Study Questions
Not all Americans despised the Indians of the Great Plains. Describe the
efforts of those who tried to help the Indians. Did their efforts pay off?
How did federal land policy throughout the early years of expansion reflect the
political ideology of the party in power?
How did the issue of expansion, beginning with the annexation of Texas, become
inexorably linked with slavery during John Tyler's presidency?
How had Andrew Jackson become convinced of the necessity of Indian removal
by 1829? Describe some of his earlier experiences with the Indians and the
ideology resulting from them.
What were some problems experienced by earlier western settler which were solved
by the transportation revolution and how were they solved?
Describe the attitude of the developed East toward the settlers of the West.
How did this attitude and the rivalry it spawned factor in the development of
the identity of the West?
What was the role of legend in the settlement of the Far West?
What were the concept of Manifest Destiny's ideological origins? What part
did the concept of Manifest Destiny play in the push to settle the West?
Explain the significance of the case of Worcester v. Georgia, both in
relation to the project of Indian expansion and as it relates to the development
of the federal government of the United States.
It is often said that the settlers of the trans-Mississippi West formed tighter
community bonds than did Eastern inhabitants. What is the evidence in support
of this statement, and what conditions of the West produced this result?
