Chaptrer 16/17

Question 1

In order to maintain the two great political parties as vital bonds of national unity, party leaders
a.
decided to ban slavery from all United States territories.
b.
decided to allow slavery into all United States territories.
c.
avoided public discussion of slavery.
d.
banished abolitionists from membership in either national party.
e.
worked to make third parties almost impossible.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The United States’ victory in the Mexican War resulted in all of the following except
a.
renewed controversy over the issue of extending slavery into the territories.
b.
a possible split in the Whig and Democrat parties over slavery.
c.
the cession by Mexico of an enormous amount of land to the United States.
d.
a rush of settlers to new American territory in California.
e.
acquisition of the Oregon territory

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The debate over slavery in the Mexican Cession
a.
threatened to split national politics along North-South lines.
b.
nearly resulted in the return of the territory to Mexico.
c.
resulted in the formation of the Republican party.
d.
resulted in strong hostility to further expansionism.
e.
caused clashes between proslavery and antislavery settlers in California.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The Free Soil party of 1848 harbored many northerners who stood squarely against slavery in the territories primarily on the grounds that
a.
further expansion of slavery might break up the union.
b.
it destroyed the chances of free white workers to rise up from wage-earning dependence.
c.
slavery was a moral evil contrary to American principles.
d.
slave labor would be unproductive in the West.
e.
the southern fire-eaters were already planning further expansion into Central America.

Answer 4

B

Question 5

According to the principle of popular sovereignty, the question of slavery in the territories would be determined by
a.
the most popular national leaders.
b.
a national referendum by the Electoral College.
c.
congressional legislation.
d.
a Supreme Court decision.
e.
the people in any given territory.

Answer 5

E

Question 6

The public liked popular sovereignty because it
a.
stopped the spread of slavery.
b.
fit in with the democratic tradition of self-determination.
c.
provided a national solution to the problem of slavery.
d.
supported the Wilmot Proviso.
e.
upheld the principles of white supremacy.

Answer 6

B

Question 7

In the 1848 presidential election, the Democratic and Whig parties
a.
lost to the Free Soil party.
b.
addressed the issue of slavery.
c.
remained silent on the issue of slavery.
d.
abandoned the tactic of nominating military leaders.
e.
were divided on the issue of admitting California.

Answer 7

C

Question 8

The event that threatened to destroy the longstanding balance of free and slave states in the United States Senate was the
a.
passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
b.
potential admission of Oregon as a free state.
c.
attempt to acquire Cuba as a slave state.
d.
proposed building of a southern transcontinental railroad.
e.
discovery of gold in California and its bid for statehood.

Answer 8

E

Question 9

The South grew increasingly worried about the future of slavery because
a.
it was unsuited to the West.
b.
the admission of California might permanently tip the political balance against them.
c.
the Supreme Court might issue rulings against slavery.
d.
President Taylor was the first president openly critical of slavery.
e.
popular sovereignty would almost certainly prevent the spread of slavery.

Answer 9

B

Question 10

Which of the following was not among the issues that concerned southerners in 1849-1850?
a.
The political balance in the Senate might tip against them.
b.
The admission of California as a free state might set a precedent for Utah and New Mexico.
c.
Northern abolitionists were agitating against slavery in the District of Columbia.
d.
The loss of runaway slaves through the Underground Railroad.
e.
There was a growing chance that a constitutional amendment would abolish slavery.

Answer 10

E

Question 11

The issue of runaway slaves was important because
a.
the South was losing a significant portion of its labor force.
b.
the Underground Railroad might encourage a slave rebellion.
c.
the loss of property was significant, but the loss of honor was felt more.
d.
escaped slaves might establish free colonies in the West.
e.
free blacks demonstrated that the racist theory of slavery was wrong.

Answer 11

C

Question 12

The Free Soilers argued that slavery
a.
was unsuited to the West.
b.
would cause more costly wage labor to wither away.
c.
would, through its profits, enable small farmers to buy more land.
d.
should be gradually abolished.
e.
was an immoral institution.

Answer 12

B

Question 13

The Free Soilers condemned slavery because
a.
of the harm it did to blacks.
b.
of moral principles.
c.
it destroyed the chances of free white workers to rise from wage-earning to self-employment.
d.
it was the only way they had of combating the appeal of the Democratic party.
e.
it damaged the national economy.

