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Worksheets8th Grade U.S History STAAR Review
Total questions: 80
Worksheet time: 1hrs 18mins
Which branch has the responsibilty of interpreting laws? They say what laws mean and determine if a law is being obeyed.
Administrative
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Economic policy where colonies serve as a source of raw materials to increase the wealth and maintain a favorable balance of trade for the "mother" country.
Mercantilism
Representative Government
Charter
Plantations
According to the Northwest Ordinance, which condition did a U.S. territory have to meet in order to apply for statehood?
Have a population of sixty thousand free settlers
Hold a vote on whether to become a free or slave territory
Establish one public school per district
Have a territorial governor appointed by the president
Which government principle is illustrated in the diagram?
Federalism
Popular Sovereignty
Republicanism
Separation of Powers
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
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
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 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.
In what year was Jamestown founded?
1620
1776
1607
1617
Who founded Pennsylvania as a safe place for Quakers to settle?
John Smith
Anne Huthinson
William Penn
John Winthrop
What do we call a set of basic principles and laws that states the powers and duties of the government?
Resolution
Amendment
Constitution
Declaration
What did the Great Compromise create?
A bicameral (two house) legislature
A unicameral (one-house) legislature
The Supreme Court
The New Jersey Plan
What is the terms for a system that keeps any branch of government from becoming too powerful?
sectionalism
federalism
checks and balances
feudalism
"The Constitutional Convention shouldn't have formed a new government."
"The Constitution is invalid because it doesn't contain a section that guarantees individual rights."
People who belonged to which group would have said these quotes?
Loyalists
Patriots
Antifederalists
Federalists
What is federalism?
A king or monarch ruling over a country
A loose confederation of states that governs a nation
Power is distributed equally among all people in the government
The sharing of power between a central government and the states
This image would fit with what era
Sectionalism
Reform
Jackson
Exploration
This image would fit with what era
Civil War
Jackson
Reform
Constitution
Which statement explains one of the motivations behind Manifest Destiny?
“These are the times that try men’s souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country. . . .”
“I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free. . . .”
“And that claim is by the right . . . to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us. . . .”
“That it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise.”
Why is the Battle of Saratoga considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War?
The British victory extended the fighting for another year
The American defeat led many soldiers to desert the Continental Army
The British defeat marked the beginning of a steady decline in British military superiority
The American victory convinced France to ally with the United States
Which of these is a grievance from the Declaration of Independence?
Colonists born in America were prohibited from hold elected office
Colonists were forced to quarter troop in their homes
Colonists were not eligible to become officers in the British army
Colonists were required to serve a year in their colony's militia
In which court case was judicial review established?
Dred Scott v. Sandford
McCulloch v. Maryland
Gibbons v. Ogden
Marbury v. Madison
Which of the following is most associated with the formation of the Democratic Party?
The abolition movement
The election of Andrew Jackson as president
The use of protective tariffs
The impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
What was the primary question surrounding the 1832 Nullification Crisis?
Can a state regulate a federal agency
Can the federal government regulate interstate commerce?
Can a state overturn a federal law?
Can the federal government levy taxes on states?
One of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that...
The government could make and enforce all laws.
The government can deal with foreign countries and sign treaties
The government had no power to tax
The government could not declare war or make peace
In the early 1800's, what was considered "the west"?
The area between the Ohio River and Appalachian Mountains
The area between the Grand Canyon and Mississippi River
The area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
This sequence of events resulted in the adoption of the -
Articles of Confederation
Bill of Rights
Treaty of Paris
Declaration of Independence
Which of the following was a defining characteristic of the Era of Good Feelings?
The U.S. ceded territory to Great Britain in an attempt to avoid war.
There was a renewed sense of nationalism.
Evangelical revivalists challenged religious traditionalists.
Many states called for a restructuring of the federal government.
The Second Great Awakening was a movement that promoted -
spiritual revival and the need for social reform
the use of reason and scientific theory
states' rights and governmental reform
mercantilism and the development of global trade
-The division of the South into military districts
-The impeachment of the president
-The ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments
Which era in U.S. history is represented by the list above?
The Jacksonian Era
The Federalist Era
The Revolutionary Era
The Reconstruction Era
The image above best represents which U.S. history era
Reform Movements
Manifest Destiny
Industrial Revolution
Colonial Period
1607: Founding of Jamestown
1620: Pilgrims and Mayflower Compact
1634: Lord Baltimore founds Maryland
Which U.S. History era do the dates above best represent?
Exploration
Colonization
Creating a Government
Road to Revolution
Which era is categorized by economic, technological, and scientific advances in American society?
Age of Jackson
Reform Movements
Civil War
Industrial Revolution
Which era focuses on the influence of key individuals who sought to enhance the quality of American life?
Creating a government
Early Republic
Manifest Destiny
Reform Movements
The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affected the lives of millions of African Americans by —
providing them with voting rights
guaranteeing their freedom of speech
providing them with access to the court system
guaranteeing their permanent freedom from slavery
As a result of the Oregon Treaty, the United States achieved its goal of
expanding westward to the Pacific Ocean
acquiring land for a southwestern railroad
reserving western territory for American Indians
securing the southern border of the country
Why did the Anti-Federalists demand that a bill of rights be added to the U.S. Constitution?
To strengthen the authority of the federal government
To improve the organization of the judiciary
To give each state an equal amount of power
To protect individual freedoms from the federal government
U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis had sent Gadsden to negotiate with Santa Anna for the land. Davis valued it, as others did, as the perfect tract for the construction of the southern transcontinental railroad. The railroad line would connect western territories to the east and north, greatly increasing the accessibility of these new lands.
