1.  Barbara Fields states: "If a single event caused the war, it was the establishment of the United States ...with slavery still a part of its heritage." The Constitution of the United States recognized this heritage with a clause stating:
A.  A.  slavery was a positive good.
B.  B.  that certain specific northern states should be free, and certain specific southern states slaveholding.
C.  C.  each slave should be counted as 3/5 of a person when deciding how many seats a state should have in the House of Representatives.
D.  D.  that there should be no limitation on the importation of slaves.
Answer: C
2.  The cotton gin was
A.  A.  an alcoholic beverage favored by planters in Louisiana.
B.  B.  a textile industry invention that enabled bolts of cloth to be processed cheaply and quickly, thereby creating a huge demand for cotton.
C.  C.  a fungus that infected cotton plants, requiring much slave labor to harvest nearly-ripe bolls in a great hurry.
D.  D.  a machine that enabled cotton to be extracted from its seeds easily and swiftly, making the crop far more profitable.
Answer: D
3.  An abolitionist was a person who
A.  A.  thought slavery would gradually disappear.
B.  B.  opposed slavery, but also opposed any drastic action that might disrupt the political unity of the nation.
C.  C.  demanded an immediate end to slavery.
D.  D.  sought to make slavery more tolerable by bringing religion to the slaves.
Answer: C
4.  Elijah Lovejoy was shot because he
A.  A.  ran an antislavery newspaper in Illinois.
B.  B.  led a slave uprising in Southampton county, Virginia, in 1831.
C.  C.  was South Carolina's leading secessionist.
D.  D.  was a British journalist who traveled in the South and reported on the conditions in which slaves lived.
Answer: A
5.  John Brown was
A.  A.  a leading manufacturer of firearms in New Haven, Connecticut.
B.  B.  an ardent foe of slavery willing to kill advocates of the institution to further the antislavery cause.
C.  C.  Abraham Lincoln's first-term vice president.
D.  D.  a white-haired Virginia fanatic who rallied his neighbors in support of secession.
Answer: B
6.  Harriet Beecher Stowe
A.  A.  understood her fellow woman writer, Mary Boykin Chesnut, and was sympathetic to the difficulties a planter's wife faced.
B.  B.  wrote one of the world's most influential novels, a book that helped bring about major social reform.
C.  C.  was a former slave who risked recapture to help dozens of other slaves escape.
D.  D.  was the wife of an overbearing but able antislavery senator from Wisconsin.
Answer: B
7.  James Buchanan was
A.  A.  so distraught over the secession crisis that he became the first American president to resign the office.
B.  B.  a morally obtuse president who, not grasping the gravity of the risk of war, turned his attention to foreign affairs.
C.  C.  a stubborn president, so rigidly antislavery that he was unable to compromise to save the Union.
D.  D.  the lame duck president who, in 1861, hoped in vain that president-elect Abraham Lincoln would join him in an action to save the Union.
Answer: D
8.  In his first inaugural speech, Abraham Lincoln
A.  A.  begged his "dissatisfied countrymen" not to start a civil war.
B.  B.  declared that if war must come, it must be a crusade against slavery.
C.  C.  pronounced "malice toward none."
D.  D.  declared that he would defend Fort Sumter at all costs-.
Answer: A
9.  The Confederate States of America consisted of
A.  A.  all the slaveholding states.
B.  B.  no state with territory north of the Mason-Dixon line.
C.  C.  eleven states governed by a constitution closely patterned on the Constitution of the United States.
D.  D.  a federation of eleven slaveholding states formally recognizing states' rights to be the governing principle of the new nation.
Answer: C
10.  The producer of this Civil War series is
A.  A.  Ken Burns
B.  B.  Alex Haley
C.  C.  Lane Community College
D.  D.  Shelby Foote
Answer: A
11.  When General McClellan wrote to his wife that he had seen the "original gorilla" he was referring to:
A.  A.  a powerful animal brought from Africa and, despite the war, displayed to curious crowds at the Smithsonian Institution.