Answer 13

C

Question 14

The Underground Railroad consisted of
a.
an informal network of homes where slaves could hide on their escape to freedom.
b.
a train that hid slaves in cargo areas and carried them to freedom in the north.
c.
a vehicle for capturing and returning runaway slaves back to the south.
d.
a radical new transportation design.
e.
None of these

Answer 14

A

Question 15

An event that helped the cause of compromise in 1850, was when President Zachary Taylor
a.
led an invasion of Texas to halt its attempts to take part of New Mexico.
b.
supported fellow southerner John C. Calhoun’s plan for union.
c.
died suddenly and Millard Fillmore became president.
d.
ushered in a second Era of Good Feelings.
e.
decided not to run for re-election.

Answer 15

C

Question 16

In the Compromise of 1850, Congress determined that slavery in the New Mexico and Utah territories was
a.
to be banned.
b.
protected by federal law.
c.
to be decided by popular sovereignty.
d.
to be ignored until either territory applied for admission to statehood.
e.
to be decided by the Supreme Court.

Answer 16

C

Question 17

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 included all of the following provisions except
a.
the requirement that fugitive slaves be returned from Canada.
b.
denial of a jury trial to runaway slaves.
c.
denial of fleeing slaves’ right to testify on their own behalf.
d.
the penalty of imprisonment for northerners who helped slaves to escape.
e.
a higher payment if officials determined blacks to be runaways.

Answer 17

A

Question 18

All of the following were results of the Fugitive Slave Act except
a.
many people were drawn into the antislavery movement.
b.
Northerners who aided slaves in escaping faced heavy fines and jail sentences.
c.
federal commissioners handling the cases of runaways received twice as much in a bonus if the slave was returned.
d.
Northerners protested the capture of individual runaway slaves.
e.
the Underground Railroad scaled back its efforts.

Answer 18

E

Question 19

The election of 1852 was significant because it
a.
saw the victory of a pro-South northerner.
b.
marked the return of issues-oriented campaigning.
c.
saw the rise of purely national parties.
d.
marked the end of the Whig party.
e.
saw the emergence of an antislavery third party.

Answer 19

D

Question 20

The Pierce administration’s secret scheme to gain control of Cuba was stopped when
a.
Spain threatened a preemptive war against the United States.
b.
the secret Ostend Manifesto was leaked to the public.
c.
United States leaders signed the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty.
d.
Spain declared that it would abolish slavery in Cuba.
e.
United States adventurers bungled their invasion.

Answer 20

B

Question 21

Some Southerners felt Cuba would be an enticing prospect for annexation for all of the following reasons except it
a.
was not controlled by any European power and would be easily acquired.
b.
was a sugar-rich and economically productive territory.
c.
already had a large population of enslaved blacks.
d.
could be carved into several states, restoring political balance in the Senate.
e.
was located just off the nation’s southern doorstep.

Answer 21

A

Question 22

On July 3, 1844, the first formal diplomatic agreement between the United States and China was the
a.
Ostend Manifesto.
b.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty.
c.
Chinese Open-Door Treaty.
d.
Treaty of Wanghia.
e.
Hong Kong/Chinese Treaty.

Answer 22

D

Question 23

Most American leaders believed that the only way to keep the new Pacific Coast territories from breaking away from United States control was to
a.
allow slavery in these areas.
b.
build a canal across Central America.
c.
grant the territories quick statehood.
d.
construct a transcontinental railroad.
e.
establish large naval bases in San Diego and Seattle.

Answer 23

D

Question 24

Undoubtedly the most durable offspring of the Kansas-Nebraska blunder was
a.
the resurgence of the Whig political party.
b.
the new Republican political party.
c.
a constitutional amendment banning slavery in any new territories.
d.
rejection of popular sovereignty.
e.
the death of the Democratic political party.

Answer 24

B

Question 25

The earliest known use of the term Manifest Destiny was by
a.
John Tyler.
b.
James K. Polk.
c.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
d.
John L. O’Sullivan.
e.
Mark Twain.

Answer 25

D

Question 26

Relations between Britain and the United States in the nineteenth century could be characterized as
a.
harmonious at the diplomatic level but full of popular resentments on both sides.
b.
generally peaceful, with occasional periods of tension.
c.
marked by growing American economic supremacy.
d.
constantly on the brink of war.
e.
generally tense, with periods of both violence and peaceful resolution.

