Assignment #05

ACIE American History - Cambridge International Examinations

Mr. Anthony Perno and Mr. Victor Wisniski – American Senior High School – 2009/2010 School Year

Syllabus Excerpt: I Westward Expansion and the Taming of the West, c.1840-96

. . . The displacement of Native American nations. The Gold Rush of 1849 and Californian statehood. . . .The myth of the Wild West. Cattlemen and farmers, the mining boom, the destruction of the Plains Indians. Closing of the frontier and Turner’s Frontier Thesis. . . .

· Reading Assignment: America, Past and Present, Chapter #17, The West: Exploiting an Empire, pages 481-507

· Assignment: Using the above reading assignment, the student will prepare to answer the following essay questions. (One question will be chosen randomly the day of the exam.) The essay should encompass all pertinent syllabus topics.

· Essay Questions:

1. How far were the displacement of the Native American nations and the destruction of their way of life in the period 1840 to 1896 the consequence of deliberate government policy?

2. Evaluate the impact of the ‘Gold Rush’ of 1849 on America’s westward expansion.

3. How far did the USA benefit economically from westward expansion after 1865?

4. Assess the main factors involved in taming the ‘Wild West’ between 1865 and 1896.