Alabama High School Graduation Exam: Social Studies

Standard I: The student will understand the global influence of the pre-colonial and colonial eras of the Western
Hemisphere.

1. What European movement resulted in exposure to Middle Eastern and Asian goods after a failed attempt to take
away the Holy Lands from Muslims? Crusades

2. What European movement resulted in new art, technology, and a return to Classical learning? Renaissance

3. What European movement resulted in the rise of the protestant religion (it started as a conflict within the Catholic
Church)? Reformation

4. What terms are used to describe the exchange of goods between Europe and the Americas after Columbus's
discovery? Columbian Exchange

5. What were the Spanish explorers called who searched for "God, gold, and glory"? Conquistadors

6. What was the name of the first European settlement in America (it was Spanish)? St. Augustine

7. What was the first successful English settlement in the New World (1607)? Jamestown

8. What was the legislature of the Virginia colony called (the first representative government in the New World)?
House of Burgesses

9. What was the main reason for protest by American colonists against British rule? Taxation without representation

10. What war put the English into debt and forced them to tax their colonies in America? French and Indian War

11. What acts were enforced by the English that forced the colonies to only trade with Britain? (1760's) the Navigation
Acts

12. What occurred in 1770 that resulted in 5 colonists being shot and killed by British troops in Boston? Boston
Massacre

13. In 1773 Bostonians protested the Tea Act by staging what famous event? Boston Tea Party

14. The first skirmishes of the Revolutionary War occurred in what two towns? Lexington and Concord

Standard II: The student will understand the formation and development of the United States.

1. What famous English document (signed in 1215 by King John I) was the inspiration for representative government
and protection of individual rights? Magna Carta

2. Jefferson used this idea by John Locke in the Declaration of Independence, which allows for a people to overthrow
its rulers if their natural rights are no longer being protected. Social Contract Theory

3. Who was the English philosopher who greatly influenced Jefferson as he wrote the Declaration of Independence?
John Locke

4. What French philosopher came up with the idea of a three-branch government? Montesquieu

5. What religious movement occurred in the 1730s and 1740s in the colonies? Great Awakening

6. What was the first meeting called when 12 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia to discuss problems with the
British (and take action)? First Continental Congress

7. What group called for Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence and called for a Continental Army to deal
with the British? Second Continental Congress

8. What document was sent to the British informing them of colonial independence? Declaration of Independence

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9. What was the first government of the United States.? Articles of Confederation

10. What famous convention was held to replace the Articles of Confederation with a more centralized government?
Constitutional Convention

11. What was the solution to the problem of representation that created a House of Representatives and the Senate at
the Constitutional Convention called? Great Compromise

12. What was the solution to the problem of how to count slaves for representation purposes? Three-fifths Compromise

13. The Constitution allows for power to be shared between the national government and the states. What kind of
system is this? Federalism or Federal System

14. The opening paragraph of the Constitution ("We the people...") is called what? Preamble

15. The Constitution calls for a three-branch government creating a separation of what? Powers

16. What is the clause called which gives Congress broad powers to create laws? Elastic Clause

17. A word for word interpretation of the Constitution is called... Strict Construction

18. A broad interpretation of the Constitution is called... Loose Construction

19. Which amendment abolished slavery? 13th

20. Which amendment guarantees protection of the laws for all citizens? 14th

21. Which amendment gave the vote to African American males? 15th

22. Which amendment gave the vote to women? 19th

23. What were the series of essays written by Jay, Hamilton, and Madison encouraging the passage of the Constitution?
The Federalist Papers

24. What addition was made to the Constitution giving further protection for individual rights? Bill of Rights

25. Which amendment guarantees freedom of press, religion, speech, and assembly? 1st

26. What two political parties emerged after the debate over ratification of the Constitution? Federalists and
Democratic-Republicans

27. Who developed the economic plan for the U.S. during the 1790's? Alexander Hamilton

28. Who warned Americans about competing political parties in his farewell address? George Washington

29. Who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court for 34 years and helped shape a powerful national government?
John Marshall

30. What famous Supreme Court ruling established judicial review? Marbury v. Madison

Standard III: The student will understand the eras of revolution, expansion, and reform prior to the U.S. Civil
War.

