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UPDATED US HISTORY 1 CLEP EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT VERIFIED ANSWERS
“All of the following were early explorers of North America EXCEPT A. Francisco Coronado. B. Robert La Salle. C. Samuel de Champlain. D. Francisco Pizarro.
E. Jacques Marquette. - CORRECT ANSWER (D) Francisco Pizarro explored Peru while
Francisco Coronado travelled through the area of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Robert La Salle and Jacques Marquette pursued the Mississippi River, and Samuel de Champlain explored the New England coast, Lake Champlain, and the Great Lakes." ""God has not been preparing the English-speaking and Teutonic peoples for a thousand years for nothing but vain, idle self-admiration. No! He has not made us the master organizers of the world to establish a system where chaos reigns. He has given us the spirit of progress to overwhelm the forces of reaction throughout the earth. He has made us adept in government that we may administer government among savage and senile peoples." The passage most nearly represents the philosophy of I. Manifest Destiny. II. American exceptionalism. III. Social Darwinism. A. I only. B. III only. C. I and III only. D. II and III only.
E. I, II, and III. - CORRECT ANSWER (E) The passage is taken from a speech by U.S. Senator
Albert Beveridge, an ardent imperialist, and represents a philosophy based on Manifest Destiny (I), American exceptionalism (II), and Social Darwinism (III). The doctrine of Manifest Destiny stated that it was the destiny of the United States to dominate and rule all of the American
continent. It was based on the belief that the American people and American democracy were superior to other peoples and governments in the Americas. This is related to the concept of American exceptionalism (II), which stated that America was God's chosen nation and Americans were God's chosen people. The two concepts went hand-in-hand, because if Americans were God's chosen people, then it was God's will that they should someday dominate North America, if not the rest of the world. When Darwin's ideas were published, hypothesizing survival of the fittest, many Americans quickly embraced them because they were easily translated into Social Darwinism, the belief that "superior" cultures will naturally come to dominate "inferior" cultures. This line of reasoning was used to establish "scientific" support for the concepts of Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism. Together they provided a compelling, even if distorted, rationale for American imperialism." "Which of the following was NOT involved in the "triangular trade" of the colonial period? A. Rum B. Molasses C. Cotton D. Slaves
E. Tobacco - CORRECT ANSWER (C) Cotton did not become a major product until the
invention of the cotton gin in the 1790s. Sugar or molasses was purchased in the West Indies and taken to New England where it was manufactured into rum. The rum was then traded in Africa for slaves. In other forms of the triangular trade, tobacco was a major product." "By February 1, 1861, which group of states had seceded from the Union? A. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina B. Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Florida C. Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia D. Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama
E. Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia - CORRECT ANSWER (A)
The first group of states to secede were Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and South Carolina. After Lincoln called up troops in April 1861, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia seceded. Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware were slave states that never seceded."
precedent it established was a procedure for a territory to become a state equal with all existing states. Popular sovereignty emerged later as a policy to allow states to decide for themselves whether to be slave or free." "The Pinckney Treaty with Spain in 1795 gave Americans the "right of deposit" at New Orleans. This meant that A. Americans could land goods at New Orleans and ship them out again without paying taxes. B. America had full trading rights with the Spanish. C. Americans could ship their goods in Spanish vessels. D. New Orleans became an American possession.
E. American banks could be established in New Orleans. - CORRECT ANSWER (A) The "right
of deposit" meant that Americans could land their goods at New Orleans and ship them out again without paying taxes. The treaty also opened the Mississippi to American shipping for three years and settled the boundary with Florida." "Which of the following books was likely to be found in the home of a colonial New Englander? A. The Scarlet Letter B. Walden C. Pilgrim's Progress D. The Holy Bible, Douay version
E. Moby-Dick - CORRECT ANSWER (C) Pilgrim's Progress was published by the English
Puritan John Bunyan in 1678 and 1684. The Douay version of The Bible was used by Roman Catholics, while Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Henry Thoreau's Walden, and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick were nineteenth century New England works." "The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 A. freed all slaves. B. freed slaves in the "border states." C. freed slaves in areas controlled by the Union army.
