Question 1

Who argued in the 1881 book A Century of Dishonor that the Indians had been treated unfairly?
A) Merrill Gates
B) Thomas Goodwood
C) Helen Hunt Jackson
D) Henry Dawes

Accepted Answer

Helen Hunt Jackson wrote "A Century of Dishonor" in 1881, highlighting the injustices faced by Native Americans.

Question 2

Who led the Great Sioux Uprising in 1862?
A) Sitting Bull
B) Little Crow
C) Red Cloud
D) Crazy Horse

Accepted Answer

Little Crow was a chief of the Dakota people who led the Great Sioux Uprising in 1862, also known as the Dakota War of 1862. Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and Crazy Horse were important Sioux leaders, but they did not lead this uprising.

Question 3

What was the outcome of the second Treaty of Fort Laramie?
A) The Sioux and Cheyenne agreed to the completion of the Bozeman Trail.
B) The treaty convinced Sioux chiefs, including Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, to accept reservation lands.
C) The treaty was violated by the U.S. government after gold was discovered in the Black Hills.
D) The treaty led to the extinction of the Sioux Indians.

Accepted Answer

The second Treaty of Fort Laramie was violated by the U.S. government after gold was discovered in the Black Hills, leading to the Sioux Wars.

Question 4

What was the Ghost Dance?
A) A religious ritual that was supposed to lead to the destruction of whites and the return of the buffalo.
B) A ritual performed by the Paiutes in an effort to contact their great spirit leaders for guidance.
C) A signal that Native Americans of the Great Plains had resigned themselves to white domination.
D) A ritual that the Sioux men performed as they were preparing for battle against white Americans.

Accepted Answer

The Ghost Dance was a religious ritual that originated in the late 19th century among Native American tribes, particularly the Lakota Sioux. It was believed that by performing the Ghost Dance, the spirit world would be unleashed to remove white settlers from Native American lands and replace the bison herds that had been decimated by white hunters. While it was primarily a spiritual practice, the Ghost Dance also became a symbol of Native American resistance against white domination.

Question 5

What occurred under the "outing system" of the 1880s?
A) Young children from rural areas were sent to live with families in cities.
B) Indian children were forced to live with white families over summer vacation.
C) Indian children who did not succeed at school were returned to their tribes.
D) White men who had taken Indian wives were asked to leave the reservation.

Accepted Answer

The "outing system" of the 1880s referred to a policy where Indian children were sent to live with white families over summer vacation in an effort to assimilate them into white American culture. This policy was viewed as a way to "civilize" Native American children and eradicate their traditional cultural practices.

Question 6

In what manner did William Tecumseh Sherman successfully defeat the Comanchería?
A) Using the scorched-earth policy he'd perfected during his March to the Sea
B) Committing the largest mass execution in American history
C) Creating the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
D) Herding the Comanche onto the reservation at Fort Sill

Accepted Answer

William Tecumseh Sherman successfully defeated the Comanchería by using the scorched-earth policy he'd perfected during his March to the Sea. This involved destroying their resources, infrastructure, and possible support systems, forcing them to surrender or move to reservations.

Question 7

What was the outcome of the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887?
A) Expansion of the area covered by the reservation system to include all Native Americans
B) Division of reservations and allotment of individual plots of land to Native Americans
C) Prohibition of white settlement in Oklahoma
D) Restoration of much of the land in the Southwest to Native Americans

Accepted Answer

The Dawes Allotment Act of 1887 divided reservations and allotted individual plots of land to Native Americans in an effort to assimilate them into white American culture. This resulted in the loss of millions of acres of land and the destabilization of Native American communities.

Question 8

Which statement describes the U.S. government's Indian policy during the middle of the nineteenth century?
A) The government was more willing than ever to grant Indians the rights enjoyed by whites.
B) The government cleared Indian land for white settlement but lived up to most of the promises it made to the Indians.
C) The government pushed Indians off their lands and into reservations.
D) The government attempted to prevent white settlers from taking more Indian land.

