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1. Part I
Answer all questions in this part.
Directions (1 - 50): For each statement or question, record on your separate answer sheet the number of the
word or expression that, of those given, best completes the statement or answers the question.
1 What was a main reason large plantations
developed in the South during the colonial
period?
(1) British laws promoted the growth of slavery
in the South.
(2) Cotton could only be grown in wetlands.
(3) Southern mountains led to the development
of isolated, self-sufficient farms.
(4) The climate in the South provided longer
growing seasons. Answer: 4 2. 2 In the 1780s, the national government under the
Articles of Confederation established its authority
in the Northwest Territory by
(1) providing a system for the formation of new
states
(2) settling the border dispute with Mexico
(3) extending the nationâs border to the Rocky
Mountains
(4) rejecting Native American Indian claims of
sovereignty Answer: 1 3. 3 A fundamental principle of a republican form of
government is that
(1) hereditary rulers are the legitimate possessors
of political power
(2) legislation must be passed by the elected
representatives of the people
(3) laws should be created directly by the
citizens
(4) governments are not responsible for
protecting individual rights Answer: 2
4. 4 What was a major argument used by the
Antifederalists to oppose ratifying the
Constitution?
(1) Congress was given the power to tax exports.
(2) The executive branch lacked the power to
maintain order.
(3) The proposed Constitution contained no bill
of rights.
(4) Only the national government could coin money. Answer: 3 5. 5 The judicial branch of government can check the
legislative branch of government by
(1) vetoing bills passed by Congress
(2) declaring laws unconstitutional
(3) calling special sessions of Congress
(4) reducing congressional budgets Answer: 2 6. 6 â. . . Because finally, âthe equal right of every citizen
to the free exercise of his Religion according to
the dictates of conscienceâ is held by the same
tenure with all our other rights. If we recur to [go
to] its origin, it is equally the gift of nature; . . .â
- James Madison
The belief expressed in this statement was put
into law by the
(1) signing of the Mayflower Compact
(2) creation of the Articles of Confederation
(3) establishment of a federal system of
government
(4) addition of the first amendment to the
United States Constitution Answer: 4 7. 7 â. . . To make all Laws which shall be necessary and
proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing
Powers, and all other Powers vested by this
Constitution in the Government of the United
States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.â
- Article I, Section 8, United States Constitution
This clause was used by Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton to justify
(1) establishing the Bank of the United States
(2) creating a federal postal system
(3) sending troops to end the Whiskey Rebellion
(4) imposing an embargo on trade with Great
Britain Answer: 1 8. Base your answers to questions 8 and 9 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
8 Which two areas of the map made up the United States in 1803 as a result of
the Louisiana Purchase?
(1) A and B (3) B and D
(2) A and D (4) E and G Answer: 2 9. 9 Which of these areas was acquired as a result of the Mexican-American War?
(1) A (3) F
(2) B (4) G Answer: 4 10. Base your answer to question 10 on the quotation
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
â. . . As a bond of union between the Atlantic
and the western states, it may prevent the
dismemberment of the American empire. As an
organ of communication between the Hudson,
the Mississippi, the St. Lawrence, the great lakes
of the north and west, and their tributary rivers,
it will create the greatest inland trade ever
witnessed. . . .â
- New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, April 26, 1824
10 Which development in transportation is
Governor Clinton describing?
(1) National Road (3) steamboats
(2) Erie Canal (4) railroads Answer: 2 11. 11 An example of the use of the unwritten
constitution is the
(1) presidentâs cabinet
(2) amendment process
(3) bicameral legislature
(4) electoral college Answer: 1 12. Base your answer to question 12 on the chart below and on your knowledge of social studies.
12 Which generalization is supported by the information in the chart?
(1) The South exported more manufactured goods than the North.
(2) The North would have more difficulty supplying an army than the South.
(3) The North had greater economic strength than the South.
(4) The South would be better able to transport an army than the North. Answer: 3 13. Base your answer to question 13 on the poster
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
13 Which government action most directly prompted
the publication of this poster?