D. freed slaves in areas still in rebellion.
E. freed slaves in Washington, D.C. - CORRECT ANSWER (D) The Emancipation Proclamation
of January 1, 1863, freed slaves in areas still in rebellion. The Thirteenth Amendment (1865) abolished slavery entirely." "The Proclamation of 1763 A. ordered that settlement be stopped west of the peaks of the Appalachians. B. stated that those who broke the trade laws were to be tried in the admiralty courts. C. ended the French and Indian War. D. forbade trade with the French, Dutch, and Spanish West Indies.
E. established new taxes on trade. - CORRECT ANSWER (A) The Proclamation of 1763
ordered the ending of settlement west of the peaks of the Appalachians because of increasing problems with the Indians. The Peace of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War while the Sugar Act (1764) forbade trade with the non-English West Indies and required trials for those breaking the law to be held in Admiralty Courts, which had no juries. Numerous new taxes were placed on trade beginning in 1765." "The War of 1812 resulted in which of the following? A. New territory for the United States B. Resumption of the status quo prior to the war C. Defeat of the United States D. The strengthening of the Federalist party
E. Loss of United States territory - CORRECT ANSWER (B) The Treaty of Ghent (1814)
restored the antebellum status quo. Although the United States had attempted to take Canada, it had failed. Despite defeats in many battles and the burning of Washington, D.C., the U.S. was not defeated in the war. The Federalists, who opposed the war and were moving toward supporting secession of the Northeast, were seriously weakened when the war ended." "Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes
A. 1789
B. 1800
C. 1824
D. 1916
E. 1928 - CORRECT ANSWER (C) In the election of 1824, the members of the electoral college
were selected by popular vote for the first time. Despite the public's misconceptions, the American president is selected by the electoral college and not the popular vote. Prior to 1824 members of the electoral college were selected by some agency of state government and as a result, the American electorate had little direct say in presidential elections. Today, a candidate requires 270 out of 535 electoral votes to become president. Members of the electoral college are chosen on a state-by-state basis according to party affiliation with the candidate. Each state is granted the same number of electors as its membership in Congress. In a winner-take-all format, a vote for a presidential candidate really is a vote for his party's state candidates to the electoral college and an indication to the electors from your state as to your candidate of choice. The November presidential election really is an election of the electoral college who meet in December to select the president." "On the eve of Columbus's first arrival in 1492, the native Indian population of the Western Hemisphere is estimated at A. 1-5 million. B. 10-20 million. C. 25-40 million. D. 50-60 million.
E. 80-100 million. - CORRECT ANSWER (E) In recent years, students of population analysis,
demographers, have greatly revised the long accepted population estimates of James Mooney in 1925 for the Amerindian in pre-Colombian times. Mooney has estimated that less than 25 million Indians resided in the Americas around the year 1500. The main problem with Mooney's figures is that they were based primarily upon white European eyewitness accounts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today archaeological findings and sophisticated demographic analysis using the computer have established the Indian population of the Western Hemisphere at nearly 100 million prior to Columbus' arrival. It should be noted that the Indian population stood at its lowest ebb in America in 1886 when there were less than 250,000 Amerindians. In the 1980 census, the Amerindian population had grown to 1.2 million."
"The Articles of Confederation created for the 13 states A. a strong national government. B. a sound national economy. C. a league of friendship among 13 independent countries. D. the Bill of Rights.
