wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Westward Expansion and Becoming A World Power

Total questions: 121

Worksheet time: 1hrs 1mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Between 1803-1853, the United States grew quickly in size and ______. 
a)
war
b)
population
c)
pioneers
d)
money
2.
During the Louisiana Purchase, who was the leader of France and was at war in Europe? 
a)
George Washington 
b)
Andrew Johnson
c)
Napoleon Bonaparte 
d)
Abraham Lincoln 
3.
Some land was purchased, some was taken through war with Native Americans and some was gained by signing agreements with European countries. 
a)
True
b)
False
4.
What was the name of the French- American territory that was offered to Thomas Jefferson for $15 million?
a)
Mississippi
b)
Texas
c)
Virginia 
d)
Louisiana
5.
What was the name of the purchase that doubled the size of the United States?
a)
Louisiana Purchase
b)
Mississippi Purchase
c)
Manifest Destiny
d)
Oregon Treaty
6.
________ means "something that is obvious or easy to see". 
a)
Destiny 
b)
Treaty
c)
Manifest
d)
Fate
7.
_______ means "fate, or that which is beyond people's control to stop". 
a)
Manifest
b)
Fate
c)
Treaty
d)
Destiny
8.
The Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States should NOT grow larger and richer and more powerful by fate. 
a)
True
b)
False
9.
The _____ with Great Britain helped the country grow larger by adding an area to the northwest. 
a)
Gadsden Purchase
b)
Oregon Treaty
c)
Mexican-American War
d)
Manifest Destiny
10.
When the US won the _____, they gained a large amount of land in the southwest, including California. 
a)
Civil War
b)
Canadian War
c)
Mexican- American War
d)
French War
11.
By 1850, the US controlled the Louisiana Purchase territory and the territories of the southwest and northwest. 
a)
True
b)
False
12.
In 1853, the _____ added a strip of land to Arizona and New Mexico.
a)
Gadsden Purchase
b)
Mexican-American War
c)
Oregon Treaty
d)
Louisiana Purchase
13.
People headed west were called ________. 
a)
Migrants
b)
Missionaries
c)
Immigrants
d)
Pioneers
14.
Pioneers first traveled to and settled the west coast and then the Great Plains. 
a)
True
b)
False
15.
In addition to the Transcontinental Railroad, how did pioneers, migrants, and missionaries travel?
a)
Covered Wagons 
b)
Car
c)
Steam Engine 
d)
Ferry 
16.
What were the starting point to the trails called? 
a)
Beginning Points
b)
Embarkation Points 
c)
Starting Line 
d)
Disembarking Points 
17.
The embarkation point located in St. Louis was called the "_______". 
a)
Gateway to the East
b)
Gateway to the West
c)
Gateway to the South
d)
Gateway to the North
18.
Explorers and _____ followed Native American trails and wrote guidebooks for those who came after them. 
a)
Pioneers
b)
Missionaries
c)
Migrants
d)
Mountain Men
19.
What was the name of the mountain range that had to be crossed when traveling to the west?
a)
Appalachian Mountains 
b)
Rocky Mountains 
c)
Himalayan Ranges 
d)
Andes Mountains 
20.
While traveling to the west, the pioneers didn't face any obstacles such as snow, rivers, and deserts. 
a)
True
b)
False
21.
Pioneers had to cross several rivers including the Columbia, Colorado, Snake, and ______ river. 
a)
Oregon
b)
Amazon
c)
Nile
d)
Mississippi
22.
How many main trails were there to travel to the west?
a)
5
b)
2
c)
3
d)
7
23.
Not all made or survived the journey west. Some stopped along the way and built farms and houses. 
a)
True
b)
False
24.
Why were the Great Plains referred to as the "Great American Desert"?
a)
The land was wet 
b)
There were several mountain ranges in the area  
c)
The land was dry and flat 
d)
There was only sand and no grass
25.
A ______ tilled the hard packed earth. 
a)
Shovel
b)
Windmill
c)
Mechanical Reaper
d)
Steel Plow
26.
A _____ would bring scarce water to the surface. 
a)
Steel Plow
b)
Windmill
c)
Shovel
d)
Mechanical Reaper 
27.
In the Great Plains, what made the harvest possible?
a)
Steel Plow
b)
Windmill
c)
Mechanical Reaper
d)
Shovels 
28.
The invention of seeds allowed Russian Wheat to grow in the challenging climate of the Great Plains. 
a)
True
b)
False
29.
What was the climate like in the west during the summer?
a)
Wet and hot 
b)
Cold and rainy
c)
Hot and dry
d)
Dry and cold 
30.
The development of the railroad slowed down westward expansion. 
a)
True
b)
False 
31.
