CHAPTER 13: THE WAY WEST, 1815-1850
Multiple Choice
1. By 1850, the population of the United States had grown to __________ million.
A) twelve
B) twenty-three
C) fifty-five
D) one hundred
2. Which statement about the westward shift of population in the period of 1800–1850 is true?
A) The national base population increased by almost fifteen times.
B) The percentage of Americans living in the West grew slowly.
C) Through purchase and conquest, the land area of the nation more than tripled.
D) Smaller families became more prevalent in rural society.
3. During the years of the Jeffersonian Republicans, the government’s land policies __________.
A) focused mainly on the commercial farmers of the mid-Atlantic region
B) attempted to aid Americans who wished to become freeholders
C) made it more difficult for small farmers to purchase land in the West
D) guaranteed that a migrant farmer in the West would become wealthy
4. Migration into the Old Northwest was characterized by __________.
A) a rapid period of movement that slowed after the War of 1812
B) the dominant spread of commercial farming in the region
C) not enough land in the East
D) the convergence of varying regional cultures from all parts of the East
5. How did Westerners promote industrialization in the East?
A) by providing food for the growing workforce of the East
B) by demonstrating methods of industrial success in western iron mills
C) by sending many young people to work in eastern factories
D) by investing large amounts of capital in eastern manufacturing
6. Local associations known as claims clubs __________.
A) worked to stop slavery from spreading to the West
B) promoted an increase in profits for speculators
C) enforced extralegal property rights for squatters
D) showed the national government’s commitment to promoting slavery
7. Which product became the Old Northwest’s major cash crop for the northern market?
A) corn
B) hogs
C) soybeans
D) wheat
8. Which state was the last one to gain statehood in the Old Northwest?
A) Ohio
B) Indiana
C) Illinois
D) Wisconsin
9. In 1850, which of the following people would most likely be a resident in northern Ohio?
A) a pro-slavery, former tenant farmer from South Carolina
B) an anti-slavery, pro-temperance family farmer from Massachusetts
C) a pro-slavery, Republican, wealthy merchant from Maryland
D) an anti-slavery, anti-temperance factory worker from Canada
10. What pattern in the location of slavery occurred in the period of 1790–1860?
A) an increase in the overall percentage of slavery located in the South Atlantic region
B) a decrease in the use of slaves in both the South Atlantic and Old Southwest regions
C) a rejection of the use of slavery in the Old Southwest while it increased elsewhere
D) a large movement of slavery from the South Atlantic to the Old Southwest
11. Which of the following explains the great wealth in the Old Southwest?
A) large manufacturing plants
B) the use of slave labor
C) the growth of nonagricultural pursuits
D) the successful growth of sugar as an export
12. By the 1840s, over half the value of American exports was derived from __________.
A) corn
B) wheat
C) rice
D) cotton
13. The Southwest Ordinance allowed slavery in all territories south of the __________ River.
A) Platte
B) Ohio
C) Colorado
D) Missouri
14. Before 1850, which of the following groups was the dominant power in the north and central Great
Plains?
A) whites who had migrated from the South
B) the Cherokees who had been removed from their homeland
C) the United States cavalry
D) the warrior-hunters of the Sioux tribe
15. Why were most of the Indian tribes on the high plains nomadic hunters?
A) They were more violent than the agricultural tribes of the east and being nomadic made it easier to
wage war.
B) The geographic conditions on the Plains were not suitable for agriculture.
C) The Plains Indians had no incentive to engage in agriculture because they obtained food from fur
traders.
D) The religious beliefs of the Plains Indians prohibited agriculture.
16. In 1840, approximately __________ Native Americans lived in the plains and mountains of the Trans–
Mississippi West.