E. interstate trade agreements. - CORRECT ANSWER (C) The Articles of Confederation
existed as the government of the United States from 1781 through 1788 when it was replaced by the United States Constitution. The Articles existed as a unicameral legislature in which each state had one vote. It was granted no coercive powers over the states and cannot be considered a national government, as it could not act directly on citizens. Because it could not raise taxes directly, but could only request moneys from the states, the Articles had little control over the states' finances. It paid for the war through an inflationary currency that at times was nearly worthless. After the war, the Articles proved unable to control interstate trade conflicts that led indirectly to the writing of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was not ratified until 1791, two years after the Articles had expired. At best, it kept the 13 states from dividing through the use of a common enemy, England, during the war." "During the winter of 1786, Shays' Rebellion indicated to most Americans A. the political dangers of the post-war recession. B. the weaknesses of state government. C. the need to reform the Articles of Confederation. D. the desperation of the yeoman farmer in America.
E. All of the above. - CORRECT ANSWER (E) In the immediate aftermath of the Revolutionary
War in 1783, the British sought to do economically what they had been unsuccessful at militarily. British merchants indebted Americans heavily by extending credit and then in 1785 demanding full payment in gold. American merchants demanded full payment from yeoman farmers and would not accept barter payment as tender. The result was that by 1786, 35 percent of American farmers were in danger of losing their farms through mortgages. The farmers of western Massachusetts requested aid from the state government and when none came took matters into their own hands. The angry farmers closed down the courts to stop foreclosure proceedings against farmers. Massachusetts requested aid from the Articles but the central government was
imperative to Hamilton that business interests be attracted to the national and not state governments. As a result, Hamilton demanded that the new national government assume the war debt of each individual state. In order to pay this sum, he proposed the raising of a revenue through customs duties and excise taxes. To conclude his plan, Hamilton sought to create a national bank with business leaders and government officials in the controlling interest. By these means, Hamilton sought to achieve his goal of uniting business leaders to the new national government during the 1790s. His program was directly opposed by Jefferson and Madison." "In the impeachment process against the president, the __________ determines the guilt or innocence of the president. A. House of Representatives B. Senate C. Supreme Court D. Cabinet
E. American people - CORRECT ANSWER (B) The impeachment process in American
government is actually a two-part process. In Article I, Section 2 (I, 2), the House of Representatives holds the sole right to initiate impeachment against a president. The House acts as a grand jury in this phase and its impeachment of a president only amounts to an announcement to the Senate that the second phase of the process must begin. According to I, 3, the Senate, with the chief justice of the Supreme Court presiding, begins a trial on the guilt or innocence of a president regarding the bill of impeachment. If found guilty, the president is removed from office. Thus, the Senate acts as a petit jury and determines innocence and guilt. Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth president, and Bill Clinton, the forty-second president, have been the only two presidents impeached by the House of Representatives (in 1867 and 1999, respectively). Neither one was removed from office by the Senate. President Richard Nixon was neither impeached nor removed from office by this process." "In James Madison's "Federalist Paper Number Ten," the most dangerous threat to the U.S. Constitution was presented by A. the president's war powers. B. factions. C. the Supreme Court. D. a standing army.
E. freedom of speech. - CORRECT ANSWER (B) According to most political scientists, James
Madison's Tenth Federalist ranks behind only the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as a document fundamental to American government. During the ratification contest over the Constitution in New York, Madison, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, authored a series of letters in defense of the Constitution that were signed under the pseudonym "Publius." It was Madison's Tenth letter that showed how the Constitution differed from all previous political systems in that it allowed for expansive freedom for its citizens, yet still provided an energetic government. According to Madison, however, the only serious threat to the Constitution would arise from a single interest group, or faction, becoming dominant in our government. Madison believed a large territory and diverse population would prevent that from ever occurring. Madison supported a strong president and Supreme Court, and authored the Bill of Rights in 1790-1791." "Spanish colonization of the New World was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT A. ruthless exploitation of the Indians. B. establishing African slavery in the Americas. C. reliance upon large families as settlers. D. introduction of the horse to America.
