Deck 8: Contested Republic, 1789-1800

Question 1

Describe the role of Thomas Jefferson in George Washington's administration.

Answer 1

He served as secretary of state and provided the biggest challenge to Washington's closest advisor, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.

Question 2

Those who supported a strong central government formed what political party?

Answer 2

Federalists.

Question 3

Those who favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution organized what party?

Answer 3

Democratic-Republican Party.

Question 4

The First Amendment to the Constitution identifies what specific rights?

Question 5

How did a Senate committee recommend referring to the president?

Question 6

How did Treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton plan to raise revenue for the new government of the United States?

Question 7

What significant source of income did the government have besides collecting taxes?

Question 8

What was the impact of the Battle of Fallen Timbers?

Question 9

Who was elected vice president in the confused election of 1796?

Question 10

How did Federalists attempt to retain some federal power after the party lost the election of 1800?

Question 11

How did the Constitution recognize and protect slavery in states in which it was established?

A) Amendment VIII recognized slavery and prohibited the national government from interfering with it in states.
B) Article VI guaranteed various kinds of private property, including slaves.
C) Slavery was protected by the "necessary and property" clause.
D) The three-fifths compromise provided for counting slaves for representation in Congress and in the Electoral College.

Question 12

President Washington faced many problems in his first term in office, but the most basic problem was

A) Getting the American press to cover his administration.
B) Creating a government strong enough to gain the loyalty of its citizens but not so strong as to alienate them.
C) Ratifying the independence of the United States.
D) Getting Chief Justice John Jay's appointment passed.

Question 13

What did the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 prohibit?

A) Aid to an escaping slave.
B) Assistance to slaveholders seeking the return of runaway property.
C) Federal employees from helping runaway slaves.
D) Punishment of those who helped escaping slaves.

Question 14

When President George Washington appointed his first group of advisors, his selections reflected his circle of friends and what other influence?

A) The ability of the candidate regardless of political affiliation.
B) Bipartisan representation of Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
C) Consideration of gender and race.
D) The political clout of large states.

Question 15

What did Congress seek to accomplish with passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789?

A) The creation of a federal court system with limited power.
B) An increase in the number of justices on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
C) To pack the court with Federalist appointees.
D) To weaken the Supreme Court.

Question 16

Approximately how many amendments to the Constitution did state ratifying conventions recommend?

A) 10.
B) 100.
C) 200.
D) 50.

Question 17

Almost all states adamantly asked for amendments guaranteeing what basic rights?

A) Freedom of religion and freedom of the press.
B) Not to be taxed without representation.
C) States' rights.
D) To keep and bear arms.

Question 18

Madison favored what kind of amendments to the Constitution?

A) Affirmation of human rights already within the structure of the Constitution.
B) Alterations in the structure of the central government.
C) Anything that strengthened the central government and weakened state government.
D) Experimental government concepts that rejected traditional parliamentary procedures.

Question 19

The First Amendment to the Constitution

A) Kept governments from forcing someone to give testimony prejudicial to their legal rights.
B) Prevented unreasonable search or seizure of a person or their property.
C) Protected citizens against congressional interference with freedom of religion, speech, the press, or assembly.
D) Stated that all rights not delegated to the central government were retained by the states or the people.

Question 20

What was the first challenge of the Congress when it convened in the spring of 1789?

A) Deciding how to address the president, should he visit Congress.
B) Persuading Rhode Island and North Carolina to ratify the Constitution and send delegates to Congress.
C) Preparing for a possible renewed war with England.
D) Raising money for the expenses of the government.

Question 21

What did Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton suggest the government do to secure needed revenue?

A) Ask states for fair quotas of needed revenue based on population.
B) Revise Parliament's stamp tax, which would be legal if passed by Congress.
C) Impose tariffs on imported goods and an excise tax.
D) Tax incomes above $4,000 annually.

Question 22

What did Treasury Secretary Hamilton want to do to handle debts owed by the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation?

A) Give notice to creditors that the new government was not responsible for any previous governmental debt.
B) Offer creditors 50 cents on the dollar to settle the debt.
C) Pay original creditors but not those who had purchased certificates of indebtedness as a speculative investment.
D) The federal government should guarantee state and national debts.

Question 23

Hamilton's plan called for the federal government to

A) Discount obligations of indebtedness by 50 percent.
B) Exchange obligations of indebtedness at face value for new federal bonds.
C) Let the Federal Reserve System absorb the loss of revenue.
D) Tax interest as a way for the government to recoup some of its money.

Question 24

Southern states mostly opposed Secretary Hamilton's plan to settle previous debts because

A) Anything proposed by a New Yorker was suspect to them.
B) Federal encroachment in fiscal matters might lead to interference with slavery.
C) Most had paid their debts and did not want to pay debts of northern states as well.
D) They thought states should retain responsibility for their own actions.

Question 25

What flaw in the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 kept it from being effective?

A) Congress failed to appropriate funding for the program.
B) Enforcement was left to states, which rarely did so.
C) The president was not required to sign the law.
D) The Supreme Court declared a major portion of the law unconstitutional on grounds that Congress lacked jurisdiction in such matters.

