Deck 14: Western Expansion and the Rise of the Slavery Issue 1820-1850

Question 1

The chapter introduction tells the story of the Sioux migration to the Great Plains to make the point that

A) the American ideology of Manifest Destiny meant manifest destruction for tribal cultures.
B) Mexican advancement northward, as well as Anglo-American advancement westward, put pressure on the Plains tribes.
C) frontiers were multidimensional and mobile, involved a variety of peoples and cultures, and ultimately proved as disruptive to the settled East as to the contested West.
D) the United States not only had to resort to war and diplomacy to expand its borders, it also had to cope within its borders with native peoples who attacked the emigrants on the Overland Trail.

Answer 1

frontiers were multidimensional and mobile, involved a variety of peoples and cultures, and ultimately proved as disruptive to the settled East as to the contested West.

Question 2

Manifest Destiny was a popular national creed, but there was a long-term cost. The sectional crisis of the 1850s was precipitated not only by the rising abolitionist movement in the North, but also by a question raised by expansion to the West:

A) Will the transcontinental railroad link the West to the North or to the South?
B) Will more southerners or northerners settle the West?
C) What will be the status of slavery in the new territories?
D) Will westerners tend to vote Democrat or Whig?

Answer 2

What will be the status of slavery in the new territories?

Question 3

The Overland Trail migration was primarily a(n)

A) exploration of the new Oregon territory.
B) young family enterprise.
C) movement of Indians similar to the Trail of Tears.
D) extended family enterprise.

Answer 3

young family enterprise.

Question 4

Which of the following contributed to the growing discontent and eventual revolt of Americans in Texas?

A) the refusal of the Mexican government to accept tax payments from Texans
B) the government's refusal to provide land for settlers
C) the Mexican government's ban on Catholic churches in Texas
D) the Mexican government's ban on slavery

Question 5

The trek west on the Overland Trail

A) followed Lewis and Clark's route across the plains; and established agricultural societies that were deliberately different from those in the East.
B) evidenced traditional gender roles despite women's quest to act like men; and once in the West, the emigrants developed a new frontier society where women had little influence.
C) was difficult and stressful on everyone involved, but placed a special strain on women.
D) was plagued by periodic attacks by hostile Indians, but the U.S. government refused to provide a military presence before the Civil War.

Question 6

Which of the following was NOT one of the three harbors on the Pacific that President Polk wished to claim from Britain and Mexico?

A) Puget Sound
B) San Francisco
C) Santa Cruz
D) San Diego

Question 7

What military technological advantage did the U.S. army posses that tipped the balance in several crucial engagements of the U.S.-Mexican War?

A) light artillery
B) the paper cartridge
C) heavy cannons
D) repeating rifles

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement concerning the consequences of the U.S.-Mexican War?

A) The United States purchased California and the interior Southwest from Mexico.
B) The acquisition of new territories pushed the slavery issue to the forefront of national politics.
C) The war temporarily unified the country as both parties and all sections supported President Polk and approved the war effort.
D) A proposal was introduced in Congress to ban slavery in any new territory. Though it never passed, the idea became central to the antislavery movement in the 1850s.

Question 9

A group of American settlers near Sacramento launched a revolt against Mexico; and in June 1846 they proclaimed California an independent republic. This action was the

A) "Bear Flag Revolt."
B) Golden State Secession.
C) opening shot of the U.S.-Mexican War.
D) "second Alamo."

Question 10

As settlers arrived in the far West, churches were not immediately established. Why?

A) Most settlers of the far West were not very religious.
B) Religious worship was forbidden in the territories.
C) Population densities were too low.
D) Many of the initial settlers belonged to sects that believed in "home worship."

Question 11

In what river did James Marshall find the first gold that was to start the California gold rush?

A) Sacramento River
B) American River
C) Feather River
D) Pit River

Question 12

What city experienced explosive growth as a result of the gold rush in California?

A) Saint Louis
B) Sacramento
C) Salt Lake City
D) San Francisco

Question 13

Why did many of the immigrant Chinese work in small businesses or the fishing industry instead of working as miners?

