Q&A Hero

Q: What artistic movement is associated with the "beats"? a. abstract expressionism b. postmodernism c. cubism d. realism e. pointillism

Q: Taft's policy of "dollar diplomacy" __________. a. promoted American financial and business interests abroad b. was aimed, primarily, at helping underdeveloped countries c. resulted in less American influence in Latin America d. had little influence on American national security interests e. helped establish the prestige of the United States in Asia

Q: The rise of cities and industry __________. a. had little effect on American life b. provided opportunities for all Americans c. sustained the foundations of pre-Civil War society d. caused changes in all segments of American society e. was steady throughout the nineteenth century

Q: An important result of the changing character of labor in the 1830s and 1840s was __________. a. greater cooperation between employer and employee b. improvement in working conditions and wages c. the paternalistic employer-employee relationship d. more emphasis on skilled labor e. an upsurge of labor militancy

Q: How were the Orders in Council and the Berlin/Milan Decrees similar? a. They both allowed broken voyages to occur throughout Europe. b. They both forbade commerce in Europe but were ineffective "paper blockades." c. Neither had any effect on American shipping. d. Both gave Great Britain control of the seas. e. Both allowed the British navy to monitor every Continental port.

Q: How would late-seventeenth-century Virginia best be described? a. a plantation society, dominated by a slaveholding aristocracy b. a diversified society and economy, with minimal social stratification c. a society of small farmers, committed to multicrop agriculture d. a successful commercial enterprise that returned large profits to the crown e. a society struggling with the question of slavery

Q: The "beats" were __________. a. jazz musicians who experimented with folk music b. a light rock group popular on 50s-era TV variety shows c. writers and poets who rebelled against materialistic 1950s values d. a motorcycle gang whose members included Jack Kerouac and James Dean e. a group of talented screenplay writers in the early days of television

Q: In the 1905 Taft-Katsura Agreement, __________. a. the United States and Japan agreed not to attack each other for at least 50 years b. the United States exchanged recognition of Japanese control of Korea for a Japanese pledge not to invade the Philippines c. Japan agreed to limit emigration to the United States d. the United States and Japan agreed to a policy of mutual free trade e. the United States and Japan agreed to uphold the Open Door and support Chinese independence

Q: What was one negative effect of industrialization in the United States in the nineteenth century? a. People did not want to live in cities any longer. b. Most immigrants were not allowed to work at the new industrial jobs. c. Labor disputes led to the formation of labor unions. d. There was a greater need for consumer goods than ever before. e. There was now a growing disparity in income between the rich and poor.

Q: The arrival of large numbers of immigrants in the 1850s __________. a. was a positive development for American cities b. did not contribute measurably to city developments c. worsened the already serious problems of the cities d. increased the population of rural rather than urban areas e. prevented the development of America's first suburbs

Q: Why was the 1807 federal slavery law unsatisfying for everyone?a. On the one hand, slave owners felt it threatened their livelihood, but on the other hand, abolitionists felt it did little to end slavery.b. It did nothing to affect slavery or the slave trade in the United States and only frustrated relations with European allies.c. On the one hand, it appeased antislavery European allies, but on the other hand, it frustrated U.S. slave owners.d. It granted African Americans only freedom, not any voting or civil rights, while at the same time infuriating their slave owners.e. It appeased southern slave owners but infuriated northern abolitionists.

Q: Population growth in seventeenth-century Virginia and Maryland was retarded by __________. a. many young women who chose to remain single to ensure their property rights b. emigration to Bermuda c. the kidnapping of many women and children by local Indians d. a high life expectancy rate for women but not for men e. a gender ratio that was seriously unbalanced

Q: What kind of programming became popular after television stations abandoned live dramatic programs? a. documentaries b. cooking shows c. quiz shows d. talk shows e. reality television

Q: In mediating the conflict between Russia and Japan, Roosevelt __________. a. showed little real interest in the final outcome b. sided with Russia c. took a totally neutral stance d. recognized the increasing importance of Japan e. tried to play both sides against the other with disastrous results

Q: Which of the following best states the meaning behind Herbert Gutman's claim that industrialization transformed the "culture of work"? a. Industrialization dramatically increased leisure time. b. Workers eagerly adopted new technology because it made their work easier. c. The new technology often required difficult and demeaning adaptations of work patterns. d. Low pay led to frequent worker resistance, especially "sit-down" strikes. e. Many workers were able to rise from the bottom to the top of the social classes.

