Deck 13: an Age of Expansionism

Question 1

Which of the following does NOT characterize the Young America movement of the 1840s and 1850s?

A) territorial expansion
B) an aggressive foreign policy
C) economic expansion and growth
D) technological progress
E) appraisal of American values

Answer 1

appraisal of American values

Question 2

During the Mexican-American War,what major issue came up for debate in Congress?

A) annexation of Mexico as U.S. territory
B) prohibition of slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico
C) extension of voting rights to women in the western territories
D) increased immigration from Mexico to the Unites States
E) cession of more southwestern territory to the Mexican government

Answer 2

prohibition of slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico

Question 3

What was the significance of the invention of the John Deere steel plow?

A) It allowed farmers to cultivate tough prairie soils.
B) It lowered the cost of steel plows.
C) It helped farmers plow loose soil in half the time of a cast-iron plow.
D) It allowed farmers to plow by hand without the aid of a farm animal.
E) It allowed farmers to plow more accurately than cast-iron plows.

Answer 3

It allowed farmers to cultivate tough prairie soils.

Question 4

Which famous battle occurred just days after Texas declared itself a republic?

A) the battle of the Nueces
B) the battle of Matamoros
C) the battle of the Alamo
D) the battle of Veracruz
E) the siege of Mexico City

Question 5

What was the platform of Sam Houston,the first president of Texas?

A) He fought to prevent the annexation of Texas.
B) He was against annexation in any form.
C) He was against annexation unless it included the Oklahoma territory.
D) He was for annexation but only if it included the New Mexico territory.
E) He was for annexation immediately after Texas declared independence.

Question 6

Which presidential candidate in 1844 ran on a platform calling for the simultaneous annexation of Texas and assertion of American claims to all of Oregon?

A) Henry Clay
B) James K. Polk
C) Martin Van Buren
D) John Tyler
E) James G. Birney

Question 7

Which of the following did not result from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

A) The Rio Grande was confirmed as the southern border of Texas.
B) The United States paid Mexico $15 million.
C) Slavery would not be allowed west of the Rio Grande.
D) Mexico ceded New Mexico and California to the United States.
E) Mexican residents of the ceded areas would become American citizens.

Question 8

Which of the following best sums up the ideals of John O'Sullivan's concept of Manifest Destiny?

A) North America was American property.
B) Britain and Mexico were the natural enemies of the U.S.
C) Industrialization and expansion are inextricably linked.
D) The U.S. was destined to expand into North America.
E) The U.S. was doomed if it could not expand.

Question 9

What did state and local governments do to help the early railroads?

A) They gave them money and land.
B) They gave them the right to seize private property.
C) They gave them free labor to lay tracks.
D) They gave them legal immunity.
E) They backed railroad bonds.

Question 10

Which of the following inventions laid the basis for the ready-to-wear clothing industry?

A) the sewing machine
B) the button machine
C) blue denim
D) the zipper
E) iron to press clothing

Question 11

Which of the following novels was so original in form and conception that it was considered the ideal Young American novel?

A) The Scarlet Letter
B) Moby-Dick
C) Uncle Tom's Cabin
D) Pride and Prejudice
E) Jane Eyre

Question 12

One of the important ideas behind the concept of Manifest Destiny was ________.

A) converting recent immigrants to Protestantism
B) the establishment of the factory system
C) the inclusion of women in the workforce
D) territorial expansion
E) the abolition of slavery

Question 13

What was the greatest triumph of American technology during the mid-nineteenth century?

A) improvements in the transportation infrastructure
B) new uses for vulcanized rubber
C) improved farm implements
D) sophisticated machine tools
E) more efficient farming strategies

Question 14

After the Mexican-American War,the Young America movement shifted its focus to which of the following?

A) economic growth and industrialization
B) adding Canada and Alaska to the United States
C) the abolition of slavery
D) making the United States a world power
E) spreading the gospel to foreign lands

Question 15

In 1860,most Americans worked in what sector?

A) ranching
B) gold mining
C) farming
D) the textile industry
E) the transportation industry

Question 16

Which of the following was opposed to President Tyler's plan for the annexation of Texas?

A) northern antislavery Whigs
B) southern agricultural interests
C) New England merchants
D) Great Britain
E) railroad companies

Question 17

Which of these states was NOT wholly or partly Mexican in 1821?

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

Question 18

In the early 1820s,Mexican officials encouraged settlers from the United States to settle in Texas with offers of which of the following?

A) more freedoms for women
B) religious freedom
C) cheap land
D) money
E) abolishing slavery

Question 19

All of these were essential features of the factory system beginning in the 1840s,EXCEPT ________.

A) a supervised workforce
B) the workforce being located in one place
C) payment of cash wages
D) each product being produced by one worker
E) mechanization

Question 20

Which of the following forms of transportation had the greatest impact on the American economy during the 1840s and 1850s?

A) the clipper ship
B) the canal system
C) the steamboat
D) the covered wagon
E) the railroad

Question 21

Why was slavery a point of conflict between the Mexican government and Anglo-American settlers in Texas?