By the mid-1890's, how many transcontinental railroads were there? 
a)
7
b)
1
c)
3
d)
5
32.
What did the government give to the railroad companies to help them?
a)
Thousands of acres of land on the east coast. 
b)
Money to buy land
c)
Thousands of acres of land along their routes. 
d)
Supplies
33.
What did the Homestead Act of 1862 do?
a)
Protect Bison
b)
Made all Chinese immigrants move to the East coast. 
c)
Branded Cattle 
d)
Allow head of household to claim acres of land. 
34.
Which of the following was NOT a problem with the railroad?
a)
Wrecks 
b)
Prices were reasonable 
c)
Uncomfortable 
d)
Steep mountains 
35.
All pioneers could afford to travel using the railroad. 
a)
True 
b)
False 
36.
Major cash crops during this time were corn, ____, barley, and oats. 
a)
cattle 
b)
wheat 
c)
broccli
d)
cotton
37.
Who did the railroad companies advertise land to?
a)
Europe
b)
Asia
c)
North America 
d)
Antarctica 
38.
Why did many people travel to the west?
a)
To visit the beaches. 
b)
It was safer than the east coast. 
c)
To compete for access to natural resources. 
d)
To build factories. 
39.
Once resources were depleted, Boom Towns turned to what?
a)
Ghost Towns
b)
Factory Towns
c)
Farming Towns
d)
Water Towns
40.
Who cooperated to develop the cattle industry?
a)
Mexican Americans 
b)
Cowboys and Ranchers 
c)
Farmers and Cowboys 
d)
Asians and Americans 
41.
What did farmers use that made cattle driving difficult?
a)
Barbed wire
b)
Wooden fences
c)
Deep trenches 
d)
Water sources 
42.
What did many Mexican Americans lose due to discrimination?
a)
Money
b)
Cattle
c)
Titles to their land 
d)
Jobs
43.
Many African Americans wanted to move east  because of discrimination in the west. 
a)
True
b)
False 
44.
Asian immigrants searched for what natural resource? 
a)
Coal
b)
Gold
c)
Silver 
d)
Copper 
45.
Most European immigrants were too poor to move west so they ______. 
a)
Moved to another country. 
b)
Stayed in industrial cities in the east. 
c)
Started farming communities in the south. 
d)
Became fishermen in the north. 
46.
The European immigrants  were resented by those who had been born in the Unites States. This idea is called ____. 
a)
Nativism 
b)
Discrimination 
c)
Patriotism 
d)
Racism 
47.
Asian immigrants refused to help build the transcontinental railroad. 
a)
True 
b)
False 
48.
A law was passed that excluded the _____ from entrance into the US as immigrants. 
a)
Canadians 
b)
Mexicans
c)
Chinese
d)
Europeans 
49.
Discovery of rich mineral deposits on ______ reservations led to conflict with the explorers. 
a)
European American 
b)
Native American
c)
Mexican American 
d)
African American
50.
Native Americans had a ______ relationship with explorers at first. 
a)
welcoming
b)
bad
c)
unpleasant 
d)
hostile 
51.
Native Americans went to war against the settlers. 
a)
True
b)
False
52.
In 1864, many Native American women and children died during the _________. 
a)
Civil War 
b)
Sand Creek Massacre 
c)
Revolutionary War
d)
Mexican American War
53.
White explorers destroyed bison because they_______. 
a)
Ate their crops. 
b)
Trampled and mangled the railroad ties. 
c)
Blocked the road during travel. 
d)
Provided food for them during their journey. 
54.
The government honored all treaties that recognized tribal land ownership. 
a)
True
b)
False
55.
Lakota Sioux were forced off land because ___ was found on their reservation. 
a)
Coal 
b)
Gold
c)
Silver
d)
Oil
56.
"Custer's Last Stand" refers to what?
a)
The Battle of Little Bighorn
b)
The Civil War 
c)
The Revolutionary War 
d)
The Sand Creek Massacre 
57.
Poverty, starvation, and _____ were prevalent on Native American reservations. 
a)
happiness 
b)
despondency 
c)
prosperity 
d)
easy living 
58.
The ________ of 1887 divided tribal lands into farms for individual Native American families. 
a)
Dawes Severalty Act
b)
Bill of Rights 
c)
Battle of Little Bighorn 
d)
US Constitution 
59.
Native American children were sent to the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania to do all of the following except _____. 
a)
Learn to behave like white children. 
b)
Cut their hair. 
c)
Learn to speak English. 
d)
Honor Native American culture. 
60.
Today, as a result of the Civil Rights movement, Native American culture is being preserved and their rights honored. However, life still remains difficult. 
a)
True 
b)
False
61.