Q: The evidence that shows that economics was a major motivation for immigration was found in the __________. a. occupations of the immigrants b. kinds of labor needed in the United States c. peaks in immigration that correspond to times of economic prosperity d. wages paid to immigrants e. forms that immigrants filled out when they reached Ellis Island

Q: How was Jefferson's stance on slavery ironic? a. He supported the slave trade, and yet he did not own any slaves himself. b. He was a faithful Republican and abolitionist, when most Republicans were not abolitionists. c. He wanted the slave trade outlawed, and yet he owned slaves. d. He publicly stated he wanted the slave trade outlawed, but he secretly supported it. e. He preached life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but he did not want to outlaw the slave trade.

Q: Families in the Chesapeake were usually confined to two generations, primarily because __________. a. of the short life span in the region b. most colonists returned to England after a few years c. colonists generally moved to neighboring colonies as soon as possible d. so many families moved into the region e. fertility rates were low

Q: An immediate problem for rapidly growing suburban communities was providing adequate __________. a. water supplies b. schools c. waste disposal d. law enforcement e. mass transit

Q: Which prohibited foreign corporations from building or purchasing sites with military potential in the Western Hemisphere? a. Sussex Pledge b. Zimmermann Note c. Roosevelt Corollary d. Lodge Corollary e. Foster Testimony

Q: What does it mean to say that Americans spoke a "common language of consumption" by the late nineteenth century?a. People found that the only way they could become truly American was to buy goods made in America.b. Americans found a commonality in a consumer culture, in which they all could buy the same kinds of goods.c. Americans no longer wanted to produce goods for other countries or themselves and wanted only to buy imports.d. Because of the new types of work in the United States, most Americans were becoming very wealthy and could afford consumer goods.e. Only native-born Americans bought the new consumer goods, which broadened the gap between immigrants and nonimmigrants in the United States.

Q: German immigrants __________. a. suffered less prejudice than the Irish b. suffered more prejudice than the Irish c. could not be assimilated easily into American society d. possessed few agricultural or other skills e. were extremely rare

Q: How does the Marbury v. Madison case influence the legislature today? a. It established the constitutionality of political parties and the limits on political contributions. b. It began the civil rights movement, determining that the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are for all people. c. It was the first unanimous ruling, demonstrating that even politically divided Supreme Court justices can work together. d. It began the process of rewriting the U.S. Constitution, making it the document that legislators use today. e. It established precedence for the Supreme Court to judge the constitutionality of congressional acts.

Q: Which is true of the New England colonies? a. Most families had several servants. b. There were wide gaps between the rich and poor. c. Land ownership was widespread. d. Few colonists owned their own land. e. All free males could vote.

Q: What was the dominant social theme of 1950s America? a. individualism b. free love c. philanthropy d. consumerism e. political activism

Q: The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty __________. a. secured Colombia's permission for the building of the Panama Canal b. gave the United States control of the Panama Canal Zone c. transferred rights to the Panama Canal from France to the United States d. ended hostilities with Mexico in autumn of 1914 e. gave the United States control of the Philippines

Q: What was the result of the Homestead Strike? a. It forced management to meet the workers' demands. b. It was resolved through negotiation and bargaining. c. It had little interference from the government. d. It emphasized the cost of industrialization. e. It was peaceful compared to Haymarket.