1. What act of colonial protestation resulted in the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts being passed by the British parliament?
Boston Tea Party

2. What American colonist gave the famous speech stating, "give me liberty or give me death?" Patrick Henry

3. Who served as the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War? George Washington

4. Who was the leader of the Sons of Liberty? Samuel Adams

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5. Who made the famous ride warning colonists that the "Redcoats were coming"? Paul Revere

6. What battle was the turning point in the Revolutionary War (resulting in France becoming our ally)? Saratoga

7. Where were Washington's troops encamped during the harsh winter of 1777-1778? Valley Forge

8. What was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War (Cornwallis surrendered to Washington)? Yorktown

9. What was the treaty called which gave the U.S. its independence from Great Britain? Treaty of Paris 1783

10. The U.S. fought the British again in what war? War of 1812

11. What law was passed by Jefferson that disallowed trade with other nations (including Britain) and led to the War of
1812? Embargo Act

12. What term was used to describe the British navy forcing Americans into service? impressment

13. What ordinance was passed in 1785 that divided territory in the old northwest into townships? Land Ordinance of
1785

14. What ordinance passed in 1787 disallowed slavery in the old northwest? Northwest Ordinance

15. What action allowed Jefferson to double the size of the U.S. in 1803? Louisiana Purchase

16. Who did Jefferson hire to explore the west? Lewis & Clark

17. The post-War of 1812 years were called what (because of prosperity, one political party, etc.)? Era of Good
Feelings

18. What year did Alabama become a state? 1819

19. What was Henry Clay’s plan to create road and canal building projects around the U.S.? the American System

20. What congressional agreement allowed Missouri to become a slave state and Maine to become a free state? This
same agreement forbade slavery north of the 36°30’ of latitude (parallel)? Missouri Compromise

21. What action stated that the U.S. would not allow further European colonization of the Americas? Monroe Doctrine

22. What law by Andrew Jackson forced the five civilized tribes of the southeast to evacuate? Indian Removal Act

23. What event resulted in the Cherokees marching at gunpoint from GA to OK (1838)? Trail of Tears

24. List four major trails used by settlers in the western part of the U.S.. Santa Fe, Oregon, Mormon, California

25. What attracted many settlers to California beginning in 1849? The Gold Rush

26. Describe the southern economy before the Civil War. Agriculture: mainly cotton

27. Describe the northern economy before the Civil War. Balanced: industrial and agricultural

28. What country did Texas gain its independence from in 1836? Mexico

29. What was the U.S. belief that God intended Americans to gain control of all land between the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans? Manifest Destiny

30. Why did the U.S. fight Mexico (the Mexican-American War) in 1846-1848? Land acquisition (California and
New Mexico territories)

31. What famous meeting in 1848 called for women to demand greater equality and opportunity in the U.S.? Seneca
Falls Convention

32. Who hosted this convention? Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

33. What white abolitionist from Massachusetts produced The Liberator? William Lloyd Garrison

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34. What black abolitionist from Maryland produced The North Star? Frederick Douglass

35. What was the purpose of the Underground Railroad? To aid the escaped slaves

36. What black woman used the Underground Railroad to help liberate hundreds of slaves? Harriet Tubman

37. During the reform period of the 1830s and 1840s temperance (or abstinence or freedom from) was a popular
movement. What was the temperance movement against? alcohol consumption

38. What woman led reform in prisons and in mental institutions in the U.S.? Dorothea Dix

40. What religious movement in the early 1800s influenced people to help others (leading to all of these reform
movements)? Second Great Awakening

41. What were the communities called which tried to make a "perfect society"? Utopian communities

42. What War of 1812 battle resulted in the protection of Baltimore and Francis Scott Key's inspiring "Star Spangled
Banner"? Ft. McHenry

43. In what War of 1812 battle did Jackson defeat the Creek Indians in AL? Horseshoe Bend

45. In what War of 1812 battle did Jackson defeat the British after a truce was called? New Orleans

46. One of the results of the War of 1812 was a growth in the love people felt towards their county. What is this known
as? nationalism

47. Which Supreme Court case (while John Marshall was the Chief Justice) insured that the national government
controlled interstate commerce? Gibbons v. Ogden

48. Which Supreme Court case (under Marshall) ruled that the national bank was in fact constitutional (or legal)?
McCulloch v. Maryland

49. Who’s “common man ideal” sought to extend rights to more people: Andrew Jackson

50. What president gets credit for establishing the spoils system (which allowed a governmental official to appoint
friends and supporters to office)? Andrew Jackson

51. South Carolina's attempt to void the Tariff of 1832 was called the... Nullification Crisis

52. Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau were writers of what movement that stressed humans should look to themselves
for the answers as to how best to live? Transcendentalism

Standard IV: The student will understand concepts related to the United States Civil War Era.