Answer 26

E

Question 27

As a result of the panic of 1837
a.
the U. S. established restrictions on foreign loans.
b.
Britain lent money to America, its close ally.
c.
anti-British passions cooled in America.
d.
the Democrats led America into war for more territory.
e.
several states defaulted on their debts to Britain.

Answer 27

E

Question 28

The Aroostook War was
a.
a short-lived insurrection in British Canada.
b.
a battle between Native Americans and settlers in northern Maine.
c.
a full-scale war between Britain and the United States.
d.
a small-scale clash between lumberjacks in Maine and Canada
e.
a dispute over fishing rights between Britain and the United States.

Answer 28

D

Question 29

ll of the following were reasons why Britain was intensely interested in an independent Texas except
a.
such a republic would check the southward surge of the American colossus, who posed a threat to nearby British possessions in the New World.
b.
clashes between Texas and America would create a smoke-screen diversion behind which foreign powers could move into the Americas and challenge the Monroe Doctrine.
c.
British merchants believed that an independent Texas could be an important free-trade area, to offset the tariff-walled United States.
d.
Texas could become a location for the settlement of undesirable British emigrants.
e.
the alliance would give abolitionists the opportunity to free slaves in Texas and inflame nearby slaves in the South.

Answer 29

D

Question 30

Most Americans who migrated to the Oregon Country were attracted by the
a.
rich soil of the Willamette River Valley.
b.
expectation of fighting British troops.
c.
potential profits in the fur trade.
d.
discovery of gold and silver in the Cascade Mountains.
e.
hope of finding a better trade route to East Asia.

Answer 30

A

Question 31

In the presidential election of 1844, the Whig candidate, Henry Clay
a.
opposed the annexation of Texas.
b.
called for immediate annexation of Texas.
c.
favored both the postponing and the annexation of Texas.
d.
ignored the issue of the annexation of Texas.
e.
favored dividing Texas into several states.

Answer 31

C

Question 32

One reason that the British government decided to compromise on the Oregon Country border was
a.
the support of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
b.
their belief that the territory was not worth fighting over.
c.
John Tyler’s election to the presidency.
d.
America’s acceptance of 54° 40’.
e.
their better ability to defend British Columbia.

Answer 32

B

Question 33

In his quest for California, President James K. Polk
a.
advocated war with Mexico from the beginning.
b.
argued strongly for annexation, because Americans were the most numerous people in the area.
c.
was motivated by his knowledge of gold deposits there.
d.
sought British help to persuade Mexico to sell the area to the United States.
e.
first advocated buying the area from Mexico.

Answer 33

E

Question 34

President Polk’s claim that “American blood [had been shed] on the American soil” referred to news of an armed clash between Mexican and American troops near
a.
San Francisco.
b.
the Nueces River.
c.
Santa Fe.
d.
the Rio Grande.
e.
San Antonio.

Answer 34

D

Question 35

When the war with Mexico began, President James K. Polk
a.
advocated taking all of Mexico.
b.
believed the British would intervene on behalf of the Americans.
c.
hoped to fight a limited war, ending with the conquest of California.
d.
supported a large-scale conflict.
e.
denied any intention of expanding slavery.

Answer 35

C

Question 36

All of the following were legacies of the U.S. war with Mexico, except
a.
Mexicans have never forgotten that the U.S. tore away about half of their country.
b.
the war resulted in a negative turning point in U.S. relations with Latin America.
c.
it reinvigorated the slavery issue and debates about extending slavery.
d.
Latin America solidified their friendly relations with the U.S.
e.
roughly 13,000 American soldiers died, mostly from disease.

Answer 36

D

Question 37

The Wilmot Proviso
a.
symbolized the burning issue of slavery in the territories.
b.
gained House and Senate approval in 1846.
c.
settled, once and for all, the issue of slavery in California.
d.
allowed slavery in the territory taken from Mexico in 1848.
e.
left open the issue of slavery in New Mexico and Utah.

Answer 37

A

Question 38

The Californios’ political ascendancy in California ended
a.
with the arrival of Franciscan friars.
b.
as a result of the influx of Anglo golddiggers.
c.
when Mexico gained control of the area in 1826.
d.
when agriculture became more profitable than mining.
e.
when the U.S. government made English mandatory.

Answer 38

B