PRACTICE 6.1

OnRamps U.S. History College-Style Test (Multiple Choice)

Section: 14.1 The Compromise of 1850

1. What was the primary issue addressed by the Compromise of 1850?
A) Expansion of U.S. territories into Canada
B) Admission of new states and the issue of slavery
C) Reduction of tariffs to promote trade
D) Creation of a national banking system

2. Which of the following was NOT part of the Compromise of 1850?
A) Admission of California as a free state
B) A stronger Fugitive Slave Act
C) Banning slavery in Texas
D) Popular sovereignty for territories of the Mexican Cession

3. Who played a critical role in brokering the Compromise of 1850?
A) Henry Clay
B) Andrew Jackson
C) John Quincy Adams
D) Abraham Lincoln

4. What principle allowed territories to decide on slavery in the Compromise of 1850?
A) Popular sovereignty
B) Abolitionist mandate
C) State’s rights
D) Federal jurisdiction

5. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 primarily: A) Strengthened penalties for aiding escaped enslaved people
B) Ended the Underground Railroad
C) Allowed enslaved people to testify in their defense
D) Required states to hold referendums on slavery

Section: 14.2 The Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas

6. The Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed which prior legislation?
A) The Missouri Compromise
B) The Compromise of 1850
C) The Northwest Ordinance
D) The Wilmot Proviso

7. Who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854?
A) Stephen Douglas
B) Henry Clay
C) John C. Calhoun
D) Daniel Webster

8. What was the major consequence of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
A) It resolved sectional tensions
B) It established Kansas as a free state
C) It led to violent conflicts known as "Bleeding Kansas"
D) It abolished slavery in western territories

9. "Bleeding Kansas" is best described as:
A) A dispute over state banking policies
B) Armed conflict between pro- and antislavery factions
C) A peaceful abolitionist movement
D) A legal battle over land ownership

10. Which group was known for crossing state lines to influence Kansas elections?
A) Quakers
B) Border ruffians
C) Free-Soilers
D) Abolitionists

Section: 14.3 The Dred Scott Decision

11. What was Dred Scott’s legal argument for his freedom?
A) His enslavement violated the Constitution
B) He lived in free territories where slavery was banned
C) His owner promised him freedom in his will
D) He purchased his own freedom

12. What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
A) Dred Scott was free under federal law
B) Enslaved people could sue in court
C) Black people could never be U.S. citizens
D) Congress could ban slavery in territories

13. Who was the Chief Justice during the Dred Scott decision?
A) Roger B. Taney
B) John Marshall
C) Charles Evans Hughes
D) Salmon P. Chase

14. What was a significant outcome of the Dred Scott decision?
A) Strengthened the Republican Party’s platform
B) Ended the debate over slavery
C) Declared the Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional
D) United the Democratic Party

15. How did the decision impact the Missouri Compromise?
A) It upheld the compromise as valid
B) It declared the compromise unconstitutional
C) It expanded the compromise’s territory
D) It required amendments to enforce the compromise

Answers:

1. B

2. C

3. A

4. A

5. A

6. A

7. A

8. C

9. B

10. B

11. B

12. C

13. A

14. A

15. B