1. What congressional solution made California a free state and gave popular sovereignty to the New Mexico and Utah
territories? Compromise of 1850

2. What part of the solution in the Compromise of 1850 upset many northerners (there were five parts of this solution)?
Fugitive Slave Law

3. What act supported by Stephen Douglas gave popular sovereignty to two territories just west of Missouri? Kansas-
Nebraska Act

4. What political party was formed in the 1850's that believed that slavery should not be allowed to spread to new
territories (also, it is known as the party of Lincoln)? Republican

5. What famous court case upheld the right of slave owners as property holders and said no black person, free or slave,
had any rights? Scott v. Sanford (Dred Scott decision)

6. Who led raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry in an attempt to start a slave revolt? John Brown

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7. Who won the presidential election in 1860 (his election led Southern states to secede, or leave the Union)? Abraham
Lincoln

8. What did Southerners call their knew nation? The Confederate States of America; Confederacy; CSA

9. Where was the first capital of the CSA? Montgomery Where did they move the capital to? Richmond, Virginia

9. What state was the first to secede from the Union in 1860? South Carolina

10. What county in Alabama never seceded from the Union? Winston County

11. What state was actually split over the decision to secede and eventually became two states? Virginia (West
Virginia)

12. What act passed by the Republican dominated congress (during the Civil War) gave large land grants to states from
the federal government and allowed settlers on that land to get 150 acres for free? Homestead Act

13. What act passed by the Republican dominated congress (during the Civil War) gave large land grants to states from
the federal government to create colleges? Morill Land Grant Act

14. What did Lincoln pass on Jan. 1, 1863 granting freedom to slaves in the Confederate states in rebellion?
Emancipation Proclamation

15. What did Lincoln suspend during the Civil War, depriving many citizens of their civil rights? Writ of Habeas
Corpus

16. What was the first major battle of the Civil War? First Bull Run (Manassass)

17. What battle resulted in the single bloodiest day of the Civil War? Antietam

18. What major three-day battle did the Confederates (under Lee) lose in Pennsylvania (it is considered on of the
turning points of the Civil War)? Gettysburg

19. What battle in Mississippi resulted in a complete blockade of the south by the Union (it is considered on of the
turning points of the Civil War? Vicksburg

20. What Union general captured Atlanta and continued southeast to Savannah destroying everything in his path?
General Tecumseh Sherman What was the march known as? Sherman’s March to the Sea

21. What famous speech was given by Lincoln at a consecration ceremony where he reminded Americans of the basic
ideal, "All men are created equal?" Gettysburg Address

22. Where did Robert E. Lee surrender to Grant in 1865? Appomattox Courthouse

23. What was the program called that returned southern states to the Union, rebuilt the South's infrastructure, and
attempted to protect the rights of free blacks? Reconstruction

24. What were the laws called passed by southern states attempting to control freedmen and keeping them in a
subservient position? Black Codes

25. What were northerners called who moved to the South, voted Republican, and were scorned by southerners after the
Civil War? Carpetbaggers

26. What were southerners called who voted Republican after the Civil War? Scalawags

27. What southern secret society emerged during the Reconstruction that harassed, tormented, and killed blacks
demanding equality? Ku Klux Klan

28. What man served as president during Reconstruction and whose legacy (as president) is remembered as being very
corrupt? President Grant

29. What congressional solution resulted in Hayes winning the presidential election in 1876 and Reconstruction
ending? Compromise of 1877

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30. What were the laws called passed in southern states after Reconstruction that stripped African Americans of basic
rights like voting? Jim Crow Laws

31. What type of farming existed in the south after the war where farmers rented land to grow crops? Tenant farming

32. What type of farming existed in the south after the war where farmers were forced to share crops with landowners
as a form of rent payment? Sharecropping

Standard V: The student will understand the concepts and developments of the late 19th to the early 20th
centuries.

1. What animal was hunted and heavily relied upon by Plains Indians (it was nearly hunted to extinction by whites)?
buffalo

2. What 19th century technological innovation led to the rapid settlement of the western territories? railroads

3. Many Native Americans were forced to live on... reservations

4. Custer and his cavalry were destroyed by the _____ at the Battle of _______________. Sioux, Little Big Horn

5. Who was the leader of the Sioux nation at the above battle? Sitting Bull

6. What event resulted in over 200 unarmed Sioux being massacred by U.S. troops in 1890? Massacre at Wounded
Knee

7. List three complaints of farmers in the late 1800s. decline in crop prices, tariffs, deflation

8. How did the farmers organize themselves to fight big business? Farmer's Alliance

9. What was the name given to the farmers who organized themselves politically during this period? The Grange

10. Who invented the light bulb and electric generators? Thomas Edison

11. Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell

12. What types of industry was Alabama involved in during the late 1800s? steel, iron, coal, lumber

13. What were the captains of industry referred to during the late 1800s? Robber Barons

14. List three important captains of industry during this time period. Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt

15. What theory that said some people were more adapted to business success was used to promote competition in the
marketplace? Social Darwinism

16. What idea was promoted by Andrew Carnegie that stated the wealthy should give back riches to the community?
Gospel of Wealth

17. What novelist wrote many fictional stories promoting the "rags to riches" theme? Horatio Alger

18. What types of labor problems did early unions try to correct? unsafe working conditions, low wages, shorter
working hours

19. What was the movement in the early 20th century called which promoted change in government, business, and
social welfare? Progressivism

20. What did Theodore Roosevelt call journalists who were intent on exposing corruption at the turn of the century?
Muckrakers

21. What novel was highly acclaimed for exposing problems in the meatpacking industry? The Jungle

22. What journalist wrote an expose on Standard Oil? Ida Tarbell

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23. Who was the African-American who encouraged blacks to seek social justice and equality and was an early leader
of the NAACP? W.E.B. DuBois

24. What was the movement called that DuBois lead? Niagara Movement

25. Who was the African American who encouraged blacks to learn a trade and also founded the Tuskegee Institute in
1881? Booker T. Washington

26. What African American man was famous for his work as an agricultural scientist? George Washington Carver

27. What famous Supreme Court decision upheld segregation in 1896? Plessy v. Ferguson

28. What amendment to the Constitution introduced an income tax? 16th

29. What amendment made the election of senators by popular vote? 17th

30. What amendment introduced prohibition as a national law? 18th

31. What president introduced important conservation methods to preserve millions of acres of western lands?
Theodore Roosevelt

32. What act was passed during Wilson's tenure that was intended to break up monopolies? Clayton Anti-Trust Act

33. How did Wilson change the banking system in the United States in 1913? Established the Federal Reserve System

34. What commission was set up by Wilson to monitor the practices of businesses? Federal Trade Commission

35. What four parties entered a candidate for president in 1912? Republicans, Progressive, Democrats, Socialists

36. The candidates in 1912 were …. Republican = Taft; Democrat = Wilson; Progressive; Progressive = Roosevelt;
Socialist = Eugene V. Debs.

37. Which candidate won the election of 1912? Wilson

38. Which inventions in the late 1800s encouraged the settlement of the west? Steel plow, windmill, mechanical reaper,
and barbed wire/

Standard VI: The student will understand the causes and effects of World War I.

1. The United States joined European nations in a race to conquest smaller, "uncivilized" nations and to gain access to
their resources and markets. This was known as _________. Imperialism

2. What territory was annexed by the U.S. in the Pacific Ocean in 1898? Hawaii

3. What war did the U.S. become involved in 1898 ? Spanish-American War

4. What name was given to the sensationalistic journalism that served as a major cause of the Spanish-American War?
yellow journalism

5. What group of volunteers did T. Roosevelt lead in the famous charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill? Rough Riders

6. What territory did the U.S. gain control over as a result of the defeat of the Spanish? Philippines, Guam, & Puerto
Rico What territory did the U.S. help liberate from Spain? Cuba

7. President Roosevelt led the movement to build what canal in Central America? Panama Canal The Alabama
Doctor who helped wipe out yellow fever in Panama was … William Gorgas

8. What addendum to the Monroe Doctrine was made by Roosevelt justifying American intervention in the South
American nations in trouble? Roosevelt Corollary

9. The United States wanted an _________________ with China which would have allowed open trade. The Open Door
Policy

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10. What were the long term causes of the First World War? Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism
(M.A.I.N.)

11. What was the immediate cause of WWI? The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria

12. Why did the U.S. enter the war? Sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmerman Note

13. What types of technological innovations were used in WWI? Tank, submarine, poison gas, airplanes

14. What treaty ended WWI? Treaty of Versailles

15. What was the purpose of imperialism? To expand your country’s power

16. What type of fighting took place in World War I? trench warfare

17. Who were the Central Powers? Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire

18. Who were the Allied Powers? France, Britain, U.S., Russia, Italy

19. What acts contributed to the Nativist hatred of immigrants especially during and after WWI and denied people the
right of freedom of speech? Espionage and Sedition Acts

20. Name several groups of people who benefited from the diminished workforce during WWI. Women, African-
Americans, Mexican Americans

21. Which country refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles because the League of Nations was included in it? United
States

22. Name the organization in which the nations of the world would join together to ensure security and peace for all
members. League of Nations

23. An intense fear of communism and other extreme ideas that gripped the U.S. during the 1920s. Red Scare

13. Trial in which two immigrants were given an unfair trial due to their ethnic background and were eventually put to
death. Sacco and Vanzetti