Q: Most German immigrants came to the United States to escape __________. a. European wars b. tough economic times c. catastrophic famine d. political oppression e. religious persecution

Q: How can Jefferson's first term best be characterized?a. It was a failure in that he lead the country to war, increased taxes, and lost land in the North and West.b. It was a success in that he united Republican politicians and eradicated their competition, the Federalists.c. It was a failure in that he lost important trade rights with Europe and lost western land to Native American tribes.d. It was a success in that he reduced taxes, maintained peace, and expanded the United States.e. It was a failure in that his judicial, educational, and economic reforms were not passed by Congress.

Q: Why did Massachusetts and Connecticut feel the need to pass sumptuary laws? a. They weren't comfortable with the idea that lower-class people were taking on the trappings of upper classes. b. They weren't comfortable with the idea that upper class people were "slumming" and taking on the trappings of lower classes. c. They wanted to abolish all signs of the British social class system. d. They wanted to establish a minimum dress code for the lower classes. e. They wanted to establish a minimum dress code for all colonial classes.

Q: What was Dr. Benjamin Spock's 1946 bestselling book about? a. infant and child care b. public education c. Cold War politics d. dating and marriage e. space travel

Q: In terms of foreign policy, Theodore Roosevelt __________. a. did little to foster American aims b. reflected the influence of isolationism c. sought to prepare the country for its role as a world power d. sought to further isolate the United States from foreign affairs e. was supremely concerned with world peace

Q: What was a result of the Haymarket Square riot? a. It brought public sympathy to the plight of the workers. b. It strengthened the national labor movement. c. It weakened the national labor movement. d. It forced government regulation of unions. e. It ended labor strife in Chicago.

Q: The major factor that pushed Irish immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s was the __________. a. oppression by the British government b. decline in the number of jobs in Ireland c. overpopulation of Ireland d. great potato famine e. persecution of Catholics

Q: In what ways was the Lewis and Clark expedition a success? a. It forced France to sell to the United States the parcel of land known as the Louisiana Purchase. b. It forced Britain out of military posts in the West. c. It fulfilled Jefferson's scientific expectations and reaffirmed his faith in the future prosperity of the United States. d. It discovered a direct water route from coast to coast of the continental United States. e. It established peaceful relations with most of the Native American tribes in the West.

Q: What role did women have in the New England colonies? a. They generally had no independence at all from men. b. They had the same legal rights as men, but could not vote. c. They made no decisions and simply followed the orders of men. d. They had no legal rights, but they were able to vote and hold public office. e. They were respected for their work but were not considered equal to men.

Q: Which was critical to life in the suburbs? a. jobs close to the home sites b. efficient public transportation c. the automobile d. American school systems e. air conditioning

Q: The German sinking of the __________ in 1915 cost 128 American lives and enraged the American public. a. Sussex b. Arabic c. Reuben James d. Lusitania e. Titanic

Q: Samuel Gompers opposed women in the American Federation of Labor because he __________. a. felt that women workers needed to be organized separately b. believed that women should not work out of the home c. feared that women would attempt to take leadership roles in the union d. knew that women could not afford the high initiation fees e. believed that women workers would lower the pay scales for men

Q: The growth of American industry in the 1830s and 1840s was influenced by the __________. a. lack of quality craftsmen b. development of mass production c. discovery of oil in Pennsylvania d. rejection of agricultural jobs by youth e. increase in immigrants from eastern Europe and Asia

Q: Why did Thomas Jefferson decide to make the Louisiana Purchase? a. Spain closed the port of New Orleans to American commerce. b. Great Britain invaded Cuba. c. The citizens of New Orleans petitioned him to do so. d. Napoleon sent troops to the Dominican Republic. e. Jefferson realized that the United States would gain Florida as well.

Q: Why did the population of New England rise in the seventeenth century? a. Better overall health resulted in longer-lived people. b. Puritans families tended to have many children. c. Couples in New England married younger and tended to have more children. d. Many more immigrants came to New England than to the other colonies. e. Colonists from the southern colonies moved to New England in large numbers.

