Deck 14: An Empire in the West

Question 1

The Great Plains were virtually devoid of a human presence until the Spaniards introduced the horse and the gun.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Support for the Mexican-American War was strongest in New England.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

James K. Polk won the 1844 election without a majority of the popular vote.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

William Henry Harrison:

A) was the last president elected from the Jacksonian Democratic party
B) developed a close association with Henry Clay during his presidency
C) led the fight to annex Texas
D) was the first president to be assassinated
E) was elected more on his military record than for taking a stand on the issues

Question 5

President Tyler infuriated Henry Clay by vetoing his bill in support of:

A) Texas annexation
B) higher tariffs
C) Indian removal
D) pensions for veterans
E) a new national bank

Question 6

As president, William Henry Harrison:

A) merely followed the orders of Henry Clay
B) tried to slow American migration to the West
C) was able to fulfill most of the Whig economic platform
D) brought a completely different background to office than Andrew Jackson
E) died after only a month in office

Question 7

Indians seldom attacked wagon trains.

Question 8

Which leader is described as a president without a party?

A) William Henry Harrison
B) Sam Houston
C) James K. Polk
D) John Tyler
E) Henry Clay

Question 9

John Tyler broke with the Democrats and joined with the Whigs because he:

A) morally opposed slavery
B) disagreed with Andrew Jackson's position on nullification
C) worshipped the Founding Fathers
D) believed all property owners should have the vote
E) supported Clay's program of economic nationalism

Question 10

John Tyler favored Henry Clay's American System.

Question 11

There were more than 200 different Indian tribes west of the Mississippi River in 1840.

Question 12

David Crockett was not a real person but purely a fictional character.

Question 13

Mexico's winning of independence from Spain slowed American expansion westward.

Question 14

Zachary Taylor's decisive victory at the Battle of Buena Vista led to an immediate Mexican surrender.

Question 15

President Martin Van Buren failed to win the Democratic Party's nomination to run for a second term due to his position on Texas.

Question 16

William Henry Harrison died one month after his inauguration as president.

Question 17

The outbreak of the Mexican-American War was caused by the dispute over Oregon.

Question 18

Mexico initially banned all American settlement in Texas.

Question 19

Henry Clay was the Democratic presidential candidate in 1844.

Question 20

Members of the Donner party engaged in cannibalism when stranded on their way to California.

Question 21

Most of those who traveled westward in wagon trains:

A) made it from Missouri to California in a month
B) traveled in family groups
C) were attacked by Indians
D) turned back due to the hardships
E) were headed for California's gold fields

Question 22

Most of the American settlers in Texas went there because of:

A) furs
B) gold and other mineral deposits
C) cheap cotton lands
D) trading opportunities with the Indians and the Mexicans
E) legal problems in the United States

Question 23

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 did all of the following EXCEPT:

A) provide for joint naval patrols off of Africa
B) place the Oregon territory under sole U.S. control
C) provided for U.S.-British cooperation to suppress the slave trade
D) settled a long-standing dispute over the boundary that separated Maine from Canada
E) settled the dispute over the boundary separating the U.S. and Canada near Lake Superior

Question 24

The idea of manifest destiny claimed that:

A) joint British-American occupation of North America would "civilize" the continent
B) immediate war against the British would revitalize the American state
C) American expansion westward across the continent was sanctioned by God
D) slavery was the result of divine intervention
E) men were destined to travel the high seas

Question 25

The societies of the Plains Indians encountered by Americans migrating westward:

A) exhibited remarkable similarities to New England society
B) knew no warfare until the coming of the white man
C) were largely homogeneous and devoid of any substantive differences among them
D) were highly dependent on horses and buffalo
E) had already become deeply rooted in Christianity

Question 26

Why did trade along the Santa Fe Trail begin to flourish after Mexico achieved its independence from Spain?

A) The Americans refused to trade with Spain.
B) The new Mexican government was more interested in trading with the U.S. than Spain had been.
C) British troops in the region prior to Mexican independence helped stifle trade.
D) The Indian raids that wreaked havoc on the trade during the era of Spanish control were eliminated.
E) Santa Fe was not established until after Mexican independence.

