Q&A Hero

Q: In his clash with Congress over Reconstruction policy, President Johnson's worst enemy was __________. A) Thaddeus Stevens B) Charles Sumner C) Benjamin Wade D) Andrew Johnson himself

Q: In April 1866, for the first time in American history a major piece of legislation became law over a presidential veto. What was this legislation? A) Civil Rights Act B) Wade-Davis Act C) Thirteenth Amendment D) Freedman's Bureau Act

Q: President Johnson alienated moderate Republicans when he __________. A) vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau and Civil Rights bills B) supported the Fourteenth Amendment C) made a compromise with Charles Sumner D) ordered a trial of Jefferson Davis for treason

Q: What were the measures that, among other things, restricted former slaves to working in farming and domestic service? A) Reconstruction Acts B) Scalawag Codes C) Black Codes D) Jim Crow laws

Q: Johnson's Reconstruction plan enabled southern voters to do which of the following? A) Grant white women the right to vote. B) Petition Northern congressmen for readmission to the Union. C) Elect former Confederate leaders to serve in Congress. D) Appease the North by offering land to former slaves.

Q: Civil and political equality for blacks __________. A) became a new national consensus after the Civil War B) more often had the support of poor southern whites than of Northerners C) was only embraced in Congress by "ultra" Radical Republicans D) was quickly becoming a reality in the American West

Q: What was the political impact of the Thirteenth Amendment? A) It crippled the political power of Southern whites. B) It led to vindictive legislation aimed at former slaveholders. C) It triggered a massive outmigration from the South to the Northeast. D) It raised the proportional congressional representation of former slave states.

Q: Andrew Johnson has been described as which of the following? A) extremely friendly toward black rights B) an eager defender of traditional southern aristocrats C) hating all things southern D) specializing in opposition and alienating members of his own party

Q: What was Andrew Johnson's fundamental goal? A) to guarantee black political rights B) to preserve the economic power of the southern planters C) to fund public education for blacks D) to assist poor whites with free homesteads and public education

Q: Which Unionist Democrat was placed on the Lincoln ticket to assure victory in 1864? A) Ulysses S. Grant B) George B. McClellan C) Horatio Seymour D) Andrew Johnson

Q: In 1864, Congress rejected Lincoln's Reconstruction plan when they passed which piece of legislation? A) Kansas Bill B) Wade-Davis Bill C) Freedmen's Bureau Bill D) First Reconstruction Act

Q: President Lincoln believed that Reconstruction should __________. A) be controlled exclusively by Congress B) harshly punish the white South for its treason C) abolish slavery and divide the plantation lands among the former slaves D) avoid vindictiveness toward the South

Q: President Lincoln's proposed plan for reconstructing the Union __________. A) allowed for the readmission of states after 10 percent of the qualified voters took an oath of allegiance B) divided the South into zones of military occupation C) confiscated land from wealthy white Southerners to provide forty acres and a mule for each former slave D) permitted states to apply for readmission after a majority of the qualified voters took an oath of allegiance

Q: What was Lincoln referring to when he spoke of a "pernicious abstraction"? A) the seizure of the Trent B) the percentage of southerners required to take a loyalty oath C) Copperhead activities in the Ohio River Valley D) the Southern claim to have seceded from the Union

Q: The idea that "cotton is king" played a major role in the way __________. A) the South conducted foreign affairs B) Lincoln viewed slavery C) Davis was chosen president of the Confederacy D) Lincoln viewed foreign policy

Q: An examination of the Confederate war effort reveals which of the following? A) There was a serious lack of arms and ammunition. B) Northern military might was overwhelming. C) Southern armies did not lose any battles because of a lack of armaments. D) Southern armies were well supplied with shoes and uniforms.

