Modern Us History Test Questions – Flashcards
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Why were the founders of the Plymouth Colony called pilgrims?
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The Plymouth colonists believed they were making a religious journey
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What religious group founded Pennsylvania?
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Quakers
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Why did the American colonists object to paying taxes to the British government?
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The colonists were not allowed to vote for members of Parliament
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Why did the American colonists think that taxation by the British was unfair?
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The colonists had no elected representation in the English Parliament.
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Which colony was founded by Catholics on land given by King Charles I?
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Maryland
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Which American leader's discoveries and inventions characterized the Enlightenment?
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Benjamin Franklin
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What was a key theme of the period known as the Great Awakening?
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Salvation does not depend on membership in a single church
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What was George Washington's role during the American Revolution?
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commander in chief of the Continental Army
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What document promotes the idea that all people are created equal and are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
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Declaration of Independence
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"People are created equal and entitled to live, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", best describes the self-evident truths of what document?
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Declaration of Independents
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Which document provided the first basic governing structure for the United States?
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Articles of Confederation
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What was the purpose of the Articles of Confederation?
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to provide a governing structure for the nation
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Which document established the first government of the United States?
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Articles of Confederation
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Who proposed the system of checks and balances that was included in the U.S. Constitution?
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James madison
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Which phrase describes one of the goals of the U.S. Constitution as found in the Preamble?
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to ensure domestic tranquility
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How did the Louisiana Purchase benefit the United States?
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It doubled the size of the United States and provided access to the Mississippi River.
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Who proposed the system of checks and balances that was included in the U.S. Constitution?
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James Madison
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What issue most clearly divided Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party and Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Party?
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whether federal or state governments should have more power
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Which branch of government declares war, approves constitutional amendments, and begins impeachment proceedings?
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Legislative
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Which of the following is an example of a right or freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
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the right to speak your mind in private or in public, protection from unreasonable searches, the freedom to practice the religion of your choice
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What federal government position did John C. Marshall hold for 35 years?
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chief justice of the Supreme Court
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How did Andrew Jackson appeal to voters during the election campaign of 1828?
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He used slogans, posters, and songs.
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What tactic of Andrew Jackson's presidential campaign secured his election?
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He rallied voters by holding events, such as barbecues, that appealed to them.
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How did Herbert Hoover's philosophy of government affect the Depression?
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It deepened the Depression because nothing was done to address the causes
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What effect did Herbert Hoover's beliefs about government have on the American economy?
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They deepened the Depression because the government did not take action.
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What happened to marriage and birth rates during the Great Depression?
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They declined as people became reluctant to take on additional responsibility.
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What happened in the Great Plains when severe drought followed the removal of native grasses?
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Strong winds blew away topsoil and created a Dust Bowl.
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How did many farmers deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl?
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They left their farms for California.
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In addition to lost jobs and poverty, what was another impact of the Great Depression on American lives?
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a drop in marriage and birth rates
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Which was a cause of the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains?
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Native grasses were removed to produce wheat, leaving nothing to hold the soil in place.
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How did buying stocks on credit contribute to the Great Depression?
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When stock prices fell, people did not have the money to cover their losses.
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What was one cause of the October 1929 stock market crash?
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falling stocks purchased on credit
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Which presidents' administrations emphasized big business and corporate power?
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Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover
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What brought a ban on the sale of alcohol and an increase in organized crime to the United States during the 1920s?
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passage of the 18th Amendment
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How did the 18th Amendment cause conflict in the United States?
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Some people believed that the prohibition of alcohol was unconstitutional.
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What was a common element of the Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover administrations?
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an emphasis on big business and corporate power
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What did severe drought, stock speculation, and a banking crisis in the late 1920s lead to?
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the Great Depression
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Which group in the 1920s opposed immigration, feared the Red Scare, and believed white Protestants were better than others?
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Ku Klux Klan
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What 1920s movement renewed African American culture in art, music, literature, drama, and dance?
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the Harlem Renaissance
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What group could be described for the first time in the 1920s with the terms flapper, wage-earner, and voter?
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Women
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Which is a territory that the United States gained as part of the settlement of the Mexican-American War?
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California
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How did the United States acquire California?
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Mexico ceded California as part of the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War.
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Which idea states that it was God's plan for the United States to expand across the continent?
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manifest destiny
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Which best explains the concept of manifest destiny?
