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American History Semester 1 Review

Total questions: 100

Worksheet time: 50mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The Homestead Act allowed Western settlers to

a)

 control the best 

land on the Great 

Plains.

b)

sell their land to 

European investors.

c)

determie where the rairoads would build new tracks.

d)

receive land for 

free after living on it for five years.

2.

 A serious toll was taken on Native Americans from the advancing American settlers, forced movement, and

a)

immigration.

b)

broken treaties.

c)

drought.

d)

the Civil War.

3.

What brought the first wave of settlers to the West?

a)

farming

b)

fur trading

c)

mining

d)

ranching

4.

Which of the following were hardships that early settlers on the Great Plains faced?

a)

too many trees

b)

crowded cities

c)

dangerous factories

d)

scorching summers

5.

The fencing of the open range resulted in

a)

the end of the long cattle drives.

b)

lower demand for beef.

c)

increased sheep herding.

d)

an influx of gold miners.

6.

Settlement of the Great Plains was promoted by the railroads and supported by

a)

the government.

b)

plow manufacturers.

c)

the mining industry.

d)

cattle ranchers.

7.

The confrontation at Wounded Knee began because the government wanted the Lakota Sioux to stop

a)

raiding nearby farms

b)

hunting outside of their reservation.

c)

violating a treaty.

d)

performing the Ghost Dance.

8.

Native Americans who roamed vast distances were considered

a)

trappers.

b)

miners.

c)

nomads.

d)

farmers.

9.

The Chisholm Trail was a trail that

a)

Lewis and Clark 

mapped on their 

journey to the 

Pacific Ocean.

b)

cowboys used to

 drive cattle to a 

railroad line.

c)

wagon trains 

followed through 

the Rocky 

Mountains.

d)

Native Americans 

traveled on their 

forced westward 

migration.

10.

A glut of wheat on the world market led to

a)

falling wheat 

prices paid to 

farmers.

b)

an increase in the

number of 

bonanza farms.

c)

an increased 

general demand 

for wheat.

d)

construction of 

new railroad lines.

11.

During the 1800s, companies generally paid women less than men because they 

believed women

a)

 would soon leave 

to have children

b)

could not do as 

much work as men.

c)

could live on less 

money than men.

d)

had men to 

support them.

12.

As the nation was industrializing, Congress used tariffs to

a)

 raise money to 

operate the 

government.

b)

entice Europeans 

to buy American 

products.

c)

 raise the prices 

that Europeans 

would pay for 

American products.

d)

help American 

industries compete with European 

manufacturers.

13.

Workers who tried to organize a union or strike were often fired and placed on a list 

of “troublemakers” called the

a)

outlist.

b)

strikelist.

c)

blacklist.

d)

unionist.

14.

One reason for America’s industrial success was its

a)

access to oceans.

b)

wide open spaces.

c)

abundant raw materials.

d)

small workforce.

15.

What type of business does not produce anything itself?

a)

a stock fund

b)

a monopoly

c)

a corporation

d)

a holding company

16.

A steel company that owns the coal mines, limestone quarries, and iron ore fields it 

depends on is an example of

a)

capital integration.

b)

business integration

c)

vertical integration

d)

stock integration

17.

By the early 1900s, Americans had transformed the United States into the world’s 

leading

a)

industrial nations.

b)

gross national product.

c)

laissez-faire country

d)

military establishment

18.

Supporters of laissez-faire believed the government should interfere in the economy 

only to 

a)

bring the country 

out of an economic crisis.

b)

protect property 

rights and 

maintain peace.

c)

keep prices from 

rising too much.

d)

protect new 

domestic 

businesses from 

foreign 

competition

19.

Which transcontinental railroad operated without government subsidies and was the 

only one not forced into bankruptcy?

a)

Union Pacific 

Railroad

b)

Great Northern Railroad

c)

Pennsylvania Railroad

d)

Central Pacific Railroad

20.

Who invented the telephone, which revolutionized both business and personal 

communication?

a)

Edwin Drake

b)

Thomas Alva Edison

c)

Alexander Graham Bell

d)

George Pullman

21.

Which of the following African American leaders was particularly concerned with 

protecting and exercising voting rights?

a)

Ida B. Wells

b)

W.E. B. Du Bois

c)

Mary Church Terrell

d)

Booker T. Washington

22.

Between 1860 and 1899, an average of 187 lynchings occurred each year, with the 

majority in

a)

Northern states

b)

Southern states

c)

Western territories

d)

urban tenements

23.

The failure of the Grange and the Farmer’s Alliance to address the economic 

problems farmers faced in the late 1800s led to the formation of the

a)

Patrons of Husbandry

b)

Department of Agriculture

c)

People's Party

d)

American Protective Association

24.