Q: Which section of the nation benefited the most from the economic boom of the 1950s? a. the Hawaiian Islands b. the Great Lakes region c. the Midwest d. the Sunbelt states e. New England

Q: Which of the following individuals was probably the least progressive on the race question in America in the early 1900s? a. Theodore Roosevelt b. Woodrow Wilson c. William Taft d. Booker T. Washington e. W. E. B. Du Bois

Q: Which of the following best describes the Knights of Labor? a. a union of producers aimed at uplifting, utopian reform b. a union of producers aimed only at improving wages and working conditions c. a federation of industrial unions aimed at making each man his own employer d. a federation of craft unions aimed only at improving wages and working conditions e. a union of producers determined to make each man his own employer

Q: Which statement best characterizes the status of the railroad industry by the end of the 1850s? a. Railroads were struggling to remain active due to heavy financial losses. b. Business was booming and railroads had transformed the economy. c. Railroads had been largely replaced by canal transportation. d. The railroad industry was strongest in the southern states. e. The railroad industry was crippled by scandals and corruption.

Q: In what ways was Jefferson a powerful president? a. He successfully reformed and controlled the judicial system. b. He skillfully used diplomacy to steer the United States away from conflict with Europe. c. He created financial systems and solutions that most of the nation agreed with and championed. d. He developed close ties with Congress, working closely with legislators to reach many of his political goals. e. He successfully destroyed the Federalist Party, his political competition.

Q: Why were New England colonists more likely to maintain English customs than those who migrated to Virginia and Maryland? a. The New England colonists came from higher social ranks than those in the other colonies, and were more familiar with traditional English customs. b. The New England colonists brought more English goods with them to America, which helped keep the traditions alive. c. The New England colonists tended to migrate as families and thus were able to keep family and other traditions in the New World. d. The New England colonists generally came to America as single men and women and found that preserving their English customs comforted them. e. The New England colonists were proud to be English, while the other colonists wanted to reject their English traditions.

Q: By 1960, America's gross national product was __________ the 1940 GNP. a. less than half of b. about 10 percent less than c. about the same as d. about 50 percent higher than e. more than double

Q: How can the first three presidents of the early 1900s best be characterized? a. Roosevelt was the most progressive of the three: conserving more land, instituting more social reforms, and busting more trusts. b. Wilson was the most progressive of the three: conserving more land, instituting more social reforms, and busting more trusts. c. They all worked on similar progressive programs, such as regulating businesses, conserving land, and instituting social reforms, but ignored racial issues. d. Taft was the most progressive of the three: conserving more land, instituting more social reforms, and busting more trusts. e. They all worked on similar progressive programs, including bank regulation, tariffs, income taxes, and racial reconciliation.

Q: The early American Federation of Labor can be best described as an alliance of __________. a. industrial unions that tried to change the economic system b. industrial unions that tried to improve wages and working conditions c. craft unions that tried to change the economic system d. craft unions that tried to improve wages and working conditions e. craft unions that gave its workers a political voice

Q: Freight business did not immediately shift to the railroads because __________. a. companies distrusted the safety of the steam engine b. companies received financial incentives from the government to stay with canal routes c. canal boats were cheaper d. companies were not convinced of their reliability e. companies were fiercely loyal to the canal operators

Q: What was the main function of American cities during the Jeffersonian era? a. to centralize cultural activities b. to serve as depots for international trade c. to create agricultural marketplaces d. to centralize financial activities e. to serve as places to exchange ideas and keep up with news

Q: As a result of the Salem witchcraft trials, __________. a. nineteen people were hanged b. twenty-three people were banished c. eight people were pressed to death with weights d. fourteen people were burned at the stake e. nine people were executed by firing squad

Q: The term "baby boom" refers to a significant increase in __________. a. the infant survival rate in America b. the American birthrate c. the amount of money spent on babies d. the popularity of adopting children e. C-section deliveries

