Deck 10: The Jacksonian ERA 1824-1845

Question 1

A major change in American politics by the late 1820s was:

A) mass participation through wider voting rights for white males.
B) the lack of sectional concerns expressed in Congress.
C) political careers being seen as public service rather than as a profession.
D) a move away from politicians speaking in the language of the common man.

Answer 1

mass participation through wider voting rights for white males.

Question 2

After the Salary Act of 1816:

A) many Congressmen were voted out of office in the next election.
B) American workers received higher wages.
C) Andrew Jackson was elected president in the next election.
D) John Calhoun emerged as a major spokesman for the working class.

Answer 2

many Congressmen were voted out of office in the next election.

Question 3

By the end of the 1820s, the right to vote:

A) was restricted to wealthy white males.
B) was available to less Americans than were eligible in 1800.
C) had moved significantly toward universal manhood suffrage for whites.
D) was extended to include blacks and females in the North.

Answer 3

had moved significantly toward universal manhood suffrage for whites.

Question 4

Britain's Reform Bill of 1832 extended the vote to:

A) all men.
B) the industrial middle classes.
C) women.
D) wealthy industrialists.

Question 5

Revolutions occurred in all of the following countries around 1830, EXCEPT in:

A) Italy.
B) France.
C) Britain.
D) Poland.

Question 6

Which group was an active participant in the Second Great Awakening?

A) Traditional Calvinists
B) Roman Catholics
C) Baptists
D) Congregational Presbyterians

Question 7

Preachers of the Second Great Awakening espoused all of the following ideas EXCEPT:

A) all humans were predestined at birth for heaven or hell.
B) expressions of popular culture should be included in religious worship.
C) an emphasis on personal, heartfelt experiences would bring spiritual rebirth.
D) women should be encouraged to achieve spiritual revival.

Question 8

Many evangelical preachers of the Second Great Awakening:

A) were wealthy Federalists.
B) directly challenged slavery.
C) emphasized a solemn approach to religion.
D) saw no connection between religion and the common person.

Question 9

The first presidential candidate of the Democratic Party was:

A) James Monroe.
B) John C. Calhoun.
C) Henry Clay.
D) Andrew Jackson.

Question 10

All of the following statements are true about Andrew Jackson's background EXCEPT:

A) he was of Scots-Irish ancestry.
B) he was born and raised in the southern backcountry.
C) achieving a college education led him to eventual success.
D) military heroism elevated his image in the popular mind.

Question 11

An important legacy of the election of 1824 was:

A) Jackson's election as the "people's president."
B) large-scale spending can win an election.
C) public sympathy for Jackson, who lost because of a "corrupt bargain."
D) the expression of slavery as a major issue in American elections.

Question 12

Jacksonians portrayed John Quincy Adams as a man who:

A) fulfilled the noblest goals of the Revolution.
B) was arrogant and did not understand the common man.
C) would never do anything about slavery.
D) represented the interests of the yeoman farmer.

Question 13

The Albany Regency, a tightly disciplined political machine, was run by:

A) John Quincy Adams.
B) Nelson Biddle.
C) John Tyler.
D) Martin Van Buren.

Question 14

The election of 1828 revealed that Jackson had a formidable electoral base:

A) in New England.
B) with bankers of the Northeast.
C) in Massachusetts and New York City.
D) with farmers of the South and West.

Question 15

Jackson's political opponents viewed his inauguration as "vulgar" because:

A) he decided to have the inauguration held in his native Carolina.
B) common people took part in the festivities at the White House.
C) in his speech, Jackson threatened to even the wealth between the East and the South.
D) the new president used off-color humor in his inaugural address.

Question 16

Jackson dominated his presidency with:

A) republican ideals.
B) fear and retribution.
C) the sheer force of his personality.
D) ideals from the French Revolution.

Question 17

The spoils system features a strategy in which:

A) government jobs are given to supporters of the victorious party.
B) large land speculators have the strongest influence in government.
C) the military is aggressively used as a factor in foreign relations.
D) the Bank of the United States is the central facet of the economy.

