Facts and Details in U.S. Foreign Policy from 1790 to 1898
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AP U.S. History › Facts and Details in U.S. Foreign Policy from 1790 to 1898
In 1846, the Oregon Treaty fixed the U.S. border with which country at the 49th parallel?
Canada
Mexico
Russia
Cuba
The Bahamas
Explanation
In 1846, the Oregon Treaty fixed the U.S. border with Canada at the 49th parallel.
Introduced on December 2, 1823, this American foreign policy stated that attempts by European nations to establish colonies or impact the affairs of countries in South or North America would be judged as aggressive acts, requiring United States response. What was the name of this policy?
The Monroe Doctrine
The Interventionist Policy
The Western Hemisphere Ultimatum
The American Assertion
The Marshall Doctrine
Explanation
First stated by President James Monroe, the Monroe Doctrine became a long-standing tenet of American foreign policy.
What was the derogatory name given to the 1867 purchase of Alaska by the U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward from the Russians?
Seward's Folly
The Alaskan Mistake
The Russians' Gain
The Arctic Calamity
Seward's Shame
Explanation
William H. Seward's detractors believed that the Alaska Purchase was a great mistake, calling it Seward's Folly.
The American military took possession of the Phillipines during which conflict?
Spanish-American War
World War II
Korean War
World War I
The US Invasion of Panama
Explanation
The Spanish-American War was fought simultaneously against Spanish possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Claiming to defend Filipino rebels, the United States invaded the Philippines and fought the Spanish there, soundly defeating them. From 1899-1914, the US fought the very Filipino insurgents they were claiming to defend in their invasion in 1898.
The territory that the Russian Empire sold to United States Secretary of State William Seward in 1867 became the state of __________.
Alaska
Hawaii
Oregon
American Samoa
Washington
Explanation
In 1867, the Russian Empire was convinced that it would lose its possessions in America due to problems stemming from the Crimean War. Anxious to recoup some value, the Russian Czar negotiated a treaty with US Secretary of State William Seward. The United States, in what critics called Seward's Folly, bought what would become the state of Alaska for \$7.2 million.
Union forces had their initial success in the American Civil War in __________.
the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys
the border between Maryland and Virginia
the Deep South
the Great Lakes region
the Pacific Coast
Explanation
After hostilities began in 1861, the Union Armies found limited success in the theaters in the War. Fighting at this stage was largely confined to the area of Northern Virginia between the capitals of Richmond and Washington in the East, and along the broader Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys in the Western theater. The only place with significant Union victories was along the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys.
From what European country did the United States buy Florida?
Spain
France
England
Portugal
The Netherlands
Explanation
In 1819, the United States bought Florida from Spain in the Adams-Onis Treaty.
Which of the following conflicts contributed to the outbreak of the War of 1812?
The Napoleonic Wars
The Revolutions of 1848
The French Revolution
Pontiac's Rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
Explanation
The War of 1812 was seen as a source of national pride for the young American nation--and a sideline to the serious business of the Napoleonic Wars by the British. Most of the initial causes of the war for the Americans directly related to British conduct during the Napoleonic Wars, including detaining sailors heading to French ports, seizing goods from American ships, and violating American territorial claims in Canada.
What Civil War General was first offered the position of Supreme Commander of the Army of the United States at the outbreak of the Civil War?
Robert E. Lee
Ulysses S. Grant
William T. Sherman
George Meade
George Thomas
Explanation
Robert E, Lee was uneasy about secession throughout the crisis that developed following Abraham Lincoln's election, and was not sure about joining the Confederacy. Lee was offered command of the United States Army before his home state of Virginia seceded, which caused him to join the Confederacy. All of the other answer choices were Union generals who would come to prominence later in the war.
The Rush-Bagot Agreement .
Stated that the region between the United States and British North America would be heavily demilitarized
Ceded control of the Oregon territory to the United States
Returned the relations between Britain and the United States to the pre-war status quo
Failed to pass Congress and lead to a massive militarization of the Great Lakes region
Ceded control of Maine to the United States
Explanation
The Rush-Bagot Treaty was a demilitarization treaty signed between Great Britain and the United States following the end of the War of 1812. It forbade the maintenance of more than a few naval ships on the Great Lakes territory between the United States and British North America. As importantly, it laid the foundation for a future agreement to be reached with Canada that has ensured that the northern border of the United States has remained demilitarized for two centuries.