Question 1

Who led a raid against Brownsville, Texas in 1859?

Accepted Answer

Juan Cortina led a raid against Brownsville, Texas in 1859, in protest against the discrimination and mistreatment of Mexican-Americans in the area.

Question 2

What crop was found to grow very well in the Dakotas in the 1870s?

Accepted Answer

Wheat was found to grow very well in the Dakotas in the 1870s.

Question 3

The 19^th century conservation movement

Accepted Answer

The 19th century conservation movement, which was led by individuals such as John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, sought to educate the public about the destruction of the environment, particularly in the west. They emphasized the need to protect natural resources for future generations and advocated for the creation of national parks and other protected areas. They also worked to combat commercial exploitation of resources such as timber and minerals.

Question 4

Which of the following was not one of the methods that Joseph G. McCoy employed to turn the cattle industry into a bonanza?

Accepted Answer

Joseph G. McCoy is known for his innovations in the cattle industry, particularly in Abilene, Kansas, and not for building stockyards in Chicago. His efforts were focused on improving the efficiency of cattle transport to the east via rail and enhancing the infrastructure in Abilene to support this trade.

Question 5

What role was Deseret to play for Mormons?

Accepted Answer

Deseret was meant to be a new country that the Mormons attempted to create in the American West, with Brigham Young as their leader. They hoped to establish a society based on their religious beliefs and practices. While this effort ultimately failed, parts of the region where Deseret was located eventually became the state of Utah.

Question 6

Which of these individuals ¾ a president, a painter, and a writer ¾ were deeply influenced by the frontier myth, enjoyed the physical challenges of the West, and rejected the constraints of the genteel urban world of their youth?

Accepted Answer

Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Remington, and Owen Wister were all deeply influenced by the frontier myth, enjoyed the physical challenges of the West, and rejected the constraints of the genteel urban world of their youth. Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist who embodied the rugged individualism of the frontier myth. Remington was a painter who specialized in Western scenes and often depicted cowboys and Native Americans. Wister was a writer who is best known for his Western novels, including The Virginian.

Question 7

The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 occurred when

Accepted Answer

The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 occurred when Congress opened 2 million lands for settlement in the Oklahoma Territory on April 22, 1889, and people raced to stake out homesteads.

Question 8

Frederick Jackson Turner was

Accepted Answer

Frederick Jackson Turner was a historian who presented the thesis that the existence of the frontier was an essential factor in shaping the American character and contributed to the development of American democracy and individualism.

Question 9

What did "agribusinesses" need to be successful?

Accepted Answer

Agribusinesses require heavy investments in equipment to be successful as they need to have efficient and modern machinery for large-scale farming, processing, and distribution of products. Minimal investments of capital and labor are not sufficient to run commercial agribusinesses, and 160-acre farms are not necessarily required for success. While government subsidies may be helpful, they are not essential for the success of agribusinesses.

Question 10

The Five Civilized Tribes were

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Five Civilized Tribes were
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Question 11

Why were there violent clashes between cattle ranchers and farmers during the late 19^th century?

Accepted Answer

Farmers were using barbed wire to keep roving livestock out of their crops and ranchers wanted them to roam freely. This created a conflict between the two groups as the ranchers saw their ability to freely graze their cattle as essential to their livelihoods, while farmers saw the fences as necessary to protect their crops. This led to violent clashes between the two groups, particularly in the western United States.

Question 12

Which of the following was not a reason the days of the open range and great cattle drives came to an end after the mid-1880s?

Accepted Answer

While the other options played a role in the end of the open range and great cattle drives, the demand for beef actually increased during this time period. It was the availability of cheaper meats, such as pork and chicken, that caused a decline in beef consumption.

Question 13

Whose campaign to protect the wilderness led to the establishment of Yosemite National Park and the founding of the Sierra Club?

Accepted Answer

John Muir's campaign to protect the wilderness and natural beauty of Yosemite Valley played a significant role in the establishment of Yosemite National Park in 1890. Muir also founded the Sierra Club in 1892, which became a prominent conservation organization advocating for the protection of natural spaces and resources.

Question 14

To protect their interests, in the 1880s Mexican-Americans in Arizona and New Mexico

Accepted Answer

Mexican-Americans in Arizona and New Mexico formed a vigilante group called Las Gorras Blancas (the White Caps) in the 1880s to protect their interests.

Question 15

Which of the following statements best describes cowboys?

Accepted Answer

Most cowboys were young men who worked on cattle ranches for a year or two before moving on to other occupations. They were not usually the owners of the ranches and did not experience comfortable working conditions. Instead, their work was demanding and often dangerous. While racism was certainly present in the Old West, cowboys did not have to be white, and many Mexican and African American cowboys made significant contributions to the cattle industry. The idea that cowboys were all ne'er-do-wells is a myth perpetuated by popular culture rather than an accurate reflection of the realities of life in the Old West.

Question 16

What did mining, cattle ranching, and wheat farming have in common?

Accepted Answer

Mining, cattle ranching, and wheat farming were all industries that experienced boom and bust economic cycles. This means that they would have periods of high profits followed by periods of economic downturn or even total collapse. This made them risky investments and not always reliable sources of income.

Question 17

The discovery of gold led to enough settlers moving to Alaska for it to establish its own territorial government. Where was the gold discovered?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The discovery of gold led to enough...

Question 18

Nat Love and Bose Ikard were

Accepted Answer

Nat Love and Bose Ikard were both black cowboys who gained fame for their skills in the Wild West.

Question 19

Helen Hunt Jackson was among those Americans who were outraged by the federal government's violation of its Indian treaties and instead embraced a different approach to the Indians, which was

Accepted Answer

The answer of Helen Hunt Jackson was among those Americans...

Question 20

"Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show

Accepted Answer

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show presented mock battles of army scouts and Indians as morality dramas of good versus evil, portraying the white settlers as heroes and the Native Americans as villains. This portrayal was in line with the dime-novel image of the West, but the show was still successful in countering this negative stereotype.

Quiz 17: The Transformation of the Trans-Mississippi West