8th Westward Expansion

How did the U.S. victory in the Mexican War most likely affect the majority of Americans?

• It strengthened their support for the abolitionist movement.

• It increased their sympathy for former Mexican citizens.

• It increased their appreciation of Mexican culture.

• It strengthened their belief in manifest destiny.

Mexican Cession

California

Nevada?

Which of the following completes the table?

• Utah

• Oregon

• Washington

• Idaho

What was the significance of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853?

• It established a neutral territory between the United States and Mexico.

• It provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad.

• It established a permanent border between Arizona and New Mexico.

• It allowed several western territories to achieve statehood as slave states.

The Mexican War divided Americans. Many in the South and West favored the war as an opportunity to add territory to the United States. Others, opposed the war, however. Among them was the writer Henry David Thoreau, who was briefly jailed for protesting the war by not paying his taxes. The experience inspired him to write his famous essay, "Civil Disobedience."

What is the most likely reason Thoreau and other Americans opposed the Mexican War?

• They believed it was a plot by southerners to add slave states to the country.

• They believed it would only lead to conflict with American Indian tribes.

• They believed it was a plot by industrialists to gain customers for their products.

• They believed it would only lead to conflict with European colonial powers.

Thousands of Asians immigrated to California during the Gold Rush. Many of them

• invested in a business to import goods from foreign countries.

• migrated to the Midwest and became wealthy farmers.

• migrated to Mexico and began selling agricultural products.

• opened businesses to serve the needs of the miners.

The Mexican-American War was sparked by a dispute over

• the amount of the tariff on Mexican goods.

• the number of troops on the Mexican border.

• the creation of trade barriers between the two countries.

• the location of the border between the two countries.

In 1849, approximately 40,000 people poured in to California from one sea route or another. Most of these came to the port of San Francisco, once known as Yerba Buena, and the tiny town boomed.Another 25,000 to 30,000 men, women, and children followed land routes, while a few thousand more came across Mexico and the southwestern corner of the United States to reach California.

—adapted from "The Forty Niners," Library of Congress

The information in the passage best describes

• the results of migration based on religious beliefs.

• the results of migration based on a desire for farmland.

• one of the largest migratory events in U.S. history.

• one of the least known migratory events in U.S. history.

How did the massive amount of gold mined in California in the late 1840s and early 1850s impact the U.S. economy?

• It caused the government to adopt the gold standard.

• It caused gold to become less valuable.

• It decreased the amount of money loaned by banks.

• It increased the available money supply.

What was one social impact that the discovery of gold in California had on the United States?

• It caused more European immigrants to settle in the West.

• It caused more Asian immigrants to seek U.S. citizenship.

• It caused population increases in many eastern U.S. cities

• It caused many people to leave their homes in the East.

Then the people commenced rushing up from San Francisco and other parts of California, in May, 1848. . . From this time on I got only too many neighbors, and some very bad ones among them.

What a great misfortune was this sudden gold discovery for me! It has just broken up and ruined my hard, restless, and industrious labors, connected with many dangers of life, as I had many narrow escapes before I became properly established.

From my mill buildings I reaped no benefit whatever, the mill stones even have been stolen and sold.

—John A. Sutter, Hutchings’ California Magazine, November 1857

Using the information in the passage, what can be concluded about the discovery of gold in California in 1848?

• There were many negative consequences for some people.

• Negative consequences were limited to a few wealthy landowners.

• Many people became wealthy by staking claims for gold mines.

• There were many benefits because of the discovery of gold.