Question 27

By the late 1820s, American ships had begun to arrive in California seeking especially to acquire:

A) Indian slaves
B) gold
C) milk and honey
D) cow hides and tallow
E) beaver pelts

Question 28

The main reason that the Donner Party became stranded on the Oregon Trail was:

A) the consequences of a succession of their own mistakes and poor decisions
B) they became caught in the crossfire of the Mexican War For Independence
C) their party was too small to survive the journey
D) a broken compass led them astray
E) annihilation by the Indians

Question 29

The Creole incident:

A) strained relations between the United States and France
B) involved the British freeing American slaves after they mutinied and escaped
C) involved the seizure and destruction of an American steamboat at Niagara Falls
D) was solved almost single-handedly by Henry Clay
E) was caused when Congress reopened the African slave trade

Question 30

Why did the Spanish struggle to colonize Arizona and Texas?

A) The Spanish had no interest in those territories.
B) The Indians of those territories thwarted Spanish efforts to establish Catholic missions.
C) Anglo-Americans had dominated the territory since the early eighteenth century.
D) The Pope did not recognize those territories as areas of Spanish influence.
E) France had already colonized those territories.

Question 31

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Texas was:

A) an independent republic
B) one of the American states
C) French territory
D) a commonwealth of the British empire
E) a part of Mexico

Question 32

The Mexican ban on American immigration to Texas:

A) was ineffective
B) halted the flood of immigrants to the area
C) went into effect in 1820
D) was necessary because Americans in Texas already numbered almost half the Mexican population there
E) caused the United States to break diplomatic relations with Mexico

Question 33

What effect did Mexico's winning its independence from Spain have on American settlement in the Southwest?

A) The establishment of the new Mexican state made settlement in its territories more difficult.
B) Patterns of American settlement of the former Spanish, now Mexican, territories, remained unchanged.
C) American settlers were immediately and forcibly removed from all Mexican territories.
D) American settlement and expansion into the former Spanish territories increased after Mexico gained independence.
E) Americans began to flee the former Spanish territories once Mexico gained independence.

Question 34

Why did the Spanish establish missions in California?

A) They were tools to turn Indians into hard-working Christians.
B) They were vehicles that could preserve Indian language and culture.
C) They were institutions where the Spanish studied Indian religions.
D) They were outposts to help attract Indian emigration to Spain.
E) They were churches that only the Spanish were allowed to use.

Question 35

Why were the oceans, rivers, and lush inland forests of the Pacific Northwest so significant to the Indian tribes living in that region?

A) They provided abundant natural resources and a temperate climate.
B) They provided easy escape routes and hiding places to avoid the path of American westward expansion.
C) They provided the means for those Indians to start their own Industrial Revolution.
D) They gave the Indians of the region the ability to stop American westward expansion.
E) They gave the Indians of the region a solid base from which to stage the reclamation of their territories annexed by the United States.

Question 36

What was the purpose of the Convention of 1818 signed by Britain and the United States?

A) to settle remaining differences and claims from the War of 1812
B) to cede California to the Americans
C) to establish a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Country
D) to outlaw the slave trade
E) to condemn Napoleon's designs on New World expansion

Question 37

Why was John Charles Frémont so influential in encouraging the mass migration of Americans to Oregon and California?

A) He was already a famous mountain man.
B) He rescued the Donner party.
C) He had led the largest wagon train along the Oregon Trail.
D) He established the first sizable American settlement in California.
E) Reports of his western explorations gained wide circulation and became very popular.

Question 38

The majority of Spanish-speaking people in the Southwest lived in:

A) Arizona
B) California
C) Utah
D) New Mexico
E) Texas

Question 39

With the onset of the California gold rush in 1849, many Plains Indians, led by the Cheyenne:

A) used this as an excuse to attack pioneers out West
B) saw this as an opportunity to gain great wealth for their tribes
C) passively gave up their land claims out West
D) supplied buffalo meat and skins to the white pioneers
E) agreed to move onto reservations

Question 40

The Americans known as "mountain men" who blazed western trails were:

A) army scouts
B) missionaries
C) mountain climbers
D) horse traders
E) fur trappers

Question 41

Polk settled the Oregon boundary dispute with the British by:

A) agreeing to a border along the 49th parallel
B) paying the British $10 million to give up their claim
C) sending the navy to back up the U.S. claim
D) agreeing to a permanent joint occupation of the Pacific Northwest
E) promising not to go to war with Mexico

