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GED Social Studies: European Settlement and Westward Expansion Concepts

Importance ★★★☆☆ · 15% (estimate)

Overview

This chapter covers European settlement of the Americas and the westward growth of the United States, including its effects on American Indians.

After 1492, the Columbian Exchange moved crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and Europe and Africa. Diseases such as smallpox caused a steep drop in the Native population, because Native peoples had no immunity.

In the 1800s, many Americans believed in Manifest Destiny, the idea that the nation should spread across the continent. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the forced removal of Native nations and the Trail of Tears. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of western land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it for five years.

Key concepts

  • Columbian Exchange

    The movement of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and Europe and Africa after 1492.

    Memory tipCorn and potatoes to Europe; horses and smallpox to the Americas.

  • Manifest Destiny

    The 1840s belief that the U.S. was meant to expand across North America.

    Memory tipUsed to justify taking land.

  • Indian Removal Act (1830)

    Led to the forced removal of Native nations from the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River.

    Memory tipLed to the Trail of Tears.

  • Homestead Act (1862)

    Offered 160 acres of western land to settlers who lived on it and farmed it for five years.

    Memory tipFree land to encourage settlement.

Often tested

  • Disease was the largest single cause of the Native population decline.
  • Expansion brought land to settlers but cost American Indians their homelands.

3 sample questions

Verified practice questions from this unit.

Practice questionReviewedUnited States History › European Settlement and Westward Expansion★★★☆☆

Question 1. What was Manifest Destiny?

  1. ① The belief that the United States was meant to expand across North America to the Pacific Ocean
  2. ② The belief that the United States should stay east of the Mississippi River
  3. ③ A law that let Southern states leave the Union
  4. ④ A plan to return the colonies to Britain
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Answer: ① The belief that the United States was meant to expand across North America to the Pacific Ocean

Key point: Manifest Destiny: belief in expanding coast to coast

In the 1840s, many Americans believed it was the nation's destiny to spread across North America. The phrase was popularized in 1845. This belief was used to justify taking land, including through the Mexican-American War, often at great cost to American Indians and Mexicans.

Wrong choices

  • The belief that the United States should stay east of the Mississippi River: Manifest Destiny was about spreading west across the continent, not stopping at the Mississippi.
  • A law that let Southern states leave the Union: No law allowed states to leave the Union. Manifest Destiny was about expansion.
  • A plan to return the colonies to Britain: Manifest Destiny was a belief about American expansion, not a plan to return to British rule.
Practice questionReviewedUnited States History › European Settlement and Westward Expansion★★★☆☆

Question 2. What did the Indian Removal Act of 1830 lead to?

  1. ① The end of westward settlement
  2. ② Citizenship for all American Indians
  3. ③ More land for Native nations in the Southeast
  4. ④ The forced relocation of the Cherokee and other Native nations to lands west of the Mississippi River
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Answer: ④ The forced relocation of the Cherokee and other Native nations to lands west of the Mississippi River

Key point: Indian Removal Act (1830) led to the Trail of Tears

The Indian Removal Act, signed by President Andrew Jackson, led to the forced removal of Native nations from the Southeast. Thousands of Cherokee died on the forced march west, known as the Trail of Tears.

Wrong choices

  • The end of westward settlement: Westward settlement continued and grew after 1830.
  • Citizenship for all American Indians: American Indians were not granted citizenship as a group until 1924.
  • More land for Native nations in the Southeast: The act took Native lands in the Southeast. It did not give them more land there.
Practice questionReviewedUnited States History › European Settlement and Westward Expansion★★★☆☆

Question 3. After 1492, plants, animals, people, and diseases moved between the Americas and Europe and Africa. Horses came to the Americas, and corn and potatoes went to Europe. What is this movement called?

  1. ① Manifest Destiny
  2. ② The Columbian Exchange
  3. ③ The Homestead Act
  4. ④ The triangular trade
▼ Show answer and explanation▲ Hide answer and explanation

Answer: ② The Columbian Exchange

Key point: Columbian Exchange: crops, animals, diseases crossing the Atlantic

The Columbian Exchange is named after Christopher Columbus. Crops such as corn and potatoes went from the Americas to Europe, and horses, cattle, and wheat came to the Americas. Diseases such as smallpox also came to the Americas and killed many Native people.

Wrong choices

  • Manifest Destiny: Manifest Destiny was a belief about U.S. expansion in the 1800s.
  • The Homestead Act: The Homestead Act (1862) gave western land to settlers.
  • The triangular trade: The triangular trade was a pattern of trade, including enslaved people, among Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is narrower than the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases.
Practice 5 questions from this unit →

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