The compromise legislation of 1820 brought Missouri in as a slave state. Which of these did it also do?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Missouri Compromise (1820)". DSST outline area I (16%), d. Westward expansion of free and slave territory
Eli Whitney's cotton gin was meant to save labor. What was its most significant effect on the South, according to the National Archives?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Patent for Cotton Gin (1794)". DSST outline area I (16%), a. United States society in the mid-nineteenth century
Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel turned many Northern readers against slavery. What is its title?Wikipedia, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". DSST outline area I (16%), c. Anti-slavery and abolition movement
In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), what did Chief Justice Taney's opinion say about enslaved people?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)". DSST outline area I (16%), b. Slavery
In the 1860 election, which party broke into Northern and Southern wings that ran Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge?Wikipedia, "1860 United States presidential election". DSST outline area I (16%), f. Political situation in 1860
Show all 60 questions (55 more)
Causes of the war, continued
John Brown seized the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. Who commanded the U.S. Marines sent to retake it?Wikipedia, "John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry". DSST outline area I (16%), e. John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
The Liberator, a weekly printed in Boston from 1831, urged the immediate freeing of the slaves. Who published it?Wikipedia, "The Liberator (newspaper)". DSST outline area I (16%), c. Anti-slavery and abolition movement
What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 demand of people living in free states?Wikipedia, "Fugitive Slave Act of 1850". DSST outline area I (16%), b. Slavery
Which 1854 law, introduced by Stephen Douglas, repealed the Missouri Compromise line and left slavery to the settlers of two new territories?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)". DSST outline area I (16%), d. Westward expansion of free and slave territory
The Wilmot Proviso of 1846 never became law. What did it propose?Wikipedia, "Wilmot Proviso". DSST outline area I (16%), d. Westward expansion of free and slave territory
1861 7
At First Bull Run in July 1861, which Confederate general earned a lasting nickname for holding firm on Henry Hill?American Battlefield Trust, "Bull Run". DSST outline area II (11%), e. First Manassas (Bull Run)
Before he led the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis had held which national office under President Franklin Pierce?Wikipedia, "Jefferson Davis". DSST outline area II (11%), g. Lincoln versus Davis leadership
General-in-Chief Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan rested on which two moves?Wikipedia, "Anaconda Plan". DSST outline area II (11%), f. Union Army versus Confederate Army
Lincoln answered the fall of Fort Sumter with a call for 75,000 volunteers. What followed in the upper South?Wikipedia, "Battle of Fort Sumter". DSST outline area II (11%), d. Lincoln's call for volunteers
Where did delegates of the seceded states meet in February 1861 to set up a provisional Confederate government?Wikipedia, "Confederate States of America". DSST outline area II (11%), b. Formation of Confederacy
Which state was the first to pass a secession ordinance, on December 20, 1860?Wikipedia, "South Carolina Declaration of Secession". DSST outline area II (11%), a. Secession
Who commanded the Union garrison that surrendered Fort Sumter in April 1861?American Battlefield Trust, "Fort Sumter". DSST outline area II (11%), c. Fort Sumter
1862 10
After which February 1862 victory in Tennessee did Ulysses S. Grant become known as "Unconditional Surrender" Grant?American Battlefield Trust, "Fort Donelson". DSST outline area III (17%), c. War in the West
At Fredericksburg in December 1862, Union assaults failed with heavy loss in front of which Confederate position?American Battlefield Trust, "Fredericksburg". DSST outline area III (17%), b. War in the East
The Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862 is remembered as the first fight between what?American Battlefield Trust, "Hampton Roads". DSST outline area III (17%), b. War in the East
Confederate leaders began the war confident that one export would bring European powers to their side. Which one?Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Preventing Diplomatic Recognition of the Confederacy, 1861-1865". DSST outline area III (17%), a. Southern strategy
The deadliest single-day battle in American military history was fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862. What is it called?American Battlefield Trust, "Antietam". DSST outline area III (17%), d. Major battles
Lincoln's final proclamation of January 1, 1863 declared enslaved people free. Where?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Emancipation Proclamation (1863)". DSST outline area III (17%), e. Emancipation Proclamation
