western territories. B) Congress should extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Coast; banning slavery north of the line, but allowing it south of the line. […]
What was the “good government” reform faction in the Gilded Age’s Republican Party called? A) Mugwumps B) Stalwarts C) Redeemers D) Half-breeds ANSWER A
Aaron Burr was acquitted of treason because A) he did not, in fact, conspire to seize western territory. B) President Jefferson used his influence to protect his former vice president. C) the prosecution was unable to meet the judge’s strict definition of treason. D) his co-conspirator refused to testify against him. ANSWER C
President Jefferson responded to the Chesapeake incident by A) asking Congress to close American ports and prohibit American trade with foreign nations. B) directing his diplomats in Paris to complete the Louisiana Purchase. C) authorizing Congress to begin construction of coastal gunboats. D) organizing the “War Hawks” to threaten Britain with the possibility of war. […]
What precipitated congressional action against the spoils system? A) the election of a Democrat to the presidency B) the organizing of the Populist Party C) the assassination of President Garfield D) the amassing of a treasury surplus ANSWER C
The Embargo Act did NOT A) stimulate smuggling and evasion of the law by Americans. B) force political concessions from Britain and France. C) produce economic hardships in the United States. D) provoke political dissension in the United States. ANSWER B
Define John C. Calhoun’s principle of nullification. Describe its application in the nullification crisis of 1832. What will be an ideal response? ANSWER Nullification, based on the compact theory of the Constitution, claimed a state could declare a federal law unconstitutional, thus null and void within its boundaries. A South Carolina convention nullified the […]
In United States v. E. C. Knight Company, the Supreme Court ruled that the nation’s anti-trust law could not be applied to A) shipping. B) railroads. C) labor unions. D) manufacturing. ANSWER D
The text authors claim that John Quincy Adams was “one of the most brilliant and well-qualified men to serve in the White House.” Why then was his presidency a failure? What will be an ideal response? ANSWER Consider: his cold personality; his poor political skills; the circumstances of his election; his policies of high […]
________ established the legal basis for busing students between schools as a means of forcing school desegregation. A) The Civil Rights Act of 1964 B) President Johnson’s Executive Order 11246 C) Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education D) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ANSWER C
