READING CHECK || "History of the U.S.-Mexico Border"

Which natural barrier creates a large stretch of the present-day United States-Mexico border?

• Grand Canyon
• Nueces River
• Gulf of Mexico
• Rio Grande

In which year did the United States annex the Republic of Texas?

• 1821
• 1845
• 1848
• 1909

Why did President Polk push for a "declaration of war" against Mexico in 1846?

• Polk wanted to open trade with Mexico for American farmers and merchants.
• Polk remained jealous of the amount of territory held by Mexico under Santa Anna.
• The Mexican government refused to sell its states of Altá California and Nueva Mexíco to the United States.
• Mexico created a naval blockade of New Orleans along the Gulf of Mexico.

Which TWO SENTENCES taken together BEST support the conclusion that the United States was able to get a large amount of territory from Mexico for much less than it was worth? Please select BOTH sentences to answer this question.

• 1. Relations with Mexico deteriorated after the United States annexed Texas in 1845.
• 2. When Mexico refused an American offer to purchase California and New Mexico for $30 million, Polk dispatched 4,000 troops into land claimed by both countries.
• 3. Under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico formally recognized the American annexation of Texas.
• 4. For $15 million, the United States purchased more than a half million square miles of formerly Mexican land.

Read the section "U.S. Immigration Policy". Which sentence from the section explains WHY the first fences were built between the United States and Mexico?

• The first small fence was put up in 1909.
• During the 1910s, a few more small fences were built.
• Mostly they were just to mark the borderline.
• In 1993, a new 14-mile border fence was built.

The Gadsden Purchase (1853) completed the current U.S.-Mexico boundaries by extending the southern borders of which TWO current states? Please select BOTH states to answer this question.

• Texas
• Arizona
• New Mexico
• California

The first fences along the U.S.-Mexico border were built in response to what problem?

• to keep cattle from both countries from wandering across the international border
• to monitor immigration regulated by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act
• to channel people to official crossing points
• to keep Pancho Villa and his raiders out of New Mexico

Read the section "Future Plans For the Border". Which sentence from the section BEST explains WHY the future of Trump's border wall with Mexico is uncertain?

• In 2016, approximately 11.6 million Mexican immigrants lived in the United States.
• However, the project faces funding, environmental and legal obstacles.
• However, a study by independent experts estimates the cost to be $40 billion.
• In April 2018, President Trump announced that he was ordering National Guard troops to patrol the border.

Which treaty ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in significant territorial gains for the United States?

• Treaty of Paris

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Adams-Onís Treaty

• Jay Treaty

What was a significant consequence of the U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845?

• It led to the War of 1812

• It triggered the Mexican-American War

• It resulted in the Louisiana Purchase

• It caused the American Civil War