Civil War MCQs [USA – America] January 8, 2026August 20, 2024 by u930973931_answers 40 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/40 Subscribe 1. What was the primary cause of the American Civil War? (A) Economic differences (B) States' rights (C) Territorial expansion (D) Slavery 2. Which event is often considered the beginning of the American Civil War? (A) The Battle of Gettysburg (B) The Dred Scott Decision (C) The Election of Abraham Lincoln (D) The attack on Fort Sumter 3. Who was the President of the Confederate States during the Civil War? (A) Robert E. Lee (B) Jefferson Davis (C) Andrew Johnson (D) Ulysses S. Grant 4. Which Union General led the March to the Sea? (A) George McClellan (B) Ulysses S. Grant (C) William Tecumseh Sherman (D) Philip Sheridan 5. What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation? (A) It ended the war (B) It granted citizenship to all former slaves (C) It established the Union Army (D) It freed slaves in Confederate-held territory 6. Which battle is considered the turning point of the Civil War? (A) Battle of Gettysburg (B) Battle of Shiloh (C) Battle of Antietam (D) Battle of Bull Run 7. Who was the commanding general of the Confederate Army? (A) Stonewall Jackson (B) Nathan Bedford Forrest (C) Robert E. Lee (D) James Longstreet 8. Which amendment abolished slavery in the United States? (A) 13th Amendment (B) 14th Amendment (C) 15th Amendment (D) 16th Amendment 9. What was the main goal of the Union’s Anaconda Plan? (A) To invade and capture the Confederate capital (B) To negotiate peace with European countries (C) To recruit more soldiers (D) To blockade Confederate ports and control the Mississippi River 10. Which state was the first to secede from the Union? (A) South Carolina (B) Virginia (C) Georgia (D) Mississippi 11. The Battle of Bull Run was fought in which state? (A) North Carolina (B) Maryland (C) Tennessee (D) Virginia 12. Which Union general is known for his “Total War” strategy? (A) Ulysses S. Grant (B) George Meade (C) William Tecumseh Sherman (D) George McClellan 13. What was the main purpose of the Gettysburg Address? (A) To announce a new military strategy (B) To declare martial law (C) To negotiate peace with the Confederacy (D) To honor fallen soldiers and redefine the war's purpose 14. Which Confederate general earned his nickname “Stonewall” at the First Battle of Bull Run? (A) Robert E. Lee (B) Thomas J. Jackson (C) J.E.B. Stuart (D) A.P. Hill 15. What was the purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau? (A) To establish new state governments in the South (B) To enforce laws against former Confederates (C) To organize military campaigns (D) To provide education and aid to freed slaves and poor whites 16. Who was the Union’s first commander-in-chief? (A) Abraham Lincoln (B) Ulysses S. Grant (C) George McClellan (D) Winfield Scott 17. Which Confederate state was considered the heart of the Confederacy? (A) Georgia (B) Virginia (C) Alabama (D) South Carolina 18. Which Union general was known for his leadership at the Siege of Vicksburg? (A) William Tecumseh Sherman (B) George Meade (C) Ulysses S. Grant (D) Philip Sheridan 19. The Second Battle of Bull Run was also known as: (A) The Battle of Fredericksburg (B) The Battle of Antietam (C) The Battle of Manassas (D) The Battle of Chancellorsville 20. What was the significance of the Battle of Antietam? (A) It was the first major Confederate victory (B) It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history (C) It led to the capture of Richmond (D) It ended the war 21. Which ship was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the Confederacy? (A) USS Monitor (B) CSS Alabama (C) USS Merrimack (D) CSS Virginia 22. Which Union general led the defense of Washington, D.C., and later ran for President in 1864? (A) Ulysses S. Grant (B) Philip Sheridan (C) William Tecumseh Sherman (D) George McClellan 23. The “Copperheads” were: (A) Radical Republicans (B) Southern Unionists (C) Confederate spies (D) Northern Democrats opposed to the war 24. Which battle marked the end of the Civil War with the surrender of Robert E. Lee? (A) Battle of Appomattox Court House (B) Battle of Petersburg (C) Battle of Cold Harbor (D) Battle of Shiloh 25. What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 do? (A) Established the Mason-Dixon Line (B) Abolished slavery in the territories (C) Created the Republican Party (D) Established popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska 26. What was the main effect of Sherman’s March to the Sea? (A) It ended the siege of Vicksburg (B) It led to the capture of Jefferson Davis (C) It devastated Southern morale and infrastructure (D) It resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Paris 27. Who were the “Border States” during the Civil War? (A) Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas (B) Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware (C) Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi (D) New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio 28. Which general led the Confederate troops in the Battle of Chancellorsville? (A) James Longstreet (B) Stonewall Jackson (C) Robert E. Lee (D) Nathan Bedford Forrest 29. The term “scorched earth” is associated with which Union general’s tactics? (A) Ulysses S. Grant (B) William Tecumseh Sherman (C) George Meade (D) Philip Sheridan 30. Which act established the first federal income tax in the United States? (A) The Morrill Act (B) The Homestead Act (C) The Revenue Act of 1861 (D) The National Banking Act 31. Who was the Union’s Secretary of War during most of the Civil War? (A) Edwin Stanton (B) Simon Cameron (C) Salmon P. Chase (D) William H. Seward 32. What was the primary focus of the 1864 election? (A) Civil Rights legislation (B) Westward expansion (C) Economic recovery (D) Continuation of the Civil War 33. The term “total war” in Civil War context is best associated with which general’s strategy? (A) Ulysses S. Grant (B) George McClellan (C) William Tecumseh Sherman (D) Robert E. Lee 34. Who was the chief military strategist for the Confederacy? (A) Nathan Bedford Forrest (B) Stonewall Jackson (C) J.E.B. Stuart (D) Robert E. Lee 35. What was the primary goal of the Union’s blockade strategy? (A) To liberate Southern slaves (B) To capture Confederate leaders (C) To prevent the Confederacy from receiving supplies (D) To encourage European intervention 36. Which Union victory is often credited with boosting Northern morale? (A) Battle of Chattanooga (B) Battle of Vicksburg (C) Battle of Gettysburg (D) Battle of Antietam 37. What was one of the major consequences of the Civil War? (A) Expansion of slavery (B) Increased federal power (C) Growth of the Southern economy (D) Decreased immigration 38. What role did women play during the Civil War? (A) They served exclusively as nurses (B) They took on various roles including soldiers, spies, and workers (C) They were not allowed to participate in the war effort (D) They primarily stayed at home 39. What was the primary reason for the South’s economic struggles after the Civil War? (A) Loss of manpower (B) High taxation (C) Rebuilding infrastructure (D) The transition from slave to wage labor 40. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution granted which right? (A) Freedom of speech (B) Voting rights regardless of race (C) Right to bear arms (D) Freedom from unreasonable searches