Accepted Answer

During the middle of the nineteenth century, the U.S. government's Indian policy was focused on pushing Indians off their lands and into reservations. This policy was driven by the belief in Manifest Destiny and the desire to expand westward, which led to the forced relocation of many Native Americans and the loss of their ancestral lands. This policy was exemplified by the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized the federal government to negotiate treaties with tribes in order to remove them from their homeland and move them to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Eventually, this policy led to the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Question 9

Which fleeing Indian tribe was hunted down by the U.S. army just 50 miles from Canada in 1877?
A) Nez Percé
B) Shoshoni
C) Apache
D) Crow

Accepted Answer

The Nez Percé tribe was famously pursued by the U.S. army in 1877 during Chief Joseph's campaign to lead his people to safety in Canada. The pursuit ultimately ended just 50 miles from the Canadian border when the Nez Percé were surrounded and forced to surrender.

Question 10

What happened to the Sioux after their victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn?
A) They continued to pose a military threat to American invaders.
B) They were hunted down by the American army.
C) Sitting Bull led the united Sioux in establishing an independent settlement.
D) They begrudgingly accepted the loss of the Black Hills.

Accepted Answer

After their victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the Sioux were hunted down by the American army. This led to a series of conflicts and battles, including the Wounded Knee Massacre, ultimately resulting in the defeat and confinement of the Sioux to reservations.

Question 11

What was the easiest way to get rich in the American silver mining industry?
A) Working regularly in a variety of different mines
B) Laboring in a large mining company for a period of years
C) Sifting through brackish sand in search of precious metals
D) Selling claims to land or forming mining companies and selling stock

Accepted Answer

Selling claims to land or forming mining companies and selling stock was often the easiest way to get rich, as it allowed individuals to profit from speculation and investment without the physical labor and risks associated with actual mining.

Question 12

What happened at the Sand Creek Massacre in November 1864?
A) Colonel John M. Chivington butchered 270 Indians.
B) Black Kettle defeated Chivington's American forces.
C) The Americans executed five Indians who refused to surrender.
D) Chivington scalped and mutilated Indian men but spared women and children.

Accepted Answer

Colonel John M. Chivington and his forces attacked and brutally massacred around 270 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, mostly women, children, and elderly, who believed they were under the protection of the United States government. Chivington's troops scalped and mutilated Indian men but spared women and children.

Question 13

What did historian Frederick Jackson Turner argue about the importance of the western frontier in American history in 1893?
A) It made the United States different from Europe.
B) It provided a focus for American imperialism.
C) It promoted conflict between the North and the South.
D) It disproved Buffalo Bill's version of American history.

Accepted Answer

Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the western frontier was crucial in shaping and defining American identity and democracy. He argued that the frontier had shaped American institutions, promoted individualism, and fostered a unique American spirit. This made the United States different from Europe and gave rise to American exceptionalism.

Question 14

Which statement describes life on the Indian reservations?
A) The government allowed Indians to maintain their cultural practices.
B) Poverty and starvation stalked Indian reservations.
C) The government assaulted Indian culture but did give Indians sufficient rations.
D) Indians were able to establish their own independent governments.

Accepted Answer

Life on Indian reservations was characterized by poverty and starvation due to limited resources and lack of economic opportunities. The government's policies, such as assimilation and forced removal, also caused cultural trauma and loss. While some aspects of Indian culture were allowed to persist, it was often under the surveillance and control of government officials. The establishment of independent tribal governments was not fully granted until the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Question 15

Which group or groups decimated the buffalo herds on the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century?
A) Native Americans who regularly slaughtered the animals as part of their rituals
B) Railroads and irresponsible hide hunters
C) The U.S. army, which killed them to feed the troops
D) Chinese and Irish work gangs who were desperate for food

Accepted Answer

Railroads and irresponsible hide hunters were the main culprits in decimating the buffalo herds, hunting them for their hides and leaving the rest of the carcass to rot. The U.S. army did hunt buffalo, but not to the extent that the railroads and hide hunters did. Native Americans did hunt buffalo, but they did so sustainably and as part of their way of life, not to the point of decimating the herds. Chinese and Irish work gangs did work on the railroads but were not responsible for hunting the buffalo.