Question 26

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton recommended the creation of what to manage the government's fiscal functions?

A) A board of financial governors.
B) A Federal Reserve System.
C) An independent treasury.
D) A national bank.

Question 27

Because the Constitution did not mention such an entity as a national bank, the Treasury secretary's recommendation is an example of what?

A) An implied power.
B) Strict interpretation of the Constitution.
C) Usurpation of power by the executive branch of government.
D) Violation of states' rights.

Question 28

Opposition to Secretary Hamilton's fiscal proposals was led by

A) Aaron Burr and Charles Pinckney.
B) John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
C) John Jay and James Monroe.
D) Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Question 29

What prompted the formation of the Democratic Republican Societies?

A) The Alien and Sedition Acts of the Adams administration.
B) The election of George Washington.
C) The French Revolution.
D) The American Revolution.

Question 30

Allies of Hamilton and supporters of the administration's policies adopted what name to demonstrate their commitment to union and the new government?

A) Constitution-Union Party.
B) Democratic Party.
C) Federalist Party.
D) Whig Party.

Question 31

Ninety-seven percent of the American people lived on family farms in 1790. Most families occupied how much acreage?

A) 160 acres.
B) 50 to 100 acres.
C) 640 acres.
D) One league, or 4,477 acres.

Question 32

Which of the following statements does not characterize American slavery and cotton agriculture between 1790 and 1830?

A) The number of slaves quadrupled.
B) The purchase price of a slave increased by more than $1,200.
C) The cost per slave was linked to the volume of cotton produced.
D) The number of slaves in Maryland almost doubled.

Question 33

Following the depression of the 1780s, American merchants

A) Sought new markets in Asia.
B) Finally managed to reestablish their international trade.
C) Recreated a stronger American economy that allowed for profits to be reinvested in such things as factories.
D) Each statement is accurate.

Question 34

The Quakers, Baptists, and Methodists

A) Were silent on the topic of slavery.
B) Worked to protect Ona Judge's freedom.
C) Spoke out against slavery.
D) Worked alongside Roman Catholics to emancipate slaves.

Question 35

How did most white Americans regard slavery by 1790?

A) As an immoral institution, even if they were not prepared to embrace a racially mixed society.
B) As economically unsound, but they did not know what to do with the large African population if freed.
C) As essential to the economy of the nation.
D) As justified because of the significant capital investment slaves represented.

Question 36

Most free Americans believed that the success of the republic depended on

A) Regional success.
B) The character of its citizens.
C) Each individual looking out for his own good.
D) Americans owning land and working them as farms.

Question 37

Many free Americans believed that slaves could not possess republican character

A) Because slave labor was incompatible with republican character.
B) Their work could never lead to self-reliance.
C) They had no stake in the public order necessary for citizenship.
D) Each statement is correct.

Question 38

What did women usually receive in the rare case of divorce?

A) Full custody over the children.
B) Half the property.
C) A dowry.
D) Little more than their clothes.

Question 39

Discussion of women's rights was

A) Limited to the United States.
B) Common in both European and American circles.
C) Discussed first in the United States and then in France.
D) Limited to working-class American and French women.

Question 40

Disagreements between the United States and Spain over ownership of land located west of the Appalachian Mountains

A) Did not consider the interests of France or England.
B) Ignored Indians' claims to the territory.
C) Kept the two nations on the threshold of war until ratification of the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819.
D) Was more of a problem for Spain because it was located so far away.

Question 41

What was the attitude of Secretary of War Henry Knox toward Indian claims to land west of the Appalachian Mountains?

A) Indians had rights to the soil not affected by a treaty between England and the United States.
B) Mineral rights could be retained even when the government sold or granted land to individuals.
C) Only the United States could decide who occupied the land.
D) Reservations should be provided for Indians.

Question 42

Secretary Knox argued that Indian tribes

A) Had no claim to land because they did not share the European concept of private property with regard to land.
B) Must be exterminated or converted to American customs.
C) Should be regarded as foreign entities.
D) Were under the authority of state officials who had jurisdiction over Indian policy within their borders.

Question 43

What military action mostly ended Indian resistance to settlers in the Old Northwest?

A) Andrew Jackson's victory at Horseshoe Bend.
B) Anthony Wayne's victory at Fallen Timbers.
C) Josiah Harmer's victory at Little Turtle Creek.
D) William Henry Harrison's victory at Tippecanoe Creek.

Question 44

According to the Treaty of Greenville, signed August 3, 1795,

A) Britain agreed to withdraw its forces from the Northwest.
B) France and Spain agreed to quitclaim their colonial possessions in the trans-Appalachia region to the United States.
C) Government officials vowed to keep settlers from encroaching on land reserved for Indian use.
D) Indians ceded most of modern Ohio and part of Indiana in return for a federal annuity.

Question 45

What caused the Whiskey Rebellion?