B.  B.  General Gustav P.T. Beauregard, whom he could see through his telescope when the Confederate general had his headquarters across the Potomac River in the Custis mansion.
C.  C.  President Lincoln.
D.  D.  his Confederate-sympathizing father-in-law.
Answer: C
12.  Which of the following men was not in Abraham Lincoln's cabinet:
A.  A.  William Henry Seward
B.  B.  George Templeton Strong
C.  C.  Salmon P. Chase
D.  D.  Edwin M. Stanton
Answer: B
13.  During the battle of Shiloh, Albert Sidney Johnston
A.  A.  was shot by his own men.
B.  B.  was blamed by Jefferson Davis for the defeat at Shiloh.
C.  C.  died from loss of blood because he had sent his surgeon to aid a wounded federal soldier and no tourniquet was applied to his wound.
D.  D.  was scornful of southern honor and the virtues of southern women.
Answer: C
14.  The Confederate Conscription Act was
A.  A.  the first military draft in American history.
B.  B.  a law authorizing calling up slaves to fight for the South.
C.  C.  a way of building morale by having women work in munitions factories while men were at the front.
D.  D.  a way of drafting men for the army that demonstrated the remarkable equality of an who fought for the southern cause.
Answer: A
15.  When Frederick Douglass spoke of an "irrepressible conflict," he meant a quarrel that could be ended only when
A.  A.  political unity was totally secure.
B.  B.  slavery was abolished.
C.  C.  the South was made to confess to the error of its ways.
D.  D.  the "terrible swift sword" of the Union armies had triumphed.
Answer: B
16.  New Orleans
A.  A.  with its fine port and huge supply of cotton, was the bulwark of Confederate strength.
B.  B.  fell to Farragut's fleet and was in Union hands from April 1862.
C.  C.  was the southern city with the greatest pro-Union sentiment.
D.  D.  prevented the North from gaining control of the Mississippi until the battle of Vicksburg.
Answer: B
17.  "Emancipation" meant
A.  A.  freedom for all slaves, once the war was won.
B.  B.  freedom for any slave willing to fight for the Union.
C.  C.  a gradual working-out of the slavery question.
D.  D.  that white southerners could be assured of a postwar labor force, provided they ceased fighting.
Answer: A
18.  Thomas J.  "Stonewall" Jackson can best be described as
A.  A.  a flamboyant champion of southern honor.
B.  B.  a pious, determined soldier who, despite poor horsemanship and a habit of sucking lemons, was a relentless fighter.
C.  C.  one of the greatest of Confederate cavalrymen.
D.  D.  "our strongest pillar" which, as Jefferson Davis said when Jackson died, "had been broken."
Answer: B
19.  Union General Benjamin Franklin Butler was
A.  A.  so tolerant of secessionists in New Orleans that President Lincoln had to remove him from command of the occupying force.
B.  B.  so tolerant of black refugees that President Lincoln was forced to amend his attitude towards escaping slaves.
C.  C.  so tolerant of other generals that General Grant decided that political generals who, like Butler, had not been to West Point, could be trusted.
D.  D.  so tolerant of the women volunteers in the hospitals that he is a hero to feminist historians.
Answer: B
20.  On taking command outside Richmond, Robert E. Lee's greatest asset was that
74. he had the confidence of Jefferson Davis and the Confederate administration.
B.  B.  he had commanded in the prewar army of the United States and had firsthand understanding of its key officers and their strategies.
C.  C.  he was fighting in his native Virginia, whose countryside he knew well.
D.  D.  all of these were Lee's assets
Answer: B
21.  Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic is
A.  A.  the most poignant antiwar song to come out of the Civil War.
B.  B.  one of the greatest musical appeals to martial valor ever written.
C.  C.  a haunting anthem that suggests a deep feminist concern for humane values.
D.  D.  a song sung today by people of all political persuasions that similarly rallied troops on both sides during the Civil War.
