Unit 1 Exam: The American Character and Belief System

  1. What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact?
  2. To reach an agreement on who would pay for the Mayflower should the vessel be lost at sea.
  3. To establish a plan of government for the Pilgrims in the New World
  4. To force the Native Americans to agree to abide by English laws and customs.
  5. To create an elective judicial body to enact laws.
  1. The summoning of Virginia's House of Burgesses marked an important precedent because it:
  2. replaced the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut as the constitution of Puritan New England.
  3. was abolished by the governor after Shays’s Rebellion.
  4. was the first example of an elective government in the American colonies.
  5. It proved that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to continue.
  1. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differed from the Mayflower Compact in that it
  2. Did not make any reference to God in the colony’s founding.
  3. Provided specific details on who was allowed to run for office and vote.
  4. Listed all of the complaints the American colonists had against the King of England.
  5. Established the criteria to settle the Northwest Territories.
  1. Anglican Virginia differed from Puritan New England in that
  2. Anglicans believed that a strong religious authority was necessary.
  3. Anglicans refused to accept the King of England as the head of the Church.
  4. The church was not the center of daily life.
  5. The settlement of Virginia required the church to be at the center of every town.
  1. Which of the following is a FALSE statement concerning religion in the American colonies?
  2. The middle colonies were more tolerant and accepting of other faiths.
  3. Dissenters were often banished to other colonies.
  4. Anglicans valued the status of being a member of the King’s church.
  5. Catholics were the dominant religion in Massachusetts Bay.
  1. The Great Awakening was:
  2. an attempt at opening the eyes of Americans to the need for a more rational American science curriculum in schools.
  3. the realization by the colonial elites that regulations imposed upon religious communities would result in rebellion.
  4. a movement by American religious leaders to reunite the Anglican Church with the official Church of England.
  5. a revival movement that helped democratize both the colonies and religion because it expanded the options for church membership and encouraged new members.
  6. Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding the Enlightenment ideas?
  7. People began to question the authority of kings and promote the idea of “consent of the governed”.
  8. Philosophers defined the “natural rights” and freedoms for citizens.
  9. Many of the “Enlightened” ideas became key concepts in the American government.
  10. The Founding Fathers ignored the Enlightenment ideas because they were “too European”.
  1. Which of the following statements would be considered an Enlightenment philosophy?
  2. Government is most effectively governed by one strong central authority
  3. The rule of law should be applied equally to all citizens.
  4. Freedom of speech and religion should often be limited to preserve order and peace.
  5. Kings have a divine right to rule, thus people’s rights are secondary.
  1. The principles expressed by Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence best account for:
  2. the colonial argument for remaining loyal to the English government .
  3. the relatively limited powers of the Articles of Confederation.
  4. the growth of conflict between slaveholding and non-slaveholding colonists.
  5. the colonial argument for the consent of the governed and the right of revolution.
  1. The common element of Bacon's, Shays’s, and the Whiskey Rebellion was that:
  2. all resulted in changes in the representation allowed in Congress.
  3. all helped postpone the conflict between slave and free states.
  4. all were challenges to perceived unfairness by a distant government.
  5. all were promoted by foreign agents hoping to overthrow the government.
  1. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding Shays’s rebellion?
  2. It led to the revision of indentured servant system, thus creating a greater reliance on slave labor.
  3. It proved that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to maintain law and order.
  4. It proved that the Constitution protected law and order, and government could enforce laws.
  5. It was the first successful rebellion against government authority.
  1. Nat Turner’s Rebellion impacted the South’s view of slavery in what way?
  2. The South began to question the morality of slavery.
  3. The South began to gradually ease restrictions on slave codes.
  4. Southern states began to purposely limit the slave trade.
  5. The South tightened the slave codes and defended slavery aggressively.
  1. Which of the following best describes an argument the Federalists proposed in favor of the new Constitution?
  2. A weak national government will provide freedom for the states.
  3. A nation without an executive will ensure the U.S. never becomes tyrannical like Britain.
  4. A strong national government will protect the liberties the Revolution brought forth.
  5. The inability to tax and extract money from the states will provide them with the most liberty possible.
  1. During the debate on the formation of a new Constitution the Virginia Plan was proposed. Which best describes the Virginia plan?
