Question 1

Why did Narcissa and Marcus Whitman fail in their efforts to convert the Cayuse Indians to Christianity?
A) The Cayuse saw the doctrine of the Trinity as illogical.
B) The Whitmans assumed an air of superiority over the Cayuse.
C) The Cayuse found it impossible to accept the doctrine of transubstantiation.
D) The Whitmans insisted on holding religious services in their home, which conflicted with the religious practices of the Cayuse.

Accepted Answer

The Whitmans assumed an air of superiority over the Cayuse, which created conflict and distrust. The Cayuse were also resistant to abandoning their traditional religious practices and beliefs, which further hindered the Whitmans' efforts to convert them to Christianity. While there may have been other theological differences, such as those mentioned in choices A and C, it was ultimately the cultural and relational barriers that were most significant in the failure of the Whitmans' mission. Choice D may have been a minor factor, but it does not fully explain the overall failure of the mission.

Question 2

Which of the following are generally recognized as having been the first white migrants along the Oregon Trail?
A) Laura and Almanzo Wilder and Rose and Gillette Lane
B) Narcissa and Marcus Whitman and Eliza and Henry Spalding
C) Bill Cody and Wyatt Earp
D) Elizabeth and Charles Finney

Accepted Answer

Narcissa and Marcus Whitman and Eliza and Henry Spalding are generally recognized as the first white migrants along the Oregon Trail as they established missions among the Cayuse and Nez Perce tribes in present-day Walla Walla, Washington.

Question 3

By the 1850s, San Francisco
A) had lost its pre-eminence to new metropolitan centers in California.
B) was merely a small rural settlement.
C) enjoyed prosperity almost exclusively due to the cotton trade.
D) had become the West Coast gateway to the interior.

Accepted Answer

San Francisco had become the West Coast gateway to the interior by the 1850s, due to the California Gold Rush and subsequent growth in trade and transportation.

Question 4

By the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851,
A) Indian tribes in the Northwest Territory agreed to allow American migrants moving West free passage across their tribal lands.
B) all of the Indian tribes of the Great Plains agreed to cede their ancestral lands to the United States but were allowed to live on that land in perpetuity.
C) southwestern Indian tribes agreed to forgo any further allotments from the federal government in return for an expansion of their tribal boundaries.
D) eight northern Plains tribes agreed to respect tribal boundaries established by the United States government and to allow the government to build roads and forts within those boundaries.

Accepted Answer

The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 was a peace treaty signed by representatives of the United States government and eight northern Plains tribes. The treaty established tribal boundaries and allowed the government to build forts and roads within those boundaries. In return, the tribes agreed to respect those boundaries and to allow safe passage for American migrants moving West. The treaty did not involve ceding lands or expanding tribal boundaries.

Question 5

Which of the following held spiritual significance to Plains Indians?
A) The American bison
B) The beaver
C) The coyote
D) The horse

Accepted Answer

The American bison held great spiritual significance to Plains Indians as it provided them with food, clothing, and shelter, but also represented their connection to the land and their belief in the sacredness of all living beings.

Question 6

Discuss the forces and beliefs that were behind the expansionist sentiment of the 1830s and 1840s. What impact did this expansionist fever have on the United States in the 1840s?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the forces and beliefs that were...

Question 7

Which of the following is true of European American migrants trekking West along the Oregon and California trails?
A) Death rates from disease were significantly higher than in society at large.
B) Their encounters with Indians were usually peaceful.
C) They only killed bison or other animals for food.
D) They were constantly subjected to Indian attacks.

Accepted Answer

While there were occasional violent encounters with Native Americans, overall the interactions between European American migrants and indigenous people were often peaceful.

Question 8

Why were Narcissa and Marcus Whitman murdered by the Cayuse Indians?
A) The Cayuse discovered that the Whitmans were supportive of the Cayuse being forcibly removed to Indian Country.
B) The Whitmans kidnapped several Cayuse children and planned to take them back to the Northeast.
C) The Cayuse interpreted a measles epidemic as being a deliberate assault on them by the Whitmans.
D) Needing food, the Whitmans killed animals that, to the Cayuse, were of spiritual significance.

