USA in the 19th Century Trivia

1. In San Francisco the preferred mode of transportation from 1870 to about 1900 was the cable car. The cars ran by a cable slot between the rail tracks. Who invented the cable car in 1873?

From Quiz A Mix Of Historical U.S. Trivia

Answer: Andrew Hallidie

Andrew Hallidie is considered by many to be "Father of San Francisco Cable Car System". He was born in Scotland, but moved with his father to California for the gold rush. His father went back to Scotland, but Hallidie stayed on and perfected a patent for wire rope which was used in the mines. On a wet, windy day in 1869, Hallidie watched in horror as a passenger-carrying horse car struggling up Jackson Street slipped on the wet cobblestones. The incident caused the other horses, unable to escape their rigging, to fall and be dragged down the street. The passengers were not injured but all the horses suffered broken legs and had to be destroyed. The incident gave Hallidie the idea to design a cable car system.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1870s

Answer: Cleveland, Ohio

Standard Oil started as a manufacturer of lamp oil and kerosene and was eventually broken up in 1911 after a Supreme Court case declared it a monopoly. Mobil, Exxon, Amoco, and Chevron are just a few of the companies created by the break-up of Standard Oil. Standard Oil made John D. Rockefeller (in terms of percent of worldwide GDP owned) the richest person in the history of the world.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1860s

Answer: St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California

The Pony Express lasted less than two years when it was replaced by the transcontinental telegraph in 1861. The Pony Express route followed several established trails (including parts of the Oregon and Mormon trails) from St. Joseph to Sacramento with Pony Express Stations every 10 miles along the route.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1850s

Answer: Millard Fillmore

Fillmore helped pass the Compromise of 1850 and also ordered Admiral Matthew Perry to Japan to demand that they sign a trade agreement. Fillmore would later serve as the presidential candidate of the Know Nothing Party in 1856.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1840s

Answer: Antarctica

Wilkes navigated more than 1,500 miles of Antarctic coast. His expedition provided the best evidence at the time that Antarctica was a continent.

From Quiz USA in the Roaring Eighteen Twenties

Answer: John Quincy Adams

The election of 1820 took place during the Era of Good Feelings, when there was only one functional political party: Democratic-Republican. As a result, the Federalist Party failed to nominate a candidate and James Monroe was reelected with over 80% of the vote and won every state. However, Monroe failed to earn every electoral vote when an elector from New Hampshire voted for John Quincy Adams in order to prevent Monroe from being elected unanimously.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1820s

Answer: The Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise also outlawed slavery in the unorganized portions of the Louisiana Purchase. The Missouri Compromise was the first of a number of legislative compromises that tried to deal with the slavery question in the territories and newly formed states.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1810s

Answer: Tippecanoe

Harrison had been appointed Governor of Indiana in 1800 and had negotiated land cession treaties with many of the Indian tribes which led to the armed revolt of those tribes which didn't want to give up their land. Harrison was to play up his role in the battle later when he ran for president.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1800s

Answer: Democratic Republican

Jefferson's Democratic Republican party would dominate American politics until the 1820s. In contrast to Adams's Federalists, the Democratic Republicans wanted a weak Federal government and close ties with France.

From Quiz It Was Too Late

Answer: John O' Sullivan

"Manifest Destiny" prompted many Americans to move farther west and claim territory they believed was rightfully theirs. It went hand in hand with a sense of cultural and moral superiority. The prospect of expanding the number of slave states also piqued the interest of Southerners.

From Quiz "Hell on Wheels" Series and History

Answer: Fiction

The real Thomas Durant (1820-1885) was a financial wizard - or Robber Baron - and an experienced civil engineer. He also held a doctorate, though in medicine, not engineering. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1870. In the series, Durant is portrayed as ruthless (plausible), clueless about engineering issues (dubious), clean-shaven (definitely wrong), and a murderer (defamatory).

From Quiz Old Glory: III

Answer: Congress

The Connecticut Compromise laid the foundation for Congress, which is divided into the upper house (Senate) and the lower house (House of Representatives). Prior to the compromise, the larger states felt that since they had more people to represent, they deserved more representation. The smaller states felt that such a system was unfair and advocated for equal representation. To compromise, both the Senate and the House were formed. The Senate has equal representation between the states (2 Senators for each state) and the House has representation for each state based on population.

From Quiz History of the United States of America Part 2

Answer: Monroe Doctrine

President James Monroe introduced this policy in December of 1823. It stated that if any European nation tried to colonize land or interfere in the Americas, the United States would consider this as an act of aggression. The U.S. would then intervene, but this did not affect existing colonies.

