GED Social Studies : Slavery

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GED Social Studies

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Civil War

The Wilmot Proviso __________.

Possible Answers:

provided relief and economic assistance to freed slaves in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War

provided funding to help African Americans attend higher education in the twentieth century  

succeeded in establishing the policy of popular sovereignty regarding the extension of slavery into new territories

tried to ban the extension of slavery into any territory acquired in the Mexican-American War

was supported heavily in the South, but could not pass Congress due to Northern opposition

Correct answer:

tried to ban the extension of slavery into any territory acquired in the Mexican-American War

Explanation:

The Wilmot Proviso was first proposed in 1847 as a provision on a larger bill. It was an attempt at banning the extension of slavery into any territories acquired from the Mexican-American War; however, it was blocked in Congress by Southern opposition in the Senate. It is considered a major moment in the attempts to unify the disparate economies and social systems of the North and South by compromising on the issue of slavery prior to the Civil War.

Example Question #1 : Slavery

Who was the commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War?

Possible Answers:

William Tecumseh Sherman

Jefferson Davis

Stonewall Jackson

Ulysses S. Grant

Robert E. Lee

Correct answer:

Robert E. Lee

Explanation:

Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman were generals in the Union Army. Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The leadership of the Confederate army was considered one of the strengths of the South during the Civil War.

Example Question #2 : Slavery

The system of routes and safe houses used by slaves escaping from the South to the North was called the __________.

Possible Answers:

Highway to Heaven

Escape to Liberty

The Cotton Road

Emancipation Station

Underground Railroad

Correct answer:

Underground Railroad

Explanation:

The Underground Railroad is a metaphor for a system of known routes and safe houses used by slaves escaping from the South to the North. The Railroad was used by several tens of thousands of escaped slaves in the years immediately before and during the Civil War.

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