United States History Assessments
Eighth Grade
U3.3.1 Explain the reasons for the adoption and subsequent failure of the Articles of Confederation (e.g., why its drafters created a weak central government, challenges the nation faced under the Articles, Shays’ Rebellion, disputes over western lands).
1. The Articles of Confederation did all of the following except
A. serve as the first plan of government for the United States.
B. form a loose union of the states.
C. divide power among three branches of government.
D. give Congress power to make war and peace.
Answer: C
2. Shay’s Rebellion is remembered today because it
A. threatened law and order in Massachusetts.
B. dramatized the money problems faced by poor farmers.
C. shocked Congress into calling for a Constitutional Convention.
D. showed how well the Articles of Confederation worked.
Answer: C
3. In the 1780’s, many Americans distrusted a strong central government. This distrust is best shown by the
A. lack of debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution.
B. plan of government set up by the Articles of Confederation.
C. development of a Federal court system.
D. constitutional provision for a strong President.
Answer: B
4. The Articles of Confederation are best described as a
A. statement of principles justifying the Revolutionary War.
B. plan of union for the original thirteen states.
C. set of arguments supporting ratification of the Constitution.
D. lists of reasons for the secession of the Southern States.
Answer: B
5. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was important because it
A. ensured universal suffrage for all males.
B. extended slavery north of the Ohio River.
C. provided a process for admission of new states to the Union.
D. established reservations for Native American Indians.
Answer: C
U3.3.2 Identify economic and political questions facing the nation during the period of the Articles of Confederation and the opening of the Constitutional Convention.
1. Both the Virginia and New Jersey plans called for
A. three branches of government.
B. two houses of Congress.
C. an elected president.
D. finally an end to the slave trade.
Answer: A
2. The Articles of Confederation reflected American’s fear of
A. a permanent standing army.
B. a strong central government.
C. a threatened foreign invasion.
D. a breakdown in law and order.
Answer: B
3. The American Constitutional Convention of 1787 was dominated by______.
A. isolationists and speculators.
B. officers and enlisted men of the Continental Army.
C. men having large property holdings or commercial interests.
D. backwoods farmers and frontiersmen.
Answer: C
4. Which of the following best defines the principle of popular sovereignty?
A. The powers of a government are limited by the people.
B. Government is based on laws that apply to all the people.
C. The ultimate source of governmental authority is the people.
D. Elected leaders work through government to serve the people.
Answer: C
U3.3.3 Describe the major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention including the distribution of political power, conduct of foreign affairs, rights of individuals, rights of states, election of the executive, and slavery as a regional and federal issue.
1. Both the Virginia and New Jersey plans called for
A. three branches of government.
B. two houses of Congress.
C. an elected president.
D. finally an end to the slave trade.
Answer: A
2. An important challenge facing a new Constitutional Convention was how to balance the
A. needs of eastern and western states.
B. interests of large and small states.
C. rights of slaves and slave holders.
D. demands of farmers and workers.
Answer: B
3. Why did the framers of the Constitution create three separate branches of government?
A. To help people with different opinions cooperate.
B. To increase the power of the central government.
C. To keep any one group from gaining too much power.
D. To provide enough officials to handle the volume of work.
Answer: C
4. Which of these is the best example of constitutional checks and balances?
A. Treaties required Senate approval.
B. The Constitution may be amended.
C. The President is paid for his services.
D. Courts decided conflicts between states.
Answer: A
U3.3.4 Explain how the new constitution resolved (or compromised) the major issues including sharing, separating, and checking of power among federal government institutions, dual sovereignty (state-federal power), rights of individuals, the Electoral College, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Great Compromise.
1. The Great Compromise was primarily related to
A. representation in Congress.
B. election of the President.
C. selection of Supreme Court justices.
D. checks and balances.
Answer: A
2. The Constitutional Convention gave the job of choosing a chief executive to
A. major political parties.
B. electors chosen by the states.
C. state legislatures and governors.
D. members of congress.
Answer: B
3. The Constitution has survived for more than 200 years because it
A. gives more power to the states than to the national government.
B. combines a strong framework for the government with flexibility.
C. creates a framework for government that can never be changed.
D. has been amended thousands of times to make it work better.
Answer: B
4. The framers designed a system of checks and balances to
A. share power between the national and state governments.
B. make it difficult but not impossible to amend the Constitution.
C. make sure that the Constitution was the supreme law of the land.
D. keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
Answer: D
U3.3.5 Analyze the debates over the ratification of the Constitution from the perspectives of Federalists and Anti-Federalists and describe how the states ratified the Constitution.
1. Supporters of the new Constitution were known as
A. republicans.
B. patriots.
C. anti-federalists.
D. federalists.
Answer: D
2. During the debates over the ratification of the United States constitution, Federalists and Anti-federalists disagreed most strongly over the
A. division of powers between the national and state governments.
B. provision for admitting new states to the Union.
C. distribution of power between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
D. method of amending the Constitution.
Answer: A
3. Which group opposed the ratification of the Constitution?
A. Federalists
B. Anti-federalists
C. Democrats
D. Republicans
Answer: B
U3.3.6 Explain how the Bill of Rights reflected the concept of limited government, protections of basic freedoms, and the fear of many Americans of a strong central government.
