California History

Which city grew rapidly as a port and commercial center during the Gold Rush?

• Phoenix
• San Francisco
• Denver
• Portland, Maine

What was one environmental effect of Gold Rush mining?

• Elimination of all floods
• Formation of the Pacific Ocean
• Creation of the Sierra Nevada
• Damage to rivers and landscapes

Under which national political agreement was California admitted as a free state?

• Treaty of Versailles
• Missouri Compromise of 1820 only
• Articles of Confederation
• Compromise of 1850

What major transportation development connected California more directly with the rest of the United States in 1869?

• Erie Canal
• Interstate Highway System
• First transcontinental railroad
• Panama Canal

How did railroads help California’s economy after the Gold Rush?

• They gave farms and cities better access to wider markets.
• They ended all agriculture.
• They isolated California from other states.
• They replaced every port.

What changed as California passed from Spanish to Mexican and then U.S. rule?

• The Pacific Ocean moved east.
• Political institutions and patterns of landholding changed.
• All cities were abandoned.
• California’s geography disappeared.

How did the Gold Rush affect California’s path to statehood?

• Rapid population growth accelerated the push for state government.
• It delayed settlement for a century.
• It reduced the need for government.
• It returned California to Spain.

What important coincidence occurred in 1848?

• The transcontinental railroad and Golden Gate Bridge opened.
• Gold was discovered and the Mexican-American War formally ended.
• Hollywood and Silicon Valley were founded the same day.
• California became the 50th state and Disneyland opened.

How did the Compromise of 1850 affect California?

• It returned California to Mexico.
• It admitted California as a free state.
• It divided California into five states.
• It made California a British colony.

Why did California’s capital move among several cities in its early years?

• Federal law required annual moves.
• Every city was destroyed by gold mining.
• The new state was still deciding on a practical permanent seat of government.
• California had no government at all.

Why did Sacramento become important during the Gold Rush era?

• It contained the largest desert.
• It was California’s only seaport.
• It was near mining regions and useful transportation routes.
• It was next to the Mexican capital.

What did the transcontinental railroad reduce for California?

• Its number of counties.
• Its mountain elevations.
• Its Pacific coastline.
• Its isolation from eastern U.S. markets.

Which changes were supported by new rail connections in California?

• Migration, commerce, agriculture, and urban growth
• Only state symbols
• Only coastal erosion
• Only mountain snowfall