Question 42

The Republic of Texas:

A) at first shied away from annexation by the United States
B) drafted a constitution emancipating its slaves
C) was recognized by President Andrew Jackson early in his administration
D) developed trade relations with Britain and France
E) was on the verge of becoming a world power

Question 43

Polk's order that Zachary Taylor move his troops to the Rio Grande:

A) protected American settlers along the border
B) provoked a Mexican attack
C) persuaded Mexico to sell California
D) expressed his belief in Manifest Destiny
E) won him political support in the North

Question 44

As president, Polk supported all of the following EXCEPT:

A) acquisition of California
B) tariff reduction
C) restoration of the independent Treasury
D) settlement of the Oregon boundary question
E) internal improvements

Question 45

At the Battle of the Alamo:

A) Texans secured their independence
B) the Mexicans won a costly victory
C) Santa Anna showed his strategic brilliance
D) the defenders were bombarded into surrender
E) William B. Travis and Jim Bowie were taken prisoner

Question 46

Why did the Anglo Texans rebel against the Mexican government?

A) to preempt Mexican plans to attack U.S. territories east of Texas
B) to honor their alliance with the Comanche Indians
C) out of fear that the Mexican government intended to free their slaves
D) at the request of Spain, which was trying to regain control of Mexico
E) they opposed taxation without representation

Question 47

The phrase "fifty-four forty or fight!" referred to:

A) California
B) Florida
C) Oregon
D) Texas
E) Utah

Question 48

All of the following statements about Stephen F. Austin are true EXCEPT:

A) he held a legitimate land grant from Mexico
B) he encouraged thousands of Anglos to settle in Texas
C) the land grant he held was originally given to his father
D) he adamantly opposed slavery
E) more than 2,000 people eventually settled on his land

Question 49

As president, James Polk's top priority was to

A) restore American prosperity through expanded trade relations with Canada
B) secure geographic expansion of the U.S., especially through the acquisition of Texas, California, and New Mexico
C) commit the U.S. to protecting Texas independence in perpetuity
D) create a political consensus that saw the two major political parties merge into one
E) encourage European immigration as means to fuel American industrialization

Question 50

Congress voted to annex the Republic of Texas:

A) when Texas promised to end slavery and enter the Union as a free state
B) after Mexico agreed to sell it
C) between Polk's election and his inauguration
D) over the opposition of President Tyler
E) because Texas threatened to remain independent

Question 51

The major factor that delayed Texas annexation until 1845 was:

A) concern over Texas entering as a slave state
B) fear of a possible Mexican attack on the United States
C) Calhoun's incompetence as secretary of state
D) the desire of Texans to remain a republic
E) Britain's support for Texas independence

Question 52

The Mexican War erupted when:

A) Mexican and U.S. troops clashed north of the Rio Grande
B) American settlers started a revolt in California
C) the United States recognized Texas as independent
D) Mexico insulted the U.S. ambassador and ordered him to leave the country
E) Polk won the 1844 election

Question 53

Polk's nickname of "Young Hickory" most reflected his:

A) association with Jackson and support for Jacksonian policies
B) toughness in dealing with his enemies
C) common origins in North Carolina
D) relative youth for a presidential candidate
E) enthusiastic support for territorial expansion

Question 54

Future president James Buchanan, head of the Pennsylvania Democrats, declared that Martin Van Buren's stance against annexing Texas would:

A) help his presidential aspirations
B) hurt his relationship with his fellow senators
C) secure his nomination as the Whig candidate for president
D) cost him his party's nomination
E) cause future generations to honor his political courage

Question 55

During the 1844 campaign, Henry Clay changed his position on the annexation of Texas to one of:

A) support so long as it proceeded honorably and without war
B) adamant opposition to it
C) indifference
D) insisting the territory be returned to Mexico
E) ignoring it

Question 56

What was a main reason the Mexican government attempted to curtail American settlement of Texas?

A) racism against Americans
B) opposition to slavery the settlers brought to Texas
C) a preference for Indian settlement of the land
D) the Spanish forced them to exclude the Americans
E) the British claimed the territory

Question 57

What was a significant influence on Texas commander-in-chief Sam Houston?

