Chapter 17 The West Exploiting an Empire 1849–1902

What was Lean Bear seeking during his 1863 visit to Washington?

A. Military support

B. Peace with the U.S.

C. Trade agreements

D. Land expansion

B. Peace with the U.S.

The Sand Creek Massacre targeted which tribes?

A. Sioux & Crow

B. Cheyenne & Arapaho

C. Apache & Navajo

D. Nez Perce & Ute

B. Cheyenne & Arapaho

The Fetterman Massacre resulted in the deaths of:

A. 20 soldiers

B. 50 settlers

C. 81 US soldiers

D. 100 Native warriors

C. 81 US soldiers

The Sioux opposed the Bozeman Trail because the U.S. was:

A. Mining gold

B. Building a road through hunting grounds

C. Constructing forts

D. Forcing relocation

B. Building a road through hunting grounds

The Ghost Dance movement promised:

A. U.S. citizenship

B. Return of Native lands

C. New trade routes

D. End of reservation life

B. Return of Native lands

What event triggered the 1849 migration to California?

A. Railroad expansion

B. Discovery of gold

C. Homestead Act

D. Mining strikes in Nevada

B. Discovery of gold

The Homestead Act offered settlers:

A. 80 acres

B. 160 acres

C. 200 acres

D. 320 acres

B. 160 acres

The “small reservations” policy aimed to:

A. Expand tribal land

B. Confine tribes to controlled areas

C. Encourage Native trade

D. Promote tribal independence

B. Confine tribes to controlled areas

The Battle of Little Bighorn resulted in:

A. U.S. victory

B. Custer’s defeat

C. A peace treaty

D. Sioux surrender

B. Custer’s defeat

The Dawes Act attempted to:

A. Strengthen tribal unity

B. Break up tribal lands

C. Return land to tribes

D. Protect buffalo herds

B. Break up tribal lands

The destruction of the buffalo caused:

A. Growth of Native trade

B. Collapse of Plains Indian culture

C. Expansion of farming

D. Increased tribal wealth

B. Collapse of Plains Indian culture

Reservation life often led to:

A. Economic growth

B. Cultural revival

C. Poverty & starvation

D. Increased independence

C. Poverty & starvation

Mining booms often resulted in:

A. Permanent cities

B. Ghost towns

C. Strong local governments

D. Decreased immigration

B. Ghost towns

Assimilation policies aimed to:

A. Preserve Native languages

B. Weaken tribal identity

C. Promote tribal ceremonies

D. Strengthen communal landholding

C. Promote tribal ceremonies

The largest landowning group in the West was:

A. Farmers

B. Ranchers

C. Railroad companies

D. Miners

C. Railroad companies

The recipients of the largest amount of public land were:

A. Homesteaders

B. Railroad companies

C. Native tribes

D. Mining corporations

B. Railroad companies

Spanish/Mexican influence included:

A. Steel plows

B. Vaquero ranching traditions

C. Barbed wire

D. Railroad engineering

B. Vaquero ranching traditions

The Comstock Lode was known for:

A. Gold

B. Silver

C. Copper

D. Coal

B. Silver

19. Mining camps were typically:

A. Peaceful

B. Organized

C. Lawless

D. Government‑run

C. Lawless

The cattle industry grew after the Civil War because:

A. New cattle breeds

B. High demand for beef

C. Government subsidies

D. Native alliances

B. High demand for beef

The open‑range cattle industry declined due to:

A. Lack of demand

B. Overgrazing & harsh winters

C. Railroad collapse

D. Native attacks

B. Overgrazing & harsh winters

Cowboy society relied on:

A. Federal courts

B. Vigilante justice

C. Tribal law

D. Railroad police

B. Vigilante justice

Western farmers struggled with:

A. Too much rainfall

B. Fertile soil

C. Harsh climate

D. Abundant water

C. Harsh climate

24. Dry farming involved:

A. Flooding fields

B. Deep plowing to trap moisture

C. Planting only in winter

D. Using hand tools

C. Planting only in winter

Barbed wire helped farmers by:

A. Increasing crop yields

B. Fencing land cheaply

C. Improving irrigation

D. Reducing soil erosion

B. Fencing land cheaply

Farmers were angry at railroads because they:

A. Refused to hire farmers

B. Charged high freight rates

C. Banned cattle shipments

D. Taxed crops

B. Charged high freight rates

Falling crop prices caused farmers to:

A. Produce less

B. Earn less despite producing more

C. Move east

D. Stop using machinery

B. Earn less despite producing more

The Grange was founded to:

A. Support mining companies

B. Improve rural life

C. Promote cattle drives

D. Expand railroad power

B. Improve rural life

The Turner Thesis argued that the frontier:

A. Destroyed democracy

B. Shaped American identity

C. Had no impact on the U.S.

D. Should remain unsettled

C. Had no impact on the U.S.

The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred during attempts to suppress:

A. The Sun Dance

B. The Ghost Dance

C. The Bozeman Trail conflict

D. Dawes Act protests

B. The Ghost Dance

What physical feature of the Great Plains made farming difficult?

A. Thick forests
B. Rocky soil
C. Lack of rainfall
D. High river density

C. Lack of rainfall

Great Plains Indians organized themselves primarily into:

A. Large permanent villages
B. Small nomadic bands
C. Urban trading centers
D. Fortified settlements

B. Small nomadic bands

Which policy ended the U.S. government’s practice of treating tribes as independent nations?

A. Dawes Act
B. Homestead Act
C. End of Treaty‑Making (1871)
D. Concentration Policy

C. End of Treaty‑Making (1871)

The Concentration Policy of 1851 required tribes to:

A. Move to individual family plots
B. Live on defined areas assigned to each tribe
C. Relocate to Canada
D. Share land with settlers

B. Live on defined areas assigned to each tribe

The biggest factor that destroyed Plains Indian resistance was:

A. Railroad expansion
B. Loss of the buffalo
C. New treaties
D. Farming shortages

B. Loss of the buffalo

The government’s land distribution policy from 1862–1890 mainly benefited:

A. Native tribes
B. Railroad companies
C. Eastern bankers
D. Fur traders

B. Railroad companies

Why did railroad companies want settlers to move near their tracks?

A. To build forts
B. To increase ticket sales and land purchases
C. To protect trains from attacks
D. To work in railroad factories

B. To increase ticket sales and land purchases

Which cultural influence came from Spanish/Mexican traditions?

A. Steel plows
B. Cattle branding
C. Sod houses
D. Buffalo hunting

B. Cattle branding

Which mining strike created boomtowns like Virginia City?

A. Black Hills Gold Rush
B. Comstock Lode
C. Pikes Peak Gold Rush
D. Montana Gold Strikes

B. Comstock Lode

Dry farming was designed to:

A. Increase irrigation
B. Trap moisture in the soil
C. Grow crops in winter
D. Reduce insect damage

B. Trap moisture in the soil

What caused many western farmers to fall into debt?

A. High crop prices
B. Cheap machinery
C. High interest rates and falling crop prices
D. Government taxes

C. High interest rates and falling crop prices

The Wounded Knee Massacre marked:

A. The beginning of the Ghost Dance
B. The end of major Native resistance
C. A victory for the Sioux
D. The start of the reservation system

B. The end of major Native resistance