Question 1

Which of the following caused a significant increase in the demand for western timber?

Accepted Answer

A)  The housing boom in the Old Northwest 
B)  The decision by Congress to double the number of ships in the United States Navy 
C)  The California Gold Rush 
D)  The expansion of the South's slave society into the Old Southwest 
A)  The housing boom in the Old Northwest 
B)  The decision by Congress to double the number of ships in the United States Navy 
C)  The California Gold Rush 
D)  The expansion of the South's slave society into the Old Southwest

Question 2

Members of the Whig party

Accepted Answer

A)  believed in a weak central government. 
B)  were suspicious of rapid Western expansion and, instead, supported industrial and commercial expansion within the current boundaries of the United States. 
C)  favored the expansion of slavery into the Western territories. 
D)  favored free trade. 
A)  believed in a weak central government. 
B)  were suspicious of rapid Western expansion and, instead, supported industrial and commercial expansion within the current boundaries of the United States. 
C)  favored the expansion of slavery into the Western territories. 
D)  favored free trade.

Question 3

An empresario was

Accepted Answer

A)  an immigration agent who chose families suitable for settlement in Texas and who, in return, received land for every one hundred families he settled. 
B)  a middleman who negotiated land contracts with the Mexican government on behalf of the United States. 
C)  a United States resident who owned large tracts of land in Mexico. 
D)  the owner of a large plantation in Texas. 
A)  an immigration agent who chose families suitable for settlement in Texas and who, in return, received land for every one hundred families he settled. 
B)  a middleman who negotiated land contracts with the Mexican government on behalf of the United States. 
C)  a United States resident who owned large tracts of land in Mexico. 
D)  the owner of a large plantation in Texas.

Question 4

Which of the following held spiritual significance to Plains Indians?

Accepted Answer

A)  The American bison 
B)  The beaver 
C)  The coyote 
D)  The horse 
A)  The American bison 
B)  The beaver 
C)  The coyote 
D)  The horse

Question 5

Army explorer Stephen Long described the region of present-day Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska as

Accepted Answer

A)  the Great American Desert. 
B)  God's Country. 
C)  the Dust Bowl. 
D)  the Bread Basket of America. 
A)  the Great American Desert. 
B)  God's Country. 
C)  the Dust Bowl. 
D)  the Bread Basket of America.

Question 6

Which of the following is referred to as "The Pathfinder"?

Accepted Answer

A)  John Jacob Astor 
B)  Stephen Austin 
C)  Davy Crockett 
D)  John C. Frémont 
A)  John Jacob Astor 
B)  Stephen Austin 
C)  Davy Crockett 
D)  John C. Frémont

Question 7

Beginning in the 1820s, why did western migrants find the Midwest more attractive than the Southwest?

Accepted Answer

A)  The United States government would finance a move to the Midwest but not to the Southwest. 
B)  The transportation routes of the Midwest were better developed than those of the Southwest. 
C)  The growing season was much longer in the Midwest. 
D)  They could obtain free land. 
A)  The United States government would finance a move to the Midwest but not to the Southwest. 
B)  The transportation routes of the Midwest were better developed than those of the Southwest. 
C)  The growing season was much longer in the Midwest. 
D)  They could obtain free land.

Question 8

Which of the following is true of European American migrants trekking West along the Oregon and California trails?

Accepted Answer

A)  Death rates from disease were significantly higher than in society at large. 
B)  For most adults, trail life was not particularly dangerous. 
C)  They only killed bison or other animals for food. 
D)  They were constantly subjected to Indian attacks. 
A)  Death rates from disease were significantly higher than in society at large. 
B)  For most adults, trail life was not particularly dangerous. 
C)  They only killed bison or other animals for food. 
D)  They were constantly subjected to Indian attacks.

Question 9

Which of the following was the moral message in much of George Catlin's work?

Accepted Answer

A)  Destruction of the natural environment is against God's will. 
B)  Indians are better off if they are removed from the corrupting influence of white Americans. 
C)  American westward expansion is right and moral and part of God's plan. 
D)  The superior American culture must inevitably replace all other cultures. 
A)  Destruction of the natural environment is against God's will. 
B)  Indians are better off if they are removed from the corrupting influence of white Americans. 
C)  American westward expansion is right and moral and part of God's plan. 
D)  The superior American culture must inevitably replace all other cultures.