From Quiz My Vote Cancels Your Vote

Answer: monopoly

A small number of people had total (or near total) control of an industry during this time. They would usually buy out all the smaller businesses to take control. This is actually where the name of the game "Monopoly" comes from. Note that total ownership of the sector is not always necessary. An individual or company that has, for example, 90% of the share of the market is in effect a monopoly as it makes effective competition impossible.

From Quiz Why Feud?

Answer: William Anderson Hatfield and Randolph McCoy

"Devil Anse" Hatfield and "Old Ranel" McCoy were the leaders of the two clans. After the conclusion of the Civil War, William ran a successful timber business, and was head of a family that contained thirteen children. Both men fought for the Confederacy. Randolph farmed and kept livestock, and was the leader of a family that contained sixteen children. Johnson was the son of Devil Anse, Floyd was a cousin, and Ellison was his brother. Asa was the brother of Old Ranel, while Pharmer and Tolbert were sons.

From Quiz The Hatfields and McCoys: An American Feud

Answer: 'Devil Anse' Hatfield

William Anderson 'Devil Anse' Hatfield was the patriarch and leader of the Hatfield clan during the thirty years of the feud. He personally led many of the raids and decided what punitive actions should take place during the feud.

From Quiz It Happened One Night

Answer: War of 1812

The British had already burned Washington, D.C. Since Baltimore was such a vital port city, and was believed to be the base of American privateers, it was chosen to be their next target objective. An additional stanza was added to the song during the Civil War.

From Quiz I Dreamed a Dream

Answer: Sir William Stewart

Although they were in Iowa, visitors could have been forgiven for thinking they were in England. The residents liked nothing better than to talk about football, cricket and polo. There was even a drama society. Walter was Lord Herrie's son. Lord Herrie never went to the USA. James Close was one of three brothers that started another settlement.

From Quiz 1850s: Tumultuous Decade

Answer: California

California's admission statehood had occurred when Congress passed the controversial Compromise of 1850. California entered as a free state (no slavery), but, ironically, its first Senators were proslavery!

From Quiz Antebellum Transportation Revolution

Answer: turnpikes

The turnpike got its name from being a toll road with a long pole (pike) attached to a hinge and projecting across the road at the entry point. The toll keeper, once the toll had been received, turned the pike out of the way to allow the traveler to proceed on the toll road.

From Quiz Antebellum Reforms, 1815-1860

Answer: Temperance movement

Many of the pre-Civil War anti-alcohol reformers merely wanted people to cut back in their consumption--be temperate. The Anti-Saloon League formed in the 1890's to lead the fight for a Prohibition amendment to the Constitution.

From Quiz Reconstruction: 1865-1877

Answer: Reconstruction

In 1865, the Civil War ended with the surrender of the South at Appomattox. The period after the Civil War is referred to as Reconstruction because the Union had to reconstruct or rebuild the nation and readmit the South.

From Quiz American History by Decade: The 1770s

Answer: Crispus Attucks

Although only three people were killed at the Boston Massacre, the event provided useful propaganda for colonists who wished to inflame passions against Great Britain.

From Quiz Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857: the first 9/11

Answer: Mormons vs. United States Army

It was also called the Mormon War. The Mormons of Utah desired to have their own, independent state. Utah was a haven after the violent conflicts that had resulted in the death of their prophet Joseph Smith. So the Mormons formed a militia, naming themselves the Nauvoo Legion and took up defensive positions against the U.S. Army. But the two forces never actually met in battle; so all casualties were non-Mormon civilians. The bulk of the casualties would have resulted from the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

From Quiz US History Finals Review 2 (1800s)

Answer: opposed the creation of new colonies in Latin America

Like a roaring baby lion, the fledgeling USA proclaimed through the Monroe Doctrine that North America and anything remotely close was "American".

From Quiz New York in the Gilded Age - 1865-1901

Answer: Mark Twain

In 1873 Mark Twain, together with Charles Dudley Warner wrote a satirical novel- 'The Gilded Age, A Tale of Today'. It basically poked fun at everyone and everything - robber barons, industrial growth, the rise of the labor unions, and the emergence of a very conspicuously opulent New York 'high society'.

From Quiz The Fetterman Massacre

Answer: Battle of the Hundred Slain

The Sioux called Fetterman's Massacre 'battle of the hundred slain'. Every man under Fetterman's command was killed that day in a battle that lasted perhaps 45 minutes.

From Quiz Men of the Seventh Cavalry

Answer: Captain Tom Custer

Captain Tom Custer, the brother of George Armstrong Custer was the commanding officer of C Troop. He accompanied his brother that fateful day at Little Bighorn.

From Quiz The Peshtigo Fire

Answer: Wisconsin

Peshtigo is a small town in north eastern Wisconsin with a population of about 3,500. The nearest large city is Green Bay about 45 miles south. Peshtigo is only a few miles from Green Bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan.

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