Question 16

Who was Geronimo?
A) A Sioux warrior and chieftain who regularly defeated the U.S. army on the Great Plains
B) The Nez Percé leader who said, "I will fight no more forever."
C) A Cheyenne warrior and chieftain who led pitched battles against both Mexican and U.S. armies
D) An Apache warrior and chieftain who led raiding parties and burned ranches on both sides of the Mexican border

Accepted Answer

Geronimo was an Apache warrior and chieftain who led raiding parties and burned ranches on both sides of the Mexican border.

Question 17

Why did the Plains Indians sign the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which ceded some of their land to allow the passage of wagon trains?
A) They depended on trade with white settlers.
B) They wanted to protect their favored status with the U.S. government.
C) They believed it would help them to displace weaker tribes.
D) They hoped to preserve their culture in the face of white onslaught.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why did the Plains Indians sign the...

Question 18

What occurred after Geronimo surrendered to General Miles in 1886?
A) The U.S. government resettled the Apaches in Mexico.
B) The Apache warriors were tried as war criminals and executed.
C) The Apaches were allowed to remain on their ancestral land in the Southwest.
D) The government sent nearly five hundred Apaches to prisons in the South.

Accepted Answer

After Geronimo surrendered, the U.S. government did not allow the Apaches to return to their lands. Instead, nearly five hundred Apaches, including Geronimo and his followers, were sent to prisons in the South, notably in Florida, Alabama, and eventually Oklahoma, where they were held as prisoners of war.

Question 19

What was the Comstock Lode?
A) A vein of gold discovered by prospector Henry Comstock
B) The richest vein of silver ore found on the North American continent
C) A complicated piece of machinery designed to extract silver from mines
D) The largest mining company ever formed in the American West

Accepted Answer

The Comstock Lode was the richest vein of silver ore found on the North American continent. It was discovered by prospectors in Virginia City, Nevada in 1859 and produced a vast amount of silver and gold over the years.

Question 20

Which of the following explains why the U.S. army gunned down unarmed Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota in 1890?
A) It was rumored that the Indians were waiting to ambush the troops.
B) American soldiers feared an uprising provoked by a militant interpretation of the Ghost Dance religion.
C) The Sioux had refused to sign a new treaty that relinquished land surrounding the Creek.
D) Troops had been ordered to wipe out all Native Americans in the area.

Accepted Answer

American soldiers feared an uprising provoked by a militant interpretation of the Ghost Dance religion.

Quiz 17: The Contested West, 1865-1900

Who argued in the 1881 book A Century of Dishonor that the Indians had been treated unfairly?

Who led the Great Sioux Uprising in 1862?

What was the outcome of the second Treaty of Fort Laramie?

What was the Ghost Dance?

What occurred under the "outing system" of the 1880s?

In what manner did William Tecumseh Sherman successfully defeat the Comanchería?

What was the outcome of the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887?

Which statement describes the U.S. government's Indian policy during the middle of the nineteenth century?

Which fleeing Indian tribe was hunted down by the U.S. army just 50 miles from Canada in 1877?

What happened to the Sioux after their victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn?

What was the easiest way to get rich in the American silver mining industry?

What happened at the Sand Creek Massacre in November 1864?

What did historian Frederick Jackson Turner argue about the importance of the western frontier in American history in 1893?

Which statement describes life on the Indian reservations?

Which group or groups decimated the buffalo herds on the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century?

Who was Geronimo?

Why did the Plains Indians sign the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which ceded some of their land to allow the passage of wagon trains?

What occurred after Geronimo surrendered to General Miles in 1886?

What was the Comstock Lode?

Which of the following explains why the U.S. army gunned down unarmed Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota in 1890?