14. Name of the summer in 1919 in which race riots erupted in about 25 cities nationwide. Red Summer

15. By 1922, this organization's membership had grown to about 100,000 and by 1924 to 4 million. Ku Klux Klan

16. Migration of blacks from the South to the North for jobs. Great Migration

17. A number limit set up by laws to limit annual immigration. Quota

18. This type of immigration was banned altogether in the 1920s. Asian immigration

19. List several technological innovations in the 1920s. Cars, planes, home appliances

20. African American literary awakening of the 1920s. Harlem Renaissance

21. African American author of "Their Eyes were Watching God", Zora Neale Hurston

22. List three leading poets/writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes

23. This type of music grew out of African American music in the south, especially ragtime and blues. Jazz

24. What type of age is the 1920s referred to as? Jazz Age

25. Illegal bars that flourished during prohibition. Speakeasies

26. Case over the teaching the theory of evolution in the classroom. Scopes Trial

27. During the 1920s women began to demand more rights. Which woman argued women needed birth control rights?
Margaret Sanger

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28. Considered one of the founders of the blues movement (from Alabama) …. W.C. Handy

Standard VII: The student will understand the Great Depression and World War II.

1. During the Great Depression, this made farmers unable to repay their debts for land and machinery. Falling farm
prices

2. Allowed investors to purchase a stock for only a fraction of its price (10-15%) and borrow the rest. Buying on
margin

3. The severe economic decline that lasted from 1929 until the U.S.'s entry into WWII in 1941. Great Depression

4. Houses made out of cardboard paper or scrap metal. Hoovervilles

5. A region in the Great Plains where drought and dust storms took place for much of the 1930s. Dust Bowl

6. Several of the problems faced by people during the Great Depression were … unemployment, homelessness, hunger,
malnutrition, depression

6. During his first 100 days Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) pushed this program in an attempt to end the Great
Depression. The New Deal

7. This New Deal program insured bank deposits up to $5,000. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

8. This public works project was created in 1933 to help farmers and create jobs and hydroelectric power in Tennessee
and North Alabama. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

9. This program put over 2.5 million unmarried men to work. In state and national parks. Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC)

10. This program gave jobs building or improving roads, parks, airports, and other facilities to the unemployed. Civil
Works Administration

11. This program provided old-age pensions, disability payments and unemployment benefits. Social Security

12. FDR created this in response to critics who said he was not doing enough for ordinary Americans. The Second New
Deal

13. FDR attempted to reassure Americans by giving speeches on the Radio known as … fireside chats

14. During the Great Depression, these were used to attempt to make people feel better about their conditions … radio
programs and movies

15. Name the Axis Powers in WWII. Germany, Italy, Japan

16. Name the Allies. U.S., Britain, France, USSR

17. Giving in to someone's demands in order to keep peace. Appeasement (appease)

18. Conference in which Britain and France agreed (appease) to let Hitler (the leader of Germany) have the
Sudetenland. Munich Conference

19. On Sept. 1, 1939, Hitler invaded this country. This event is usually considered the beginning of WWII. Poland

20. A German tactic in which tanks, soldiers, and moving trucks rapidly attack and are there before the enemy has time
to react. Blitzkrieg

21. This country began to expand in the Pacific, controlling most of China by 1940. Japan

22. On Dec. 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked.... Pearl Harbor. This attack brought the U.S. into WWII.

23. Women participated in the war effort by participating in … the workforce, as nurses, and in the military

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24. The first place the United States took an openly active role in combat during WWII was in … North Africa

25. This battle in the Soviet Union was the turning point of the war in Europe. Stalingrad

26. Leader of the U.S. during the war. F. Roosevelt

27. Leader of the USSR during the war. Stalin

28. Leader of Germany during the war. Hitler

29. Leader of Great Britain during the war. Churchill

30. Leader of Italy during the war. Mussolini

31. After this battle, Japan was unable to launch any more offensive operations in the Pacific. It is considered the
turning point in the war against Japan. Midway

32. Japanese suicide planes. Kamikazes

33. Top secret project to create the atomic bomb. Manhattan Project

34. U.S. military leader in Europe. Eisenhower

35. U.S. military leader in the Pacific. McArthur

36. Places where prisoners of war and political prisoners are confined, usually under harsh conditions. Concentration
camps

37. What was the mass killing of millions of Jews and other groups by Germany’s Nazis known as? The Holocaust

38. What happened to thousands of Japanese-Americans during WWII in the United States? They lost all their property
and were forced to live in internment camps

39. During WWII, Americans were asked to conserve food and fuel in a policy known as … rationing.

40. The United States government collected millions of dollars to fight WWII by selling ….. war bonds.

41. Where did the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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