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the idea that it was God's plan for the nation to expand across the continent
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How did the Republican Party begin in the 1850s?
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Several northern antislavery groups united.
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Which are two states that seceded from the Union before the Civil War?
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South Carolina and Georgia
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What was one reason that South Carolina decided to secede from the Union?
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to uphold the rights of property owners
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What was one success of Reconstruction after the Civil War?
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Southern states rejoined the Union.
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What was one of the failures of Reconstruction after the Civil War?
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Political opportunities for African Americans disappeared after a short time.
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Which of the following was primarily a political challenge that the United States faced after the Civil War?
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citizenship rights for freed slaves
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How did western expansion affect Native Americans?
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It forced them from their lands.
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What happened to Native Americans during western expansion?
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They were forced to give up their lands.
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What did the federal government do in response to union-led strikes in the late 1800s?
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acted quickly to end strikes, using both the courts and federal troops
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Which was a business practice employed by the titans of industry in the late 1800s?
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building monopolies
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Which practice originated in the railroad industry and influenced modern business practices?
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Railroad owners sold stock to finance the construction of railroads.
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Why did the government act quickly to end union-led strikes in the late 1800s?
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There was a belief that strikes would lead to anarchy and socialism.
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What is one way that immigration in the late 1800s differed from immigration in earlier periods?
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In the 1800s, more immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe.
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What is one way that immigration in the late 1800s differed from immigration in earlier periods?
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Later immigrants came mainly from southern and eastern Europe.
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What is one way that immigration in the late 1800s differed from immigration in earlier periods?
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The majority of later immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe.
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What legislation was enacted in 1890 to eliminate monopolies, trusts, or any agreement that restricted trade?
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Sherman Antitrust Act
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What was a popular term for the investigative journalists who uncovered corruption in business and government in the late 1800s and early 1900s?
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muckrakers
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How did ethnicity and race influence the cities of the United States in the late nineteenth century?
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They helped define social stratification.
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What contributed to social stratification in cities in the late 1800s?
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ethnicity and race
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Who were the muckrakers?
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investigative journalists who uncovered corruption in business and government
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What was one reform the progressive movement achieved?
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direct election of U.S. senators
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Which president believed in an activist government that was a "steward of the public welfare"?
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Theodore Roosevelt
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How did Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, and literacy tests affect blacks in the period following the Civil War?
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They promoted segregation and fewer rights for blacks.
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What were some of the effects of Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, and literacy tests in the period following the Civil War?
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They promoted segregation and fewer rights for blacks.
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Which African American leader founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute?
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Booker T. Washington
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What did Woodrow Wilson hope to accomplish with his "New Freedom" government?
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effective government responses to social and economic issues
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What was one of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony's goals?
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gain immediate women's suffrage
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What was a concept put forth by African American leader W.E.B. Du Bois?
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Educated African Americans should lead the race out of second-class citizenship into full equality.
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Who were two pioneers of the early women's movement?
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
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Who founded the United Negro Improvement Association, which stressed the need for black-owned businesses?
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Marcus Garvey
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What was one reason the United States went to war with Spain in 1898?
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to protect U.S. investments in Cuba
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Why did some people support imperialism despite traditional American opposition to colonization?
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They wanted to compete with other nations for natural resources.
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What was one argument against nineteenth-century American imperialism?
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Traditional American principles opposed colonization.
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What was one of Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy goals?
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to have the nations of the world form an association
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Which is a territory that the United States acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War?
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Puerto Rico
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The United States acquired several new territories during the late 1800s. Which two eventually became states?
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Alaska and Hawaii
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What finally brought the United States into World War I?
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unrestricted German submarine attacks on shipping
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Why did Woodrow Wilson want to form a League of Nations?
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He thought an organization like that could assure lasting world peace.
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What was the major focus of William Howard Taft's foreign policy?
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Dollar Diplomacy
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What was one effect of unrestricted German submarine attacks on shipping during World War I?
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The United States entered the war.
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What was the purpose of the Espionage and Sedition Acts passed during World War I?
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to reduce debate and dissent over U.S. participation in the war
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Why did government leaders want to pass the Espionage and Sedition Acts during World War I?
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They thought the laws would provide national security.
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How did many Americans react to increased government powers during World War I?
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resented the increased government controls.
