WorksheetsQuiz on Early 19th Century American Politics
Total questions: 24
Worksheet time: 12mins
Which group saw an expansion of their voting rights in the early nineteenth century?
Free Black people
Non-property-owning white men
Women
Native Americans
What was the lasting impact of the Bucktail Republican Party in New York?
They implemented universal suffrage.
They pushed for the expansion of the canal system.
They elevated Martin Van Buren to the national political stage.
They changed election laws to open elections.
Who won the popular vote in the election of 1824?
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
Henry Clay
John Quincy Adams
Why did Andrew Jackson and his supporters consider the election of John Quincy Adams to be a “corrupt bargain”?
Adams bribed voters to win the election.
Henry Clay supported Adams in the House vote and was later made Secretary of State.
Jackson refused to count all electoral votes.
Adams eliminated property requirements for voting.
Who stood to gain from the Tariff of Abominations, and who expected to lose by it?
Southern planters gained; northern merchants lost.
Northern manufacturers gained; southern planters lost.
Western farmers gained; eastern merchants lost.
British traders gained; Americans lost.
What was the actual result of Jackson’s policy of “rotation in office”?
An end to corruption in Washington
A replacement of Adams’s loyalists with Jackson’s loyalists
The filling of posts by popular vote
The creation of the Kitchen Cabinet
The election of 1828 brought in the first presidency of which political party?
The Democrats
The Democratic-Republicans
The Republicans
The Bucktails
What were the main planks of Andrew Jackson’s 1828 campaign?
Support for the national bank and federal spending
Limited government, opposition to elites, and support for the “common man”
Expansion of slavery into new states
Promotion of women’s suffrage
What was the significance of the Petticoat Affair?
It ended Jackson’s presidency early.
It divided Jackson’s cabinet and strengthened his ties to Martin Van Buren.
It forced the resignation of John Quincy Adams.
It led to the creation of the Whig Party.
South Carolina threatened to nullify which federal act?
The abolition of slavery
The expansion of transportation infrastructure
The protective tariff on imported goods
The rotation-in-office policy
How did President Jackson respond to Congress’s re-chartering of the Second Bank of the United States?
He vetoed it.
He signed it into law.
He gave states the right to implement it or not.
He wrote a counter-proposal.
Why did the Second Bank of the United States make such an inviting target for President Jackson?
He thought it was necessary for westward expansion.
He saw it as a symbol of elite privilege and corruption.
It supported the Democrats instead of the Whigs.
It failed to fund internal improvements.
What were the philosophies and policies of the new Whig Party?
Opposition to the national bank and internal improvements
Support for a strong federal role, the national bank, tariffs, and infrastructure
Desire for complete free trade and no taxes
Promotion of states’ rights and slavery expansion
How did most white Americans view Native Americans in the 1820s?
As savages
As enslaved people
As noble environmentalists
As equals to whites
The 1830 Indian Removal Act is best understood as ________.
Jackson forcing Congress to adopt an unpopular policy
An example of widespread hatred of Native Americans during the Age of Jackson
A law to integrate Native Americans into U.S. life
A plan to protect Native lands from settlers
What was the Trail of Tears?
The route pioneers took to California
The forced removal of Cherokee and other tribes to Indian Territory, causing thousands of deaths
A protest march of southern planters
The path of Jackson’s army during the War of 1812
The winner of the 1840 election was ________.
A Democrat
A Democratic-Republican
An Anti-Federalist
A Whig (William Henry Harrison)
Which of the following did not characterize political changes in the 1830s?
Higher voter participation
Increasing political power of free Black voters
Stronger partisan ties
Battles between Whigs and Democrats
How did Alexis de Tocqueville react to his visit to the United States?
He disliked American democracy and returned home immediately.
He admired Americans’ equality and civic spirit but worried about tyranny of the majority.
He focused only on American economic growth.
He thought America should have a monarchy.
What social and cultural beliefs became widespread during the Age of Jackson?
Belief in aristocracy and inherited privilege
Equality for white men, individualism, and suspicion of elites
Religious toleration and equal rights for women
Hostility toward westward expansion
Were the political changes of the early nineteenth century positive or negative?
Positive for white male democracy but negative for women, Black people, and Native Americans
Entirely positive for all citizens
Entirely negative due to corruption
Neutral with little long-term impact
If you were defending the Cherokee before the Supreme Court, what argument would you make?
The Cherokee were sovereign nations with treaty rights protected by U.S. law.
States had absolute authority over Native tribes.
Removal was necessary for safety.
The Supreme Court had no jurisdiction.
How did depictions of Native Americans in popular culture affect public opinion?
They portrayed Natives as uncivilized, making removal seem justified.
They encouraged equal rights for Natives.
They supported peaceful coexistence.
They had little influence on policy.
Does Alexis de Tocqueville’s “tyranny of the majority” apply to democracy today?
No, because minorities now control politics.
Yes, majority opinion can still silence minority voices despite legal protections.
No, America no longer has majorities.
Yes, but only in local governments.
