Manifest Destiny

1. Below is a famous painting depicting the concept of Manifest Destiny in the United States in the 19th century. All of the figures are moving to the LEFT in the painting because -

• a. There is no meaning; it's just how the artist painted the picture.
• b. "Manifest Destiny" referred to free Black individuals moving from the South to the North, and north is usually on the left side of a map.
• c. "Manifest Destiny" was the philosophy behind Westward Expansion, and west is usually on the left side of a map.
• d. American politics were moving to the left at this time.

2. Which of the following is true of Manifest Destiny in the 1800s?

• a. It was based on pervasive belief in white supremacy and European-American cultural superiority.
• b. Native Americans were perceived as inferior and the westward movement of Americans into traditionally indigenous lands was considered an absolute right of white people.
• c. Many of the first westward settlers were missionaries seeking to Christianize indigenous groups.
• d. All of the above statements are true of Manifest Destiny.

3. What was one major reason that the Republic of Texas declared independence in 1836?

• a. Disagreement with Mexico over the legality of slavery.
• b. Tension with the United States government over federal taxes; "taxation without representation."
• c. The American army's loss to the Spanish at the Battle of the Alamo.
• d. Nullification.

4. The Missouri Compromise was necessary because-

• a. Maine wanted to be admitted into the Union as a slave state, but the other New England States were free states.
• b. The balance of power between the North and the South was threatened in the Senate.
• c. Missouri followed Kansas and South Carolina in the nullification process.
• d. The elections of 1824 and 1828 were deemed "unfair" and the new compromise made electoral votes more equitable.

5. The agreement that allowed California into the Union as a free state. It included a more stringent Fugitive Slave Law and banned the slave trade in Washington, D.C.

• Missouri Compromise

• Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Compromise of 1850

• Harper's Ferry

6. An important result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was that it - ?

• a. Contributed to Bleeding Kansas.
• b. Allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas.
• c. Stoked national tensions over slavery.
• d. All of the above statements are TRUE.

7. Who were the "Forty-Niners?"

• a. Southern veterans of the Mexican-American War of 1849.
• b. Texas veterans of the Battle of the Alamo.
• c. Gold prospectors in California.
• d. U.S. senators who voted to legalize slavery in all territories west of the Mississippi.

8. What can best be inferred about California in the below newspaper article from 1848?

• a. California was rich in natural resources like gold.
• b. The discovery of gold in California was a good excuse to go to war with Mexico over the region.
• c. Indigenous groups in California should be removed to provide white settlers access to the resources.
• d. America should not bring California into the Union until it can prove its value.

9. What best describes the experiences of Chinese and Latin American immigrants who came to North America to join in the California Gold Rush?

• a. Many made their fortune and chose to stay in the US, where they were welcomed and made citizens.
• b. Most were recruited into the U.S. Army to serve in the Mexican-American War.
• c. Most experienced racial and ethnic discrimination and were used as scapegoats for others' failures.
• d. Many instead decided to head to Idaho to become farmers.

10. Based on the below excerpt and your knowledge from the unit, Lt. Col. William B. Travis was a(n) -

• a. American army officer in charge of the Trail of Tears.
• b. Texas army officer at the Battle of the Alamo.
• c. American army officer in charge of enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act in Texas.
• d. Mexican army officer fighting against the US.