June 2023 US History Regents — Answer Key & Worked Solutions

Every question from the June 2023 US History Regents exam, with the correct answer and a full step-by-step solution. Check your work, learn the method, then see how it's scored.

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These are real questions from the June 2023 US History New York State Regents examination, published by NYSED. Worked solutions are written by RegentsLab.

Question 1 · 2 pts

"...Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe, America to itself...." (Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776). According to this passage from Common Sense, the author is

(A) trying to convince Americans to remain English colonists
(B) suggesting that the colonies join a European confederation against England
(C) proposing that the colonies revise the Articles of Confederation
(D) urging Americans to become independent from their mother country ✓

Worked solution

$Paine argues that it is unnatural and absurd for a small island (England) to govern a large continent (America).$

$This argument was designed to persuade colonists that separation from Britain was logical and inevitable.$

Answer: urging Americans to become independent from their mother country

In Common Sense, Paine used the island-continent analogy to argue that American independence was the natural and rational course of action.

Question 2 · 2 pts

"...Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe, America to itself...." (Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776). What is the primary argument used in this passage by Thomas Paine to make his point?

(A) There is no economic relationship between the American colonies and England.
(B) England cannot effectively govern the colonies because America is so much larger. ✓
(C) The American colonies are already allied with France and do not need England.
(D) England has denied the colonists any form of self-government.

Worked solution

$Paine uses a size-based analogy (satellite vs. primary planet) to show it is unnatural for the smaller England to rule the larger America.$

$This disproportion in size is his central logical argument for separation.$

Answer: England cannot effectively govern the colonies because America is so much larger.

Paine's rhetorical strategy in this passage centers on the natural absurdity of a small island permanently ruling a vastly larger continent.

Question 3 · 2 pts

"...This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other, that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State...." (James Madison, Federalist No. 51, 1788). What was the primary reason James Madison wrote this and other Federalist Papers?

(A) to support ratification of the Constitution ✓
(B) to support creation of a national bank
(C) to encourage increasing ties to Europe
(D) to encourage the development of political parties

Worked solution

$The Federalist Papers, including No. 51, were written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay to explain and defend the proposed Constitution.$

$Their purpose was to persuade New York voters and the public to support ratification.$

Answer: to support ratification of the Constitution

Madison, along with Hamilton and Jay, wrote the Federalist Papers under the pen name Publius specifically to build support for ratifying the new Constitution.

Question 4 · 2 pts

"...This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other, that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights...." (James Madison, Federalist No. 51, 1788). Which constitutional principle does Madison most directly describe in this passage?

(A) reserving the power of judicial review
(B) separation of powers between the branches of government ✓
(C) support for the rule of law
(D) creation of a powerful military

Worked solution

$Madison describes dividing power among offices so each can check the other, a description of checks and balances rooted in separation of powers.$

Answer: separation of powers between the branches of government

Federalist No. 51 is famous for explaining how dividing government into branches with checks on one another prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.

Question 5 · 2 pts

"...When the British and French both seized American vessels if they touched at the ports of the other, Jefferson decided to test one of his favorite doctrines, that war was both intolerable and unnecessary, and that the best weapon against both powers lay in economic sanctions. He got Congress to pass a series of five Embargo Acts, stringently forbidding U.S. trade with Britain and France not only overseas but even along the Canadian border...." (Max Lerner, Wounded Titans: American Presidents and the Perils of Power, 1996). According to this passage, what was President Thomas Jefferson's primary objective in proposing the Embargo Acts?

(A) to raise revenue
(B) to limit the slave trade
(C) to avoid war ✓
(D) to increase trade

Worked solution

$The passage states Jefferson believed war was intolerable and unnecessary, and that economic sanctions were the best weapon against Britain and France.$

Answer: to avoid war

Jefferson pursued the Embargo Acts as a peaceful alternative to war, using economic pressure instead of military conflict against Britain and France.

Question 6 · 2 pts

"...When the British and French both seized American vessels if they touched at the ports of the other, Jefferson decided to test one of his favorite doctrines, that war was both intolerable and unnecessary, and that the best weapon against both powers lay in economic sanctions. He got Congress to pass a series of five Embargo Acts, stringently forbidding U.S. trade with Britain and France not only overseas but even along the Canadian border...." (Max Lerner, Wounded Titans: American Presidents and the Perils of Power, 1996). What was one result of the failure of the Embargo Acts?

