Worksheets2023 8th Grade US History STAAR Practice
Total questions: 44
Worksheet time: 22mins
The differences between these two maps resulted from the —
Missouri Compromise
Treaty of Ghent
Louisiana Purchase
Adams-Onís Treaty
Which government principle is illustrated in this diagram?
Federalism
Popular sovereignty
Republicanism
Separation of powers
This table shows the population of enslaved people in two regions
of the United States in 1840.
Which statement describes a factor that MOST contributed to the population difference shown in the table?
The South had a society that relied on wage labor.
The South had an economy that relied on cotton.
The South had a variety of natural resources.
The South had an abundance of large cities.
How did the American colonies react to enforcement of the
Intolerable Acts?
By collecting funds to pay for the tea destroyed in Boston Harbor
By sending ambassadors to France to request military aid
By placing a tax on all goods imported from Great Britain
By holding the First Continental Congress to discuss unified resistance
This sketch titled “Jury of Whites and Blacks” appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper in 1867.
Which event is MOST associated with the change in American life
shown in this sketch?
The adoption of the Great Compromise
The establishment of a two-party political system
The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment
The election of more qualified judges
An immigrant sails to North America in the early 1700s hoping to
start a tobacco farm. He has done some research on the best
environment for tobacco farming. Where is the immigrant most
likely to settle?
Massachusetts
Virginia
Rhode Island
Pennsylvania
Which idea correctly replaces the question mark in this diagram?
Due Process
Eminent Domain
Free Speech
Federalism
This excerpt refers to an event that occurred in Virginia in 1859.
Which action prompted the newspaper’s claim that John Brown’s
raid “advanced the cause of disunion”?
Some Northerners were willing to defend the South’s right to
continue slavery.
Some Southerners were willing to take up arms to protest high
tariffs.
Some abolitionists thought violence was necessary to end slavery.
Some people in territories needed to defend their right to
popular sovereignty.
Which era involved legislation enacted by the Radical Republicans?
Civil War
Reconstruction
Early Republic
Antebellum
What is being described in this excerpt?
Spinning jenny and the textile industry
Interchangeable parts and mass production
Cotton gin and the plantation system
Steam engine and railroad commerce
Which historic document had the greatest influence on the first ten
amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
The English Bill of Rights
The Mayflower Compact
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
The Articles of Confederation
Why did the Constitutional Convention agree to the Three-Fifths Compromise?
To settle debates over the issue of counting the enslaved
population for representation
To settle debates over the issue of abolishing the importation of
enslaved people
To create a government based on the principle of federalism
To create a government with a bicameral legislature
Which issue do the events in these headlines have in common?
Expansion of slavery
States’ rights
Taxation without representation
Popular sovereignty
Which historical action was protected by the First Amendment guarantee regarding religion?
The nativist Know-Nothing Party attracted more members.
Eastern communities forced Mormons to migrate to the West.
City officials worked to reduce the political power of Catholic
immigrants.
Evangelists led revivals in New England.
Which statement describes the roles of George McClellan and Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War?
They were Confederate generals who captured Fort Sumter.
They were Union generals who commanded the Army of the
Potomac.
They were Confederate generals who surrendered at the
Battle of Vicksburg.
They were Union generals who committed war crimes at the
Battle of Gettysburg.
What were two effects of this canal on the United States during the
early-to-mid 1800s?
The Northeast gained access to new trade networks, and the
Midwest opened for more settlement.
The South became less dependent on slave labor, while the
North became more dependent on indentured servants.
The West became the commercial center of the nation, while the
Northeast increased dependence on agricultural production.
The South experienced lower shipping costs, and the West
expanded international trade.
Which statement describes how the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 increased sectionalism?
It allowed slavery to expand into the territories.
It gave tax cuts to manufacturers who relocated to the
territories.
It allowed slaves who escaped to the territories to purchase
their freedom.
It granted homesteads to immigrants who settled in the
territories.
Read the excerpt and answer the question that follows.
Why did President Washington give this advice about the future of
U.S. foreign policy?
To end European colonization in the Western Hemisphere
To avoid being drawn into European wars
To use trade embargoes to stay neutral
To encourage economic growth through the transatlantic slave
trade
Why did European explorers search for the Northwest Passage?
To find the legendary Seven Cities of Gold
To discover new technology for crossing the Atlantic Ocean
To find the legendary waters of the Fountain of Youth
To discover a new sea route to Asia
Which woman fought to create legislation to help the people described in this excerpt?
Sojourner Truth
Dorothea Dix
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
This diagram shows a sequence of events in colonial history.
Why is this sequence of events important?
Colonists created a legislature with two houses.
Colonists declared independence from English rule.
Colonists defended the concept of unalienable rights.
Colonists established a tradition of self-government.
Why was the Third Amendment prohibiting the quartering of troops added to the U.S. Constitution?
