Westward Expansion and Its Impact

The video discusses the westward expansion after the Civil War, highlighting the Homestead Act and transcontinental railroads as key facilitators. It explains the closing of the frontier and Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis, which warned of potential negative impacts on American identity. The video also addresses the conflicts with indigenous peoples, such as the Sioux Wars and the battle at Wounded Knee, and the U.S. government's attempts to resolve these issues through the reservation system and the Dawes Act. The Ghost Dance Movement is mentioned as a form of resistance that ultimately failed to stop westward expansion.

What was one of the key acts that facilitated Westward Expansion after the Civil War?

• The Indian Removal Act

• The Homestead Act

• The Dawes Act

• The Missouri Compromise

How did the construction of transcontinental railroads impact Westward Expansion?

• It had no significant impact

• It made travel to the West more difficult

• It made travel to the West easier

• It restricted access to the West

What did the U.S. Census Bureau declare in 1890?

• The opening of new territories

• The end of the Gold Rush

• The beginning of the Civil War

• The frontier officially settled and closed

According to Frederick Jackson Turner, what was the significance of the frontier to Americans?

• It was a temporary phase in American development

• It was deeply embedded in American identity

• It was a minor aspect of American history

• It was irrelevant to American identity

What was one of the major conflicts between Americans and indigenous peoples during Westward Expansion?

• The War of 1812

• The Sioux Wars

• The Mexican-American War

• The Battle of Gettysburg

What was the purpose of the Dawes Act?

• To abolish the reservation system and assimilate Native Americans

• To promote Native American independence

• To preserve Native American cultures

• To expand the reservation system

What was the Ghost Dance Movement?

• A government policy to assimilate immigrants

• A dance style popular in the 1800s

• A cultural revival among European settlers

• A religious movement among Native Americans