Westward Expansion Study Guide

In 1803, President Jefferson bought a huge piece of land west of the Mississippi River from France. How much did the United States pay for it?

• One hundred dollars

• 15 thousand dollars

• 15 million dollars

• No money was exchanged. They traded gold for the land

Why did the United States need more land?

• To test new farming methods out west

• To gain control over Canada

• To force the French to leave North America

• To make room for their growing population

Why was the Pony Express created?

• It was a quick way to get mail delivered to the people living in the West.

• To find new routes for traveling westward.

• To provide new jobs for young men who were expert riders.

• To map out the area for future development.

How did the invention of the steam locomotive change life for Americans around the nation?

• It transported people and goods across the nation much quicker than ever before.

• It paved the ways for the development of the first cars.

• It created jobs as workers were needed to lay tracks across the United States.

• All of the above

What was the main goal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

• To meet and trade with the Native Americans

• To explore and map out the land west of the Mississippi River

• To pan for gold in the rivers

• To map out a trail through the Appalachian Mountains

The most popular route people travelled along to move west was?

• The Pacific Trail

• The Oregon Trail

• The Mississippi Expedition

• The Rocky Mountain Trail

What happened during the Gold Rush?

• People from all over the world moved to California

• Prospectors stayed in mining camps to explore an area and hunt for gold

• Thousands of people panned for gold hoping to become rich

• All of the above

Why were the prospectors called Forty-niners?

• So many people moved to California in 1849 to try and strike it rich.

• There were 49 prospectors in total.

• About 49,000 people moved to California in 1949.

• They were named after the football team, the Forty-niners.

T/F: During the Westward Expansion the United States more than doubled in size.

• True

• False

T/F: A telegraph is a device used in the 1800s to communicate to those who lived far away.

• True

• False