Westward Expansion

Question 1

What term describes the belief that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable?

Answer 1

Manifest Destiny

Question 2

Who was the 10th President of the United States, known for his support of annexation?

Answer 2

John Tyler

Question 3

What term refers to the re-establishment of a political system with two major parties in the United States?

Answer 3

return of the ‘Two-party’ system

Question 4

Which territory was an independent nation before joining the United States?

Answer 4

Texas Territory

Question 5

Who is known as the ‘Father of Texas’ for leading the colonization of the region?

Answer 5

Stephen Austin

Question 6

What is the term for a land agent responsible for bringing settlers to Texas?

Answer 6

empresario

Question 7

Who was the Mexican general who fought against Texan independence?

Answer 7

Gen. Santa Anna

Question 8

What terms refer to the landowners in Texas and California during the 19th century?

Answer 8

Rancheros, Tejanos, Californios

Question 9

What phrase refers to the cultural and economic competition in Texas during its early settlement?

Answer 9

‘Texas game’

Question 10

What historic site became a symbol of Texan resistance during the revolution?

Answer 10

Alamo

Question 11

Who was the leader of the Texan army during the revolution against Mexico?

Answer 11

Sam Houston

Question 12

What was the name of the independent nation formed by Texas after its revolution?

Answer 12

Lone Star Republic

Question 13

What battle secured Texan independence from Mexico?

Answer 13

Battle of San Jacinto

Question 14

What term refers to the incorporation of Texas into the United States?

Answer 14

annexation

Question 15

What significant political event took place in the United States in 1844?

Answer 15

Election of 1844

Question 16

What term describes a candidate who is not well-known but wins the nomination?

Answer 16

‘dark horse’ candidate

Question 17

Who was the 11th President of the United States, known for his expansionist policies?

Answer 17

James Polk

Question 18

What dispute involved the northern border of Maine?

Answer 18

Maine Border dispute

Question 19

What treaty resolved the border dispute between the U.S. and Britain in 1842?

Answer 19

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

Question 20

What dispute involved the Oregon Territory?

Answer 20

Oregon Border dispute

Question 21

What slogan advocated for U.S. control over the entire Oregon Territory up to latitude 54°40′?

Answer 21

‘Fifty-four forty or fight!’

Question 22

What territory was acquired after the Bear Flag Revolt?

Answer 22

California Territory

Question 23

What uprising occurred in California in 1846 against Mexican rule?

Answer 23

Bear Flag Revolt

Question 24

What war was fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848?

Answer 24

Mexican American War

Question 25

What treaty ended the Mexican American War and ceded significant territory to the U.S.?

Answer 25

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

Question 26

What river was established as the border between Texas and Mexico in the treaty?

Answer 26

Rio Grande

Question 27

What proposal aimed to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico?

Answer 27

Wilmot Proviso

Question 28

What purchase acquired land from Mexico in 1853 for a southern transcontinental railroad?

Answer 28

Gadsen Purchase

Question 29

What migration route was used by settlers heading to the Oregon Territory?

Answer 29

Oregon Trail and 'Oregon Fever'

Question 30

Who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Answer 30

Joseph Smith

Question 31

What group of people followed Brigham Young to Utah seeking religious freedom?

Answer 31

Mormons

Question 32

Who led the Mormons to the Salt Lake Valley?

Answer 32

Brigham Young

Question 33

What city became the center of Mormon settlement in Utah?

Answer 33

Salt Lake City, Utah

Question 34

What law governs the rights to water usage in relation to land ownership?

Answer 34

Law of Riparian Rights

Question 35

What law prioritizes the first person to use water for beneficial purposes?

Answer 35

Law of Prior Appropriation

Question 36

What mass migration occurred in California following the discovery of gold in 1848?

Answer 36

Gold Rush

Question 37

What term refers to the gold seekers who flocked to California in 1849?

Answer 37

'Forty Niners'

Question 38

What term describes abandoned towns that once thrived during the Gold Rush?

Answer 38

ghost town

Question 39

What 1850 law required the return of runaway slaves to their owners?

Answer 39

Fugitive Slave Act

Question 40

Who was a prominent Democratic senator from Illinois who supported popular sovereignty?

Answer 40

Stephen Douglas

Question 41

What election took place in 1852, marking a significant moment in U.S. politics?

Answer 41

Election of 1852

Question 42

Who was the 14th President of the United States, elected in 1852?

Answer 42

Franklin Pierce

Question 43

What major infrastructure project aimed to connect the east and west coasts of the U.S.?

Answer 43

Transcontinental railroad

Question 44

What act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed for popular sovereignty?

Answer 44

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Question 45

What political party was founded in the 1850s in response to the expansion of slavery?

Answer 45

Republican Party

Question 46

Who was the first Republican President of the United States?

Answer 46

Abraham Lincoln

Question 47

What terms describe pro-slavery activists from Missouri who crossed into Kansas?

Answer 47

Border ruffians/bushwackers

Question 48

What term refers to anti-slavery activists who fought against pro-slavery forces in Kansas?

Answer 48

Jayhawkers

Question 49

What events in Kansas were marked by violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions?

Answer 49

Lecompton and Topeka, 'Bleeding Kansas'

Question 50

What incident involved a violent confrontation between Charles Sumner and Preston Brooks?

Answer 50

Charles Sumner/Stephen Brooks Affair

Question 51

What election took place in 1856, showcasing the divisions in the country?

Answer 51

Election of 1856

Question 52

Who was the 15th President of the United States, elected in 1856?

Answer 52

James Buchanan

Question 53

What was the pro-slavery constitution proposed for Kansas in 1857?

Answer 53

Lecompton Constitution

Question 54

What book by Hinton Rowan Helper criticized the economic impact of slavery on the South?

Answer 54

Impending Crisis of the South

Question 55

What event marked the decline and eventual end of the Whig Party?

Answer 55

death of the Whig party

Question 56

What economic downturn occurred in 1857, affecting the U.S. economy?

Answer 56

Panic of 1857

Question 57

What Supreme Court decision ruled that African Americans could not sue for their freedom?

Answer 57

Dred Scott decision

Question 58

What series of debates in 1858 focused on slavery and its expansion?

Answer 58

Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858

Question 59

What doctrine proposed by Stephen Douglas argued that territories could decide on slavery?

Answer 59

Freeport Doctrine

Question 60

What famous speech by Abraham Lincoln declared that a nation divided against itself cannot stand?

Answer 60

'House Divided' speech

Question 61

Who led an armed insurrection against slavery at Harper's Ferry in 1859?

Answer 61

John Brown

Question 62

What location was the site of John Brown's raid in 1859?

Answer 62

Harper's Ferry

Question 63

What act passed in 1862 provided land to settlers willing to farm it?

Answer 63

Homestead Act

Question 64

What political event in 1860 resulted in a split within the Democratic Party?

Answer 64

1860 split of the Democratic party

Question 65

What party was formed in 1860 to attract moderate and Unionist voters?

Answer 65

Constitutional Union Party

Question 66

What term refers to the slave border states that remained in the Union during the Civil War?

Answer 66

'border states'

Question 67

What election in 1860 resulted in Abraham Lincoln's presidency?

Answer 67

Election of 1860

Question 68

What term refers to the withdrawal of Southern states from the Union?

Answer 68

secession

Question 69

What term describes a president who is still in office after a successor has been elected?

Answer 69

lame duck president

Question 70

What was the name of the compromise proposed to resolve sectional tensions before the Civil War?

Answer 70

Crittenden Compromise

Question 71

What doctrine argues that states have the right to govern themselves without federal interference?

Answer 71

Doctrine of States' Rights