Westward Expansion

Manifest Destiny was the belief that… 

• Americans had a god-given duty to expand across the entire continent

• Gold was to be handed out when settlers moved west 

• Expansion of American Democracy and market system was a good thing for those in the west 

• Both A and C 

Why did people move west?

• Religion 

• More opportunities in the west 

• They wanted better lives for their families 

• All of the above

Which of these events took place during the 1830’s-1840’s? 

• Lewis and Clark explored the Louisiana Territory

• Zebulon Pike explored the southern area of the Louisiana Territory 

• John Fremont mapped trails to Oregon and California 

• Americans quickly developed “Oregon Fever” because of its warm, gentle climate and rich farmland (while dealing with flooding rivers, diseases in the East).

• All of the above

In 1848, gold was discovered along Sutter’s Creek in… 

• Northern Carolina 

• Milwaukee, WI

• Northern California

• Southern California 

What did the fugitive slave law do for Northerns? 

• It helped them free slaves 

• It kept slaves from going North for help 

• It would punish any Northern who did not help capture escaped slaves 

• It would help the slave trade between the North and the South 

What did Lansford Hastings promise? 

• A new law for slavery

• A faster and newer route west

• Land to travelers

• None of the above

Mexico offered free land to settlers who would do what? 

• Become Mexican Citizens

• Learn Spanish

• Adopt Catholicism

• Uphold their ban on slavery

• All of the above 

The Oregon Donation Land Act gave ___ acres of land to any man and ___ to any wife who claimed it.

• 200, 150

• 300,200

• 300, 300

• 300, 600

Where did the Donner Party get stuck on their travels?

• Sierra Nevada Mountains

• Rocky Mountains

• The Grand Canyon

• None of the above

How was the Gold Rush similar to playing the lottery today?