(1) issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation
(2) passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
(3) rejection of the Wilmot Proviso
(4) adoption of the Missouri Compromise Answer: 1 14. 14 At the start of the Civil War, President Abraham
Lincoln stated that the major reason for fighting
the war was to
(1) break the Southâs economic ties to Great
Britain
(2) uphold the Constitution by preserving the
Union
(3) enforce the terms of the Compromise of
1850
(4) punish the Confederate states for leaving the
Union Answer: 2 15. 15 Passage of the Homestead Act in 1862 encour-
aged settlement of the Great Plains by
(1) providing free land to farmers
(2) removing barriers to Asian immigration
(3) supplying land to build transcontinental
railroads
(4) placing Native American Indians on
reservations Answer: 1 16. 16 Which heading best completes the partial outline
below?
I. _______
A. Freedmenâs Bureau
B. Passage of the 14th amendment
C. Military occupation of the South
(1) Development of States Rights
(2) Results of Manifest Destiny
(3) Elements of Reconstruction
(4) Limits on Civil Rights Answer: 3 17. 17 Between 1865 and 1900, how did the growth of
industry affect American society?
(1) Trade with other nations declined.
(2) Business leaders called for lower tariffs.
(3) The urban population increased.
(4) Corporations supported the growth of labor
unions. Answer: 3 18. 18 The federal government reacted to the Supreme
Courtâs ruling in Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific
Railway Co. v. Illinois (1886) by
(1) passing the Interstate Commerce Act
(2) weakening the influence of banks over big
business
(3) abandoning the governmentâs attempts to
break up monopolies
(4) encouraging railroad employees to form
unions Answer: 1 19. 19 In the late 1800s, the corporation became an
important form of business organization primarily
because it
(1) had closer ties with its employees
(2) could raise large amounts of investment
capital
(3) made better quality products
(4) called for conservation of natural resources Answer: 2 20. Base your answer to question 20 on the passage
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
. . . The object of the amendment was undoubtedly
to enforce the absolute equality of the two races
before the law, but, in the nature of things, it could
not have been intended to abolish distinctions
based upon color, or to enforce social, as
distinguished from political, equality, or a
commingling of the two races upon terms
unsatisfactory to either. Laws permitting, and
even requiring, their separation in places where
they are liable to be brought into contact do not
necessarily imply the inferiority of either race to
the other, and have been generally, if not
universally, recognized as within the competency
of the state legislatures in the exercise of their
police power. The most common instance of this
is connected with the establishment of separate
schools for white and colored [African American]
children, which has been held to be a valid exercise
of the legislative power even by courts of States
where the political rights of the colored race have
been longest and most earnestly enforced. . . .
- United States Supreme Court, 1896
20 In this 1896 decision, the Supreme Court upheld
the constitutionality of
(1) the Three-fifths Compromise
(2) Jim Crow laws
(3) affirmative action programs
(4) racial integration Answer: 2
21. Base your answer to question 21 on the cartoon below and on your knowledge of social studies.
21 The foreign policy illustrated in this cartoon was used by the United States to
(1) punish Mexico for siding with Germany in World War I
(2) enforce the Monroe Doctrine against Great Britain
(3) secure control of land for the Panama Canal Zone
(4) announce the Open Door policy Answer: 3 22. Base your answer to question 22 on the poster
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
22 This 1917 poster indicates that one important
educational goal for new immigrants during this
time period was
(1) teaching them to read and write in their
native language
(2) promoting religious tolerance
(3) ensuring the preservation of their native
cultures
(4) promoting the English language as a method
of assimilation Answer: 4 23. 23 The United States became directly involved in
World War I as a result of Germanyâs
(1) negotiation of an alliance with Russia
(2) threat to spread the war to the Middle East
(3) resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare
(4) acquisition of new African colonies Answer: 3 24. 24 Progressivism was an early 20th-century move-
ment that promoted
(1) limited war to spread social justice to other
countries
(2) increased immigration to diversify the
nationâs population
(3) colonialism to increase United States power
throughout the world
(4) government actions to correct political,
economic, and social problems Answer: 4 25. 25 Which government action is directly related to the
âclear and present dangerâ doctrine established
in Schenck v. United States (1919)?
(1) limiting the first amendment rights of
antiwar protesters
(2) rejecting membership in the League of
Nations
(3) banning immigration from western Europe
(4) passage of the Prohibition amendment Answer: 1 26. 26 Hosting the Washington Naval Disarmament
Conference (1921) and signing the Kellogg-
Briand Pact (1928) were efforts by the United
States to
(1) form new military alliances
(2) increase its military preparedness
(3) avoid future wars
(4) collect payment for war debts Answer: 3 27. 27 The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s is best
known for
(1) ending racial segregation in public facilities
(2) promoting the cultural creativity of African
Americans
(3) encouraging passage of new voting rights
legislation
(4) supporting legislation to eliminate the Ku
Klux Klan Answer: 2 28. 28 Which factor best accounts for the affordability
of Ford Model T automobiles in the 1920s?
