Westward Expansion
By the end of this unit you will be able to:
Analyze the causes and effects of Westward Expansion,
Explain why people moved and the impact they had on the land and
people that they encountered
Big Understanding:
When people move to solve their problems, they often create new problems.
Big Questions:
What is progress in a society?
How do define progress?
Why do nations feel the need to expand their own territory?
Was Western Expansion helpful or harmful?
You will be able to:
Identify and analyze the importance of a variety of elements during the Expansion era,
including any/all of the following:
- Louisiana Purchase
- War of 1812
- Monroe Doctrine
- Jacksonian Democracy
- Major treaties with American Indian
Describe the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives associated with westward
expansion, including the concept of the Manifest Destiny, including:
- Lewis and Clark Expedition
- American Indian nations’ responses to expansion
- Transcontinental railroad and minority labor
- New status of western “pioneer women,”
- Oregon Trail
- Gold Rush
- Mexican/American War.
Assignments to show what
you know:
Unit Project:
You are a newspaper reporter / pioneer heading west. Create a scrapbook with text,
pictures, drawings, or artifacts that describes what your journey was like, and why you
are doing what you are doing. Also, as a reporter, you will need to write an article
analyzing each of the events that contributed to Westward expansion. (This can be
electronic or by hand.) In your analysis, you should answer the essential questions from
our unit concerning progress, expansion, and how those ideas can affect others.
Persuasive writing - Manifest Destiny
In a persuasive essay, present your opinion on Manifest Destiny. Do you think, in terms
of progress, it was a positive or a negative idea? Use events, facts, and examples to
support your opinion, and balance your opinion with individual rights and the common
good. Use ideas from the John O’Sullivan article in your essay.
Jacksonian Democracy
Take the role of President Andrew Jackson. You will write an autobiography, including
what type of person you are, how you got elected (challenges, etc) and most importantly,
what changes you made and how those changes affected the country and politics in
America.
Literature Connection
After reading “the Eternal Frontier” by Louis L’Amour, (and answering response
questions) create a product that shows/explains your beliefs about a personal “frontier”.
L’amour states: “It is our destiny to move out, to accept the challenge, to dare the
unknown. It is our destiny to achieve.” Do you agree with this? How does that play out in
your life? In your product, describe how you might do this in your life. (Setting goals,
becoming a better person, etc)
Timeline
Create a timeline showing the major events of Westward Expansion. Each event should
include why the event was important and what effects it had on a certain group of people.
If you want, you can incorporate this into your scrapbook, but you don’t have to.