Deck 11: West/Ward Expansion

Question 1

The staunch states' rights advocate who became president when William Henry Harrison died was

A) Martin Van Buren.
B) James K. Polk.
C) Zachary Taylor.
D) John Tyler.

Answer 1

John Tyler.

Question 2

Everyone in Tyler's cabinet except Daniel Webster resigned when Tyler opposed Henry Clay's plans and

A) signed the bill creating a new National Bank.
B) called for the annexation of Texas.
C) vetoed the new National Bank.
D) supported a large tariff increase.

Answer 2

vetoed the new National Bank.

Question 3

The peace treaty of 1783 with England granted the United States all the land

A) drained by the St. Lawrence River.
B) of the Oregon Territory.
C) on the eastern bank of the St. Lawrence River.
D) drained by rivers flowing into the Atlantic.

Answer 3

drained by rivers flowing into the Atlantic.

Question 4

In the controversy leading to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, England's main goal was to

A) acquire the timber.
B) control the fishing rights.
C) build a military road.
D) create a secure Canadian border.

Question 5

The ________ Treaty settled the disputed boundary between Maine and New Brunswick and demonstrated the growing Anglo-American economic dependence.

A) Transcontinental
B) Clayton-Bulwer
C) Webster-Ashburton
D) Gadsden

Question 6

Before Texas gained its independence in 1836, a major conflict between American settlers in Texas and the Mexican government was

A) Mexico's abolition of slavery.
B) Mexico's attempt to require Americans to speak Spanish.
C) the effect of the Missouri Compromise on Mexico.
D) the weakness of the Mexican central government.

Question 7

In the battle over the independence of Texas, the slaughters at Goliad and at ________, a former mission, made peaceful settlement of the dispute with Mexico almost impossible.

A) the Alamo
B) the Citadel
C) Corpus Christi
D) Santa Fe

Question 8

The leader of the Texas independence movement and first president of the Republic of Texas was

A) Stephen F. Austin.
B) William B. Travis.
C) Davy Crockett.
D) Sam Houston.

Question 9

Sam Houston famously screamed "Remember the Alamo!" at

A) Goliad during a decisive American defeat over the Mexicans.
B) Mexico City during diplomatic talks with the Mexicans.
C) President Jackson's signing of the annexation of Texas.
D) a routing of the Mexican army at the San Jacinto River.

Question 10

Both Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren

A) were unwilling to annex Texas.
B) attempted to annex Texas.
C) refused to recognize Texas.
D) warned Mexico to leave Texas alone.

Question 11

Manifest destiny might best be described as the belief that Americans were

A) God's chosen people.
B) a melting pot of immigrants.
C) obligated to educate the Native Americans.
D) destined to abolish slavery.

Question 12

Stating that nothing must interfere with the ability of Americans "to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions," New York journalist John L. O'Sullivan was describing the concept of

A) economic determinism.
B) transcendentalism.
C) manifest destiny.
D) progressivism.

Question 13

One significant aspect of life on the westward trail in the 1840s was that it

A) was actually safer for children than remaining at home.
B) was easier for women than for men.
C) strongly reinforced the family pattern of "separate spheres."
D) was especially taxing for women.

Question 14

In 1840, California could be most accurately described as

A) unmistakably Mexican, with only a handful of white American settlers.
B) still almost entirely controlled and owned by a series of Catholic missions.
C) one of the few areas where the Native Americans were guaranteed the same civil rights as whites.
D) dominated by white Americans, with only a handful of Mexican settlers.

Question 15

"Oregon fever" referred to

A) a common malady of the nineteenth century.
B) a deep-seated hate for the Native Americans.
C) the desire to go to Oregon.
D) Christian attempts to convert the Native Americans.

Question 16

According to the map "Trails West," the Oregon Trail

A) crossed New Mexico Territory before heading north.
B) ran along the border between the United States and Canada for much of its route.
C) followed a route similar to the Mormon Trail part of the way.
D) ran perpendicular to the Old Spanish Trail.

Question 17

When the Whigs nominated Henry Clay for the presidency in 1844, their platform

A) came out strongly for the annexation of Texas.
B) ignored the question of Texas.
C) supported the acquisition of Oregon.
D) condemned all expansion.