(1) the efficiencies created by the assembly line
(2) the expertise of individual craftsmanship
(3) strong support from labor unions
(4) low taxes and government subsidies Answer: 1 29. Base your answers to questions 29 and 30 on the statements below and on your knowledge of social studies.
. . . The ever-growing complexity of modern life, with its train of evermore
perplexing and difficult problems, is a challenge to our individual characters and
to our devotion to our ideals. The resourcefulness of America when challenged
has never failed. Success is not gained by leaning upon government to solve all the
problems before us. That way leads to enervation [lessening] of will and destruction
of character. Victory over this depression and over our other difficulties will be won
by the resolution of our people to fight their own battles in their own communities,
by stimulating their ingenuity to solve their own problems, by taking new courage
to be masters of their own destiny in the struggle of life. . . .
- President Herbert Hoover, February 12, 1931
. . . I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that
a stricken Nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or
such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom,
I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption. . . .
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, March 4, 1933
29 Which idea would best be supported by President Hooverâs statement?
(1) rugged individualism (3) deficit spending
(2) unemployment insurance (4) collective bargaining Answer: 1 30. 30 These statements illustrate a difference in opinion between the two presidents
over
(1) granting subsidies to big business
(2) promoting free-trade policies in the Western Hemisphere
(3) regulating supply and demand
(4) expanding the federal governmentâs role in the economy Answer: 4 31. 31 Which problem did Franklin D. Roosevelt address
first in his presidency?
(1) ending the Red Scare
(2) standing up to dictators in Europe
(3) bringing stability to the banking system
(4) approving bonus payments to World War I
veterans Answer: 3 32. 32 âNational Defense at Any Expense, but
Keep Our Boys at Home.â
This 1941 slogan of the America First Committee
promoted
(1) globalism
(2) protective tariffs
(3) isolationism
(4) reduced military spending Answer: 3 33. Base your answers to questions 33 and 34 on the cartoon below and on your knowledge of social studies.
33 What is the main idea of the cartoon?
(1) United States factories will not be able to manufacture military supplies in
sufficient quantities.
(2) The federal government will most likely need to seize ownership of
manufacturing plants.
(3) President Franklin D. Roosevelt expects other nations to supply the same
amount of armaments as the United States.
(4) President Franklin D. Roosevelt is determined to supply the United States
military and its allies with whatever it takes to defeat the Axis powers. Answer: 4 34. 34 One major result of the production efforts described in the cartoon was that
(1) the high unemployment of the Great Depression was greatly reduced
(2) most companies that produced military supplies went out of business after
the war
(3) critics claimed that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was abusing his treaty-
making power
(4) the military had difficulty enlisting soldiers because the men were working
in the munitions factories Answer: 1 35. Base your answer to question 35 on the newspaper headlines below and on your knowledge of social studies.
35 Which conclusion can be drawn from an examination of these 1947 newspaper
headlines concerning Jackie Robinson?
(1) Robinsonâs integration of major league baseball was an important event in
the history of civil rights.
(2) Robinson went on to organize the civil rights movement.
(3) Sports fans overwhelmingly encouraged the desegregation of public
accommodations.
(4) Robinsonâs major league debut had no impact on race relations in the
United States. Answer: 1
36. 36 â. . . From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across
the Continent. . . .â
- Winston Churchill, March 5, 1946
With this observation, Winston Churchill warned
the United States that Europe was threatened by
(1) an embargo of its Middle East oil supplies
(2) the growth of fascism in Great Britain
(3) the expansion of communism in Eastern
Europe
(4) a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union Answer: 3 37. 37 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
and the Warsaw Pact are examples of
(1) dollar diplomacy (3) mutual defense
(2) Lend-Lease (4) Manifest Destiny Answer: 3 38. 38 Belief in the domino theory by presidents Dwight
D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B.
