Presidency of Chester A. Arthur - Quiz
Presidency of Chester A
  • 1. According to George F. Howe in 1935, what was the primary characteristic of Arthur's reputation at that time?
A) Obscurity
B) Scandalous controversy
C) Extreme popularity
D) Great fame
  • 2. What did Thomas C. Reeves note about Arthur's appointments in 1975?
A) They were largely ignored by historians
B) They were unusually sound
C) They were universally criticized
D) They were plagued by corruption
  • 3. How did Zachary Karabell describe Arthur's state of being while in office?
A) Confident and relaxed
B) Indifferent and detached
C) Physically stretched and emotionally strained
D) Energetic and ambitious
  • 4. Which of the following was one of the restraints Arthur adopted for his political behavior?
A) Ignoring public opinion polls
B) Avoiding all contact with Congress
C) Keeping scrupulously free from corrupt graft
D) Strict adherence to party dogma
  • 5. What did Karabell credit Arthur with presiding over during his presidency?
A) A time of international war
B) A period of peace and prosperity
C) A decade of economic depression
D) A period of industrial collapse
  • 6. According to Karabell, what did Arthur lack that prevented him from achieving greatness?
A) Formal education
B) Vision or force of character
C) Support from his party
D) Political experience
  • 7. In the 2018 American Political Science Association poll, what rank did Arthur receive?
A) 15th
B) 29th
C) 42nd
D) 35th
  • 8. In the 2017 C-SPAN survey, Arthur was ranked right below which president?
A) Martin Van Buren
B) Barack Obama
C) George Washington
D) Herbert Hoover
  • 9. In the 2017 C-SPAN survey, Arthur was ranked right above which president?
A) James Buchanan
B) Herbert Hoover
C) Martin Van Buren
D) Zachary Taylor
  • 10. How many historians were asked to rank the presidents in the 2017 C-SPAN survey?
A) 50
B) 43
C) 100
D) 91
  • 11. What was Arthur's overall rank in the 2017 C-SPAN survey?
A) 29th
B) 32nd
C) 35th
D) 43rd
  • 12. In which category did Arthur receive his highest score (27th) in the 2017 C-SPAN survey?
A) Public persuasion
B) Pursued equal justice for all
C) Economic management
D) International relations
  • 13. Which of the following was NOT one of the traits George F. Howe attributed to Arthur?
A) Stubbornness in negotiation
B) Being free from corrupt graft
C) Maintaining personal dignity
D) Being a man of his word
  • 14. How has the general consensus of historians ranked Arthur as a president?
A) Below-average
B) Average
C) Great
D) Above-average
  • 15. What was Arthur's rank in the C-SPAN surveys conducted in 2000 and 2009?
A) 40th
B) 35th
C) 32nd
D) 29th
  • 16. Who was one of the government officials implicated in the Star Route scandal?
A) The Secretary of the Navy
B) Stephen Wallace Dorsey
C) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
D) Chester A. Arthur
  • 17. Why did the judge set aside the guilty verdicts of the 1882 trial?
A) The jury was found to have been coerced by the public.
B) The court discovered the evidence was illegally obtained.
C) A juror alleged that the defendants attempted to bribe him.
D) The prosecutor was found to be biased against the defendants.
  • 18. How many federal office holders did Arthur remove before the second trial?
A) Two
B) Five
C) One
D) Ten
  • 19. When did the second trial for the Star Route scandal begin?
A) July 1883
B) November 1884
C) December 1882
D) January 1882
  • 20. What impact did the failure to obtain convictions have on Arthur's administration?
A) It caused the government to collapse.
B) It tarnished the administration's image.
C) It led to Arthur's immediate resignation.
D) It increased his popularity with the public.
  • 21. On what date did Chester A. Arthur's presidency begin?
A) November 2, 1880
B) September 19, 1881
C) March 4, 1881
D) January 20, 1881
  • 22. Which president did Chester A. Arthur succeed after an assassination?
A) Grover Cleveland
B) James A. Garfield
C) Rutherford B. Hayes
D) Ulysses S. Grant
  • 23. How many days did Chester A. Arthur serve as vice president before becoming president?
A) 100 days
B) 365 days
C) 199 days
D) 250 days
  • 24. Who succeeded Chester A. Arthur as president in 1885?
