Multiple Choice Questions (Answers at Bottom)
1 of 28
Abraham Lincoln's first goal when he took office as president was to
a. declare war on the Confederate States of America.
b. abolish slavery in the slave states that had not seceded.
c. stop secession from spreading to other southern states.
d. continue President Buchanan's tactic of ignoring secession.
2 of 28
Jefferson Davis intended to become president of the
a. southern slave system.
b. Unionist Party.
c. Upper South.
d. Confederate States of America.
3 of 28
President Lincoln decided not to abandon Fort Sumter because he
a. did not think that the Confederacy would really attack it.
b. wanted to force the Upper South to commit to the Union.
c. realized that it was strategically vital.
d. knew that abandoning it would divide the North.
4 of 28
By authorizing an expedition to take food but not military reinforcements to Fort Sumter, President Lincoln
a. encouraged the remaining slave states to secede.
b. divided public opinion in the North.
c. showed that he had no intention of protecting federal property.
d. forced President Davis to decide for or against peace.
5 of 28
Most Southerners who backed the Confederate cause reasoned that they were
a. engaging in treason.
b. defending the slave system from the free-labor threat.
c. saving southern civilization from subjugation.
d. correcting a flawed presidential election.
6 of 28
To most white Northerners, southern secession constituted
a. an attack on a valid Republican government.
b. a hasty but understandable response to provocation.
c. an ill-considered decision.
d. a legitimate if extreme way of challenging governmental decisions.
7 of 28
When the Civil War broke out in 1861,
a. the South had many more resources than the North.
b. the North had many more resources than the South.
c. both the North and the South had about the same number of resources.
d. neither the North nor the South had any resources.
8 of 28
Southerners expected that England and perhaps France would ally with the Confederacy to avoid having their
a. sailors impressed.
b. supply of cotton interrupted.
c. source of tobacco cut off.
d. bank loans defaulted on.
9 of 28
The significance of the Battle of Manassas was
a. the incredibly high number of casualties that both sides suffered.
b. its strategic importance.
c. the decision of European nations to intervene after it.
d. the lessons both sides drew from it.
10 of 28
General George McClellan's weakness as commander of the Army of the Potomac was that he was
a. from a nonmilitary background.
b. a poor military trainer.
c. unpopular with his troops.
d. indecisive and slow.
11 of 28
Although the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 was a victory for the Army of the Potomac,
a. it did little to revive northern morale.
b. it did little to dent southern morale.
c. General McClellan missed an opportunity to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia.
d. it did nothing to alter the outcome of the war.
12 of 28
By the end of 1862, the military struggle in the East had
a. demonstrated that McClellan was right to avoid battles.
b. reached a stalemate.
c. proved the overwhelming superiority of the Army of Northern Virginia.
d. proved the overwhelming superiority of the Army of the Potomac.
13 of 28
As the Civil War dragged on, President Lincoln decided that emancipation was necessary because
a. Democratic politicians demanded it.
b. white Northerners were in favor of it.
c. slaves supported the Confederate war machine.
d. it would undermine Confederate morale.
14 of 28
Throughout 1861, abolitionists argued that President Lincoln could emancipate southern slaves because
a. abolitionists were a strong political force in the North.
b. in seceding, Southerners had forfeited their right to constitutional protection.
c. the North was stronger than the South.
d. the Republicans could survive without Democratic support.
15 of 28
In March 1862, Congress established a national policy on fugitive slaves, which
a. made runaways the property of border state slave owners.
b. returned runaways to their masters.
c. declared all runaways free.
d. forbade the return of runaways to their masters.
16 of 28
To make emancipation more acceptable to white Northerners, President Lincoln initially
a. tried to educate the northern public about racism.
b. offered to deport African Americans out of the country.
c. hoped to confine it to rebel slaveholders only.
d. wanted to settle freed slaves in the western states.
17 of 28
The easiest task Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government faced was
a. working with the states.
b. building the armed forces.
c. financing the war.
d. creating an industrial sector to supply war materiel.
18 of 28
The Union blockade of the Confederate states made it necessary for the Confederate government to
a. build its own industrial sector.
b. support a fleet of blockade runners.
c. socialize private industries.
d. smuggle manufactured goods in from the North.
19 of 28
It was difficult for the Confederate government to finance the Civil War because
a. it controlled no wealth.
b. its officials did not understand economics.
c. Southerners had invested in land and slaves.
d. all the banks were in the North.