Johnson directly influenced their decisions to
(1) reject the policy of collective security
(2) support a return to neutrality
(3) end the Berlin airlift
(4) increase United States military involvement
in Vietnam Answer: 4 39. 39 The War on Poverty was an attempt by President
Lyndon B. Johnson to
(1) send medical aid to African nations
(2) strengthen the Peace Corps
(3) decrease the number of immigrants from
Latin America
(4) raise the standard of living for many
Americans Answer: 4 40. Base your answer to question 40 on the passage
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
. . . You express a great deal of anxiety over our
willingness to break laws. This is certainly a
legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge
people to obey the Supreme Courtâs decision of
1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools,
it is rather strange and paradoxical to find us
consciously breaking laws. One may well ask,
âhow can you advocate breaking some laws and
obeying others?â The answer is found in the fact
that there are two types of laws: There are just
and there are unjust laws. I would agree with Saint
Augustine that âAn unjust law is no law at all.â . . .
- Martin Luther King Jr., âLetter from Birmingham Jail,â
April 16, 1963
40 Which approach best represents the argument
made in the passage?
(1) civil disobedience (3) Black Power
(2) armed resistance (4) containment Answer: 1 41. 41 A main goal of President Richard Nixonâs policy
of détente was to
(1) sponsor free elections in North Korea
(2) negotiate an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict
(3) end diplomatic relations with China
(4) reduce tensions between the United States
and the Soviet Union Answer: 4 42. 42 Which charges led to President Bill Clintonâs
impeachment?
(1) excessive use of the pardon power
(2) perjury and obstruction of justice
(3) illegal use of campaign funds
(4) misuse of war powers and deficit spending Answer: 2 43. 43 One way in which Social Security, Medicare, and
Medicaid are similar is that they are all
(1) programs that provide aid to education
(2) examples of social welfare programs
(3) attempts to balance the federal budget
(4) aspects of public works projects Answer: 2 44. Base your answer to question 44 on the cartoon below and on your knowledge of social studies.
44 This cartoonist is critical of the leadership of President George W. Bush and
Vice President Richard B. Cheney for
(1) supporting the clear-cutting of forests
(2) overusing the presidential veto power
(3) weakening the system of checks and balances
(4) waging the war in Iraq Answer: 3 45. 45 Which presidential action was most consistent
with the ideas presented by President George
Washington in his Farewell Address?
(1) President James Monroeâs proclamation of
the Monroe Doctrine in 1823
(2) President James Polkâs policy toward Mexico
in 1846
(3) President William McKinleyâs request for a
declaration of war against Spain in 1898
(4) President George H. W. Bushâs decision to
engage in the Persian Gulf War in 1990 Answer: 1 46. 46 The Populist movement of the 1890s and the
civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s are
similar in that both movements were attempts to
(1) restrict the power of the executive branch
(2) solve the problems brought about by
industrialization
(3) improve the lives of groups who were
oppressed
(4) require state governments to promote racial
equality Answer: 3 47. Base your answer to question 47 on the cartoon below and on your knowledge of social studies.
47 The tactics illustrated in the cartoon were most closely associated with
(1) isolationists supporting neutrality policies during the 1930s
(2) government leaders investigating communist activities after World War II
(3) increased federal spending for education during the 1960s
(4) Congress promoting increased security after the September 11, 2001 attacks Answer: 2 48. 48 âFlappersâ in the 1920s, âbeatniksâ in the 1950s,
and âhippiesâ in the 1960s are all examples of
(1) political groups who wanted to limit
individual civil rights
(2) citizens who wanted to return to simpler
lifestyles
(3) writers who supported United States foreign
policy goals
(4) individuals who disagreed with traditional
societal values Answer: 4 49. 49 The Great Depression and the economic crisis
known as the Great Recession (December 2007 -
June 2009) were similar in that both led to
(1) a surplus in the federal budget
(2) a decrease in federal support for unemploy-
ment insurance
(3) a limit on the power of the Federal Reserve
System
(4) an expansion of the federal governmentâs role
in stabilizing the economy Answer: 4 50. Base your answer to question 50 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
50 What has been the principal cause of the population changes shown on the
map?
(1) employment opportunities in northeastern states
(2) continued westward migration
(3) enactment of immigration quotas
(4) movement from farms to cities Answer: 2
51. Answers to the essay questions are to be written in the separate essay booklet.
In developing your answer to Part II, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind:
(a) describe means âto illustrate something in words or tell about itâ
(b) discuss means âto make observations about something using facts, reasoning, and
argument; to present in some detailâ
PART II
THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTION
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs addressing the task
below, and a conclusion.
