Question 1

For what reason did hundreds of thousands of Americans migrate to the West in the three decades after 1870?
A) To find work in the steel industry
B) To own their own land
C) To secure territorial appointments in government
D) To earn wages in the expanding agribusinesses

Accepted Answer

Many Americans migrated west after 1870 primarily to own land, encouraged by policies like the Homestead Act, which offered free or cheap land to settlers willing to cultivate it.

Question 2

What did the Homestead Act of 1862 promise to potential migrants to the West?
A) 160 acres to any southerner who promised to defect from the Confederacy and move West
B) 160 acres free to any citizen or prospective citizen who settled on land west of the Mississippi River for five years
C) Free agricultural implements and enough money to live for one year to all citizens willing to cultivate land west of the Mississippi River
D) 160 acres to any citizen or prospective citizen at a guaranteed price of $2 an acre

Accepted Answer

The Homestead Act of 1862 promised 160 acres of land for free to any citizen or prospective citizen who settled on land west of the Mississippi River for five years.

Question 3

How did the Utah legislature counter the criticism of polygamy in 1870?
A) It outlawed the practice.
B) It gave women the right to vote.
C) It ignored its critics.
D) It successfully petitioned for statehood.

Accepted Answer

In 1870, the Utah legislature countered the criticism of polygamy by giving women the right to vote, which was a progressive step at the time and aimed to demonstrate the territory's commitment to progressive ideals despite its controversial stance on marriage practices.

Question 4

Which of the following is true of labor unions in the western mining industry?
A) They formed early and held considerable bargaining power.
B) They did little to help workers in the event of an accident or sickness.
C) They held little appeal for workers.
D) They had no success organizing in the West.

Accepted Answer

Labor unions formed early in the western mining industry and held considerable bargaining power, particularly with regards to safety regulations and wages.

Question 5

Which of the following describes the impact of the wealth produced in the Nevada mining industry?
A) It enriched speculators in San Francisco.
B) It remained in the state's rapidly expanding mining towns.
C) It funded local education and construction projects.
D) It discouraged immigrants from migrating to the region.

Accepted Answer

The wealth generated by the Nevada mining industry significantly enriched speculators in San Francisco, as they were often the investors in mining operations and benefited from the profits.

Question 6

According to Map 17.2: Western Mining,1848-1890,in which state was lead available? 
A) California
B) Nevada
C) Wyoming
D) Oregon

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Map 17.2: Western Mining,1848-1890,in which...

Question 7

What were the "chips" that served as the most prevalent form of fuel used for cooking and heating in the plains in the latter half of the nineteenth century?
A) Coal that had spilled from railroad cars
B) Charred wood leftover from Indian bonfires
C) Twigs,old corncobs,and sunflower stalks
D) Chunks of dried cattle and buffalo dung

Accepted Answer

Chunks of dried cattle and buffalo dung, also known as "buffalo chips," were commonly used as fuel for cooking and heating in the plains in the latter half of the nineteenth century. As wood was scarce on the prairies, settlers had to find alternative fuel sources, and buffalo chips were readily available.

Question 8

Which of the following describes how life in the agrarian West compared to life in the mining West?
A) Slow paced
B) Free of hardship
C) Equally exploitative
D) Free of economic competition

Accepted Answer

Life in both the agrarian and mining West was marked by exploitation. In the agrarian West, farmers often faced exploitation by railroads and market forces, while in the mining West, miners dealt with exploitative labor practices and control by mining companies.

Question 9

How did the landscape of the trans-Mississippi West change between 1870 and 1900?
A) The region proved to be a haven for family farming.
B) It was populated predominantly by former slaves.
C) Mining made it the country's largest industrial region.
D) Family farms gave way to commercial farming.

Accepted Answer

The landscape of the trans-Mississippi West changed between 1870 and 1900 as family farms gave way to commercial farming. The region became dominated by large-scale agricultural operations, with a focus on crops like wheat, corn, and cattle ranching. This shift was driven by technological advancements like railroads and improved irrigation, which made it possible to transport goods to markets and cultivate larger areas of land.

Question 10

Which of the following characterizes life for women on the western frontier in the late nineteenth century?
A) They usually had servants to help them with their household work.
B) They worked only within the physical confines of their homes.
C) They were forced to work hard to accomplish even the simplest tasks.
D) They tended to live quite well while expending little physical effort.

Accepted Answer

Women on the western frontier had to work very hard to accomplish even the simplest tasks. They were responsible for all household chores, taking care of children, and often helping with farm work or businesses. Servants were rare on the frontier, and women had to rely primarily on their own labor to sustain their households. Women's work was not limited to the home, as they often had to help their husbands or other family members with physical labor outside as well.

Question 11

Which of the following terms best characterizes Virginia City,Nevada,and other mining centers in the late nineteenth century?
A) Lawless outposts
B) Homogeneous small towns
C) Sprawling industrialized communities
D) Short-lived settlements

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following terms best characterizes...

Question 12

Which of the following describes women in Virginia City by 1870?
A) They were still outnumbered by men at a ratio of ten to one.
B) They complained about the city's filth,lawlessness,and disorder.
C) They worked primarily in dancehalls,saloons,and brothels.
D) They worked primarily as housekeepers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following describes women in...