Accepted Answer

The Cayuse interpreted a measles epidemic as being a deliberate assault on them by the Whitmans. In 1847, a measles epidemic broke out among the Cayuse living near the Whitman Mission. The Whitmans tried to treat the sick, but many Cayuse died. The Cayuse believed the Whitmans were intentionally poisoning them and, as a result, the tribe attacked and killed the Whitmans and 12 other settlers.

Question 9

Discuss the role of the American military in the West during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the role of the American military...

Question 10

Discuss the causes and consequences of the Black Hawk War.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

Wheat farming in California depended on
A) massive irrigation projects.
B) skills taught to European American migrants by Native Americans.
C) Indian laborers held in bondage.
D) mechanized agriculture.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Wheat farming in California depended on
A) massive...

Question 12

By the mid-1850s, California's major agricultural crop was
A) barley.
B) corn.
C) soy beans.
D) wheat.

Accepted Answer

Wheat became California's major agricultural crop in the mid-1850s, largely due to the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills. Many farmers abandoned their fields to join the gold rush, creating a shortage of crops and driving up the price of wheat. This led to a boom in wheat farming, and by the late 1850s, California was producing more wheat than any other state in the country.

Question 13

Which of the following is true of women in California in the 1850s?
A) Because their skills were in demand, they could charge high fees for cooking, laundering, and sewing.
B) The worked on family farms as they had done in the East and Midwest.
C) Many married women built reputations as hostesses by providing food and entertainment for their husbands' bachelor friends.
D) They were usually engaged in mining for gold alongside the male settlers.

Accepted Answer

Because their skills were in demand, they could charge high fees for cooking, laundering, and sewing.

Question 14

Examine the role of the federal government in preparing the West for American settlement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Examine the role of the federal government...

Question 15

After 1852, anger toward the Mormons in the Utah territory increased throughout the United States for which of the following reasons?
A) The Mormons officially sanctioned polygamy.
B) The Mormons prohibited all non-Mormons from entering their state of "Deseret."
C) The Mormons engaged in a rebellion against the government of the United States.
D) The Mormons publicized their belief that Jesus was not divine and not the Son of God.

Accepted Answer

The Mormons officially sanctioned polygamy, which was seen as a violation of traditional American values and an affront to Christian morality. This fueled anger and suspicion towards the Mormon community, particularly in the eastern United States, and led to increased persecution and violence against them.

Question 16

Compare the view of the West as depicted in popular literature and in public and commercial art of the nineteenth century with the reality of the West.

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

Discuss the various factors that caused tension and sometimes conflict between American western migrants and Native Americans during the first half of the nineteenth century. Discuss the consequences of the California Gold Rush.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the various factors that caused tension...

Question 18

Discuss the characteristics of the lives of fur trappers in the trans-Appalachian West in the early nineteenth century.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the characteristics of the lives of...

Question 19

Examine the factors that led to the Texas independence movement, and explain the outcome of that movement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Examine the factors that led to the...

Question 20

Explain the goals and accomplishments of the missions undertaken by Zebulon Pike.

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 11: The Contested West

Why did Narcissa and Marcus Whitman fail in their efforts to convert the Cayuse Indians to Christianity?

Which of the following are generally recognized as having been the first white migrants along the Oregon Trail?

By the 1850s, San Francisco

By the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851,

Which of the following held spiritual significance to Plains Indians?

Discuss the forces and beliefs that were behind the expansionist sentiment of the 1830s and 1840s. What impact did this expansionist fever have on the United States in the 1840s?

Which of the following is true of European American migrants trekking West along the Oregon and California trails?

Why were Narcissa and Marcus Whitman murdered by the Cayuse Indians?

Discuss the role of the American military in the West during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Discuss the causes and consequences of the Black Hawk War.

Wheat farming in California depended on

By the mid-1850s, California's major agricultural crop was

Which of the following is true of women in California in the 1850s?