Theme: Geography - Territorial Acquisition
Throughout the nationâs history, the United States has expanded through the
acquisition of new territories. These acquisitions have had both positive and
negative effects on the United States.
Task:
Select two territories acquired by the United States and for each
⢠Describe the historical circumstances that led the United States to acquire the
territory
⢠Discuss positive and/or negative effects of the acquisition of the territory on
the United States
You may use any territory acquired by the United States since 1776 from your study of
United States history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include the Ohio River
valley (1783), the Louisiana Territory (1803), Florida (1819), Texas (1845), the Oregon
Territory (1846), California (1848), Alaska (1867), Hawaii (1898), Puerto Rico (1899), and
the Philippines (1899).
You are not limited to these suggestions.
Guidelines:
In your essay, be sure to:
⢠Develop all aspects of the task
⢠Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details
⢠Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that
are beyond a restatement of the theme 52. NAME _______ SCHOOL _______
Part III
DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION
This question is based on the accompanying documents. The question is designed to test your
ability to work with historical documents. Some of these documents have been edited for the
purposes of this question. As you analyze the documents, take into account the source of each
document and any point of view that may be presented in the document. Keep in mind that the
language used in a document may reflect the historical context of the time in which it was written.
Historical Context:
Throughout United States history, individuals have used written works as a way to
focus attention on issues facing American society. These written works have had
a significant influence on the United States and American society. These written
works include Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Uncle Tomâs Cabin by Harriet
Beecher Stowe, and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Task: Using the information from the documents and your knowledge of United States
history, answer the questions that follow each document in Part A. Your answers to
the questions will help you write the Part B essay in which you will be asked to
Choose two written works mentioned in the historical context and for each
⢠Describe the historical circumstances surrounding the issue addressed by the
author
⢠Discuss the influence of the written work on the United States and/or on
American society
In developing your answers to Part III, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind:
(a) describe means âto illustrate something in words or tell about itâ
(b) discuss means âto make observations about something using facts, reasoning, and argu-
ment; to present in some detailâ
Part A
Short-Answer Questions
Directions: Analyze the documents and answer the short-answer questions that follow each document in the
space provided.
Document 1
In 1768 John Dickinson of Pennsylvania argued for a new colonial theory which limited the power of Parliament
over the colonies.
. . . Then events in due course pushed the colonial theory [of limited Parliamentary power] to
a final stage. Thomas Paineâs Common Sense, appearing in January 1776, tore every shred of
authority from both King and Parliament. The two years or so preceding had piled crisis upon
crisis. The Bostonians had sunk the tea; Parliament had retorted with the Intolerable Acts;
the First Continental Congress had instituted a program of intercolonial economic resistance;
war had erupted on Lexington Green; and an American army under the Second Congress had
shut up [surrounded] General Gage and his regulars in Boston. In stirring and violent rhetoric the
English-born Paine, who had recently settled in Philadelphia with a heart full of rancor for his native
land, addressed the emotions as well as the minds of his readers. The âperiod of debate is closed,â
he concluded, ââTIS TIME TO PART.â Although a half year was to elapse before Congress
complied, Paineâs trumpet call was a mighty factor in influencing the public as well as the delegates
themselves to adopt the fateful step. No other work written in America, save perhaps Uncle Tomâs
Cabin, has ever had such crucial repercussions. . . .
Source: Arthur M. Schlesinger, The Birth of the Nation, Houghton Mifflin, 1968
1 According to Arthur M. Schlesinger, what were two events that motivated Thomas Paine to write
Common Sense? [2] 53. Document 2
. . . Paine published Common Sense in Philadelphia, and his Forester essays* first appeared in
that cityâs newspapers. His friends also chose Philadelphia newspapers, and so did his political
enemies. But since the controversy involved the âcontinent,â Common Sense was reprinted in all
the major American cities and the minor ones as well. Of course the debate spread, drawing in big
men, John Adams, for example, and small ones as well. Within a few months over 100,000 copies
of Common Sense had appeared, and the debates between independence and reconciliation
dominated the newspapers.
