US History Westward Expansion Practice Exam

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• Moving from place to place following herds and environmental conditions?
• Which region is described as a vast grassland between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains?
• These nomadic tribes such as the Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Crow, and Comanche had given up farming in colonial times after the introduction of the horse by the Spanish. By the 1700s, they had become skillful horse riders and their lives centered on hunting buffalo. What is the collective name for these tribes?
• How did mining booms shape the social and economic landscape of western towns?
• Where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met; joined the railroads to create America's first transcontinental railroad
• Which present-day states were part of the Mexican Cession following the Mexican-American War?
• Following the Battle of Little Bighorn, what policy shift occurred in U.S. military actions toward Plains tribes?
• Which act aimed to civilize Native Americans by distributing tribal lands to individuals?
• The Populist Party in the 1890s primarily represented which group?
• What roles did the Santa Fe Trail and Oregon Trail play in U.S. relations and expansion?
• Approximately how many U.S. Army officers and men were wiped out at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
• The Democratic candidate for president in 1896 who promoted free silver coinage and attracted Populist support was?
• What was the Trail of Tears and which policy did it reflect?
• How did westward expansion contribute to the onset of the Civil War?
• What was one major impact of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad?
• Which of the following groups contributed significantly to building the Transcontinental Railroad and faced harsh working conditions?
• Which law funded the creation of land-grant colleges in the western states?
• The Union Pacific Railroad connected with which railroad at Promontory Point to complete the first transcontinental railroad?
• Which outcome followed the Sand Creek Massacre in terms of military policy?
• Which term describes the movement of people from rural areas into cities during the Industrial Revolution?
• The annexation of which territory in 1845 integrated it into the United States, despite tensions with Mexico?
• Which treaty ended the Mexican-American War and led to the cession of a large portion of the Southwest to the United States?
• Which tribe lived in plains near the Rockies; primary resource buffalo?
• What term described Great Plains farmers who had to break through thick soil to farm?
• Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the Transcontinental Railroad?
• The gold and silver booms in the West supplied metals essential to U.S. industrial growth and were sold into which markets?
• Which mail service was created to carry mail from Missouri to California in about 10 days but ended after Morse's telegraph arrived?
• How did buffalo decline relate to westward expansion and Native policy?
• Which U.S. commander was nicknamed 'White Chief with Yellow Hair' by the Sioux?
• What term refers to land set aside by the U.S. government for Native American tribes?
• What slogan embodied the drive to expand into the Oregon country, and what treaty settled the boundary with Britain?
• What was the Dawes Act (General Allotment Act) of 1887 and its impact on Native Americans?
• What did the Homestead Act (1862) promise to settlers?
• Which party was associated with the 1890s movement advocating farmers' reforms and free silver coinage?
• How did California's statehood in 1850 affect the national balance between free and slave states?
• What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876), and what did it reveal about U.S.-Plains Indian policy?
• What was a key outcome of the Bear Flag Revolt?
• The Wounded Knee Massacre is best described as:
• Sioux Wars lasted 1876-1877 and were spurred by what?
• What was the central idea of Manifest Destiny and who popularized it?
• The Free Silver Movement was supported by which groups?
• A mounted herder hired by cattle owners to care for their stock, prominent in the post-Civil War era, is known as what?
• What were the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)?
• Who led Texan forces to victory at San Jacinto?
• A monetary system in which paper money and coins are equal in value to gold is called what?
• Name major explorers who mapped the West besides Lewis and Clark and summarize their contributions.
• According to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which river became the boundary between Texas and Mexico?
• The concept of supply and demand describes how prices respond to which factors?
• The event described as the last major armed conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the United States is known as which battle?
• The Great Plains from Texas to Canada where many ranchers raised cattle in the late 1800s is known as what?
• The Trail of Tears reflected which federal policy toward Native Americans?
• How did Manifest Destiny influence U.S. policy toward Native Americans and immigrants?
• What was the significance of the Santa Fe Trail in the Southwest?
• Why is the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 historically significant?
• In 1879, African Americans migrated to the Great Plains (Kansas and Oklahoma) to escape conditions in the South. What were these travelers called?
• Inflation is defined as what?
• Westward expansion influenced political party development before the Civil War by intensifying debates over what issue?