Raw materials, workers, capital equipment, and new ideas (technology) are examples of...

a)

Factors of Supplies

b)

World Factors

c)

Factors of Production

d)

Supplies

62.

New ideas about how to do something as well as the equipment needed to do it is called?

a)

supplies

b)

factors of production

c)

techonology

d)

thinking

63.

Why was there a shift to manufactured goods leading up to the United States becoming a world power?

a)

Westward expansion encouraged the use of natural resources through the use of the transcontinental railroad and the availability of free land.

b)

Westward expansion encouraged the use of technology.

c)

African American were migrating to the north.

d)

All the farmers quit producing crops.

64.

What were grains manufactured into?

a)

Cereals

b)

Meals

c)

Builidings

d)

Factors of Production

65.

What was first introduced by Eli Whitney in the 170os?

a)

Iron Ore

b)

Assembly Line

c)

Cotton Gin

d)

Automobile

66.

Who created a monopoly on steel?

a)

Henry Ford

b)

Wright Brothers

c)

Andrew Carnegie

d)

Eli Whitney

67.

Who created the assembly line for the production of automobiles in 1913?

a)

Henry Ford

b)

Andrew Carnegie

c)

Roosevelt

d)

Madison

68.

What was created pre-Civil War by Samuel Morse? It helped railroads and placing orders for manufacturers.

a)

telephone

b)

telegraph

c)

steam engine

d)

railroad tracks

69.

Who created the telephone in 1876? It improved communication, easier to use, did not require people to learn new system of communication.

a)

Thomas Edison

b)

Eli Whitney

c)

Alexander Graham Bell

d)

Henry Ford

70.

Who invented the incandescent light bulb in 1879? It promoted economic growth, safer, led to electric line, new way to power manufacturing plants, encourage development of factories, contributed to growth of transportation with electric powered streetcars, and let to new inventions:

Washing machine

Vacuum cleaner

a)

Thomas Edison

b)

Henry Ford

c)

Thomas Jefferson

d)

Alexander Graham Bell

71.

What inventions provided women with new job opportunities?

a)

sewing machine and cotton gin

b)

typewriter and automobile

c)

sewing machine and stove

d)

sewing machine and typewriter

72.

Who invented the motorized airplane which started the aircraft industry. The first time flight was 12 seconds in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.

a)

The Newton Brothers

b)

The Ford Brothers

c)

The Wright Brothers

d)

The Bell Brothers

73.

What laws were passed by all Southern state governments that were designed to keep the African American majority under control?

a)

Jim Crow Laws

b)

Crow Laws

c)

Segregation

d)

Discrimination

74.

The Poll tax, Literacy tests, and the Grandfather clause are all examples of?

a)

extrance exams

b)

taxes

c)

amendments

d)

Jim Crow Laws

75.

