ch 14
Among the vocal opponents of the Mexican War was:
Abraham Lincoln
The idea of manifest destiny claimed that:
American expansion westward across the continent was sanctioned by God
The idea of Manifest Destiny suggested that
God supported the expansion of the United States to the Pacific.
Why was Whig leader Daniel Webster opposed to the Mexican War?
He was convinced that the war was part of a Democratic scheme to add more slave states to the union.
What was the basis of President James Polk's concerns about General Zachary Taylor?
Polk worried that Taylor harbored political aspirations.
Who was the first president of the Republic of Texas?
Sam Houston
Why did the Spanish struggle to colonize Arizona and Texas?
The Indians of those territories thwarted Spanish efforts to establish Catholic missions.
Why did trade along the Santa Fe Trail begin to flourish after Mexico achieved its independence from Spain?
The new Mexican government was more interested in trading with the U.S. than Spain had been
In the elections of 1844, James K. Polk became the first "dark horse" candidate nominated for president because
Van Buren opposed the annexation of Texas.
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Texas was:
a part of Mexico
According to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States
gained New Mexico and California.
The last major battle in the Mexican War was won by General Winfield Scott's troops
in an assault on Mexico City.
As president, Polk supported all of the following EXCEPT:
internal improvements
Annexation of Texas was made difficult by the
issue of slavery.
As president, James Polk's top priority was to
secure geographic expansion of the U.S., especially through the acquisition of Texas, California, and New Mexico
Under the Fort Laramie Treaty, Indians on the northern plains agreed to
stop harassing wagon trains. allow the army to build forts. limit their activities to certain areas.
During the 1844 campaign, Henry Clay changed his position on the annexation of Texas to one of:
support so long as it proceeded honorably and without war
At the Battle of the Alamo:
the Mexicans won a costly victory
The Mexican War contributed to all of the following EXCEPT:
the strengthening of the Union
What was the purpose of the Convention of 1818 signed by Britain and the United States?
to establish a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Country
Most of those who traveled westward in wagon trains:
traveled in family groups
In the election of 1844:
Liberty party votes in New York cost Clay the White House
Who coined the term "manifest destiny"?
Newspaper editor John O'Sullivan
The phrase "fifty-four forty or fight!" referred to:
Oregon
What effect did Mexico's winning its independence from Spain have on American settlement in the Southwest?
American settlement and expansion into the former Spanish territories increased after Mexico gained independence.
Which of the following statements about the Mexican War is NOT true?
In terms of the percentage of combatants killed, it had the lowest death rate of any war in American history.
In California, the Franciscans' labor force consisted of
Indians.
Among Americans who fought in the Mexican War were all the following except
James K. Polk.
The Mexican War erupted when:
Mexican and U.S. troops clashed north of the Rio Grande
The decisive victory in the war came with Winfield Scott's capture of:
Mexico City
The Overland Trail ran from
Missouri to Oregon.
The main opposition to the war with Mexico came from
New England Whigs.
Why did the Spanish establish missions in California?
They were tools to turn Indians into hard-working Christians
All of the following resulted from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo EXCEPT:
U.S. troops continued to occupy Mexico
Polk settled the Oregon boundary dispute with the British by:
agreeing to a border along the 49th parallel
The Mexican War was the occasion for the United States' first
amphibious operation, occupation of a foreign capital and offensive war.
Congress voted to annex the Republic of Texas:
between Polk's election and his inauguration
Most of the American settlers in Texas went there because of:
cheap cotton lands
The major factor that delayed Texas annexation until 1845 was:
concern over Texas entering as a slave state
The Republic of Texas:
developed trade relations with Britain and France
In 1846-1847, the Donner party
experienced the death of many of its members from starvation in the snows of the Sierras.
In the 1820s and 1830s, trade in the Northwest emphasized
fur
The Americans known as "mountain men" who blazed western trails were:
fur trappers
California's Bear Flag Republic:
lasted only a month until American rule was established
The migrations west affected the environment because
millions of cattle, horses, and sheep ate the prairie grass. millions of cattle, horses, and sheep ate the prairie grass. pioneers depleted the buffalo herds.
John Tyler of Virginia was a Whig who
opposed a protective tariff, a national bank, and internal improvements.
What was a main reason the Mexican government attempted to curtail American settlement of Texas?
opposition to slavery the settlers brought to Texas
Why did the Anglo Texans rebel against the Mexican government?
out of fear that the Mexican government intended to free their slaves
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 did all of the following EXCEPT:
place the Oregon territory under sole U.S. control
Polk's order that Zachary Taylor move his troops to the Rio Grande:
provoked a Mexican attack