A) Benjamin Harrison
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) James G. Blaine
D) Grover Cleveland
  • 25. Which political faction was Chester A. Arthur associated with before his presidency?
A) Copperhead
B) Stalwart
C) Populist
D) Liberal Republican
  • 26. What was the centerpiece of Arthur's administration?
A) Rivers and Harbors Act
B) Civil Rights Act of 1875
C) Tariff of 1883
D) Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
  • 27. Who was the Republican nominee in 1884 that passed over Arthur?
A) James A. Garfield
B) Grover Cleveland
C) James G. Blaine
D) Ulysses S. Grant
  • 28. Which region did Arthur focus on for closer economic and political relations?
A) Europe
B) Latin America
C) Africa
D) Asia
  • 29. Which journalist praised Arthur's transformation from a distrusted politician to a respected president?
A) Ulysses S. Grant
B) Alexander McClure
C) James G. Blaine
D) Grover Cleveland
  • 30. In what year was Chester A. Arthur born?
A) 1835
B) 1827
C) 1831
D) 1829
  • 31. In which state was Chester A. Arthur raised?
A) Massachusetts
B) Vermont
C) Pennsylvania
D) New York
  • 32. What religious denomination was Chester A. Arthur raised in?
A) Presbyterian
B) Baptist
C) Methodist
D) Catholic
  • 33. What profession did Chester A. Arthur pursue before becoming a politician?
A) Merchant
B) Lawyer
C) Soldier
D) Doctor
  • 34. What was Arthur's political party affiliation before becoming a Republican?
A) Democrat
B) Whig
C) Libertarian
D) Federalist
  • 35. What position did Arthur hold in New York starting in 1861 during the Civil War?
A) Quartermaster General
B) Mayor
C) Governor
D) Attorney General
  • 36. Who was the Republican Senator for whom Arthur served as 'Chief Lieutenant'?
A) James G. Blaine
B) Roscoe Conkling
C) Rutherford B. Hayes
D) Ulysses S. Grant
  • 37. What position was Arthur appointed to in 1871?
A) Secretary of State
B) Postmaster General
C) Senator
D) New York Customs House Collector
  • 38. Which president fired Arthur from the Collector post in 1878?
A) Rutherford B. Hayes
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) James A. Garfield
D) Abraham Lincoln
  • 39. Which Republican faction did James A. Garfield associate with?
A) Progressive
B) Radical
C) Half-Breed
D) Stalwart
  • 40. Where did Arthur return to after the Senate went into recess in May 1881?
A) New York
B) Ohio
C) Vermont
D) Washington D.C.
  • 41. Who shot President Garfield on July 2, 1881?
A) Charles J. Guiteau
B) Morrison R. Waite
C) John P. Jones
D) Arthur P. Hinman
  • 42. Who administered the initial oath of office to Chester A. Arthur?
A) Judge John R. Brady
B) Arthur P. Hinman
C) Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite
D) Senator John P. Jones
  • 43. Who served as the de facto First Lady for the widowed President Arthur?
A) Elizabeth Cady Stanton
B) Mary Arthur McElroy
C) Alice Paul
D) Ellen Arthur
  • 44. What was the population of the United States in 1880?
A) 50 million
B) 75 million
C) 30 million
D) 20 million
  • 45. Who accused Arthur of being a British subject born in Canada?
A) Charles J. Guiteau
B) John R. Brady
C) Morrison R. Waite
D) Arthur P. Hinman
  • 46. What constitutional requirement was the subject of the controversy regarding Arthur's eligibility?
A) Having a law degree
B) Being at least 35 years of age
C) Residing in the US for 14 years
D) Being a natural born citizen
  • 47. Which cabinet member resigned in October 1881 to run for the Senate in Minnesota?
A) Robert Todd Lincoln
B) William Windom
C) Samuel J. Kirkwood
D) Wayne MacVeagh
  • 48. Who was appointed by Arthur to replace Wayne MacVeagh?
A) William E. Chandler
B) Henry M. Teller
C) Benjamin H. Brewster
D) Horace Gray
  • 49. Who did Arthur appoint to replace Secretary of State James G. Blaine?