Question 18

James K. Polk might best be described as a

A) promoter of high tariffs.
B) national bank supporter.
C) good Jacksonian.
D) foe of expansion.

Question 19

Upon sensing the expansionist sentiment of voters in the election of 1844, Henry Clay

A) stuck firmly to his opposition to the annexation of Texas.
B) backed off his firm opposition to the annexation of Texas.
C) won the election because of his unyielding support of manifest destiny.
D) pushed through a joint resolution making Texas a state.

Question 20

In accordance with the joint resolution that annexed Texas,

A) Texas became an independent territory.
B) up to four new states could be created from its territory.
C) the territory of Texas was required to remain consolidated.
D) Texas had to wait ten years until it could be granted full statehood.

Question 21

American settlement in the Oregon region was centered in the

A) Columbia River Valley.
B) Willamette Valley.
C) Walla Walla River Valley.
D) Cascade Mountains.

Question 22

In 1846 the United States signed a treaty dividing the Oregon territory along the 49th parallel with

A) Great Britain.
B) Russia.
C) France.
D) Canada.

Question 23

The reason the final Oregon Treaty between the United States and England was popular is that

A) America got all it demanded.
B) the war with Mexico had begun.
C) the Democrats saw a chance to get even with the Whigs.
D) slavery was forbidden in the area.

Question 24

Mexico's main grievance against the United States was based upon the

A) large debts the United States owed Mexico.
B) invasion of California by Fremont.
C) intrigues of John Slidell.
D) annexation of Texas.

Question 25

What happened in the Mexican War?

A) The president led the nation into war without a formal declaration of war from Congress.
B) American armed forces fought only inside the boundaries of the continental United States.
C) Although the Mexican army was larger, better equipped, and well-led, American forces easily conquered Mexico.
D) General Winfield Scott led a disastrous and poorly planned campaign against Mexico City.

Question 26

"War exists." Polk said this to

A) the Mexican diplomatic mission.
B) General Mariano Paredes, the Mexican head of state.
C) Thomas Slidell when authorizing further use of American armed forces.
D) Congress when asking for a declaration of war.

Question 27

President Polk's plans to defeat Mexico included

A) driving Santa Anna from power.
B) invading Texas.
C) establishing a naval blockade of Mexican ports.
D) taking possession of California and New Mexico.

Question 28

During the Mexican War, what happened in the Southwest?

A) American settlers seized Sonoma and established the Republic of California.
B) General Stephen Kearny's cavalry expedition from Fort Leavenworth was defeated and captured at the Battle of Santa Fe.
C) A virtual civil war broke out between settlers favoring the United States and those supporting Mexico.
D) The Mexican army easily defeated the initial efforts of a ragtag army of American settlers to create an independent California.

Question 29

The campaign against Mexico City was commanded by General

A) Zachary Taylor.
B) Stephen Kearny.
C) Winfield Scott.
D) Thomas Hart Benton.

Question 30

_____ negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo against the orders of President Polk.

A) George M. Dallas
B) James G. Birney
C) Abel P. Upshur
D) Nicholas P. Trist

Question 31

The Mexican War was ended by the

A) Gadsden Purchase.
B) Treaty of Vera Cruz.
C) Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
D) Treaty of San Juoaquin.

Question 32

Under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States

A) promised to respect Mexican sovereignty in the future.
B) gained Texas and Oklahoma.
C) agreed to continue Mexico's prohibition of slavery in the Southwest.
D) gained New Mexico and Upper California.

Question 33

For many Americans, the ultimate justification of manifest destiny and the Mexican War seemed to be the

A) prohibition on slavery in the territory gained from Mexico.
B) recognition by Europeans that America was also an imperial power.
C) discovery of gold in California in 1848.
D) guarantee of a transcontinental railroad route through the territory conquered from Mexico.

Question 34

Slavery erupted as a divisive issue after the Mexican War over the question of

A) restricting the domestic slave trade.
B) continuing slave auctions in Washington, D.C.
C) renewing the importation of slaves.
D) allowing slavery in the territory conquered from Mexico.

