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Quiz about American History by Decade  The 1880s
Quiz about American History by Decade  The 1880s

American History by Decade: The 1880s Quiz


Assassinations, riots, and gun fights, oh my! How much do you know about the 1880s in U.S. History?

A multiple-choice quiz by LIBGOV. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
LIBGOV
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
400,316
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
546
Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (7/10), lrjensen1952 (7/10), Guest 172 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Incumbent Republican Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek re-election to the presidency in 1880. The Democrats selected Civil War General Winfield Hancock who lost to what Republican candidate, a Congressman from Ohio that had also served in the Civil War? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The second presidential assassination in 17 years occurred in July 1881 when a disappointed office seeker shot James Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D. C. What was the name of the man who assassinated Garfield (who had only been president for six months)? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In October 1881, the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Wyatt and Virgil Earp along with Doc Holliday fought "The Cowboys" led by Ike and Billy Clanton. What was the source of the conflict between the Earps and the Cowboys? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Notorious outlaw Jesse James was shot in the head and killed in April 1882 while his back was turned to clean a dusty picture frame. Who murdered Jesse James? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In the presidential election of 1884, Republican Speaker of the House James Blaine got the nomination over incumbent president Chester Arthur. In the general election, Blaine was defeated by the Democratic Governor of New York, Grover Cleveland. What was the name for the group of Republicans who voted for Democrat Cleveland rather than Republican Blaine in the election of 1884? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In May 1886 a riot broke out when a bomb killed seven policemen who were trying to disperse the crowd at a labor rally in support of striking workers, and the police responded by shooting at the crowd. Where did this riot (that galvanized the labor movement) take place? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886 that he sold as a patent medicine which he claimed could cure morphine addiction, indigestion, and impotence. In what city, still the headquarters for Coca-Cola, did he first sell his new drink? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Incumbent President Grover Cleveland was unanimously nominated by the Democrats for the 1888 presidential election. He was defeated in the general election by Republican Benjamin Harrison, a former U.S. Senator from Indiana. What is special about Benjamin Harrison? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Oklahoma had originally been designated as Indian Territory, but legislation passed Congress to allow settlers to claim land in Oklahoma. The result was the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 where at noon on April 22, settlers were allowed to rush into the Territory to claim lots of 160 acres. What were the names of the legal and illegal participants in the Oklahoma Land Rush? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. One of the great disasters in U.S. history occurred on May 31, 1889. What was the name of this catastrophe that led to the deaths of more than 2000 people in a matter of minutes? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Incumbent Republican Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek re-election to the presidency in 1880. The Democrats selected Civil War General Winfield Hancock who lost to what Republican candidate, a Congressman from Ohio that had also served in the Civil War?

Answer: James Garfield

Garfield was a dark horse candidate at the 1880 Republican convention and won the nomination only after 36 ballots. Garfield carried the northern states in the general election while Hancock carried the southern states and the extreme west. The popular vote was among the closest in U.S. History with Garfield getting only about 2000 more votes than Hancock.
2. The second presidential assassination in 17 years occurred in July 1881 when a disappointed office seeker shot James Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D. C. What was the name of the man who assassinated Garfield (who had only been president for six months)?

Answer: Charles Guiteau

Guiteau had given two speeches supporting Garfield during the 1880 presidential campaign. He deluged the Garfield administration with letters claiming he was owed the ambassadorship to France or Austria as compensation for his speeches. When his pleas were rejected, he decided to assassinate Garfield. Garfield's vice president, Chester Arthur, served the rest of Garfield's term.
3. In October 1881, the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Wyatt and Virgil Earp along with Doc Holliday fought "The Cowboys" led by Ike and Billy Clanton. What was the source of the conflict between the Earps and the Cowboys?

Answer: The Earps were lawmen and the Cowboys were prominent cattle rustlers

The Cowboys engaged in buying and selling cattle illegally at the Clanton Ranch outside of Tombstone. As a result of the gunfight (which only lasted about 30 seconds), three of the Cowboys were killed, and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday were wounded.
4. Notorious outlaw Jesse James was shot in the head and killed in April 1882 while his back was turned to clean a dusty picture frame. Who murdered Jesse James?

