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8th Grade U.S. History STAAR Review Part I

Total questions: 48

Worksheet time: 30mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which set of events is listed in chronological order?

a)

Louisiana Purchase, Signing of Mayflower Compact, Founding of Jamestown, Writing of U.S. Constitution, Adoption of Declaration of Independence

b)

Adoption of Declaration of Independence, Founding of Jamestown, Signing of Mayflower Compact, Writing of U.S. Constitution, Louisiana Purchase

c)

Founding of Jamestown, Signing of Mayflower Compact, Adoption of Declaration of Independence, Writing of U.S. Constitution, Louisiana Purchase

d)

Founding of Jamestown, Adoption of Declaration of Independence, Signing of Mayflower Compact, Louisiana Purchase, Writing of U.S. Constitution

2.

Which colony was known for its religious toleration?

a)

Delaware

b)

Rhode Island

c)

Pennsylvania

d)

New Hampshire

3.

Which patriot of the American Revolution raised an army of Spanish, African American, Creole, and Native American soldiers AND became the governor of the Spanish territory of Louisiana?

a)

Bernardo de Galvez

b)

Marquis de Lafayette

c)

Jean Lafitte

d)

Jose de San Martin

4.

What location was on the James River?

a)

Delaware

b)

Jamestown, Virginia

c)

North Carolina

d)

Rhode Island

5.

What do Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass have in common?

a)

wrote autobiographies

b)

were journalists

c)

worked on the Underground Railroad

d)

were all abolitionists

6.

One of the earliest documents that influenced American colonists to establish the principle of limited government and protection against unjust punishment was...

a)

Federalist Papers

b)

Magna Carta

c)

Mayflower Compact

d)

Bill of Rights

7.

An unalienable right is...

a)

a natural right that cannot be surrendered

b)

a right that belongs only to U.S. citizens

c)

a right guaranteed by the Mayflower Compact

d)

a right belonging to native-born Americans

8.

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that African American slaves were property and not citizens. This case was...

a)

Brown v. Board of Education

b)

Gibbons v. Ogden

c)

McCullough v. Maryland

d)

Dred Scott v. Sanford

9.

Southern colonies were better suited for large farms or plantations than Northern colonies because of their...

a)

larger number of factories.

b)

proximity(nearness)to rivers and to the Atlantic Ocean.

c)

rich soil and warm climate.

d)

a well-developed railway system.

10.

Which of the following contributed most to mass production during the Industrial Revolution?

a)

the spinning jenny

b)

interchangeable parts

c)

the factory system

d)

the flying shuttle

11.

The first two political parties in America developed from different opinions about how the new country should be run. The two factions (parties) formed around...

a)

Monroe vs. Hamilton

b)

Rebels vs. Whigs

c)

Military vs. Civilians

d)

Jefferson vs. Madison vs. Washington vs. Hamilton

12.

The purchase of which territory in 1803 was an important step in what became "manifest destiny."

a)

Gasden Purchase

b)

Seward'sFolly

c)

Louisiana Purchase

d)

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California

13.

Which geographical feature that contributed to locating the the original 13 colonies along the East Coast rather than farther inland, was the...

a)

MIssissippi River

b)

Rocky Mountains

c)

Appalachian Mountains

d)

Great Lakes

14.

In 1832 the South Carolina state legislature passed the Nullification Act. This act was in response to...

a)

passage of the 13th Amendment.

b)

the establishment of a National Bank.

c)

strict property qualifications for voting.

d)

a high federal tariff on goods manufactured in Europe.

15.

be 18 yrs. old, a lawful resident of 5 years, understand history and principles of U.S. government...

a)

qualifications for becoming naturalized U.S. citizen

b)

requirements for running for U.S. Senate

c)

qualification for running for governor

d)

voting in federal elections

16.

What innovation, more than any other, led to the settlement and the economic growth of the West?

a)

wagon trains

b)

destruction of the buffalo

c)

the Transcontinental Railroad

d)

Panama Canal

17.

New England soil was poor, NE was close to iron and coal deposits, farming difficult, many ports, and rushing rivers and streams led to...

a)

NE wanted to build the Panama Canal

b)

the Industrial Revolution began in NE

c)

NE traded in slaves

d)

technological innovations expanded agriculture in NE

18.

Since many African Americans lived in Virginia in 1700's, this would indicate...

a)

New England colonies had the largest African American population

b)

slavery existed for southern plantations

c)

slaves were needed here in the Bread Basket of colonies

d)

the need for colonists to help in self-government

19.

Growth of trade, development of nation-states, books and new information by the printing press, better, more accurate maps, and better ships let to...

a)

reasons for crusades

b)

reasons for European Discovery and Exploration of North America

c)

technological developments of the 12th Century

d)

reasons to spread religion

20.

The Stamp Act...

a)

placed a tax on tea.

b)

placed a tax on all printed material.

c)

required tax on whiskey and ale produced in the colonies.

d)

placed a tax on all mail in the colonies.

21.

Patrick Henry gave passionate speeches against the proposed U.S. Constitution, stating that it did not limit the federal government. In June of 1788, Virginia agreed to ratify the document if...

a)

the following 3 states would ratify this.

b)

an antislavery amendment were added.

c)

it included a bill of rights to protect individual freedoms.

d)

it limited the amount of federal taxes collected.

22.

Which woman's suffrage activist exercised her right in the 1872 Grant-Greeley presidential election?

a)

Dorothea Dix

b)

Lucretia Mott

c)

Susan B. Anthony

d)

Jane Addams

23.