1. Which of the following would not be protected by the first amendment?
A. Criticizing government officials on a television talk show.
B. Promoting ideas that many Americans oppose in a political campaign.
C. Falsely calling “fire” in a crowded theater.
D. Discussing controversial issues in a social studies class.
Answer: C
2. The job of protecting the rights listed in the “Bill of Rights” belongs mainly to
A. Federal courts.
B. the President.
C. Congress.
D. State governors.
Answer: A
3. During trial, a person accused of a crime has the right to
A. pick the members of the jury.
B. hear and question all witnesses.
C. demand to be tried in secret.
D. stop a witness from testifying.
Answer: B
4. The ninth amendment says that rights not listed in the Constitution
A. can be added later.
B. belongs to the people.
C. do not exist legally.
D. are not very important.
Answer: B
U3.3.7 Using important documents (e.g., Mayflower Compact, Iroquois Confederacy, Common Sense, Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance, Federalist Papers), describe the historical and philosophical origins of constitutional government in the United States using the ideas of social compact, limited government, natural rights, right of revolution, separation of powers, bicameralism, republicanism, and popular participation in government.
1. What was the main impact of Common Sense in the colonies?
A. It persuaded many colonists that the time had come to declare independence.
B. It reminded colonists that they owed loyalty and respect to King George.
C. It encouraged the colonies to seek a peaceful settlement with Britain.
D. It convinced many colonists that they could not win a war against Britain.
Answer: A
2. The “Bill of Rights” is part of the
A. proclamation of 1763.
B. Declaration of Independence.
C. Articles of Confederation.
D. Constitution of the United States.
Answer: D
3. The Declaration of Independence was written to explain
A. why the colonists thought “taxation without representation” was unfair.
B. what Britain needed to do to win back the loyalty of the colonies.
C. why it was time for the colonies to separate from Great Britain.
D. what other nations could do to help the colonies win their freedom.
Answer: C
4. The Preamble to the Constitution lists which of the following?
A. Steps for amending the Constitution.
B. Purpose to be served by the Constitution.
C. Procedures for ratifying the Constitution.
D. Guidelines for interpreting the Constitution.
Answer: B
U4.1.1 Washington’s Farewell – Use Washington’s Farewell Address to analyze the most significant challenges the new nation faced and the extent to which subsequent Presidents heeded Washington’s advice.
1. In his Farewell Address, President Washington urged Americans to follow a foreign policy based on
A. strong permanent alliances.
B. isolationism and neutrality.
C. involvement in world affairs.
D. the Monroe Doctrine.
Answer: B
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 1: Steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.
Speaker 2: The United States will give economic aid to needy countries anywhere in the world, but will not provide military aid.
Speaker 3: The United States must prevent the growth of communism.
Speaker 4: 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?
A. Speaker 1
B. Speaker 2
C. Speaker 3
D. Speaker 4
Answer: A
3. Actions and policies of the Government under President George Washington generally resulted in the
A. establishment of strong political ties with other nations.
B. liberation of many enslaved persons.
C. failure to create a sound financial program for the country.
D. strengthening of the Federal Government.
Answer: D
4. “Our true policy is to steer clear of permanent alliances . . . .” -George Washington
President Washington made this statement to warn against United States involvement in
A. European conflicts.
B. international trade.
C. the race for overseas colonies.
D. westward expansion.
Answer: A
U4.1.2 Establishing America’s Place in the World – Explain the changes in America’s relationships with other nations by analyzing treaties with American Indian nations, Jay’s Treaty (1795), French Revolution, Pinckney’s Treaty (1795), Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, Transcontinental Treaty (1819), and the Monroe Doctrine.
1. A major reason for the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to
A. discourage United States trade with Latin America.
B. defend the Panama Canal from Great Britain.
C. prevent further European colonization in the Caribbean region.
D. provide economic aid to Latin American nations.
Answer: C
2. The legal basis for the United States’ purchase of the Louisiana Territory was the
A. power granted to the President to make treaties.
B. President’s power as Commander in Chief.
C. authority of Congress to declare war.
D. Senate’s duty to approve the appointment of ambassadors.
Answer: A
3. The Louisiana Purchase had great geographic significance for the United States because it
A. reduced British control of North America.
B. focused the United States on westward expansion.
C. extended United States control over Mexico.
D. decreased tensions with Native American Indians.
Answer: B
4. The treaty that ended the War of 1812 was the
A. Treaty of Ghent.
B. Treaty of Paris.
C. Peace of Paris.
D. Treaty of Greenville.
Answer: A
U4.1.3 Challenge of Political Conflict – Explain how political parties emerged out of the competing ideas, experiences, and fears of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (and their followers), despite the worries the Founders had concerning the dangers of political division, by analyzing disagreements over
· relative power of the national government (e.g., Whiskey Rebellion, Alien and Sedition Acts) and of the executive branch
· foreign relations (e.g., French Revolution, relations with Great Britain)
· economic policy (e.g., the creation of a national bank, assumption of revolutionary debt)
1. Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan helped to establish the credit of the United States government by
A. providing for the payment of the nation’s debts.
B. taxing only the people most able to pay.
C. favoring agriculture over industry.
D. encouraging spending for national defense.
Answer: A
2. One major reason that Alexander Hamilton proposed a national bank was to
A. improve the economic position of the United States government.
B. help state governments collect taxes.
C. make loans available to owners of small farms.
D. reduce foreign investment in the United States.
Answer: A
3. Which is true about states’ rights theory after the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed?
A. It was used as the basis for the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.
B. It was not widely supported by the states of the United States.
C. It made state governments stronger than the national government.
D. All of the above are true.
Answer: D
4. How are Pinckney’s Treaty and the Whiskey Rebellion related?
A. They both grew out of attempts by western farmers to sell their products.
B. They both involved the new government’s use of the army.
C. They both resulted from British efforts to keep troops in the west.
D. All of the above are true.
Answer: A
U4.1.4 Establishing a National Judiciary and Its Power – Explain the development of the power of the Supreme Court through the doctrine of judicial review as manifested in Marbury v. Madison (1803) and the role of Chief Justice John Marshall and the Supreme Court in interpreting the power of the national government (e.g., McCullouch v. Maryland, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Gibbons v. Ogden).