Early Statehood, Civil War, and Reconstruction Topic Test:

There shall be firm and universal peace between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic, and between their respective countries, territories, cities, towns, and people, without exception of places or persons. This passage must come from which of the following?

• the treaty that ended the U.S.-Mexican War

• the surrender of the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War

• the opening to Texas's constitution of 1876

• the declaration of Texas's secession from the United States

Texas chose the writers of the state constitution for their skills and experience. Many of these men had served Texas at other times. Thomas J. Rusk, the leader of the convention that wrote the constitution, had fought for independence and later served as secretary of war and as chief justice. This passage implies which of the following?

• Texas was hampered in early statehood by a lack of good leaders with knowledge of Texas.

• Texas had a strong group of leaders to help guide them into statehood.

• When Texas became a state, most of its leaders were recent newcomers.

• The contributions of Tejanos was discouraged in the early days of statehood.

The black codes also defined labor relations. Vagrancy laws allowed local courts to arrest individuals deemed idle, to fine them, and force them to work if they could not pay the fines. Employers were given the power to deduct the wages of an employee guilty of theft, disobedience, absence, or destruction of property. Appeals would be heard by a local justice of the peace and two landowners. Under Texas’s code, minors could be apprenticed until the age of 21, with parental consent or by order of a county court. Masters were allowed to impose corporal punishment to force an apprentice to work. Which of the following best summarizes the point of this passage about Reconstruction in Texas?

• Texas laws were passed to help protect the rights of freed African Americans from hostile whites.

• Freed enslaved people had difficulty finding work after slavery was abolished in Texas.

• Though slavery had ended in Texas, African Americans faced harsh laws that greatly limited their freedom.

• Organizations like the Freedman’s Bureau did much to help formerly enslaved people.

For these and other reasons, solemnly asserting that the federal constitution has been violated by the several States named, seeing that the federal government is now passing under the control of our enemies to be diverted from the exalted objects of its creation to those of oppression and wrong, and realizing that our own State can no longer look for protection, we the delegates of the people of Texas have passed an ordinance dissolving all political connection with the government of the United States of America. Based on the text, which statement best summarizes the reason why Texas decided to secede from the Union in 1861?

• Texans have lost their religious freedom under the Constitution.

• Texans feel that constitution is no longer a valid document.

• The federal government is no longer in control of the country.

• The federal government no longer protects the interests of Texas.

The legislature had to work with the executive branch. The constitution gave the executive branch the power to carry out the laws of the land. The governor, or head of the executive branch, served a two-year term. No governor could serve more than four years in any six-year period. One of the powers the governor received was the veto. Veto power is the authority to prevent the passage of a law. Which statement from the text best shows the idea that the political power of the governor should be limited?

• A governor should work with the legislative branch

• A governor should have enough power to veto laws

• A governor should not serve more than four years in six

• A governor should carry out the laws of the land

About 5,000 Texans fought in the U.S.-Mexican War. Even Governor Henderson joined the fight. Mirabeau Lamar, a well-known politician, also fought in the war. The Texas Rangers won fame for their bravery and skill in battle. Major Benjamin McCulloch led an outfit of Rangers that gathered vital information for United States forces. This passage is best summarized by which of the following?

• The people of Texas played a key role in the U.S.-Mexican War.

• The population of Texas was deeply divided over the U.S.-Mexican War.

• Though the U.S.-Mexican War was fought in large part over Texas, Texans had little to do with it.

• Much of the fighting in the U.S.-Mexican War took place on Texas soil.

Texans were never pleased with the government’s methods of protecting settlers. At the time, the U.S. government did not try to fight the Indians. Instead, it tried to keep the Indians away from the settlers. Still, the government could not keep the groups apart. Based on this passage, what can you infer?

• Texas settlers were powerless to resist American Indian groups.

• Texas settlers desperately wanted peace with the American Indians.

• Violent conflict between settlers and American Indians was common in Texas.

• The United States was unable to defeat the American Indians militarily.

Events in the 1850s pushed the nation closer to civil war. One of these events was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act gave the people of Kansas and Nebraska the right to decide if their states would allow slavery. An earlier law, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, had stated that this land would be free of slavery. Based on this passage, why did the Kansas-Nebraska Act increase the conflict?

• Americans did not think people should be allowed to vote on the question of slavery

• The Kansas-Nebraska Act went against an earlier compromise on slavery

• It was clear that Kansas and Nebraska would vote against allowing slavery

• People in the United States were no longer in the mood for compromise on this issue

Delegates to the constitutional convention declared secession illegal and agreed to end slavery. African Americans received some rights, but not the right to vote or to hold public office. In June 1866, Texans accepted the new constitution. They also elected state legislators and chose James Throckmorton as governor. Texans believed Reconstruction had ended, but they were wrong. Based on this passage and your knowledge of Texas history, why were people wrong that the new constitution would end Reconstruction in the state?

• It gave votes to African Americans.

• It led to the election of a new governor.

• It failed to take a strong enough stance against secession.

• It did not go far enough in granting rights to freed African Americans.

According to the map, the largest amount of land Texas lost in the Compromise of 1850 is now part of which state?

• Arkansas

• Kansas

• New Mexico

• Oklahoma