Q: What was the most vexing problem faced by the Confederacy during the Civil War? A) cotton imports B) its naval personnel. C) the Union's foreign alliances D) finance

Q: After the Battle of Bull Run, President Jefferson Davis revised his military strategy to rely primarily upon which of the following? A) building a strong defense to wear down the Union's will to fight B) planning a series of bold invasions of the North C) breaking the Union's naval blockade with the assistance of Great Britain D) using slaves as support troops

Q: Which of the following properly assesses the significance of Ex parte Milligan? A) The case demonstrated the U.S. Supreme Court's deference to the president in times of war. B) The case was an example for the admirable ways in which federal courts intervened and freed political prisoners. C) The case illustrated the personal vendetta against President Lincoln that overshadowed the rulings of Chief Justice Roger Taney. D) The case declared military trials for civilians illegal if regular courts operated, but did not do so until after the war.

Q: The most notorious Peace Democrat was Ohio Congressman __________. A) Benjamin Wade B) Lambdin Milligan C) John Slidell D) Clement L. Vallandigham

Q: How did Lincoln treat the civil rights of dissenters during the Civil War? A) He did everything in his power to preserve their rights because he was devoted to individual freedom. B) He suspended the writ of habeas corpus in critical areas and applied martial law freely. C) He prohibited free elections during the war. D) He accused newspapers that criticized his government of treason and ordered them closed.

Q: What were members of the peace societies in the North often called? A) Tories B) Copperheads C) Water Moccasins D) Rattlesnakes

Q: The episode involving Peace Democrat Clement L. Vallandigham from Ohio suggests that __________. A) wartime conditions had turned Lincoln into a dictator B) the Union was unable to control public dissent C) public consensus was a sufficient disciplinary tool against dissenters D) President Abraham Lincoln was not a dictator

Q: Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, and Benjamin Wade were leaders of the __________. A) Radical Republicans B) Copperheads C) Lincoln Republicans D) Peace Democrats

Q: After the Union was defeated at Bull Run, Lincoln chose __________ to command the Union forces. A) Winfield Scott B) Ulysses S. Grant C) George B. McClellan D) Winfield Scott Hancock

Q: The first major battle of the Civil War on July 21, 1861, __________. A) was a disaster for the Union B) ended in a stalemate C) ended with defeat for the South D) involved much posturing but few casualties

Q: Which of the following was the basic difference between Lincoln and Davis as presidents? A) Lincoln could not stand criticism. B) Davis allowed personal feelings to distort his judgment. C) Lincoln failed to delegate authority. D) Davis was patient with people who talked too much or did not understand him.

Q: Who was the president of the Confederacy? A) Robert E. Lee B) Alexander Hamilton Stephens C) Jefferson Davis D) Howell Cobb

Q: Over the course of the war __________. A) Southern troop strength caught up with that of the North B) the number of Northern soldiers available for combat declined C) Southern and Northern troop strength remained remarkably equal D) Northern troop strength grew from double to three times that of the South

Q: In establishing a new government, the South __________. A) totally rejected all existing federal laws B) was handicapped by its states' rights philosophy C) ignored federal precedents and administrative machinery D) benefited from its states' rights philosophy

Q: Military action early in the Civil War seemed to indicate that __________ were superior. A) northern generals B) southern generals C) northern enlisted men D) southern enlisted men

Q: Although slavery was the root cause of secession, __________. A) it was not the cause of the North's resistance to secession B) there existed a strong national consensus that slavery was a reliable institution C) it proved an even stronger incentive for the North to engage in war against the South D) it was not related to the question of union

Q: Southerners saw secession as which of the following? A) the rejection of democracy. B) a necessary evil. C) the right to self-determination. D) a right explicitly granted in the constitution.

Q: What happened when Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers after the fall of Fort Sumter? A) South Carolina seceded. B) West Virginia declared independence as a state. C) Texas sent volunteers to South Carolina. D) Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee seceded.

Q: At the start of the Civil War, Lincoln's Secretary of State William Seward __________. A) thought he could dominate Lincoln B) was the most incompetent member of Lincoln's cabinet C) believed Lincoln was far too radical on slavery D) argued that the North was better off without the slaveholding South

Q: Between the election of 1860 and his inauguration, Abraham Lincoln __________. A) contacted Jefferson Davis several times B) worked very closely with President Buchanan C) made serious attempts to reassure the South D) did not show much leadership

Q: How did Republicans change the legal framework for the nation's economic development during the war years?

Q: Why did General William Tecumseh Sherman pursue a "scorched earth" strategy in Georgia?