(A) Louisiana Purchase
(B) War of 1812 ✓
(C) Missouri Compromise
(D) Gibbons v. Ogden decision

Worked solution

$The Embargo Acts devastated the American economy without stopping British and French seizures of ships.$

$Continued British violations of American shipping rights and impressment eventually led the United States into the War of 1812.$

Answer: War of 1812

The failure of economic sanctions to change British and French behavior contributed to escalating tensions that culminated in the War of 1812.

Question 7 · 2 pts

"...Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension.... I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so...." (First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861). What is one reason President Abraham Lincoln included these statements in this address?

(A) to reduce the fears of slave-holding states ✓
(B) to reestablish the foreign slave trade
(C) to increase support of northern abolitionists
(D) to encourage the expansion of slavery into the West

Worked solution

$Lincoln directly addresses Southern fears about a Republican administration threatening slavery and property.$

$He reassures them he has no lawful right or intention to interfere with slavery where it already existed, aiming to calm secessionist fears.$

Answer: to reduce the fears of slave-holding states

In his First Inaugural Address, Lincoln sought to reassure the South that he would not interfere with slavery in existing slave states in an attempt to prevent further secession.

Question 8 · 2 pts

"...I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so...." (First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861). Which later action by President Lincoln demonstrated a change from his 1861 position?

(A) signing the Pacific Railway Act
(B) appointing William Seward Secretary of State
(C) issuing the Emancipation Proclamation ✓
(D) suspending habeas corpus

Worked solution

$In 1861 Lincoln stated he had no intention of interfering with slavery in existing states.$

$In 1863 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free, a clear shift from his earlier position.$

Answer: issuing the Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 marked a significant departure from Lincoln's earlier stated policy of not interfering with slavery where it already existed.

Question 9 · 2 pts

"...Thus American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area. American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier. This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character...." (Frederick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," 1893). Which geographic feature does Frederick Jackson Turner suggest as primary in the creation of the American character?

(A) an irregular coastline
(B) the Great Lakes
(C) unsettled wilderness ✓
(D) the Mohawk Valley

Worked solution

$Turner describes a continually advancing frontier line of primitive, unsettled conditions as the source of American traits such as individualism and innovation.$

Answer: unsettled wilderness

Turner's Frontier Thesis argued that the existence of unsettled, open wilderness land shaped a uniquely American character through repeated cycles of settlement.

Question 10 · 2 pts

"...Thus American development has exhibited not merely advance along a single line, but a return to primitive conditions on a continually advancing frontier line, and a new development for that area.... this expansion westward with its new opportunities... furnish the forces dominating American character...." (Frederick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History," 1893). Which federal action is most consistent with the ideas expressed by Frederick Jackson Turner in this excerpt?

(A) passage of the Federal Reserve Act
(B) establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau
(C) decision in Plessy v. Ferguson
(D) passage of the Homestead Act ✓

Worked solution

$Turner's thesis emphasizes westward expansion and settlement of new frontier lands as shaping American character.$

$The Homestead Act of 1862 directly encouraged westward migration and settlement by granting land to settlers.$

Answer: passage of the Homestead Act

The Homestead Act promoted the westward expansion and settlement of frontier land that Turner identified as central to American development.

Question 11 · 2 pts

"...Private monopolies are indefensible and intolerable. They destroy competition, control the price of all material, and of the finished product, thus robbing both producer and consumer. They lessen the employment of labor, and arbitrarily fix the terms and conditions thereof; and deprive individual energy and small capital of their opportunity of betterment...." (Democratic Party Platform of 1900). The authors of the passage would have been most critical of the activities of which two individuals?

(A) Jacob Riis and Ida Tarbell
(B) John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie ✓
(C) William Jennings Bryan and Eugene V. Debs
(D) Margaret Sanger and Jane Addams

Worked solution

$The passage condemns private monopolies that destroy competition and harm producers, consumers, and labor.$

$Rockefeller (Standard Oil) and Carnegie (Carnegie Steel) built large trusts and monopolistic industries that exemplified these criticized practices.$

Answer: John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie

Rockefeller and Carnegie built massive industrial monopolies and trusts, making them prime targets of the anti-monopoly criticism in the 1900 Democratic platform.

