WorksheetsUS History Regents Practice Exam (6.23)
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 2hrs 36mins
. . . Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe, America to itself. . . .
Source: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
According to this passage from Common Sense, the author is
trying to convince Americans to remain English colonists
suggesting that the colonies join a European confederation against England
proposing that the colonies revise the Articles of Confederation
urging Americans to become independent from their mother country
What is the primary argument used in this passage by Thomas Paine to make his point?
There is no economic relationship between the American colonies and England.
England cannot effectively govern the colonies because America is so much larger.
The American colonies are already allied with France and do not need England.
England has denied the colonists any form of self-government.
. . . This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate [lesser] distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other—that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel [guard] over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite [essential] in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State. . . .
Source: James Madison, Federalist No. 51, 1788
What was the primary reason James Madison wrote this and other Federalist Papers?
to support ratification of the Constitution
to support creation of a national bank
to encourage increasing ties to Europe
to encourage the development of political parties
Which constitutional principle does Madison most directly describe in this passage?
reserving the power of judicial review
separation of powers between the branches of government
support for the rule of law
creation of a powerful military
. . . When the British and French both seized American vessels if they touched at the ports of the other, Jefferson decided to test one of his favorite doctrines—that war was both intolerable and unnecessary, and that the best weapon against both powers lay in economic sanctions. He got Congress to pass a series of five Embargo Acts, stringently forbidding U.S. trade with Britain and France not only overseas but even along the Canadian border. . . .
Source: Max Lerner, Wounded Titans: American Presidents and the Perils of Power, Arcade Publishing, 1996
According to this passage, what was President Thomas Jefferson’s primary objective in proposing the Embargo Acts?
to raise revenue
to limit the slave trade
to avoid war
to increase trade
What was one result of the failure of the Embargo Acts?
Louisiana Purchase
War of 1812
Missouri Compromise
Gibbons v. Ogden decision
. . . Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession [rise to power] of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that— I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. . . .
Source: First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861
What is one reason President Abraham Lincoln included these statements in this address?
to reduce the fears of slave-holding states
to reestablish the foreign slave trade
to increase support of northern abolitionists
to encourage the expansion of slavery into the West
Which later action by President Lincoln demonstrated a change from his 1861 position?
signing the Pacific Railway Act
appointing William Seward Secretary of State
issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
suspending habeas corpus
. . . Thus American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area. American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier. This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character. . . .
Source: Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” 1893
Which geographic feature does Frederick Jackson Turner suggest as primary in the creation of the American character?
an irregular coastline
the Great Lakes
unsettled wilderness
the Mohawk Valley
Which federal action is most consistent with the ideas expressed by Frederick Jackson Turner in this excerpt?
passage of the Federal Reserve Act
establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau
decision in Plessy v. Ferguson
passage of the Homestead Act
. . . Private monopolies are indefensible and intolerable. They destroy competition, control the price of all material, and of the finished product, thus robbing both producer and consumer. They lessen the employment of labor, and arbitrarily fix the terms and conditions thereof; and deprive individual energy and small capital of their opportunity of betterment. . . .
Source: Democratic Party Platform of 1900
The authors of the passage would have been most critical of the activities of which two individuals?
Jacob Riis and Ida Tarbell
John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie
William Jennings Bryan and Eugene V. Debs
Margaret Sanger and Jane Addams
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, how did Congress attempt to address these practices?
They authorized a federal takeover of large industries.
They declared that all trade was interstate commerce.
They implemented a minimum wage.
They passed antitrust legislation.
A historian would most likely use this document to investigate events leading up to the
annexation of Alaska
war with Spain
Open Door policy
invasion of Mexico
How did United States foreign policy change in the years immediately following this event?
The United States entered a period of overseas expansion.
The United States pursued a policy of containment.
The United States became more isolated.
The United States rejected the goal of Manifest Destiny
What was a main reason for the movement of people as shown on this map?
Foreign food imports replaced domestic production of crops.
Northern states banned all forms of racial discrimination.
Abolitionists promised a means of escape from slavery.
Industrialization provided more employment opportunities.
What was one result of the migration shown on the map?
The South became the new destination for most European immigrants.
The Democratic Party declined in the northern half of the country.
American culture was enriched by new forms of music and literature.
Segregated communities throughout the nation came to an end.
. . . I think all men recognize that in time of war the citizen must surrender some rights for the common good which he is entitled to enjoy in time of peace. But, sir, the right to control their own government according to constitutional forms is not one of the rights that the citizens of this country are called upon to surrender in time of war. . . . More than all, the citizen and his representative in Congress in time of war must maintain his right of free speech. More than in times of peace it is necessary that the channels for free public discussion of governmental policies shall be open and unclogged. . . .
Source: Senator Robert M. La Follette, Free Speech in Wartime, October 6, 1917
According to the passage, what is one argument in support of free speech during wartime?
Citizens must maintain their right to control the government even in times of war.
Citizens must support the decisions of elected officials.
Military leaders are bound by constitutional oath to defend the rights of the people.
Congress has the authority to pass laws limiting first amendment rights.
Which Supreme Court decision addresses the issue raised by Senator La Follette in this speech?
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. v. Illinois
Plessy v. Ferguson
Northern Securities Co. v. United States
Schenck v. United States
Why were President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party unable to solve the problem addressed in this cartoon?
They believed in limited federal government intervention in economic activity.
They knew the problem existed only in rural areas of the United States.
They thought that foreign influences were the primary cause of the bank crisis.
They believed the federal government must first pay back those who lost money due to stock speculation.
What was the reason for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reaction to the Supreme Court as shown in this cartoon?
Congress had failed to pass any New Deal legislation.
Several New Deal programs had been invalidated.
The House of Representatives had voted to impeach President Roosevelt.
Several Supreme Court Justices had been removed from office.
Which situation led the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army Wartime Civil Control Administration to issue this order?
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
the lack of adequate housing on the West Coast
widespread acts of espionage by Japanese Americans
efforts to deport Japanese Americans
What Supreme Court case upheld the constitutionality of this order?
Mapp v. Ohio
Korematsu v. United States
Gideon v. Wainwright
Miranda v. Arizona
What was a primary purpose of the Marshall Plan?
to develop better relations with the Soviet Union
to expand United States territory
to support revolutions in the Middle East
to contain the spread of communism
The Soviet response to the Marshall Plan contributed to
a decline in United States-European trade
increased aid to African nations
the Cold War
the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
SECTION 1. This joint resolution may be cited as the “War Powers Resolution”.
PURPOSE AND POLICY SEC. 2. (a) It is the purpose of this joint resolution to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations. . . . (c) The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces. . . .
Source: War Powers Resolution, 1973
The purpose of this law was to
limit the power of the president from involving the United States in extended wars
expand the power of the president as commander in chief
allow the president to declare war on foreign countries
prevent the president from signing a treaty without the consent of Congress
What event most directly led to the passage of this act?
President Nixon’s visit to China
President Kennedy’s response to the Cuban missile crisis
involvement in the Vietnam War
imposition of the Arab oil embargo
Which presidential role is being demonstrated in the photograph?
commander in chief of the armed forces
granting reprieves and pardons for federal offenses
treaty-making powers with foreign nations
chief executive approving congressional bills
What was one way the Voting Rights Act expanded the civil rights of African Americans?
It stopped the practice of sharecropping.
It ended discrimination in public facilities.
It outlawed the use of literacy tests.
It forced the integration of public schools.
