Westward Expansion Quiz

What was one of the motivations behind the continued westward expansion after the Civil War?

• The desire to create a national market

• The lack of resources in the east

• The need to find new territories for slavery

• The decline of the cattle ranching industry

What technological advancement in the 1800s helped to promote economic growth and westward expansion?

• The invention of the steam engine

• The introduction of machinery to the textile industry

• The development of the telegraph system

• The creation of the cotton gin

What was the Homestead Act?

• A law that provided free land in the west to settlers for at least five years

• A law that granted subsidies to railroad companies

• A law that allowed for the creation of new states in the west

• A law that offered protection to Native American lands

Which two railroad companies were created by the Pacific Railway Act to build a transcontinental railroad?

• The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific

• The Northern Pacific and the Southern Pacific

• The Atlantic Pacific and the Western Pacific

• The Eastern Pacific and the Central Atlantic

What was the impact of trains on the native populations in the west?

• They improved trade relations between natives and settlers

• They had no significant impact on the native populations

• They led to conflicts and disrupted the native food supply

• They helped to preserve the native way of life

What policy did the federal government develop to move Native Americans onto less desirable land?

• The assimilation policy

• The reservation policy

• The Dawes Act

• The Worcester v. Georgia policy

What was the outcome of the Battle of Little Big Horn for the Native Americans?

• They gained more land and autonomy

• They were granted citizenship

• They faced increased military losses and loss of autonomy

• They successfully assimilated into American culture

What was the significance of the Supreme Court Case of Worcester v. Georgia?

• It allowed Native Americans to keep their lands

• It granted citizenship to all Native Americans

• It decided the federal government could set policy for natives on US soil

• It ended the Indian Wars

What did the Dawes Act allow the federal government to do?

• Grant citizenship to Native Americans

• Sell Native American land to white settlers

• Force Native Americans to move onto reservations

• Provide education and housing for Native Americans

What was one of the effects of the Dawes Act on Native American culture?

• It promoted the cultural values of community sharing

• It allowed Native Americans to govern themselves

• It forced Native Americans to assimilate into American culture

• It recognized Native American sovereignty