SAT II US History : SAT Subject Test in United States History

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #371 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Who was the first, and only, President of the Confederate States of America?

Possible Answers:
Abraham Lincoln
Charles Sumner
Jefferson Davis
Robert E. Lee
Stephen Douglas
Correct answer: Jefferson Davis
Explanation:

Before the Civil War, Jefferson Davis served as a Congressman for the state of Mississippi, and, initially opposed secession from the Union. However, once the Confederate States were formed he was elected without opposition to the position of President. It was an office he would serve for the entirety of the existence of the Confederate States. Historians generally agree that Davis was an ineffectual war-time leader and credit his limited economic understanding with the rapid inflation and impoverishment experienced in the South during the Civil War. Immediately following the war Davis was widely disgraced and disparaged, however in the years since he has regained something of an iconic status among many Southerners, who revere his defiance and war-time spirit. 

Example Question #372 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Which of these potential Border States did not remain loyal to the Union in the Civil War?

Possible Answers:
Missouri
Delaware
Kentucky
Virginia
Maryland
Correct answer: Virginia
Explanation:

For the majority of the United States, by the time of Civil War, cultural and political identity was firmly established as either dominantly Northern, pro-Federal power and anti-slavery or Southern, pro-States’ rights and pro-slavery. However, in the border states of Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware, there were large cultural communities of both Northerners and Southerners. In Kentucky and Missouri, in particular, the majority of the population favored secession from the Union and it was only due to the decisions of those in power (in the State Legislature) that they remained part of the Union. Lincoln faced a near constant battle to keep all four states loyal. Virginia, on the other hand, was perhaps the political and ideological centre of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis’ government was run out of Richmond and many of the battles took place on Virginian soil. In 1863 West Virginia split from Virginia to return to the Union – a division that has never been remedied to this day. 

Example Question #373 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

This sitting Vice President shot the former Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, in a duel on July 11th, 1804, at Weehawken, New Jersey. Hamilton died from his wounds the next day, at the Manhattan home of William Bayard.

Possible Answers:

John Jay

John Quincy Adams

Aaron Burr

James Madison

John Adams

Correct answer:

Aaron Burr

Explanation:

It was Vice President Aaron Burr who shot Alexander Hamilton.  The two men had had a contentious political and personal relationship that reached a breaking point when Hamilton defamed Aaron Burr during the latter's 1804 New York gubernatorial bid.

Example Question #374 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which officially ended the Mexican-American War, resulted in the forced Mexican Cession of the territory of Alta California.  Which of the following American States did NOT derive territory from Alta California?

Possible Answers:

Utah

Arizona

California

Oregon

Nevada

Correct answer:

Oregon

Explanation:

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo resulted in territory for the states of Caifornia, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Example Question #375 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

This Kentucky-born statesman served as President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.

Possible Answers:
Robert E. Lee
Henry Clay
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson
Jefferson Davis
Ullyses S. Grant
Correct answer: Jefferson Davis
Explanation:

Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America throughout the U.S. Civil War.

Example Question #375 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

This 1814 incident has been the only time after the American Revolutionary War that another country has been able to seize and maintain control of the U.S. capital.  What was this incident's name?

Possible Answers:

The Great Conflagration

The Bonfire of Washington

The March on Washington

The Burning of Washington

The Night of Dolley Madison

Correct answer:

The Burning of Washington

Explanation:

At the Burning of Washington, during the War of 1812, the White House and U.S. Capitol were largely destroyed by British troops.

Example Question #376 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

On May 28th, 1830, which American President signed into law the Indian Removal Act, which empowered him to negotiate with the leaders of the Native Americans in the southern United States, in order to secure their removal to the west of the Mississippi River?

Possible Answers:

President Andrew Jackson

President Zachary Taylor

President James K. Polk

President John Tyler

President William Henry Harrison

Correct answer:

President Andrew Jackson

Explanation:

It was President Andrew Jackson who signed into law the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in the removal of many southern indigenous nations to Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River; this removal was known as the Trail of Tears.

Example Question #377 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

These seven debates, known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, held between the two senatorial candidates for the state of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas, garned nationwide attention for the principal topic debated.  What was the principal topic of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates?

Possible Answers:

Health care

Slavery

The right of a state to secede

Women's suffrage

The right of workers to unionize

Correct answer:

Slavery

Explanation:

Slavery was the main issue of all seven debates held in Illinois between Lincoln and Douglas in 1858.  Lincoln lost the election, but the national attention enabled him to become the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

Example Question #378 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Toward the end of this U.S. Civil War, General Robert E. Lee had assumed control of the remaining Rebel armies.  On April 9th, 1865, he surrendered to which Union General, signalling the end of the war.

Possible Answers:

Benjamin Butler

Ulysses S. Grant

William T. Sherman

Henry Halleck

George H. Thomas

Correct answer:

Ulysses S. Grant

Explanation:

General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, who would later become the 18th President of the United States, at Appomattox Court House.

Example Question #379 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

The seven articles of the Constitution, as written by the Constitution Convention, include which three aspects found below?

Possible Answers:

A Supreme Court, two houses within a legislative branch, the inclusion of Native Americans in the population.

The electoral college, the abolition of slavery, an amendment process.

A Supreme court, a system of checks and balances, rights of the states.

An Amendment process, a religious test as a qualification for office, a system of checks and balances.

Rights of the states, an amendment process, acceptance of a state religion.

Correct answer:

A Supreme court, a system of checks and balances, rights of the states.

Explanation:

The following aspects are not found in the original seven articles: the inclusion of Native Americans; a state religion; a religious test to qualify for office; and the abolition of slavery.

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