Chapter 13

THE WAY WEST

Chapter Summary

Chapter 13 offers an introduction to American westward expansion during the first half of the nineteenth century. Topics covered in this chapter include the economic and demographic pressures in the East that led to western migration, the development of large-scale farming in the Old Northwest, the extension of the plantation society into the Old Southwest, the philosophy of Manifest Destiny and its impact on westward expansion, the treatment of Native Americans and Hispanics by American settlers, and the acquisition of Texas and the Southwest from Mexico.

I.The Agricultural Frontier

A.The Crowded East

B.The Old Northwest

1.A mosaic of settlements

C.The Old Southwest

II.The Frontier of the Plains Indians

A.Tribal Lands

B.The Fur Traders

C.The Oregon Trail

III.The Mexican Borderlands

A.The Peoples of the Southwest

B.The Americanization of Texas

C.The Push into California and the Southwest

1.California

2.New Mexico

3.Utah

IV.Politics, Expansion, and War

A.Manifest Destiny

B.The Mexican War

V.Conclusion

Learning Objectives

After a careful examination of Chapter 13, students should be able to answer the following:

1.How did economic and demographic pressures in the East spur Western migration?

2.What strategies did the Sioux use to maintain their power on the Great Plains?

3.What forces contributed to the Americanization of Texas?

4.Why was James K. Polk so eager to provoke a war with Mexico?

Chapter 13: The Way West

Multiple Choice

The Agricultural FrontIer

  1. Which statement about population growth in the period of 1800–1850 is NOT true?
  1. During the years of the Jeffersonian Republicans, the government’s land policies:
  1. Migration into the Old Northwest was characterized by:
  1. A consistent pattern of movement into the Old Northwest was:
  1. Local associations known as claims clubs:
  1. Which product became the Old Northwest’s major cash crop for the northern market?
  1. Westerners promoted industrialization in the East:
  1. Which state was the last one to gain statehood in the Old Northwest?
  1. What pattern in the location of slavery occurred in the period of 1790–1860?
  1. Which of the following was NOT a territory in 1850?
  1. By the 1840s, over half the value of American exports was derived from:
  1. Keys to the wealth of the Old Southwest included all of the following EXCEPT:
  1. The Southwest Ordinance allowed slavery in all territories south of the ______River.

THE FRONTIER OF THE PLAINS INDIANS

  1. Which two tribes were defeated by whites in Black Hawk’s War?
  1. Before 1850, which of the following was the dominant power in the north and central Great Plains?
  1. A treaty signed in 1818 created joint control of the OregonTerritory by the United States and:
  1. Overland immigration to the trans-Mississippi West was highest in:
  2. Which town was a starting point on the Oregon Trail in 1842?
  1. The greatest cause of the 5,000 deaths that occurred on the Oregon Trail was:
  1. The results of the Fort Laramie Treaty included:

THE MEXICAN BORDERLANDS

  1. Mestizos were usually a mixture of:
  1. In the eighteenth century, the largest concentration of Indians in the Southwest region was in:
  1. All of the following statements are true about the Pueblo peoples EXCEPT:
  1. The Comanches were known for:
  1. Which statement about Mexico’s approach to early American settlers in Texas is NOT true?
  1. Which practice did settlers bring to Texas that was illegal under Mexican law?
  1. Tejano was the term for:
  1. What happened immediately after General Santa Anna was elected as president of Mexico?
  1. The Mexican army annihilated defenders at:
  1. The Battle of San Jacinto:
  1. Juan Cortina instigated a rebellion in 1859:
  1. While the Texans were fighting Mexico, they were also fighting:
  1. The Comanches in Texas were subdued:
  1. In the 1820s and 1830s, the missions in California:
  1. The Santa Fe Trail:
  1. After facing great prejudice, the Mormons decided to settle in:
  1. Mormons in Utah came under the control of the United States in:

POLITICS, EXPANSION, AND WAR

  1. The cornerstone of President Polk’s foreign policy was:
  1. The appeal of Manifest Destiny peaked in the:
  1. Results of the Mexican War included all of the following EXCEPT:
  1. The actual fighting of the Mexican War began when American forces moved into:
  1. Polk’s offer to buy California for $30 million dollars:
  1. The Americans launched a successful amphibious assault upon:

Chronology

  1. Which of the following happened first?

a.FortLaramie Treaty signed

b.Mormons arrive in Utah

c.United States annexes Texas

d.Mexico wins independence

  1. Which of the following events happened last?

a.Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

b.American-British agreement on Oregon

c.Texas independence

d.creation of Indian Territory by Congress

Short Essays

  1. What did Americans mean by Manifest Destiny?
  1. Define the following terms: mestizo, criollo, Californio, and Tejano.
  1. Why did President Jefferson tell Lewis and Clark to “cultivate good relations with the Sioux”?
  1. In what way did Manifest Destiny combine with the pride that some Americans felt in their Anglo-cultural

roots?

  1. Why did the location of American slavery shift in the period of 1790–1850?

Extended Essays

  1. Describe the native cultures of two Indian tribes that show both their uniqueness among Indian cultures in the West and their differences with European-American culture.
  1. What factors accounted for the massive westward movement of Americans?
  1. Who was responsible for the outbreak of the Mexican War? Cite specific examples to support your claim.
  1. How did westward expansion antagonize relations between the American North and South, and foreshadow further conflict between the two regions?
  1. Address the following statement: “Manifest Destiny was not an act of providence, but was instead a self-fulfilling prophecy of American expansionism.”

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