20 of 28
Ultimately, the Confederate government's financial measures
a. failed to transform the South's agricultural economy into an industrial one.
b. successfully transformed the South's agricultural economy into an industrial one.
c. at least produced the supplies the South needed.
d. made no headway at all in industrial production.
21 of 28
During the Civil War, the Republicans were able to
a. prevent the federal government from interfering in the economy.
b. enact their platform of federal programs to encourage economic growth.
c. pass very little of the legislation they supported.
d. pass laws to undermine the Democratic Party.
22 of 28
Legislation passed by the Republicans during the Civil War
a. helped the northern war effort.
b. permanently changed the nation.
c. neither of the above.
d. both of the above.
23 of 28
When northern farmers took up arms in the Civil War, their tasks were taken over by
a. runaway slaves.
b. women.
c. paid agricultural laborers.
d. government employees.
24 of 28
During the Civil War, when the northern industrial boom caused unemployment to decline and wages to rise,
a. workers' standard of living fell due to inflation and taxes.
b. owners found that their profits were decreasing.
c. the trend toward specialization and mechanization was halted.
d. rural people refused to remain on farms.
25 of 28
General Grant took the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by means of
a. a direct assault.
b. a complicated naval operation.
c. delicate negotiations.
d. a lengthy siege.
26 of 28
In 1863, General Lee decided to attack the Union army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in the hopes of
a. convincing European nations that the South could still win the war.
b. moving the fighting out of Virginia and defeating the Union army on its own turf.
c. cementing his own reputation as a brilliant strategist.
d. totally destroying the Union's ability to keep fighting.
27 of 28
After General Grant became the general in chief of the Union armies in March 1864, he made two important decisions-to send the western armies into
a. Georgia and take on Lee directly.
b. South Carolina and avoid fighting Lee.
c. Georgia and avoid fighting Lee.
d. South Carolina and take on Lee directly.
28 of 28
Despite suffering heavy losses in his 1864 Virginia campaign, General Grant did not believe that he was defeated because he
a. had easily taken the important railroad junction of Petersburg, Virginia.
b. knew that the Confederates lost even more soldiers than did the Union.
c. was able to take the capital of Richmond.
d. knew that the Confederates were losing proportionally as many men.
Answers : C, D, D, D, C, A, B, B, D, D, C, B, C, B, D, B, B, A, C, A, B, D, B, A, D, B, A, D
Abraham Lincoln's first goal when he took office as president was to
a. declare war on the Confederate States of America.
b. abolish slavery in the slave states that had not seceded.
c. stop secession from spreading to other southern states.
d. continue President Buchanan's tactic of ignoring secession.
2 of 28
Jefferson Davis intended to become president of the
a. southern slave system.
b. Unionist Party.
c. Upper South.
d. Confederate States of America.
3 of 28
President Lincoln decided not to abandon Fort Sumter because he
a. did not think that the Confederacy would really attack it.
b. wanted to force the Upper South to commit to the Union.
c. realized that it was strategically vital.
d. knew that abandoning it would divide the North.
4 of 28
By authorizing an expedition to take food but not military reinforcements to Fort Sumter, President Lincoln
a. encouraged the remaining slave states to secede.
b. divided public opinion in the North.
c. showed that he had no intention of protecting federal property.
d. forced President Davis to decide for or against peace.
5 of 28
Most Southerners who backed the Confederate cause reasoned that they were
a. engaging in treason.
b. defending the slave system from the free-labor threat.
c. saving southern civilization from subjugation.
d. correcting a flawed presidential election.
6 of 28
To most white Northerners, southern secession constituted
a. an attack on a valid Republican government.
b. a hasty but understandable response to provocation.
c. an ill-considered decision.
d. a legitimate if extreme way of challenging governmental decisions.
7 of 28
When the Civil War broke out in 1861,
a. the South had many more resources than the North.
b. the North had many more resources than the South.
c. both the North and the South had about the same number of resources.
d. neither the North nor the South had any resources.
8 of 28
Southerners expected that England and perhaps France would ally with the Confederacy to avoid having their
a. sailors impressed.
b. supply of cotton interrupted.
c. source of tobacco cut off.
d. bank loans defaulted on.
9 of 28
The significance of the Battle of Manassas was
a. the incredibly high number of casualties that both sides suffered.
b. its strategic importance.
c. the decision of European nations to intervene after it.
d. the lessons both sides drew from it.
10 of 28
General George McClellan's weakness as commander of the Army of the Potomac was that he was
a. from a nonmilitary background.
b. a poor military trainer.
c. unpopular with his troops.
d. indecisive and slow.
