Westward Expansion: STAAR Frequency Questions

Which of these was a goal shared by many advocates of Manifest Destiny?

• Abolishing slavery throughout the United States

• Occupying all of North America

• Withdrawing from foreign affairs

• Returning to an agrarian economy

What was one reason James K. Polk won the presidential election of 1844?

• He was against removing American Indians from their native lands.

• He favored the policy of popular sovereignty in the Kansas and Nebraska territories.

• He was committed to fulfilling the goals of Manifest Destiny.

• He opposed the extension of slavery west of the Mississippi River.

Where would a history student most likely find this image?

• In a biography of early Spanish explorers

• In a museum exhibit about the Civil War

• In an academic presentation about Manifest Destiny

• In a textbook about European immigration

Which numbered state did the United States acquire from Spain in 1819?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

As a result of the Oregon Treaty, the United States achieved its goal of-

• expanding westward to the Pacific Ocean

• acquiring land for a southwestern railroad

• reserving western territory for American Indians

• securing the southern border of the country

The United States acquired the Oregon Territory when-

• a treaty divided U.S. and British claims to the land

• Mexico sold the territory to the United States for $10 million

• the territory's settlers voted for annexation by the United States

• Russia sold the land to the United States for $7.2 million

This excerpt provides evidence that 1844 Democrats supported-

• federal financing of transportation systems in the West

• making manifest Destiny an official federal policy

• social Darwinism as a justification for expansion

• prohibiting the expansion of slavery into new areas of the United States

Which reason BEST explains why many Swedish people settled in the American midwest?

• They wanted to work in steel mills.

• They wanted to participate in the abolitionist movement.

• They wanted to settle in large cities.

• They wanted to find fertile farmland.

Which of these best completes the diagram?

• California

• Texas

• Nevada

• Florida

Which reason did the United States give for declaring war against Mexico in 1846?

• To overturn a corrupt Mexican government

• To defend U.S. territory from Mexican aggression

• To end a Mexican slave rebellion

• To respond to attacks on U.S. merchant ships by Mexican pirates