American Westward Expansion Quiz

What was the Alamo originally before it was converted into a fort?

• Church

• School

• Market

• Hospital

Charlotte and Daniel bought a large piece of land on the Great Plains. What was the purpose of the barbed wire they used on their land?

• To prevent soil erosion

• To build shelters

• To fence in their land

• To keep out wild animals like the ones Mason warned them about

What were clipper ships primarily used for?

• Military operations

• Fishing

• Exploration of new lands

• Transporting goods and people to the West Coast

What was the primary occupation of cowboys during the late 1800s?

• Miners

• Farmers

• Soldiers

• Cattle handlers

Who were the emigrants/pioneers and traders traveling the Oregon Trail?

• People seeking farmland

• Mormons escaping religious discrimination

• Cattle handlers

• Gold-seekers and farmers

What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?

• To establish new trade routes

• To expand the military presence

• To promote industrialization

• To encourage westward settlement

Who was the president that oversaw the Mexican-American War and territorial expansion of the US?

• Andrew Jackson

• James Polk

• Abraham Lincoln

• Thomas Jefferson

Elijah, Kai, and Liam are on a field trip to a history museum. They come across an exhibit about John Deere's steel plow. The guide explains that this invention made something significant possible. What was it?

• Construction of railroads

• Transportation of goods by sea

• Farming in tough midwestern soil

• Mining in the Rocky Mountains

What was the belief of Manifest Destiny?

• The US should possess the whole continent

• The US should focus on industrialization

• The US should avoid foreign conflicts

• The US should promote isolationism

James, Aiden, and Anika are playing a board game about American history. In the game, they need to identify which group of people were seeking farmland in the Great Plains. Who should they choose?

• Gold-seekers

• Cowboys

• Midwest settlers

• Mountain Men