Answer: B
22.  When, in the summer of 1862, Abraham Lincoln decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, his cabinet responded with
A.  A.  immense relief and joy.
B.  B.  the warning that such an action, unless accompanied by a military victory, would look like an act of desperation.
C.  C.  a discussion of the problems that would arise during Reconstruction when the nation had to decide how freed slaves would fit into the American society.
D.  D.  fear that European powers, seeing the move as a last ditch effort to save an already fatally weakened Union, would come into the war on the side of the Confederacy.
Answer: B
23.  Antietam was
A.  A.  the clear-cut victory that not only made it safe to issue the Emancipation Proclamation but ensured its acceptance.
B.  B.  a gruesome battle in which neither side gained any important advantage.
C.  C.  the only major battle of the war in which true tactical skill was on display in both armies.
D.  D.  yet another battle that the Confederates won, despite being outnumbered by Union forces.
Answer: B
24.  Which of the following was not a border state:
A.  A.  Maryland
B.  B.  Kentucky
C.  C.  Pennsylvania
D.  D.  Tennessee
Answer: C
25.  Following the passage of the Conscription Act,
A.  A.  many men paid substitutes to serve in their places.
B.  B.  despite grumbling, virtually every man drafted served.
C.  C.  there was a protest march in Washington.
D.  D.  black soldiers were finally given the same pay as white soldiers.
Answer: A
26.  The draft riot in New York City in 1863 was
A.  A.  a stirring protest against a basic breach in American civil rights.
B.  B.  a bloody assault on African America civilians, who were accused of causing the war the draftees would have to fight.
C.  C.  misnamed; rather than a riot, it was similar to the demonstrations of draft-resisters during the Vietnam War.
D.  D.  an assault on troop trains that seriously hampered the war effort.
Answer: B
27.  Once North and South were at war
A.  A.  all commerce between the regions ceased.
B.  B.  cotton was sold in huge quantities in Great Britain to pay for the purchase of arms.
C.  C.  the armies were so strong that they had no difficulty preventing illegal trade in cotton.
D.  D.  entrepreneurs seized the opportunity for lucrative clandestine trading in cotton.
Answer: D
28.  Once the Emancipation Proclamation was issued,
A.  A.  it was difficult for any European liberal not to support the Union's pledge to end human bondage.
B.  B.  Europeans were so sure the North was desperate that they prepared for a Confederate victory.
C.  C.  there was no question but that the British would cease supplying ships to the Confederates to be used to raid Union commerce.
D.  D.  even opponents of emancipation accepted the ending of slavery as inevitable.
Answer: A
29. Confederate cavalry leader who successfully attacked Grant's supply lines in the west, stealing horses, guns, and destroying supplies.
A.  A.  George B. McClellan
B.  B.  Edwin M. Stanton
C.  C.  Thomas J. Jackson
D.  D.  Nathan Bedford Forrest
Answer: D
30. Union Commander given two separate chances by Lincoln to lead the Army of the Potomac to victory, but failed.
A.  A.  George B. McClellan
B.  B.  Edwin M. Stanton
C.  C.  Thomas J. Jackson
D.  D.  Nathan Bedford Forrest
Answer: A
31. Confederate leader who was accidentally shot by his own men after Chancellorsville and subsequently died, leaving Robert E. Lee "without his right arm."
