The United States West of the Mississippi River - Lesson 2

Which of the following describes a way of life for some Native American groups west of the Mississippi before European arrival?

• Building permanent homes from ice and snow.

• Living in large, multi-story stone cities.

• Farming along rivers and hunting, or being nomadic bison hunters.

• Developing advanced seafaring trade routes across oceans.

What significant impact did Europeans have on Native American populations upon their arrival?

• They introduced new farming techniques that boosted food production.

• They brought new animals like horses, but also diseases that caused many deaths.

• They established peaceful trade agreements that benefited both groups.

• They helped Native Americans develop advanced written languages.

What type of settlement did Spanish missionaries establish in parts of California and Texas?

• Trading posts

• Military forts

• Missions

• Mining camps

Which European country claimed the vast area known as the Louisiana Territory, stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River?

• Spain

• Great Britain

• France

• Portugal

What significant event in 1803 doubled the size of the United States?

• The American Revolution

• The Texas Annexation

• The Louisiana Purchase

• The Oregon Treaty

What was the belief that the United States had a right to control all of North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean?

• Colonialism

• Imperialism

• Manifest Destiny

• Continentalism

In what year did the United States annex Texas, after Texas had declared independence from Mexico?

• 1803

• 1821

• 1845

• 1867

What event in 1848 caused many Americans to rush to California hoping to become rich?

• The discovery of oil

• The California Gold Rush

• The Homestead Act

• The completion of the transcontinental railroad

What 1862 law offered free land west of the Mississippi River to anyone who built a farm and lived on it for five years?

• The Land Grant Act

• The Manifest Destiny Act

• The Homestead Act

• The Western Settlement Bill

Which of the following was one of the first major industries to develop in the western regions of the United States?

• Movie production

• Tourism resorts

• Mining

• Automobile manufacturing