American History

1. American History 2013 Semester Exam Study Guide

2. America’s Founding Documents

3. What are the age, citizenship, and residency requirements to be a U.S. Senator? How often are elections? • 30 years old • Citizen for 9 years • Resident of the state you are representing • 6 years

4. What are the age, citizenship, and residency requirements to be a member of the U.S. House of Representatives? How often are elections? • 25 years old • Citizen for 7 years • Resident of the state you are representing • 2 years

5. What are the age and citizenship requirements to be President of the United States? How often are elections? • 35 years old • Natural born U.S. citizen • 4 years • 2 term limit

6. What was Baron de Montesquieu’s major contribution to political thought? • Separation of power among three branches of government • Checks and balances

7. In what document are Montequieu’s theories put into practice? • U.S. Constitution

8. What did philosophers of the Enlightenment rely on to understand the world around them? • Rationalism – our ability to reason

9. Who is considered the “father of rationalism”? • Rene Descartes

10. What as the primary weakness of the Articles of Confederation? • Federal government was not strong enough to tax or deal with national problems

11. What role did Adam Smith believe governments should have in a country’s economy? • The government should not be involved in economic matters – “hands off” or laissez-faire economics

12. What three roles did Adam Smith assign to governments? • Maintain an army – protect citizens from invasion • Maintain a police force – protect citizens from injustice • Maintain public works & infrastructure to facilitate economic activity

13. Why was the Bill of Rights added to the U.S. Constitution? • To protect citizens’ individual liberties and freedoms from the Federal government

14. How long is the term for a U.S. Supreme Court Justice? • life

15. Why did the Founding Fathers include a system of checks and balances in the Constitution? • To ensure one branch of the federal government does not gain too much power

16. What are natural rights? What are our natural rights? • Rights all humans are born with • Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

17. According to John Locke, why do people form governments? • To defend and protect citizens’ natural rights

18. According to John Locke, what right do people have if their government fails in its primary duty? • Alter or abolish their government

19. Who is the author of the Declaration of Independence? • Thomas Jefferson

20. What two truths are “self evident” according to the Declaration of Independence? • All men are created equal • All men have natural rights

21. In what two ways is the power of the Federal government limited by the Constitution? • Checks & balances • Bill of Rights

22. How does a representative democracy function? • Citizens elect people to represent their interests

23. How many justices serve on the U.S. Supreme Court? How are they chosen? • 9 justices • Appointed by the President & approved by the Senate

24. First 5 Amendments • 1st: freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly • 2nd: the right to bear arms • 3rd: no quartering of troops! • 4th: protection against unreasonable search & seizure • 5th: protects against self incrimination, double jeopardy, guarantees a grand jury for serious federal offenses, and ensures the govt must pay a fair price for taking private property

25. Amendments 6-10 • 6th: Speedy and fair trial • 7th: Right to a trial by a jury of peers • 8th: Protection against cruel and unusual punishment • 9th: People have rights beyond those stated in the Constitution • 10th: Powers not guaranteed to the federal government are held by the states and their citizens

26. Vocabulary • Concurrent Powers: powers shared by federal and state governments • Enumerated Powers: powers specifically given to the federal government • Reserved Powers: powers of state governments • Federalism: a system of government where power is shared between federal & state govt’s

27. Industrial Revolution & Early Labor Unions

28. How did business leaders try to eliminate their competition? • Monopolies • Trusts • Cartels

29. What impact did immigration have on the U.S. labor force? • Provided a large pool of available labor • Provided CHEAP labor

30. What were some of the problems in America’s growing urban areas? • Lack of sanitation • Insufficient fire departments • Riots/violence/crime • Overpopulation • Disease • Tenement life

31. How did Congress attempt to limit the power of business combinations in the late 1800’s • Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1890

32. What two inventions revolutionized communication? • Telegraph • Telephone

33. How did industrial growth affect the distribution of wealth in the U.S. post Civil War? • The gap between the rich and the poor grew even wider – rich get richer, poor get poorer

34. How was Rockefeller able to gain control of nearly all of the oil industry? • Horizontal consolidation • Formed the Standard Oil Trust

35. Why did children often work in dangerous jobs? • From the owners perspective, they were paid less which kept production costs low • Families also needed the money to help provided the basic necessities of life

36. Who had a social philosophy called the “Gospel of Wealth”? What was it? • Andrew Carnegie • People should be free to create as much wealth as they can, but when they have ensured their businesses sustainability & families security the rest should be given back for the public good.

37. Who did the government and court system often support in early labor disputes? • Management & ownership….everyone but the workers!

38. What corporate structure allowed Standard Oil to dominate its industry? • Formed the Standard Oil trust • Horizontal consolidation

39. What effect did mass production of goods have on the prices consumers paid for them? • As production increased, cost decreased

40. What is Social Darwinism? • “Survival of the fittest” Darwin’s theory of evolution applied to society • Those who are most fit to lead will rise to the top, those who are not will sink to the lower classes

41. Why did owners of big businesses generally embrace Social Darwinism? • Because it was justification for their position in society

42. Why did some Americans refer to industrialists as robber barons? • Cruel business tactics • Cheated people to increase their wealth • Looting America’s natural resources • Exploited their workers – low pay, long hours, dangerous conditions • Bribed government officials to interpret laws/pass laws in their favor

43. What is an entrepreneur? • Someone who starts their own business – assumes the personal and financial risks of owning and operating a business

44. What does an economic system based on laissez faire principles rely on to regulate wages and prices • Supply and demand

45. According to social Darwinism, what is the role of government in economic matters? As little a role as possible

46. How did railroad companies raise most of the money they needed to expand their lines? • Sold the land given to them by the Federal government via land grants

47. In what industry did Andrew Carnegie make his fortune? • Steel

48. What is vertical consolidation? • Gaining control of all of the businesses that make up all phases of a product’s development

49. What was made possible by the Bessemer Process? • Cheap and efficient mass production of steel

50. What effect did industrialization have on population patterns in the U.S. after the Civil War? • Urban areas grew rapidly as people moved from rural areas to find jobs