A) They had greater experience with small businesses and fishing.
B) They were not harassed as much as in the gold fields.
C) The income was more steady, and they would be able to pay off their debts sooner.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 14

The settlements of the Mormons in Utah

A) at first exhibited the typical character of a raw, disproportionately male, disorderly frontier area.
B) at first developed as a scattered, unplanned series of refugee encampments.
C) were established as well-regulated communities dominated by church leaders.
D) were established on land grants obtained from the federal government.

Question 15

Which of the following was an important moderate or mediating position on slavery in the 1850s?

A) Slavery should be abolished in the District of Columbia.
B) Slaves should be gradually emancipated (with compensation).
C) A territory's voters should determine whether or not to permit slavery within its boundaries.
D) Whichever position is most popular in a national vote should prevail.

Question 16

The antislavery message of the Free Soil supporters was first introduced in what form?

A) as a label for a new political party that attracted supporters from among both Whigs and Democrats
B) as a proposed legislated policy: the Wilmot Proviso
C) as a method by which new territories would be organized in the Compromise of 1850
D) as a lengthy essay by a widely-read editor, William Lloyd Garrison

Question 17

Which of the following was included in the aging Henry Clay's proposed compromise package to "escape from crisis"?

A) admission of California as a slave state
B) admission of Texas as a free state
C) abolition of the slave trade in Washington,D. C.
D) abolition of the federal fugitive slave law

Question 18

Which of the following was NOT an influential factor in securing passage of the Compromise of 1850?

A) Senator Douglas took over leadership of the pro-compromise forces.
B) The president, who had threatened to veto the plan, died.
C) Each bill was passed piecemeal, with different supporters.
D) Clay originally submitted the compromise as an Omnibus Bill.

Question 19

The final Compromise of 1850, originally introduced by Henry Clay as a single "Omnibus Bill,"passed as five separate pieces of legislation. Which of the following was NOT included?

A) California was admitted as a free state.
B) New Mexico was admitted as a free state.
C) Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia.
D) Provisions for capturing runaway slaves were strengthened.

Question 20

A famous novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe rallied northern hostility toward one particular component of the Compromise of 1850, the

A) provision that Mormon Utah could decide for itself whether to be slave or free.
B) fugitive slave law, which allowed southerners to more easily reclaim their runaway slaves.
C) re-drawing of the Texas boundary.
D) failure to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.

Question 21

The one component of the Compromise of 1850 that was a clear concession to southern interests was the ________ slave law.

Question 22

During what time-period did the Sioux Indians expand westward onto the Great Plains? Discuss at least two factors that helped them expand.

Question 23

List three issues that led to friction between Americans in Texas and the Mexican government before independence. How did each one increase tensions? Was one more important than the others?

Question 24

Trace the events that led to the war with Mexico. How did American actions contribute to the outbreak of war? How did Mexican actions contribute?

Question 25

Compare and contrast the experience of men and women on the Overland Trail.

Question 26

Which political party most strongly opposed the U.S.-Mexican War? Which geographical area of the country most opposed it? In each case, explain why.

Question 27

Congress had to decide how to deal with the issue of slavery in the territory it acquired after the U.S.-Mexican War. Describe the four options proposed for dealing with the issue.

Question 28

List the provisions of the Compromise of 1850. Which provisions favored the North? Which ones favored the South?

Question 29

Identify at least three events that contributed to the rise of the slavery issue in American politics in the 1840s. Why did each one have this effect?

Question 30

Explain the distinctive features of Chinese immigration to California.

Question 31

Why is it misleading to focus on the frontier only as the westward movement of whites? Discuss the experiences of the Sioux, the Chinese, and the Mexican residents of the borderlands in answering this question.

Question 32

Describe the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. Why did it arise in the 1840s?

Question 33

Compare and contrast the development of Salt Lake City and San Francisco. What accounts for the differences between the two cities?

Question 34

Why wasn't the Compromise of 1850 a true sectional compromise? How did this fact weaken compromise in the future?