• The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 opened land that had formerly been part of which territory?
• The 1889 land run that opened the former Indian Territory to white settlement, drawing about 50,000 settlers, is called what?
• Approximately how many settlers competed in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889?
• Who is credited with discovering the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1858?
• Identify two pivotal battles of the Texas Revolution and their outcomes.
• Which war from 1846 to 1848 led to the United States acquiring about half of Mexico's territory?
• The mass migration of African Americans to the Great Plains in 1879 is known by which name?
• The Mexican Cession of 1848 included which of the following areas?
• What was a major national effect of the California Gold Rush era on urban development and immigration?
• The 1889 land rush opened lands in which modern state?
• Which city rapidly grew during the California Gold Rush?
• The Morrill Land Grant Act established what kind of institutions?
• Labor group of the Transcontinental Railroad who was treated poorly.
• Which sequence correctly lists the order of these events: California statehood, Morrill Act, Transcontinental Railroad, and the Wounded Knee Massacre?
• Which concept explains how price is determined by demand and supply?
• The transcontinental railroad completed in 1869 connected which railroads?
• The mining technique that involves collecting gold-bearing gravel and washing it in a pan is called what?
• How did the annexation of Texas in 1845 influence national politics and the slavery debate?
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act used popular sovereignty and repealed the Missouri Compromise’s 36°30' line. Which statement best describes this act?
• What was a key consequence of the Sand Creek Massacre for U.S. policy toward Plains tribes?
• What major impact did the Oregon Trail have on the settlement of the Pacific Northwest?
• Which animal did the Plains Indians rely on for food, shelter, and clothing?
• Which was a primary purpose of the Gadsden Purchase?
• Which land purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the United States?
• The Black Hills Gold Rush occurred during which years?
• What were the consequences of the California Gold Rush?
• The Ghost Dance movement was led by which figure?
• Which act, passed in 1862, granted settlers 160 acres of public land if they improved it and lived on it for five years?
• The National Grange Movement was organized by which individual?
• In what year did the Battle of the Little Bighorn take place?
• What did the Pacific Railway Acts (1862-1869) authorize and achieve?
• The 1892 political movement formed by farmers and others advocated which monetary policy?
• Which battle became a symbol of Texan resistance during the Texas Revolution?
• Which political party was formed in 1892 representing farmers and advocating free coinage of silver and government control of railroads and monopolies?
• How many land-grant institutions were established as a result of the Morrill Act?
• Where did the Wounded Knee Massacre take place?
• Who led the Mormon migration to Utah?
• The Populist platform called for government control of which sectors?
• In 1877, the Supreme Court case Munn v. Illinois upheld regulation of which industry?
• A livestock owner who realized railroads could send meat to populated eastern cities by transporting longhorns and other bovines north through the railroad. He also built large cattle pens called stockyards.
• Which group, including the leader Geronimo, avoided capture and ultimately surrendered to the U.S. government?
• What was the U.S. Army's stated objective when surrounding the Lakota encampment before transporting them to Omaha?
• Who were the chiefs of the Sioux tribe who defeated Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
• The Mexican Cession intensified debates over slavery because Northerners feared the expansion of slavery would deter what?
• What geographic changes resulted from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
• Which statement about a westward expansion factor and its outcome is accurate?
• How did Spanish-Mexican missions influence California's development?
• Nickname for African-American soldiers who fought in the wars against Native Americans living on the Great Plains during the 1870s?
• What were the main causes of the Texas Revolution (1835-1836)?
• Which railroad started in Sacramento and connected with the Union Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah to form the first transcontinental railroad?
• What was the main goal of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851?
• Promontory Point, Utah is famous for what event?
• Which law authorized the removal of Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi River?
• The adoption of heavy mining machinery enabled which major corporate change in the mining industry?
• In what ways did frontier life affect women's roles and rights?
• Which group did Chief Joseph lead on a trek to escape to Canada?
• Which event resulted in Spain ceding Florida to the United States?
• A town that grew because of the cattle trade; the Chisholm Trail ended here and the railroad began here, making it an important western town.
• In the 1896 election, which candidate carried the banner of free silver coinage?
• Which event in 1849 brought tens of thousands to California and helped spur rapid growth there?
