SAT II US History : SAT Subject Test in United States History
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History
All SAT II US History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #3 : U.S. Social History
A key cause of widespread Irish immigration to America in the 1840s was __________.
opportunities to own plantations in the Southern states
devastation of Irish crops by the Potato Famine of 1845
lack of employment opportunities in Ireland because of serfdom
Irish independence from Great Britain
work as mercenary soliders in Indian wars
devastation of Irish crops by the Potato Famine of 1845
Irish immigrants had come to America since the first Europeans arrived, but the first large migration occurred in the 1840s and 1850s. The biggest reason for this was the Irish Potato Famine that began in 1845. The famine was exacerbated when the British government refused to give any assistance. Estimates are that as many as 1 million Irish died during the famine, while another million emigrated elsewhere, chiefly to the Northern cities of the United States.
Example Question #4 : U.S. Social History
The Alien and Sedition Acts resulted in which of the following?
All foreign-born residents in the U.S. were exiled until after the settlement of the XYZ Affair
War was declared upon England
Many Americans started supporting the Democratic-Republicans because of the Federalists' abuse of power
Congress formally repealed the First Amendment guarantees to freedom of speech and to freedom of the press
President John Adams gained popularity and support for himself and his party
Many Americans started supporting the Democratic-Republicans because of the Federalists' abuse of power
In the aftermath of the XYZ Affair and straining relations with France, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which outlawed anti-government activity, lengthened the residency time required for naturalization of foreigners, and allowed the President to imprison or deport aliens who he deemed dangerous to American peace and safety. The laws were unpopular with many Americans due to their authoritative nature, leading to increased support for Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans at the expense of John Adams and the Federalists.
Example Question #5 : U.S. Social History
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which did ALL of the following EXCEPT:
Declare free only those slaves in Confederate states
Allow black soldiers to fight for the Union
Maintain the institution of slavery in the Union
Free the slaves in the five Union states
Tie the slavery issue directly with the Civil War
Free the slaves in the five Union states
The Emancipation Proclaimation did not abolish slavery in the Union; there were 5 slave states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and West Virginia) that fought for the preservation of the United States.
Example Question #7 : U.S. Social History
1. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst used this style of writing to increase newspaper readership which increased public sentiment to start a war with Spain.
Tabloid Journalism
Objective Journalism
Sensationalism
Investigative Journalism
Nationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism. This exaggeration tactic was used to make everyday news more interesting and therefore increase readership for their respective newspapers.
Example Question #8 : U.S. Social History
1. The belief that it was divinely intended that Americans should control the whole of the continental U.S. is known as?
The Second Great Awakening
Nationalism
Sectionalism
Manifest Destiny
Westward Expansion
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny. It had become a popular belief in the mid 1800’s that it was the nation’s destiny to expand West in the name of God, progress, and civilization.
Example Question #6 : U.S. Social History
Which technological military innovation did not occur during the American Civil War?
The American Civil War saw a large increase in technological innovations related to warfare. In particular, train travel, ironclad ships, and machine guns were all first used in warfare during the American Civil War. Nerve gas, however, was not even discovered until the 1930s.
Example Question #3 : U.S. Social History From 1790 To 1898
The forced relocation of Native Americans from the southeastern United States as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 has been named the Trail of Tears. Which of the following indigenous nations was NOT forcibly removed from its ancestral homeland to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma?
The Cherokee
The Choctaw
The Chickasaw
The Seminole
The Inuit
The Inuit
The Inuit are an indigenous people located in the Arctic.
Example Question #1 : Facts And Details In U.S. Social History From 1790 To 1898
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light--
One if by land, and two if by sea--
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
American Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote the poem from which this excerpt is taken in 1860. About which famous Revolutionary War patriot was Longfellow writing?
John Adams
Paul Revere
Alexander Hamilton
Patrick Henry
George Washington
Paul Revere
The first stanza of Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride" famously reads,
"Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year."
Example Question #2 : Facts And Details In U.S. Social History From 1790 To 1898
The discovery of gold in Coloma, California, on January 24th, 1848, resulted in roughly 300,000 people rushing to California via sea and over land. What was the name of this massive influx of people to the Golden State?
The Call of the Wild
The Forty-Niners Rush
The California Gold Rush
The Gold Migration
The Coloma Calling
The California Gold Rush
The 300,000 men and women lured to California by the prospect of gold resulted in the California Gold Rush.
Example Question #3 : Facts And Details In U.S. Social History From 1790 To 1898
This escaped slave became a Conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped hundreds of slaves to freedom in the North.
Frederick Douglass
George Washington Carver
Uncle Tom
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman escaped and then committed her life to helping others escape the horrific institution. She even served as a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War.
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All SAT II US History Resources