  2. Separation of power into 3 branches, a one house legislature with equal representation.
  3. A two house legislature, with representation based on population, along with executive and judicial branches
  4. It emphasized the individual states' powers over a strong, national government.
  5. None of the above.
  6. Which of the following best explains the 3/5ths Compromise?
  7. 3/5ths of the colonies must ratify the Constitution before it goes into effect.
  8. 3/5ths of all white citizens of a territory must own property before that territory can become a state.
  9. 3/5ths of all former Southern slaveholders must take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution before that state is allowed back into the Union
  10. 3/5ths of each states slave population will be counted towards that state’s total population when determining representation
  1. Why was the North so upset with the Fugitive Slave Law that came out of the Compromise of 1850?
  2. The law did not go far enough in protecting the rights of property owners.
  3. The law forced northerners to contribute in some way to the slave cause.
  4. The law failed to compensate them for the capturing of runaway slaves.
  5. The law allowed Southerners to confiscate Northern indentured servants if their slaves could not be found.
  1. How did the Compromise of 1877 end Reconstruction?
  2. It removed the military from the South.
  3. A segregated society began to take root.
  4. Democrats began to restrict the political gains African Americans had made during Reconstruction.
  5. all of the above.
  6. none of the above.
  1. During the early 1800s, America experienced a Second Great Awakening. Which best describes this movement’s views on freedom?
  2. Freedom meant freedom from temptation.
  3. Freedom meant individual rights to choose.
  4. Freedom meant the natural rights of all men.
  5. none of the above
  1. Why was the common school movement of the early 1800's not supported by many Americans?
  2. It only included the children of the elites.
  3. The government should not be responsible for the moral education of children.
  4. It was too expensive.
  5. It was limited to the elementary grade levels.
  1. What change occurred in the argument against slavery when the abolition movement crossed paths with the Second Great Awakening?
  2. Preachers began to use the Bible to support slavery.
  3. Only women became involved
  4. Slavery began to be seen as a moral sin
  5. The abolition movement began to exclude African Americans from participation
  1. Which of the following provides an explanation for the importance of the Northwest Ordinances?
  2. It outlined the process for applying for statehood.
  3. It banned slavery in the northwest territories.
  4. It demonstrated the new nation's value of education.
  5. all of the above.
  6. a & c only
  7. Which of the following was a Federalist argument against Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana Territory?
  8. it would destroy their vision of an agricultural nation
  9. it would displace the Native American tribes living there
  10. the purchase would cause too many conflicts between free and slave states
  11. the purchase was unconstitutional
  1. Which of the following social reform movements was MOST closely allied with the women's suffrage movement in the 19th century?
  2. the abolitionist movement.
  3. the temperance movement.
  4. the labor union movement.
  5. all of the above.
  6. a & b only
  7. Which of the following statements most accurately explains the term "Manifest Destiny"?
  8. The nation was destined to declare its independence from Britain and establish self-government.
  9. It was the obligation of the American people to civilize and Christianize the slave population.
  10. God had ordained that America was to spread from coast to coast, taming and using the land and resources.
  11. None of the above are accurate.
  1. One important foundation of our government was the idea of compromise. Which of the following 2 issues required compromises at the Constitutional Convention?
  2. state boundaries and the location of the capital
  3. representation and the creation of a judicial branch
  4. slavery and representation
  5. a disputed presidential election and slavery
  6. In understanding the spirit of rebellion in early America, all of the following beliefs are reflected in these events EXCEPT:
  7. the protection of property
  8. the representation of the people's will
  9. the right to overthrow an unjust government
  10. the equality of all mankind
  11. The Compromise of 1820 established that the future addition of slave vs. free states would be settled by
  12. not allowing slavery in any new state after 1820
  13. slave states or free states would depend on whether the state was above or below 36/30 in the Louisiana Purchase
  14. slavery would be left to popular vote in all new territories
  15. the soil and climate of territory dictate the appropriateness of slavery