AP US History : AP US History
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US History
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Global Participation 1801–1848
"Have not results in Mexico taught the invincibility of American arms?...The North Americans will spread out far beyond their present bounds. They will encroach again and again upon their neighbors. New territories will be planted, declare their independence, and be annexed. We have New Mexico and California! We will have Old Mexico and Cuba! The isthmus cannot arrest--nor even the Saint Lawrence!! Time has all of this in her womb. A hundred states will grow up where now exists but thirty."
- DeBow's Commercial Review, 1848
Which of the following groups would be least likely to agree with the tone of and sentiments described within the passage?
Newly arrived immigrants seeking cheap land to farm
Western Democrats who sought to expand their influence
Urban industrialists who prioritized developing new markets
the Californios and Native Americans who inhabited the territory
White Southern planters who desired the extension of their way of life
the Californios and Native Americans who inhabited the territory
As more white settlers moved into the region, the West's earlier inhabitants - like the Californios and Native Americans - faced losing their land and, in the case of Mexican citizens, their right to participate in government.
Example Question #1 : 1849–1900
"The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. The West and South are bound and prostrate before the manufacturing East..The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us. We were told two years ago to go to work and raise a big crop, that was all we needed...and what came of it? Eight-cent corn, ten-cent oats, two-cent beef and no price at all for butter and eggs...We want money, land and transportation. We want the abolition of the National Banks, and we want the power to make loans direct from the government. We want the foreclosure system wiped out..."
- Mary E. Lease, lawyer, in an 1890 speech
The ideas expressed in the passage reflect which of the following continuities in U.S. history?
Disagreement about the level of corporate influence on the government
Conflict between economic freedom and government
Disagreement over federal responsibility for social welfare
Clashes between regional and federal regulation
Conflict between agrarian and industrial interests
Conflict between agrarian and industrial interests
Because of the differences in the economic and political desires of rural farmers who were often in debt and urban manufacturers who competed with international imports, conflicts between agrarian and industrial interests occurred continuously in American history.
Example Question #2 : 1849–1900
Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth" belief stated that __________.
wealth is only acquired through the exploitation of others, and is thus anti-Christian
wealth would come to those that performed good deeds
with great wealth comes great responsibility
money was the new religion
all people had a responsibility to tithe to their church
with great wealth comes great responsibility
Carnegie believed in Social Darwinism, or the theory that the fittest corporations would survive in a capitalist society. As one of the wealthiest few, he believed that it was his duty to use his wealth for the betterment of those less fortunate. This belief he termed the "Gospel of Wealth." He did not approve of charity, gifts of money or goods bestowed on those in need, but did believe strongly in philanthropy and created many public libraries and other public facilities. Carnegie's philanthropic causes focused mostly on education and the arts.
Example Question #3 : 1849–1900
"The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. The West and South are bound and prostrate before the manufacturing East..The [political] parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us. We were told two years ago to go to work and raise a big crop, that was all we needed...and what came of it? Eight-cent corn, ten-cent oats, two-cent beef and no price at all for butter and eggs...We want money, land and transportation. We want the abolition of the National Banks, and we want the power to make loans direct from the government. We want the foreclosure system wiped out..."
- Mary E. Lease, lawyer, in an 1890 speech
Which of the following best explains the cause of some of the farmers' problems listed here?
Industrialization and mechanization
Conservationism and protection of environmental resources
The Dust Bowl
Racism and the sharecropping system
Union organization
Industrialization and mechanization
Overproduction due to large numbers of new farmers in the West and the mechanization of agriculture lay at the heart of the farmers' problems and the rise of industrial powers blunted their political voice.
Example Question #2 : Work, Exchange, And Technology 1849–1900
The years following the Civil War were times of change in American society and economy. Factories that were built to help supply the Union Army, were converted to peacetime use. Industrialization soon surpassed agriculture as America’s economic core. New technology developed during this time and contributed to the doubling of America’s economy. Industry was controlled by a few individuals holding top level positions and earning vast fortunes. This time in America’s history is called the Gilded Age. The name comes from the title of a novel written by Mark Twain. It refers to the massive fortunes amassed by businessmen and the wealthy lifestyle it supported. The leaders of this new economy were labelled “Captains of Industry,” “Moguls,” and “Robber Barons” because there were few laws at the time to regulate industry and the manner in which these industrialists earned and used their capital. These nicknames accurately represented the harsh, unethical, and exploitative practices of these industrialists. The sky was the limit for these individuals who were ruthless in their business dealings.
What was the reason for the ruthless business tactics of the “Robber Barons”?
Labor unions were forming and there was a need to be a strong businessman to survive union demands.
Competition was fierce to produce the best product inexpensively priced.
The retail businesses were demanding a share of the profits of the industrial goods they sold.
To meet the demand of international trade, businessmen had to be strong.
The belief that a healthy business community was the best path to an egalitarian society.
Competition was fierce to produce the best product inexpensively priced.
Competition among industries was fierce. Industry and the county were growing rapidly. New inventions were developing that made it easier and faster to produce new goods for the public. The demand for these new goods and the growth of the railroad and oil industries meant that many of these individuals were competing within the same fields. In their minds, it was necessary to take risks and act ruthlessly to maintain their position in industry and society as well as to maintain their wealthy lifestyles. Aside from pure unadulterated greed, this competition inspired the unethical tactics of American Robber Barons, a tradition that continues to this day in the American business community.
