2024 STAAR Review

This time line shows events associated with the colonial government in Virginia.

Based on this time line and your knowledge of U.S. history, why was the House of Burgesses important in the development of the United States?

• It was the first time elected representative government flourished in an English colony.

• It was the first time governmental powers were separated in an English colony.

• It was the first time women were granted government voting rights in an English colony.

• It was the first time governmental powers were balanced in an English colony.

Which action describes a violation of the Fifth Amendment?

• A state judge requiring a person accused of a crime to remain in jail until the trial

• A governor using the pardoning power to release a person from jail

• A state government annexing a farmer’s land without providing payment

• A mayor proposing a plan to replace old buildings with new construction

Which statement describes the significance of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

• Many Northerners changed how they felt about slavery and supported abolition.

• Many plantation owners in the South decided to set enslaved people free.

• Many members of Congress supported an amendment making the practice of slavery illegal.

• Many enslaved people read the book and used it as a guide to escape to the North.

This excerpt is from a speech by a candidate to the Illinois House of Representatives in the 1850s. Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of U.S. history, which cause of sectionalism did Lincoln “hate”?

• The spread of slavery

• Northern manufacturing

• Western expansion

• The enforcement of tariffs

This excerpt describes the Quaker leader William Penn in 1681. Choose the correct answer from each drop-down menu to complete the sentences. William Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania based on the idea of ​ (a)   . As a result, Penn's colony was more ​ (b)   other religions, as well as women and American Indians.

• freedom of worship

• government control

• accepting of

• closed to

Which event marked the beginning of the American Revolution?

• A) The signing of the Declaration of Independence

• B) The Boston Tea Party

• C) The Battle of Lexington and Concord

• D) The drafting of the U.S. Constitution

What was the primary purpose of the Monroe Doctrine?

• A) To establish trade relations with Asia

• B) To prevent European colonization in the Americas

• C) To promote the abolition of slavery

• D) To create a military alliance with Europe

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?

• A) The 13th Amendment

• B) The 14th Amendment

• C) The 15th Amendment

• D) The 19th Amendment

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

• A) George Washington

• B) Thomas Jefferson

• C) Benjamin Franklin

• D) John Adams

What was the significance of the Louisiana Purchase?

• A) It doubled the size of the United States

• B) It ended the War of 1812

• C) It established the first U.S. national bank

• D) It led to the discovery of gold in California