3 The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862: Conflict and tension Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 11

The 20 questions

1. What was the main purpose of the Permanent Indian Frontier policy?

   • Isolating Indigenous lands
   • Creating farming colonies
   • Establishing gold mines
   • Building railway networks

2. What was the main objective of the first Fort Laramie Treaty in 1851?

   • Banning all migration
   • Defining tribal territories
   • Disarming Plains warriors
   • Ceding eastern territories

3. What did the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 provide funding for?

   • Cattle ranching
   • Transcontinental railways
   • Mining infrastructure
   • Federal Indian affairs

4. In the context of the American West, what was a treaty?

   • A military declaration
   • A formal government agreement
   • A religious decree
   • A corporate land deed

5. What persistent problem affected early boomtowns in the American West?

   • Severe overpopulation
   • Industrial pollution
   • Strict tax collection
   • Lawlessness and violence

6. What measure did towns use against lawlessness?

   • Church councils
   • Royal governors
   • Spanish garrisons
   • Vigilance committees

7. Which major Plains nations signed the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty?

   • Apache, Navajo, Hopi
   • Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho
   • Comanche, Kiowa, Pawnee
   • Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw

8. What was a primary US government goal regarding the Plains in the early 1850s?

   • Building urban factories
   • Abolishing federal reserves
   • Promoting gold mining
   • Reducing trail conflict

9. What was the root cause of clashes between settlers and Indigenous hunters over bison?

   • Political alliances
   • Resource competition
   • Language barriers
   • Religious differences

10. What typically happened when promised treaty payments to Indigenous nations were delayed?

    • Increased land sales
    • Immediate tax cuts
    • Tension and conflict
    • Peaceful negotiations

11. What was the most likely outcome in an 1855 western mining town with no sheriff?

    • Strict tax compliance
    • Cooperative policing
    • Violence-settled disputes
    • Democratic elections

12. Which measure established formal legal authority in lawless early Western towns?

    • Vigilante posses
    • Military occupation
    • Banning firearms
    • Marshals and courts

13. What key resource did the Second Fort Laramie Treaty aim to protect for miners?

    • Water sources
    • Timber rights
    • Gold deposits
    • Farmland acres

14. What strategy did the US pursue to protect travellers on the trails after 1851?

    • Total deportation
    • Rail transport
    • Treaties and forts
    • Closing the trails

15. What did Indigenous chiefs primarily expect when signing the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty?

    • Cash payouts only
    • Hunting ground guarantees
    • Full US citizenship
    • Surrender of weapons

16. Why did lawlessness deter investment in new Western towns?

    • Fear of losses
    • Poor soil quality
    • Lack of water
    • High tax rates

17. Why did the Permanent Indian Frontier ultimately fail to bring lasting peace?

    • Settlement pressures
    • Tribal migrations
    • Foreign invasion
    • Severe droughts

18. Why did the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty fail to maintain peace?

    • Tribes refused signing
    • Boundaries were ignored
    • Floods ruined crops
    • It expired quickly

19. What was the main purpose of the Indian Appropriations Act in federal policy?

    • Funding federal control
    • Ending reservation systems
    • Abolishing tribal laws
    • Granting land titles

20. What wider problem was created by lawlessness in early Western towns?

    • Foreign war
    • Mass urban migration
    • Economic depression
    • Encouraged private justice

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