To address colonial treatment by the British military
To maintain control over members of the British military
To ensure the national government could pay for the U.S.
military
To reinforce the need for state militias in the United States
Why is Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence considered to be one of his greatest contributions to American history?
He showed responsibility by outlining the structure for a new government.
He helped define rights that would defeat tyranny.
He developed a military plan to defeat the British.
He outlined a strategy for acquiring the Louisiana Territory.
Which event was one cause of the U.S.-Mexican War?
The United States banned slavery in territories acquired from
Mexico.
The U.S. Congress debated statehood for New Mexico.
U.S. and Mexican soldiers fought over disputed territory north of the Rio Grande.
The United States acquired the Mexican Cession.
This map shows a trade system that emerged in the 1500s and
reached its height in the 1700s.
Which factor was a reason for the trade system illustrated on this map?
Labor demands of the factory system
Invention of the steamboat
Labor demands of the plantation system
Invention of the mechanical loom
In the early days of the colonies, a belief in these rights helped
lead to —
the establishment of royal courts
the growth of representative government
the implementation of the mercantile system
the abolishment of indentured servitude
Which statement describes one result of the War of 1812?
Great Britain lost control of Canada.
The United States gained control of the Oregon Territory.
The United States stopped trading with Britain and France.
Great Britain stopped the practice of impressment.
Which statement explains an effect of the Missouri Compromise?
The compromise maintained the balance between the number of free states and slave states in the Senate.
The compromise allowed slaves to be counted toward a state’s
population for representation in Congress.
The compromise enabled Southerners to pursue fugitive slaves into the North.
The compromise ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C.
Why did President Andrew Jackson oppose the Second Bank of the United States?
He believed it was inefficient and poorly managed.
He thought it was unconstitutional and favored the wealthy.
He considered it an obstacle to industrial progress and
expansion
He believed it favored the rights of states over the federal
government.
Which title best completes this diagram?
Innovations in the Cottage Industry
Causes of Rural Development
Expansion of Employees’ Rights
Reasons for Urbanization
What was one effect of the Fifteenth Amendment?
Immigrants faced less discrimination.
Black voters helped bring the Republican Party to power in the South.
Electors selected the president and vice president on separate
ballots.
American Indian tribal land was divided into individual plots.
Which geographic feature allowed the Mid-Atlantic colonies to have a longer growing season than the New England colonies?
Thick forests
Navigable rivers
Flat land with rocky soil
Mild climate
This political slogan is from the mid-1800s
What motivated some people to support this nativist slogan?
An affirmation of states’ rights by Jefferson Davis and the belief that tariffs are un-American
Large-scale immigration to cities and the belief that immigrants
stole jobs from native-born citizens
The desire for an independent country free from foreign rule and unfair mercantile economic policies
A rejection of anti-American influence following the Battle of
San Jacinto and the addition of new territories
Which breakthrough did Hiram Rhodes Revels accomplish during Reconstruction?
He became the first African American to publish literature.
He became the first African American to build wealth as a carpetbagger.
He became the first African American to win a seat in the
U.S. Congress.
He became the first African American soldier to serve in an integrated Union Army unit.
Which issue was debated in Gibbons v. Ogden?
The status of slaves living in free territories
The regulation of interstate commerce by federal or state laws
The constitutionality of tariffs
The separation of powers among the branches of government
What made the battles at Antietam and Gettysburg different from the other battles illustrated on this map?
They were victories for the Confederacy.
They were battles fought in Union territory.
They were attempts to keep Virginia in the Union.
They were battles defending the Confederate capital.
This excerpt is from a president’s annual message to Congress.
Which economic principle is President Jefferson showing support for
in this excerpt?
Protective tariffs
Limited competition
Minimal government regulation
Taxes to fund internal improvements
Which human geographic factor helped the Union win the Civil War?
A network of railroads in the North allowed Union soldiers to be moved quickly over long distances.
The Oregon Trail allowed Union military supplies to be moved quickly to the West.
Northern farms started producing cotton used to make Union
military uniforms.
Canals in the Midwest allowed food for Union soldiers to be
moved quickly to the front lines.
Read the passage and answer the question that follows.
What was one effect of these actions on the United States?
The signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
International criticism of the Monroe Doctrine
The expansion of manufacturing
Increased profits from international commerce
Which president established these traditions for the executive branch?
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
George Washington
Which headline describes an event that established guidelines for the admission of new states to the United States?
Which condition did both slaves and free blacks in the United States experience in the antebellum period?
Both groups were allowed to testify in court.
Both groups were able to vote in elections.
Both groups were forced to pay taxes.
Both groups were denied citizenship rights.
Which group helped establish the colony of Maryland in the 1630s?
English Catholics seeking religious freedom
Spanish workers seeking job opportunities
Irish families escaping a natural disaster
Russian merchants escaping political conflict
Read the list and answer the question that follows.
The people on this list are similar because their actions —
promoted interest in agricultural innovation
promoted support for westward expansion
showed dedication to sectionalism and states’ rights
showed commitment to rights and freedoms