• Major railroad companies divided the nation into 4 different zones to divide time.
• Which of the following best describes the political realignments before the Civil War due to westward expansion?
• What was the primary commercial purpose of the Santa Fe Trail?
• What were the territorial consequences of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)?
• Which famous phrase did Chief Joseph reportedly utter upon surrender?
• Which treaty restricted Indians to specific areas away from major trails?
• What did the Wilmot Proviso attempt to ban?
• During the California Gold Rush, which immigrant group arrived in large numbers and contributed to the state’s population growth?
• Who commanded the U.S. cavalry during the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
• The last major armed conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the United States occurred in 1890 at which battle?
• The silver lode discovered in 1858 by Henry Comstock, which attracted many Californians to Nevada, is known as what?
• Which battle is also called Custer's Last Stand?
• How many Lakota Sioux died at the Battle of Wounded Knee?
• What was completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah, linking the eastern railroad with California's railroad and revolutionizing transportation in the West?
• What did the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819) accomplish regarding Florida and territorial borders?
• After surface metals were removed, miners pursued underground ore extraction, leading to heavy mining machinery and industry consolidation. What is this activity called?
• Which railroad began in Omaha, Nebraska, and connected with the Central Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah?
• During the Wounded Knee incident, many deaths were thought to be caused by what factor?
• What was the political status of Texas before it joined the United States in 1845?
• When was Texas annexed by the United States?
• According to the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, what became Texas's border?
• The Comstock Lode is located in which state?
• What was the significance of the Morrill Act of 1862 in higher education and westward expansion?
• Which candidate in 1896 carried the banner of free silver coinage and attracted Populist support?
• Gold was discovered in the Black Hills located in which state?
• Which act divided tribal lands into individual allotments and led to erosion of tribal sovereignty?
• When did Texas gain independence and when did it join the United States?
• Which Supreme Court case did President Andrew Jackson famously defy by stating that the state could not remove Native Americans from their lands?
• When did California gain admission to statehood?
• The Bear Flag Revolt occurred in 1846 in which region?
• What concept claimed the United States was destined to expand across North America to the Pacific Ocean?
• What term describes the process by which settlers raced to claim lands in 1889?
• What were the terms and significance of the Louisiana Purchase (1803)?
• How did the concept of a 'frontier' contribute to American identity and myth-making in the 19th century?
• How did the Transcontinental Railroad transform the movement of people and goods across the United States?
• How did land grants promote settlement and railroad construction in the West?
• The Grange movement defended its members against which groups?
• Which treaty in 1868 guaranteed Indians' rights to the Black Hills for hunting and sacred purposes?
• The Ghost Dance movement was intended to be what kind of expression?
• The Populist movement of the late 19th century was primarily composed of which group seeking economic reform?
• A town undergoing rapid growth due to sudden prosperity.
• The Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred near which river?
• Which statement accurately describes a provision of the Compromise of 1850?
• Who commanded Mexican troops and was defeated at San Jacinto?
• What was the combined effect of the Morrill Act and the Homestead Act?
• What did the Missouri Compromise propose and what line did it establish for future territories?
• Americans started to move from an agricultural society to one based on industry. This created a middle class; innovations such as textile mills and steam engines made goods easier and cheaper to get.
• What were the goals and outcomes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)?
• The Oregon Trail contributed to U.S. expansion by extending presence in which region?
• What territories were acquired in the Gadsden Purchase (1853) and why?
• Which groups were among the supporters of the Free Silver Movement?
• What was Bleeding Kansas, and why did it matter?
• What term describes the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another?
• How did the California Gold Rush affect urban development and the national economy?
• What overall effect did Manifest Destiny have on United States expansion and policy?
• Westward expansion helped shape national development in the 20th century by establishing what?
• What was a major cause of the Sioux Wars according to the material?
• The 1858 gold discovery that triggered a rush to the Dakota Territory, Montana, and Colorado occurred at which location?
• The act that allowed settlers to acquire 160 acres by living on it for five years and paying about $30 is the:
• Which Paiute Indian gave lectures on the problems of the reservations in the 1870s?
• What term refers to natural substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain?
• Which monetary policy did the Populist Party oppose?
• Which innovations helped make goods easier and cheaper to obtain during the Industrial Revolution?