E. the creation of large agricultural plantations. - CORRECT ANSWER (C) The ideal colonial
for Spain was an unmarried young male bent on achieving sudden fame and wealth through military exploitation of the Indians. During the sixteenth century about 1,500 conquistadors arrived per year seeking only to gain a rapid fortune and return to Spain. To achieve this end, the conquistadors conquered the Indians through military force and exploited their labor as slaves on large plantations called adelatandos. Only after the Indian population succumbed did the Spanish introduce African slavery to the Americas through the efforts of Charles V and Las Casas. Prior to Columbus' arrival, there were no horses known to the Western Hemisphere." "Seventeenth-century English settlers of New England differed from those in Virginia by A. living shorter lives because of the harsh climate. B. importing large numbers of slaves. C. settling on isolated farms. D. living in tightly clustered communities.
E. King Philip's War - CORRECT ANSWER (E) King Philip's War in Massachusetts was not
part of the four great imperial wars between England and France for control of North America. (See Question 10 on King Philip's War.) Each of the other wars were fought for control of North America. Of the four wars, only the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) began in America and spread to Europe. In this final war, England and France fought for control of the Ohio Territory. The French were finally defeated and ceded all of Canada to England at the peace treaty. Thus, in 1763, England was the master of the entirety of North America for the first time. The other wars for the most part ended without conclusive victors: King William's War (1690-1697); Queen Anne's War (1702-1713); and King George's War (1744-1748)." "Colonial government in British North America did NOT allow A. universal manhood suffrage. B. bicameral legislatures. C. annual elections. D. for a republican form of government.
E. local units of government to exist. - CORRECT ANSWER (A) Colonial Americans believed
that the vote belonged only to those members of society who had a large stake in society's well being. As a result, they allowed only white adult males with sufficient property and in many cases the correct religion to vote. In order to vote in most colonies, one had to be white, male, 21 years or older, a property owner, and a Protestant. These electoral qualifications disenfranchised all blacks, women, non-Protestants, and poor from being politically active through the vote. Annual elections were the rule for the lower legislative houses; local government and county government were very active throughout the colonial period; bicameral legislatures were the norm for the colonies; all 13 colonies claimed to have created a republican form of government to replicate that of England's." "James Otis earned fame for his defense of American political freedom in A. his book, Common Sense. B. the Writs of Assistance case. C. the Virginia House of Burgesses. D. the Second Continental Congress.
E. the Boston Tea Party. - CORRECT ANSWER (B) In 1761, the young Massachusetts lawyer
James Otis burst across the political horizon with his assault on the general search warrants
issued to British customs officials in the Writs of Assistance case. Since 1760, England had sought a method to curb colonial smuggling and New England trade with France during the Seven Years' War. The issuance of the writs allowed officials to ransack private homes searching for evidence. In arguing against the writs, Otis advanced the view that an act of Parliament was subject to review by the higher law of the English Constitution. Otis lost the case, but advanced a view of higher law and constitutions that most Americans came to accept. Thomas Paine was the author of Common Sense. Otis never spoke in Virginia and during the 1770s was to play a minimal political role because of diminishing psychological faculties." "The Boston Massacre occurred after which of the following events? A. The Intolerable Acts B. The Townshend Duties C. The First Continental Congress D. The Battle of Lexington and Concord
E. The Boston Tea Party - CORRECT ANSWER (B) Taking place in March 1770, the Boston
Massacre occurred AFTER the Townshend Duties of 1767. All other events took place after 1770: Boston Tea Party (1773); First Continental Congress (1774); Intolerable Acts (1774); and the Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775). The massacre itself was a relatively small, local incident involving Boston dock workers and British soldiers that resulted in seven Bostonians being shot. However, the radicals used the incident to their advantage and propagandized the event into a major blow against American freedom." "I am directly opposed to any purpose of secession. The Constitution was made, not merely for the generation which then existed, but for posterity, undefined, unlimited, permanent, and perpetual... and for every subsequent state which might come into the Union, binding themselves by that indissoluble bond. The passage most nearly represents the views of I. Henry Clay. II. John C. Calhoun. III. Daniel Webster. A. I only. B. II only. C. I and II only.
