Blog

Compared to the 1850s, the annual rate of growth of commodity output during the Civil War   a.  held constant from the previous decade.   b.  increased by roughly 25 percent.   c.  fell by more than 50 percent.   d.  None of the above is correct.

U.S. cotton production   a.  remained concentrated in Georgia and South Carolina until after 1860.   b.  was unable to compete with wool production in the antebellum textile industry.   c.  accounted for more than half of the dollar value of US exports between 1800 and 1850.   d.  faced declining world demand for most of the antebellum period.

Eli Whitney is most noted for   a.  inventing the steam engine.   b.  inventing the cotton gin.   c.  inventing the technology for the first railroad engine.   d.  developing the Erie Canal.

What Supreme Court case ruled separate education for blacks and whites was constitutional provided that it was equal?   a.  Plessy vs. Ferguson   b.  Munn vs. Illinois   c.  The Dred Scott Case   d.  Brown vs. Board of Education

Increases in productivity due to changes in technological capacity could be best represented by a:   a.  Shift out in the demand curve.    b.  Shift out in the supply curve.   c.  Shift out in both the demand and supply curves.   d.  Shift back in the supply curve. 

In the late 19th century, the chief railroad terminus was   a.  New York.   b.  Chicago.   c.  New Orleans.   d.  St. Louis.

The joining of the eastern and western sections of nation’s first transcontinental railroad was commemorated with the driving of the last spike on May 10, 1869   a.  in Salt Lake City.   b.  in Washington, D.C.   c.  at Promontory Point.   d.  on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Clipper ships   a.  allowed for profitable shipping on both short and long journeys.   b.  dominated Atlantic trade by 1850.   c.  were among the first ships to have iron hulls.   d.  earned huge profits transporting passengers and cargo during the gold rushes to California and Australia. 

The Northwest Land Ordinance of 1785 provided for western lands to be divided into townships, each of which covered   a.  100 acres.   b.  all of the land between any two identifiable natural objects, such as streams, trees or rocks.   c.  enough land to support 10 families.   d.  36 square miles.

What generated the most revenue for the U.S. government for most of the nineteenth century?    a.  Income taxes   b.  Property taxes   c.  Tariffs on goods imported from other nations   d.  Inheritance taxes