Period 1
1491–1607
1491–1607
Which of the following best describes the impact of maize cultivation on Native American societies in the American Southwest?
A. It enabled the development of complex societies with permanent settlements and irrigation systems.
B. It led to widespread deforestation and the collapse of regional trade networks.
C. It created nomadic societies that followed bison herds across the plains.
D. It resulted in the complete abandonment of hunting and gathering practices.
A = Maize cultivation supported large, sedentary societies like the Pueblo who used irrigation.
Which of the following best explains the purpose of the Mayflower Compact signed by the Pilgrims in 1620?
A. To establish a self-governing colony based on majority rule among free men
B. To secure religious freedom for Catholics in New England
C. To declare independence from the English Crown before colonization
D. To abolish ties to the Church of England in all colonial affairs
A = The Mayflower Compact was an early example of colonial self-government.
Which of the following was a direct consequence of the French and Indian War (1754–1763) for British colonial policy?
A. The end of British efforts to tax the colonies
B. The adoption of a policy of neutrality toward European conflicts
C. The imposition of new taxes to help pay for war debt and defense
D. The immediate granting of colonial independence
C = The British government sought to recover war costs by taxing the colonies, prompting resistance.
Which of the following was a key result of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?
A. It ended U.S. claims to land in the Pacific Northwest
B. It doubled the size of the United States and encouraged westward expansion
C. It gave Native Americans full sovereignty over western lands
D. It established a permanent alliance with France against Britain
B = The Louisiana Purchase greatly expanded U.S. territory and opened the West for exploration and settlement.
Which of the following most directly contributed to increased tensions over the expansion of slavery in the 1840s?
A. The annexation of Texas and the war with Mexico
B. The implementation of protective tariffs in the South
C. The failure of Reconstruction to protect freedmen’s rights
D. The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment
A = The addition of new territories raised urgent debates about whether slavery would expand westward.
The primary motivation for Spanish explorers and settlers in the Americas during the 16th century can best be described as:
A. Seeking religious freedom in response to the Protestant Reformation.
B. Escaping persecution by Spanish monarchs and nobles.
C. Gaining wealth, spreading Christianity, and enhancing imperial power.
D. Establishing utopian societies modeled on Athenian democracy.
C = Spanish colonization was motivated by the "Three Gs" — God, Gold, and Glory.
The system of mercantilism, as enforced through the Navigation Acts, was designed to:
A. Encourage free trade among European powers and their colonies
B. Allow colonial merchants to operate independently from imperial regulation
C. Ensure that colonial trade benefited the economic interests of the mother country
D. Promote economic equality between American colonists and Native Americans
C = Under mercantilism, colonies existed primarily to enrich the imperial center.
Which of the following Enlightenment ideas most influenced Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence?
A. The concept of voting and individual rights of man
B. The belief in separation of church and state and free speech
C. The idea that government is a social contract based on the power to govern given by the people
D. The belief that economic equality was the foundation of democratic government as well as political sovereignty
C = Jefferson drew heavily on John Locke’s theory that legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed; popular sovereignty
Which of the following was a primary goal of Henry Clay’s American System?
A. To limit federal involvement in internal improvements
B. To promote westward expansion by removing Native American tribes
C. To unify the national economy through protective tariffs and infrastructure development
D. To oppose national banking and support states’ rights
C = Clay’s American System aimed to strengthen the U.S. economy through internal improvements, a national bank, and tariffs.
Which of the following was a key provision of the Compromise of 1850?
A. The admission of Kansas as a slave state
B. The immediate abolition of slavery in all federal territories
C. The strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Law
D. The repeal of the Missouri Compromise
C = The Compromise of 1850 included stricter enforcement of fugitive slave laws to appease the South.
Which of the following developments most directly challenged the justification for the encomienda system?
A. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which temporarily ended Spanish rule in the Southwest
B. Sepúlveda’s argument that Native peoples were natural slaves
C. Las Casas’ writings promoting the humanity and dignity of Native Americans
D. The collapse of European trade with Asia in the 16th century
C= Las Casas strongly criticized Spanish mistreatment of Native peoples, directly challenging the encomienda system.
Which of the following was a major consequence of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676?
A. It accelerated the shift from indentured servitude to African slavery in Virginia
B. It ended the power of the Anglican Church in the southern colonies
C. It increased royal support for the rights of Native American tribes
D. It established legal protections for tenant farmers and small planters
A = After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonial elites became more reliant on enslaved Africans to avoid uprisings by former indentured servants.
What was one of the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
A. It gave the federal government excessive power over state economies
B. It allowed the president to veto laws passed by state legislatures
C.It created a standing army that threatened individual liberty
D. It lacked the power to collect taxes or regulate interstate commerce
D = Under the Articles, Congress could not raise revenue or effectively govern a national economy.
How did the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise reflect key tensions during the Constitutional Convention?
A. They resolved disputes between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists about ratification procedures.
B. They promoted a unified approach to limiting the spread of slavery in the Northwest Territory.
C. They emphasized direct democracy over representative institutions to protect individual liberties.
D. They addressed conflicts between large and small states and between free and slaveholding states.
D = The Great Compromise settled representation between large and small states (House and Senate), while the 3/5ths Compromise managed political power tied to slavery.
Which of the following most directly undermined the Missouri Compromise and inflamed sectional tensions?
