History Ch 11

Which European nation was the first to reach and to trade with the Native peoples of Alaska? France Great Britain Russia Spain

Russia Crossing from the west, Russian traders made contact with Aleut and Tlingit communities in Alaska in the late eighteenth century and developed a lucrative trade in sea otter pelts, which was controlled after 1799 by the Russian-American Company.

To add military muscle to this scheme to prepare for war with Mexico, President James K. Polk ordered American naval commanders in 1846 to seize what Mexican territory? Mexico City Oregon Texas San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay To add military muscle to this scheme, Polk ordered American naval commanders to seize San Francisco Bay and California's coastal towns in case of war with Mexico.

In what state was the Gullah dialect most likely to be spoken? Alabama Maryland Mississippi South Carolina

South Carolina The Gullah dialect, which combined words from English and a variety of African languages in an African grammatical structure, was spoken by blacks in the Carolina low country well into the twentieth century.

What was a reason that President Martin Van Buren refused to annex Texas? He wanted Texans to first adopt slavery. He opposed the addition of a slave state. Congress declared that it would not admit a slave state. He expected northern opposition to adding a slave state.

He expected northern opposition to adding a slave state. The cautious Van Buren and other party politicians feared that annexation would spark a war with Mexico and, beyond that, a "desperate death-struggle . . . Between the North and the South [over the extension of slavery]; a struggle involving the probability of a dissolution of the Union."

Why was it important for slaves in the nineteenth century to "take root"? Slaves that "took root" were not subject to physical violence by their owners. If a slave did not "take root," they could be sold anywhere at any time. "Taking root" meant that slaves were forming the best possible lives for themselves. Slaves who "took root" were usually the first to be set free by their masters.

"Taking root" meant that slaves were forming the best possible lives for themselves. "Taking root" meant that slaves established their own practices, families, and values and established the best lives for themselves even amid the terrible conditions of enslavement.

During the U.S.-Mexico War, Zachary Taylor's advance south was halted at Buena Vista. Matamoros. Monterey.

Buena Vista. In February 1847, in the Battle of Buena Vista, Santa Anna nearly destroyed Taylor's army in northeastern Mexico.

Secretary of State James Buchanan's plans to encourage American residents of California to seek independence and union with the United States in 1845 were patterned after what similar development from recent memory at the time?

The Texas War of Independence Like what Buchanan proposed regarding California, Americans in Texas rose up in rebellion in 1836 seeking independence and ultimately annexation to the United States.

Mexico's central government did not devote necessary resources to combating Comanche raids in far northern Mexico in the 1830s and early 1840s because it was disinterested in that part of the country. was fighting a war with the United States at the time. could not afford the cost to do so. disputed the territory with the Spanish.

could not afford the cost to do so. Mexico's federal system of government tended to serve the northern frontier states poorly, while two decades of political instability resulted in a stagnant economy and modest tax revenues, which debt payments to European bankers quickly devoured. In the 1830s and 1840s, Comanche warriors conducted dozens of campaigns against the settlements of the Mexican north. Mexico's central government lacked the resources to respond effectively, and the northern territories were devastated.

In the decades before the Civil War, how did the naming customs of blacks born in Africa differ from the naming customs of those born in America? African-born blacks often named their children for British monarchs. American-born blacks often named their children for African gods. Blacks born in Africa often gave their offspring African names. American-born blacks often named their children Cuffee.

Blacks born in Africa often gave their offspring African names. Recently imported slaves frequently gave their children African names. Males born on Friday, for example, were often called Cuffee—the name of that day in several West African languages.

How did President John Tyler hope to secure his reelection in 1844? By promising the implementation of Henry Clay's American System By running as a Democrat in favor of acquiring both Oregon and Texas By regaining the Whig Party's trust with support for the annexation of Texas By opposing the seizure of Oregon as southerners requested

By running as a Democrat in favor of acquiring both Oregon and Texas Tyler had hoped to win reelection in 1844 as a Democrat and supported both expansion into Oregon and the annexation of Texas to curry favor with northern and southern Democrats. The party did not trust him, however, and chose James K. Polk, who supported those policies as well.

In which cardinal direction did the fighting in the Texas revolution of 1836 take place? North West South East

East Fighting began in Goliad and at the Alamo in San Antonio, then moved east to the white settlements before ending at San Jacinto (near present-day Houston).

Why did President James K. Polk retreat from his demand for "fifty-four forty or fight"? He had used the slogan only for election purposes. Britain had threatened a full-scale war against the United States. Russia had threatened to go to war against the United States over the claim. He had begun a war with Mexico and wanted to avoid a simultaneous one with Britain.

He had begun a war with Mexico and wanted to avoid a simultaneous one with Britain. After Polk's deliberate provocations along the Rio Grande with the army under General Zachary Taylor, war with Mexico had finally begun in May 1846. To avoid simultaneous war with Britain, Polk retreated from his demand for "fifty-four forty or fight" and accepted the British proposal to divide the Oregon Country at the forty-ninth parallel.

