AP US History Quiz: Continuity And Change In Period 6

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Continuity And Change In Period 6, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for AP US History.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. Reformers increasingly targeted corporate monopolies, railroads, and financial power rather than secession and slavery as central threats. (correct answer)
2. Reformers increasingly targeted the abolition of the Constitution and the restoration of British rule.
3. Reformers increasingly targeted the expansion of slavery into the territories as the main issue after 1877.
4. Reformers increasingly targeted ending public schools, which had been created during the Civil War.
5. Reformers increasingly targeted banning all immigration from Europe during the Civil War itself.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in the main targets of reform movements from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage indicates that while the Civil War settled secession, struggles over who would benefit from national growth continued, with farmers and workers criticizing industrial institutions by the 1890s. Choice A correctly identifies that reformers increasingly targeted corporate monopolies, railroads, and financial power rather than secession and slavery as central threats, as seen in Populist and labor movements. Choice B incorrectly suggests reformers targeted abolishing the Constitution and restoring British rule.

Question 2

1. Continuity: strong federal authority remained; Change: federal attention shifted toward economic and industrial issues as Reconstruction protections declined. (correct answer)
2. Continuity: the federal government stayed weaker than states; Change: states lost all authority over elections after 1865.
3. Continuity: federal power depended entirely on the Articles of Confederation; Change: Congress abolished the presidency in 1877.
4. Continuity: federal troops permanently enforced Black voting rights; Change: tariffs disappeared as an issue after 1865.
5. Continuity: the Union remained at war through 1898; Change: industrialization reversed after 1870.

Explanation: This question examines both continuity and change in federal power across the Civil War and Gilded Age eras. The passage notes that the Civil War strengthened federal authority, which remained stronger than in antebellum times, but the uses of that power evolved from wartime measures to economic and industrial issues. Choice A correctly captures both the continuity of strong federal authority and the change toward economic focus as Reconstruction protections declined. Choice B incorrectly claims the federal government stayed weaker than states, contradicting the passage's emphasis on expanded federal authority after the Civil War.

Question 3

1. Encouraging western settlement and integrating the region into the national economy remained a federal priority. (correct answer)
2. Preventing any westward migration remained the main goal to preserve Native land claims.
3. Ending railroad construction remained a priority to protect the buffalo herds.
4. Supporting an independent Native republic in the Plains remained the chief federal objective.
5. Restoring Spanish control of the Southwest remained a consistent federal goal.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in federal policy goals regarding the West from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage notes that wartime legislation like the Homestead Act and railroad land grants encouraged settlement, and these policies continued and expanded after the war. Choice A correctly identifies that encouraging western settlement and integrating the region into the national economy remained a federal priority, as demonstrated by continued homestead policies and transcontinental railroad support. Choice B incorrectly claims preventing westward migration was the main goal to preserve Native land claims.

Question 4

1. A shift from expanded Black political rights during Reconstruction to widespread disfranchisement under Jim Crow by the 1890s. (correct answer)
2. A shift from permanent disfranchisement during Reconstruction to full equality in voting and officeholding by 1898.
3. A shift from Northern secession in 1865 to Southern control of the Union Army in 1890.
4. A shift from industrial capitalism to a return of feudal landholding nationwide.
5. A shift from railroads to the disappearance of long-distance transportation.

Explanation: This question analyzes the described change in African American political participation from Reconstruction to the 1890s. The passage explains that Black political participation surged during Reconstruction with Black officeholders and biracial governments, but by the 1890s, disfranchisement and segregation sharply curtailed that participation. Choice A correctly identifies the shift from expanded Black political rights during Reconstruction to widespread disfranchisement under Jim Crow by the 1890s, representing a dramatic reversal of earlier gains. Choice B incorrectly reverses this pattern by claiming a shift from disfranchisement to full equality.

Question 5

1. The rise of debates over tariffs and monetary policy alongside growing corporate influence (correct answer)
2. The immediate and permanent elimination of racial violence in the South
3. The widespread acceptance of secession as a constitutional right
4. The replacement of wage labor with an economy dominated by household artisans
5. The end of all federal involvement in economic policy, including tariffs

Explanation: This question asks students to identify what change occurred in national politics after Reconstruction ended. The excerpt specifically states that "national politics increasingly centered on tariffs, currency debates, and the influence of corporate wealth" as federal focus shifted away from protecting Black civil rights in the South. Answer A correctly identifies this shift toward economic policy debates and corporate influence as the key political change. Answer B contradicts the excerpt which notes racial violence continued "in new forms," while answers C through E present historically inaccurate claims about secession, wage labor, and federal economic policy that don't align with Period 6 developments.

