War with Mexico Practice Questions

Which trail left the Missouri River near Independence, Missouri, and crossed the prairies to the Arkansas River?

• Independence Trail

• Arkansas River Trail

• Missouri Trail

• Santa Fe Trail

Who was an army officer that wrote of California's mild climate, scenic beauty, and abundance of resources?

• William Becknell

• John C. Frémont

• Josiah Gregg

• Jedediah Smith

What did President James K. Polk use as grounds for declaring war against Mexico?

• annexation of Texas

• declaration of the border

• Mexican soldiers’ attack on Zachary Taylor's forces

• nonpayment of debts

What city did Americans capture without firing a shot?

• Santa Fe

• Monterey

• Sonoma

• San Francisco

The United States mainland reached its present size with the ________.

• Mexican Cession

• capture of Veracruz

• Gadsden Purchase

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

What was the third part of James K. Polk's war plan?

• to capture Mexico City

• to seize California

• to drive Mexicans out of borderlands

• to seize New Mexico

What philosophy meant that the United States was set apart to extend its boundaries all the way to the Pacific?

• rendezvous

• emigrant

• joint occupation

• Manifest Destiny

What did the United States insist was the border between the United States and Mexico?

• Rio Grande

• Nueces River

• the Alamo

• Mexico City

What town in California was seized by a small group and renamed the Bear Flag Republic?

• San Francisco

• San Diego

• Buena Vista

• Sonoma

The Mexican ranchos had Native Americans to work the land in exchange for food and shelter.

• True

• False