Why did the forced removal of the Cherokee known as the "Trail of Tears" take place?

a)

the land in Oklahoma was fertile

b)

the land occupied by the Cherokee in Georgia was fertile

c)

the land in Georgia was barren and useless

d)

the grassland in the Great Plains was ideal

24.

Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

a)

did not expand trade

b)

too much power in the federal government

c)

provided for the election of a new king

d)

did not provide a strong enough government to support the new colonies

25.

What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?

a)

it presented strong and convincing arguments in favor of adopting the U.S. Constitution in 1787

b)

it wanted to persuade citizens to keep the Articles of Confederation

c)

it wanted to implement the executive branch

d)

it convinced everyone to establish a federal income tax

26.

Which of the following elements of the American economy benefitted most from the War of 1812?

a)

lumber industry

b)

fur trade

c)

manufacturing

d)

banking

27.

One of the consequences of the invention of the cotton gin was that...

a)

slavery in the South was revived.

b)

Northern farmers began to plant cotton.

c)

foreign textile mills refused to buy American cotton.

d)

the price of cotton increased dramatically.

28.

In 1806, which event was completed?

a)

the Oregon Trail was established

b)

Lewis and Clark's expedition to explore

c)

Coronado's search for gold

d)

the building of the Transcontinental Railroad

29.

What was the most important result in the American victory at Saratoga?

a)

The victory raised morale in the Revolutionary soldiers.

b)

The French agreed to openly aid the colonists in their was against England.

c)

Congress finally believed in Washington's qualities.

d)

Congress raised taxes on farmers to help pay for the Revolutionary war.

30.

These states, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, were part of the 1787 western expansion.

a)

territory claimed by Canada

b)

Northwest Territory

c)

Gasden Purchase

d)

Great Plains

31.

The 3/5th provision of the Great Compromise of 1787 concerned...

a)

portion of states needed to ratify a constitution.

b)

portion of states needed to pass a tariff bill.

c)

counting slaves for representation and taxation.

d)

part of an acre required to qualify a slave as a property owner.

32.

Many colonists left England due to religious persecution. Once here, however, they criticized and persecuted many who held any other belief than their own. These conflicts led to...

a)

many colonists returned to England.

b)

settlers leaving their colony to establish other colonies.

c)

colonists fighting together against the Natives.

d)

the murdering of religious leaders.

33.

Who designed the city of Philadelphia, belonged to the Quakers, believed in representative government and believed that Natives should be paid for land?

a)

Thomas Hooker

b)

William Penn

c)

Lord Baltimore

d)

John Winthrop

34.

What was the act of civil disobedience that angered the King and Parliament and led to the American Revolution?

a)

Boston Massacre

b)

Boston Tea Party

c)

Intolerable Acts

d)

Stamp Act

35.

People can buy, sell and produce what they want, competition is important, and economic freedom is essential. Which economic system is being referenced?

a)

Mercantilism

b)

Free Enterprise

c)

Industrial Revolution

d)

Limited Capitalism

36.

The Industrial Revolution brought about an increase in...

a)

skills of the individual worker.

b)

the use of power-driven machines.

c)

government ownership of factories.

d)

slave labor.

37.

As a result of the Boston Massacre, who was known as an African American dockworker?

a)

George Grenville

b)

Patrick Henry

c)

Crispus Attucks

d)

Paul Revere

38.

Which of these is NOT a reason for the U.S. 1812 declaration of war against Britain?

a)

British interference with American shipping on the high seas

b)

British encouraging Natives along the frontier to make war on settlers

c)

British impressing on American citizens

d)

British closing the Mississippi River to American ships

39.

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."


This is part of a speech delivered by General Henry Lee at the funeral of...

a)

John Adams

b)

George Washington

c)

Thomas Jefferson

d)

Abraham Lincoln

40.

Who visiting prisons in 1841, discovered inhumane conditions, and mentally ill inmates, and who worked for prison reform?

a)

Molly Pitcher

b)

Susan B. Anthony

c)

Dorothea Dix

d)

Margaret Fuller

41.

Which of the following colonies was founded not only as a business venture but also as a refuge for Catholics?

a)

New Jersey

b)

Virginia

c)

Massachusetts

d)

Maryland

42.

One of the repeated injuries according to the Declaration, was the quartering of large bodies of troops in colonists' homes. This was dealt with and established the...

a)

Vol. 51 Federalist Papers

b)

Amendment IX of the Bill of Rights

c)

Amendment III of the Bill of Rights

d)

Article II of the Constitution

43.

Other than producing tobacco in the south in the early 1800's, the demand for slave labor increased as a result for growing...

a)

rice .

b)

wheat.

c)

cotton.

d)

sugar cane.

44.

In 1840, a new invention changed communication from news, including business and information. This could be transmitted in minutes due to the invention of the...

a)

electric telegraph.

b)

telephone.

c)

airplane.

d)

smoke signals.

45.

What sought they thus afar?

Bright jewels of the mine?

The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?

They sought a faith's pure shrine!


Ay, call it holy ground,

The soil where first they trod:

They have left unstained what there they found,

Freedom to worship God.


The stanzas from the poem describe...

a)

the writing of the Constitution.

b)

the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth in 1620.

c)

the writing of the Articles of Confederation.

d)

the founding of New York in 1664.

46.

Which of these was a primary reason Chinese immigrants

came to the U.S. in the early 1850's?

a)

to seek gold

b)

to purchase inexpensive farmland

c)

to avoid a plague

d)

to escape religious persecution

47.

What current day state was acquired from Spain?

a)

Oregon

b)

Arizona

c)

Florida

d)

Illinois

48.

Which constitutional principle was challenged during the Nullification Crisis?

a)

Republicanism

b)

Federalism

c)

Individual Rights

d)

Popular Sovereignty