11 of 28
Although the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 was a victory for the Army of the Potomac,
a. it did little to revive northern morale.
b. it did little to dent southern morale.
c. General McClellan missed an opportunity to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia.
d. it did nothing to alter the outcome of the war.
12 of 28
By the end of 1862, the military struggle in the East had
a. demonstrated that McClellan was right to avoid battles.
b. reached a stalemate.
c. proved the overwhelming superiority of the Army of Northern Virginia.
d. proved the overwhelming superiority of the Army of the Potomac.
13 of 28
As the Civil War dragged on, President Lincoln decided that emancipation was necessary because
a. Democratic politicians demanded it.
b. white Northerners were in favor of it.
c. slaves supported the Confederate war machine.
d. it would undermine Confederate morale.
14 of 28
Throughout 1861, abolitionists argued that President Lincoln could emancipate southern slaves because
a. abolitionists were a strong political force in the North.
b. in seceding, Southerners had forfeited their right to constitutional protection.
c. the North was stronger than the South.
d. the Republicans could survive without Democratic support.
15 of 28
In March 1862, Congress established a national policy on fugitive slaves, which
a. made runaways the property of border state slave owners.
b. returned runaways to their masters.
c. declared all runaways free.
d. forbade the return of runaways to their masters.
16 of 28
To make emancipation more acceptable to white Northerners, President Lincoln initially
a. tried to educate the northern public about racism.
b. offered to deport African Americans out of the country.
c. hoped to confine it to rebel slaveholders only.
d. wanted to settle freed slaves in the western states.
17 of 28
The easiest task Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government faced was
a. working with the states.
b. building the armed forces.
c. financing the war.
d. creating an industrial sector to supply war materiel.
18 of 28
The Union blockade of the Confederate states made it necessary for the Confederate government to
a. build its own industrial sector.
b. support a fleet of blockade runners.
c. socialize private industries.
d. smuggle manufactured goods in from the North.
19 of 28
It was difficult for the Confederate government to finance the Civil War because
a. it controlled no wealth.
b. its officials did not understand economics.
c. Southerners had invested in land and slaves.
d. all the banks were in the North.
20 of 28
Ultimately, the Confederate government's financial measures
a. failed to transform the South's agricultural economy into an industrial one.
b. successfully transformed the South's agricultural economy into an industrial one.
c. at least produced the supplies the South needed.
d. made no headway at all in industrial production.
21 of 28
During the Civil War, the Republicans were able to
a. prevent the federal government from interfering in the economy.
b. enact their platform of federal programs to encourage economic growth.
c. pass very little of the legislation they supported.
d. pass laws to undermine the Democratic Party.
22 of 28
Legislation passed by the Republicans during the Civil War
a. helped the northern war effort.
b. permanently changed the nation.
c. neither of the above.
d. both of the above.
23 of 28
When northern farmers took up arms in the Civil War, their tasks were taken over by
a. runaway slaves.
b. women.
c. paid agricultural laborers.
d. government employees.
24 of 28
During the Civil War, when the northern industrial boom caused unemployment to decline and wages to rise,
a. workers' standard of living fell due to inflation and taxes.
b. owners found that their profits were decreasing.
c. the trend toward specialization and mechanization was halted.
d. rural people refused to remain on farms.
25 of 28
General Grant took the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by means of
a. a direct assault.
b. a complicated naval operation.
c. delicate negotiations.
d. a lengthy siege.
26 of 28
In 1863, General Lee decided to attack the Union army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in the hopes of
a. convincing European nations that the South could still win the war.
b. moving the fighting out of Virginia and defeating the Union army on its own turf.
c. cementing his own reputation as a brilliant strategist.
d. totally destroying the Union's ability to keep fighting.
27 of 28
After General Grant became the general in chief of the Union armies in March 1864, he made two important decisions-to send the western armies into
a. Georgia and take on Lee directly.
b. South Carolina and avoid fighting Lee.
c. Georgia and avoid fighting Lee.
d. South Carolina and take on Lee directly.
28 of 28
Despite suffering heavy losses in his 1864 Virginia campaign, General Grant did not believe that he was defeated because he
a. had easily taken the important railroad junction of Petersburg, Virginia.
b. knew that the Confederates lost even more soldiers than did the Union.
c. was able to take the capital of Richmond.
d. knew that the Confederates were losing proportionally as many men.
Answers : C, D, D, D, C, A, B, B, D, D, C, B, C, B, D, B, B, A, C, A, B, D, B, A, D, B, A, D
