American History I Quiz – The West Part One: Multiple Choice 1. The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 provided for the completion of a transcontinental railroad. Where did the two lines come together? a. Promontory Point, Utah b. Sacramento, California c. Dodge City, KS d. Omaha, NE 2. Where were General Custer and his army defeated by the Sioux in 1876? a. Wounded Knee b. Bull Run Creek c. Little Big Horn d. Sand Creek 3. Which of the following technological innovations had the greatest impact on ranchers? a. barbed wire b. windmills c. steel plow d. telegraph 4. Which of the following granted settlers 160 acres of land on the condition that they live on it for five years? a. Homestead Act b. Dawes Act c. Morrill Act d. Settlement Act 5. All of the following were goals of the Populist Party listed on their Omaha Platform EXCEPT? a. 8-hour workday b. Less government railroad regulation c. Bimetallism - having two metals to backup currency d. A graduated income tax where the more wealthy pay a higher percentage of taxes 6. Which of the following is NOT true about railroads during the Gilded Age? a. They made it easier and faster to transport consumer goods to market. b. They became very reliant on the steel industry. c. They helped to create time zones across the nation. d. They charged fair and reasonable rates to all customers to carry freight. 7. What were "dime novels" that became popular in the East in the late 1800s? a. Stories of romance in the Colonial days. b. Science fiction stories about other forms of life. c. Stories of adventure and “rags to riches” success that were meant to inspire youngsters. d. Stories read by young girls to teach correct morals and values. 8. Who was the author of the book “A Century of Dishonor,” which tried to expose the mistreatment given to many Native Americans? a. b. c. d. Helen Hunt Jackson Jane Addams Ida Tarbell Rachel Carson 9. What act gave land to states on the condition that they use it for agricultural colleges? a. Homestead Act b. Public Domain Act c. Morrill Land Grant Act d. Dawes Act 10. In the 1880s and 1890s the efforts of farmers to obtain laws favorable to their cause led to the a. establishment of homesteads b. elimination of a tariff c. formation of the Populist Party d. prohibition of labor arbitration 11. “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold” – William Jennings Bryan What issue is Bryan addressing in this statement? a. unfair railroad rates b. unsafe working conditions in factories c. lack of jobs due to increased immigration d. support of bimetallism, favoring a gold and silver standard 12. A major complaint of western farmers in the late 19th century concerned the a. increase in the number of immigrant settlers b. restrictive land policies of the U.S. c. agricultural goals of the Republican Party d. the unchecked power of banks and railroads over farmers 13. What was the 1890 massacre that represented the last act of Indian resistance to the US Government’s Indian policy? a. Sand Creek b. Wounded Knee c. Little Big Horn d. Black Hills 14. Which law gave Native Americans 160 acres of land and forced them to assimilate into American culture? a. Homestead Act b. Morrill Land Grant Act c. Pacific Railway Act d. Dawes Act 15. “I’m tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed...It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death...My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” Who is the speaker in the previous quotation? a. Sitting Bull b. Chief Joseph c. Geronimo d. Crazy Horse 16. During the Gold Rush in California in 1849, the Silver Strike at the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1859, and the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, which group below actually profited the most? a. The business owners who sold supplies to the prospectors b. The law enforcement personnel who tried to keep the peace c. The landowners who leased the mines d. The prospectors who all went there with the hopes of getting rich quick 17. Poor crop prices due to overproduction and a lack of credit given by the banks as well as unfair rates charged by railroads forced farmers to form which organization in 1867? a. The Grange b. The Knights of Labor c. Coxey’s Army d. Credit Mobilier 18. Who ran for President in 1896 after winning the Democratic nomination with his “Cross of Gold” speech? a. William McKinley b. William Jennings Bryan c. William Lloyd Garrison d. William Jefferson Clinton 19. In order to synchronize the nation, the railroads established a. uniform train schedules b. standard gauge tracks c. daylight savings time d. standard time zones 20. During the construction of the railroads, all of the following contributed to that enterprise EXCEPT a. former slaves b. Native Americans c. Civil War veterans d. Chinese and Irish immigrants 21. Which groups would MOST LIKELY support bimetallism? a. Farmers and Laborers b. Industrialists and Merchants c. Bankers d. Foreign investors 22. What was the most popular type of dwelling for people on the Great Plains? a. teepees b. soddies c. tents d. log cabins 23. The word Exodusters refers to which of the following groups of western settlers? a. European immigrants b. white Americans c. African Americans d. Chinese settlers 24. "Many, very many, that come here meet with bad success & thousands will leave their bones here. Others will lose their health, contract diseases that they will carry to their graves with them. Some will have to beg their way home, & probably one half that come here will never make enough to carry them back. But this does not alter the fact about the gold being plenty here, but shows what a poor frail being a man is, how liable to disappointments, disease & death”.