In the late nineteenth century, southern states passed Jim Crow laws in order to

a)

put limits on voting rights.

b)

enforce discrimination.

c)

ban the Populist Party.

d)

protect African Americans.

25.

The Supreme Court case Wabash v. Illinois established the principle that

a)

the federal 

government may 

not interfere with 

corporations.

b)

only the federal 

government can 

regulate interstate commerce.

c)

railroads are free 

to set whatever 

rates that they see fit.

d)

only the states can regulate the rates that railroads 

charge.

26.

Nativism in the late 1800s was focused on Asian immigrants, Jewish immigrants, and

a)

British immigrants.

b)

eastern European immigrants.

c)

Canadian immigrants.

d)

Scandanavian immigrants.

27.

In the early 1860s, Chinese immigrants came to the United States to

a)

work in factories in Chicago.

b)

work on transcontinental railroad.

c)

escape industrialization in China.

d)

escape religious persecution.

28.

Mary Church Terrell was an African American leader who campaigned against 

lynching, worked for woman suffrage, and helped to found the

a)

Exodusters.

b)

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

c)

Colored Farmers' National Alliance.

d)

Atlanta Compromise.

29.

Crime was a growing problem in American cities in the late nineteenth century, but 

even bigger threats were posed by

a)

overcrowding in tenements.

b)

disease and pollution.

c)

congestion on bsy streets.

d)

political machines.

30.

William M. Tweed was

a)

the leader of the 

Workingman’s 

Party.

b)

the inventor of the electric trolley car.

c)

the designer of the first skyscraper.

d)

the party boss of a political machine.

31.

To ensure that all nations would have access to China’s markets, President McKinley and Secretary of State John Hay pursued which of the following policies?

a)

dollar diplomacy

b)

imperialism

c)

Open Door policy

d)

 the Roosevelt 

Corollary

32.

Under the Treaty of Paris, the United States acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, 

and

a)

Cuba.

b)

Guam.

c)

Panama.

d)

Samoa.

33.

During construction of the Panama Canal, progress was slowed as a result of

a)

President 

Roosevelt’s “big 

stick” policy

b)

diseases that 

sickened workers.

c)

objections in 

Congress to the 

canal.

d)

Panama’s revolt 

against Colombia.

34.

At the Pan-American conference, Secretary of State James G. Blaine wanted to 

create a customs union with low tariffs, in the hope that it would

a)

drive profits higher for American and European 

manufacturers.

b)

increase the price of American 

products in Latin 

America

c)

lower the price of 

raw materials from Latin America.

d)

turn the Latin 

Americans away 

from European 

products.

35.

 In the late 1890s, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain demanded “leaseholds” in 

China that would give each country

a)

an advantage over the United States.

b)

a market for 

Chinese goods.

c)

 a protectorate in 

Asia.

d)

a sphere of 

influence in China.

36.

Until 1886, about one-third of the population of Cuba was

a)

enslaved.

b)

from England.

c)

from the United States.

d)

part of the Spanish military.

37.

When an imperial power allowed a territory to remain technically independent, with 

local rulers remaining in control, the territory was called

a)

a colony.

b)

a protectorate.

c)

a state.

d)

an unincorporated territory.

38.

 Under the policy known as “dollar diplomacy,” President Taft supported Latin 

American industry in order to increase trade and profits for U.S. business and

a)

exert influence 

over the 

governments of 

Latin American 

countries

b)

lift Latin America 

countries out of 

poverty and social disorder.

c)

 prevent European countries from 

intervening in Latin America.

d)

protect U.S. 

investments in 

Latin America from local rebellions.

39.

 In 1894 the United States caused an economic crisis in Cuba by

a)

blockading the island.

b)

passing a tariff on sugar.

c)

preventing trade with Spain.

d)

withdrawing American investments.

40.

The United States gained control over the Philippines as a result of

a)

dollar dipolmacy.

b)

the Open Door Policy.

c)

the Pan-American conference

d)

the Spanish-American War

41.

 Created in 1914, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had the power to investigate 

companies and issue “cease and desist” orders against engaging in

a)

building 

monopolies that 

hurt consumers.

b)

illegal practices 

such as bribing 

officials.

c)

unfair trade 

practices that hurt competition.

d)

violation of the 

laws protecting 

workers.

42.

Woodrow Wilson called his platform of progressive reforms the New Freedom 

because he

a)

believed that 

regulating business would increase 

free enterprise.

b)

emphasized free 

enterprise rather 

than efficiency 

through regulation.

c)

proposed new laws to protect workers from unsafe 

conditions.

d)

supported an 

active role for the 

federal 

government in the economy.