A) Robert Todd Lincoln
B) Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
C) Roscoe Conkling
D) Timothy O. Howe
  • 50. Which cabinet member remained for the entirety of Arthur's term?
A) Robert Todd Lincoln
B) Henry M. Teller
C) William E. Chandler
D) Charles J. Folger
  • 51. Who replaced Postmaster General Thomas Lemuel James in 1882?
A) Samuel J. Kirkwood
B) Timothy O. Howe
C) George Edmunds
D) William H. Hunt
  • 52. Whom did Arthur appoint to replace Navy Secretary William H. Hunt to placate the Half-Breeds?
A) William E. Chandler
B) Roscoe Conkling
C) Horace Gray
D) Samuel Blatchford
  • 53. Who replaced Interior Secretary Samuel J. Kirkwood?
A) Charles J. Folger
B) Benjamin H. Brewster
C) Timothy O. Howe
D) Henry M. Teller
  • 54. Who did Arthur nominate to replace Supreme Court Justice Nathan Clifford?
A) George Edmunds
B) Samuel Blatchford
C) Roscoe Conkling
D) Horace Gray
  • 55. How many district court judges did Arthur appoint?
A) Four
B) Ten
C) Two
D) Fourteen
  • 56. Who was the first person Arthur offered the Supreme Court vacancy to after Conkling declined?
A) Benjamin H. Brewster
B) Horace Gray
C) George Edmunds
D) Samuel Blatchford
  • 57. Which faction leader recommended Frederick T. Frelinghuysen to Arthur?
A) Roscoe Conkling
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) Robert Todd Lincoln
D) James G. Blaine
  • 58. What system did American politics operate on in the early 1880s?
A) Parliamentary system
B) Spoils system
C) Meritocracy
D) Direct democracy
  • 59. Which commission had previously proposed the reforms included in the Pendleton Act?
A) Jay Commission
B) Garfield Commission
C) Pendleton Commission
D) Arthur Commission
  • 60. Who was one of the commissioners appointed by Arthur to the Civil Service Commission?
A) Silas W. Burt
B) Dorman Bridgman Eaton
C) Chester A. Arthur
D) George H. Pendleton
  • 61. Who served as the chief examiner under the new Civil Service Commission?
A) Leroy D. Thoman
B) Silas W. Burt
C) John Milton Gregory
D) George H. Pendleton
  • 62. What percentage of federal jobs did the Pendleton Act initially cover?
A) Seventy-five percent
B) One hundred percent
C) Ten percent
D) Fifty percent
  • 63. What was the political affiliation of George H. Pendleton?
A) Independent
B) Republican
C) Democrat
D) Whig
  • 64. Which political party suffered a crushing defeat in the 1882 congressional elections?
A) Republican
B) Federalist
C) Libertarian
D) Democratic
  • 65. By 1884, what proportion of Customs Service jobs were to be awarded by merit?
A) Half
B) All
C) One-quarter
D) Three-quarters
  • 66. Which crop did many Southerners favor having higher tariffs on?
A) Cotton
B) Corn
C) Tobacco
D) Wheat
  • 67. In 1882, which items did Arthur suggest keeping excise taxes on?
A) Imported minerals
B) Manufactured steel
C) Liquor
D) Cotton
  • 68. What was the general political stance of the individuals Arthur appointed to the tariff commission?
A) Free traders
B) Protectionists
C) Anarchists
D) Socialists
  • 69. What happened after Arthur vetoed the 1882 Rivers and Harbors Act?
A) The Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional
B) The bill was scrapped entirely
C) Congress revised the bill
D) Congress overrode the veto
  • 70. Which nation's influence in the Western Hemisphere did James G. Blaine hope to counter?
A) Great Britain
B) France
C) Germany
D) Spain
  • 71. What was the purpose of the 1882 reciprocal trade treaty signed with Mexico?
A) Tariff reductions
B) Immigration quotas
C) Canal construction
D) Military alliance
  • 72. What did the Immigration Act of 1882 levy on immigrants?
A) A shipping insurance fee
B) A 50-cent tax
C) A mandatory literacy test
D) A five-year residency requirement
  • 73. Where did the majority of Chinese immigrants live during the Arthur administration?
A) Washington
B) New York
C) California
D) Texas
  • 74. Which treaty originally allowed an unrestricted flow of Chinese into the United States?