A.  A.  George B. McClellan
B.  B.  Edwin M. Stanton
C.  C.  Thomas J. Jackson
D.  D.  Nathan Bedford Forrest
Answer: C
32. Buchanon's  Attorney General and later Lincoln's Secretary of War.
A.  A.  George B. McClellan
B.  B.  Edwin M. Stanton
C.  C.  Thomas J. Jackson
D.  D.  Nathan Bedford Forrest
Answer: B
33. Nurse from Great Britain, responsible for the advancement of medical procedures whose influence was felt in the U.S. 
A.  A.  Harriet Tubman
B.  B.  Clara Barton
C.  C.  Julia Ward Howe
D.  D.  Florence Nightengale 
Answer: D
34. Former slave who worked on the underground railroad helping slaves escape to freedom in the North
A.  A.  Harriet Tubman
B.  B.  Clara Barton
C.  C.  Julia Ward Howe
D.  D.  Florence Nightengale 
Answer: A
35. She wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic and was paid $4 by the Atlantic Monthly
A.  A.  Harriet Tubman
B.  B.  Clara Barton
C.  C.  Julia Ward Howe
D.  D.  Florence Nightengale 
Answer: C
36. Through her influence with congressmen, she was directly responsible for reforms in army medicine, as she gathered medical supplies and set up field hospitals on Civil War battlefields.
A.  A.  Harriet Tubman
B.  B.  Clara Barton
C.  C.  Julia Ward Howe
D.  D.  Florence Nightengale 
Answer: B
37. The right to a fair trial and due process of law, suspended by Lincoln in the North during the war
A.  A.  Minie ball
B.  B.  Copperheads
C.  C.  habeas corpus
D.  D.  contrabands
E.  E.  bread riots
Answer: C
38. Term for confiscated weapons of war, but came to be used for all Black slaves freed by Union armies
A.  A.  Minie ball
B.  B.  Copperheads
C.  C.  habeas corpus
D.  D.  contrabands
E.  E.  bread riots
Answer: D
39. The leader of these Peace Democrats was Clement Vallandingham, and Lincoln had him banished to the Confederacy
A.  A.  Minie ball
B.  B.  Copperheads
C.  C.  habeas corpus
D.  D.  contrabands
E.  E.  bread riots
Answer: B
40. The name for a lead bullet in the Civil War
A.  A.  Minie ball
B.  B.  Copperheads
C.  C.  habeas corpus
D.  D.  contrabands
E.  E.  bread riots
Answer: A
41. Occurred in the South after inflation skyrocketed in the Confederacy
A.  A.  Minie ball
B.  B.  Copperheads
C.  C.  habeas corpus
D.  D.  contrabands
E.  E.  bread riots
Answer: E
42.  The first state to secede from the Union was
A.  A.  Alabama.
B.  B.  South Carolina.
C.  C.  Virginia.
D.  D.  North Carolina.
E.  E.  Mississippi.
Answer: B
43.  President Buchanan believed that
A.  A.  no state had the constitutional right to secede from the Union.
B.  B.  the federal government had no authority to stop a state from seceding from the Union.
C.  C.  both a and b
D.  D.  neither a nor b
Answer: C
44.  The Confederacy was formed
A.  A.  before Lincoln was inaugurated.
B.  B.  when all the states had seceded.
C.  C.  with President Buchanan's blessing.
D.  D.  in Washington, D.C.
E.  E.  in accordance with the requirements of the Crittenden Compromise
Answer: A
45.  The Crittenden Compromise
A.  A.  called for amending the Constitution, extending the Missouri Compromise Line of 1820, and avoiding an armed conflict between the states.
