American History I Chapter 14

The Americans known as "mountain men" who blazed western trails were:

fur trappers

When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Texas was:

a part of Mexico

During the 1844 campaign, Henry Clay changed his position on the annexation of Texas to one of:

support so long as it proceeded honorably and without war

What was a main reason the Mexican government attempted to curtail American settlement of Texas?

opposition to slavery the settlers brought to Texas

Polk’s order that Zachary Taylor move his troops to the Rio Grande:

provoked a Mexican attack

Why did the Spanish establish missions in California?

They were tools to turn Indians into hard-working Christians

The major factor that delayed Texas annexation until 1845 was:

concern over Texas entering as a slave state

The Mexican War contributed to all of the following EXCEPT:

the strengthening of the Union

Why did the Anglo Texans rebel against the Mexican government?

out of fear that the Mexican government intended to free their slaves

As president, Polk supported all of the following EXCEPT:

internal improvements

Who was the first president of the Republic of Texas?

Sam Houston

Why did trade along the Santa Fe Trail begin to flourish after Mexico achieved its independence from Spain?

The new Mexican government was more interested in trading with the U.S. than Spain had been

Most of those who traveled westward in wagon trains:

traveled in family groups

The phrase "fifty-four forty or fight!" referred to:

Oregon

At the Battle of the Alamo:

the Mexicans won a costly victory

California’s Bear Flag Republic:

lasted only a month until American rule was established

Why did the Spanish struggle to colonize Arizona and Texas?

The Indians of those territories thwarted Spanish efforts to establish Catholic missions.

All of the following resulted from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo EXCEPT:

U.S. troops continued to occupy Mexico

What was the basis of President James Polk’s concerns about General Zachary Taylor?

Polk worried that Taylor harbored political aspirations.

Why was Whig leader Daniel Webster opposed to the Mexican War?

He was convinced that the war was part of a Democratic scheme to add more slave states to the union.

Who coined the term "manifest destiny"?

Newspaper editor John O’Sullivan

Congress voted to annex the Republic of Texas:

between Polk’s election and his inauguration

As president, James Polk’s top priority was to

secure geographic expansion of the U.S., especially through the acquisition of Texas, California, and New Mexico

The idea of manifest destiny claimed that:

American expansion westward across the continent was sanctioned by God

Polk settled the Oregon boundary dispute with the British by:

agreeing to a border along the 49th parallel

The decisive victory in the war came with Winfield Scott’s capture of:

Mexico City

What was the purpose of the Convention of 1818 signed by Britain and the United States?

to establish a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Country

Most of the American settlers in Texas went there because of:

cheap cotton lands

The Mexican War erupted when:

Mexican and U.S. troops clashed north of the Rio Grande

The Republic of Texas:

developed trade relations with Britain and France

In the election of 1844:

Liberty party votes in New York cost Clay the White House

What effect did Mexico’s winning its independence from Spain have on American settlement in the Southwest?

American settlement and expansion into the former Spanish territories increased after Mexico gained independence.

Which of the following statements about the Mexican War is NOT true?

In terms of the percentage of combatants killed, it had the lowest death rate of any war in American history.

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 did all of the following EXCEPT:

place the Oregon territory under sole U.S. control

Among the vocal opponents of the Mexican War was:

Abraham Lincoln

The Overland Trail ran from

Missouri to Oregon.

The idea of Manifest Destiny suggested that

God supported the expansion of the United States to the Pacific.

The "Bear Flag Republic" was the popular name given to the Republic of Texas in its early months.

false

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty settled a boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico.

false

The Santa Fe Trail was used largely by people migrating to the Northwest.

false

In California, the Franciscans’ labor force consisted of

Indians.

The Mexican War was the occasion for the United States’ first

amphibious operation, occupation of a foreign capital and offensive war.

William Henry Harrison served the shortest term of any president.

true

Among Americans who fought in the Mexican War were all the following except

James K. Polk.

Under the Fort Laramie Treaty, Indians on the northern plains agreed to

stop harassing wagon trains. allow the army to build forts. limit their activities to certain areas.

Mexico became an independent nation in 1821.

true

Sam Houston died at the Alamo.

false

The migrations west affected the environment because

millions of cattle, horses, and sheep ate the prairie grass. millions of cattle, horses, and sheep ate the prairie grass. pioneers depleted the buffalo herds.

In 1846-1847, the Donner party

experienced the death of many of its members from starvation in the snows of the Sierras.

The last major battle in the Mexican War was won by General Winfield Scott’s troops

in an assault on Mexico City.

Annexation of Texas was made difficult by the

issue of slavery.

After the Mexican War, Congress created the Department of the Interior to manage the western lands and the Indians.

true

President John Tyler asked Congress to annex Texas through a joint resolution, which only needed a simple majority in each house, as opposed to the two-thirds majority needed in the Senate to pass such a treaty.

true

The main opposition to the war with Mexico came from

New England Whigs.

John Tyler of Virginia was a Whig who

opposed a protective tariff, a national bank, and internal improvements.

By 1835, Americans were a powerful minority in Texas.

false

John Tyler was the first vice-president to succeed to the presidency because of the death of a president.

true

In the elections of 1844, James K. Polk became the first "dark horse" candidate nominated for president because

Van Buren opposed the annexation of Texas.

According to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States

gained New Mexico and California.

The greatest publicist for the Far West was John C. Frémont.

true

In 1848, before the gold rush, Americans were only one tenth of the non-Indian population of California.

false

As president, James K. Polk achieved all of his major objectives.

true

The Mexican dictator, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, personally led the action against the Texan "rebels" at the Alamo.

true

War with Britain over the Oregon dispute was avoided because Polk was willing to compromise and because the British did not want a war that would hurt trade relations with the United States.

true

In the 1820s and 1830s, trade in the Northwest emphasized

fur