Q: In what way did Theodore Roosevelt embody pragmatism? a. In breaking the trusts, he demonstrated that he believed in natural laws instead of actions. b. In deciding to run for office a second time (for his third term as president), he demonstrated a belief in the absolute truth of his right to the presidency. c. In his brokering an agreement between coal miners and owners, he showed that he could pick manageable problems and work to solve them. d. In his conservation of wilderness in America, he demonstrated his belief in divine laws, meaning that God had given America the land to take care of. e. In his unequal treatment of African Americans, he demonstrated the pragmatic ability to be "tough-minded" in a world with no easy answers.

Q: According to social historian Stephan Thernstrom, what was the extent of American social mobility in the early industrial era? a. almost none b. some, but not much c. substantial, but limited d. a great deal e. almost 100 percent

Q: Why did the war with Mexico provoke political dissension within the United States? a. Many northerners feared the spread of slavery to the newly acquired territories. b. Many southerners feared the economic competition from cotton growers in the newly acquired territories. c. Many people in the Midwest feared the economic competition from ranchers in the newly acquired territories. d. Many people on the east coast worried about the social effects of expansion. e. Many religious groups worried about the lawlessness that would exist in the sparsely populated new territories.

Q: How did white Americans interact with Native Americans in the early 1800s? a. The federal government worked with tribal leaders to find compromises on land distribution. b. White businessmen, supported by the government, forced Indians to work in mills and labor camps, destroying their culture and family ties. c. They used violence and trickery to kill Indians and gain their land. d. They generally lived peacefully as neighbors, often sharing resources. e. The federal government took Indian children from their homes and placed them in schools to increase assimilation.

Q: The peaceful ousting of James II by Parliament in 1688 was known as __________. a. King James' War b. the Restoration c. Parliament's Rebellion d. the Glorious Revolution e. the People's War

Q: The most significant social trend in postwar America was __________. a. the decline of the nuclear family b. the decrease in the birthrate c. a decline in family size d. the emergence of the drug culture e. the flight to the suburbs

Q: What is ironic about Wilson's New Freedom program? a. It directly contradicted New Nationalism programs. b. It was more about religion and morality than social change. c. It helped more people than Taft's and Roosevelt's programs combined. d. It was essentially based on ideas first proposed by his political rival, Theodore Roosevelt. e. It was widely supported by the general masses, but in the end served to hurt their interests.

Q: What does it mean to say that some professions became "feminized" in the late 1800s? a. Women were much better at certain jobs, such as nursing, and began to dominate those fields. b. Men were no longer capable of doing certain jobs, since they were needed in industrial jobs, so women took their places. c. Only married women were allowed to work at certain jobs, since unmarried women would be leaving their jobs eventually to get married. d. As more women took jobs in certain fields, men left them, and this lowered the status of these professions. e. Many women began to get work as lawyers, doctors, and ministers; and Americans began to accept women in these kinds of work.

Q: Some historians believe that the Americans did not annex all of Mexico because the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo already gave them what they wanted most, __________. a. U.S. citizenship for thousands of Mexicans living in the territory b. the grazing lands of the Southwest c. the fertile farming lands of New Mexico d. the harbors of California e. the deserts of Arizona

Q: Why did people move to the Northwest Territory in the 1800s? a. The federal government required poor immigrants to settle in the West. b. The federal government gave large incentives to people who moved west. c. Valuable slave plantations could be established in the Ohio River Valley. d. People moved to create opportunities with farms on the rich soil. e. The East had become unpleasantly overcrowded and industrialized.

Q: The armed conflict between Native Americans and New Englanders in 1675 was led by __________. a. Massasoit b. Powhatan c. Metacomet d. Tecumseh e. Opechancanough

Q: What group was rigidly excluded from all three Levittowns? a. the middle class b. the working class c. African Americans d. Protestants e. Catholics

Q: Why is the Federal Reserve Act considered the most important law Wilson passed? a. It instituted the first income tax, which still exists today. b. It settled disputes among Democrats and Republicans. c. It imposed necessary controls on banks, and still exists today. d. It won him great public admiration, securing his second term. e. It made the United States the richest country in the world.

