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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 5: 1844-1877The Mexican–American War

The Mexican–American War (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

6 mins6 questions
11 mark

“Question. How many persons in all, should you say? 

Answer. About 500 we estimate them at five to a lodge. 

Question. 500 men, women, and children? 

Answer. Yes, sir. 

Question. Do you know the reason for that attack on the Indians? 

Answer. I do not know any exact reason. I have heard a great many reasons given. I have heard that the whole Indian war had been brought on for selfish purposes. Colonel Chivington was running for Congress in Colorado, and there were other things of that kind, and last spring a year ago he was looking for an order to go to the front, and I understand he had this Indian war in view to retain himself and his troops in that country, to carry out his electioneering purposes…

Question. Had there been, to your knowledge, any hostile act or demonstration on the part of these Indians or any of them? 

Answer. Not in this band. But the northern band, the band known by the name of Dog Soldiers of Cheyennes, had committed many depredations on the Platte. 

Question. Do you know whether or not Colonel Chivington knew the friendly character of these Indians before he made the attack upon them? 

Answer. It is my opinion that he did.”

John S. Smith, “Congressional Testimony of Mr. John S. Smith Washington,” interview in Congress, March 14, 1865

According to Smith’s statement, how had the Indigenous people of Sand Creek acted towards the U.S. Army?

  • The Indigenous tribe had attacked Colonel Chivington’s forces first, which resulted in the conflict

  • Sand Creek housed a peaceful tribe of men, women, and children who were not combative toward the U.S. Army

  • Dog soldiers in the Sand Creek band had acted hostile and violent towards Colonel Chivington

  • Chivington was unaware that the tribe in Sand Creek was not the militant Indigenous people that he was assigned to subdue

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21 mark

“Question. How many persons in all, should you say? 

Answer. About 500 we estimate them at five to a lodge. 

Question. 500 men, women, and children? 

Answer. Yes, sir. 

Question. Do you know the reason for that attack on the Indians? 

Answer. I do not know any exact reason. I have heard a great many reasons given. I have heard that the whole Indian war had been brought on for selfish purposes. Colonel Chivington was running for Congress in Colorado, and there were other things of that kind, and last spring a year ago he was looking for an order to go to the front, and I understand he had this Indian war in view to retain himself and his troops in that country, to carry out his electioneering purposes…

Question. Had there been, to your knowledge, any hostile act or demonstration on the part of these Indians or any of them? 

Answer. Not in this band. But the northern band, the band known by the name of Dog Soldiers of Cheyennes, had committed many depredations on the Platte. 

Question. Do you know whether or not Colonel Chivington knew the friendly character of these Indians before he made the attack upon them? 

Answer. It is my opinion that he did.”

John S. Smith, “Congressional Testimony of Mr. John S. Smith Washington,” interview in Congress, March 14, 1865

Based on Smith’s statement, what can you infer about the government’s reaction to the Sand Creek Massacre?

  • Chivington’s actions against the Sand Creek tribe were condemned by the U.S. government

  • Congress investigated the Sand Creek Massacre and determined that Chivington acted honorably

  • There was a muted reaction to the Sand Creek Massacre as the Civil War pre-occupied the U.S. government

  • Congress understood Chivington’s reasons for committing the massacre and felt they were justified

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31 mark

“Question. How many persons in all, should you say? 

Answer. About 500 we estimate them at five to a lodge. 

Question. 500 men, women, and children? 

Answer. Yes, sir. 

Question. Do you know the reason for that attack on the Indians? 

Answer. I do not know any exact reason. I have heard a great many reasons given. I have heard that the whole Indian war had been brought on for selfish purposes. Colonel Chivington was running for Congress in Colorado, and there were other things of that kind, and last spring a year ago he was looking for an order to go to the front, and I understand he had this Indian war in view to retain himself and his troops in that country, to carry out his electioneering purposes…

Question. Had there been, to your knowledge, any hostile act or demonstration on the part of these Indians or any of them? 

Answer. Not in this band. But the northern band, the band known by the name of Dog Soldiers of Cheyennes, had committed many depredations on the Platte. 

Question. Do you know whether or not Colonel Chivington knew the friendly character of these Indians before he made the attack upon them? 

Answer. It is my opinion that he did.”

John S. Smith, “Congressional Testimony of Mr. John S. Smith Washington,” interview in Congress, March 14, 1865

Which of the following events of the nineteenth century reflects a continuation of the treatment of Indigenous peoples as described in the excerpt?

  • The Indian Peace Commission

  • The Battle of the Little Big Horn

  • Fetterman’s Massacre

  • The creation of Indian boarding schools

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41 mark
A group of people sit in front of a rustic wooden shelter made of logs, with a conical tent in the background on an open, arid landscape.
George Weister, An Indigenous family on a reservation in Eastern Oregon, c1900

What was the primary goal of the reservation system depicted in the photograph?

  • To provide Indigenous people with land ownership and economic independence

  • To assimilate Indigenous people into Euro-American society by restricting their traditional, often nomadic, lifestyles

  • To protect Indigenous people's sovereignty and self-governance, respecting traditional tribal structures of government

  • To encourage the return of Indigenous people to their original lands

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51 mark
A group of people sit in front of a rustic wooden shelter made of logs, with a conical tent in the background on an open, arid landscape.
George Weister, An Indigenous family on a reservation in Eastern Oregon, c1900

Which of the following federal policies established the reservation system for Indigenous people?

  • The Dawes Act

  • The Indian Removal Act

  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act

  • The Indian Appropriations Act

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61 mark
A group of people sit in front of a rustic wooden shelter made of logs, with a conical tent in the background on an open, arid landscape.
George Weister, An Indigenous family on a reservation in Eastern Oregon, c1900

The continuities of the sentiments expressed in the excerpt can be seen in later government policies toward marginalized communities such as

  • The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which sought to restore tribal self-governance and cultural preservation

  • Extending the franchise in the United States through the Voting Rights Act of 1965

  • Occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indigenous activists in 1969

  • Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, which exemplified government-sanctioned control over minority populations

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