Western Expansion and the Age of Reform

Question 1

Why did President Jefferson send Lewis and Clark on an expedition west?

Answer 1

The US had just purchased the Louisiana Territory and the president wanted Lewis and Clark to map the territory and search for a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

Question 2

What is a legacy of the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Answer 2

They mapped a route heading west to the Pacific Ocean.

Question 3

Who owned California before the US fought and took it?

Answer 3

Mexico

Question 4

Who was living in California before Americans started moving there?

Answer 4

Californios (Spanish/Mexican cattle ranchers), Catholic priests in missions, Mexican soldiers, and native Americans

Question 5

What is the legacy left behind from the Californios?

Answer 5

some cultural practices, such as the rodeo, and names of cities and other important places

Question 6

What did mountain men do to make money?

Answer 6

the caught, bought, and sold animal furs (in particular beaver pelts)

Question 7

Who did the mountain men rely on for their survival?

Answer 7

Native Americans

Question 8

What is the legacy of the mountain men of the 1800’s?

Answer 8

They located low passes and easy routes through difficult terrain that would later be used for the Oregon and Santa Fe trails, among others.

Question 9

Why did missionaries travel west?

Answer 9

to teach Christianity to the natives

Question 10

What were some negative impacts of the missionaries travel west?

Answer 10

they brought measles which killed off many natives, and they didn’t have much success converting natives to Christianity

Question 11

What is a legacy of the missionaries who headed west?

Answer 11

they showed other pioneers that the west could be settled. They established towns, routes, and information about local native populations.

Question 12

Why did women head out west?

Answer 12

women could own land and often had more rights out west, such as several states gave women the right to vote early on

Question 13

Why did blacks head out west?

Answer 13

slavery was illegal in western states and there were many job opportunities. Some slaves came west and gained their freedom, and some were free blacks just seeking opportunities to own land and make money

Question 14

Who were the most successful 49ers?

Answer 14

49ers who chose to open shops and restaurants tended to do much better than those who mined for gold

Question 15

What is the legacy of the 49ers?

Answer 15

California quickly became a prosperous state with a diverse population

Question 16

What was the experience of Chinese 49ers?

Answer 16

Chinese 49ers faced racism and discrimination. They had to pay a mining tax, were not allowed to become citizens, and were victims of theft and abuse with no recourse in the courts.

Question 17

What is the legacy of Chinese 49ers?

Answer 17

Chinese 49ers were instrumental in building the transcontinental railroad and spreading Chinese food and culture in cities, such as San Francisco’s Chinatown

Question 18

Why did mormon’s head out west?

Answer 18

Mormon’s were moving away from religious persecution

Question 19

What is the mormon’s legacy out west?

Answer 19

Mormons established their capital in Salt Lake City, which is still the headquarters of their ever-growing church. They also spread irrigation techniques throughout the region.

Question 20

What were some of the problems in prisons and mental asylums in the 1800’s?

Answer 20

children were imprisoned with adults, sanitation was poor, physical abuse was common, especially among the mentally ill, and debtors were imprisoned with no way to earn money to pay their debts

Question 21

What are some of the reforms made in the prison and mental asylum systems?

Answer 21

debtors were no longer placed in prisons, a separate judicial system was created for children and adults, cruel punishments were banned, and mental hospitals were created

Question 22

What were some of the problems in public schools in the 1800’s?

Answer 22

there weren’t public schools in every region, teachers were untrained and underpaid, one room school houses were over-crowded, and there were few educational opportunities for women and blacks

Question 23

What were some of the reforms in the public school system in the 1800’s

Answer 23

some universities opened up for women and blacks, Massachusetts passed tax laws to provide funding for teacher training

Question 24

Who was working to end slavery and how did they do it?

Answer 24

Abolitionists wanted to end slavery and spread their message of the horrors of slavery through newspapers and speeches.

Question 25

What inequalities did women face in the mid 1800’s?

Answer 25

Women couldn’t own land or control their own wages. They couldn’t be doctors or lawyers or file for a divorce. Women couldn’t vote. There were few higher educational opportunities.

Question 26

What were the successes of the Seneca Falls Convention?

Answer 26

This was the first convention organized by women for women’s rights. It created a list of grievances and demands for change. It established a message to use in campaigning for women’s rights.

Question 27

What is the Second Great Awakening? What were the ideas of this awakening? How did this inspire reform movements?

Answer 27

It was a religious movement where people were re-inspired by their Christian religion. People believed that they could be forgiven for their sins by doing good things. Some people were inspired by this idea to end slavery because they thought it was morally wrong.

Question 28

What is transcendentalism? What did they believe and how did it influence reform movements?

Answer 28

It was a philosophical movement that believed you can transcend, or go beyond, logical thinking by using emotions and intuition. They believed you shouldn’t limit yourself to what others or society tells you, but rather think for yourself. These ideas inspired others to end slavery because they thought it was morally wrong.