B.  B.  proposed a vote in each state on the matter of continuing slavery.
C.  C.  was generally supported by Republicans.
D.  D.  required the abandonment of the Missouri Compromise
E.  E.  was proposed by a coalition of Northerners and Southerners.
Answer: A
46.  In his inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln
A.  A.  offered to withdraw federal troops from Fort Sumter as a concession to the South.
B.  B.  suggested mediation by Great Britain.
C.  C.  declared that the Union was older than the Constitution.
D.  D.  all of the above
E.  E.  none of the above
Answer: E
47.  President Lincoln's handling of the Fort Sumter crisis included a decision to send
A.  A.  supplies to the beleaguered fort.
B.  B.  troops to the beleaguered fort.
C.  C.  both a and b
D.  D.  neither a nor b
Answer: A
48.  Following the surrender of Fort Sumter,
A.  A.  no more slave states left the Union.
B.  B.  some slave states decided to remain in the Union.
C.  C.  both a and b
D.  D.  neither a nor b
Answer: B
49.  Which military advantage did NOT lie with the North?
A.  A.  Its population was much larger.
B.  B.  Its transportation system was better.
C.  C.  It was united in its commitment to the war.
D.  D.  Its industrial base was stronger.
Answer: C
50.  The North sought to finance the Civil War by
A.  A.  printing money.
B.  B.  levying taxes.
C.  C.  issuing bonds.
D.  D.  all of the above
E.  E.  only a and b
Answer: D
51.  Which statement concerning the economy and economic policy of the North is the LEAST accurate?
A.  A.  For the first time the federal government levied an income tax.
B.  B.  Inflation was a serious problem.
C.  C.  The war was financed primarily by printing money.
D.  D.  new national banking system was put in place
E.  E.  The federal government issued currency not backed by gold or silver.
Answer: C
52.  As president, Lincoln
A.  A.  asked for a declaration of war.
B.  B.  increased the size of the army without the approval of Congress.
C.  C.  proclaimed a naval blockade of the South.
D.  D.  only b and c
E.  E.  only a and c
Answer: D
53.  The term "Copperheads" referred to
A.  A.  new federal coins.
B.  B.  incompetent military commanders.
C.  C.  Peace Democrats.
D.  D.  Southerners loyal to the North.
Answer: C
54.  The Emancipation Proclamation
A.  A.  followed a Union military defeat.
B.  B.  freed all slaves.
C.  C.  was passed by Congress.
D.  D.  all of the above
E.  E.  none of the above
Answer: E
55.  The Emancipation Proclamation
A.  A.  applied only to slaves in states over which the federal government had no direct control.
B.  B.  made it clear that the war would be fought to end slavery for good.
C.  C.  both a and b
D.  D.  neither a nor b
Answer: C
56.  During the Civil War, Northern industrial workers
A.  A.  rejected unions as damaging to the war effort.
B.  B.  at least did not have to face competition from foreign labor, because immigration had virtually ceased.
C.  C.  saw their purchasing power decline because of inflation.
D.  D.  fled to Canada and the western territories in increasing numbers.
E.  E.  organized anti-black societies at an alarming rat
Answer: C
57.  The government of the Confederacy was
A.  A.  organized in Richmond, Virginia, and remained there
B.  B.  organized in Montgomery and moved to Richmond.
C.  C.  organized in Richmond and moved to Montgomery.
D.  D.  organized in Montgomery and remained there
Answer: B
58.  The Union and the Confederacy were similar in
A.  A.  their political systems.
B.  B.  that they both drafted soldiers.
C.  C.  the methods each used to finance their war.
D.  D.  both a and b
E.  E.  all of the first three
Answer: D
59.  The Confederate constitution explicitly sanctioned
A.  A.  state sovereignty.
B.  B.  slavery.
C.  C.  secession.
D.  D.  both a and b
E.  E.  both b and c
Answer: D
60.  Jefferson Davis
A.  A.  was initially elected president of the Confederacy by a popular vote (of the people) and had been a strong proponent of secession before the war.