A) he was half Mexican
B) he was the first Texas-born leader of the territory
C) he had been a pacifist before moving to Texas
D) he was the only college-educated rebel
E) he learned about war under the tutelage of Andrew Jackson

Question 58

Among the vocal opponents of the Mexican War was:

A) Thomas O. Larkin
B) John Slidell
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) John Tyler
E) John L. O'Sullivan

Question 59

In the election of 1844:

A) both Clay and Polk enthusiastically supported Texas annexation
B) Liberty party votes in New York cost Clay the White House
C) Polk won a popular vote landslide
D) Jackson supported his old rival, Henry Clay
E) Polk's greater experience in national office gave him a huge advantage over Clay

Question 60

Who was the first president of the Republic of Texas?

A) Stephen F. Austin
B) Andrew Jackson
C) James K. Polk
D) Santa Anna
E) Sam Houston

Question 61

What was the basis of President James Polk's concerns about General Zachary Taylor?

A) Polk knew Taylor had a poor grasp of military tactics.
B) Polk believed Taylor was sympathetic to the enemy.
C) Polk worried that Taylor harbored political aspirations.
D) Polk believed Taylor lacked control over his undisciplined soldiers.
E) Polk was disgusted by Taylor's habit of wearing an old and dirty uniform.

Question 62

Discuss the American movement to annex Texas between 1820 and 1845. Why did it take so long for annexation to succeed?

Question 63

Discuss the ecology of the Great Plains.

Question 65

The Mexican War contributed to all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the strengthening of the Union
B) the United States' becoming a transcontinental nation
C) combat experience for future Civil War generals
D) the creation of the Department of the Interior
E) Mexico's loss of more than a third of its national territory

Question 66

What were the various roles of the California missions? Describe life at these missions and the impact they had throughout the territory.

Question 67

In which territory-Texas, California, or Oregon-was America's claim best? In which was it worst? Explain the reasoning behind your conclusions.

Question 68

How did the Mexican-American War ultimately deepen sectional divisions in the United States?

A) All the territories acquired were immediately opened to slavery.
B) Slavery was prohibited in all the territories acquired.
C) Slaves who fought in the war began rebelling for their freedom in the South.
D) The new territories acquired fueled a violent debate over the extension of slavery into them.
E) Southern states refused to recognize the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Question 69

California's Bear Flag Republic:

A) was controlled by Mexicans and Indians
B) was quickly recognized by the British
C) represented a California version of manifest destiny
D) lasted only a month until American rule was established
E) sent an expedition to capture Santa Fe

Question 70

Why was Henry Clay and not the incumbent, John Tyler, nominated by the Whig party in 1844?

Question 71

Why were many Americans opposed to the Mexican War? How significant was their opposition?

Question 72

Assess the presidency of James K. Polk. What were his successes and failures, and what impact did his administration have on the future of the United States?

Question 73

Why was Whig leader Daniel Webster opposed to the Mexican War?

A) He was a pacifist.
B) He preferred to go to war with Britain over Oregon.
C) He was known for his adamant support of pro-Mexican policies.
D) He believed Texas could be acquired without a war.
E) He was convinced that the war was part of a Democratic scheme to add more slave states to the union.

Question 74

Who coined the term "manifest destiny"?

A) President Martin Van Buren
B) Texas leader Stephen F. Austin
C) Newspaper editor John O'Sullivan
D) Mexican leader Santa Anna
E) Swiss immigrant John A. Suttter

Question 75

Trace the development of the Oregon Country prior to the Mexican-American War.

Question 76

Discuss the various Indian cultures throughout the West prior to the Civil War.

Question 77

Explain the phrase "manifest destiny." What factors were most important in drawing Americans to the West, both mentally and physically?

Question 78

The decisive victory in the war came with Winfield Scott's capture of:

A) Monterrey
B) Veracruz
C) Cerro Gordo
D) Puebla
E) Mexico City

Question 79

Which of the following statements about the Mexican War is NOT true?

A) It was America's first successful offensive war.
B) It gave many future Civil War generals valuable experience.
C) Many more Americans died of disease than died in battle.
D) The fighting lasted less than two years.
E) In terms of the percentage of combatants killed, it had the lowest death rate of any war in American history.

Question 80

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.