All SAT II US History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #212 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
Who was the Federalist opponent to James Monroe in the Election of 1816?
Aaron Burr
George Clinton
Charles Pinckney
Alexander Hamilton
Rufus King
Rufus King
The Election of 1816 came immediately after the end of the War of 1812. Although the war had hardly resulted in an overwhelming victory for the United States, it had also not resulted in defeat. The Democratic-Republican Party took national credit for the outcome and the Federalist Party, with their opposition to the war and secessionist rhetoric, had become decidedly out of favor with the majority of the American voting population.
Perhaps understanding their own inevitable demise, the Federalist Party hardly bothered to have a nominating convention and allowed a weak candidate by the name of Rufus King to run for them. King won only a few New England states and Monroe and the Democratic-Republicans carried the election in a landslide victory.
Example Question #213 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
What Amendment did former Confederate states have to ratify to be allowed to rejoin the Union?
13th
15th
14th
16th
17th
14th
The 14th Amendment guaranteed the rights of citizenship to freed slaves. In addition, it states that all citizens have equal rights and every citizen is protected by the Constitution.
Example Question #213 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
The "Second Party System" was dominated by political battles between __________
the Whig Party and the Republican Party.
the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.
the Whig Party and the Federalist Party.
the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
the Democratic Party and the Federalist Party.
the Democratic Party and the Whig Party.
The "Second Party System" developed in the wake of Andrew Jackson's victory in the 1828 Election. The Federalist Party had died out after the War of 1812, and saw a general one party system for slightly over a decade. Jackson generated a great deal of anger and opposition in his call for populist economics and politics. Those following Jackson retained the name "Democrats," as Thomas Jefferson used at the turn of the century. Jackson's opponents, led by Henry Clay, slowly coalesced into a cohesive opposition, and used the name "Whig" to describe themselves, after the more liberal British political party.
Example Question #214 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
How did the Marshall court most significantly contribute to the growth of federal power in the early nineteenth century?
Defined and expanded powers of the judiciary branch
Reversed previous court decisions that had provided for state sovereign immunity
Suppressed the growth of federal power
Reaffirmed the role of the federal government as mediator between state disputes
Declared the supreme power of the executive branch
Defined and expanded powers of the judiciary branch
The Marshall Court was the name given to the Supreme Court under the leadership of Chief Justice John Marshall. John Marshall is the longest serving Chief Justice in American history, serving for more than thirty years. During that time his court did a great deal to expand the powers of the Federal government at the expense of the states. His most important contribution was defining the role of the judiciary. His court established the principle of judicial review, which states that the judiciary has the ability to nullify the actions of the executive and legislative branches when those actions are unconstitutional.
Example Question #551 : Sat Subject Test In United States History
What was the significance of the Pendleton Act?
It stipulated that government jobs should be granted on the basis of merit.
It redirected government funds from the military to internal improvements.
It re-affirmed that vertical monopolies were legal in the United States.
It made horizontal monopolies illegal in the United States.
It dramatically reduced the immigration quota for immigrants arriving from Southern Europe.
It stipulated that government jobs should be granted on the basis of merit.
The Pendleton Act was issued in 1883. It stated that it was illegal and immoral to grant civil service jobs on the basis of political favor. According to the act, government jobs should be granted solely on the basis of individual merit.
Example Question #552 : Sat Subject Test In United States History
Which of the following groups supported the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860?
Northern abolitionists
Southern plantation owners
Southern merchants
Northern immigrants
Southern farmers
Northern abolitionists
The election of 1860 was one of the most wildly contested in America's history, featuring four major candidates, with the Democrats splitting into three separate camps. Abraham Lincoln's Republican Party was still new, only about five years old, and was trying to gather together a small coalition. Chief among the groups supporting Lincoln and the Republicans were abolitionists, nativist groups, former Whigs, and Free Soil Democrats.
Example Question #217 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
What was the main reason John Tyler's presidency was considered as illegitimate by his political opponents?
He had won the election after controversial vote counting processes in certain states.
He won an election only after an electoral college tie that made the congress decide the election.
He had won an election with less than fifty percent of the popular vote.
He had not been elected as President, rather he had been elevated to the position after the death of William Henry Harrison.
He had only won a majority of the electoral college, without winning the popular vote.
He had not been elected as President, rather he had been elevated to the position after the death of William Henry Harrison.
William Henry Harrison was elected president in 1840, but only served for about a month after contracting pneumonia after his inaugural address. His Vice President, John Tyler, immediately took the oath of office and assumed the duties of the Presidency. Because the constitution was not very clear about the order of succession, many people viewed Tyler's presidency as illegitimate, a fact made worse by his unpopular policies. While Tyler set a precedent, the official process of which was not codified by the Constitution until the 20th Amendment in 1933.
Example Question #218 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
The key factor in the dissolution of the Whig party was __________.
the establishment of the Bank of the United States
opposition to the concept of nullification
divisions between pro and anti-slavery factions inside the party
the American victory during the Mexican American War
the election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency
divisions between pro and anti-slavery factions inside the party
The Whig Party initially formed out of opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson. Although the Whigs had significant political success for three decades, the divisions over the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act made the Whig Party split into pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. The pro-slavery Whigs, mostly Southerners, joined the Democratic Party, while the anti-slavery Whigs were the chief movers behind the foundation of the Republican Party.
Example Question #219 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
The phrase "corrupt bargain" when used to refer to the 1824 presidential election describes __________________.
the decision by Andrew Jackson to only campaign in Southern states
the deal struck between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson to determine who would run for President
the vote of the United States House of Representatives to settle the election
the large number of "faithless electors" that swung the election
the campaign tactics used by Andrew Jackson
the vote of the United States House of Representatives to settle the election
The "corrupt bargain" of the 1824 election happened after the Electoral College voted and split between four candidates, with none receiving a majority. This meant the election was decided by the House of Representatives, as laid out in the Constitution, which was controlled by the fourth place candidate, Speaker of the House Henry Clay. Clay arranged with John Quincy Adams, who got the second most electoral votes, to make Adams president instead of Andrew Jackson, who had received a plurality in the Electoral College.
Example Question #221 : U.S. Political History From 1790 To 1898
The Congress put what compromise over slavery into law with The Missouri Compromise of 1820 regarding a line at the 36°30′ north parallel?
Banned slavery in Missouri only above the parallel, but allowed it below the line.
Placed all questions of slavery in a territory or state to a popular vote if they were located above the line.
Banned slavery above the parallel, while leaving an exception for the territory of Missouri existing above the line.
Banned slavery underneath the parallel with no exceptions.
Banned slavery in any new territories and states the United States would acquire or admit above the line.
Banned slavery above the parallel, while leaving an exception for the territory of Missouri existing above the line.
The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri, settled mostly by Southerners, to enter the Union as a slave state, but made it the most northern state to allow slavery by creating a line at the 36°30′ north parallel. Every territory entering as a state north of that line would enter as a free state, while a territory entering as a new state south of the line could be a slave state.
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