- S. Shufelt Which scenario below do you think Mr. Shufelt is describing in the above quote? a. A worker’s description of work on the Transcontinental Railroad b. The life of a Homesteader on the Great Plains c. A cowboy describing life on the long drive d. A prospector describing what it is like during the California Gold Rush 25. According to the theory of Laissez-Faire Capitalism, the economy functions best when the government a. subsidizes businesses to be better able to compete worldwide b. regulates business for the good of the people c. owns and controls major industries d. does not interfere in business 26. A member of the Populist Party would hold which of the following positions? a. The government should regulate railroads and certain businesses b. The nation’s economy should only be based on the gold standard c. They would support William McKinley in the election of 1896 d. They would support lower prices on farm products 27. Which of the following would a farmer in the late 19th century have been least likely to do? a. be a member of the Populist Party b. join the Grange c. support bimetallism d. support laissez-faire economics 28. Analyze the picture to answer the following question: What would be the best caption to describe what is happening in the drawing? a. Worker trying to complete construction of the Transcontinental Railroad b. Railroad companies demonstrate how train tracks are eerily similar to octopus tentacles c. Western farmers have very little chance of taking on the power of the railroads d. John Brown tying to fight a railroad locomotive in Kansas. . 29. Which of the following would have had the LEAST amount of impact on Native Americans? a. the discovery of Gold b. the Omaha Platform c. the Homestead Act d. the killing of the buffalo 30. Which of the following was a Populist leader that encouraged farmers to “raise less corn and raise more Hell!” in order to get the government to step in and help them? a. Helen Hunt Jackson b. Mary Elizabeth Lease c. Carry Nation d. William Jennings Bryan 31. Who was the famous historian who wrote The Frontier Thesis in 1893 which said that the American Frontier was no longer in existence and that all lands out West were claimed by someone? a. Helen Hunt Jackson b. Frederick Jackson Turner c. William Lloyd Garrison d. Harriet Beecher Stowe 32. Which of the following came up with the invention that helped tame the west and end the open range? a. Bob Wahr b. John Deere c. Cyrus McCormick d. Joseph Glidden 33. Examine the image below to answer the following question. Which of the following groups produced the image above in order to draw awareness to their economic concerns? a. The Grange b. The Republican Party c. The Free Soil Party d. The Know-Nothings Part Two: True/False (For each of the following, bubble A if the statement is true and B if it is false) 34. The Homestead Act tried to create "white settlers" out of the Native Americans. 35. Life on the farms of the Great Plains was very difficult because of drought and weather. 36. The Ghost Dance Movement led to the massacre at Wounded Knee. 37. The book “Century of Dishonor” exposed the government’s poor treatment and lack of concern for American farmers. 38. The Dawes Act tried to assimilate Indians into mainstream society by breaking up reservations and giving them land. 39. The Grange was formed to help immigrants adjust to their new lives in America. 40. The Buffalo Soldiers referred to the young Native American men who took part in the ceremonial buffalo hunt. 41. The Great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull was killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn. 42. Because lumber was scarce on the treeless prairies, early settlers actually built homes out of rocks and cement. 43. The Cowboy era only lasted about 20 years because most of the cowboys had died off due to disease, accidents, and gunfights. 44. A retelling of the events that took place during the Indian Wars can be found in the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. 45. The list of reforms that were desired by the Populist Party was known as the Oklahoma Platform. 46. The transcontinental railroad could not have been completed without the labor of many different groups of people, especially immigrants from the countries of Spain and Japan.
