Free Texas History General Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Where in Texas was it the most difficult for the Native Americans who lived there to find food?
- Plains
- Southeastern
- Western Gulf (Correct answer)
- Puebloan
Correct answer: Western Gulf
For Native American groups like the Karankawa and Coahuiltecan, finding food was most difficult in the Western Gulf region of Texas. This area presented a harsh, arid environment with limited natural resources, making survival challenging. These hunter-gatherer societies relied on scarce coastal resources and small game, necessitating constant movement and adaptation to their demanding surroundings.
Question 2: Which expeditions gave Spain a helpful map of the Texas coast?
- Narvaez expedition
- Cabeza de Vaca expedition
- Moscoso expedition
- Alvarez de Pineda expedition (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Alvarez de Pineda expedition
The Alvarez de Pineda expedition in 1519, led by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, was instrumental in providing Spain with a helpful map of the Texas coast. This expedition was the first European venture to chart the entire Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico. Pineda's detailed mapping efforts significantly advanced Spain's geographical understanding of the region, paving the way for future exploration and colonization.
Question 3: On his quest to locate the city of Cibola, Coronado traversed what geographical feature of Texas.
- Llano Estacado (Correct answer)
- Edwards Plateau
- Rio Grande Valley
- Hill Country
Correct answer: Llano Estacado
On his quest to locate the mythical city of Cibola in the 1540s, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado traversed the vast and distinctive geographical feature of the Llano Estacado. This immense, flat, and treeless plain, located primarily in the Texas Panhandle, was a significant part of his extensive journey through the American Southwest. Its unique landscape presented both challenges and opportunities for his expedition.
Question 4: An empresario is what?
- A connection between two or more individuals
- A person who was authorized by the government to bring settlers into Texas (Correct answer)
- The legal right to own a piece of property in Texas
- Someone who purchases vast tracts of property and then sells it to others
Correct answer: A person who was authorized by the government to bring settlers into Texas
An empresario was a land agent or contractor authorized by the Spanish, and later Mexican, government to bring settlers into Texas. These individuals received large land grants in exchange for recruiting and settling families, often from the United States, into the sparsely populated region. Stephen F. Austin is the most famous example, successfully fulfilling his father's empresario contract and becoming known as the 'Father of Texas'.
Question 5: What factors discouraged many Mexicans from settling in Texas between 1821 and 1826?
- French attacks were frequent.
- Texas experienced an epidemic in the early 1800s.
- They feared attacks from Native Americans. (Correct answer)
- There was no good farmland in Texas.
Correct answer: They feared attacks from Native Americans.
Between 1821 and 1826, many Mexicans were discouraged from settling in Texas primarily due to the constant threat of attacks from powerful Native American tribes, particularly the Comanche and Apache. These indigenous groups fiercely resisted encroachment on their ancestral lands, making settlement in the frontier regions dangerous and unstable. This fear of conflict significantly hindered Mexican colonization efforts in Texas.
Question 6: An empresario was Moses Austin.
- TRUE (Correct answer)
- FALSE
Correct answer: TRUE
This statement is TRUE. Moses Austin was indeed an empresario. He was the first American to receive a land grant from the Spanish government in 1821, with the intention of bringing Anglo-American settlers to Texas. Although he passed away before he could fulfill his contract, his son, Stephen F. Austin, inherited and successfully carried out his father's empresario grant, establishing the first Anglo-American colony in Texas.
Question 7: What military branch did Charles Whitman, the shooter who killed six people at the University of Texas in 1966, serve in?
- Navy
- Army
- Marines (Correct answer)
- Air Force
Correct answer: Marines
Charles Whitman, the perpetrator of the tragic 1966 University of Texas tower shooting, served in the United States Marine Corps. He enlisted in 1959 and was honorably discharged in 1964. His military training and experience were later noted as factors contributing to his proficiency with firearms during the horrific event.
Free Texas History General Questions and Answers
Where in Texas was it the most difficult for the Native Americans who lived there to find food?