Chapter Thirteen: An Age of Expansionism, 1830-1861

Practice Quiz:

1. Why was there friction between the Mexican government and Anglo-American settlers in Texas?
a. The Mexican government denied Anglo-American settlers the right to own land.
b. The Mexican government did not grant women any rights.
c. Many Anglo-American settlers refused to convert to Catholicism.
d. Many Anglo-American settlers refused to pay taxes.

2. Why was slavery a point of conflict between the Mexican government and Anglo-American settlers in Texas?
a. The Mexican government required Anglo-American settlers to emancipate their slaves.
b. The Mexican government required each Anglo-American settler to own at least four slaves.
c. The Mexican government allowed white as well as black slavery.
d. The Anglo-American settlers did not want slavery in the territory.

3. What caused Mexico to break off diplomatic relations with the United States and prepare for war in 1845?
a. The republic of Texas began claiming land south of the Rio Grande.
b. The United States annexed Texas and claimed the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande.
c. The U.S. military began fighting for control over California harbors.
d. President Polk criticized the Mexican government in a scathing public address.

4. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided each of the following EXCEPT
a. it confirmed the Rio Grande as the southern border of Texas.
b. the United States paid Mexico $15 million in cash, plus other considerations.
c. it guaranteed that slavery would not be allowed west of the Rio Grande.
d. Mexico ceded New Mexico and California to the United States.

5. Some historians believe that the Americans did not annex all of Mexico because the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo already gave them what they wanted most:
a. U.S. citizenship for thousands of Mexicans living in the territory.
b. the grazing lands of the southwest.
c. the fertile farming lands of Oregon.
d. the harbors of California.

6. Why did the war with Mexico provoke political dissension within the United States?
a. Many northerners feared the spread of slavery to the newly acquired territories.
b. Many southerners feared the economic competition from cotton growers in the newly acquired territories.
c. Many people on the east coast worried about the social effects of expansion.
d. Many religious groups worried about the lawlessness that would exist in the sparsely populated new territories.

7. Which statement best characterizes the status of the railroad industry by the end of the 1850s?
a. The railroad industry was crippled by scandals and corruption.
b. Business was booming and railroads had transformed the economy.
c. Railroads had been largely replaced by canal transportation.
d. The railroad industry was still in its infancy.

8. Which of the following was NOT an essential feature of the factory system?
a. a supervised work force
b. the work force being located in one place
c. payment of cash wages
d. each product being produced by one worker

9. Elias Howe’s invention of _______ in 1846 revolutionized the garment industry.
a. the sewing machine
b. the iron to press clothing
c. blue denim
d. the zipper

10. In 1860, the main source of livelihood for individuals and the biggest contributor to the gross national product was
a. ranching.
b. the transportation industry.
c. farming.
d. the textile industry.

11. Between the 1830s and 1840s, most of the immigrants to the United States
a. became skilled craftsmen and small business owners.
b. came from western Europe.
c. refused to workers in factories.
d. arrived from Latin America and became yeoman farmers.

12. The major factor that pushed Irish immigrants to the United States in the 1840s and 1850s was the
a. persecution of Catholics.
b. decline in the number of jobs in Ireland.
c. overpopulation of Ireland.
d. great potato famine.

13. German immigrants who came to the United States in the late 1840s and early 1850s
a. suffered less prejudice than the Irish.
b. suffered more prejudice than the Irish.
c. could not be assimilated easily into American society.
d. possessed few agricultural or other skills.

14. The arrival of large numbers of immigrants in the 1850s
a. was a positive development for American cities
b. did not contribute measurably to city developments
c. worsened the already serious problems of the cities
d. increased the population of rural rather than urban areas.

15. An important result of the changing character of labor in the 1830s and 1840s was
a. greater cooperation between employer and employee.
b. improvement in working conditions and wages.
c. an upsurge of labor militancy
d. more emphasis on skilled labor.

16. Which statement best describes how rural people adapted to industrial wage labor?
a. Most adjusted quickly because the high wages were worth the dangerous working conditions.
b. They adjusted quickly and enjoyed the shorter days and easier work.
c. They adjusted slowly and resisted factory discipline through tardiness, absenteeism, and drunkenness.
d. Most adjusted slowly because labor unions worked to make the transition to fulltime factory work a gradual one.