G U I D E
T O
G E O G R A P H Y
C H A L L E N G E
U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, 1803–1853
140°W
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50°
B R I T I S H
C A N A D A
K
N
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orn
if
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MO
UN
TAI
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LOUISIANA
TERRITORY
UNITED STATES,
1800
S
Santa Fe
Los Angeles
Rio
an
Gr
GADSDEN
PURCHASE
30°N
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Independence
St. Louis
T r a il
sa
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Colo
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New
Orleans
20°N
ATLANTIC
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TEXAS
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MEXICO
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Boston
New York
Ark
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ani
Sp
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Riv
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San
Francisco
Old
Mor m
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Cal
South
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Sacramento
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AP
PA
LA
CH
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CA
SC
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Fort Hall
E A T
G R
U
n Tra
Orego
A
EVAD
S IERRA N
40°N
O
OREGON
COUNTRY
M
Portland
ER
AN
GE
130°W
FLORIDA,
1819
Gulf of Mexico
N
120°W
W
W
EE
S
0
400
110°W
80°W
800 miles
800
miles
0
400
800 kilometers
800
kilometers
LambertAzimuthal
Azimuthal
Equal-Area
Projection
Lambert
Equal-Area
Projection
USI_LG_U05_01
U.S. Territorial Acquisitions, 1803–1853
© Teachers’
Fourth
Proof Curriculum Institute
TCI19 83
10°N
100°W
90°W
Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation 1
G U I D E
T O
G E O G R A P H Y
C H A L L E N G E
Geography Skills
Score 1 point for each correct answer. Use the
map on the previous page to check shading and labeling.
1. Adding the Louisiana Territory in 1803 about
doubled the size of the United States.
2. Texas was added in 1845 and the Mexican
Cession in 1848. The Gadsden Purchase was
the other territory acquired from Mexico.
3. The Oregon Trail crossed the Louisiana
Territory on the way to Portland. The Santa
Fe Trail crossed it on the way to Santa Fe. The
California Trail crossed it on the way to Sacramento.
11.Had the Louisiana Territory not become part
of the United States, Americans traveling to
Oregon and California would have had to
cross land that belonged to another nation.
This might have discouraged Americans from
settling in these regions.
Using Scores to Inform Instruction
Geography Skills A score of 6 out of 9 or better
indicates that students have acquired sufficient
geographic information to proceed with the unit.
4. The United States added Oregon Country in 1846.
Critical Thinking A score of 6 out of 9 or better
indicates that students are beginning to
understand the relationships between physical
geography and the different ways in which people live.
5. The western end of the Old Spanish Trail was
Los Angeles.
Modifying Instruction
6. Following the Santa Fe and Old Spanish trails
to California required settlers to cross the
Arkansas River, Rio Grande, and Colorado
River as well as the Rocky Mountains and
Sierra Nevada. (Note: Students may not be
certain about the Arkansas River.)
7. The California Trail left the Oregon Trail at
Fort Hall.
ELL or Learners with Special Education Needs Consider focusing on map-reading questions
or limiting the number of “Critical Thinking”
questions.
Students with Weak Map or Critical Thinking Skills Assign appropriate pages from the Social Studies
Skills Toolkit in the back of the Lesson Masters.
8. The Mormon, California, and Oregon trails
crossed the Rocky Mountains at South Pass.
Critical Thinking
Questions may have more than one correct
answer. Score 1 to 3 points for each reasonable
answer, depending on the strength of students’
geographic reasoning. Possible answers are given here.
9. By following rivers, the trails provided
travelers with a source of water along much of their journey.
10.Moving wagons over mountains, and with
snow and cold weather, would have been slower
than riding over flat land.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation 2