A part of the common sense offered by Thomas Paine was the observation that Britainâs old
enemies in Europe would be more likely to provide support to the colonies if they declared
their independence. No European power wanted to meddle in an internal dispute which might
be settled by Britain and her colonies joining forces, as they had in the past, against an external
enemy. Declaring independence would reassure Europe, reassure in particular France, the nation
that some in Congress looked to for money and arms. . . .
Source: Robert Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763 - 1789,
Oxford University Press, 2005 (adapted)
* Paineâs letters that expanded his arguments made in Common Sense
2 According to Robert Middlekauff, what is one way Thomas Paineâs Common Sense promoted support for
independence? [1] 54. Document 3
. . . There is an exaltation, an excitement, about Common Sense that conveys the very uncommon
sense of adventure Americans felt as they moved toward independence. With it would come new
perils, but also new opportunities, new freedoms. They knew they were on the threshold of a great
experience not only for themselves but perhaps for the whole world. âThe cause of America,â
Paine told them, âis in a great measure the cause of all mankind.â And they believed him.
On May 15, 1776, the Virginia House of Burgesses voted to instruct its delegates in Congress
to propose independence, and on the same day the Congress adopted a resolution sponsored
by John Adams, advising the various colonies to assume complete powers of government within
themselves. On June 7 Richard Henry Lee, following the instructions of his Virginia constituents,
moved a resolution formally declaring the colonies independent. On July 2 this resolution was
adopted and two days later the famous declaration to the world, drafted by Thomas Jefferson. . . .
Source: Edmund S. Morgan, The Birth of the Republic, 1763 - 89, Fourth Edition,
The University of Chicago Press, 2013
3 According to Edmund S. Morgan, what was one effect of Thomas Paineâs Common Sense? [1] 55. Document 4
. . . Among the provisions of the Compromise of 1850 were the end of the slave trade, but not
slavery, in Washington D.C., and the creation of a new, stricter, Fugitive Slave Law. Helping
runaways had been illegal since 1793, but the 1850 law required that everyone, law enforcers
and ordinary citizens, help catch fugitives. Those who refused to assist slave-catchers, or aided
fugitives, could be fined up to $1,000 and jailed for six months.
It also eliminated what little legal protection fugitives once had. Before 1850, some northern
states had required slave-catchers to appear before an elected judge and be tried by a jury which
would determine the validity of a claim. After the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, anyone could be taken
from the street, accused of being a fugitive from slavery, and taken before a federally appointed
commissioner who received $5 for every fugitive released and $10 for every one sent south. Free
blacks and anti-slavery groups argued the system bribed commissioners to send kidnapped people
into slavery, and obliged citizens to participate in the slavery system.
[Harriet Beecher] Stowe was furious. She believed the country was requiring her complicity
in a system she thought was unjust and immoral. Living in Brunswick, ME [Maine] while Calvin
Stowe taught at Bowdoin College, Stowe disobeyed the law by hiding runaways. When she
shared her frustrations and feelings of powerlessness with her family, her sister-in-law Isabella
Porter Beecher suggested she do more: â. . . if I could use a pen as you can, Hatty, I would write
something that would make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.â
Moved by the letter, Stowe swore she would âif [she] lived.â. . .
Source: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 2011
4 Based on this document, why was Harriet Beecher Stowe concerned about the new Fugitive Slave
Law? [1] 56. Document 5a
This poster was an advertisement for
Harriet Beecher Stoweâs Uncle Tomâs Cabin.
Document 5b
. . . Stowe is often credited with influencing the
country to think differently about slavery. But
what do we know about how Stowe influenced
Lincoln?
A decade earlier, Uncle Tomâs Cabin (1852) had
been a publishing and propaganda phenomenon.
Using stories to illustrate the human impact
of slavery, Stoweâs blistering pen lit the world
on fire. The statistics remain record-breaking:
10,000 copies sold in the first week; a million
and a half British copies in a year. The book was
so successful it was immediately dramatized for
the stage, where it became a theatrical icon.
Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, leader
of the radical Republicans, said, âHad there been
no Uncle Tomâs Cabin, there would have been no
Lincoln in the White House.â . . .
But pro-slavery critics charged that Stowe had
made it all up and that slavery was a humane
system. So Stowe wrote a nonfiction retort,
The Key to Uncle Tomâs Cabin (1853), compiling
the real-life evidence that had informed her
fictional stories. . . .
