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Lesson 2: A Two-Party System Develops — Practice Questions

  1. 1. The main political conflict guaranteed by the 1796 election results was between the...

    • A. president and the Supreme Court.
    • B. Federalist president and his Democratic-Republican vice president.
    • C. northern states and the southern states over economic policy.
    • D. executive branch and Congress, which was controlled by the opposing party.
  2. 2. Which pair correctly identifies the presidential candidates for the two major parties in the 1796 election?

    • A. Alexander Hamilton (Federalist) and Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican)
    • B. George Washington (Federalist) and James Madison (Democratic-Republican)
    • C. John Adams (Federalist) and Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
    • D. Charles Pinckney (Federalist) and George Washington (Independent)
  3. 3. What was a key feature of the 1796 presidential election that set it apart from the elections that came before it?

    • A. It was decided by only a single electoral vote.
    • B. It was the first time candidates from rival political parties competed for the presidency.
    • C. It resulted in the election of a president who was not born in one of the original colonies.
    • D. It marked the only time a vice president was chosen directly by the Senate.
  4. 4. The main reason the 1796 election resulted in a politically divided executive branch was that...

    • A. the Constitution awarded the vice presidency to the runner-up.
    • B. several Federalist electors decided to vote for Thomas Jefferson.
    • C. George Washington refused to endorse a successor from his cabinet.
    • D. the popular vote and the electoral vote produced different winners.
  5. 5. The outcome of the 1796 election, which placed political rivals in the top two executive offices, exposed a weakness in the...

    • A. way political parties held caucuses.
    • B. original electoral process.
    • C. process for admitting new states.
    • D. role of the cabinet in government.
  6. 6. Which statement best describes the vision of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party?

    • A. A nation of small, independent farmers
    • B. A weak central government with strong states
    • C. A strong federal government supporting industry
    • D. A strict interpretation of the Constitution's powers
  7. 7. A key economic difference between the first two political parties was that the Federalists promoted manufacturing, while the Democratic-Republicans favored an economy based on what?

    • A. International trade
    • B. A society of farmers
    • C. A national banking system
    • D. Government-owned industries
  8. 8. Disagreements within President Washington's cabinet, especially over creating a national bank, were primarily centered on what issue?

    • A. Which state would host the new national bank
    • B. How to interpret the powers granted by the Constitution
    • C. Whether foreign nations could invest in the bank
    • D. The specific interest rates the bank could charge citizens
  9. 9. The emergence of the first political parties in the United States during the 1790s was a direct result of which situation?

    • A. Disagreements over how to handle the XYZ Affair with France
    • B. Public anger surrounding the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts
    • C. Deep philosophical conflicts between Hamilton and Jefferson in the cabinet
    • D. The personal rivalry between President Washington and John Adams
  10. 10. Thomas Jefferson's followers, the Democratic-Republicans, were most concerned about which potential problem?

    • A. The national government becoming too powerful and threatening citizens' liberty
    • B. The economy remaining too focused on agriculture instead of manufacturing
    • C. The federal government being too weak to manage the national economy
    • D. The influence of foreign allies in domestic politics