Go West Young Man
What region of the country was first considered "the West"?
a. the far West
b. the Midwest
c. the Northwest
d. the West Coast
b. the Midwest
Who started the Oregon Trail?
a. loggers
b. farmers
c. pioneers
d. fur trappers
d. fur trappers
Who was offered land under the Homestead Act?
a. only farmers
b. corporations
c. all U.S. citizens
d. only war veterans
c. all U.S. citizens
What made barbed wire useful to Western ranchers?
a. It prevented cattle from getting lost or stolen
b. It opened up more grazing land for small ranches.
c. It allowed easier access to native hunting grounds. d. It helped protect natural water sources from wildlife.
a. It prevented cattle from getting lost or stolen
Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?
a. Mexican peacekeepers who protected the border
b. African American soldiers from the 10th Cavalry
c. American Indians who fought against the 10th Cavalry
d. settlers in the West who kept the railroad safe from attack
b. African American soldiers from the 10th Cavalry
What made farming on the Great Plains difficult?
a. Forests had to be cleared and burned.
b. The ground was very hard with little rain.
c. The growing season was too long and wet.
d. There was often too much rain and flooding.
b. The ground was very hard with little rain.
What was the Trail of Tears?
a. the forced removal of native peoples from their homelands
b. an act that gave preference for white settlers in land disputes
c. a change in what was culturally acceptable for Native traditions
d. a government policy to designate reservations for American Indians
a. the forced removal of native peoples from their homelands
Why did people "go West"?
a. to ride the railroad
b. to pursue statehood
c. to travel to California
d. to look for opportunity
d. to look for opportunity
Which trail overlapped the Oregon Trail?
a. the Sante Fe Trail
b. the California Trail
c. the Pony Express Trail
d. the Great Western Trail
b. the California Trail
How did Union military service help homesteaders?
a. Soldiers were given a double claim of land.
b. The military helped build homes for all veterans.
c. Soldiers were given government land for their service.
d. Military service counted toward the residency requirement.
d. Military service counted toward the residency requirement.
Who was helped by the introduction of barbed wire?
a. cattle rustlers
b. large ranches
c. small ranches
d. American Indians
b. large ranches
How were the Buffalo Soldiers treated?
a. They had the best supplies.
b. All Americans honored them.
c. American Indians praised them.
d. They received the toughest assignment
d. They received the toughest assignment
What was the climate on the Great Plains?
a. mild and rainy winters with hot summers
b. the ground was always frozen or baked hard
c. very cold winters with hot and humid summers
d. a long harvest season with grasshopper swarms
c. very cold winters with hot and humid summers
How did the Dawes Act affect American Indians?
a. Buffalo and deer could no longer be hunted.
b. Their land ownership shrank by more than half.
c. White settlers took over their farms and ranches.
d. They could legally follow their traditions on reservations.
b. Their land ownership shrank by more than half.
Who was displaced by Westward expansion?
a. railroad companies
b. East Coast industries
c. 14 million immigrants
d. The American Indians
d. The American Indians
Which trail was faster for reaching Sante Fe?
a. the Long Route
b. the Sante Fe Trail
c. the Mountain Route
d. the Jornada Route
d. the Jornada Route
How much of U.S. land was settled as a result of the Homestead Act?
a. 10 percent
b. 16 percent
c. 30 percent
d. half of the West
a. 10 percent
What was another name for barbed wire?
a. “devil’s rope”
b. “cattle’s curse”
c. “Glidden’s Gift”
d. “rancher’s boon”
a. “devil’s rope”
How did the Buffalo Soldiers get their name?
a. They endured harsh assignments.
b. They strung miles of telegraph lines.
c. They kept workers on the railroad safe.
d. They were called by American Indians.
d. They were called by American Indians.
Which technology was invented to help settlers farm the prairie lands?
a. tractors
b. steel plows
c. insect traps
d. irrigation pumps
b. steel plows
How did the Dawes Act impact American Indian culture?
a. They were no longer allowed to rule themselves.
b. They were forced to abandon their myths and beliefs.
c. The old gods and spirits did not follow them to the new land.
d. The traditional roles of caring for the land and the tribe changed.
d. The traditional roles of caring for the land and the tribe changed.
What attracted many settlers to the west?
A. large cities
B. cheap land
C. buffalo herds
D. manufacturing
B. cheap land
Why did people stop using many of the trails?
A. Floods washed them away.
B. The railroad was completed.
C. They became too dangerous.
D. Tribes blocked access to them.
B. The railroad was completed.
Homesteaders had to live on their land for ______________________ years.
one
three
five
seven
five
Who signed the Homestead Act?
A. Andrew Johnson
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Thomas Jefferson
D. Grover Cleveland
B. Abraham Lincoln
What would disqualify an individual from receiving land under the Homesteading Act?
A. fighting against the U.S.
B. working on the railroad
C. born in a foreign country
D. moving away from a city
A. fighting against the U.S.
Only settlers received land under the Homestead Act.
TRUE
FALSE
FALSE
Which government agency was created to resolve land conflicts in the West?
A. Bureau of Indian Affairs
B. Agency of Western Lands
C. American Land Department
D. Settler Conflict Resolution Center
A. Bureau of Indian Affairs