B.  B.  did not have opposition for the presidency of the Confederacy.
C.  C.  represented the old Southern aristocracy of the East Coast.
D.  D.  was able to provide strong leadership in a losing cause
Answer: C
61.  The Confederacy financed its war effort mainly by
A.  A.  selling bonds.
B.  B.  printing money.
C.  C.  foreign loans.
D.  D.  requisitioning money from the states.
E.  E.  an income tax.
Answer: B
62.  Which statement about the finances of the Confederacy is the MOST accurate?
A.  A.  By using cotton as collateral, the Confederacy was able to borrow large sums of money from European countries.
B.  B.  The Confederacy refused to challenge individual states by turning to an income tax.
C.  C.  To finance the war, the Confederacy first tried to requisition money from the states.
D.  D.  Inflation was a significant problem in the South, but it was a greater problem in the North.
E.  E.  The Confederacy did have serious financial problems, but the lack of a uniform currency was not one of them.
Answer: C
63.  Which statement about Confederate conscription is the LEAST accurate?
A.  A.  To win the war rapidly, the Confederacy moved to draft soldiers almost immediately.
B.  B.  Like their Northern counterparts, Southerners could avoid the draft by hiring a substitute.
C.  C.  Poor whites were angry enough about their plight to protest Confederate draft policies.
D.  D.  Owners of a set number of slaves could be exempt from the draft.
E.  E.  The Confederacy called for the drafting of slaves.
Answer: E
64.  The greatest division within the South over the war concerned
A.  A.  class differences.
B.  B.  states' rights issues.
C.  C.  tax policies.
D.  D.  racial tensions.
E.  E.  draft policies.
Answer: B
65.  President Lincoln understood that the proper objective of the Union armies was to
A.  A.  occupy Southern territory.
B.  B.  protect Washington, D.C.
C.  C.  destroy Southern armies.
D.  D.  control Southern ports.
E.  E.  divide the South between East and West.
Answer: A
66.  The Trent affair
A.  A.  saw the capture of Union diplomats.
B.  B.  pleased Lincoln.
C.  C.  saw a Union commander act on his own.
D.  D.  led England to extend diplomatic recognition to the Confederacy.
E.  E.  made up for the Alabama claims.
Answer: C
67.  The First Battle of Manassas
A.  A.  was a victory for the North.
B.  B.  was a victory for the South.
C.  C.  ended in a stalemate
D.  D.  did not dispel the illusion that the war would soon be over.
E.  E.  both b and d
Answer: B
68.  Which state was admitted to the Union during the Civil War?
A.  A.  Iowa
B.  B.  Minnesota
C.  C.  Wisconsin
D.  D.  West Virginia
E.  E.  Kansas
Answer: D
69.  The first decisive military operations of 1862 took place
A.  A.  in the West.
B.  B.  on the Gulf Coast.
C.  C.  around Washington, D.C.
D.  D.  along the East Coast.
E.  E.  in the North.
Answer: A
70.  General McClellan
A.  A.  was a superb trainer of men.
B.  B.  a fine field commander.
C.  C.  both a and b
D.  D.  neither a nor b
Answer: A
71.  Which statement about the Battle of Antietam is NOT true?
A.  A.  It was the bloodiest engagement of the war.
B.  B.  Technically, it was a Confederate victory.
C.  C.  The North lost an opportunity to destroy much of the Confederacy.
D.  D.  It led Lincoln to remove and then reinstate McClellan.
Answer: B
72.  In the Civil War, more soldiers died of bullet wounds than from any other cause.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: B
73.  The Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for slaves living in the states in rebellion.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
74.  Clement Vallandingham believed the Confederacy should remain a separate nation.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
75.  After the cabinet crisis of December 1862, Lincoln called for the resignation of Salmon P. Chase.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: B
76.  General Joseph Hooker was popular with soldiers in the Army of the Potomac because he arranged for better food and granted furloughs.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
77.  The Confederacy was organized before Lincoln was inaugurated.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
78.  President Buchanan did not believe that a state had the legal right to secede from the Union.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
79.  No additional states seceded from the Union once the war had begun at Ft. Sumter.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: B
80.  The material advantages of the North were obvious right from the start of the war.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
81.  The South was committed to fighting only a defensive war.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: B
82.  Opinion about the war was more divided in the North than in the South.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
83.  The North financed the Civil War primarily by borrowing money by way of issuing war bonds.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
84.  The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order, not a law passed by Congress.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: B
85.  The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to all of the states practicing slavery.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
86.  The Confederate constitution was almost identical to the Constitution of the United States.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
87.  The Confederacy financed the Civil War primarily by printing paper money.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
88.  The First Battle of Bull Run dealt a severe blow to Union morale and dispelled the illusion that the war would be a short one
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
89.  Both Antietam and Shiloh could be described as Union victories.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A
90. General McClellan was a great trainer of soldiers, but he was reluctant to commit those soldiers to battle.
A.  True
B.  False
C.
D.
Answer: A