Civil War Test - Spring 2024

Which invention led to an increase in the production of cotton and helped Southern farms become more productive?

• the McCormick reaper

• the cotton gin

• the steamboat

• vulcanized rubber

Answer explanation

The cotton gin was a machine that removed the seeds from cotton. The process of removing seeds from cotton had previously been done by hand and was very time consuming. With the new method of removing seeds from cotton, Southern farms were able to increase their productivity and profitability.

Which of the following is true of the 1860 presidential election?

• All of Abraham Lincoln's electoral votes were from slave states.

• Abraham Lincoln won more electoral votes from slave states than from free states.

• C.Abraham Lincoln's electoral votes were evenly divided between free states and slave states.

• All of Abraham Lincoln's electoral votes were from free states.

Answer explanation

Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860 with 180 electoral votes, all from free states. The electoral votes from the slave states were divided between Stephen Douglas, John C. Breckenridge, and John Bell. The results of this election show how divided the country was over the issue of slavery.

What was the outcome of the Dred Scott case?

• The Court ruled blacks could not be considered citizens and reversed part of the Missouri Compromise.

• The Court gave Dred Scott his freedom and upheld the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise.

• The Court ruled that blacks were only citizens if they lived in Northern states or territories.

• The Court did not rule because it did not recognize the right of a black man to sue.

Why was the Battle of Gettysburg an important turning point in the war?

• The South was able to advance toward Philadelphia.

• Washington, DC was finally protected from the Confederate army.

• Union troops received the food and supplies they needed.

• The Union pushed the Southern armies back into Virginia.

Which Union general accepted Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House?

• George G. McClellan

• William Tecumseh Sherman

• Ulysses S. Grant

• Abraham Lincoln

Answer explanation

Ulysses S. Grant gained fame in 1863 by capturing the Confederate city of Vicksburg, which resulted in the Union gaining complete control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy to the east and west of it. Because of Grant's success, Lincoln appointed him to general-in-chief of all the armies of the United States. Lincoln also moved Grant to the Eastern theater to defeat Lee. Grant advanced through Virginia and fought several battles against Lee, and the Confederate general was eventually forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

"Taking over command of the Richmond forces in 1862 after General Johnston was injured defending the southern capital, this leader was once offered the command of all Union troops. Choosing instead to remain loyal to his home state, Virginia, he became the South's greatest military figure."

This passage would most likely be found in the biography of

• Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

• Abraham Lincoln

• Robert E. Lee

• Ulysses S. Grant.

Answer explanation

Some consider Lee the greatest Confederate general, and he is almost certainly the most famous. Robert E. Lee had military experience from the Mexican War, and he led the U.S. forces that defeated John Brown's uprising in Harper's Ferry, but he chose to side with the state of Virginia instead of the United States when the Civil War began. His victories against Union forces and his aggressive strategy soon made him popular in the Confederacy.

Supporters of Jefferson Davis would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

• Davis had a strong economic vision

• Davis was very strong in political affairs

• Davis was a skilled military general

• Davis is the reason the country split

Answer explanation

Jefferson Davis was a skilled military leader. While he did have a political career in the Union before the Civil War, he was not particularly skilled at the art of politics. His military knowledge helped the Confederacy stand up to Union troops.

The Gettysburg Address was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. What was the significance of the location of Gettysburg?

• Gettysburg had been part of the Confederacy, and the Union had taken it over.

• The Civil War began there when Confederate troops fired on Union soldiers.

• Several months earlier, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War occurred there.

• Gettysburg was a site where one of the most famous slave uprisings took place.

The bombardment of what fort in April of 1861 started the Civil War?

• Fort Albany

• Fort Sumter

• Fort Moultrie

• Fort Bunker Hill

Answer explanation

The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Major Robert Anderson of the U.S. Army and his troops were stationed at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. When the U.S. Army tried to send supplies to the fort, Confederate troops blocked their way and began to fire on the Union Army. After a short battle, Major Anderson surrendered, and the Confederacy won their first victory.

Which of the following was a cause of the Civil War related to economic differences?

• The South's economy was heavily dependent on agriculture, while the North was more industrialized

• The North and the South disagreed on tax policies

• The South wanted to adopt the gold standard

• The North wanted to impose heavy tariffs on imported goods