SAT II US History : Summary of U.S. Political History from 1790 to 1898
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Example Questions
Example Question #215 : U.S. Political History
What was the significance of the Pendleton Act?
It made horizontal monopolies illegal in the United States.
It redirected government funds from the military to internal improvements.
It stipulated that government jobs should be granted on the basis of merit.
It dramatically reduced the immigration quota for immigrants arriving from Southern Europe.
It re-affirmed that vertical monopolies were legal in the United States.
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 #216 : U.S. Political History
Which of the following groups supported the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860?
Southern farmers
Northern immigrants
Southern merchants
Southern plantation owners
Northern abolitionists
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
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 had only won a majority of the electoral college, without winning the popular vote.
He had won an election with less than fifty percent of the popular vote.
He won an election only after an electoral college tie that made the congress decide the election.
He had not been elected as President, rather he had been elevated to the position after the death of William Henry Harrison.
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
The key factor in the dissolution of the Whig party was __________.
opposition to the concept of nullification
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 establishment of the Bank of the United States
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
The phrase "corrupt bargain" when used to refer to the 1824 presidential election describes __________________.
the campaign tactics used by Andrew Jackson
the vote of the United States House of Representatives to settle the election
the large number of "faithless electors" that swung the election
the deal struck between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson to determine who would run for President
the decision by Andrew Jackson to only campaign in Southern states
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.
Banned slavery above the parallel, while leaving an exception for the territory of Missouri existing above 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 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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