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WESTWARD EXPANSION

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which nations initially claimed Oregon Country as their own (other than Native Americans)?

a)

Britain, Spain, and the U.S.

b)

Spain and the U.S.

c)

Britain, Spain, Russia, and the U.S.

2.

Which of these nations refused to make a deal with the U.S. to forfeit their claim to the Oregon country?

a)

Russia

b)

Britain

c)

Spain

3.

What did the Mountain Men who lived in the west initially do to make a living?

a)

They forged trails for settlers

b)

They trapped beavers for their skins

c)

They wrote books instructed people in how to survive out west

4.

Once trapping no longer supported their way of life, what did Mountain Men do?

a)

They wrote survival manuals for settlers traveling west

b)

They became guides and carved out trails for settlers moving west

5.

Which was the most popular trail that led settlers west?

a)

The Santa Fe Trail

b)

The Mormon Trail

c)

The Oregon Trail

6.

What was an unintended consequence of missionaries moving to Oregon in 1836?

a)

They didn't prepare and starved to death.

b)

They brought diseases to the indigenous people that lived there

c)

They lost hope and their children turned away from religion

7.

Why were covered wagons called "prairie schooners"?

a)

From a distance, they looked like ships at sea

b)

They resembled kites blowing on the wind

c)

They looked like blankets being hung up to dry

8.

Which is true about the trip on the OREGON trail? Choose ALL that apply.

a)

It was a long and difficult journey.

b)

Many people got sick or died along the way.

c)

Settlers were leaving the life they knew in the US. for unknown opportunities.

d)

Settlers managed to follow the trail fairly easily.

9.

What did Polk's slogan, "fifty-four forty or fight" mean?

a)

He wanted the British to accept this as a border (degrees latitude) in Oregon

b)

He wanted to extend the railroad 5,440 miles west

10.

After Mexico became a country, what territory did it control?

a)

Oregon

b)

Louisiana

c)

Texas

11.

What happened at the Alamo?

a)

Texans surrendered to the Mexican army.

b)

A small group of Texans defended the mission against Mexican soldiers.

c)

A large group of Texan soldiers defeated the Mexican army.

12.

After Texas broke away from Mexican rule, they were immediately annexed to the U.S.

a)

True

b)

False

13.

Which trail started in Missouri and led settlers to New Mexico in the southwest?

a)

Oregon Trail

b)

Santa Fe Trail

c)

Mormon Trail

14.

What land did President Polk hope to win after his war with Mexico?

a)

California

b)

Louisiana

c)

Utah

15.

What became the divide between Mexico and Texas?

a)

The Missouri River

b)

The Mississippi River

c)

The Rio Grande River

16.

Annexation = ?

a)

a route from east to west

b)

the idea that the U.S. was destined to own all of North America

c)

the act of adding new territory to existing territory

17.

Manifest Destiny = ?

a)

a route from east to west

b)

the idea that the U.S. was destined to own all of North America

c)

the act of adding new territory to existing territory

18.

What event caused people from all over to travel to California in 1848?

a)

the discovery of new territory

b)

the discovery of gold

c)

rumors of the fountain of youth

19.

What happened as a result? Choose all that apply

a)

boomtowns like San Francisco developed

b)

Very few people actually found gold

c)

Most "forty-niners" became rich instantly.

d)

This encouraged the transcontinental railroad to be built.

20.

Why did the Mormons move out west?

a)

They preferred the climate.

b)

They believed they were called by God to move westward.

c)

They were being persecuted for their unorthodox beliefs.