Question 12 · 2 pts

"...Private monopolies are indefensible and intolerable. They destroy competition, control the price of all material, and of the finished product, thus robbing both producer and consumer...." (Democratic Party Platform of 1900). During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, how did Congress attempt to address these practices?

(A) They authorized a federal takeover of large industries.
(B) They declared that all trade was interstate commerce.
(C) They implemented a minimum wage.
(D) They passed antitrust legislation. ✓

Worked solution

$Concerns over monopolies and trusts led Congress to pass laws such as the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) and later the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914).$

Answer: They passed antitrust legislation.

Congress responded to monopolistic practices by passing antitrust legislation like the Sherman Antitrust Act, aimed at restoring competition in the marketplace.

Question 13 · 2 pts

Based on the New York Journal newspaper headlines shown (February 17, 1898), reading "$50,000 Reward, Who Destroyed the Maine?" and "Destruction of the War Ship Maine Was the Work of an Enemy," a historian would most likely use this document to investigate events leading up to the

(A) annexation of Alaska
(B) war with Spain ✓
(C) Open Door policy
(D) invasion of Mexico

Worked solution

$The sensational headlines about the sinking of the USS Maine reflect yellow journalism that inflamed American public opinion against Spain.$

$This event and the press coverage surrounding it were major causes of the Spanish-American War in 1898.$

Answer: war with Spain

Yellow journalism surrounding the sinking of the USS Maine, as shown in this New York Journal headline, helped push the United States toward war with Spain in 1898.

Question 14 · 2 pts

Based on the New York Journal newspaper headlines shown (February 17, 1898) about the destruction of the USS Maine, how did United States foreign policy change in the years immediately following this event?

(A) The United States entered a period of overseas expansion. ✓
(B) The United States pursued a policy of containment.
(C) The United States became more isolated.
(D) The United States rejected the goal of Manifest Destiny.

Worked solution

$The Spanish-American War, sparked partly by reaction to the Maine's destruction, resulted in U.S. acquisition of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.$

$This marked the beginning of American overseas imperial expansion.$

Answer: The United States entered a period of overseas expansion.

Following the Spanish-American War, the United States acquired overseas territories, marking a new era of American imperialism and global expansion.

Question 15 · 2 pts

Based on the map "Patterns of African American Migration from the South, 1910-1970" shown, what was a main reason for the movement of people as shown on this map?

(A) Foreign food imports replaced domestic production of crops.
(B) Northern states banned all forms of racial discrimination.
(C) Abolitionists promised a means of escape from slavery.
(D) Industrialization provided more employment opportunities. ✓

Worked solution

$The Great Migration (1910-1970) moved millions of African Americans from the rural South to northern and western cities.$

$Wartime and industrial factory jobs in northern cities pulled migrants seeking economic opportunity, not political or agricultural changes.$

Answer: Industrialization provided more employment opportunities.

The Great Migration was driven primarily by the pull of industrial jobs in northern cities, especially during and after World War I and World War II, as well as the push of Jim Crow oppression in the South.

Question 16 · 2 pts

Based on the map "Patterns of African American Migration from the South, 1910-1970" shown, what was one result of the migration shown on the map?

(A) The South became the new destination for most European immigrants.
(B) The Democratic Party declined in the northern half of the country.
(C) American culture was enriched by new forms of music and literature. ✓
(D) Segregated communities throughout the nation came to an end.

Worked solution

$African Americans arriving in northern cities like Harlem contributed to cultural movements such as the Harlem Renaissance.$

$This produced new jazz music, literature, and art that enriched American culture nationally.$

Answer: American culture was enriched by new forms of music and literature.

The Great Migration helped spark the Harlem Renaissance and the spread of jazz and blues, significantly enriching American arts and culture.

Question 17 · 2 pts

Senator Robert M. La Follette stated in his 1917 speech "Free Speech in Wartime," "...the right to control their own government according to constitutional forms is not one of the rights that the citizens of this country are called upon to surrender in time of war.... More than all, the citizen and his representative in Congress in time of war must maintain his right of free speech." According to the passage, what is one argument in support of free speech during wartime?

