U.S. History: Westward Expansion Quiz

What does 'Westward Expansion' mean in U.S. history?

• The amount of people that went out for food

• How America expanded its territory across the country

• How ideas influenced people across the world

How many colonies did America begin with?

• 10

• 13

• 18

Who were the pioneers?

• People who migrated westward from the 13 colonies

• People that sailed with Christopher Columbus

• People that created wagons

What was the Oregon trail?

• A trail people took to build railroads.

• a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

• A hiking trail in the smoky mountains.

What was life like for the pioneers who traveled the Oregon trail?

What was the Homestead Act of 1862?

• A law that said you must stay in your home.

• A law that said you cannot sell your home without permission.

• A law that granted 160 acres of land to certain U.S. Citizens.

True or False, under the Homestead Act of 1862 Native Americans were not allowed to own land unless they gave up their culture.

• True

• False

What was the Manifest Destiny?

• The belief that Americans had the right to expand their territory.

• The belief that you should follow your own destiny.

• A law that allowed the government to choose your destiny for you.

What was the California Gold Rush?

• When people bought out all of the gold from California

• When two men discovered gold nuggets in California. The news spread and thousands of people went to California in search of gold.

• A museum of gold artifacts

• When people brought gold from California back to their state

What were the people called who mined for gold?

• Immigrants

• The Pioneers

• The 49ers