According to the excerpt above, the Gadsden Purchase was intended to —
support settlement of U.S. territory gained through the U.S.-Mexican War
encourage commerce among U.S. states formed from the Louisiana Purchase
allow the United States and Mexico to share railroad construction costs
encourage the sale of U.S. government land in Florida
The innovation shown in this photograph most affected the U.S. economy by
decreasing the need for canals
allowing more efficient movement of goods
reducing the costs of settling in western territories
transporting workers from southern states to northern states
I consider, then, the power to annul a law of the United States, assumed by one state, incompatible with the existence of the Union, contradicted expressly by the letter of the Constitution . . .
—Proclamation, President Andrew Jackson
The proclamation excerpted above was issued during which of these historical events?
Shays’s Rebellion
The War of 1812
The Nullification Crisis
The Civil War
Which of these best summarizes the Monroe Doctrine?
The immigration of Europeans to the United States must be discouraged
International peace can be maintained without complicated alliances
The power to nullify federal laws is necessary to preserve sovereignty
Further colonization of the Americas by European countries is prohibited
John Marshall
• Promoted the public good
• Maintained a strong sense of duty
Used clear language to discuss complex issues
Which action should be added to this list?
Upheld the doctrine of states’ rights
Supported the popular election of Supreme Court justices
Allowed slavery to extend into western territories
Wrote the Supreme Court decision that established the principle of judicial review
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
—Declaration of Independence, 1776
Which provision of the U.S. Constitution reflects this grievance?
The president can appoint justices with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Congress has the power to establish federal courts
The commerce clause allows Congress to regulate trade among the states.
Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.
The election of Hiram Rhodes Revels in 1870 was significant because he was the first African American to —
run for public office in the South
win an election as a member of the Democratic Party
serve as a member of the U.S. Senate
win a majority of the popular vote in Mississippi
• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of happiness
The rights listed above were —
established by a series of Supreme Court decisions
defined by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence
established by the ratification of the U.S. Constitution
defined by President George Washington in his Farewell Address
What was one major effect of the Erie Canal on the United States in the early nineteenth century?
The rapid growth of cities in the Northeast
A rise in cotton exports to the United Kingdom
An increase in the cost of shipping goods to Europe
A decrease in trade between settlers and American Indians
Which of the following was a primary reason France sought to colonize North America?
To reduce overpopulation in Europe
To create communities founded on religious tolerance
To profit from trading in furs and other goods
To create joint ventures with other European powers
How did the factory system contribute to the rapid industrialization of the United States?
By using slave labor to mass-produce goods
By relying on skilled artisans to create custom goods
By making the production of goods more efficient
By making the distribution of goods less costly
According to Alexander Hamilton, which action was necessary to ensure the stability of the nation’s economy?
The passage of a trade embargo against Great Britain
The abolition of consumption taxes
The creation of a trade alliance with France
The establishment of a national bank
This controversial law allowed slave-hunters to seize alleged fugitive slaves without due process of law and prohibited anyone from aiding escaped fugitives or obstructing their recovery. Because it was often presumed that a black person was a slave, the law threatened the safety of all blacks. . . .
What was one result of the law described above?
Northerners who believed the law was unfair began to support the abolitionist movement.
Religious groups left the abolitionist movement to avoid political controversy
Southerners used the law to challenge the constitutionality of abolitionist goals
Abolitionist societies began to focus their efforts on promoting women’s suffrage.
Which problem did George Washington encounter when he became president?
Southern states were threatening to secede from the Union.
The United States had large debts from the American Revolution.
Great Britain was refusing to trade with the United States.
The Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced with a stronger constitution.
When citizens report for jury duty, they are helping uphold a constitutional right guaranteed by the—
First Amendment
Second Amendment
Sixth Amendment
4th Amendment
A
B
C
D
What did the following factors contribute most to?
Distance from Great Britain
Mayflower Compact
Town hall meetings
alliances between the British & American Indians
election of British colonists to Parliament
growth of representative government
expansion of British trade in the colonies
Which action led the United States into the War of 1812?
American warships were captured at sea and forced to fight for Britain.
American merchant sailors smuggling goods to Europe were imprisoned in Britain.
American merchant sailors were impressed into naval service to fight for Britain.
American warships sailing from European ports were boarded and impounded in Britain.
Why is Dorothea Dix a significant figure in U.S. history?
She was a leader in the fight for the abolition of slavery.
She led a reform effort to improve working conditions in factories.
She was a leader in the fight for women’s suffrage.
She led a reform effort to improve care for the mentally ill.
The economy of the Southern colonies was based on?
Plantations, cash crops
Grains, "The Bread Basket"
Ship building, fishing, and metal products
Pro football
Which phrase become popular among colonists in response to England imposing taxes?
“No taxation without representation”
“The rights of Englishmen”
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
“Give me liberty or give me death”
How did sharecropping affect freedmen?
Sharecropping hurt freedmen because it kept them in a cycle of debt to white landowners.
Sharecropping helped freedmen because white landowners had to pay them for labor and they were able to save their money.
Sharecropping helped freedmen because they finally owned their own land.
Sharecropping did not affect freedmen because only white landowners were sharecroppers.
What problems did formerly enslaved people face during Reconstruction?
Black Codes
lack of education
sharecropping
All of the above
Radical Republicans thought President Johnson's Reconstruction plan was too easy on the South and did not protect freedmen. After Johnson decided to remove the Secretary of War, what did they do about this?
They voted to re-elect President Lincoln.
They tried to impeach President Johnson.
They set their differences aside in hopes of uniting the nation.
They vetoed his plan and wrote a new one.
Why did the South have more property damage than the North?
more battles were fought in the South than the North
the South lacked great leadership during the war
more battles were fought in the North than the South
Frederick Douglass was a member of which reform movement?
The Shakers
Education
Temperance
Abolition