(A) Citizens must maintain their right to control the government even in times of war. ✓
(B) Citizens must support the decisions of elected officials.
(C) Military leaders are bound by constitutional oath to defend the rights of the people.
(D) Congress has the authority to pass laws limiting first amendment rights.

Worked solution

$La Follette argued that wartime does not suspend the citizens' constitutional right to control their government.$

$He emphasized that free speech, especially through elected representatives, must remain protected even during war.$

Answer: Citizens must maintain their right to control the government even in times of war.

La Follette opposed suppression of dissent during World War I, arguing free speech and democratic control of government are essential rights even in wartime.

Question 18 · 2 pts

Which Supreme Court decision addresses the issue raised by Senator La Follette in his 1917 speech "Free Speech in Wartime"?

(A) Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. v. Illinois
(B) Plessy v. Ferguson
(C) Northern Securities Co. v. United States
(D) Schenck v. United States ✓

Worked solution

$Schenck v. United States (1919) dealt with free speech limits during wartime, involving distribution of anti-draft leaflets.$

$The Court established the 'clear and present danger' test, directly addressing wartime free speech.$

Answer: Schenck v. United States

Schenck v. United States (1919) is the landmark case addressing the limits of free speech during World War I, directly relevant to La Follette's argument.

Question 19 · 2 pts

Based on the political cartoon "A Wise Economist Asks a Question" (1931) shown, in which a squirrel asks a bank failure victim why he didn't save money, why were President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party unable to solve the problem addressed in this cartoon?

(A) They believed in limited federal government intervention in economic activity. ✓
(B) They knew the problem existed only in rural areas of the United States.
(C) They thought that foreign influences were the primary cause of the bank crisis.
(D) They believed the federal government must first pay back those who lost money due to stock speculation.

Worked solution

$Hoover held to a philosophy of limited government and rugged individualism during the Great Depression.$

$This limited the federal relief efforts needed to address widespread bank failures and unemployment.$

Answer: They believed in limited federal government intervention in economic activity.

Hoover's commitment to limited federal intervention and voluntary cooperation prevented aggressive government action to combat the Depression's economic collapse.

Question 20 · 2 pts

Based on the political cartoon "Trying to Change the Umpiring" (1937) shown, depicting President Franklin D. Roosevelt confronting the Supreme Court as umpire with New Deal acts marked "out," what was the reason for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's reaction to the Supreme Court as shown in this cartoon?

(A) Congress had failed to pass any New Deal legislation.
(B) Several New Deal programs had been invalidated. ✓
(C) The House of Representatives had voted to impeach President Roosevelt.
(D) Several Supreme Court Justices had been removed from office.

Worked solution

$The Supreme Court struck down several New Deal programs, including the NRA and AAA, as unconstitutional.$

$In response, Roosevelt proposed his 1937 'court-packing' plan to add justices favorable to his agenda.$

Answer: Several New Deal programs had been invalidated.

Roosevelt's frustration stemmed from the Supreme Court invalidating key New Deal legislation, prompting his attempt to reshape the Court.

Question 21 · 2 pts

Based on the 1942 poster "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry" shown, issued by the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army Wartime Civil Control Administration, which situation led to the issuance of this order?

(A) the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ✓
(B) the lack of adequate housing on the West Coast
(C) widespread acts of espionage by Japanese Americans
(D) efforts to deport Japanese Americans

Worked solution

$Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, fear and suspicion of Japanese Americans increased.$

$This led President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 9066, authorizing the exclusion and internment of Japanese Americans.$

Answer: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

The Pearl Harbor attack triggered wartime hysteria that led to the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans, exemplified by this civilian exclusion order.

Question 22 · 2 pts

Based on the 1942 poster "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry" shown, what Supreme Court case upheld the constitutionality of this order?

(A) Mapp v. Ohio
(B) Korematsu v. United States ✓
(C) Gideon v. Wainwright
(D) Miranda v. Arizona

Worked solution

$Fred Korematsu challenged his forced removal and internment as a violation of his constitutional rights.$

$In Korematsu v. United States (1944), the Supreme Court upheld the internment as justified by military necessity.$

Answer: Korematsu v. United States

Korematsu v. United States (1944) upheld the constitutionality of Japanese American internment during World War II, a decision widely criticized since.