A) 100,000
B) 250,000
C) 350,000
D) 500,000
17. Which two tribes were defeated by whites in Black Hawk’s War?
A) the Sioux and the Cheyennes
B) the Pawnees and the Chippewas
C) the Cherokees and the Creeks
D) the Sauks and the Foxes
18. What were the two products traded by branches of the Sioux tribe at the yearly trade fair?
A) buffalo robes and corn
B) beaver pelts and buffalo robes
C) horses and beaver pelts
D) corn and rifles
19. What was the white man’s most profitable trading good?
A) beaver pelts
B) tobacco
C) textiles
D) whiskey
20. What drove the early fur trade?
A) competition between British and U.S. companies for profitable furs
B) the desire to increase trading relationships with the Plains Indians
C) competition between the British and French for control of the trans-Mississippi plains
D) high demand in Europe for exotic American furs
21. A treaty signed in 1818 created joint control of the Oregon Territory by the United States and
__________.
A) Great Britain
B) the Nez-Perces Indians
C) the Sioux Indians
D) France
22. Which town was a starting point on the Oregon Trail in 1842?
A) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
B) Terre Haute, Indiana
C) Independence, Missouri
D) Amarillo, Texas
23. The greatest cause of the 5,000 deaths that occurred on the Oregon Trail was __________.
A) lack of water
B) starvation
C) disease
D) Indian raids
24. What sparked American interest in migration to Oregon from the East and Midwest?
A) the ease of getting to Oregon via the transcontinental railroad
B) the positive relationships between Indians and white fur traders in the region
C) reports that gold and silver could be easily mined in the rivers and streams of Oregon
D) reports about the fertility of the land in Oregon
25. What was the reaction of the Indians to the first waves of white overland migration to the West?
A) to attack the wagon trains and kill the settlers
B) to largely ignore the wagon trains and engage in some occasional trading
C) to attack the wagon trains and rob the settlers of valuable goods
D) to attempt to frighten the settlers into turning around and returning home
26. Which of the following was a result of the Fort Laramie Treaty?
A) only a brief standoff between the Sioux and the U.S. government
B) a thirty-year period of peace between the Sioux and whites
C) more respect for the religion of the Sioux by whites
D) the purchase of the entire Great Plains by the U.S. government
27. Which of the following statements about the Hopi Indians is true?
A) They incorporated aspects of Catholicism into their religious rituals and beliefs.
B) They occupied their dwellings only for a short time.
C) They abandoned their polytheism in favor of the Spaniards’ monotheism.
D) They were a hunter-gathering tribe.
28. Which of the following accurately describes the Comanches?
A) They constructed adobe homes throughout Arizona and New Mexico.
B) They refused to use firearms during warfare.
C) They were an agricultural tribe.
D) They were master horsemen and among the greatest warriors of the West.
29. Mestizos were usually people who had a mixture of __________ ancestry.
A) African-American and European-American
B) Indian and African-American
C) Indian and Spanish
D) Spanish and English
30. In the early part of the nineteenth century, the largest concentration of Indians in the Southwest region
was in __________.
A) New Mexico
B) Utah
C) Arizona
D) California
31. In Arizona and New Mexico, the major farming Indians were the __________ people.
A) Mestizo
B) Pueblo
C) Sioux
D) Paiutes
32. Tejano was the term for __________.
A) Spanish-speaking Mexicans born in Texas
B) Indians of the southwestern tribes
C) American settlers in Texas
D) American settlers in Texas who accepted Mexican citizenship
33. The Mexican army annihilated defenders at __________.
A) the Alamo and San Jacinto
B) San Jacinto and Mexico City
C) the Alamo and Goliad
D) the Nueces River and the Alamo
34. Why did the Mexican government invite American settlers into Texas?
A) to serve as a buffer against the Comanches
B) to help cultivate the vast expanse of unused farmland
C) to assist with the Christian conversion of native peoples
D) to help build the Mexo-American railroad
35. What was Mexico’s approach to early American settlers in Texas?
A) The Mexican government treated the Americans as a cheap labor source.
B) The Mexican government refused to allows settlers to obtain Mexican citizenship.