From what point did both the Oregon and the Santa Fe trails begin? \ Independence, Missouri Fort Dodge St. Joseph, Missouri Fort Kearney

Independence, Missouri Both the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail had their eastern terminuses at Independence, Missouri.

What is the significance of the German Coast uprising? It was the largest slave revolt in nineteenth-century North America. It served as a warning to slave owners that slaves could successfully revolt. It was the only successful slave uprising in the nineteenth century. It marked the first step toward emancipation of slaves.

It was the largest slave revolt in nineteenth-century North America. The German Coast uprising happened on January 8, 1811, and involved more than two hundred enslaved workers, making it the largest slave revolt at the time.

What name is given to the belief in a God-given American cultural and racial superiority that lay behind the desire to make the entire continent part of American democracy? Manifest Destiny Nativism Free soil movement White supremacy

Manifest Destiny The belief in American cultural and racial superiority that lay behind the desire to make the entire continent part of American democracy was called Manifest Destiny.

What are two major hazards evident on this map that whites faced moving west on the Oregon Trail? Mexicans and earthquakes Native peoples and the Rocky Mountains Russian traders and the Pacific Ocean Disease and large bodies of water

Native peoples and the Rocky Mountains This map makes evident that travelers needed to pass through Native peoples who could raid their wagons and then cross over the treacherous Rocky Mountains to reach Oregon.

In his letter to John Slidell in November 1845, Secretary of State James Buchanan explained the following to the minister to Mexico: "It is to be seriously apprehended that both Great Britain and France have designs upon California. . . . This Government . . . would vigorously interpose to prevent the latter from becoming either a British or a French Colony. . . . The possession of the Bay and harbor of San Francisco is all important to the United States. . . . Money would be no object." What did Buchanan want John Slidell to do?

Negotiate the purchase of California to keep it out of British and French hands Buchanan clearly wanted to prevent France or England from taking over the Pacific Coast at any cost.

How did 250,000 Americans reach California, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana by 1860? Oregon Trail California Trail Mormon Trail Bozeman Trail

Oregon Trail An emigrant route that originally led from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, a distance of some 2,000 miles, the Oregon Trail brought 250,000 Americans to California, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana by 1860.

What was the dominant pattern of marriage relationships among the smallholding yeomen of the antebellum South? Egalitarian, based on shared ownership of property Patriarchal, with husbands dominant Matriarchal, as land tended to be in wives' names Shaped by the ideology of companionate marriage

Patriarchal, with husbands dominant Bolstered by the patriarchal ideology of the planter class, yeomen farmers ruled their smallholdings with a firm hand. The male head of the household had legal authority over all the dependents—wives, children, and slaves—and most churches supported patriarchal rule and told female members to remain in "wifely obedience," whatever the actions of their husbands.

The gang-labor system of slavery was often used on which type of plantation? Sugar Rice Tobacco Wheat

Sugar Sugar and cotton were labor-intensive crops and such plantations often utilized the gang-labor system.

What nickname was given to the Great Plains in the 1820s and 1830s? The Great American Desert The Cotton Belt The Black Belt The Corn Belt

The Great American Desert U.S. explorer Major Stephen H. Long, with only basic information, viewed the Great Plains during the early 1800s as the Great American Desert and unfit for cultivation. This interpretation motivated Americans looking for land to turn south to Mexican territory in Texas.

What is one example of how African American culture became more homogenous in the nineteenth century? Please choose the correct answer from the following choices, and then select the submit answer button. The practice of dancing the Congo and singing African songs on Sundays. The adoption of mixed languages such as Gullah dialect and black English. The frequent marriages between cousins among African Americans. The practice of naming children traditionally American or British names.

The adoption of mixed languages such as Gullah dialect and black English. Since slaves came from so many different African nations, African languages and grammatical structures were combined with English to form other languages and dialects such as the Gullah dialect and black English.

Why was General Winfield Scott's attack on Mexico City, despite the 260-mile trek from Veracruz, successful in September 1847? Scott had better naval support. Most Mexicans did not resist Scott. General Taylor linked up with Scott outside the city. The city was lightly defended.

The city was lightly defended. Most Mexican troops were deployed in the north attempting to halt General Taylor's advance south.

How did smallpox affect Native peoples on the Great Plains? The Lakota Sioux were decimated and no longer dominated the northern Great Plains. The disease killed many sedentary Native peoples. White peoples were prevented from entering the region. The Comanches were able to conquer the Lakota Sioux.

The disease killed many sedentary Native peoples. Smallpox struck the northern plains again from 1837 to 1840, killing half of the Assiniboines and Blackfeet and nearly a third of the Crows, Pawnees, and Cheyennes. "If I could see this thing, if I knew where it came from, I would go there and fight it," exclaimed a distressed Cheyenne warrior.

