Shaping a New Nation Unit Test

Directions: Look over the test. On a separate piece of paper, write down the questions you got wrong and the correct answer ONLY. The Correct Answer is highlighted in bold and can also be found on the bottom of the page.

Shaping a New Nation Unit Test

1. Which Presidential action is an example of the unwritten constitution?

1. appointing Justices to the Supreme Court

2. granting pardons for Federal crimes

3. submitting a treaty to the Senate for ratification

4. consulting with the Cabinet

2. The speakers below are discussing foreign policies that the United States has followed at various times. Base your answers on their statements and on your knowledge of social studies.

Speaker A: Steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.
Speaker B: The United States will give economic aid to needy countries anywhere in the world, but will not provide military aid.
Speaker C: The United States must prevent the growth of communism.
Speaker D: The United States can take over other countries to help them become more like us.

Which speaker states a policy most similar to the foreign policy advice given by President George Washington in his Farewell Address?

1. Speaker A : Steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.

2. Speaker B

3. Speaker C

4. Speaker D

3. Alexander Hamilton’s argument that the government has the power to create a National Bank is based on which part of the Constitution?

	1.	the Preamble
	2.	the elastic clause
	3.	guarantees to the States
	4.	the Bill of Rights

4. "All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and well born, the other the mass of the people. . . . The people are turbulent and changing. . . . Give therefore to the first class a distinct permanent share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second."

-Alexander Hamilton

The author of this quotation suggests that

	1.	the will of the majority should guide public policy
	2.	wealthy people are too preoccupied to rule well
	3.	the common people cannot be trusted to run a stable government
	4.	poorer people must work harder to gain access to economic and political power

Speaker A:"We must take action even if we are not sure it will work. To do nothing to stop them would be a repeat of the Munich mistake."
Speaker B:"We must recognize the increasing interdependence of nations and join the United Nations."
Speaker C:"Stopping the spread of communism can and must take several forms. We must be willing to do whatever is necessary."
Speaker D:"Involvement in European affairs would be a mistake. We should not jeopardize our peace and prosperity over issues that Europe’s ambitions and rivalries control."

Which speaker best describes the basic foreign policy of the United States until the late 1800’s?

	1.	Speaker A
	2.	Speaker B
	3.	Speaker C
	4.	Speaker D :"Involvement in European affairs would be a mistake. We should not jeopardize our peace and prosperity over issues that Europe’s ambitions and rivalries control."

6. Actions and policies of the Government under President George Washington generally resulted in the

	1.	establishment of strong political ties with other nations
	2.	liberation of many enslaved persons
	3.	failure to create a sound financial program for the country
	4.	strengthening of the Federal Government

7. Alexander Hamilton urged Congress to pass a protective tariff to encourage the growth of

	1.	labor unions
	2.	manufacturing
	3.	agriculture
	4.	slavery

8. Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan helped to establish the credit of the United States government by

	1.	providing for the payment of the nation’s debts
	2.	taxing only the people most able to pay
	3.	favoring agriculture over industry
	4.	encouraging spending for national defense

9. One major reason that Alexander Hamilton proposed a national bank was to

	1.	improve the economic position of the United States government
	2.	help state governments collect taxes
	3.	make loans available to owners of small farms
	4.	reduce foreign investment in the United States

10. At times, the United States Government has passed protective tariffs to

	1.	encourage foreign trade
	2.	help the nation’s manufacturers
	3.	reduce the cost of consumer goods
	4.	improve the quality of goods

11. What was the result of many of the Supreme Court decisions made under Chief Justice John Marshall between 1801 and 1835?

	1.	The system of slavery was weakened.
	2.	The federal government was strengthened.
	3.	The rights of workers were supported.
	4.	Antitrust laws were upheld.

12. A major reason for the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to

	1.	discourage United States trade with Latin America
	2.	defend the Panama Canal from Great Britain
	3.	prevent further European colonization in the Caribbean region
	4.	provide economic aid to Latin American nations

13. During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the spoils system resulted in

	1.	federal laws being nullified by the states
	2.	elected officials rewarding their supporters with government jobs
	3.	all free males being given the right to vote
	4.	the end of political corruption in the federal government

14. The legal basis for the United States purchase of the Louisiana Territory was the

	1.	power granted to the President to make treaties
	2.	President’s power as Commander in Chief
	3.	authority of Congress to declare war
	4.	Senate’s duty to approve the appointment of ambassadors

15. One factor that led to the formation of the first two political parties in the United States in the 1790s was the conflict over the

	1.	distribution of power between the federal and state governments
	2.	spread of slavery into the western territories
	3.	control of interstate commerce
	4.	acquisition of lands from France and Spain

16. "Compromise Enables Maine and Missouri To Enter Union" (1820)
"California Admitted to Union as Free State" (1850)
"Kansas-Nebraska Act Sets Up Popular Sovereignty" (1854)

Which issue is reflected in these headlines?

