2015 STAAR Readiness 4th

A certain small town has many choices for people who want to attend religious services, including two churches, a synagogue, a cathedral, a mosque, and a temple. These choices are protected by the —

• First Amendment
• Third Amendment
• Sixth Amendment
• Eighth Amendment

• The Whiskey Rebellion • The Bank of the United States • The Alien and Sedition Acts • Marbury v. Madison
This list provides examples of —

• topics discussed during the Second Constitutional Convention
• domestic issues faced by the leaders of the new republic
• weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation
• issues leading to the ratification of the first constitutional amendments

How did Samuel Morse’s best-known innovation contribute to U.S. growth and development?

• It enabled instantaneous long-distance transmission of information.
• It allowed manufactured goods to be produced at lower costs.
• It boosted the speed of cross-country mail delivery.
• It increased national unity by reducing sectional differences

"The President . . . shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur." —U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2
**This excerpt provides one example of which constitutional principle? 

• Federalism
• Checks and balances 
• Popular sovereignty 
• Individual rights

The numbered river on the map represents a major role in--

• the defeat of the British at the Battle of Saratoga
• the exploration of a major region gained from France
• the defeat of the British at Fort McHenry
• the settlement of territory claimed by the Dutch

The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified in order to — 

• establish legal requirements for the education of former slaves 
• mandate fair labor contracts between African American workers and plantation owners 
• abolish the institution of slavery 
• protect the voting rights of African American men

Which of these prompted Congress to propose the Fourteenth Amendment? 

• The popular sovereignty provision in the Kansas-Nebraska Act 
• The positions taken in the Know-Nothing Party platform 
• The Black Codes enacted by southern states after the Civil War 
• The opposition by southern states to the Emancipation Proclamation

In the debate over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, which point would have been made by a Federalist?

• “The existing national government lacks the ability to add new states to the union.” 
• “The states are in danger of losing the ability to raise revenue.” 
• “The existing national government lacks the power to perform essential functions.” 
• “The states are unable to protect the rights of the people.”

What was one long-term consequence of the sharecropping system? 

• Agricultural workers organized labor unions
• Many former slaves became trapped in a cycle of debt. 
• Many agricultural workers moved to cities to start small businesses. 
• Landowners sold property to pay wages to former slaves.

Boston and New Orleans were both founded as — 

• port cities 
• farming communities 
• industrial centers 
• military outposts