Answer: The coward Robert Ford

Jesse James had served as a Confederate guerrilla in the Civil War, and afterwards led a gang that robbed trains, banks, and stage coaches. Robert Ford was allowed to join the James gang in 1882 because his brother was already a member. However, Ford had entered into a secret agreement with the Governor of Missouri to capture James.

Instead, Ford shot the unarmed James in the back of the head and was convicted of first degree murder. The Governor granted him a full pardon for the murder after which he toured the country re-enacting his assassination of James.
5. In the presidential election of 1884, Republican Speaker of the House James Blaine got the nomination over incumbent president Chester Arthur. In the general election, Blaine was defeated by the Democratic Governor of New York, Grover Cleveland. What was the name for the group of Republicans who voted for Democrat Cleveland rather than Republican Blaine in the election of 1884?

Answer: Mugwumps

James G. Blaine, the Plumed Knight of Maine, was considered corrupt by many Republicans because in 1876 some of his letters revealed he had sold his influence in Congress to various businessmen. The Mugwumps' support helped Cleveland become the first Democrat elected president since James Buchanan in 1856. Mark Twain, Thomas Nast, Louis Brandeis, and Henry Adams were all prominent Mugwumps.
6. In May 1886 a riot broke out when a bomb killed seven policemen who were trying to disperse the crowd at a labor rally in support of striking workers, and the police responded by shooting at the crowd. Where did this riot (that galvanized the labor movement) take place?

Answer: Haymarket Square in Chicago

Four of the labor protesters were hanged for killing the policemen at the Haymarket Riot in a trial that was considered by many to be a miscarriage of justice. May 1 was chosen to be International Workers' Day to commemorate the Haymarket Riot.
7. John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886 that he sold as a patent medicine which he claimed could cure morphine addiction, indigestion, and impotence. In what city, still the headquarters for Coca-Cola, did he first sell his new drink?

Answer: Atlanta, Georgia

The original recipe of Coca-Cola included cocaine because Pemberton was searching for an alternative pain killer to morphine. The famous shape of the Coke bottle is based on the shape of the Cocoa bean.
8. Incumbent President Grover Cleveland was unanimously nominated by the Democrats for the 1888 presidential election. He was defeated in the general election by Republican Benjamin Harrison, a former U.S. Senator from Indiana. What is special about Benjamin Harrison?

Answer: He was the grandson of former president William Henry Harrison

The two Harrisons are the only grandfather-grandson duo among the presidents. During his presidency, he raised tariffs on foreign goods to the highest level in U.S. History and signed the Sherman Antitrust act which gave the federal government the power to break up monopolies. North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming all became U.S. States during Benjamin Harrison's presidency.
9. Oklahoma had originally been designated as Indian Territory, but legislation passed Congress to allow settlers to claim land in Oklahoma. The result was the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 where at noon on April 22, settlers were allowed to rush into the Territory to claim lots of 160 acres. What were the names of the legal and illegal participants in the Oklahoma Land Rush?

Answer: Boomers were the legal participants, Sooners were the illegal ones

At noon on April 22, 1889, a gunshot was fired and more than 50,000 Boomers legally rushed into Oklahoma to claim a parcel of land. The illegal Sooners were settlers who had crossed the border prior to April 22 and then hid out on the best parcels until the start of the Rush (see, they went "sooner" than they were allowed, get it?).
10. One of the great disasters in U.S. history occurred on May 31, 1889. What was the name of this catastrophe that led to the deaths of more than 2000 people in a matter of minutes?

Answer: The Johnstown Flood

The South Fork Dam above Johnstown, Pennsylvania failed leading to the largest loss of civilian life in U.S. history at the time. The 1880s (assassinations, riots, gun fights, floods) were just one big barrel of fun, weren't they!
Source: Author LIBGOV

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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