SAT II US History : Representative Viewpoints in U.S. Political History from 1790 to 1898

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

Example Question #180 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898

The Supreme Court responded to Andrew Jackson's efforts at Native American removal with Worcester v. Georgia, where the Court ruled that the Cherokee comprised a “domestic dependent nation” with a right to freedom from molestation. What was the ultimate outcome of this judicial ruling?

Possible Answers:

The President and the leader of the Cherokee entered into initial talks to negotiate a treaty recognizing Indian sovereignty and determining where displaced Cherokee could relocate.

President Jackson had the Court's ruling officially nullified using his veto power.

Congress ordered the impeachment of Chief Justice Marshall.

Regardless of the Court's decision, President Jackson proceeded with the removal of the Cherokee and they were expelled from their lands.

President Jackson's troops were prevented from expelling the Cherokee by the National Guard, whom Chief Justice Marshall had called in to enforce the ruling.

Correct answer:

Regardless of the Court's decision, President Jackson proceeded with the removal of the Cherokee and they were expelled from their lands.

Explanation:

After hearing of the ruling in Worcester, President Jackson said, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” Without the President to enforce the ruling, the removals continued. This incident is a prime example of the sort of defiant, unilateral decision making and disregard for the other branches of government that earned Jackson his notoriety as tyrannical. Since Chief Justice Marshall had no authoritative means to force compliance with the Court's ruling, Jackson simply ignored it.

Example Question #181 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898

Boss tweed  thomas nast

Who is the man depicted in this cartoon by Thomas Nast appearing in Harper's Weekly, on October 21, 1871?

Possible Answers:

William M. Tweed

J. Edgar Hoover

Jay Gould

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Andrew Carnegie

Correct answer:

William M. Tweed

Explanation:

The man represented in the cartoon is William M. "Boss" Tweed of New York City's Tammany Hall, a 19th century Democratic Party political machine that dominated New York City and New York State politics and industry.

Example Question #182 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898

Which of the following was not a key political goal of the Progressive movement?

Possible Answers:

The enforcement of the gold standard

The deregulation of railroads

Educational reform 

The direct election of Senators

Opposition to women's suffrage

Correct answer:

The enforcement of the gold standard

Explanation:

The Progressive movement in America was first developed during the Gilded Age, largely as a response to the overindulgence and corruption in society and politics during the last decades of the nineteenth century. The Progressive's sought to enact many sweeping reforms, including political reforms like the direct election of Senators (enacted in the Seventeenth Amendment), women's suffrage (the Nineteenth Amendment), and municipal reform at the local level. Progressives were also supporters of trust busting, breaking up big corporations, particularly the banks and railroads, while also advocating the elimination of the gold standard and the implementation of an income tax. Many progressive reforms were enacted by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

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