Example Question #1 : 1849–1900
That any person who is the head of a family, or who has arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and is a citizen of the United States ... shall, from and after the first January, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be entitled to enter one quarter section or a less quantity of unappropriated public lands
-United States Senate, Homestead Act, 1862
One goal of the Homestead Act was to __________________.
encourage new settlers to migrate westward
relocate American Indian populations living west of the Rocky Mountains
extend suffrage to poor whites
create new free territories in the South
encourage new settlers to migrate westward
The Homestead Act was meant to encourage westward expansion by offering 160 acres of land to any settler willing to remain there for five years.
Example Question #5 : 1849–1900
“A long time ago this land belonged to our fathers; but when I go up to the river I see camps of soldiers here on its bank. These soldiers cut down my timber; they kill my buffalo; and when I see that, my heart feels like bursting; I feel sorry.”
- Santana, Chief of the Kiowas, 1867
What is the likely cause of the author's woes?
war declared on the Kiowas by the US government after a spate of brutal attacks on settlers
settlers pushing to expand the United States westward, disrupting the Native Americans' traditional way of life
soldiers passing through Indian territory on their way to aid the United States fight in the Spanish-American War
the forced relocation of the Kiowa at the behest of President Andrew Jackson
settlers pushing to expand the United States westward, disrupting the Native Americans' traditional way of life
Santana fought against the westward expansion of the railroads because he knew they would disrupt the buffalo herds that were the basis of Kiowa survival; however, as with many Native American tribes, the Kiowas found the push of Manifest Destiny too strong. They, as with the others, suffered the loss of many traditional sources of food as well as the annexation of their lands and the slaughter of innocent members of their tribes.
Example Question #6 : 1849–1900
Passage adapted from William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold Speech" (1896)
I shall not slander the fair state of Massachusetts nor the state of New York by saying that when citizens are confronted with the proposition, “Is this nation able to attend to its own business?”—I will not slander either one by saying that the people of those states will declare our helpless impotency as a nation to attend to our own business. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Our ancestors, when but 3 million, had the courage to declare their political independence of every other nation upon earth. Shall we, their descendants, when we have grown to 70 million, declare that we are less independent than our forefathers? No, my friends, it will never be the judgment of this people. Therefore, we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. If they say bimetallism is good but we cannot have it till some nation helps us, we reply that, instead of having a gold standard because England has, we shall restore bimetallism, and then let England have bimetallism because the United States have.
If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
Bryan's speech is an example of which of the following nineteenth-century political philosophies?
Laissez-faire liberalism
Populism
Nativism
Anarchism
Populism
William Jennings Bryan was perhaps Populism's greatest voice, and his 1896 nomination for President by the Democratic Party sealed its place in national politics. The tenets of populism were support of farmers, election reform, and the removal of the gold standard. The gold standard referred to pegging the value of the American dollar to gold, which caused fluctuations in prices despite its consistent logic. Bryan argued for bimetallism, which made the dollar valued in comparison to gold and silver.
Example Question #7 : 1849–1900
Passage adapted from William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold Speech" (1896)
I shall not slander the fair state of Massachusetts nor the state of New York by saying that when citizens are confronted with the proposition, “Is this nation able to attend to its own business?”—I will not slander either one by saying that the people of those states will declare our helpless impotency as a nation to attend to our own business. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Our ancestors, when but 3 million, had the courage to declare their political independence of every other nation upon earth. Shall we, their descendants, when we have grown to 70 million, declare that we are less independent than our forefathers? No, my friends, it will never be the judgment of this people. Therefore, we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. If they say bimetallism is good but we cannot have it till some nation helps us, we reply that, instead of having a gold standard because England has, we shall restore bimetallism, and then let England have bimetallism because the United States have.
If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
The reference to Britain following America's example reflects which of the following cultural shifts in the late nineteenth century?
The lack of trust in banks and other financial institutions by most Americans
America had become a world leader in business and industry
The increasing failure of many Western agricultural holdings
America's increasing economic reliance on agriculture
America had become a world leader in business and industry
A large concern of Bryan's opponents who wished to keep the gold standard was that the rest of the world remained steadfast in their use of the gold standard, meaning America would lag behind more industrialized nations like Great Britain. Bryan's argument is that, echoing the Revolution, the rest of the world would have to take notice of America. This is an argument that can only be placed in the context of America's increasing dominance in business and industry throughout the late nineteenth century.
Example Question #8 : 1849–1900
Passage adapted from William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold Speech" (1896)
I shall not slander the fair state of Massachusetts nor the state of New York by saying that when citizens are confronted with the proposition, “Is this nation able to attend to its own business?”—I will not slander either one by saying that the people of those states will declare our helpless impotency as a nation to attend to our own business. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Our ancestors, when but 3 million, had the courage to declare their political independence of every other nation upon earth. Shall we, their descendants, when we have grown to 70 million, declare that we are less independent than our forefathers? No, my friends, it will never be the judgment of this people. Therefore, we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. If they say bimetallism is good but we cannot have it till some nation helps us, we reply that, instead of having a gold standard because England has, we shall restore bimetallism, and then let England have bimetallism because the United States have.
If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
What was the largest effect of this speech on domestic politics?
William Jennings Bryan becoming President in the 1896 election.
The success of the Democratic Party in the Plains states.
The adoption of bimetallism by Congress in the 1890s.
The electoral success of the Populist Party in the 1896 election.
The success of the Democratic Party in the Plains states.
William Jennings Bryan rode the Cross of Gold speech to the Democratic Nomination for President in 1896; however, Bryan would lose to William McKinley, and the gold standard remained as U.S. law until the 1970s. What Bryan's nomination did was fully pull populism into the Democratic Party fold, which both ended the electoral ambitions of the Populist Party and made the Plains States solidly Democratic for the next few decades.
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