A) The Mexican government required Anglo-American settlers to emancipate their slaves.
B) The Mexican government required each Anglo-American settler to own at least four slaves.
C) The Mexican government allowed white as well as black slavery.
D) The Anglo-American settlers tried to enslave Mexican citizens.
E) The Anglo-American settlers did not want slavery in the territory.

Question 22

What caused the Mexican-American War to last much longer than expected?

A) The Americans lacked the resources to attack in earnest.
B) The Americans lost a string of important battles.
C) Severe weather slowed the American advance.
D) The Mexicans were better prepared to battle in the Mexican terrain.
E) The Mexicans stubbornly refused to make peace despite military defeats.

Question 23

How did Andrew Jackson and his administration react to Texas becoming an independent republic in 1836?

A) They tried to convince Texans to return to Mexican rule.
B) They declared war on Mexico to defend Texas's revolt.
C) They immediately annexed Texas.
D) They formally recognized Texas as a sovereign republic.
E) They refused to recognize Texas as a republic.

Question 24

What did the Female Labor Reform Association campaign for?

A) more jobs for women and children
B) more managerial positions for women
C) higher pay
D) shorter working hours
E) an end to all forms of sexual harassment

Question 25

All of the following influenced the growth of American industry in the 1830s and 1840s EXCEPT ________.

A) the transition to a factory setting
B) the development of mass production
C) the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania
D) the invention of mechanical tools
E) advances in the transportation industry

Question 26

Where did most of the immigrants to the United States come from in the 1840s and 1850s?

A) the Middle East
B) Europe
C) Africa
D) Latin America
E) China

Question 27

Why did President John Tyler initiate the politics of Manifest Destiny beginning in 1841?

A) He wanted to win the support of his fellow Whigs.
B) He wanted to reconcile the Whig and Democratic parties.
C) He was inspired by the beliefs of Henry Clay.
D) He wanted to build a base for his reelection in 1844.
E) He hoped to identify himself with James Monroe.

Question 28

What caused friction to develop between the Mexican government and Anglo-American colonists in Texas?

A) The Mexican government denied Anglo-American settlers the right to own land.
B) The Mexican government did not grant women any rights.
C) Anglo-American settlers flouted Mexican law.
D) Many Anglo-American settlers refused to practice any religion.
E) Many Anglo-American settlers refused to pay taxes.

Question 29

According to historian Norman Graebner,the United States did not annex all of Mexico because they already had ________.

A) U.S. citizenship for thousands of Mexicans living in the territory
B) the grazing lands of the southwest
C) the fertile farming lands of new Mexico
D) the harbors of California
E) the deserts of Arizona

Question 30

What was the major push factor that brought Irish immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s?

A) oppression by the British government
B) decline in the number of jobs in Ireland
C) overpopulation of Ireland
D) the great potato blight
E) persecution of Catholics

Question 31

What finally led Mexico to break off diplomatic relations with the United States and prepare for armed conflict?

A) The Republic of Texas began claiming land south of the Rio Grande.
B) The United States annexed Texas and claimed the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande.
C) The U.S. military began fighting for control over California harbors.
D) The U.S. government refused to grant rights of citizenship to people of Mexican descent living in Texas.
E) President Polk criticized the Mexican government in a scathing public address.

Question 32

In the most extreme form of Manifest Destiny,what land would the United States ultimately occupy?

A) the area from the east coast to the Rocky Mountains
B) the area from the east coast to the west coast
C) the land that is occupied today by the United States, Mexico, and Canada
D) North America and Central America
E) the entire North American continent plus the Caribbean islands

Question 33

How were the majority of immigrants employed in the mid-1800s?

A) as yeoman farmers
B) as small business owners
C) as wage workers in factories
D) as skilled craftsmen
E) as prospectors

Question 34

What was the period of greatest immigration in proportion to the overall population in America?

A) 1790 to 1800
B) 1805 to 1815
C) 1840 to 1860
D) 1880 to 1890
E) 1910 to 1920

Question 35

Why did freight businesses not immediately shift to the railroads when they were first built?

A) Companies distrusted the safety of the steam engine.
B) Companies received financial incentives from the government to stay with canal routes.
C) Canal boats were cheaper.
D) Companies were not convinced of their reliability.
E) Companies were fiercely loyal to the canal operators.

Question 36

Why did the Mexican-American War ultimately divide the American public and provoke political dissension?

A) Many Northerners feared the spread of slavery to the newly acquired territories.
B) Many Southerners feared the economic competition from cotton growers in the newly acquired territories.
C) Many people in the Midwest feared the economic competition from ranchers in the newly acquired territories.
D) Many people on the East Coast worried about the social effects of expansion.
E) Many religious groups worried about the lawlessness that would exist in the sparsely populated new territories.

Question 37

What caused James Polk to send troops to Mexico?