Question 6

1. Continued support for protective tariffs and policies that encouraged industrial expansion. (correct answer)
2. A continued commitment to eliminating all federal taxes and tariffs to fund the government only through donations.
3. A continued policy of banning national banks and paper currency as unconstitutional.
4. A continued preference for an agrarian economy and the dismantling of railroads.
5. A continued policy of granting voting rights only to property owners nationwide.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in economic policy from the Civil War era into the Gilded Age. The passage notes that Republicans promoted internal improvements and protective tariffs during the Civil War, and these priorities continued afterward as industrialists sought favorable policies. Choice A correctly identifies continued support for protective tariffs and policies encouraging industrial expansion as a key continuity, reflecting the Republican Party's consistent pro-business orientation. Choice B incorrectly claims a commitment to eliminating all federal taxes and tariffs, which contradicts the period's high tariff policies.

Question 7

1. Tensions increasingly focused on immigration and urban crowding, alongside ongoing racial conflicts rooted in emancipation. (correct answer)
2. Tensions disappeared because industrialization produced equal wealth for all Americans.
3. Tensions shifted entirely to debates over monarchy versus republicanism.
4. Tensions ended when the U.S. stopped receiving immigrants after 1865 by constitutional amendment.
5. Tensions focused exclusively on re-fighting Civil War battles between state militias.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in social tensions from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage indicates that while Civil War-era debates centered on emancipation and Union, the later period saw expansion of citizenship questions due to immigration and urbanization. Choice A correctly identifies that tensions increasingly focused on immigration and urban crowding, alongside ongoing racial conflicts rooted in emancipation, as seen in nativist movements and continued struggles over Black rights. Choice B incorrectly claims tensions disappeared due to equal wealth distribution, which contradicts the period's growing inequality.

Question 8

1. The rise of large corporations and national markets reshaped production and distribution beyond the more regional wartime economy. (correct answer)
2. The economy returned to small-scale household production and eliminated factories by 1880.
3. The economy became primarily based on slave plantations expanding into the Southwest.
4. The economy shifted away from railroads toward a canal monopoly controlled by the federal army.
5. The economy stopped using money and returned to barter nationwide after 1873.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in the structure of the U.S. economy from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage describes how the late nineteenth century witnessed new technologies and business forms creating a more integrated economy than during Civil War years. Choice A correctly identifies that the rise of large corporations and national markets reshaped production and distribution beyond the more regional wartime economy, as seen in the growth of trusts and national advertising. Choice B incorrectly claims the economy returned to small-scale household production and eliminated factories.

Question 9

1. Public commemoration of the Civil War through memorials and veterans' groups remained significant. (correct answer)
2. Americans stopped discussing the Civil War entirely after 1865 due to a federal ban on memorials.
3. Civil War memory disappeared because veterans were denied citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.
4. Commemoration focused exclusively on celebrating the Confederacy as the national government.
5. Commemoration ended because the U.S. abolished holidays and public gatherings in 1870.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in American culture from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage describes how the Civil War created massive casualties and national mourning, and in following decades, memorials, veterans' organizations, and reunions kept the war present in public life despite new industrial challenges. Choice A correctly identifies that public commemoration of the Civil War through memorials and veterans' groups remained significant, maintaining the war's cultural importance throughout the period. Choice B incorrectly claims Americans stopped discussing the Civil War entirely after 1865.

Question 10

1. Courts increasingly applied rights language to protect property and corporate interests, while narrowing federal protection of Black civil rights. (correct answer)
2. Courts abolished the Fourteenth Amendment and reinstated the Dred Scott decision as binding law.
3. Courts required immediate land redistribution to freedpeople as the main meaning of equal protection.
4. Courts ended judicial review and placed all constitutional interpretation in the hands of state militias.
5. Courts mandated integrated public accommodations nationwide in the 1870s and enforced it consistently through 1898.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in constitutional interpretation by the late nineteenth century. The passage indicates that while the Fourteenth Amendment promised equal protection, later interpretations often favored corporations and limited federal remedies for racial discrimination. Choice A correctly identifies that courts increasingly applied rights language to protect property and corporate interests while narrowing federal protection of Black civil rights, as seen in cases like the Civil Rights Cases and Plessy v. Ferguson. Choice B incorrectly claims courts abolished the Fourteenth Amendment and reinstated Dred Scott.

