US History I Practice milestone 4
Place the events in the correct chronological order.
1.
2.
3.
● a. Following border disputes,
Congress declared war on
Mexico
● b. The United States formally
annexed Texas.
● c. Thousands of people
flocked to California in search
of gold
RATIONALE
Sectional tensions over slavery increased as the nation expanded westward. This
process began in earnest after Congress annexed Texas in 1845, and intensified after
Congress declared war on Mexico in 1846. At the war's end, the U.S. acquired land
from Mexico stretching from Texas to California. When gold was discovered in
California in 1848, the rapid influx of settlers prompted California to apply for
statehood as a free state, which once again threatened to upset the sectional balance
in Congress.
CONCEPT
The Dilemma of the West
The Compromise of 1850
A House Divided: Crises of the 1850s
,US History I Practice milestone 4
2
Consider the painting Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, completed by
Emanuel Leutze in 1861, and how it represents core ideas behind manifest destiny.
Choose the statement that does NOT reflect an element of manifest destiny.
● The horizon symbolizes God’s plan for the growth of the United States as a
nation
● Americans are capable of settling and thriving in the great unknown of the West
● The West represents vast empty spaces that could benefit all Americans
● Native Americans represent an opportunity to forge new relationships
, US History I Practice milestone 4
RATIONALE
Manifest destiny, or the idea that white Americans had a calling and a duty to seize
and settle in western North America, contained three elements at its core: a belief in
White superiority, a belief that westward expansion would guarantee the survival of
the United States by providing economic opportunities for American settlers, and the
belief that western settlement was part of God's divine plan for the United States.
CONCEPT
Think About It: What Were Some Responses to Slavery?
3
Consider the sketch published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper in 1867.
Place the events in the correct chronological order.
1.
2.
3.
● a. Following border disputes,
Congress declared war on
Mexico
● b. The United States formally
annexed Texas.
● c. Thousands of people
flocked to California in search
of gold
RATIONALE
Sectional tensions over slavery increased as the nation expanded westward. This
process began in earnest after Congress annexed Texas in 1845, and intensified after
Congress declared war on Mexico in 1846. At the war's end, the U.S. acquired land
from Mexico stretching from Texas to California. When gold was discovered in
California in 1848, the rapid influx of settlers prompted California to apply for
statehood as a free state, which once again threatened to upset the sectional balance
in Congress.
CONCEPT
The Dilemma of the West
The Compromise of 1850
A House Divided: Crises of the 1850s
,US History I Practice milestone 4
2
Consider the painting Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, completed by
Emanuel Leutze in 1861, and how it represents core ideas behind manifest destiny.
Choose the statement that does NOT reflect an element of manifest destiny.
● The horizon symbolizes God’s plan for the growth of the United States as a
nation
● Americans are capable of settling and thriving in the great unknown of the West
● The West represents vast empty spaces that could benefit all Americans
● Native Americans represent an opportunity to forge new relationships
, US History I Practice milestone 4
RATIONALE
Manifest destiny, or the idea that white Americans had a calling and a duty to seize
and settle in western North America, contained three elements at its core: a belief in
White superiority, a belief that westward expansion would guarantee the survival of
the United States by providing economic opportunities for American settlers, and the
belief that western settlement was part of God's divine plan for the United States.
CONCEPT
Think About It: What Were Some Responses to Slavery?
3
Consider the sketch published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper in 1867.