Q: Why did Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation at the time that he did?

Q: What explains the stalemate and lack of Union progress in 1862?

Q: Compare and contrast the strengths of the Union and Confederacy on the eve of the Civil War.

Q: As a result of the Union victory, people tended to view America as __________. A) evidence that democracy would fail B) a nation, not just a union of states C) vulnerable to further secession movements D) a beacon of freedom for people of color everywhere

Q: At war's end, the human toll of the Civil War stood at __________. A) more than 600,000, nearly as many as in all other U.S. wars combined B) 1 million, more than in all other U.S. wars C) 50,000, about 28 percent of the population D) 300,000, most of which succumbed to new weapons technology

Q: On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at __________. A) Lynchburg B) Gettysburg C) Richmond D) Appomattox Court House

Q: What made William H. Seward unpopular with parts of the Republican Party? A) He urged Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. B) He independently tried to negotiate a peace with the Confederacy. C) His compassion for slaves and commitment to racial equality went too far for them. D) He believed it was important to be conciliatory toward the South.

Q: Sherman's march through Georgia and the fall of Atlanta on September 2, 1864, contributed greatly to which of the following? A) Grant's victory in the Wilderness B) the resignation of Jefferson Davis C) the Emancipation Proclamation D) Lincoln's election in November

Q: Which Union general was noted for believing in and carrying out the doctrine of total war? A) Robert E. Lee B) George B. McClellan C) Lew Wallace D) William T. Sherman

Q: Which former Democrat was placed on the Lincoln ticket to assure victory in 1864? A) Joseph E. Johnston B) George B. McClellan C) Stephen A. Douglas D) Andrew Johnson

Q: How did the Civil War affect women and their "proper spheres"? A) Only northern women expanded their "proper spheres" by working as army nurses and replacing male workers. B) Both northern and southern women expanded their "proper spheres" by serving in their respective armies in combat roles. C) Both northern and southern women expanded their "proper spheres" by working as army nurses and replacing male workers. D) Only southern women expanded their "proper spheres" by working as army nurses and replacing male workers.

Q: How did the Civil War shape the American economy? A) By speeding economic change, it helped prepare the way for modern industrial society. B) The enormous number of casualties created severe labor shortages and stifled economic growth. C) The fearful national crisis discouraged selfishness and materialism. D) The wasteful destruction of material resources by the war retarded economic growth.

Q: The Civil War caused the northern economy to experience which of the following? A) soaring prices after 1862 B) high levels of unemployment C) dramatic increases in immigration D) relatively few strikes

Q: After the South seceded, Congress passed several measures previously blocked by southern opposition, including the __________ Act. A) Homestead B) Preemption C) Emancipation D) Habeus Corpus

Q: What prompted President Lincoln to give General Ulysses S. Grant command of all troops west of the Appalachians? A) Lee's victory at Gettysburg B) Sherman's defeat at Atlanta C) Grant's capture of Vicksburg D) The Union's capture of New Orleans

Q: The Mississippi River was controlled by the Union after the fall of __________. A) New Orleans B) Mobile C) Vicksburg D) Louisville

Q: In summer 1863, Lee launched his last assault into the North and was defeated in the Battle of __________, which probably decided the fate of the Union. A) Shiloh B) Gettysburg C) Fredericksburg D) Antietam

Q: At war's end more than 10 percent of Union soldiers were __________. A) immigrants B) loyal Southerners C) conscripted slaves D) African Americans

Q: What did African Americans view as a promise of future change? A) South Carolina's secession B) Sherman's capture of Atlanta C) the battle of Gettysburg D) the Emancipation Proclamation

Q: The New York City draft riots in July 1863 were triggered by the Conscription Act of 1863 and __________. A) racial backlash against the Emancipation Proclamation B) anger over war profiteering by unscrupulous businesses C) frustration with rampant inflation and stagnant wages D) anger at New York Democrats who did not support Lincoln's policies

Q: Most Republican politicians defended emancipation on which grounds? A) Blacks deserved it. B) Northern blacks would all move to the South. C) The war's purpose was to end slavery. D) Blacks could then be better assimilated.