Question 13

Which was the largest ethnic group in the western mining district of the United States in the late nineteenth century?
A) The Chinese
B) The Swiss
C) Hungarians
D) The Irish

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which was the largest ethnic group in...

Question 14

For what reason were African American troops,known as Buffalo soldiers,serving in the West during the Indian Wars?
A) The first black regiment to come west originated in Buffalo,New York.
B) Native Americans thought their hair resembled that of the bison.
C) They were as scarce as the buffalo on the Great Plains of the late 1800s.
D) They were the soldiers primarily responsible for the extinction of buffalo herds.

Accepted Answer

Native Americans nicknamed African American troops "Buffalo soldiers" because they thought their hair resembled that of the bison.

Question 15

Which of the following describes the changes experienced by the Californios between 1850 and 1880?
A) Their numbers increased from 19 percent to 82 percent of the state's total population.
B) They solidified their claim to historic land.
C) Their percentage of the state's population fell by more than 60 percent.
D) They began their steady assimilation into American life.

Accepted Answer

The Californios were descendants of Spanish and Mexican settlers in California. Between 1850 and 1880, there was a significant influx of American settlers and immigrants to California, leading to the Californios' percentage of the state's population falling by more than 60 percent.

Question 16

Along with the Homestead Act of 1862,which factor helped stimulate the land rush in the trans-Mississippi West?
A) The transition from large commercial farming to smaller family farms
B) Frederick Jackson Turner's "The Significance of the Frontier in American History"
C) The availability of essential resources such as water and firewood on the plains
D) The opening of the transcontinental railroad

Accepted Answer

The opening of the transcontinental railroad provided easier and faster access to the trans-Mississippi West, which in turn stimulated the land rush. settlers were able to transport themselves and their goods to the West more efficiently, making it easier for them to stake their claim on land.

Question 17

Chinese immigrants made up what proportion of the workforce that built America's first transcontinental railroad?
A) 20 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 90 percent
D) 100 percent

Accepted Answer

Chinese immigrants made up an estimated 90 percent of the workforce that built America's first transcontinental railroad.

Question 18

Which group or groups composed the population of the area from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean during the last decades of the nineteenth century?
A) Native-born whites
B) African Americans fleeing the oppression of the South
C) People from various parts of Europe,Asia,and the Americas
D) Waves of Mexican refugees

Accepted Answer

During the last decades of the nineteenth century, the area from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean was composed of people from various parts of Europe, Asia, and the Americas who migrated to the region in search of economic opportunity and land.

Question 19

Who eventually replaced Chinese workers,especially in agriculture,after the Chinese Exclusion Act?
A) Japanese workers
B) White southerners
C) Black southerners
D) Mexican workers

Accepted Answer

Japanese workers were among those who replaced Chinese laborers in agriculture after the Chinese Exclusion Act, as they were recruited to fill the labor shortage.

Question 20

What was the purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
A) To respond to Chinese laborers' demands for higher wages and better working conditions
B) To decrease the Chinese population of the American West
C) To limit the number of Chinese immigrants to America for a period of three years
D) To reduce anti-Asian prejudice in California and other areas of the West

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1812 was to decrease the Chinese population of the American West by banning all immigration from China for a period of ten years, and later extended in 1902. This was a result of increasing anti-Chinese sentiment and fears of economic competition from Chinese immigrants. The act was a significant step in the history of American immigration policy, as it was the first law to restrict immigration based on a specific nationality or ethnic group.

Quiz 2: The Contested West, 1865-1900

For what reason did hundreds of thousands of Americans migrate to the West in the three decades after 1870?

What did the Homestead Act of 1862 promise to potential migrants to the West?

How did the Utah legislature counter the criticism of polygamy in 1870?

Which of the following is true of labor unions in the western mining industry?

Which of the following describes the impact of the wealth produced in the Nevada mining industry?

According to Map 17.2: Western Mining,1848-1890,in which state was lead available?

What were the "chips" that served as the most prevalent form of fuel used for cooking and heating in the plains in the latter half of the nineteenth century?

Which of the following describes how life in the agrarian West compared to life in the mining West?

How did the landscape of the trans-Mississippi West change between 1870 and 1900?

Which of the following characterizes life for women on the western frontier in the late nineteenth century?

Which of the following terms best characterizes Virginia City,Nevada,and other mining centers in the late nineteenth century?

Which of the following describes women in Virginia City by 1870?

Which was the largest ethnic group in the western mining district of the United States in the late nineteenth century?

For what reason were African American troops,known as Buffalo soldiers,serving in the West during the Indian Wars?

Which of the following describes the changes experienced by the Californios between 1850 and 1880?

Along with the Homestead Act of 1862,which factor helped stimulate the land rush in the trans-Mississippi West?

Chinese immigrants made up what proportion of the workforce that built America's first transcontinental railroad?

Which group or groups composed the population of the area from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean during the last decades of the nineteenth century?

Who eventually replaced Chinese workers,especially in agriculture,after the Chinese Exclusion Act?

What was the purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?