What was the aim of George B. McClellan's Peninsula campaign in the spring of 1862?Wikipedia, "Peninsula campaign". DSST outline area III (17%), b. War in the East
Which Confederate commander was killed at Shiloh in April 1862?American Battlefield Trust, "Shiloh". DSST outline area III (17%), c. War in the West
Which Union naval officer ran his fleet past the forts below New Orleans and took the city in April 1862?Wikipedia, "Capture of New Orleans". DSST outline area III (17%), c. War in the West
Who took command of the Confederate army defending Richmond on June 1, 1862, after Joseph E. Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines?Wikipedia, "Seven Days Battles". DSST outline area III (17%), a. Southern strategy
1863 11
The 54th Massachusetts, a Black regiment led by Robert Gould Shaw, is best known for its July 1863 assault on which position?Wikipedia, "54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment". DSST outline area IV (19%), c. Black Americans and the war
At Chickamauga in September 1863, which Union general held his ground and covered the army's retreat, earning the name "Rock of Chickamauga"?American Battlefield Trust, "Chickamauga". DSST outline area IV (19%), d. Major battles
Dorothea Dix, known before the war for reforming the care of the mentally ill, held which wartime post?Wikipedia, "Dorothea Dix". DSST outline area IV (19%), b. Role of women in the war
In the records of a Civil War army, which soldiers counted as casualties?American Battlefield Trust, "Civil War Casualties". DSST outline area IV (19%), a. Casualties
Lee won at Chancellorsville in May 1863 but lost which general, shot by mistake by his own troops?American Battlefield Trust, "Chancellorsville". DSST outline area IV (19%), d. Major battles
The New York City draft riots of July 1863 broke out over a new conscription law. Whom did the rioters chiefly attack?Wikipedia, "New York City draft riots". DSST outline area IV (19%), c. Black Americans and the war
What did War Department General Order 143, issued in May 1863, create?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "War Department General Order 143: Creation of the U.S. Colored Troops (1863)". DSST outline area IV (19%), c. Black Americans and the war
Which Civil War nurse, called the "Angel of the Battlefield," later founded the American Red Cross?Wikipedia, "Clara Barton". DSST outline area IV (19%), b. Role of women in the war
Which three-day battle of 1863 left 46,000 to 51,000 casualties, more than any earlier battle in American history?Wikipedia, "Battle of Gettysburg". DSST outline area IV (19%), a. Casualties
Who commanded the Union Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg, having taken over only days before the battle?American Battlefield Trust, "Gettysburg". DSST outline area IV (19%), d. Major battles
Why did the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 matter so much to the Union?American Battlefield Trust, "Vicksburg". DSST outline area IV (19%), d. Major battles
1864 9
At Nashville in December 1864, George H. Thomas shattered which Confederate army?American Battlefield Trust, "Nashville". DSST outline area V (15%), b. War in the West
Grant's Overland Campaign against Lee opened in May 1864 with which battle?American Battlefield Trust, "Wilderness". DSST outline area V (15%), c. War in the East
Sherman's March to the Sea, in November and December 1864, ran from Atlanta to which port?Wikipedia, "Sherman's March to the Sea". DSST outline area V (15%), b. War in the West
The Wade-Davis Bill of 1864 set a harder test for readmitting a Confederate state than Lincoln's plan. What did Lincoln do with it?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Wade-Davis Bill (1864)". DSST outline area V (15%), a. Political situation
Which city did William T. Sherman capture on September 2, 1864, lifting Northern morale before the election?Wikipedia, "Atlanta campaign". DSST outline area V (15%), b. War in the West
Which June 1864 battle did Grant later say he regretted, after a frontal assault on entrenched Confederates failed in minutes?American Battlefield Trust, "Cold Harbor". DSST outline area V (15%), c. War in the East
Who were the "Copperheads" of the Civil War North?Wikipedia, "Copperhead (politics)". DSST outline area V (15%), a. Political situation
Whom did the Democrats nominate to run against Lincoln in 1864?Wikipedia, "1864 United States presidential election". DSST outline area V (15%), a. Political situation
Why did Grant lay siege to Petersburg, Virginia, from June 1864?American Battlefield Trust, "Petersburg". DSST outline area V (15%), c. War in the East
1865 4
In which Virginia village did Lee meet Grant on April 9, 1865 to give up his army?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia (1865)". DSST outline area VI (7%), c. Lee's surrender
What forced the Confederate government to abandon Richmond on April 2, 1865?Wikipedia, "Third Battle of Petersburg". DSST outline area VI (7%), b. Fall of Richmond