A. near total defeat of Washington by Howe. B. securing America an alliance with France. C. the first signs of Benedict Arnold's treason. D. being the first battle in the South.
E. the splitting of the American states in half by the Howe brothers. - CORRECT ANSWER (B)
The major victory of the Americans at Saratoga did much to convince the French to join in an alliance with the Americans against England. According to our French ambassador, Benjamin Franklin, the French were hesitant to assist the Americans because they saw little hope for an American military victory over England. However, General Gates' victory over General Burgoyne gave the Americans new hope and the desperately needed French alliance and loan. Now England faced a war on two fronts. Saratoga was the turning point in the military phase of the American Revolution. Neither Washington nor Howe participated at the Battle of Saratoga which took place in New York." "At the Philadelphia Convention of 1788, the author of the Great Compromise to the U.S. Constitution was A. Patrick Henry. B. John Adams. C. Thomas Jefferson. D. Roger Sherman.
E. James Madison. - CORRECT ANSWER (D) Roger Sherman was the author of the Great
Compromise at the Philadelphia Convention. The issue at hand was the proposed Virginia Plan versus the New Jersey Plan at the Convention. The delegates were equally divided between support of the Virginia Plan (a legislature based on population and favoring the large/populous states) and the New Jersey Plan (a legislature granting each state an equal vote and favoring the small states). This division resulted in a deadlock and threatened the ability to produce a new government for the nation. The deadlock was broken when Sherman proposed the creation of a two house (bicameral) legislature/congress, with the Senate based on the New Jersey Plan (two senators per state) and the House of Representatives based on the Virginia Plan (one representative per 25,000 inhabitants). With the approval of the compromise, the 55 delegates were able to produce the U.S. Constitution. Patrick Henry, as an Antifederalist, never attended the Convention. Adams and Jefferson also were not in attendance as they were serving overseas as
America's ambassadors to England and France, respectively. James Madison, as one of the authors of the Virginia Plan, did not author the Compromise." "During the ratification contest, the Antifederalist critique of the proposed U.S. Constitution contained all of the following arguments EXCEPT A. the lack of a written Bill of Rights. B. the lack of a popular vote for the presidency. C. the location of the new government in Washington, D.C. D. the powers of the Supreme Court.
E. the large territory of the United States. - CORRECT ANSWER (C) The Antifederalists never
voiced concern in 1788-1789 over the location of the government in Washington, D.C. because it was not proposed as the new seat of government until 1790 with the accepted Constitution already in operation. During the newspaper debates over the Constitution, the Antifederalists expressly and vehemently denounced the powers of the Supreme Court as too broad and that the national court would overshadow the state courts under the Constitution. These opponents of the Constitution also feared the indirect election of the president through the electoral college system as one that would encourage plots and conspiracies. Finally, the two gravest defects of the Constitution in the eyes of the Antifederalists were that it did not guarantee the rights of its citizens in writing (ultimately, this complaint would lead to the Bill of Rights as the first 10 amendments to the Constitution) and that no single republican form of government could effectively rule over such a large territory as the original American states." "Opposition to the Jay Treaty in the U.S. Senate centered around A. the opening of American trade with the West Indies. B. the British refusal to withdraw troops from American soil. C. the settlement of American debts to British merchants. D. its inability to stop the practice of British impressment.