43.

Progressives who focused on making government more efficient wanted the heads of 

city departments to be selected by a city manager or

a)

a board of commissioners.

b)

the city council.

c)

the mayor.

d)

a political party.

44.

 Which of the following events led to the creation of a Factory Investigating 

Commission?  

a)

the devastating 

hurricane in 

Galveston, Texas, in 1900

b)

the founding of the NAACP in 1910

c)

the publication of Upton Sinclair’s 

The Jungle in 1906

d)

the Triangle 

Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911

45.

Under a graduated income tax, a person with a large income

a)

is required to make more frequent tax payments.

b)

pays more income tax than a person with a small 

income.

c)

pays less income 

tax than a person with a small 

income.

d)

receives an exemption for a portion of his or her income.

46.

Through “gentlemen’s agreements” with companies, President Roosevelt sought to 

regulate big business without

a)

 being criticized by business interests.

b)

breaking up the 

trusts

c)

 increasing 

competition.

d)

protecting the 

interests of 

consumers.

47.

President Wilson supported banking reform because periodic economic depressions 

had destroyed numerous small banks and

a)

caused larger 

banks to form 

monopolies.

b)

increased public 

support for 

regulating 

business.

c)

required loans 

from the federal 

government.

d)

wiped out many of their customers’ 

life savings.

48.

Which of the following best describes a direct primary?

a)

All party members vote for a 

candidate to run in the general 

election.

b)

All party members vote for delegates to the party’s 

convention.

c)

The party’s state 

legislators vote for a candidate to run in the general 

election.

d)

The party’s state 

legislators vote for delegates to the 

party’s convention.

49.

Like President Roosevelt, President Wilson expanded both the role of the federal 

government and the

a)

importance of the banks.

b)

power of the president.

c)

role of big business.

d)

strength of the economy.

50.

Most Progressives shared a strong faith in

a)

the commitment of politicians to serve the people

b)

foreign trade.

c)

the market’s ability to solve social 

problems.

d)

science and technology.

51.

In 1898 Germany began to build a navy to challenge _____ naval strength.

a)

America's

b)

Great Britain's

c)

France's

d)

Spain's

52.

Why did the Russians support the Slavic people against Austria-Hungary?

a)

They belonged to 

the same ethnic 

group.

b)

They had joined 

the Triple Alliance.

c)

They believed in 

imperialism.

d)

They were in a

 naval arms race.

53.

The first declaration of war in World War I came after

a)

the assassination 

of Archduke 

Ferdinand

b)

Russia signed a 

treaty to support 

Austria.

c)

Germany invaded Belgium.

d)

Germany invaded Russia.  

54.

As strikes erupted across the United States in 1919, the fear that Communists might 

seize power led to the

a)

Red Scare.

b)

Red Nativism.

c)

Red Socialism.

d)

Red Communism.

55.

What country made an offer to the Mexican government proposing that Mexico 

become its ally if the United States entered the European war?

a)

Bulgaria

b)

France

c)

Germany

d)

Russia

56.

The National War Labor Board often pressured businesses to

a)

improve working conditions.

b)

increase productivity.

c)

increase work hours

d)

lower wages.

57.

Many Mexican Americans who migrated north to take factory jobs during World 

War I settled in their own neighborhoods called

a)

ghettos.

b)

barrios.

c)

convoys.

d)

zones.

58.

Leaders of the woman suffrage movement such as Jane Addams urged President 

Wilson to

a)

attack Germany.

b)

attack Russia.

c)

join the Allies.

d)

remain neutral.

59.

To help pay the costs of the war, Congress

a)

encourage meatless Tuesdays.

b)

lowered taxes.

c)

outlawed unions.

d)

sold Liberty Bonds

60.

Trenches were dug during World War I to protect soldiers from

a)

tanks.

b)

airplanes.

c)

artillery fire.

d)

poison gas.

61.

What effect did the automobile industry of the 1920s have on American society?

a)

Workers did not 

commute any 

more.

b)

The mail delivery 

system expanded across the country.

c)

People moved 

from the suburbs 

to the city.

d)

People could live 

farther from their places of work.

62.

In the Teapot Dome scandal, Albert B. Fall received bribes for

a)

 allowing private 

interests to drill for oil in a national 

park

b)

preventing federal prosecution of a 

member of the 

Ohio Gang

c)

promising 

immunity to 

businesses who 

overcharged the 

U.S. Navy.

d)

allowing private 

interests to lease 

lands containing 

U.S. Navy oil 

reserves.

