
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.
The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield
and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over
this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again
touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
(A) Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858
(B) Cooper Union Address, 1860
(C) First Inaugural Address, 1861
(D) Gettysburg Address, 1863
(E) Second Inaugural Address, 1865


(C) First Inaugural Address, 1861
Explanation: As Lincoln took office in March
1861, the Union was already disintegrating as
Southern states established the Confederate
States of America. Lincoln, while not wanting
to endorse their secession in any way, also
sought to reach out in hopes of peaceful
reconciliation.

I. The market for northeast manufacturers expanded both
domestically and internationally.
II. The California gold rush added as much as $50 million a
year in gold to the economy each year.
III. As the plantation system spread, the U.S. supplied most
of the world's cotton.
IV. Western agriculture experienced growth with the
expansion of railroads and the opening of European
markets.
V. Protective tariffs climbed steeply during the decade to
reach their highest levels since the nation's founding.
(A) I, II, and IV only
(B) I, II, and III only
(C) I, III, IV and V only
(D) I, II, III, and IV only
(E) all of the statements are true


(D) I, II, III, and IV only
Explanation: The 1850s witnessed tremendous growth in
the American economy. Foreign and domestic markets
expanded for both manufactured goods and agricultural
products with the spread of railroads and the introduction
of clipper ships to Europe. By 1860, the U.S. supplied 7/8 of
the world's cotton as the plantation system, while morally
reprehensible, was economically productive. The gold rush
added capital to the economy and spurred western
migration. Tariffs, however, which had been a huge issue of
contention between the pro-tariff North and anti-tariff South
during earlier decades, declined to their lowest level since
their implementation in the Federalist Era.


Which of the following statements about the 1854
Kansas-Nebraska Act is not accurate?
(A) it repealed the Missouri Compromise's
restriction on slavery north of the 36°30' line
(B) it was proposed by Illinois Senator Stephen
Douglas
(C) its passage helped reduce tension in the Kansas
region between pro- and anti-slavery forces
(D) it was based on the concept of popular
sovereignty, which stated that a territory's voters
should decide on slavery's fate
(E) opponents of the bill helped form the
Republican Party


(C) its passage helped reduce tension in the Kansas
region between pro- and anti-slavery forces
Explanation: The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed
residents of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to
select or reject slavery, thus overturning the restriction
on slavery's expansion in the 1820 Missouri
Compromise. Proposed by Stephen Douglas, it led to
the first set of Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1854, the
creation of the Republican Party by opponents, and an
increase in violence in Kansas as pro- and anti-slavery
forces poured into the region.

Which of the following political parties of the
1840s and 1850s was strongly anti-immigrant
and anti-Catholic and limited its membership
to Anglo-Saxon Protestants?
(A) Free Soil
(B) Whig
(C) Republican
(D) Know-Nothing
(E) Liberty


(D) Know-Nothing
Explanation: The Know-Nothings, strongly antiGerman and anti-Irish, received their nickname
from the practice of members to say "I know
nothing" about their group if non-members asked
them about it. They joined former Whigs in 1854 to
form the American Party. Their platform in the
1856 presidential election included lengthening the
period for naturalization to 21 years, restricting
public school teacher positions and public offices
to Protestants and mandating daily Bible readings
in public schools.

Which controversial antebellum figure was
described by Henry David Thoreau as "an angel of
light" and by Frederick Douglass as one
whose "...zeal in the cause of my race was far greater
than mine —it was as the burning sun to my taper light
mine was bounded by time, his stretched away to the
boundless shores of eternity. I could live for the slave,
but he could die for him."
(A) Abraham Lincoln
(B) William Lloyd Garrison
(C) John Brown
(D) John C. Frémont
(E) Stephen Douglas


(C) John Brown
Explanation: Brown led an 1859 raid in
Harper's Ferry, Virginia, attempting to start a
slave insurrection throughout the South. The
raid failed and Brown was quickly tried,
convicted, and executed. His life and death
took on symbolic value, however, for both
the North and the South in the next
tumultuous decade.