A) to retaliate for the harsh Mexican treatment of Texans
B) to protect the southern border of the United States
C) to enforce U.S. claims along the Texas-Mexico border
D) to prevent a Mexican attempt to reacquire Texas
E) to distract Americans from other domestic issues

Question 38

How were Young Americans unlike the traditional members of the Democratic Party?

A) They were enthusiastic about commerce, industry, and speculation in the market.
B) They were opposed to territorial expansion.
C) They fiercely opposed the Mexican-American War.
D) They worried about the materialism that accompanied the market economy.
E) They embraced European themes in American literature.

Question 39

Due to their poverty,where did most Irish immigrants settle in the United States?

A) the South
B) the Midwest
C) the Far West
D) the Northeast
E) the Gulf Coast region

Question 40

What could be said about the railroad industry by the end of the 1850s?

A) Railroads were struggling to remain active due to heavy financial losses.
B) Business was booming and railroads had transformed the economy.
C) Railroads had been largely replaced by canal transportation.
D) The railroad industry was still in its infancy.
E) The railroad industry was crippled by scandals and corruption.

Question 41

How did the annexation of Texas differ from previous territorial acquisitions? How did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo stimulate sectional controversies in the United States?

Question 42

What explains why Irish immigrants were unlikely to protest poor labor conditions?

A) Labor protests were very unpopular at the time.
B) They had low economic expectations and conservative attitudes.
C) They were afraid of violent retribution from native-born Americans.
D) The Catholic Church strictly forbade all forms of protest.
E) They tended to find jobs with good working conditions.

Question 43

Which statement best characterizes how the increase in immigration changed the U.S.economy in the mid-1800s?

A) Immigration hindered economic growth because immigrants came in such large numbers that there were not enough resources for everyone.
B) Immigration slowed down the Industrial Revolution because immigrants launched frequent and effective labor protests.
C) Immigration boosted the economy because immigrants provided much of the capital that was needed for infrastructure and entrepreneurship.
D) Immigration boosted the economy by providing the skilled labor that was desperately needed in the labor force.
E) Immigration accelerated the Industrial Revolution by providing a large pool of cheap factory labor.

Question 44

Which of the following characterizes the experience of German immigrants?

A) They suffered less prejudice than the Irish.
B) They suffered more prejudice than the Irish.
C) They could not be assimilated easily into American society.
D) They possessed few agricultural or other skills.
E) They were few in number.

Question 45

Which of the following resulted from the growth of the working class in the 1830s and 1840s?

A) greater cooperation between employer and employee
B) improvement in working conditions and wages
C) the paternalistic employer-employee relationship
D) more emphasis on skilled labor
E) an upsurge of labor militancy

Question 46

Which of the following demonstrates that economics was a major motivation for immigration?

A) the occupations of the immigrants
B) the kinds of labor needed in the United States
C) the peaks in immigration that correspond to times of economic prosperity
D) the wages paid to immigrants
E) the forms that immigrants filled out when they reached Ellis Island

Question 47

Which statement best characterizes how the labor force changed during the 1800s?

A) Male workers made the transition from being factory workers to being artisans.
B) Male workers made the transition from being artisans to being factory workers.
C) Married women were more likely to work in factories than men.
D) Married women were more likely to work in factories than unmarried women.
E) Immigrants were being replaced in factories by native-born Americans.

Question 48

What was different about the American working class of the 1830s as compared to the American working class of the 1840s?

A) In the 1830s, most factory work was done by men, but by the 1840s, more women and children began to work in factories.
B) In the 1830s, most men worked in factories, but by the 1840s, they worked more as artisans as factory work decreased in general.
C) In the 1830s, the majority of male workers were farmers, but by the 1840s, most male workers were employed in factories.
D) In the 1830s, most male workers were artisans and few worked in factories, but by the 1840s, the proportion of male factory workers increased.
E) In the 1830s, most women and children did not work at all, but by the 1840s they worked side by side with men in factories.

Question 49

How did technological advances open the way for the creation of a national market?

Question 50

What brought most German immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s?

A) They wanted to avoid European wars.
B) They wanted to escape tough economic times.
C) They wanted to escape catastrophic famine.
D) They wanted to escape political oppression.
E) They wanted to escape religious persecution.

Question 51

Which of the following statements describes the result of the arrival of large numbers of immigrants in the 1850s?

A) They were a positive development for American cities.
B) They did not contribute measurably to city developments.
C) They worsened the already serious problems of the cities.
D) They increased the population of rural rather than urban areas.
E) They prevented the development of America's first suburbs.

Question 52

How did the Mexican-American War affect sectional tensions in the U.S.?

A) Tensions were appeased because of the expansion of slavery.
B) New ties between the Old and New Northwest increased national harmony.
C) Linked by railroads, the entire country entered a period of unprecedented harmony.
D) It eased North-South tensions because of the acquisition of new territory.
E) It exacerbated North-South conflicts because of the slavery issue.

Question 53

What were the main ideas behind Manifest Destiny? How was this notion related to the Young America movement and the Puritan tradition?