The American West

The urge to explore seems built-in to most people. Perhaps the instinct has always been within us, reaching back to our ancestors, to chart out the horizon, tame the wilds, and make the unknown known. This was the spirit that called out to the early American settlers who looked out west from their communities and wondered how many new and exciting opportunities awaited them just beyond the veil of comfortable familiarity. The biggest problem with that? Most of those lands were already spoken for.

America’s period of westward expansion was truly fascinating as it gave rise to multiple unique historic conflicts and a number of iconic figures who have since gone on to become cultural heroes or villains. There is an intersection between fact and fiction throughout the history of the American West, and this quiz will examine broad swaths of that period while paying special attention to the most important facts that shaped its legacy.

Expect to hear about gunslinging outlaws, Native American leaders, and all manner of trailblazers whose work out on the frontier led to its permanent settlement. We will also touch on a handful of the most important events that truly embody what made the American West such a unique concept as it pushed further and further away from the rest of the country.

As much as to test, this quiz is meant to inform, so we hope you come out of it knowing something new. How much do you know about this iconic historical topic? Take our quiz, The American West, to find out.

Good luck. See how well you know the american west.