Question 18

Which policy was supported by Andrew Jackson?

A) wide use of protective tariffs
B) internal improvements that benefited the general public
C) support of a strong national bank
D) large government subsidies to bolster manufacturing

Question 19

The Cherokee Indians:

A) never experienced significant grievances with white political authorities.
B) were seen by whites as the most savage tribe in the South.
C) always refused to assimilate with white culture.
D) had their own newspaper and a constitution.

Question 20

The term Trail of Tears refers to the:

A) slaughter of the Sauk and Fox Indians in Northern Illinois.
B) plight of the yeoman farmer in the face of industrial power.
C) horrifying conditions experienced by Cherokees during their removal.
D) system of separating families through the slave trade in the Deep South.

Question 21

The Seminoles were defeated by the U.S. army:

A) after the Creeks signed a military alliance with the Jackson administration.
B) after only one year of fighting.
C) after their chief, Osceola, was arrested while negotiating peace.
D) in the territory west of the Ohio Valley.

Question 22

In the case Worcester v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that:

A) the Bank of the United States was unconstitutional.
B) slavery was an issue left to the discretion of individual states.
C) the state of Georgia had violated the Constitution in their treatment of Indians.
D) Jackson's Indian policies were constitutional and well within his rights of executive action.

Question 23

Which statement would most likely have been said by a supporter of nullification?

A) "Our union, it must be preserved above all else and at all costs."
B) "The promotion of the nation's industrial base is the foundation of our republic."
C) "As the nation grows in size and power, a strong central government is a vital necessity."
D) "The states shall not adhere to federal law that is deemed to be unconstitutional."

Question 24

The Indian Removal Act:

A) did not affect the Cherokee tribe.
B) focused on Indians west of the Mississippi.
C) passed over Jackson's veto.
D) included Indians living in Florida.

Question 25

Under the Indian Removal Act, most Indians were sent to:

A) Louisiana.
B) Arkansas.
C) Oklahoma.
D) Mississippi.

Question 26

Opponents of the Tariff of 1828 believed all of the following ideas EXCEPT:

A) the tariff would worsen the agricultural depression.
B) the tariff would artificially raise cotton prices.
C) the tariff was designed to benefit the North at the expense of the South.
D) the tariff was an unconstitutional extension of federal power.

Question 27

Around 1830, the only state with a majority population of African Americans was:

A) South Carolina.
B) Virginia.
C) Georgia.
D) Mississippi.

Question 28

John C. Calhoun enraged Jackson by doing all of the following things EXCEPT:

A) throwing his support to those who held shares in the Bank of the United States.
B) labeling Peggy Eaton as a "loose woman" who caused her husband's suicide.
C) threatening to implement a doctrine by which states could secede from the union.
D) attempting to discredit Jackson's military leadership during a raid on Florida.

Question 29

Which statement best describes Jackson's view of those who supported nullification?

A) Jackson viewed nullification as a dangerous and treasonous affront to the union.
B) He sympathized with the stance on nullification expressed by Southerners.
C) Jackson viewed them as an unimportant voice in the national political debate.
D) He defeated them by ignoring their ideas and refusing to debate the issue.

Question 30

The Force Bill was designed to deal with:

A) problems resulting from the Indian Removal Act.
B) the nullification crisis.
C) the impact of lower tariffs.
D) the Bank War.

Question 31

The Force Bill gave Jackson the power to:

A) remove the Cherokees with military force.
B) engage in an undeclared naval war with England.
C) put down nullification with military force.
D) appoint cabinet officials without congressional approval.

Question 32

When Henry Clay tried to make the Bank of the United States a key campaign issue in 1832:

A) most of the nation supported his rational stance on the matter.
B) Jackson backed off from making the Bank a political issue.
C) Jackson turned the tables on him by vehemently opposing rechartering of the Bank.
D) very few people viewed the issue as an important one in America's political dialogue.