Why did social divisions among the Kiowa Indians intensify in the 1830s? Fortunes from the California gold rush had made some Kiowa men extremely wealthy. Gun ownership among elite Kiowas triggered lower-class jealousy. A gender imbalance as a result of smallpox triggered a rivalry for women. The new horse culture created enormous distinctions of wealth.

The new horse culture created enormous distinctions of wealth. Some Kiowa men owned hundreds of horses and had several "chore wives" and captive children who worked for them. Poor men owned only a few horses and could not find marriage partners.

What connection did John L. O'Sullivan's term Manifest Destiny have to American expansion of the mid-nineteenth century? It was the motivation behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The phrase embodied the dreams of American expansionists. It was based on a vision of the equality of all peoples. The phrase motivated American expansion.

The phrase embodied the dreams of American expansionists. O'Sullivan's phrase was the ideology of conquest that proclaimed the God-given duty to extend American republicanism and capitalism to the Pacific Ocean.

How did slaves in the nineteenth century maintain their African culture? They rejected the legally binding contract of marriage for a solely ceremonial one. Most continued to worship traditional African gods. They practiced customs that were taboo in America, like marrying cousins. They adopted parts of their native African language into the English language.

They adopted parts of their native African language into the English language. One of the ways slaves in the nineteenth century maintained their African culture was by integrating African languages and grammatical structures into the English language.

How did Americans settling in California in the 1820s and 1830s differ from American settlers in Texas? They owned slaves. They outnumbered the native Mexicans. They assimilated into Mexican culture. They received special land grants.

They assimilated into Mexican culture. Americans settling in California very often married into Mexican families and adopted their customs, even converting to Catholicism. They did not get large land grants or outnumber the Mexicans, which were both characteristics of the Americans in Texas.

How did wealthy planters influence tax policies in southern states? They introduced subsidies for cotton growers. They reduced property taxes for owners of large amounts of land. They ensured that slave property was exempt from taxation. They maintained a regressive tax structure that taxed higher incomes less.

They ensured that slave property was exempt from taxation. Wealthy planters used their political muscle to exempt slave property from taxation.

Why did landless white workers in the South receive so little respect? They tended to mingle with poor Irish immigrants. They performed hard labor, which was deemed fit only for slaves. They were extremely uneducated. They did not work very hard.

They performed hard labor, which was deemed fit only for slaves. Propertyless whites enjoyed few of the benefits of slavery and suffered many of its ill consequences, one of which was that hard labor was not celebrated as a path to success—as in the North—but regarded as a sign of inferiority.

How did Alabama Democrats try to gain the favor of voters in the antebellum decades? They supported low taxes. They called for secession. They held rallies against immigrants. They promised abolition.

They supported low taxes. Alabama voters largely distrusted the rich planters, and the mostly middle-class slave owners in the legislature sought to appeal to the interests of the poor by promising low taxes.

Why did President Polk send General Zachary Taylor and 2,000 U.S. soldiers to the Rio Grande in 1846? To provoke war with Mexico To protect U.S. military assets To explore the river as a potential route to the Pacific To put down a Native uprising

To provoke war with Mexico Polk sent Taylor to disputed territory to provoke Mexico to fire the first shot, and the Mexicans obliged. "We were sent to provoke a fight," recalled Ulysses S. Grant, then a young officer serving with Taylor, "but it was essential that Mexico should commence it."

Why did Democratic politicians in Alabama not invest in internal improvements, such as canals and railroads, at the same rate as their northern counterparts between roughly 1820 and 1860? Uselessness of the improvements Existing improvements from before 1820 Lack of labor for such projects To win votes with slave owners

To win votes with slave owners To win the votes of taxpaying slave owners, Alabama Democrats advocated limited government and low taxes. They attacked their Whig opponents for favoring higher taxes and for providing government subsidies for banks, canals, railroads, and other internal improvements.

What was one result of American migrants traveling through Indian Territory during the westward expansion of the 1850s? Some migrants assimilated into Native American culture instead of completing the route. Violence between the Sioux and the migrants led to a long-standing hostile relationship. Many American migrants were afraid of the Native Americans and turned back. A long-lasting relationship of peaceful and respectful interaction developed.

Violence between the Sioux and the migrants led to a long-standing hostile relationship. During the westward migration, a Sioux Indian killed a cow belonging to a migrant, which prompted the migrant to seek compensation, and led eventually to an event known as the "Grattan Massacre." This event created a hostile relationship between American migrants and Native Americans for at least thirty-five years.

In 1830, about 36 percent of white families in the South held slaves. By 1860, the share of white families owning slaves had increased. declined. remained the same. fallen to 0 percent.

declined. Increasing social divisions among white slave owners led to a decline in ownership to about 25 percent, leaving a larger concentration of slave populations in the hands of the few.