Question 10

Which of the following is true of Anglo-Americans who emigrated to Texas during the 1820s?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were usually wealthy speculators who wanted to buy cheap land and sell it for a substantial profit. 
B)  They were not allowed by the Mexican authorities to bring slaves into Texas. 
C)  They generally settled in their own separate communities and had little interaction with Tejanos. 
D)  They were always outnumbered by Tejanos. 
A)  They were usually wealthy speculators who wanted to buy cheap land and sell it for a substantial profit. 
B)  They were not allowed by the Mexican authorities to bring slaves into Texas. 
C)  They generally settled in their own separate communities and had little interaction with Tejanos. 
D)  They were always outnumbered by Tejanos.

Question 11

Once people made the decision to move west, the decision of where to move was often influenced by which of the following factors?

Accepted Answer

A)  The availability of employment for all family members 
B)  The availability of quality public education 
C)  The presence of the amenities associated with urban areas in the Northeast 
D)  The similarity of climate between their new residence and their old residence 
A)  The availability of employment for all family members 
B)  The availability of quality public education 
C)  The presence of the amenities associated with urban areas in the Northeast 
D)  The similarity of climate between their new residence and their old residence

Question 12

The General Land Office, established in 1812,

Accepted Answer

A)  established a credit system for the purchase of western lands that favored small-time farmers. 
B)  handled the distribution of federal lands in the West. 
C)  had the power to set the price-per-acre of western lands. 
D)  was charged with the responsibility of preventing speculators from buying large tracts of federal western lands. 
A)  established a credit system for the purchase of western lands that favored small-time farmers. 
B)  handled the distribution of federal lands in the West. 
C)  had the power to set the price-per-acre of western lands. 
D)  was charged with the responsibility of preventing speculators from buying large tracts of federal western lands.

Question 13

Which of the following is true of slavery as practiced by Native Americans in the Southwest?

Accepted Answer

A)  Owning slaves did not give to their captors increased socioeconomic status. 
B)  Within a tribe, only those convicted of crimes could be enslaved. 
C)  It was far less violent than the chattel slavery found in the American South. 
D)  It involved capturing women and children from other communities and assimilating them into their captors' communities. 
A)  Owning slaves did not give to their captors increased socioeconomic status. 
B)  Within a tribe, only those convicted of crimes could be enslaved. 
C)  It was far less violent than the chattel slavery found in the American South. 
D)  It involved capturing women and children from other communities and assimilating them into their captors' communities.

Question 14

In the minds of most Americans of European descent in the early nineteenth century, the West

Accepted Answer

A)  was an uninhabitable wilderness. 
B)  represented a place where they could own land and achieve economic independence. 
C)  consisted of a hodge-podge of cultures that could never be assimilated into the nation. 
D)  was a peaceful and idyllic area. 
A)  was an uninhabitable wilderness. 
B)  represented a place where they could own land and achieve economic independence. 
C)  consisted of a hodge-podge of cultures that could never be assimilated into the nation. 
D)  was a peaceful and idyllic area.

Question 15

By the mid-1850s, California's major agricultural crop was

Accepted Answer

A)  barley. 
B)  corn. 
C)  soy beans. 
D)  wheat. 
A)  barley. 
B)  corn. 
C)  soy beans. 
D)  wheat.

Question 16

Which of the following was the most significant contribution made by the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers during the first half of the nineteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)  The building of levees to protect the city of New Orleans 
B)  Its survey of the Oregon Trail 
C)  The surveying of possible routes for a transcontinental railroad 
D)  The expeditions it sponsored to explore the West 
A)  The building of levees to protect the city of New Orleans 
B)  Its survey of the Oregon Trail 
C)  The surveying of possible routes for a transcontinental railroad 
D)  The expeditions it sponsored to explore the West

Question 17

The policies of the General Land Office usually favored

Accepted Answer

A)  individual farmers. 
B)  corporations. 
C)  Northeastern banks. 
D)  speculators. 
A)  individual farmers. 
B)  corporations. 
C)  Northeastern banks. 
D)  speculators.