Question 11

1. Persistent beliefs in white supremacy shaped laws and violence even after slavery ended. (correct answer)
2. A persistent national commitment to racial equality ensured integrated schools across the South by 1870.
3. Persistent support for Black land redistribution guaranteed "40 acres and a mule" for most freedpeople.
4. Persistent abolitionist control of Southern legislatures prevented any disfranchisement measures.
5. Persistent federal occupation eliminated racial violence by permanently disbanding all local police forces.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in racial attitudes that limited emancipation's outcomes during 1865-1898. The passage describes how national reconciliation often came at the expense of Black rights, with white Americans emphasizing shared valor while minimizing emancipation's meaning. Choice A correctly identifies that persistent beliefs in white supremacy shaped laws and violence even after slavery ended, as evidenced by the development of Jim Crow systems and continued racial violence. Choice B incorrectly claims a persistent national commitment to racial equality ensured integrated schools, which contradicts the rise of segregation.

Question 12

1. Reform expanded from primarily wartime and emancipation-related debates to include urban social issues like temperance and working conditions. (correct answer)
2. Reform ended entirely after 1865 because activism was made illegal by constitutional amendment.
3. Reform shifted exclusively to supporting secession movements in Northern states.
4. Reform focused on restoring the international slave trade as a solution to labor shortages.
5. Reform became solely about abolishing railroads and telegraphs to return to colonial life.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in reform focus from the Civil War era to 1865-1898. The passage describes how after the Civil War, reform energies flowed into temperance, settlement houses, and labor activism, building on wartime organizing traditions while addressing urban-industrial problems. Choice A correctly identifies that reform expanded from primarily wartime and emancipation-related debates to include urban social issues like temperance and working conditions, reflecting the shift from rural/sectional to urban/industrial concerns. Choice B incorrectly claims reform ended entirely after 1865.

Question 13

1. The South continued to lag in industrial diversification compared with the more industrializing North. (correct answer)
2. The South immediately surpassed the North in heavy industry by 1870 due to federal subsidies to ex-Confederates.
3. Regional differences vanished because all Americans became self-sufficient farmers after 1865.
4. Regional differences ended when the federal government forced every state to produce the same crops by law.
5. Regional differences reversed because Northern cities depopulated and returned to plantation agriculture.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in regional economic differences from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage explains that after the war, Northern capital invested in industry while the South remained largely agricultural and dependent on cotton, despite some 'New South' rhetoric. Choice A correctly identifies that the South continued to lag in industrial diversification compared with the more industrializing North, as sharecropping and low investment limited economic transformation. Choice B incorrectly claims the South immediately surpassed the North in heavy industry by 1870.

Question 14

1. The emergence of federal efforts—however limited—such as antitrust legislation aimed at restraining corporate power. (correct answer)
2. A constitutional ban on corporations passed in 1870 that dismantled all large firms.
3. A federal decision to outlaw railroads and return all transportation to horseback travel.
4. A permanent wartime command economy that fixed all prices and wages through 1898.
5. A federal policy of granting voting rights to corporations as political persons with seats in Congress.

Explanation: This question examines changes in the federal government's relationship to business by the end of Period 6. The passage describes how industrial production and urban growth generated concerns about inequality, prompting debates over regulation and antitrust by the 1890s. Choice A correctly identifies the emergence of federal efforts such as antitrust legislation aimed at restraining corporate power, as seen in laws like the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Choice B incorrectly claims a constitutional ban on corporations passed in 1870, which did not occur.

Question 15

1. The federal government maintained and adapted expanded administrative capacities developed during the war. (correct answer)
2. The federal government returned to having no departments and no employees after 1865.
3. The federal government abolished the Constitution and replaced it with royal decrees.
4. The federal government stopped collecting any records, including census data, after 1870.
5. The federal government eliminated all courts and relied only on church councils to resolve disputes.

Explanation: This question examines continuities in the federal state from the Civil War era into the Gilded Age. The passage describes how the postwar years saw growing federal bureaucracy including agencies for pensions, land, and economic oversight, representing expansion compared with the antebellum period and building on wartime growth. Choice A correctly identifies that the federal government maintained and adapted expanded administrative capacities developed during the war, reflecting the permanent strengthening of the national state. Choice B incorrectly claims the federal government returned to having no departments after 1865.