C) The Mexican government sold very small portions of land to American settlers.
D) The Mexican government required that settlers promise to convert to Catholicism.
36. What happened immediately after General Santa Anna was elected as president of Mexico?
A) Texas declared it was part of the United States.
B) He overturned the liberal constitution and became a dictator.
C) Tejanos immediately attacked his forces at Mexico City.
D) Sam Houston crossed the Rio Grande with American forces.
37. The Battle of San Jacinto __________.
A) established the independence of Texas
B) resulted in the slaughter of Texans who had surrendered
C) showed that Mexico could not challenge Zachary Taylor
D) solved the border dispute between Mexico and the United States
38. Why was it difficult for both Spain and Mexico to govern Texas?
A) Texas was too large and too remote from the center of the Mexican government.
B) Tejanos shared more religious and cultural similarity with Americans than Mexicans.
C) Mestizos frequently revolted and attempted to overthrow the Mexican government.
D) The United States frequently financed Indian raids in the area in order to cause political unrest.
39. After facing great prejudice, the Mormons decided to settle in __________.
A) California
B) Iowa
C) Utah
D) New Mexico
40. The Santa Fe Trail __________.
A) led to the Oregon Territory
B) encouraged closer ties between settlers and the Mexican government
C) opened the door to the eventual American takeover of New Mexico
D) did not infringe on the land of Native Americans
41. Prior to the Mexican-American War, President Polk attempted to purchase __________ from Mexico.
A) California and New Mexico
B) New Mexico and Arizona
C) Texas and Arizona
D) California and Texas
42. The cornerstone of President Polk’s foreign policy was __________.
A) the acquisition of California
B) promoting close economic ties with England
C) neutrality in the war between Spain and England
D) protective tariffs to promote American industry
43. Manifest Destiny was premised on the __________ of white Americans.
A) economic superiority
B) religious superiority
C) racial superiority
D) military superiority
44. Manifest Destiny was most closely associated with the __________ Party.
A) Democratic
B) Whig
C) Federalist
D) Republican
45. Senator Thomas Benton advocated for increased trade between the United States and __________.
A) Great Britain
B) Mexico
C) China
D) Canada
46. Which of the following beliefs is most consistent with Manifest Destiny?
A) It was the destiny of all Indians to become Christian.
B) Westward expansion was necessary to rid eastern cities of unwanted immigrants.
C) Westward expansion had been ordained and blessed by God himself.
D) It was the destiny of all Americans to own land.
47. The actual fighting of the Mexican War began when American forces moved into __________.
A) the borderland region at the mouth of the Rio Grande River
B) Alta California
C) the valleys just east of the Colorado River
D) central Mexico
48. The Americans launched a successful amphibious assault upon __________.
A) Mexico City
B) towns near the Nueces River
C) Vera Cruz
D) Utah
49. In the Treaty of __________, Mexico surrendered its claim to Texas north of the Rio Grande to the
United States.
A) the Alamo
B) Guadalupe Hidalgo
C) Tomasito Guerra
D) Mexican Cession
50. Which of the following was a result of the Mexican War?
A) American acquisition of the entire territory of Texas.
B) The payment of a fifteen million dollar “war guilt” from Mexico to the United States.
C) The grant of U.S. citizenship to all Mexicans living in the newly acquired territories.
D) Mexican acquisition of Alta California.
Essay Questions
51. What factors accounted for the massive westward movement of Americans?
52. Who was responsible for the outbreak of the Mexican War? Cite specific examples to support your
claim.
53. How did westward expansion antagonize relations between the American North and South, and
foreshadow further conflict between the two regions?
54. Describe the native cultures of the Comanche and Sioux tribes and show both their uniqueness among
Indian cultures in the West and their differences with European-American culture.
55. Address the following statement: “Manifest Destiny was not an act of providence, but was instead a
self-fulfilling prophecy of American expansionism.”