What case said Jim Crow laws were legal as long as the facilities were equal?

a)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

b)

Plessy v. Anderson (1896)

c)

Ferguson v. Ritchie (1897)

d)

Luther v. Jackson (1896)

76.

Why did immigration from Japan slow down significantly after Westward Expansion?

a)

Japanese were no longer needed on the railroad lines.

b)

Japanese found better jobs at home.

c)

Japanese were immigrating to other areas on the world.

d)

San Francisco set up segregated schools for Japanese immigrants resulting in a diplomatic confrontation.

77.

Immigrants faced resistance from native born americans. This is called what?

a)

capitalism

b)

nativism

c)

socialism

d)

fascism

78.

What did the Chinese contribute to the United States when they immigrated?

a)

pizza

b)

steel

c)

Transcontinental Railroad

d)

telephone

79.

What encouraged the US to continue an open immigration policy so workforce would be cheap and plentiful?

a)

African Americans

b)

President Lincoln

c)

Progressives

d)

Big Business

80.

What two people developed business practices that allowed them to create monopolies?

a)

Henry Ford and Abraham Lincoln

b)

Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller

c)

John Adams and Andrew Carnegie

d)

John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford

81.

Who controlled the steel industry?

a)

Thomas Edison

b)

Henry Ford

c)

John D. Rockefeller

d)

Andrew Carnegie

82.

What kept wages low and kept labor unions from being effective?

a)

Progressives

b)

Reformists

c)

monopolies

d)

taxes

83.

Why were farmers able to produce more crops?

a)

mechanization

b)

mass production

c)

low prices

d)

taxes

84.

Why did African American sharecroppers and tenant farmers leave for the cities in the Midwest and Northeast?

a)

to join the army

b)

to escape from slavery

c)

To go to college

d)

to escape Jim Crow laws

85.

Who advocated for the improvement of society through reform?

a)

Reformists

b)

Ku Klux Klan

c)

Progressives

d)

Democrats

86.

What were authors who wrote exposes about corporate power and unsafe working conditions called?

a)

republicans

b)

muckrakers

c)

bootleggers

d)

progressives

87.

Who used the term muckrakers?

a)

Abraham Lincoln

b)

Andrew Johnson

c)

George Washington

d)

Teddy Roosevelt

88.

What law did congress pass declaring monopolies, or trusts in restraint of trade, to be unlawful?

a)

Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1890

b)

Truman Trust Act, 1890

c)

Ford Trust Act, 1890

d)

Sherman Ford Act, 1980

89.

Who exposed the meat-packing trust?

a)

Ida Turbell

b)

Upton Sinclair

c)

Roosevelt

d)

Truman

90.

Who exposed the oil trust?

a)

Upton Sinclair

b)

Thomas Edison

c)

Bush

d)

Ida Tarbell

91.

Roosevelt began to break up trusts and was called the ?

a)

The trusted one

b)

trust-buster

c)

He who Trusts

d)

door-buster

92.

What were President William Howard Taft, Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson called?

a)

The Trust Busters

b)

The Greatest Leaders

c)

Progressive Presidents

d)

Those who were left behind

93.

Prohibition laws stopped the use of what?

a)

alcohol

b)

tobacco

c)

cotton

d)

movies

94.

What amendment outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages?

a)

21st Amendment

b)

18th Amendment

c)

15th Amendment

d)

2nd Amendment

95.

The 18th amendment was repealed by what amendment?

a)

21st amendment

b)

18th amendment

c)

19th amendment

d)

5th amendment

96.

The God-given right to expand across the seas as they had done across the continent was considered what?

a)

"New" Manifest Destiny

b)

Manifest Destiny

c)

"Old"Manifest Destiny

d)

powerful

97.

The war with Spain was over a dispute with who?

a)

Cuba

b)

Spain

c)

England

d)

Germany

98.

Journalism that was based on sensationalism and exaggeration was called?

a)

Red Journalism

b)

Green Journalism

c)

Yellow Journalism

d)

Purple Jounralism

99.

What was widely covered by newspapers and was written to make a profit more than tell the facts; it alone did not cause US to join the war, but often people refer to it?

a)

Explosion of the Battleship Ritchie

b)

Explosion of the Battleship Georgia

c)

Explosion of the Battleship Atlanta

d)

Explosion of the Battleship Maine

100.