A. The Nullification Crisis
B. The Kansas-Nebraska Act’s embrace of popular sovereignty
C. The Emancipation Proclamation’s impact on the border states
D. The Monroe Doctrine’s application to western expansion
B = The Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing slavery north of the 36°30′ line through popular sovereignty.
The introduction of horses by the Spanish most significantly affected Native American societies by:
A. Ending long-distance trade routes established by Mississippian cultures
B. Transforming the mobility and military power of Great Plains tribes
C. Encouraging the adoption of written alphabets in Plains cultures
D. Creating widespread dependency on European firearms and textiles
B = Horses dramatically increased the power and range of tribes like the Comanche and Sioux on the Great Plains
Which of the following most accurately distinguishes the New England colonies from the Chesapeake colonies in the 17th century?
A. Chesapeake colonists established egalitarian political systems without slavery
B. Chesapeake colonies developed large urban centers and relied less on slavery
C. New England colonies were founded primarily for economic opportunity
D. New England had more religiously driven societies and longer life expectancy
D = New England colonies were largely Puritan settlements with a more stable environment and tighter-knit communities, while Chesapeake settlements were more economically driven and relied on plantation slavery.
Which of the following most accurately explains the disagreement between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during ratification of the Constitution?
A. Whether a strong central government would threaten individual and state liberties
B. Whether the nation should expand westward past the Appalachian Mountains
C. Whether Congress should have the power to declare war
D. Whether the president should be elected by popular vote
A = Anti-Federalists feared the new Constitution lacked protections for individual rights and gave too much power to the central government.
Which of the following most directly contributed to growing colonial resistance to British authority between 1754 and 1776?
A. The shift from salutary neglect to stricter enforcement of imperial policies after the French and Indian War
B. The creation of elected assemblies in every American colony
C. The expansion of religious tolerance through the First Great Awakening
D. The establishment of trade partnerships with rival European empires
A = British efforts to tax and regulate colonial trade more aggressively after years of neglect sparked widespread resentment and resistance.
Which of the following best explains why Reconstruction may have ultimately failed to secure lasting civil rights for freed African Americans?
A. The federal government lacked sustained commitment to enforcing equality in the South
B. The Freedmen’s Bureau successfully established long-term land ownership for freedpeople
C. The 14th and 15th Amendments were repealed by Southern states
D. The Supreme Court consistently upheld the rights of freedmen
A = Despite constitutional amendments, federal withdrawal and violent Southern resistance severely limited progress for African Americans.
Which of the following best characterizes the main argument advanced by Bartolomé de Las Casas in response to Spanish treatment of Native Americans?
A. The Spanish Crown had no moral or legal right to extract labor or tribute from Indigenous peoples.
B. Indigenous peoples lacked the rational capacity to fully adopt Christianity or European customs.
C. The encomienda system should be reformed to maximize colonial profits and reduce abuses.
D. African slaves were better suited to endure plantation labor than Native Americans.
A = Las Casas argued forcefully that Native Americans were rational beings with souls and that Spanish exploitation of them—especially through the encomienda system—was unjust and un-Christian.
Which of the following best explains how the British policy of salutary neglect influenced the development of colonial attitudes toward mercantilism?
A. It encouraged colonial dependence on British military and financial institutions, making resistance to mercantilism unlikely.
B. It reinforced strict imperial oversight that helped colonies internalize the economic goals of mercantilism.
C. It allowed colonial governments to operate with significant autonomy, fostering resistance when Britain later enforced mercantilist policies more strictly.
D. It led directly to widespread support for the Navigation Acts and other imperial trade restrictions.
C = Salutary neglect allowed the colonies to become accustomed to self-rule and relative economic freedom; when Britain later tightened mercantilist controls, colonists increasingly resisted.
Which of the following best explains how the political debates during the Washington and Adams administrations reflected broader concerns about national identity and foreign influence?
A. The dispute over Jay’s Treaty revealed bipartisan support for neutrality and economic independence.
B. The emergence of political parties reflected deep divisions over the French Revolution and the scope of federal authority.
C. The Whiskey Rebellion united both Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in support of suppressing internal dissent.
D. The passage of the Bill of Rights resolved most disagreements over foreign policy and executive power.
B = Federalists favored closer ties to Britain and a strong central government, while Democratic-Republicans supported France and feared centralized power illustrating growing political divisions.
Which of the following best explains how the Market Revolution affected gender roles and domestic life in the early 19th century?
A. It led to universal male suffrage and expanded the political role of women in national elections.
B. It reversed the separation of spheres by integrating women into all aspects of public economic life.
C. It reinforced the “cult of domesticity” by redefining women’s roles around home, morality, and child-rearing.
D. It made farming communities more self-sufficient and diminished the influence of urban industry.
C = The Market Revolution led to increasing separation between home and workplace, which contributed to the ideology of the “cult of domesticity” for middle-class women.
Which of the following best explains how the ideology of Manifest Destiny contributed to the coming of the Civil War?
A. It emphasized isolationist foreign policy and delayed U.S. involvement in global trade
B. It promoted Northern industrial expansion and discouraged Western migration
C. It led directly to Southern secession by abolishing slavery in all U.S. territories
D. It raised fundamental conflicts about the extension of slavery into newly acquired territories
D = As the U.S. expanded westward under Manifest Destiny, sectional divisions deepened over whether slavery would spread into new territories.