APUSH 12 – Flashcards

What helped fuel economic growth in the United States during the mid-1800s? A. The movement of Americans from farms to cities B. The rapid industrialization of the southern states C. The abandonment of agriculture in favor of industry D. The adoption of better tariff rates with England

What allowed factories to become more productive during the 1840s and 1850s? A. Waterwheel technology dramatically improved. B. Steam began to be used as an energy source. C. Water and animal power had been phased out. D. The use of electricity became widespread.

Agricultural productivity in the Midwest increased in the late 1830s partly because of A. the influence of steam power on farming. B. John Deere's steel plow. C. the invention of threshers. D. the numbers of freed slaves eager for wage-earning work.

Why did American manufacturers, unlike their European counterparts, invent labor-saving methods and devices during the first half of the nineteenth century? A. The government offered tax incentives to new innovations and inventions. B. Workers were unreliable and lacked the work ethic needed for optimal production. C. American colleges had superior engineering schools that encouraged innovation. D. Workers were in limited supply and thus more expensive.

Which region led the nation in manufacturing? A. New England B. The Mid-Atlantic C. The Upper South D. The Lower South

The "American system" of standardized parts allowed manufacturers to A. hire less expensive, unskilled workers. B. abandon human labor in favor of mechanization. C. produce the same amount of product but with less labor. D. produce more than agricultural workers but with more labor.

What was the effect of the growth of railroads in the 1850s? A. People abandoned the stagecoach and horseback travel. B. Pollution hampered agricultural productivity in the Midwest. C. New industries, like telegraph communications, flourished. D. The federal government ceased its land-grant program.

Who tended to benefit from America's impressive economic growth in the early nineteenth century? A. Native-born white men B. Anyone willing to work hard C. White women D. Recently arrived immigrants

Supporters of the free-labor ideal claimed that the system A. opened up doors to even the least-hard-working segments of the population. B. allowed hired laborers to become self-employed. C. provided slaves with well-deserved compensation for their labor. D. rewarded Americans born into wealth or status.

What did free-labor proponents believe about education? A. It offered another opportunity for Americans to achieve their potential. B. Classrooms provided another venue to denounce slave-labor systems. C. It was a waste of time and took away from the real business of earning money. D. Education was important, but it should not be government funded.

Three-fourths of the almost 4.5 million immigrants who arrived between 1840 and 1860 came from either Ireland or A. Norway. B. Italy. C. Germany. D. England.

Most German immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1840 and 1860 were the families of A. skilled tradesmen. B. farmers. C. wage laborers. D. domestic servants.

What happened to most Irish immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1840s and 1850s? A. They worked as skilled artisans in the northeastern cities. B. They became independent, self-sufficient property holders. C. They entered at the bottom rung of the free-labor ladder. D. They earned even less money than they had in Ireland.

What did New York journalist and armchair expansionist John L. O'Sullivan mean when he coined the term manifest destiny in 1845? A. The United States should expand into Canada and Mexico as soon as possible. B. Americans were destined by a higher power to create a worldwide empire. C. The United States should take advantage of economic turmoil in Europe to gain new markets. D. Americans had the God-given right to expand their civilization across the continent.

Who led the Mormon exodus to the Great Salt Lake? A. Joseph Smith B. Brigham Young C. Sarah Everett D. Thomas Hart Benton

Why were Mexico's northern borderlands vulnerable to American expansionists? A. Mexico was plagued by civil war and could not defend its northern provinces. B. Northern Mexico had a strong, wealthy economy that Americans could exploit. C. Northern Mexico was dominated by Protestants who shared Americans' religious beliefs. D. Native Americans secretly welcomed American invaders.

Who were the migrants who settled on the Texas land granted to Stephen F. Austin by Mexico in the 1820s? A. New Englanders who were looking for a warmer climate B. Irish Catholics who wanted land of their own C. Southerners who brought cotton and slaves with them D. Tejanos who came east from California

Who triumphed at the Alamo in March 1836? A. Santa Anna B. Davy Crockett C. James Bowie D. William B. Travis

Texans gained their independence from Mexico in 1836 after A. Santa Anna surrendered following a bloodless coup. B. two-thirds of the inhabitants voted to establish the Lone Star Republic. C. Sam Houston's army defeated Santa Anna's troops in a surprise attack. D. U.S. government troops defeated Santa Anna's troops at the Alamo.

Why did Congress initially refuse to annex Texas into the Union? A. Most members feared an attack by English profiteers. B. Congressional leaders refused to allocate money for annexation. C. Texas would come into the Union as a slave state. D. Congress did not want to increase the number of Indians under its jurisdiction.

What was the dominant issue in the 1844 presidential election campaign? A. Territorial expansion B. Abolishing slavery C. The American system D. War with Mexico

Which group was most outspoken in its opposition to the Mexican-American War? A. Democrats B. Southerners C. Whigs D. Republicans

What was President Polk's strategy to win the Mexican-American War? A. To delegate all military planning to military experts B. To divide and conquer Mexico, beginning with the northern provinces C. To quickly capture the southern provinces and then take Mexico City D. To win a battle or two and force Mexico to sue for peace

Of the 13,000 American soldiers who died during the Mexican-American War, most A. were killed in guerilla warfare. B. died in the Alamo. C. were killed at San Jacinto. D. died from diseases.

What did Mexico agree to do under the terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo? A. Mark the Nueces River as the Texas boundary B. Pay $15 million to American citizens for claims against Mexico C. Give up Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah D. Give up all claims to Texas above the Rio Grande

Why did massive numbers of immigrants pour into California in the late 1840s and early 1850s? A. They sought religious freedom. B. California's relaxed laws welcomed immigrants. C. They desired open land for farming. D. They hoped to find gold.

. The gold rush created a social environment that was A. extremely egalitarian and rapidly growing. B. prosperous but stagnant and isolated. C. competitive and unhealthy but growing rapidly. D. prosperous and peaceful but growing slowly.

. How did the gold rush affect California Indians? A. Many found gold and made money. B. They sold their land to American settlers. C. They fought American settlers who tried to take their land. D. Most died due to disease, starvation, and murder.

What did transcendentalists believe? A. Women should get the vote. B. Formal religion provided truth and guidance. C. Competition was good for the economy. D. Individuals should not conform to the materialistic world.

The Oneida community was known for its A. strict Catholicism. B. literary and artistic pursuits. C. matriarchal social structure. D. permissive view of sex.

The 1848 convention at Seneca Falls advocated A. women's suffrage. B. outlawing divorce. C. a minimum wage for women workers. D. voting rights for slaves.

How did many abolitionists in the 1840s and 1850s attempt to make their issue more attractive to white northerners? A. They called for a complete and immediate end to slavery in the United States. B. They advocated slave insurrections against plantation owners. C. They called for limitations on the geographic expansion of slavery. D. They called for slavery to end by 1870.

What was the goal of the American Colonization Society? A. To help freed slaves settle in the North B. To send freed slaves and other black Americans to Liberia C. To urge Congress to colonize Haiti for the expansion of slavery D. To end racial discrimination in both the North and the South

In 1855, African American leaders saw their most notable success to date when, in Massachusetts, A. public schools were integrated. B. blacks received voting rights. C. slavery was abolished. D. gradual emancipation was approved.

Who founded the "underground railroad" to help fugitive slaves escape from the South? A. William Wells Brown B. Harriet Tubman C. Martin Delany D. Nancy Drew