Question 35

The attempt to prohibit slavery from the territory gained by the Mexican War was identified with

A) Lewis Cass.
B) David Wilmot.
C) Henry Clay.
D) Zachary Taylor.

Question 36

"As an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico…neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory." This is from the

A) Compromise of 1850.
B) Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
C) Wilmot Proviso.
D) Tallmadge Amendment.

Question 37

The original advocate of organizing new territories on the basis of "popular sovereignty" was

A) Lewis Cass.
B) Nicholas Trist.
C) David Wilmot.
D) Zachary Taylor.

Question 38

Zachary Taylor was chosen to run for president by the Whigs in 1848 because of his

A) opposition to slavery.
B) extensive legislative experience.
C) proven ability to campaign.
D) military career.

Question 39

In 1849 approximately 80,000 Americans migrated to California because of the

A) completion of the Santa Fe Trail.
B) start of the gold rush.
C) end of the Mexican War.
D) severe unemployment in the East.

Question 40

The California state constitution of 1849 banned slavery for primarily ________ reasons.

A) economic
B) moral
C) religious
D) political

Question 41

California's possible admission as a free state caused such a furor because it

A) forced slavery to be barred in all territories.
B) repealed the Missouri Compromise.
C) rejected the idea of "popular sovereignty."
D) broke the balance of power in the Senate between slave and free states.

Question 42

The senator who initially organized the legislative program that became the Compromise of 1850 was

A) David Wilmot.
B) Daniel Webster.
C) Henry Clay.
D) John C. Calhoun.

Question 43

In the debates over the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay's most famous argument was that

A) because God's "higher law" prohibited any cooperation with the evils of slavery, the North should refuse to compromise.
B) the North should yield completely on every point, ceasing even to discuss slavery.
C) fugitive slaves who escaped to the North should be guaranteed their freedom.
D) slavery did not need to be prohibited by a Wilmot Proviso because the facts of geography and climate prevented its establishment in the Southwest.

Question 44

"You have got what is worth more than a thousand Wilmot Provisos…You have nature on your side." This statement is a defense of the Compromise of 1850 by whom?

A) Daniel Webster
B) Henry Clay
C) Millard Fillmore
D) Zachary Taylor

Question 45

According to the maps accompanying the comparison between the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, the __________ had the largest area of any free territory in 1850.

A) Unorganized Territory
B) Oregon Territory
C) Utah Territory
D) area freed by Missouri Compromise

Question 46

The Compromise of 1850 included admitting ________ as a free state.

A) California
B) New Mexico
C) Texas
D) Maine

Question 47

What was the public reaction to the Compromise of 1850?

A) Violent antislavery riots condemned it in the North.
B) Abolitionists were quite pleased with its steps towards gradual emancipation.
C) Mass meetings throughout the country were held to support it.
D) Defenders of slavery praised it for preserving the balance between free and slave states in the Senate.

Question 48

Stephen Austin led the first American settlement of Texas.

Question 49

Americans in Texas responded to Mexican laws on slavery by making their slaves indentured servants for life.

Question 50

Most of the travelers on the Oregon Trail were young families.

Question 51

As president, James K. Polk was totally unable to realize any of his major objectives.

Question 52

The conflict between American troops commanded by General John C. Frémont and Mexican forces at Matamoros provided Polk with an ideal pretext for war with Mexico.

Question 53

General Winfield Scott's attack upon Mexico City was an inept disaster.

Question 54

James W. Marshall discovered gold in the Sacramento Valley in 1848 and set off the gold rush.

Question 55

The final congressional maneuvering in the Compromise of 1850 was managed by Illinois newcomer William H. Seward.

Question 56

Explain how the twin issues of expansion and slavery drove the sectional divide in the 1830s and 1840s.

Question 57

Define the concept of manifest destiny and explain its major assumptions. Summarize the impact this idea had on Americans in the nineteenth century. Explain why people found it appealing.

Question 58

Describe the migration of Americans to Oregon and California in the 1840s. What types of people migrated and why did they go? Summarize how they related to the existing inhabitants.

Question 59

Summarize the major causes of the Mexican War. Describe the major events and major results of the war.

Question 60

What is the definition of the following key term:
-gold rush :

Question 61

What is the definition of the following key term:
-popular sovereignty :