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WorksheetsUS History Westward Expansion
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
The construction of cattle pens in ______, allowed for the shipment of cattle to eastern cities.
Abilene, Kansas
Omaha, Nebraska
San Antonio, Texas
Wichita, Kansas
Which immigrant group was often used for dangerous and difficult work on the Central Pacific Railroad?
German
Chinese
Irish
Mexican
Why was the Cattle Kingdom important for the rest of the United States?
It encouraged a mass migration from the South.
It provided an important source of employment for thousands of people in the West.
It allowed for an orderly settlement on the Great Plains.
It provided an important food supply for a growing population in the East.
Which of the following was an effect of the establishment of Stephen F. Austin’s successful first colony?
Tejanos started moving to the United States.
Many more Anglo-American settlers came to Texas.
Anglo-American settlers traveled to California.
Many Tejanos started adapting to American culture.
Which of the following was a battle cry of the Texas Revolution?
Remember the Maine
Remember Pearl Harbor
Remember Goliad
Remember the Alamo
Writing in 1845, _________ promoted the idea that it was the manifest destiny of the United States to settle all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Richard Dana
James K. Polk
James O’Sullivan
John Tyler
Who won the Battle of San Jacinto?
The Mexican army
The American army
The Spanish army d. The Texan army
The Texan army
The Spanish army
Which battle was the last of the Texas Revolution?
Battle of the Alamo
Battle of Gonzalez
Battle of Goliad
Battle of San Jacinto
Why did farming and ranching become major industries in California as a result of the
gold rush?
A steady supply of affordable food was needed to feed the growing population.
Food could be shipped inexpensively to the East along rail lines and cattle trails.
A source of inexpensive labor from overseas was needed to grow crops and tend livestock.
Overseas demand for food products from the West caused large investments in agriculture.
What event led to a significant increase in American settlers moving to California in the 1840s?
The establishment of a trade route with Mexico
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill
The construction of railroads
The founding of San Francisco
How did the population of San Francisco change between 1848 and 1849?
It remained the same
It decreased from 25,000 to 800
It doubled to 1,600
It grew from about 800 to more than 25,000
Which of the following best describes the impact of the Gold Rush on California?
It led to a decline in trade with Mexico
It caused many settlers to leave California
It had no significant effect on the region
It resulted in a rapid increase in population and economic growth
What role did empresarios play in the settlement of Texas after independence?
They led military campaigns against Spain
They enforced Spanish laws in the region
They established new governments in Texas
They were responsible for bringing settlers to Texas
Swiss immigrant who started the first Anglo-Californian colony in 1839
gold-seeking migrants who traveled to California in 1849
Boomer - Sooners
The guide who was first to lead settlers beyond the Appalachians cutting a road west.
Davy Crockett
Daniel Boone
The owner of the American Fur Company who founded the first important settlement in Oregon Country in 1811.
The name that was given to the 1859 gold and silver discovery in western Nevada.
The U.S. president, elected in 1844, whose administration annexed both Texas and Oregon.
What was the main thoroughfare for settlers heading west through the Appalachians?
the Santa Fe Trail
the Wilderness Road
the Natchez Trace
the Mississippi Road
Which economic activity brought the first Americans to the West?
Fur Trading
Spanish colonists and their descendants living in California
1848 peace treaty between Mexico and the United States
The priest who led the first major Mexican revolt against Spanish rule in 1810.
An old mission in San Antonio occupied by Texan revolutionary forces in 1836
What did settlers on the westward trails often traveled together in _____?
trains
horses
steamships
wagon trains
Which of these was an effect of mining in the West?
The female population grew as women were recruited to run businesses.
The population increased greatly as people came hoping to get rich.
Large mining companies invested in safer mining equipment.
Large permanent cities developed around the mining camps
One effect of mining in the West was the _______, which experienced quick population growth and then sudden decline.
boomtown
cattle town
company town
ghost town
After the introduction of horses to the Great Plains by the Spanish in the 1500s, the Plains Indians came to depend on ________ for food, shelter, and clothing.
reservations
dry farming
buffalo
cattle ranching
Which of these were effects of the transcontinental railroad?
more land for the open range
allowed bison to thrive and multiple
more expensive shipping rates
faster transportation between regions
allowed bison to thrive and multiple
Following its independence from Spain, Mexico contracted with Stephen F. Austin to bring settlers to_______.
Arizona
California
New Mexico
Texas
What was the main belief of manifest destiny?
The United States should allow slavery into new territories.
The United States should spread democracy to the rest of the world.
The United States should include lands in Central and South America.
The United States should settle the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Mexican-American War started in _____ because of conflicting territorial claims there between the governments of the United States and Mexico.
California
Oregon
New Mexico Texas
Texas
Who was the leader of the Mexican army?
William B. Travis
Sam Houston
Davy Crockett
Santa Anna
Which of the following was an effect of the gold rush in California?
Most miners were employed by large companies to dig tunnels.
The population grew slowly over a number of decades.
Most miners became rich after working in the mines.
The population increased greatly over a few years.
Why did the Texans declare independence in 1836?
The Mexican army attacked the Texan army at the Rio Grande.
Santa Anna placed additional taxes on Tejanos and Anglo-Americans in Texas.
The Mexican army attempted to take a cannon from Texans in Gonzales.
Santa Anna attempted to enforce Mexican authority over Texas and its residents.
What was the Donner Party known for?
Discovering gold in California
Establishing a colony in Mexico
Creating a new trade route
Being trapped by heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Why did many people come to California in 1849, and what were they hoping to achieve?
They wanted to start new businesses
They hoped to strike it rich by finding gold
They were looking for adventure
They wanted to escape from their homes
What was the main goal of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's rebellion in 1810?
To gain independence for Mexico from Spanish rule
To expand Spanish territory
To establish a monarchy in Mexico
To create a new religion
What can be inferred about the long-term effects of the Bear Flag Revolt on California?
It led to a lasting independence for California
It had no significant impact on California's future
It resulted in a peaceful coexistence between the two groups
It increased tensions between American settlers and Californios
A group of western travelers who were trapped crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter of 1846–47.
Miners who used pans or other devices to wash gold nuggets from loose rock or gravel.
Placers
an explorer who reached the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America.
Mormon leader who chose Utah as the group’s new home.
Popular route for cattle drives from San Antonio to Abilene, Kansas
Spanish name for cowboys
gauchos
vaqueros
A rebellion of American settlers against the Californios in 1846
Acquired from Mexico of the southern parts of present-day New Mexico and Arizona in 1853
Empresario who established the first American colony in Texas.
The decisive victory that gave Texas independence from Mexico
Battle of San Antonio
Battle of San Jacinto
