US History - Final Exam

Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.   In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet; and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverse the common order of nature, it is evident that they belong to different systems. England to Europe: America to itself...

According to this passage from Common Sense, the author is

• trying to convince Americans to remain English colonists
• suggesting that the colonies join a European confederation against England
• proposing that the colonies revise the Articles of Confederation
• urging Americans to become independent from their mother country

Small islands, not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island.   In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet; and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverse the common order of nature, it is evident that they belong to different systems. England to Europe: America to itself...

What is the primary argument used in this passage by Thomas Paine to make his point?

• There is no economic relationship between the American colonies and England.
• England cannot effectively govern the colonies because America is so much larger.
• The American colonies are already allied with France and do not need England.
• England has denied the colonists any form of self-government.

This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State.

What was the primary reason James Madison wrote this and other Federalist Papers?

• to support ratification of the Constitution
• to support creation of a national bank
• to encourage increasing ties to Europe
• to encourage the development of political parties

This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State.

Which constitutional principle does Madison most directly describe in this passage?

• reserving the power of judicial review
• separation of powers between the branches of government
• support for the rule of law
• creation of a powerful military

When the British and French both seized American vessels if they touched at the ports of the other, Jefferson decided to test one of his favorite doctrines - that war was both intolerable and unnecessary, and that the best weapon against both powers lay in economic sanctions. He got Congress to pass a series of five Embargo Acts, stringently forbidding U.S. trade with Britain and France not only overseas but even along the Canadian border....

According to this passage, what was President Thomas Jefferson’s primary objective in proposing the Embargo Acts?

• to raise revenue
• to limit the slave trade
• to avoid war
• to increase trade

When the British and French both seized American vessels if they touched at the ports of the other, Jefferson decided to test one of his favorite doctrines - that war was both intolerable and unnecessary, and that the best weapon against both powers lay in economic sanctions. He got Congress to pass a series of five Embargo Acts, stringently forbidding U.S. trade with Britain and France not only overseas but even along the Canadian border....

What was one result of the failure of the Embargo Acts?

• Louisiana Purchase
• War of 1812
• Missouri Compromise
• Gibbons v. Ogden decision

Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered.  There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension.  Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection.  It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now address you.  I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that--

I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.  I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so...

What is one reason President Abraham Lincoln included these statements in this address?

• to reduce the fears of slave-holding states
• to reestablish the foreign slave trade
• to increase support of northern abolitionists
• to encourage the expansion of slavery into the West

Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered.  There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension.  Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection.  It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now address you.  I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that--

I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.  I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so...

Which later action by President Lincoln demonstrated a change from his 1861 position?

• signing the Pacific Railway Act
• appointing William Seward Secretary of State
• issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
• suspending habeas corpus

Thus American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area. American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier.  This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnishing the forces dominating American character...

Which geographic feature does Frederick Jackson Turner suggest as primary in the creation of the American character?

• an irregular coastline
• the Great Lakes
• unsettled wilderness
• the Mohawk Valley

Thus American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area. American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier.  This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnishing the forces dominating American character...

Which federal action is most consistent with the ideas expressed by Frederick Jackson Turner in this excerpt?

• passage of the Federal Reserve Act
• establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau
• decision in Plessy v. Ferguson
• passage of the Homestead Act