Deck 6: Agents of Empire

Question 1

Why did the military remain small during the early 1800s?

A) The United States relied on the oceans as a natural barriers.
B) Maintaining large standing militaries was too expensive.
C) The generally peaceful nature of westward expansion did not call for a strong military.
D) Many American leaders deferred to the militia ideal.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What often interfered with the Army officers pursuit of professional development?

A) frontier duty
B) expense
C) lack of motivation
D) lack of institutional support

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What specific skill was developed in the Army through exploration?

A) mapmaking
B) herbal medicine
C) survival techniques
D) food preparation

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Jefferson organized the Lewis and Clark expedition to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) establish frontier forts in Missouri.
B) explore the territories added under the Louisiana Purchase.
C) catalogue the flora and fauna of the region.
D) locate an all-water route to the Pacific.

Question 5

How did Lewis and Clark differ in their ideas about maintaining order in the West?

A) While Clark recommended a chain of forts along the rivers, Lewis advocated for nonmilitary tactics.
B) Although Clark advocated for peaceful coexistence with Native Americans, Lewis suggested swift military action.
C) Lewis, unlike Clark, believed that the British would be a beneficial economic partner in controlling the West.
D) Lewis preferred small militias to provide order, whereas Clark wanted small pockets of professional soldiers.

Question 6

Who did General James Wilkinson send to explore the Mississippi River in order to discover its source?

A) Zebulon Pike
B) Thomas Freeman
C) Stephen Long
D) John Calhoun

Question 7

What 1838 creation greatly improved mapping the West?

A) Army Topographical Corps
B) Academy at West Point
C) Naval Observatory
D) Corps of Engineers

Question 8

Which of the following events occurred LAST in the life of John C. Fremont?

A) President James K. Polk court-martialed Fremont and removed him as Governor of California.
B) Fremont's travels in Wyoming led to national excitement of western exploration.
C) Fremont lead a reconnaissance to find a path across the central Rockies to California.
D) Mexican General Don Jose Castro ordered his arrest under the suspicion of leading a military excursion.

Question 9

Which of the following was a reason support grew for the naval expeditions of the 1830s and 1840s?

A) discovering access points for maritime trade
B) protecting America's allies on the open seas
C) attacking rival maritime powers
D) attempting to create an American empire in the Caribbean

Question 10

In the 1830s, why was congressional funding for a naval expedition into South America remarkable?

A) The protection of merchants was not valued in America's maritime history.
B) The president had specifically argued against national expansion.
C) Both the Navy and Congress agreed that the Navy's peacetime mission was the protection of merchants.
D) Congress had stressed exploration into Canada, not the southern hemisphere.

Question 11

In 1842 what did the Navy establish?

A) Naval Observatory
B) Navy Board of Commissioners
C) Depot of Charts and Instruments
D) United States Exploring Expedition

Question 12

What was the primary task of the Army after the War of 1812?

A) frontier duty
B) exploration
C) domestic security
D) national expansion

Question 13

Who was the first Indian group to be pushed to the west of Mississippi?

A) Choctaw
B) Sauk
C) Creek
D) Seminole

Question 14

Why did Secretary of War Lewis Cass argue for a large number of troops along the frontier?

A) to show Native American's the sheer size of their opponent
B) to build a lasting infrastructure of forts and roads
C) to show Britain America's resolve in the West
D) to provide safety for America's forthcoming rail lines

Question 15

How did Benjamin Butler differ from Lewis Cass regarding the Native American dilemma?

A) Whereas Cass only worried about Native assaults on whites, Butler believed that any conflict between the two was detrimental to the United States.
B) Butler believed that the United States should exterminate all Natives on the frontier, whereas Cass argued for safety measures.
C) Lewis believed that Cass's fear of Native American violence was unfair to the peace-loving Choctaw.
D) Although Cass argued for military intervention, Butler advocated for peaceful coercion and assimilation tactics.

Question 16

What sorts of duties did the military perform between the end of the War of 1812 and the outbreak of the Mexican War?

Question 17

How did exploration effect the curriculum at West Point during the first half of the nineteenth century? How did the improved curriculum foster more thorough exploration?

Question 18

Why were the expeditions of John C. Fremont so significant to national expansion? What sorts of information did he provide? Why were some of his expeditions controversial?

Question 19

How did Army surveys help to support the development of a transcontinental railroad? What was the Army's stake in such an undertaking?

Question 20

What factors drove and supported naval expeditions of exploration? How did these relate to national economics and defense?

Question 21

Why did the Navy remain technology conservative during the first half of the nineteenth century? Were there any attempts at modernization? What factors supported or hindered these attempts?

Question 22

How successful was the Wilkes expedition based on its mission? What were its particular accomplishments? How were these valuable to the U.S. Navy?

Question 23

How is the policy of Indian removal presented in the text? Are there other possible interpretations? If so, what might they be?

Question 24

Compare the Choctaw removal with that of the Cherokee. How were these operations different? What might account for the differences?

Question 25

How did Lewis Cass's plan for a series of forts meet the challenges inherent in Indian removal? Why was the plan not fully executed?