51 Questions
What term best describes the belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic and cultural group?
Ethnocentric
Which Native American settlement near present-day East St. Louis once had a population of up to 25,000 people?
Cahokia
What was the primary reason why Puritans came to America?
To seek religious freedom and purify the Church of England
What term describes the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages?
Columbian Exchange
Who were the individuals who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years?
Indentured Servants
What was the primary motivation behind the European powers' involvement in the fur trade with Native Americans?
To increase their wealth and power through the accumulation of gold and silver
What was the main purpose of the Proclamation Line of 1763?
To protect Indian tribes from further encroachment by European settlers
What was the outcome of the meeting of the Stamp Act Congress in 1765?
The Congress adopted a declaration of rights and sent letters of complaint to the king and parliament
What was the primary goal of the Sons of Liberty?
To incite riots and protests against British policies
What was the significance of the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
It resulted in the British surrender and the end of the war
What was the primary effect of the Three-Fifths Clause in the Constitution?
It gave more representation in Congress to Southern states
What was the main purpose of the American Colonization Society?
To buy land in Africa and resettle free blacks
What was the primary goal of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?
To establish a system of popular sovereignty in the territories
What was the impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin on the American public?
It intensified sectional conflict and increased opposition to slavery
What was the primary goal of the Manifest Destiny movement in the 1800s?
To expand the territory of the United States across the continent
What was the primary goal of the SALT negotiations between the United States and the USSR in 1969?
To reduce the stockpile of nuclear weapons in both countries
Which 1972 presidential candidate campaigned on a promise to withdraw American troops from Vietnam within ninety days?
George McGovern
What was the name of Richard Nixon's re-election committee that was involved in the Watergate scandal?
CREEP
In what year did the Vietnam War come to an end with the fall of Saigon?
1975
Who was the first African American woman to be elected to Congress?
Shirley Chisholm
What was the outcome of the Harpers Ferry raid led by John Brown?
Brown and his men were captured by Robert E. Lee and the US Marines, and Brown was hanged.
What was the primary goal of the Anaconda Plan during the Civil War?
To blockade the Southern coast and capture Mississippi River.
What was the name of the political scandal involving abuse of power, bribery, and obstruction of justice during the Nixon administration?
The Watergate Scandal
What was the significance of the Sharpsburg/Antietam battle?
It was the bloodiest day in United States history, with over 22,000 casualties.
What was the main purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation?
To free all slaves in areas still at war with the Union.
What was the significance of the Plessy v. Ferguson court case?
It established the 'separate but equal' doctrine, which legalized segregation.
What was the main goal of the Progressivism movement?
To promote reforms and respond to the pressures of industrialization and urbanization.
What was the significance of the Haymarket Affair?
It was a violent event that led to a nationwide wave of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment.
What was the main goal of the Prohibition movement?
To outlaw the sale of alcoholic beverages.
What was the significance of the Zimmerman Telegram?
It was a telegram sent by Germany to Mexico, urging Mexico to attack the United States.
What was the main outcome of the Treaty of Versailles?
It led to the establishment of the League of Nations and the prevention of future wars.
What was the outcome of the Geneva Conference in 1954?
It divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
What was the primary goal of Operation Rolling Thunder?
To bomb Viet Cong-occupied land and disrupt supply lines.
What was the significance of the Tet Offensive in 1968?
It was a crucial turning point in the war.
What was the main objective of the Nixon Doctrine?
To honor existing defense commitments and shift responsibility to other countries.
What was the purpose of the draft lottery system during the Vietnam War?
To determine the order of call-up for military service.
What was the main goal of the Vietnamization policy?
To withdraw US troops from Vietnam and replace them with South Vietnamese forces.
What was the outcome of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964?
It authorized President Johnson to commit US troops to South Vietnam and fight a war against North Vietnam.
What was the significance of the March to Montgomery in 1965?
It was a civil rights march to protest voting rights violations.
What was the outcome of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973?
It ended direct US involvement in the Vietnam War.
What was the main objective of the Body Counts measure during the Vietnam War?
To count the number of Viet Cong killed.
What was the primary goal of President Roosevelt's New Deal program?
To provide economic relief and stimulate recovery during the Great Depression
What was the significance of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941?
It drew the United States into World War II
What was the primary purpose of the Truman Doctrine?
To support countries threatened by Soviet oppression and expansion
What was the significance of the Berlin Airlift?
It was a humanitarian effort to supply food and aid to West Berlin during the Soviet blockade
What was the outcome of the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954?
It overturned the Separate but Equal doctrine in education
What was the primary accusation made by Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare?
That communists had infiltrated the highest levels of the U.S. government
What was the significance of the Kennedy-Nixon Debates in 1960?
They showed the importance of a candidate's appearance and charisma on television
What was the primary goal of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961?
To overthrow the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro
What was the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962?
The Soviet Union withdrew its nuclear missiles from Cuba
What was the primary purpose of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
To ban the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere
Study Notes
European Exploration and Colonization
- European powers sought to capitalize on the popularity of fur in Europe, leading to the establishment of the fur trade
- The Proclamation Line of 1763 was designed to protect Indian tribes by setting a boundary at the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains, beyond which no western white settlement was to take place
- The Stamp Act Congress was formed in 1765 to protest the newly passed Stamp Act, adopting a declaration of rights and sending letters of complaints to the king and parliament
American Revolution
- The Sons of Liberty, a radical political organization, formed in 1765 to promote colonial independence
- Yorktown was the last battle of the American Revolutionary War in 1781, where the British surrendered
- Saratoga was a turning point in the American Revolution, leading to France's decision to ally with the Americans
- The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1781, were a weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War
- The Three-Fifths Clause, signed into the Constitution in 1787, counted three-fifths of the slave population in determining each state's representation in the House of Representatives
Westward Expansion and Sectionalism
- The Louisiana Purchase of 1803, led by Thomas Jefferson, expanded U.S. territory west of the Mississippi River
- Lewis and Clark's expedition of 1804-1806 explored the western territory and collected ecological and social information
- The Missouri Compromise of 1820, negotiated by Henry Clay, allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and banned slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30' parallel
- The theory of nullification, advocated by John C. Calhoun, claimed that states had the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional
Slavery and Abolition
- The American Colonization Society was founded in 1816 to promote the relocation of free blacks to Liberia
- William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist, advocated for the immediate end of slavery through his newspaper, The Liberator
- The Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses, helped escaping slaves reach freedom in the North
- The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required Northerners to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves, leading to increased tensions between North and South
Civil War and Reconstruction
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, sponsored by Stephen Douglas, allowed new states to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, leading to pro-slavery and anti-slavery violence
- John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 attempted to spark a slave rebellion, but was ultimately thwarted
- The Confederate States of America seceded from the Union in 1861, leading to the American Civil War
- The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed all slaves in areas still at war with the Union
- The Reconstruction Era saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, aiming to ensure civil rights for African Americans
Test your knowledge of early American history, including the Columbian Exchange, Native American settlements like Cahokia, and the first colonies established by European powers. Explore the lives of indentured servants and the significance of St. Augustine in Florida.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
