Westward Expansion in the 19th Century

What event in 1849 significantly increased westward expansion?

• The California Gold Rush

• The construction of the transcontinental railroad

• The end of the Civil War

• The Dawes Act

How did the US government encourage settlement in the West?

• By providing free transportation

• By offering free internet

• By offering tax breaks

• By granting 160 acres of free land for improvement

What ideology suggested that American civilization was destined to expand across North America?

• The Great Awakening

• Manifest Destiny

• American Exceptionalism

• The Monroe Doctrine

How did the US government's approach to Native Americans change after the Civil War?

• They were given unlimited land

• They were cast as wards of the state

• They were offered citizenship immediately

• They were treated as independent nations

What was the purpose of the Dawes Act?

• To protect buffalo herds

• To split up reservations and assimilate Native Americans

• To grant land to railroad companies

• To provide free education

What was the outcome of the Dawes Act for Native Americans?

• They lost over 80 million acres of land

• They gained more land

• They were granted US citizenship immediately

• They received modern farming equipment

What led to the near extinction of the American bison?

• Climate change

• Over-hunting by Plains Indians

• The construction of the transcontinental railroad

• Natural predators

What was a major effect of westward expansion on minorities?

• Increased political power

• Access to education

• Loss of land and culture

• Improved living conditions

What did the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 do?

• It granted land to Chinese farmers

• It provided citizenship to Chinese immigrants

• It restricted Chinese immigration

• It encouraged Chinese labor for the railroads

What was the impact of barbed wire in the West?

• It made communication easier

• It was used to fence off communal grazing lands

• It protected wildlife

• It was a tool for farming