Quiz 19 Western Frontier is Settled

1. The government of the United States provided for the growth of the United States beginning with: a. a war with Spain b. the Gadsden Purchase c. a war with Britain d. the Northwest Ordinance This law provided the basis for expanding the size of the United States from the original 13 colonies to include new states carved from the Northwest Territory including the present day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and part of Minnesota.

2. During the early 1800s, some Americans hesitated to settle the Great Plains. Which name for the Great Plains helped cause this hesitation? a. Bleeding Kansas b. the Dust Bowl c. Death Valley d. the Great American Desert The name for the Great Plains that helped to cause this hesitation was the Great American Desert. This was a name given to this area by early settlers because much of the Great Plains was too dry to support the growth of trees. They thought this area to be an arid, desert-like region.

3. Which of the following communities was most likely to become a "ghost town"? a. cow town b. mining town c. rail station d. meat-packing town When gold and silver mines could no longer produce a profit, these mines and their nearby towns were often abandoned. Abandoned mining towns were called "ghost towns." Cow towns were towns where cattle were shipped out of the West.

4. Which of the following groups of people was hired in large numbers to build the western portion of the transcontinental railroad? a. African slaves b. Wobblies c. Italian padrones d. Chinese The Central Pacific Railroad Company hired thousands of Chinese to lay the western portion of the transcontinental railroad, while the Union Pacific hired many Irish workers to lay eastern portions of the railroad.

5. Which of the following is an example of a third political party formed during the late 1800s? a. Federalist b. Whig c. Populist d. Dixiecrats In 1892, Western farmers helped create a third political party known as the Populist Party. Farmers claimed that this third party was necessary because the two major parties (Democrats and Republicans) had ignored their problems and needs.