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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 8: 1945-1980Economy after 1945

Economy after 1945 (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

4 mins4 questions
11 mark

"The Nation's highway system is a gigantic enterprise, one of our largest items of capital investment. Generations have gone into its building. Three million, three hundred and sixty-six thousand miles of road, travelled by 58 million motor vehicles, comprise it. The replacement cost of its drainage and bridge and tunnel works is incalculable. One in every seven Americans gains his livelihood and supports his family out of it. But, in large part, the network is inadequate for the nation's growing needs."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Message to Congress, February 22, 1955

Which of the following best represents the economic significance of the highway system as described in the excerpt?

  • Its key value was in connecting military installations

  • Employed a substantial portion of the American workforce

  • Mainly served to facilitate international trade

  • Primarily benefited urban centers more than rural districts

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21 mark

"The Nation's highway system is a gigantic enterprise, one of our largest items of capital investment. Generations have gone into its building. Three million, three hundred and sixty-six thousand miles of road, travelled by 58 million motor vehicles, comprise it. The replacement cost of its drainage and bridge and tunnel works is incalculable. One in every seven Americans gains his livelihood and supports his family out of it. But, in large part, the network is inadequate for the nation's growing needs."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Message to Congress, February 22, 1955

Which demographic trend most directly contributed to the conditions of the highway system Eisenhower described?

  • Growth of dual-income households

  • Rise of interstate trucking commerce

  • Rapid expansion of suburban communities

  • Decline of public transportation

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31 mark

"The Nation's highway system is a gigantic enterprise, one of our largest items of capital investment. Generations have gone into its building. Three million, three hundred and sixty-six thousand miles of road, travelled by 58 million motor vehicles, comprise it. The replacement cost of its drainage and bridge and tunnel works is incalculable. One in every seven Americans gains his livelihood and supports his family out of it. But, in large part, the network is inadequate for the nation's growing needs."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Message to Congress, February 22, 1955

President Eisenhower’s message to Congress would most likely have had the support of

  • The American Automobile Association (AAA)

  • The American Legion

  • Environmentalists, such as Rachel Carson

  • The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

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41 mark

"The Nation's highway system is a gigantic enterprise, one of our largest items of capital investment. Generations have gone into its building. Three million, three hundred and sixty-six thousand miles of road, travelled by 58 million motor vehicles, comprise it. The replacement cost of its drainage and bridge and tunnel works is incalculable. One in every seven Americans gains his livelihood and supports his family out of it. But, in large part, the network is inadequate for the nation's growing needs."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Message to Congress, February 22, 1955

What federal legislation resulted directly from the concerns raised in Eisenhower’s 1955 message?

  • The Federal-Aid Highway Act

  • The Taft-Hartley Act

  • The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act

  • The Highway Safety Act

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