Manifest Destiny

Mountain Men were the first Americans to extensively explore the Oregon Country. Where was the land known as the Oregon Country?

• east of the Appalachian Mountains & near the Atlantic Coast

• west of the Rocky Mountains & north of California

• between the Mississippi River & the Appalachian Mountains

• along the Pacific coast of present-day Mexico

Mountain Men roamed the Oregon Country for a specific purpose. What was the primary activity that Mountain Men were doing in the Oregon Country?

• Removing Native American nations on behalf of the United States government.

• Trapping beaver to profit from the sale of valuable fur pelts.

• Searching for a Northwest Passage - a water route through the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean.

• Collecting specimens of new species of plants and animals for President Jefferson.

Who do historians consider the greatest Mountain Man? He explored more of the West, and collected more beaver pelts, than anyone else in the 1820's & 1830's. He also is credited with finding South Pass, a 12-mile gap in the Rocky Mountains that wagons could get through. (a)  

• Jedediah Smith
• Jim Beckwourth
• Hugh Glass
• Meriwether Lewis

The decline of the beaver population and changes in fashion trends led to the end of the Mountain Man era. When was the height of Mountain Men exploration the Rockies & the Oregon Country to profit from the fur trade? (a)  

• 1750-1770
• 1890-1910
• 1820-1840
• 1920-1940

How are Mountain Men important to the American story?

• Mountain Men helped the United States win their independence from Britain.

• Mountain Men gained expert knowledge of the American West that would be used to guide future settlers

• Mountain Men helped relocate Native Americans to make more territory available for U.S. citizens.

• Mountain Men were responsible for improvements in transportation that allowed the United States to expand rapidly.

In the mid-1800's, a powerful idea captured the imagination of Americans. What was the idea that the United States had a God-given right to expand west to the Pacific Ocean? (a)  

• Manifest Destiny
• Monroe Doctrine
• the Great Migration
• the Enlightenment

When did "Oregon fever" & "Gold fever" strike America? This time period was the busiest time on the Oregon Trail. Hundreds of thousands of Americans hit the trail to migrate to the Oregon & California Territories. (a)  

• 1800-1820
• 1840 - 1860
• 1760 - 1780
• 1940 - 1960

The South Pass was a significant location for America's westward expansion. What was the South Pass?

• It was the preferred destination where families wanted to settle in the Oregon Country.

• The location where Britain & the United States agreed to divide the Oregon territory.

• A 12-mile break in the Rocky Mountains (discovered by Mountain Men) where wagons to easily pass through.

• The first jumping-off place along the Missouri River where families started on the Oregon Trail.

Historians know a great deal about the Oregon Trail experience from extensive journal entries & letters. Which idea about the Oregon Trail do historians know is FALSE?

• Families began the Oregon Trail at jumping-off towns along the Missouri River.

• The journey on the Oregon Trail was approximately 2,000 miles long and took appromimately 6 months to complete.

• Most families started their journey on the Oregon Trail in September, or October.

• Families hauled thousands of pounds of food ans supplies along the Oregon Trail.

One out of ten people did not survive the Oregon Trail. What killed more people on the Oregon Trail than anything else?

• Attacks from hostile Indians.

• Cholera and other diseases.

• River crossings & weather events.

• Buffalo stampedes.