"When a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be
the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun
and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think
that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What
makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so overrun is
not our own, but ours is the invading army...Under a government which
imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.."
(A) Abraham Lincoln
(B) Henry Clay
(C) William Lloyd Garrison
(D) Ralph Waldo Emerson
(E) Henry David Thoreau


(E) Henry David Thoreau
Explanation: Thoreau, who spent a night in the
Concord jail for not paying his taxes,
developed his concept of peaceful protest in
"Civil Disobedience." His writings inspired
several Twentieth Century nonviolent social
activists, including Gandhi and Martin Luther
King, Jr.

I. Abraham Lincoln introduces the spot resolutions
in Congress.
II. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the
Mexican War.
III. The Oregon Treaty is approved.
IV. Texas is annexed by the U.S.
(A) I, II, III, IV
(B) IV, III, I, II
(C) III, IV, I, II
(D) IV, I, III, II
(E) III, I, II, III


(B) IV, I, III, II
Explanation:
IV. Texas is annexed by the U.S. (1845);
III. The Oregon Treaty is approved. (1846);
I. Abraham Lincoln introduces the spot
resolutions in Congress. (1847).
II. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the
Mexican War. (1848).

(A) Kit Carson
(B) Zebulon Pike
(C) John C. Frémont
(D) Davy Crockett
(E) Jedediah Smith


(C) John C. Frémont
Explanation: Frémont led a small band of
soldiers south from Oregon in June 1846 and
assisted some American settlers who had
declared the Bear Flag Republic in Sonoma,
California by capturing the Mexican
Commandant of Northern California.


I. Journalist John O'Sullivan first used the term in an essay in 1845
in which he encouraged the U.S. to annex Texas.
II. It referred to specific territories that President James K. Polk
intended to add to the U.S.
III. Its philosophical base included the concept of American
exceptionalism.
IV. It is usually associated with the era from 1865-1900.
V. Its concepts were generally opposed by Whigs such as Henry
Clay and Abraham Lincoln who favored development of
America's economy.
(A) I and V only
(B) II, III, and IV only
(C) I, III, and V only
(D) III, IV, and V only
(E) I, IV, and V only


(C) I, III, and V only
Explanation: First referred to in principle by
O'Sullivan in 1839, manifest destiny was first
identified in his 1845 essay "Annexation." While
not referring to specific territories, it did rely on
the spirit of American exceptionalism. It is usually
associated with the years from 1812-1860. It was
favored by Democrats such as Polk but usually
opposed by Whigs who encouraged bolstering
America's internal economy.

(A) it was accomplished during the administration
of John Tyler
(B) it featured a battle cry of "54 40 or Fight" from
members of Parliament
(C) it settled the border between the U.S. and
Canada at the 49th parallel in the Oregon Territory
(D) the Oregon Territory had a large number of
British fur trappers living and working in its area
when the Oregon Treaty was signed
(E) the Oregon Treaty provided for joint control of
the land until the year 1900


(C) it settled the border between the U.S. and
Canada at the 49th parallel in the Oregon Territory
Explanation: The Oregon Treaty, concluded in
James K. Polk's one-term administration in 1846,
re-affirmed the U.S.-Canada border at the 49th
parallel. The Treaty provided for joint control of
the land for 10 years. In fact, very few British
subjects lived in Oregon at the time of the Treaty.
The cry of "54 40 or Fight" was made by American
expansionists who sought a border for Oregon
much farther north.

(A) volunteers, including former Congressman
Davy Crockett, defending the Alamo against the
Mexican army
(B) an execution by Mexican troops of Texans at
Goliad
(C) following it, Texas elected Sam Houston as the
president of the Republic of Texas
(D) a speech by Congressman Abraham Lincoln
demanding to know the spot of American soil on
which American blood was spilt
(E) a surrender of Mexican General Santa Anna at
the Battle of San Jacinto


(D) a speech by Congressman Abraham
Lincoln demanding to know the spot of
American soil on which American blood was
spilt
Explanation: Lincoln introduced his "spot
resolutions" during the 1846 MexicanAmerican War.