Question 18

Which of the following is true of "black laws" passed by many Midwestern states in the 1850s?

Accepted Answer

A)  These laws prohibited gambling of any kind and imposed strict penalties against bookmakers. 
B)  These laws prohibited African Americans from living within the border of such states. 
C)  These laws prevented the return of runaway slaves to their southern owners. 
D)  These laws provided financial incentives to free black laborers willing to become permanent residents. 
A)  These laws prohibited gambling of any kind and imposed strict penalties against bookmakers. 
B)  These laws prohibited African Americans from living within the border of such states. 
C)  These laws prevented the return of runaway slaves to their southern owners. 
D)  These laws provided financial incentives to free black laborers willing to become permanent residents.

Question 19

Largely as a result of the Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper, Daniel Boone became a symbol of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  Altruism and personal sacrifice 
B)  Humility and purity of thought 
C)  Individualism and freedom 
D)  Selfishness and greed 
A)  Altruism and personal sacrifice 
B)  Humility and purity of thought 
C)  Individualism and freedom 
D)  Selfishness and greed

Question 20

Because of its railroads, stockyards, and grain elevators, which of the following cities dominated the economy of the Midwest by the middle of the nineteenth century?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chicago 
B)  Milwaukee 
C)  Minneapolis 
D)  St. Louis 
A)  Chicago 
B)  Milwaukee 
C)  Minneapolis 
D)  St. Louis

Exam 13: The Contested West, 1815-1860

Which of the following caused a significant increase in the demand for western timber?

Members of the Whig party

An empresario was

Which of the following held spiritual significance to Plains Indians?

Army explorer Stephen Long described the region of present-day Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska as

Which of the following is referred to as "The Pathfinder"?

Beginning in the 1820s, why did western migrants find the Midwest more attractive than the Southwest?

Which of the following is true of European American migrants trekking West along the Oregon and California trails?

Which of the following was the moral message in much of George Catlin's work?

Which of the following is true of Anglo-Americans who emigrated to Texas during the 1820s?

Once people made the decision to move west, the decision of where to move was often influenced by which of the following factors?

The General Land Office, established in 1812,

Which of the following is true of slavery as practiced by Native Americans in the Southwest?

In the minds of most Americans of European descent in the early nineteenth century, the West

By the mid-1850s, California's major agricultural crop was

Which of the following was the most significant contribution made by the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers during the first half of the nineteenth century?

The policies of the General Land Office usually favored

Which of the following is true of "black laws" passed by many Midwestern states in the 1850s?

Largely as a result of the Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper, Daniel Boone became a symbol of which of the following?

Because of its railroads, stockyards, and grain elevators, which of the following cities dominated the economy of the Midwest by the middle of the nineteenth century?

Three Old Worlds Create a New, 1492-1600

Europeans Colonize North America, 1600-1650

North America in the Atlantic World, 1650-1720

American Society Transformed, 1720-1770

Severing the Bonds of Empire, 1754-1774

A Revolution, Indeed, 1774-1783

Forging a National Republic, 1776-1789

The Early Republic: Conflicts at Home and Abroad, 1789-1800

Defining the Nation, 1801-1823

The Rise of the South, 1815-1860

The Restless North, 1815-1860

Reform and Politics, 1824-1845

Slavery and Americas Future: the Road to War, 1845-1861

Transforming Fire: the Civil War, 1861-1865

Reconstruction: an Unfinished Revolution, 1865-1877

The Development of the West, 1865-1900

The Machine Age, 1877-1920

The Vitality and Turmoil of Urban Life, 1877-1920

Gilded Age Politics, 1877-1900

The Progressive Era, 1895-1920

The Quest for Empire, 1865-1914

Americans in the Great War, 1914-1920

The New Era, 1920-1929

The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1929-1941

The United States in a Troubled World, 1920-1941

The Second World War at Home and Abroad, 1941-1945

The Cold War and American Globalism, 1945-1961

America at Midcentury, 1945-1960

The Tumultuous Sixties, 1960-1968

Continuing Divisions and New Limits, 1969-1980

Conservatism Revived, 1980-1992

Into the Global Millennium, America Since 1992

Filters