	1.	enactment of protective tariffs
	2.	extension of slavery
	3.	voting rights for minorities
	4.	universal public education

17. When President Thomas Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Territory from France, he demonstrated that he had modified his belief that

	1.	the Constitution should be strictly interpreted
	2.	the federal government should limit individual rights
	3.	adding territory would lead to regional rivalries
	4.	commercial development was the main goal of the federal government

18. The phrase “by military conquest, treaty, and purchase” best describes the

	1.	steps in the growth of American industry
	2.	methods used to expand the territory of the United States
	3.	major parts of President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points
	4.	causes of the United States entry into the Korean War

19. Before the Civil War, the principle of popular sovereignty was proposed as a means of

	1.	allowing states to secede from the Union
	2.	permitting voters to nullify federal laws
	3.	deciding the legalization of slavery in a new state
	4.	overturning unpopular decisions of the Supreme Court

20. Which geographic advantage did the United States gain by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803?

	1.	warm-water ports on the Atlantic coast
	2.	rich fishing areas in the Great Lakes
	3.	full control of the Mississippi River
	4.	vast coal reserves in the region west of Pennsylvania

21. As the United States acquired more land between 1803 and 1850, controversy over these territories focused on the

	1.	need for schools and colleges
	2.	failure to conserve natural resources
	3.	expansion of slavery
	4.	construction of transcontinental railroads

22.

I.____________________________________

A. Nullification crisis
B. Kansas-Nebraska Act
C. Dred Scott v. Sanford
D. Election of Lincoln (1860)

Which heading best completes the partial outline?

	1.	Foreign Policies of the United States
	2.	Government Policies Toward Native American Indians
	3.	Consequences of Manifest Destiny
	4.	Causes of Sectional Conflict

23. Once an amendment has been added to the United States Constitution, which process must be used to change that amendment?

	1.	ratifying a new amendment
	2.	convincing the states to ignore the amendment
	3.	having Congress pass a law repealing the amendment
	4.	having the President issue an executive order canceling the amendment

24. The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of

1. the President to veto a bill passed by Congress

2. Congress to censure one of its members

3. a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riot

4. state and Federal gov-ernments to levy and collect taxes

25. The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery upheld the Southern viewpoint that

1. the power of the Supreme Court does not extend to cases of race

2. Congress could not pass a law depriving territorial residents of their property

3. a national vote should be held to decide the legality of slavery

4. the economic well-being of the western states depended on slave labor

26. In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that

	1.	states may not secede from the Union
	2.	racial segregation was constitutional
	3.	slaves are property and may not be taken from their owners
	4.	all western territories should be open to slavery

27. The Jim Crow legal system, which expanded in the South after Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), was based on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the

	1.	due process clause of the 5th Amendment
	2.	states’ rights provision of the 10th Amendment
	3.	equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment
	4.	voting rights provision in the 15th Amendment

***Bonus: Which feature of the Presidency is a result of a constitutional amendment?

	1.	two-term limit in office
	2.	power to appoint ambassadors
	3.	duty to act as Commander in Chief
	4.	responsibility to nominate Justices to the Supreme Court

28. The cartoonist is most clearly accusing President Jackson of which behavior?

1. involving the U.S. in European wars

2. exceeding the constitutional limits of his authority

3. using government funds to support an extravagant lifestyle

4. violating the Federal Constitution by granting titles of nobility

28. In the U.S., the belief in manifest destiny was more similar to later demands for

1. restrictions on immigration

2. a laissez-faire economic policy

3. regulation of interstate commerce

4. imperialistic expansion

29. In U.S. history, which characteristic was common to the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American War?

1. they were fought to promote democratic principles

2. their aim was expansion of U.S. self-interest

3. they reflected conditions in Western Europe

4. they were necessary to protect national security

30. During the 19^th century, the expansion of the population of the U.S affected the lives of the Native Americans in that most Indians

1. moved to urban areas in large numbers

2. sought to form alliances with other minority groups

3. were forced to move westward

4. chose to adopt the culture of the settlers

31. What Compromise is this map depicting (showing)?

32. What region or section of the U.S. is open to slavery?

33. Name two states that are closed to slavery.

34. How does the map above demonstrate the ability of Congress to make laws to deal with the extension of slavery?

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