A) Bootleggers' attempt to change transportation and distribution agents in urban cities.
B) A dispute between westerners and the federal government over collection of the excise tax.
C) Opposing opinions on the merits of whiskeys distilled in different areas.
D) A reform movement of temperance advocates seeking to enact prohibition.

Question 46

In the 1790s, residents of western portions of the states generally

A) Expected the federal government to take care of the majority of their needs.
B) Looked forward to separate statehood so they could control their own destinies.
C) Mistrusted the new federal government to protect their interests and often disregarded federal policy.
D) Paid their taxes, however reluctantly, because it was their duty to do so.

Question 47

What was George Washington's goal in international affairs?

A) To extend commercial relations with other nations but limit political involvement.
B) To keep the friends the country had and to secure additional commitments, especially for military aid, should war with England erupt again.
C) To make alliances with as many nations as possible.
D) To reunite with Great Britain but as an independent member of the empire, not as a colony.

Question 48

When the French Revolution began in 1789, most Americans

A) Opposed the French movement instantly because of its excesses.
B) Supported the revolution, partly because France had helped the United States in its revolution against England.
C) Took little notice because France was so far away.
D) Wanted to join England and other conservative countries in suppressing French radicals.

Question 49

What did the French and American Revolutions have in common?

A) Both allowed for the departure of loyalists.
B) Both severed ties to a distant king.
C) Both began with similar goals of individual freedom.
D) Both liberated subject from slavelike oppression and misery.

Question 50

Who led the efforts to free Saint Dominique from French control?

A) Cardinal Richelieu.
B) Compte de D'Artaigne.
C) François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture.
D) Napoleon Bonaparte.

Question 51

Why did President George Washington decline to assist rebels in Saint Domingue?

A) Intervention would have been too expensive.
B) It was a slave rebellion, and he did not wish to encourage slave rebellion in the United States.
C) Public pressure from opponents of the revolt, especially French sympathizers, was too great.
D) Saint Domingue was too far away for American troops to reach.

Question 52

Why did the arrival in America of Edmond Charles Genêt turn out to be stressful for relations between France and the United States?

A) Genêt's efforts to raise support for France in its war with England embarrassed Washington, who was trying to remain neutral.
B) France demanded Genêt's extradition and President George Washington refused to allow it.
C) Privateers commissioned by Genêt had inflicted heavy damage on the commercial fleet of the United States.
D) Washington and Genêt got into a dispute over the failure of the United States to repay its financial debt to France.

Question 53

Why did some Americans, southerners in particular, oppose Jay's Treaty?

A) It allowed Spain too close access to the interior via the Mississippi River.
B) It denied southerners equal access to European markets.
C) It did not address the issue of reopening the slave trade.
D) It favored merchant classes but increased expenses for everyone.

Question 54

General Anthony Wayne's victory in 1794 and Jay's and Pinckney's treaties in 1795 resulted in all of the following except

A) The price of land in the west increased.
B) The western territories were opened to settlement.
C) U.S. export trade boomed.
D) All military and political problems between the United States and England were solved.

Question 55

Why did Federalists choose John Adams for their presidential candidate in 1796?

A) He had served Washington as secretary of the Treasury.
B) Alexander Hamilton was too controversial.
C) John Adams was the most popular political figure at the time.
D) John Adams was a political outsider and not associated with the political establishment.

Question 56

What was the result when President John Adams sent Elbridge Gerry, John Marshall, and Charles Pinckney to France in an attempt to resolve differences between the United States and France?

A) An extension on repayment of loans to the United States from France during the American Revolution.
B) An indiscretion involving the wife of France's foreign minister.
C) Foreign minister Tallyrand's agents attempted to bribe the American diplomats to get them to urge Adams to assist the French in their revolution.
D) The XYZ Affair.

Question 57

The election of 1796 was won by

A) Aaron Burr.
B) Thomas Jefferson.
C) John Adams.
D) George Washington.

Question 58

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798

A) Tried to silence the Democratic-Republicans in the election of 1800.
B) Increased the number of years immigrants had to live in the United States before becoming citizens.
C) Gave the president the authority to deport suspicious aliens.
D) Each statement is accurate.

Question 59

Why did the Democratic-Republicans hesitate to challenge the Alien and Sedition Acts before the Supreme Court?

A) The Court's jurisdiction in this area was not certain.
B) The Court was dominated by Federalist justices.
C) Jefferson and Madison believed that state governments should regulate citizenship, not the federal government.
D) The Democratic-Republicans favored Jefferson's Kentucky Resolves instead.

Question 60

All of the following challenged the future of the United States except

A) The government tried to maintain order and the allegiance of its people.
B) The conflict between the two political parties.
C) The size and population of the country.
D) The passage of the Judiciary Act of 1800.

Question 61

Describe living conditions and demographic trends for the American people at the end of the eighteenth century.

Question 62

What problems did President George Washington have with France during his administration?

Question 63

Discuss Alexander Hamilton's fiscal proposals for the new government and Thomas Jefferson's and James Madison's opposition to them.

Question 64

What foreign and domestic difficulties occurred in the administration of President John Adams and how did he deal with them?