Question 33

The person most responsible for the Panic of 1837 was:

A) Martin van Buren.
B) Andrew Jackson.
C) Henry Clay.
D) Nicholas Biddle.

Question 34

During his second term, President Jackson:

A) sponsored his first Indian Removal Act.
B) established his support of preserving the union for the first time.
C) dismantled the Bank of the United States.
D) encouraged the removal of the Choctaw tribe.

Question 35

Effects of destroying the Bank of the United States included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the belief that Jackson had sold out to the northeastern elite.
B) a frenzy of land buying in the western territories.
C) a soaring of commodity prices.
D) the shifting of deposits to state banks.

Question 36

The first crisis that besieged the administration of Martin Van Buren was the:

A) outbreak of the Mexican War.
B) dissolution of the Democratic Party.
C) Panic of 1837.
D) threat of secession by South Carolina.

Question 37

The Panic of 1837 was caused by all of the following factors EXCEPT:

A) the raising of interest rates and tightening of credit by the Bank of England.
B) a dropoff in the price and exportation of American cotton.
C) the lack of availability of credit for buying western lands in the early 1830s.
D) the default of many state governments that had borrowed lavishly in the 1820s and 1830s.

Question 38

The Whig Party believed the Panic of 1837 happened for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A) irresponsibility on the part of Henry Clay in creating his financial plan.
B) passage of the Specie Circular of 1836.
C) the predominance of "pet banks" that emerged during the 1830s.
D) the destruction of the national bank by Andrew Jackson.

Question 39

The value of federal land sales in southern states was highest around:

A) 1825.
B) 1830.
C) 1835.
D) 1840.

Question 40

Anti-Jacksonians called themselves Whigs because:

A) they were strong supporters of better ties with Britain.
B) they accused Jackson of acting like a monarch.
C) it was the name of an influential and popular novel of the period.
D) the Jacksonians had begun to call themselves Tories.

Question 41

The Independent Treasury System:

A) established the Democratic Party as a spokesman for big government and industry.
B) was an economic success, but a political failure.
C) reduced the nation's money supply and prolonged the depression.
D) was not passed by Congress after President Van Buren refused to support it.

Question 42

William Lloyd Garrison believed that slavery:

A) should gradually be legislated out of existence.
B) was immoral and should be immediately ended.
C) was not a moral issue, but an important economic issue.
D) was not a major issue in American politics.

Question 43

In the 1830s, abolitionists achieved all of the following things EXCEPT:

A) winning the support of President Jackson for their cause.
B) printing over one million pieces of antislavery literature.
C) angering southern plantation owners with their arguments.
D) focusing on the moral arguments against slavery.

Question 44

The gag rule:

A) denied First Amendment rights to southern planters.
B) stopped any members of Congress from defending Indians.
C) made it illegal for the Supreme Court to address the issue of slavery.
D) allowed Congress to automatically table all antislavery petitions.

Question 45

Compared to Democrats, Whigs were more likely to:

A) have support in the South.
B) have support among subsistence farmers.
C) favor less government involvement in economic affairs.
D) oppose further westward expansion.

Question 46

The Whig Party was:

A) very popular in the South and West.
B) unsuccessful at getting a president elected in the 1840s.
C) not supportive of territorial expansion.
D) a supporter of government for economic development.

Question 47

The Anti-Masons called for:

A) an end to slavery.
B) equal rights for all freemen.
C) a return to rule by the privileged elite.
D) the right of states to nullify federal law.

Question 48

The Whigs made political inroads in the presidential election of 1836 when:

A) William Henry Harrison was elected.
B) Andrew Jackson lost support among small farmers.
C) the Democrats lost their majority in the Senate.
D) Van Buren lost some of the Democrats' support in the South.

Question 49

The first members of the Whig Party believed that:

A) mass-based political parties were the way of the future.
B) Jackson had exercised too much power in his years as president.
C) the government should not interfere with affairs of the economy.
D) the spread of paper money would ruin the national economy.