Which president asked the US Congress to declare war on Spain based on:

Economic interests

Humanitarian concerns

Demonstrate American Power

a)

President McKinley

b)

President Roosevelt

c)

President Johnson

d)

President Trump

101.

Why was Hawaii important to the War with Spain? Ideal fueling stop on the way to Chinese markets

a)

Ideal stop for supplies and food

b)

Ideal fueling stop on the way to Chinese markets

c)

Ideal stop to rest and re energize

d)

Ideal stop to plan a sneak attack

102.

The Spanish war started with what?

a)

the take over of Charleston

b)

the take over of Cuba

c)

The take over of Columbia

d)

the take over of Manilla Harbor

103.

Hawaii was admitted as the United States _____________ state.

a)

50th

b)

23rd

c)

1st

d)

70th

104.

The United States become involved in World War 1 _____________________.

a)

excitedly

b)

eagerly

c)

reluctantly

d)

immediately

105.

What led Woodrow Wilson to declaring war bringing the US into World War 1?

a)

Unrestricted submarine warfare declared by the Germans on the high seas and waged against neutral ships trading with Britain and France.

b)

Trading disagreements with Great Britain and France.

c)

Wartime propaganda, similar to yellow journalism

d)

Commercial ties with and loans to Great Britain strained neutrality

106.

What led to American public support for entering World War 1?

a)

Sinking of the Lusitania, 1915

b)

Unrestricted submarine warfare declared by the Germans

c)

Interception of the Zimmerman telegram by the British and its publication in the US

d)

Commercial ties with and loans to Great Britain strained neutrality

107.

American troops in World War 1 were called what?

a)

soldiers

b)

journalists

c)

service men

d)

doughboys

108.

Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire were what during World War 1?

a)

Central Powers

b)

Allied Powers

c)

Neutral Powers

d)

Allies

109.

Great Britain, France, and the United States were called what during World War 1?

a)

Central Powers

b)

Allies

c)

Northern Powers

d)

Union Soldiers

110.

The Central Powers agreed to an armistice with the allies during World War 1 on the condition that peace negotiations would be based on what?

a)

President Obama's Action for Peace

b)

Teddy Roosevelt's 13 points

c)

Truman's 14 points

d)

Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points.

111.

Who played a significant role in peace negotiations by

helping re-draw state borders in Europe to better reflect nations?

a)

President Truman

b)

President Wilson

c)

President Roosevelt

d)

President Kennedy

112.

Groups of people with the same language, religion, and ethnic heritage are called?

a)

nations

b)

communities

c)

countries

d)

cities

113.

What was the peace-keeping organization, including the League of Nations, called during World War 1?

a)

Treaty of Paris

b)

Treaty of Versailles

c)

Treaty of Toronto

d)

Treaty of Germany

114.

President Wilson hoped the League of Nations would do what?

a)

Start World War 1

b)

Start peace talks during World War 1

c)

Put an end to World War 1

d)

Help create sneak attack for World War 1

115.

During the 1930s, Congress limited American involvement in world affairs. These laws were called what?

a)

Freedmen's' Bureau

b)

Acts

c)

Truman Acts

d)

Neutrality Acts

116.

Did the US join the League of Nations?

a)

no

b)

yes

117.

In 1900, most immigrants were coming to the United States from which parts of Europe?

a)

western and southern

b)

western and northern

c)

eastern and northern

d)

southern and eastern

118.

In an agrarian society, what do most people produce?

a)

agricultural products

b)

mechanical products

c)

cars

d)

produce

119.

What replaced some workers on farms?

a)

animals

b)

ranchers

c)

machines

d)

cotton

120.

What government agency tests and monitors food and drugs?

a)

Food and Drug Administration

b)

The Senate

c)

The Judicial Branch

d)

House of Representatives

121.

Why did some children have to work in the early 1900s?

a)

help earn money for thier family

b)

support themselves

c)

didn't want to go to school

d)

the law stated they had too