Q: As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, __________. A) Democrats made significant political gains in the Northwest by capitalizing on voters' racist fears B) Republican politicians vigorously defended the cause of racial justice and black equality C) the Republican Party refused to renominate Lincoln in 1864 D) Democrats vigorously defended the cause of racial justice and black equality

Q: The Emancipation Proclamation applied to which of the following places? A) Georgia B) New Orleans C) Maryland D) Kentucky

Q: Abraham Lincoln's announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation freed __________. A) only slaves in the border states controlled by the Union B) no slaves directly C) only slaves in areas of the South controlled by the Union army D) all slaves in the South

Q: Even though he did not defeat Lee, McClellan managed to stop the Confederacy's fall 1862 advance into __________. A) Maryland B) West Virginia C) Pennsylvania D) Tennessee

Q: During the Peninsular campaign General McClellan __________. A) captured Richmond, but just briefly B) attacked and ravaged Atlanta C) captured Vicksburg on the Mississippi D) seized Yorktown in Virginia but stopped short from capturing Richmond

Q: The early confidence of both sides was rocked by the staggering casualties sustained in 1862 at __________. A) Bull Run B) Seven Pines C) Shiloh D) Vicksburg

Q: The Anaconda Plan was a design to __________. A) put a siege on New Orleans B) capture Florida and assault the Confederacy from the rear C) break up the alliance between the Confederacy and Great Britain D) gain control of the Mississippi River for the Union

Q: On what had the South intended to finance the war? A) money from cotton exports B) money in reserves C) tariffs D) the printing of paper currency

Q: The North came to the brink of war with Great Britain when __________. A) British navy vessels helped maintain a Confederate blockade of Northern ports B) British vessels violently broke through the Union's blockade C) British Navy vessels resumed the impressment of Union navy sailors D) British wharfs built powerful cruisers and ironclad "rams" for the Confederate navy

Q: What role did Great Britain play in the Civil War? A) Strong public support in England for the North made no difference in British policies. B) Davis threatened to declare war if England delivered two ironclad rams built for the Union. C) England needed northern wheat more than it did southern cotton. D) Great Britain strongly supported the Union in every way possible throughout the war.

Q: Why did Southerners organize secession in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's election?

Q: Discuss the implications of the Dred Scott decision and its impact on the sectional conflict.

Q: What prompted the birth of the Republican Party?

Q: How did the issue of slavery intersect with American foreign policy in the 1850s?

Q: Explain the impact of the Fugitive Slave Act on the North in the wake of the Compromise of 1850.

Q: After secession began in 1860, the proposed constitutional amendment which would have guaranteed the future existence of slavery south of the old Missouri Compromise line was the __________. A) Compromise of 1860 B) Crittenden Compromise C) Douglas Amendment D) Lincoln-Buchanan Compromise

Q: When the states of the lower South seceded, __________. A) Buchanan declared secession illegal and boldly rallied the Unionists in the South to prevent it B) Lincoln thought secession a bluff and announced no plans to deal with it before assuming office C) Congress passed, and Buchanan signed, the Crittenden Compromise, guaranteeing the future security of slavery D) Lincoln indicated his willingness to compromise on extending slavery in the territories

Q: "We must either submit to degradation, and to the loss of property worth four billions, or we must secede." What is the source of this quote? A) the Mississippi convention B) the Crittenden Compromise C) Virginia"s "Declaration of Causes of Secession" D) John C. Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government

Q: Among the most basic justifications for the secession of the South were the __________. A) traditional civil rights arguments B) Republicans' refusal to support constitutional protections for slavery C) fears of the overpowering Northern economy D) promises of aid from England and France

Q: Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 with a __________. A) thin majority of the popular vote B) plurality of the popular vote C) plurality of the Electoral College D) overwhelming majority of the popular vote

Q: Which of the following happened in the election of 1860? A) Lincoln campaigned actively, stressing his opposition to slavery in the territories. B) Southern Democrats swallowed their personal dislike of Douglas and supported him as the last chance to save the Union. C) John Bell demanded that the future extension of slavery be guaranteed. D) Douglas realized he would lose, rose above ambition, and appealed to voters, both North and South, to stand by the Union.