E. None of the above. - CORRECT ANSWER (D) In 1794, George Washington appointed John
Jay as special ambassador to negotiate a treaty with Great Britain. Because of his lack of diplomatic leverage, Jay secured a treaty in which England agreed only to the removal of British troops from American soil. England refused to allow the Americans open trade with the West Indies and refused to stop the impressment of American sailors (a practice whereby Americans virtually were kidnapped into serving 10-20 year terms in the British navy). Revolutionary War
Instead, they were advised to keep the home as their domain and only take a half-step toward public life." ""John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it," refers to which Supreme Court decision scorned by President Andrew Jackson? A. Gibbons v. Ogden B. McCulloch v. Maryland. C. Dred Scott Case D. Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
E. Marbury v. Madison - CORRECT ANSWER (D) In 1832, Jackson is said to have uttered these
words in reaction to Chief Justice Marshall's decision in the case of the Cherokee Nation v. Georgia. Although Marshall rejected the Cherokee nation's argument that they existed as a "nation within a nation," he nonetheless ruled that the Cherokees could not be legally moved from their lands as the state of Georgia desired. The Cherokees were finally removed in 1837- along the Trail of Tears. In this case, Jackson reminded the Court that its power was totally dependent upon the Executive branch's willingness to enforce the law. In Gibbons (1824), the Court ruled on commerce; in McCulloch (1819), the court ruled on the superior power of the national government over the states; Dred Scott (1857) was a decision by Roger Taney on slavery; and Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the power of judicial review." "Andrew Jackson referred to the Election of 1824 as "the corrupt bargain" because of A. the Whig election smear campaign against him. B. wide-scale fraud in the popular vote. C. the selection of Henry Clay as President John Quincy Adams' secretary of state. D. the Senate's choice of John Quincy Adams as president.
E. the lack of a popular vote for the electoral college. - CORRECT ANSWER (C) In 1824, no
candidate received a clear majority in the electoral college. Although Jackson had outpolled his nearest rival in the popular vote, 43 percent to 30 percent, the House of Representatives still selected the second candidate, John Quincy Adams, over Jackson. Jackson became outraged when he discovered that Henry Clay, a presidential candidate, swung his support to Adams and was named secretary of state by Adams. Jackson was convinced that a deal had been struck and the popular vote denied. Jackson never discussed fraudulent voting practices and the Whig party was not identified with campaign smears during this election."
"Andrew Jackson's impact on the office of the presidency is characterized by a reliance on A. the veto as a political weapon. B. a "kitchen cabinet." C. the spoils system. D. public opinion.
E. All of the above. - CORRECT ANSWER (E) Andrew Jackson had the single greatest impact
on the office of the presidency of any president other than Washington during the nineteenth century. Jackson completely transformed the office from a pawn of political parties to a strong and independent force in American government and politics. He established his power through the use of the veto (i.e., the Maysville Veto, the veto of the Second Bank of the United States, etc.) as an offensive rather than defensive political weapon. In addition, he was able to bypass both congressional and party control of his Cabinet by appointing an unofficial inner circle of top advisors called "the kitchen cabinet." Jackson also used his power to appoint civil servants for the federal government with a vengeance and replaced earlier office holders with officials who were personally loyal to him, creating the "spoils system." Finally, Jackson skillfully used public opinion to back his policies whenever he felt it was required, as in his struggles with Nicholas Biddle over the Second Bank of the United States." "The historian most associated with the view of slavery as crushing African-Americans into a "sambo personality" is A. Herbert Aptheker. B. George Fitzhugh. C. Harriet Beecher Stowe. D. Eugene Genovese.
E. Stanley Elkins. - CORRECT ANSWER (E) In 1961, Stanley Elkins published his controversial
work Slavery. In this study, Elkins likened the conditions of blacks under slavery to Jewish inmates of Nazi concentration camps during World War II. According to Elkins, the American system of slavery relied upon physical and psychological torture of African-Americans to such a degree that it crushed them psychologically and produced the "Sambo personality"—infantile- like adults who lacked strong self-esteem and initiative and who often adopted the views of white racism as their own internal values of self-hate. Herbert Aptheker was a Marxist scholar who advanced the view of slaves as heroic rebels. George Fitzhugh was the Southern champion of