Source: Katherine Kane,
âLincoln and The Key to Uncle Tomâs Cabin,â
Connecticut Explored, Winter 2012/2013
5 Based on these documents, what is one reason Southern slave owners were concerned about the publication
of Uncle Tomâs Cabin? [1] 57. Document 6
. . . It is not possible to measure precisely the political influence of Uncle Tomâs Cabin. One
can quantify its sales but cannot point to votes that it changed or laws that it inspired. Yet few
contemporaries doubted its power. âNever was there such a literary coup-de-main [sudden
attack] as this,â said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In England, Lord Palmerston, who as prime
minister a decade later would face a decision whether to intervene on behalf of the South in the
Civil War, read Uncle Tomâs Cabin three times and admired it not so much for the story as âfor
the statesmanship of it.â As Abraham Lincoln was grappling with the problem of slavery in the
summer of 1862, he borrowed from the Library of Congress A Key to Uncle Tomâs Cabin, a
subsequent volume by Stowe containing documentation on which she had based the novel. When
Lincoln met the author later that year, he reportedly greeted her with the words: âSo youâre the
little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.â
Uncle Tomâs Cabin struck a raw nerve in the South. Despite efforts to ban it, copies sold so fast
in Charleston and elsewhere that booksellers could not keep up with the demand. The vehemence
of southern denunciations of Mrs. Stoweâs âfalsehoodsâ and âdistortionsâ was perhaps the best
gauge of how close they hit home. âThere never before was anything so detestable or so monstrous
among women as this,â declared the New Orleans Crescent. The editor of the Southern Literary
Messenger instructed his book reviewer: âI would have the review as hot as hellfire, blasting and
searing the reputation of the vile wretch in petticoats who could write such a volume.â Within
two years proslavery writers had answered Uncle Tomâs Cabin with at least fifteen novels whose
thesis that slaves were better off than free workers in the North was capsulized by the title of one
of them: Uncle Robin in His Cabin in Virginia and Tom Without One in Boston. A decade later
during the Civil War a South Carolina diarist with doubts of her own about slavery reflected the
obsession of southerners with Uncle Tomâs Cabin by using it as a constant benchmark to measure
the realities of life in the South. . . .
Source: James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, Oxford University Press, 1988 (adapted)
6 According to James M. McPherson, what were two effects of the publication of Uncle Tomâs Cabin? [2] 58. Document 7
. . . The freedom of big business seemed limitless. Drug companies sold patent medicines
containing heroin, morphine, and cocaine that promised to cure all sorts of diseases, but actually
cured none of them. Food companies sold childrenâs candy colored with toxic heavy metals.
Cheap margarine was routinely marketed as butter. Crude mixtures of apple scraps, glucose,
timothy seeds, and food coloring made from coal tar were sold as strawberry jam. In the age of
the great trusts, the gulf between the wealthy and the poor became enormous. Robber barons
built their homes in imitation of European palaces, while millions of American workers lived in
urban slums.
Upton Sinclair was moved by these injustices. During the fall of 1904 he left his home in
New Jersey and traveled to Chicago, intending to write a novel about the plight of the cityâs
meatpacking workers. The beef trust controlled the industry with an iron fist. It had recently
crushed a strike by union members who were seeking a pay raise of less than three cents an
hour. The meatpacking industry seemed to embody everything that was wrong with American
society, operating largely in secret, wielding unchecked power, threatening the health of workers
and consumers. As Sinclair later argued in The Jungle, the beef trust was âthe incarnation
[representation] of blind and insensate [insensitive] greed. . . the Great Butcher. . . . the spirit of
capitalism made flesh.â. . .
Source: Eric Schlosser, Foreword to Upton Sinclairâs The Jungle, Penguin Books, 2006
7 According to Eric Schlosser, what were two issues that concerned Upton Sinclair? [2] 59. Document 8a
. . . Upton Sinclair wrote âThe Jungleâ as a labor exposé. He hoped that the book, which was billed
as âthe âUncle Tomâs Cabinâ of wage slavery,â would lead to improvements for the people to whom
he dedicated it, âthe workingmen of America.â But readers of âThe Jungleâ were less appalled by
Sinclairâs accounts of horrific working conditions than by what they learned about their food. âI
aimed at the publicâs heart,â he famously declared, âand by accident I hit it in the stomach.â. . .
