Basic Knowledge About American History: Quiz!

23 Questions | By Melaniemaddennn | Updated: Jan 4, 2023 | Attempts: 56

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Basic Knowledge About American History: Quiz! - Quiz

How well do you know American history? America as a country has one of the richest and the most diverse histories. Though, parts of this history are disturbing, from its participation in the slave trade to various other race-related issues. There have also been right parts in its timeline, from the Moon landing to various technological accomplishments. Please find out more about American history by taking our quiz.

Questions and Answers

1.

The primary focus of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century Progressivism was:
- A.
  
  A Redistribution of wealth to eliminate the discrepancy between the poor and the rich
- B.
  
  Education, hospitals, settlement houses, and the reform of child labor and safety laws
- C.
  
  Eliminating inefficiency and corruption in government
- D.
  
  Exposing unsafe, unsanitary, corrupt, or greedy practices in government
2.

The period immediately after the American Civil War is known as:
- A.
  
  Reconstruction because it was the period during which the US government attempted to rebuild the plantations, homes, and businesses of the defeated southern states which had been destroyed during the war
- B.
  
  Reconstruction, because it was the period during which defeated southern states were legally required to re-write their constitutions to outlaw slavery
- C.
  
  The antebellum period, because this was a time the rest of the US was against the South, which was represented by southern "belles" such as Scarlett O'Hara
- D.
  
  Reconstruction, because the US Congress wanted to completely overhaul the economies, governments, social structures, and laws of the defeated southern states and punish southern loyalists for treason
3.

An American cowboy was statistically most likely to be:
- A.
  
  A brave, law-abiding young white man who went west in search of a place to start a farm and raise a family
- B.
  
  An African-American or Latino man who was unable to find opportunities in more settled areas of the US
- C.
  
  A gunslinging outlaw in search of booty on the high seas
- D.
  
  A religious dissident in search of freedom from oppression by the US government
4.

Which of the following are examples of successful Progressive era programs and legislation?
- A.
  
  Indian schools, eugenics, and prohibition of alcohol
- B.
  
  Abolition of slavery, welfare and Medicaid, homeless shelters in settlement houses, and universal public education for all children
- C.
  
  Laws ensuring the safety and effectiveness of prescription medications, childhood immunization laws, and the 40-hour workweek for workers
- D.
  
  Women's suffrage, improved worker safety, and child labor laws, wider access to education, assimilation for immigrants, and settlement houses
5.

Prior to the American Civil War, most Americans lived:
- A.
  
  Agrarian lifestyles
- B.
  
  Urban lifestyles
- C.
  
  In miserable poverty
- D.
  
  In solid gold mansions
6.

William Randolph Hearst is an example of:
- A.
  
  A muckraking journalist, an old-money scion, and a Progressive
- B.
  
  A railroad tycoon, an old-money scion, and a crusader for women's and worker's rights
- C.
  
  An early twentieth-century magnate, a member of the Nouveau Riche, and a war monger
7.

Which of the following are NOT problems associated with increased urbanization?
- A.
  
  Epidemics, child labor, drug safety, and worker rights and safety
- B.
  
  Sanitation, crime, housing shortages, transportation, and recreation
- C.
  
  Drought, blight, pestilence, and plummeting land values
- D.
  
  Civil rights for African Americans, welfare, government corruption, deficit spending, and homeland security
8.

Women were prevented from voting, serving on juries, or pursuing the same rights as men under a system of:
- A.
  
  Civil Service
- B.
  
  Republican Motherhood
- C.
  
  Patriarchy
- D.
  
  Male chauvinism
9.

A patriarchal system dictates that:
- A.
  
  Men are superior to women
- B.
  
  White men are superior to everyone
- C.
  
  Only white men can vote
- D.
  
  White men are responsible for protecting and providing for others
10.

Immigrants to the United States were expected to become successful through
- A.
  
  Affiliation
- B.
  
  Assimilation
- C.
  
  Acculturation
- D.
  
  Accumulation
11.

Which of the following groups were most likely to indulge in conspicuous consumption?
- A.
  
  The Gilded Age
- B.
  
  Progressives
- C.
  
  The Nouveau Riche
- D.
  
  Freedmen
12.

Which of the following represent victories for US Progressives in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
- A.
  
  Prohibition, universal public education, universal suffrage, and the elimination of poverty
- B.
  
  Urbanization, industrialization, assimilation, and immunization
- C.
  