Q: Which was a consequence of the advent of advertising and large-scale retailing? a. Europeans bought more American goods. b. The demand for goods decreased. c. Rural areas saw an expansion of their economy. d. Most consumers felt threatened by new industrial goods. e. Americans became aware of needs they did not realize they had.

Q: Why did the Mexican"American war last much longer than expected? a. The Americans lacked the resources to attack in earnest. b. The Americans lost a string of important battles. c. Severe weather slowed the American advance. d. The Mexicans were better prepared to battle in the Mexican terrain. e. The Mexicans stubbornly refused to make peace despite military defeats.

Q: Why were regional identities formed in the United States in the early nineteenth century? a. Transportation and communication were so limited that each region was isolated from news and information about other regions. b. Most regions had aggressive devotion to radical democracy, making the other regions uneasy. c. In order to control immigrant migration, the federal government designated certain areas for immigrants from certain countries to live. d. As immigration increased dramatically in the early nineteenth century, immigrants tended to migrate to cities to live near people from their country of origin. e. People wanted to defend their shared economic interests and maintain their distinct regional subcultures.

Q: One of the major causes of __________ was the disfranchisement of landless freemen by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1670. a. Bacon's Rebellion b. Coode's Rebellion c. Leisler's Rebellion d. the Stono Uprising e. Shays's Rebellion

Q: Who invented the concept of the mass construction of suburban homes? a. William Levitt b. Thurgood Marshall c. Joseph McCarthy d. Norman Vincent Peale e. Reginald Rose

Q: In what way was Taft more of a conservationist than Roosevelt? a. He opposed Ballinger's sale of millions of acres of public land. b. He opposed Ballinger's sale of Alaskan land to coal companies. c. He instituted the nation's first recycling program. d. He was a vegetarian and opposed to hunting animals. e. He conserved more public land than his predecessor.

Q: What was the significance of Thomas Edison's laboratory at Menlo Park? a. It was where Edison first invented the telegraph. b. It was the first modern research laboratory ever built. c. It was where the telephone was finally perfected. d. It was the site of the first power station in New York. e. It was where Edison first sent a message over telephone wires.

Q: James Polk went to war with Mexico to __________. a. retaliate for the harsh Mexican treatment of Texans b. protect the southern border of the United States c. annex land in Texas, New Mexico, and California d. prevent a Mexican attempt to reacquire Texas e. distract Americans from other domestic issues

Q: Why were Americans so optimistic under Jeffersonian Republicanism? a. Many Americans believed opportunities were available to them. b. Few Americans were able to advance in society. c. The social structure of society was well defined. d. African Americans began to find economic and political opportunities in society. e. Masters and servants "knew their place."

Q: Beginning in 1696, the ________ monitored colonial affairs closely. a. House of Commons b. Lords of Trade c. Board of Trade d. Privy Council e. vice-admiralty courts

Q: Which statement best describes the transition from war to peace in America after World War II? a. The transition caused inflation and labor unrest. b. The transition was an exceptionally smooth one. c. The transition solved the wartime economic problems. d. The transition was a period of contentment for the American people. e. The transition gave Democrats an advantage over Republicans in the next elections.

Q: Why did Republican party disputes erupt when Taft took office?a. Taft began to side with conservative Republicans, emphasizing the differences between them and the Democrats.b. Roosevelt's forceful personality had concealed or managed the conflicts, but when he left office, the conflicts reemerged.c. Just before leaving office, Roosevelt had sown seeds of discontent with his conservation, employment, and education reforms.d. Taft was an unlikable man who quickly created resentment from voters, even those who were in his own political party.e. Taft was so strong-willed and opinionated that he alienated even members of his own party.