Question 16

1. National unity shifted from wartime preservation of the Union toward pride in industrial growth and expanding global influence. (correct answer)
2. National unity shifted from industrial pride to renewed secession movements that dissolved the Union permanently.
3. National unity shifted from political parties to rule by hereditary kings.
4. National unity shifted from the Constitution to the Articles of Confederation being reinstated in 1870.
5. National unity shifted from public schools to banning all forms of national symbols and flags.

Explanation: This question examines changes in the basis of national unity from the Civil War era to the 1890s. The passage indicates that while the Civil War strengthened national identity through preservation efforts, later decades cultivated nationalism through different means as the economy industrialized and overseas interests grew. Choice A correctly identifies that national unity shifted from wartime preservation of the Union toward pride in industrial growth and expanding global influence, reflecting America's emergence as an industrial power. Choice B incorrectly suggests renewed secession movements dissolved the Union permanently.

Question 17

1. The federal government continued to shape economic development through policy tools like tariffs and land grants. (correct answer)
2. The federal government ended all taxation and ceased collecting revenue after 1865.
3. The federal government prohibited interstate trade to protect local artisans.
4. The federal government nationalized all farms and distributed food by ration cards through 1898.
5. The federal government returned to a policy of no standing army and no federal courts.

Explanation: This question analyzes continuities in federal economic involvement from the Civil War era into 1865-1898. The passage notes that despite laissez-faire rhetoric, the federal government continued active involvement through land policy, tariffs, and occasional intervention in strikes, building on Civil War precedents. Choice A correctly identifies that the federal government continued to shape economic development through policy tools like tariffs and land grants, maintaining its expanded role from the Civil War period. Choice B incorrectly claims the federal government ended all taxation after 1865.

Question 18

1. The U.S. transformed economically through industrialization and expansion, while racial inequality persisted despite the formal end of slavery. (correct answer)
2. The U.S. remained primarily unchanged, with slavery and secession continuing as legal institutions through 1898.
3. The U.S. abandoned national markets and returned to isolated local economies, ending corporate power.
4. The U.S. achieved full racial equality and eliminated class conflict by 1870.
5. The U.S. ended westward expansion entirely and returned all western lands to France.

Explanation: This question tests understanding of the overarching pattern of continuity and change from the Civil War era to the end of Period 6. The passage describes how by 1898 the nation looked markedly different economically and socially than in 1865, but unresolved Reconstruction questions still shaped life, with industrial growth accompanied by persistent racial limitations. Choice A correctly summarizes that the U.S. transformed economically through industrialization and expansion, while racial inequality persisted despite the formal end of slavery, capturing both the dramatic economic changes and the continuity of racial oppression. Choice B incorrectly claims slavery and secession continued as legal institutions.

Question 19

1. Support for sustained Reconstruction enforcement declined, contributing to acceptance of Southern "home rule." (correct answer)
2. Support for Reconstruction increased steadily, leading to permanent federal oversight of Southern elections through 1898.
3. Northern opinion shifted toward endorsing secession as a legitimate constitutional remedy.
4. Northern opinion shifted toward abolishing industrial capitalism in favor of a nationwide plantation system.
5. Northern opinion shifted to opposing westward expansion and closing the frontier by 1866.

Explanation: This question analyzes changes in Northern public opinion from the Civil War/Reconstruction era to the 1870s-1890s. The passage explains that many Northern whites grew tired of Reconstruction and accepted narratives that blamed corruption rather than violence, leading to reduced national attention to civil rights enforcement. Choice A correctly identifies that support for sustained Reconstruction enforcement declined, contributing to acceptance of Southern 'home rule,' as Northern interest shifted to economic growth and western settlement. Choice B incorrectly claims support for Reconstruction increased steadily with permanent federal oversight.

Question 20

1. Economic organization expanded from regional enterprises to nationally coordinated corporations using new transportation and communication networks. (correct answer)
2. Economic organization shrank as Americans abandoned railroads and telegraphs after 1865.
3. Organization disappeared because the federal government outlawed all companies with more than ten employees.
4. Organization shifted exclusively to plantation slavery in the North after 1870.
5. Organization became irrelevant because the U.S. eliminated interstate commerce in 1873.

Explanation: This question examines changes in the scale of organization in American life from the Civil War era to the Gilded Age. The passage describes how the Civil War required centralized organization and mass logistics, and afterward, railroads and telegraphs enabled similar coordination in business through large corporations. Choice A correctly identifies that economic organization expanded from regional enterprises to nationally coordinated corporations using new transportation and communication networks, reflecting the growth of national markets. Choice B incorrectly claims Americans abandoned railroads and telegraphs after 1865.