Question 23 · 2 pts

Based on the political cartoon "Can He Block It?" (ca. 1947) shown, depicting a Soviet figure trying to block a basketball labeled "Marshall Plan" from going through a hoop labeled "European Recovery," what was a primary purpose of the Marshall Plan?

(A) to develop better relations with the Soviet Union
(B) to expand United States territory
(C) to support revolutions in the Middle East
(D) to contain the spread of communism ✓

Worked solution

$The Marshall Plan provided economic aid to rebuild war-torn Western European economies after World War II.$

$By strengthening these economies, the U.S. aimed to prevent the spread of communism into Western Europe.$

Answer: to contain the spread of communism

The Marshall Plan was a key Cold War policy intended to stabilize Western European economies and prevent communist influence from spreading.

Question 24 · 2 pts

Based on the political cartoon "Can He Block It?" (ca. 1947) shown, the Soviet response to the Marshall Plan contributed to

(A) a decline in United States-European trade
(B) increased aid to African nations
(C) the Cold War ✓
(D) the end of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Worked solution

$The Soviet Union viewed the Marshall Plan as a threat to its influence in Eastern Europe and refused to participate.$

$This deepened the divide between the U.S. and the Soviet bloc, intensifying Cold War tensions.$

Answer: the Cold War

Soviet rejection of and opposition to the Marshall Plan solidified the division of Europe and escalated Cold War hostilities between the U.S. and the USSR.

Question 25 · 2 pts

According to the 1973 War Powers Resolution excerpt shown, which states its purpose is "to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution... that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities," the purpose of this law was to

(A) limit the power of the president from involving the United States in extended wars ✓
(B) expand the power of the president as commander in chief
(C) allow the president to declare war on foreign countries
(D) prevent the president from signing a treaty without the consent of Congress

Worked solution

$The War Powers Resolution required the president to consult Congress before committing forces to hostilities.$

$It aimed to restore congressional checks on presidential war-making power that had expanded during the Vietnam War.$

Answer: limit the power of the president from involving the United States in extended wars

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 sought to limit the president's ability to commit U.S. forces to prolonged military conflicts without congressional approval.

Question 26 · 2 pts

According to the 1973 War Powers Resolution excerpt shown, what event most directly led to the passage of this act?

From the War Powers Resolution (1973): "... to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution ... that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities ..."

(A) President Nixon's visit to China
(B) President Kennedy's response to the Cuban missile crisis
(C) involvement in the Vietnam War ✓
(D) imposition of the Arab oil embargo

Worked solution

$The prolonged U.S. involvement in Vietnam occurred largely without formal declarations of war by Congress.$

$Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to reassert its constitutional role in decisions about war.$

Answer: involvement in the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War's escalation under presidential authority without congressional declarations of war directly prompted Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution.

Question 27 · 2 pts

Based on the photograph shown of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act as Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders look on at the United States Capitol, which presidential role is being demonstrated in the photograph?

(A) commander in chief of the armed forces
(B) granting reprieves and pardons for federal offenses
(C) treaty-making powers with foreign nations
(D) chief executive approving congressional bills ✓

Worked solution

$As chief executive, the president signs bills passed by Congress into law.$

$President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act in 1965 exemplifies this constitutional role.$

Answer: chief executive approving congressional bills

Signing legislation passed by Congress into law is a core function of the president's role as chief executive.

Question 28 · 2 pts

Based on the photograph shown of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act, what was one way the Voting Rights Act expanded the civil rights of African Americans?

(A) It stopped the practice of sharecropping.
(B) It ended discrimination in public facilities.
(C) It outlawed the use of literacy tests. ✓
(D) It forced the integration of public schools.

Worked solution

$The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned literacy tests and other discriminatory devices used to disenfranchise Black voters.$

$It also authorized federal oversight of voter registration in areas with histories of discrimination.$

Answer: It outlawed the use of literacy tests.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated literacy tests and other barriers that Southern states had used to prevent African Americans from voting.

June 2023 US History Regents — Answer Key & Worked Solutions

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