Question 50

William Henry Harrison won the election of 1840 for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A) he was not tainted by loyalty to the Bank of the United States.
B) he capitalized upon his image as a war hero in the War of 1812.
C) his youthful idealism appealed to a new generation of Americans.
D) the Whigs balanced their ticket by choosing a southerner as vice president.

Question 51

The first president to die in office was:

A) Martin Van Buren.
B) John Tyler.
C) William Henry Harrison.
D) James Polk.

Question 52

Which statement about John Tyler is true?

A) He believed in a republic founded in a strong central government.
B) He emerged as an outspoken opponent of annexing Texas.
C) He was expelled from the Whig Party when he was president.
D) He pursued a wide-ranging program for internal improvements.

Question 53

The dominant issue in the election of 1844 was:

A) protective tariffs.
B) the Bank of the United States.
C) the annexation of Texas.
D) internal improvements.

Question 54

The percentage of adult white males voting in presidential elections was highest in:

A) 1796.
B) 1812.
C) 1824.
D) 1840.

Question 55

In the election of 1844:

A) Henry Clay suffered a landslide defeat.
B) the Whigs held onto the presidential office.
C) James Polk expressed expansionist ideas.
D) pro-slavery voters supported the Whigs.

Question 56

John Tyler successfully sponsored a joint resolution that:

A) renewed the charter of the Bank of the United States.
B) made it possible to end slavery in Virginia and Maryland.
C) summarized the moral legislative goals of the Democrats.
D) annexed Texas as a new state in the union.

Question 57

What is the correct order of events?

A) Pakenham letter, Texas annexed, Polk elected
B) Polk elected, Pakenham letter, Texas annexed
C) Pakenham letter, Polk elected, Texas annexed
D) Texas annexed, Pakenham letter, Polk elected

Question 58

Which is the only event that happened in the 1830s?

A) the removal of Indian tribes from the South
B) annexation of Texas
C) death of President Harrison
D) Webster-Ashburton Treaty

Question 59

Which event happened first?

A) Jackson opposes renewal of the charter for the Bank of the United States.
B) The Panic of 1837 illustrates the depth of the country's depression.
C) Federal employees are given a ten-hour workday.
D) The first Whig president is elected.

Question 60

Which headline would have appeared in 1844?

A) "Whigs expel president from their party"
B) "Supreme Court Challenges Jackson's Indian Policy"
C) "Panic in Financial Markets Paralyzes National Economy"
D) "Polk Downs Clay in Close Election"

Question 61

Which is the only event that happened in the 1840s?

A) Polk runs for president on expansionist ideas.
B) Nat Turner leads slave rebellion in Virginia.
C) The American Anti-Slavery Society is founded.
D) William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing The Liberator.

Question 62

Which of the following happened first?

A) Andrew Jackson elected to first term as president
B) passage of the Indian Removal Act
C) Nat Turner rebellion
D) Passage of the Compromise Tariff

Question 63

Which of the following happened last?

A) Webster-Ashburton Treaty
B) Independent Treasury Act
C) nullification crisis
D) Liberator begins publication

Question 64

What was the base of the strong political coalition developed by Andrew Jackson?

Question 65

What was the appeal of the Anti-Masons as a third political party?

Question 66

What ideas personified the beliefs of the Whig Party in 1840?

Question 67

What was the philosophy of those who supported nullification and the gag rule?

Question 68

What is your assessment of the presidency of Andrew Jackson? Do you view his presidency as more of a success or more of a failure?

Question 69

How would you characterize the changes in American politics in the period 1824-1840? What factors accounted for these changes?

Question 70

How did the annexation of Texas emerge as an important political issue? Why were the Democrats more in favor of expansion than the Whigs?

Question 71

Describe three political controversies of the 1830s or 1840s that reveal key divisions among Americans regarding the future of the nation.