STAAR RELEASED TEST -14

The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affected the lives of millions of African Americans by —

• A. providing them with voting rights
• B. guaranteeing their freedom of speech
• C. providing them with access to the court system
• D. guaranteeing their permanent freedom from slavery

As a result of the Oregon Treaty, the United States achieved its goal of —

• F. expanding westward to the Pacific Ocean
• G. acquiring land for a southwestern railroad
• H. reserving western territory for American Indians
• J. securing the southern border of the country

Why did the Anti-Federalists demand that a bill of rights be added to the U.S. Constitution?

• A. To strengthen the authority of the federal government
• B. To improve the organization of the judiciary 
• C. To give each state an equal amount of power
• D. To protect individual freedoms from the federal government

U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis had sent Gadsden to negotiate with Santa Anna for the land. Davis valued it, as others did, as the perfect tract for the construction of the southern transcontinental railroad. The railroad line would connect western territories to the east and north, greatly increasing the accessibility of these new lands. —“America’s Story,” Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov (accessed November 12, 2009)
According to the excerpt above, the Gadsden Purchase was intended to —

• F.  support settlement of U.S. territory gained through the U.S.-Mexican War
• G. encourage commerce among U.S. states formed from the Louisiana Purchase
• H. allow the United States and Mexico to share railroad construction costs
• J. encourage the sale of U.S. government land in Florida

It is essential to the freedom and security of a free people, that no taxes be imposed upon them but by their own consent, or their representatives. —The Sons of Liberty, address to the public, New York, December 15, 1773 8
The excerpt above reflects the dissatisfaction of American colonists with the —

• F. political debates that took place at the Albany Convention
• G. interference of Great Britain in the slave trade
• H. economic consequences of the Great Awakening
• J. economic policies imposed by Great Britain following the French and Indian War

I consider, then, the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one state, incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution . . . —Proclamation, President Andrew Jackson 9
The proclamation excerpted above was issued during which of these historical events?

• A. Shay's Rebellion
• B. The War of 1812
• C. Nullification Crisis
• D. The Civil War 

Why did the economies of western territories develop so differently from the economies of the Northeast and South?

• F.  Western territories had limited land and a large immigrant population.
• G. Western territories had natural harbors and many navigable rivers.
• H. Western territories had rocky soil and a large supply of slave labor
• J. Western territories had inexpensive land and abundant natural resources.

America may boast that she has accomplished what no power before her ever did, contending with Britain—Captured two of their celebrated Generals and each an Army of thousands of veteran Troops to support them. —Abigail Adams, letter to John Adams, December 9, 1781
To which of the following is Abigail Adams referring in this excerpt?

• A. The American victory at the Battle of Yorktown
• B. The negotiation of the Treaty of Paris by American diplomats
• C. The bravery of American soldiers at Valley Forge
• D. The arrival of French aid after the Battle of Saratoga

Which of these best summarizes the Monroe Doctrine?

• F. The immigration of Europeans to the United States must be discouraged.
• G. International peace can be maintained without complicated alliances.
• H. The power to nullify federal laws is necessary to preserve sovereignty.
• J. Further colonization of the Americas by European countries is prohibited.

Finally, in the summer of 1842, after seven years of desperate warfare, an agreement was reached with the few hundred remaining Seminoles, allowing them to live in southwest Florida. —John and Mary Lou Missall, A Short History of the Seminole Wars, 2006
What led to the conflict referred to in this excerpt?

• A. The passage of the Dawes Act 
• B. The Louisiana Purchase
• C. The adoption of Indian removal policies
• D. The Battle of Tippecanoe