Expansion and Exploration of the American West Quiz

Test your knowledge on Westward Expansion with questions about pioneers, Native Americans, and key events that shaped the American West.

#1

Which event spurred the most significant westward expansion in American history?

California Gold Rush
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Homestead Act
Transcontinental Railroad
#2

Who was the President responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?

Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Andrew Jackson
John Adams
#3

Who led the Mormon pioneers to settle in what is now Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1847?

Joseph Smith
Brigham Young
John Taylor
Wilford Woodruff
#4

Which act passed by Congress in 1862 granted 160 acres of land to settlers willing to farm the land?

Dawes Act
Morrill Act
Homestead Act
Indian Removal Act
#5

Which mountain range served as a significant barrier to westward expansion in the United States?

Rocky Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
Sierra Nevada
Cascade Range
#6

What was the name of the famous route used by pioneers to travel westward?

Oregon Trail
Santa Fe Trail
Chisholm Trail
California Trail
#7

Which Native American tribe was involved in the Battle of Little Bighorn?

Lakota Sioux
Apache
Cherokee
Nez Perce
#8

Which explorer was the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean by crossing the American continent?

Ferdinand Magellan
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
Hernán Cortés
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
#9

Which treaty ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in the United States acquiring territories such as California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming?

Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Tordesillas
#10

Which expedition explored the Louisiana Territory, mapping its geography, flora, and fauna?

De Soto Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Pike Expedition
Donner Party Expedition
#11

Who coined the phrase 'Manifest Destiny'?

John C. Calhoun
James K. Polk
Andrew Jackson
John L. O'Sullivan
#12

Who was the Native American leader who led a resistance against the United States Army during the Apache Wars?

Sitting Bull
Crazy Horse
Geronimo
Chief Joseph
#13

Who was the first European explorer to navigate the Mississippi River to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico?

Hernando de Soto
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Jacques Cartier
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
#14

Which event marked the end of the Indian Wars in the United States?

Battle of the Little Bighorn
Wounded Knee Massacre
Sand Creek Massacre
Red Cloud's War
#15

Which Spanish explorer led an expedition through what is now the American Southwest in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold?

Juan Ponce de León
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
Hernando de Soto

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