Where did Joseph E. Johnston surrender to Sherman in April 1865, in the largest troop surrender of the war?Wikipedia, "Bennett Place". DSST outline area VI (7%), a. Sherman's Carolina campaign
Who shot Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865?Wikipedia, "Assassination of Abraham Lincoln". DSST outline area VI (7%), d. Assassination of Lincoln
Reconstruction 9
The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, says the right to vote may not be denied on which grounds?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights (1870)". DSST outline area VII (15%), c. Congressional Reconstruction plans
The House impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868 mainly because he had done what?U.S. Senate, "The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868)". DSST outline area VII (15%), c. Congressional Reconstruction plans
How did the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 reorganize the former Confederate states, other than Tennessee?Wikipedia, "Reconstruction Acts". DSST outline area VII (15%), d. Military Reconstruction
The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 gave the president which power to fight Klan violence?Wikipedia, "Ku Klux Klan Act". DSST outline area VII (15%), b. Southern response
Under Lincoln's plan of December 1863, a seceded state could form a new government once what share of its 1860 voters had sworn allegiance to the Union?Wikipedia, "Ten percent plan". DSST outline area VII (15%), a. Presidential Reconstruction plans
What did the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, establish?National Archives, Milestone Documents, "14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868)". DSST outline area VII (15%), c. Congressional Reconstruction plans
What did the informal Compromise of 1877 trade for Rutherford B. Hayes's victory in the disputed 1876 election?Wikipedia, "Compromise of 1877". DSST outline area VII (15%), e. End of Reconstruction
What were the Black Codes that Southern legislatures passed in 1865 and 1866?Wikipedia, "Black Codes (United States)". DSST outline area VII (15%), b. Southern response
Which federal agency, established on March 3, 1865, was set up to supply and assist freedpeople and destitute refugees in the South?Wikipedia, "Freedmen's Bureau". DSST outline area VII (15%), c. Congressional Reconstruction plans
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam content outline in the DSST fact sheet for The Civil War and Reconstruction (Prometric, Rev 06/2018, https://getcollegecredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TheCivilWarAndReconstruction.pdf, read 2026-10-13): Causes of the War 16%, 1861 11%, 1862 17%, 1863 19%, 1864 15%, 1865 7%, Reconstruction 15%. This bank holds 60: 10, 7, 10, 11, 9, 4 and 9, the same shares to the nearest question. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 on the public page named under its question: the National Archives' Milestone Documents, the American Battlefield Trust's battle pages, the U.S. Senate, the State Department's Office of the Historian and Wikipedia. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This Civil War and Reconstruction DSST practice test has 60 questions of our own in the fact sheet's seven areas. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Prometric, which owns the DSST exams.
Read the full guide
What the exam covers
The fact sheet (Rev 06/2018) lists seven areas: causes of the war 16%, 1861 11%, 1862 17%, 1863 19%, 1864 15%, 1865 7% and Reconstruction 15%. The bank holds 10, 7, 10, 11, 9, 4 and 9.
Year by year
Five of the seven areas are single years, so the outline rewards knowing what happened when: Fort Sumter and First Bull Run in 1861, Antietam and the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863, Atlanta and Lincoln's re-election in 1864, Appomattox in 1865.
1863 is the largest area at 19%: casualties, women in the war, Black soldiers and the major battles.
Reconstruction is 15%: Lincoln's and Congress's plans, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, the military districts and the bargain of 1877.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the Civil War and Reconstruction DSST?
100, with 2 hours to answer them. The fact sheet says some are unscored pretest questions. Exam mode on this page draws 50 for 60 minutes.
What score do you need to pass the Civil War and Reconstruction DSST?
Prometric publishes no percent. The American Council on Education recommends 3 semester hours of lower-level baccalaureate credit at a score of 400 or more. The school you send your score to makes the decision.
Is there a Civil War and Reconstruction DSST study guide?
The free one is Prometric's fact sheet: the outline, its percentages and four reference books, among them McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom and Foner's Reconstruction. Each explanation here names the National Archives, American Battlefield Trust or other public page behind it.
Are these real Civil War and Reconstruction DSST questions?
No. All 60 are our own, made from the outline's lines. Nothing is taken or reworded from an exam form or from the fact sheet's sample questions, so your result here is no forecast of the real one.