Which federal policy most directly reduced the size of the reservations shown after 1887?

Answer: The Dawes Severalty Act, which broke up tribal lands into individual allotments and sold the 'surplus.' The 1887 Dawes Act allotted 160-acre plots to individual Native heads of household and opened "surplus" reservation land to white settlement, transferring roughly two-thirds of Native lands by 1934.

The Homestead Act (1862)

Answer: Offered 160 acres of free land to settlers who lived on and improved it for 5 years Encouraged settlement; though much "free" land actually went to speculators and corporations.

The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 at

Answer: Promontory Point, Utah Built largely by Chinese laborers (west) and Irish (east); transformed western development.

AP US History · Topic 6.2

Westward Expansion: Economic Development Practice

Part of Period 6: 1865–1898.

Practice questions

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Sample questions

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Sample 1difficulty 3/5
$Which federal policy most directly reduced the size of the reservations shown after 1887?$
- A
  $The Dawes Severalty Act, which broke up tribal lands into individual allotments and sold the 'surplus.'$
  check_circle
- B
  $The Indian Reorganization Act, which expanded tribal sovereignty.$
- C
  $The Homestead Act, which guaranteed reservation boundaries.$
- D
  $The Treaty of Fort Laramie, which restored Sioux lands.$
Why
$The 1887 Dawes Act allotted 160-acre plots to individual Native heads of household and opened "surplus" reservation land to white settlement, transferring roughly two-thirds of Native lands by 1934.$
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Sample 2difficulty 3/5
$The Homestead Act (1862)$
- A
  $Granted vast tracts of public land directly to large corporations$
- B
  $Restricted western settlement to preserve federal land for railroads$
- C
  $Banned slavery in all newly admitted western states and territories$
- D
  $Offered 160 acres of free land to settlers who lived on and improved it for 5 years$
  check_circle
Why
$Encouraged settlement; though much "free" land actually went to speculators and corporations.$
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Sample 3difficulty 3/5
$The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 at$
- A
  $Chicago, Illinois$
- B
  $Promontory Point, Utah$
  check_circle
- C
  $St. Louis, Missouri$
- D
  $Sacramento, California$
Why
$Built largely by Chinese laborers (west) and Irish (east); transformed western development.$
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