A) Burlingame Treaty
B) Frelinghuysen-Zavala Treaty
C) Reciprocity Treaty
D) Treaty of 1880
  • 75. What did Americans blame for depressing workmen's wages after the Panic of 1873?
A) High tariffs
B) European competition
C) Chinese immigrants
D) The lack of a canal
  • 76. How many vessels did the American Navy shrink to following the Civil War?
A) 700
B) 100
C) 25
D) 52
  • 77. What were the three steel protected cruisers collectively known as?
A) The Great White Fleet
B) The Evolution Fleet
C) ABCD Ships
D) The Steel Triad
  • 78. Which educational institution did William E. Chandler create?
A) National Maritime Institute
B) Naval War College
C) United States Naval Academy
D) Strategic Studies Center
  • 79. What ship was purchased for the 1884 Greely Relief Mission?
A) Chicago
B) Boston
C) USS Bear
D) Atlanta
  • 80. Where was the Greely scientific polar expedition stationed?
A) Newfoundland
B) Alaska
C) Greenland
D) Ellesmere Island
  • 81. Who was the commander appointed to lead the Greely Relief Mission?
A) William H. Hunt
B) Chester A. Arthur
C) John Roach
D) Winfield Schley
  • 82. In what year did the last of the new steel ships enter service?
A) 1886
B) 1889
C) 1884
D) 1881
  • 83. What did the commission believe the Greely expedition members resorted to for survival?
A) Agriculture
B) Cannibalism
C) Fishing
D) Trading with locals
  • 84. Which of the following was NOT one of the four monitors rebuilt by Congress?
A) Puritan
B) Amphitrite
C) Dolphin
D) Terror
  • 85. On what date was the joint resolution for the Greely expedition relief approved by Congress?
A) February 13, 1883
B) January 13, 1884
C) March 13, 1884
D) February 13, 1884
  • 86. Where was the ship Thetis purchased?
A) United States
B) England
C) Newfoundland
D) Canada
  • 87. Where was the ship Bear purchased?
A) St. John's, Newfoundland
B) New York
C) Portsmouth
D) England
  • 88. On what date did the fleet reach Littleton Island?
A) July 17
B) June 22
C) August 8
D) August 1
  • 89. At what location were Lieutenant Greely and his survivors discovered?
A) Lady Franklin Bay
B) Cape Sabine
C) Littleton Island
D) Upernavik
  • 90. When were the relief ships received at Portsmouth, N. H.?
A) June 22
B) July 17
C) August 1
D) August 8
  • 91. On what date were the relief ships received at New York?
A) June 22
B) August 1
C) July 17
D) August 8
  • 92. What was the original purpose of Lieutenant A. W. Greely's party?
A) Scientific observations
B) Trade exploration
C) Military defense
D) Mapping the coastline
  • 93. Which political group in Virginia did Arthur support with federal patronage?
A) Readjusters
B) Southern Republicans
C) Greenback Party
D) Bourbon Democrats
  • 94. Who was the black West Point cadet that Arthur helped?
A) Blanche K. Bruce
B) David G. Swaim
C) Johnson Whittaker
D) Frederick Douglass
  • 95. What did the Edmunds Act of 1882 target in Utah Territory?
A) Polygamy
B) Poll taxes
C) Discriminatory hiring practices
D) Public education funding
  • 96. Which political group had regained power in the South following Reconstruction?
A) Greenback Party
B) Readjusters
C) Bourbon Democrats
D) Black Republicans
  • 97. What medical condition was Chester A. Arthur diagnosed with shortly after becoming president?
A) Bright's disease
B) Influenza
C) Tuberculosis
D) Diabetes
  • 98. What is the modern name for the kidney ailment known as Bright's disease?
A) Nephritis
B) Cirrhosis
C) Hepatitis
D) Pneumonia
  • 99. Which reservation did Arthur open to settlers by executive order in 1885?
A) Cheyenne River Reservation
B) Crow Creek Reservation
C) Standing Rock Reservation
D) Pine Ridge Reservation
  • 100. Which national park did Arthur visit in July 1883?
A) Yellowstone National Park
B) Sequoia National Park
C) Yosemite National Park
D) Grand Canyon National Park
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