(A) Andrew Jackson
(B) Martin Van Buren
(C) Zachary Taylor
(D) Franklin Pierce
(E) James Buchanan


(B) Martin Van Buren
Explanation: Van Buren, who served as
Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and VicePresident, was an attorney and lifelong
politician. Jackson was a general in the War of
1812, as were Taylor and Pierce in the MexicanAmerican War. Buchanan served as a volunteer
during the War of 1812 in the defense of
Baltimore.

(A) both moved west after
their birth
(B) both had a deep and
abiding faith in American
democracy
(C) both were attorneys who
had military experience in
their resumes
(D) both were at one time
members of the Whig Party
(E) both were activist
presidents, using strong
executive action to
accomplish their goals


(D) both were at one time members of the Whig
Party
Explanation: While Lincoln began his political
career as an anti-Jackson Whig, Jackson was a
Democrat. Jackson's military career was far more
extensive than Lincoln's, as the latter served only
briefly in the Black Hawk War. Both moved west,
Jackson from South Carolina to Tennessee and
Lincoln from Kentucky to Indiana and then
Illinois. Both strengthened the office of the
president by taking forceful executive action. Both
men were firm believers in the importance of
preserving the Union and the value of democracy.

I. the war added significant territory to the U.S.
II. significant opposition to the war could be found
in New England states
III. naval blockades were a major part of the war
IV. the war ended in a stalemate with the issues
causing the war remaining unresolved
A) I, II, and III only
B) II and III only
C) II, III, and IV only
D) all of the statement are true
E) none of the statements are true


B) II and III only
Explanation: While a great deal of territory was added to the U.S.
at the end of the Mexican-American War, only Carleton Island in
the St. Lawrence River became a U.S. possession as a result of the
War of 1812. Both the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War
were unpopular in New England. Federalists generally opposed
the War of 1812, while Whigs expressed their opposition to what
they saw as a land-grab of Mexico by Southern Democrats.
Following some early American naval victories, the British
instituted a blockade of the eastern seaboard during the War of
1812 as the U.S. did to Mexico's east coast during the MexicanAmerican War. While the War of 1812 was settled by the Treaty of
Ghent, which solved few of the problems leading to war, the
Mexican-American War was concluded by the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo which resulted in huge land concessions
being made to the U.S. by Mexico.

(A) the border states enthusiastically
supported all Union policies
(B) England and France openly supported
the Union
(C) slave rebellions were a constant worry
among Confederate officials
(D) the Union states were completely
unified in their war aims
(E) it was greatly outnumbered in
population


(E) it was greatly outnumbered in population.
Explanation: At the start of the war, the
population of the Union numbered 22 million,
while the Confederacy's population was nine
million which included four million slaves.
This meant that a long war of attrition favored
the Union, as it could call up new recruits for
its armies. Despite that fact, the Union resorted
to a draft to fill quotas.

(A) stated that fugitive slave laws were
unconstitutional
(B) allowed slavery in territories north of the
36°30' line
(C) provided for compensating slaveowners for
runaway slaves
(D) passed both the House and the Senate
(E) allowed for the importation of new slaves
from Africa


I. John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry
II. Lincoln elected president
III. Passage of Kansas-Nebraska Act
IV. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
V. Dred Scott decision
(A) I-III-IV-V-II
(B) III-IV-V-I-II
(C) III-V-IV-I-II
(D) IV-III-V-I-II
(E) V-III-IV-II-I


(C) III-V-IV-I-II
Explanation: From the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act until
Lincoln's election in 1860, the U.S. witnessed a deteriorating
political climate as the debate over slavery's existence and
extension dominated discussion. The 1857 Dred Scott
decision, in which Congress' right to control slavery in the
territories was overturned, helped to further harden
positions, which were debated by senatorial candidates
Lincoln and Douglas in the 1858 Illinois contest. Brown's
unsuccessful attempt in 1859 to launch a slave revolt in
Virginia added more fuel to the fire. Within a month of
Lincoln's election, South Carolina declared its intention to
secede from the Union.