When âThe Jungleâ was published, the public reaction was instantaneous. Outraged readers
deluged President Theodore Roosevelt with letters. Roosevelt was ambivalent, but he invited
Sinclair to the White House for lunch, and promised to send his labor commissioner and assistant
Treasury secretary to Chicago to investigate. . . .
Source: Adam Cohen, â100 Years Later, the Food Industry Is Still âThe Jungleâ,â New York Times, January 2, 2007
Document 8b
. . . By the spring of 1906, both meat inspection and pure food and drugs legislation had many
supporters. This was not a simple, black-and-white fight between the public on one side and big
business on the other. But the pure food and drugs issue encouraged a broad range of Americans to
think of their identities as consumers, as people who were imperiled by rotten meat or adulterated
drugs. Physicians, federal experts, and womenâs groups supported legislation. State officials,
assiduously [persistently] courted by Harvey Wiley [a pioneer consumer activist], agreed that
federal supervision was necessary. So did Westerners, angry at the âforeignâ corporations from the
East and Midwest. So, too, did more than a few of those corporations. Pabst, H. J. Heinz, and other
producers, setting individualism aside, recognized the benefits of federal regulation: Washingtonâs
supervision could bring order and stability to the business; it could protect the big companies
from state supervision; it could make the business too expensive for potential competitors. At the
least, regulation could rescue the corporations from their public predicament in 1906. Rooseveltâs
investigators had largely confirmed the essentials of The Jungle; the meatpackers were unable to
discredit Sinclairâs account. Under the circumstances, a crucial group of food and drug producers
accepted the inevitability of regulation and tried to shape the legislation to protect their interests
as much as possible. . . .
Source: Michael McGerr, A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870 - 1920,
Oxford University Press, 2005
8 Based on these documents, what were two effects of the publication of The Jungle? [2] 60. Document 9
Upton Sinclair was present when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation amending the Meat
Inspection Act.
. . . âA man was wrapping pork shoulders. He dropped one in the sawdust, picked it up and
wiped it off with a dirty, sour rag. . . Beef was being broken on an open dock, by a dirt road, in
95-degree weather. There were flies in the meat. Drums of bones and meat scraps were covered
with maggots.â
What I just read to you was not from âThe Jungle.â It did not happen 60 years ago when Upton
Sinclair was writing his book. It happened in July 1967. It was written by a United States Federal
Government inspector after a visit to one of our great, modern packing plants. . . .
This is an intolerable condition in the 20th century in a modern nation that prides itself on
reputed leadership of the world. I have been urging and I have been asking for a strong meat
inspection bill since 1964.
The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 - which has been brought to me by the good work of the
Congress - will give something priceless, I think, to American housewives. It will give them
assurance that the meat that they put on the dinner table for their husbands and their children is
pure; that it has been packed and it has been processed in a sanitary plant. . . .
This Wholesome Meat Act is a landmark, we think, in consumer protection. It helps every
American - by assuring him that the meat his family consumes has been inspected with their
health and their safety in mind. . . .
Mr. Sinclair, we are so glad to have you here in the East Room with many of the distinguished
Members of the Congress and people who are interested in this wholesome meat legislation.
This bill really crowns the crusade that you, yourself, began some 60 years ago.
We salute you, sir, and we thank you. . . .
Source: President Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks Upon Signing Bill Amending the Meat Inspection Act,
December 15, 1967
9 According to President Lyndon B. Johnson, what is the continuing influence of Upton Sinclairâs The Jungle?
[1] 61. Part B
Essay
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Use evidence from at least four documents in your essay. Support your response with relevant
facts, examples, and details. Include additional outside information.
Historical Context:
Throughout United States history, individuals have used written works as a way to
focus attention on issues facing American society. These written works have had
a significant influence on the United States and American society. These written
works include Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Uncle Tomâs Cabin by Harriet
Beecher Stowe, and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Task: Using the information from the documents and your knowledge of United States
history, write an essay in which you
Choose two written works mentioned in the historical context and for each
⢠Describe the historical circumstances surrounding the issue addressed by the
author
⢠Discuss the influence of the written work on the United States and/or on
American society
Guidelines:
In your essay, be sure to
⢠Develop all aspects of the task
⢠Incorporate information from at least four documents
⢠Incorporate relevant outside information
⢠Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details
⢠Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that
are beyond a restatement of the theme
Try the Quiz : US History and Government - New York Regents June 2018 Exam
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