How many fraternities were founded north of the Mason-Dixon line prior to the Civil War?

How many fraternities were founded north of the Mason-Dixon line prior to the Civil War?

• A. 10
• B. 20
• C. 30
• D. 40

Answer: (B)

This item tests how well you understand the geographic and historical spread of fraternities in early America. Before the Civil War, most new fraternities formed in the Northeast and Midwest, north of the Mason-Dixon line, rather than in the South. By around 1860, the number of fraternities founded north of that line was about twenty. That figure captures the pattern of rapid northern growth in the 1820s–1850s and the relative scarcity of pre-war southern founding. Keep in mind that counts can vary slightly depending on whether certain groups are counted as social fraternities versus honor societies, but twenty is the standard tally for this question.

This item tests how well you understand the geographic and historical spread of fraternities in early America. Before the Civil War, most new fraternities formed in the Northeast and Midwest, north of the Mason-Dixon line, rather than in the South. By around 1860, the number of fraternities founded north of that line was about twenty. That figure captures the pattern of rapid northern growth in the 1820s–1850s and the relative scarcity of pre-war southern founding. Keep in mind that counts can vary slightly depending on whether certain groups are counted as social fraternities versus honor societies, but twenty is the standard tally for this question.