63.

Which event publicly debated the subjects of evolution and creationism and their 

place in education?

a)

Billy Sunday’s 

revivals

b)

the Scope's trial

c)

the Sacco-Vanzetti case

d)

Aimee McPherson's faith healings

64.

A center of creativity and freedom where many artists, writers, and intellectuals of the 1920s gathered was

a)

Boston.

b)

Greenwich Village.

c)

Charlestown.

d)

Haight-Ashbury

65.

Most Americans of the 1920s wanted to avoid future wars by

a)

banning Japan 

from the League of Nations.

b)

dividing Germany among the Allies.

c)

avoiding 

involvement in 

world affairs.

d)

forbidding 

Germany to rebuild its armed forces.

66.

Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and the Cotton Club were all part of the

a)

Black Nationalist Movement.

b)

Great Awakening.

c)

South Side Renaissance.

d)

Harlem Renaissance.

67.

One of the NAACP’s greatest political triumphs occurred in 1930 with the

a)

signing of a law 

ending segregation in public schools.

b)

signing of a law 

banning 

discrimination in 

federal jobs.

c)

defeat of an 

allegedly racist 

judge nominated 

for the Supreme 

Court.

d)

appointment of an African American 

to the Supreme 

Court.

68.

The new morality of the 1920s placed a high value on

a)

work.

b)

traditional values.

c)

personal freedom.

d)

wealth.

69.

What system of manufacturing adopted by Henry Ford divided operations into simple tasks and cut unnecessary motion to a minimum?

a)

assembly line

b)

product placement

c)

construction design

d)

apprentice system

70.

Although many of President Harding’s appointments were disastrous, he did appoint 

several distinguished cabinet members including the secretary of commerce,

a)

Andrew Mellon.

b)

Herbert Hoover.

c)

Harry Daughtery.

d)

John W. Davis.

71.

During the Great Depression, many farmers who were already under pressure from 

debt and falling prices were devastated by

a)

 drought and the “Dust Bowl.”

b)

homelessness and “Hoovervilles.”

c)

migration and 

repatriation

d)

unemployment and bank closures.

72.

One reason that the stock market crash led to the Great Depression was that in 1929, 

the top 5 percent of all American households earned 30 percent of the nation’s income, 

an example of

a)

a bull market.

b)

a recession.

c)

overproduction.

d)

an uneven distribution of income.

73.

 In the early 1930s, to pay for public works projects that would create enough jobs, the government would have to raise taxes or

a)

borrow money.

b)

lay off federal employees.

c)

print money.

d)

reduce inlation.

74.

A long period of rising stock prices is known as a

a)

bank run.

b)

bull market.

c)

foreclosure.

d)

margin call.

75.

During the Great Depression, many farmers were forced to turn their farms over to

a)

banksthat held their mortgages.

b)

court officers.

c)

government agencies.

d)

nonpaying tenants.

76.

Nicknamed “soap operas” in the 1930s, radio programs such as The Guiding Light

a)

 carried over their story lines from 

day to day.

b)

exposed listeners 

to a variety of 

music.

c)

offered

 information as 

well as 

entertainment.

d)

presented the 

adventures of 

superheroes.

77.

During the stock market crash of October 1929, prices were driven down by

a)

banks being forced to close.

b)

companies being forced out of business.

c)

the government intervening in the market.

d)

investors selling stocks at a frenzied pace.

78.

During the 1930s, dairy farmers in Georgia blocked highways and

a)

protested against 

farm foreclosures.

b)

protested low 

prices for 

agricultural 

products.

c)

stopped court 

officers from 

foreclosing on 

farms.

d)

stopped milk 

trucks, dumping 

the milk into 

ditches

79.

The National Credit Corporation tried to rescue troubled banks by allowing them to

a)

continue lending 

money in their 

communities.

b)

continue offering 

direct relief to 

impoverished 

families.

c)

finance public 

works projects.

d)

restructure how 

they lent money to the public.

80.

Before the late 1920s, stock prices

a)

did not change much.

b)

generally reflected the stocks' true value.

c)

had little to do with the economy.

d)

were too high for most people to afford.

81.

The Civilian Conservation Corps offered unemployed young men between 18 and 25 years of age the opportunity to work outdoors under the direction of

a)

the forestry service.

b)

the U.S. Army.

c)

environmental organizations.

d)

their state governments.

82.

Economic recovery from the Great Depression would not be complete and unemployment would remain high until

a)

the Wagner Act became law.

b)

deficit spending was stopped.

c)

after World War II.

d)

the end of the Second New Deal.

83.