(A) nominated Abraham Lincoln as its first
presidential candidate in 1856
(B) took a strong stand against protective tariffs
in the 1850s
(C) was formed in response to the Compromise
of 1850
(D) had both strong northern and southern
wings in its first decade of existence
(E) was comprised largely of former members
of the Whig Party in the 1850s


(E) was comprised largely of former members of the
Whig Party in the 1850s
Explanation:
Formed in 1854 and comprised of a number of ex-Whigs,
the Republican Party's first major position was in
opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act which opened
western territories to popular sovereignty and voided the
Missouri Compromise's restriction on slavery. It was
almost exclusively a northern party in the 1850s,
nominating John C. Frémont for president in 1856 and
electing Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Republican economic
policies included support for strong protective tariffs.

(A) whether slaves should be sold in
Washington, D.C.
(B) the gag rule in Congress
(C) the interpretation of slavery in the Bible
(D) slavery in the western territories
(E) California's entry into the Union as a free
state


(D) slavery in the western territories
Explanation:
Limiting or allowing the expansion of slavery
into the territories west of the Mississippi River
led to disagreements in Congress and violence
in areas such as Kansas in the 1850s.

(A) increased ill-will between pro-slavery and
anti-slavery forces
(B) a rejection of the principles of manifest
destiny
(C) the addition of Florida to the U.S.
(D) the annexation of Texas
(E) the settlement of the Oregon Territory
question


(A) increased ill-will between pro-slavery and
anti-slavery forces
Explanation:
The addition of the territory in the Mexican
Cession added further tension to the discussion
of slavery in the period following the MexicanAmerican War. California was admitted to the
Union as a free state in the Compromise of 1850
with the assumption that the lands south of the
36° 30' line would be open to slavery, as was
Texas.

(A) the U.S. had offered at least $25 million to Mexico
for the purchase of California
(B) internal opposition to the conflict came mostly from
New England
(C) while most of the fighting took place in Mexico,
military engagements between U.S. and Mexican forces
also took place in California
(D) American troops outnumbered Mexican forces in
each significant engagement of the war
(E) one of the provisions of the Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo included Mexico giving up all claims to Texas


D) American troops outnumbered Mexican
forces in each significant engagement of the
war
Explanation:
Despite facing a Mexican army greatly
outnumbering his, General Zachary Taylor
scored a major victory at Buena Vista in 1847.
In the concluding battle at Mexico City later
that year, General Winfield Scott's troops won,
despite being outnumbered 25,000 to 10,000.

(A) was used by expansionists who sought major
concessions from Great Britain in the disputed Oregon
region
(B) became the campaign slogan of Whig candidate
Henry Clay in the 1844 presidential election
(C) referred to the northern border of California which
was disputed by the U.S., Great Britian, and Russia
(D) referred to a border dispute between the U.S. and
Mexico near the Nueces River
(E) was used by the Whigs in 1840 along with
"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too"


(A) was used by expansionists who sought major
concessions from Great Britain in the disputed Oregon
region
Explanation:
Both the U.S. and Great Britain claimed possession of
the Oregon Territory between the 42nd and the 49th
parallel. Supporters of President James Polk agitated
for war with Britain if their territorial demands weren't
met, exclaiming "54° 40' or Fight." Not wanting to
engage in another conflict while fighting the MexicanAmerican War, Polk quietly negotiated the Oregon
Treaty of 1846 which set the border at the 49th parallel.


Which of the following ended slavery in the
border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland,
and Delaware?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Emancipation Proclamation
13th Amendment
Homestead Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Wilmot Proviso


(B) 13th Amendment
Explanation: The Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect
on January 1, 1863, only applied to the states in rebellion against
the Union and specifically excluded the border states, which
retained slavery but did not join the Confederacy. When a woman
shouted out "God is on our side, Mr. President," to President Lincoln,
he reportedly responded "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have
Kentucky." Later he explained to a U.S. senator: " “I think to lose
Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone,
we can not hold Missouri, nor, as I think, Maryland. These all against
us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent
to separation at once, including the surrender of this capital.” The 13th
Amendment, ratified in 1865, ended slavery throughout the
nation.