  Women's suffrage, civil service laws, child labor laws, drug safety laws, and national parks
- D.
  
  Welfare, universal healthcare, the income tax, and deficit spending
13.

What was Abraham Lincoln's plan for dealing with the Confederate leaders after the Civil War?
- A.
  
  Punish them by disenfranchisement
- B.
  
  Offer them amnesty
- C.
  
  Force them to accept emancipation of their slaves and immediately institute equal rights for whites and blacks
- D.
  
  He really didn't care--he just wanted to be re-elected
14.

The Fourteenth (14th) Amendment to the United States Constitution:
- A.
  
  Provides that all people born in the United States are American Citizens
- B.
  
  Made African-Americans born in the US American citizens
- C.
  
  Both A and B
- D.
  
  Neither A nor B
15.

The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution:
- A.
  
  Allows states to determine who is a citizen of the US and who is not
- B.
  
  Allows states to make people prove they are in the United States legally
- C.
  
  Requires states to uphold the rights of all citizens equally
- D.
  
  Was frequently circumvented by the implementation of literacy tests, poll taxes, and even illegal intimidation of voters in southern states
16.

Theodore Roosevelt's first two government positions (as Director of the US Civil Service Commission and a Commissioner of he NYCPD):
- A.
  
  Were given to him under the patronage and spoils systems of the time
- B.
  
  Were given to him because he was the son of a wealthy family and a war hero
- C.
  
  Showed his commitment to Progressive ideals
- D.
  
  Showed his opposition to Progressive ideals
17.

Sharecropping was:
- A.
  
  Not much different from slavery for African Americans
- B.
  
  The system under which which white males felt it was their duty to provide and help women, the poor, and others less fortunate than they were
- C.
  
  An improvement over slavery for African Americans because they were free to own and farm their own land
- D.
  
  A way for city dwellers to enjoy some fresh, healthy country air
18.

Which of the following are examples of muckraking?
- A.
  
  William Randolph Hearst's headline, "Naval Officers Think the Maine was Destroyed by a Spanish Mine."
- B.
  
  The US Army using African-American soldiers to "muck out" stables for officers' horses during WWI
- C.
  
  The books "The Jungle" and "How the Other Half Lives"
- D.
  
  The Republican Party uncovering secret photos of Theodore Roosevelt shooting elephants as proof that he was not a conservationist
19.

Why did Indian schools want to "kill the Indian in the boy"?
- A.
  
  The hated indians
- B.
  
  They believed that Indian customs and languages prevented native children from being successful in American society
- C.
  
  The American government believed that Indians were dangerous and would use their native language to plot rebellion
- D.
  
  Indian schools were founded and run by Progressives and everyone knows that Progressives are evil Nazis
20.

Why did Progressives support the Eighteenth Amendment?
- A.
  
  They believed that women were equal to men and therefore should be allowed to vote
- B.
  
  They believed that African-Americans were equal to white Americans and should therefore be allowed to vote
- C.
  
  They believed that alcohol was a major factor in keeping poor people and lazy as well as causing men to abandon their families
- D.
  
  Progressives believed that food and drugs should be safe
21.

"Black Codes" were:
- A.
  
  Post Civil War laws in southern states making it illegal for African Americans to vote, own land. or learn to read.
- B.
  
  Laws restricting the activities of African Americans in the south which often were used either to enhance the penalties given for other crimes or to return African Americans to a new system of involuntary servitude
- C.
  
  A "secret language" used by African Americans to keep white southerners from understanding what they were talking about
- D.
  
  Southern laws such as poll taxes and literacy tests designed to keep African Americans from voting
22.

Debt peonage was:
- A.
  
  Illegal in the United States until New Mexico became a state
- B.
  
  Specifically made legal by the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution
- C.
  
  A system by which African Americans and poor whites were kept in positions of involuntary servitude even after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution
- D.
  
  The perfectly legal practice of requiring convicted criminals to work while incarcerated in order to pay off their fines and court costs
23.

Juneteenth is:
- A.
  
  The holiday celebrating the signing of the Emancipation proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln
- B.
  
  The holiday celebrating the arrival of the first ship full of African immigrants to the American colonies
- C.
  
  The holiday celebrating the exact mid-point of the summer on 19th of June each year
- D.
  
  The holiday celebrating the arrival of Union troops led by General George Granger in Galveston, Texas bearing the news that slaves there had been freed two and a half years earlier