 When President Roosevelt proposed the court-packing plan, Southern Democrats feared new justices would 

overturn segregation, while African American leaders worried that

a)

new justices would limit protections 

for African 

American workers.

b)

the plan would 

erode support for New Deal 

programs.

c)

future justices 

might oppose civil rights.

d)

the plan would 

provoke violence in the South.

84.

The Glass-Steagall Act separated commercial banking from investment banking 

and barred commercial banks from

a)

 offering 

investment advice to depositors.

b)

providing 

government 

insurance for bank deposits.

c)

 risking depositors’ money through 

stock speculation.

d)

handling everyday banking 

transactions.

85.

The Wagner Act set up a process whereby union members could take complaints 

about an employer to a neutral party who would listen to both sides and 

decide on the issue, called

a)

labor relations.

b)

binding arbitration.

c)

sit-down strikes.

d)

union activism.

86.

Before Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, many state governors declared “bank holidays” in order to

a)

prevent bank runs.

b)

give bank employees time off.

c)

reduce the value of the dollar.

d)

help the Federal Reserve.

87.

Under the National Industrial Recovery Act, business, labor, and the government 

were allowed to cooperate in setting up

a)

hiring 

requirements for 

each industry.

b)

codes of fair 

competition.

c)

trusts to promote 

competition.

d)

tax regulations for each industry.  

88.

President Roosevelt won a landslide reelection victory in 1936, in part because 

millions of Americans

a)

owed their jobs 

and the safety of 

their bank 

accounts to the 

New Deal.

b)

hoped that 

Roosevelt would appoint liberal 

justices to the 

Supreme Court.

c)

supported 

Roosevelt’s 

decision to fund 

programs with 

deficit spending.

d)

believed that the 

Great Depression 

had come 

completely to an 

end.  

89.

The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation

a)

lengthened the 

mortgage

repayment term 

and lowered 

rates for the 

unemployed.

b)

lowered mortgage rates when people lost their jobs and could no longer 

pay.

c)

provided low-cost loans to help 

homeless people 

buy homes.

d)

provided money to help the 

unemployed pay 

their mortgages.

90.

Congress authorized the Farm Credit Administration to help farmers

a)

purchase new 

agricultural 

equipment

b)

increase 

production with 

new farming 

methods.

c)

 sell land at a fair 

price.

d)

refinance their 

mortgages.

91.

In 1940, Roosevelt disregarded the tradition George Washington had set by

a)

 intervening in a 

foreign war.

b)

lending weapons 

and other supplies to the Allies.

c)

running for a third term.

d)

calling Congress 

into a special 

session.

92.

To get resources, the Japanese military invaded

a)

Taiwan.

b)

Korea.

c)

Tibet.

d)

Manchuria.

93.

 In presenting his “Four Freedoms,” Roosevelt was trying to

a)

justify America's neutrality.

b)

justify his call for 

speeding up 

America’s military build-up.

c)

shift public opinion toward entering 

the war.

d)

shift public opinion toward helping 

Britain.

94.

 At Auschwitz, elderly or disabled people, the sick, and mothers and children were 

immediately

a)

forced to work as 

slave laborers.

b)

 sent to another 

concentration 

camp.

c)

deported to 

Germany.

d)

sent to the gas 

chambers.

95.

In June 1941, in violation of a non-aggression treaty, Hitler launched a massive invasion of

a)

Austria.

b)

France.

c)

the Soviet Union.

d)

Czechoslovakia.

96.

In order to exterminate Jews more quickly, the Nazis built extermination facilities in a number of concentration camps, mostly in

a)

Germany.

b)

Poland.

c)

France.

d)

Austria.

97.

Members of the Fascist militia that backed Mussolini were known as

a)

storm troopers.

b)

the Gestapo.

c)

kamikazes.

d)

Blackshirts.

98.

Roosevelt used the Lend-Lease Act to

a)

assure the return 

of borrowed 

American ships.

b)

get around the 

requirements of 

the Neutrality Act.

c)

bring in revenue 

needed for the 

American military buildup.

d)

spy on German 

U-boat activities.

99.

In the Battle of Britain,

a)

British troops 

defeated the 

German ground 

invasion.

b)

the British sunk 

most of the 

German ships that crossed the English Channel.

c)

the German air 

force destroyed 

the Royal Air Force.

d)

 the Royal Air 

Force saved Britain from invasion.  

100.

The Nuremberg Laws

a)

took citizenship 

away from Jewish Germans.

b)

 required all Jewish Germans to move to concentration 

camps

c)

required all Jewish Germans to leave 

the country.

d)

authorized German police to shoot 

Jewish Germans.