Westward Expansion Quiz

What was the idea that God had given Americans the western lands and wanted them to settle there called?

• Manifest Destiny

• Louisiana Purchase

• Monroe Doctrine

• Oregon Trail

What act passed in 1830 allowed squatters to claim land before it was surveyed and buy parcels of land cheaply?

• Homestead Act

• Dawes Act

• Preemption Act

• Morrill Act

What new tools and machines made farming in the West much easier and efficient, drawing more people to western lands to farm?

• Telegraph and telephone

• Iron or steel plows and the reaper

• Steam engine and locomotive

• Cotton gin and spinning jenny

What led to hundreds of American families coming into Texas to claim the land offered by the Mexican government, causing conflicts and the Americanization of Texas?

• Santa Fe Trail

• Empresario system

• California Gold Rush

• Oregon Trail

What was the response of the Mexican government to the conflicts caused by the Americanization of Texas?

• Annexation of Texas by Mexico

• Open borders and free trade agreements

• Trade policies and immigration limits designed to hurt the United States

• Military alliance with the United States

What was the major event in 1849 that led to a massive influx of settlers to California?

• The start of the Civil War

• The California Gold Rush

• The signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

What was the name of the route used by pioneers during the 19th century to emigrate from the eastern United States to the western United States?

• The Appalachian Trail

• The Oregon Trail

• The Santa Fe Trail

• The California Trail