Manifest Destiny Unit – ACCESS Contract Learning
What is Manifest Destiny?
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Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States should rule all of the land between the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Source: textbook - America’s History (Steck-Vaughn publishers)
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The term was coined by newspaperman John O’Sullivan in 1840’s:
“(It is) our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which
Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federated selfgovernment entrusted to us.”

O’Sullivan was speaking of the annexation of Texas, but once expounded, the idea
encompassed the continent. Americans quickly adapted to the idea that it was their natural
right to annex the Oregon Country, California, Mexican lands in the southwest, Alaska, Hawaii,
and over and over again, the lands of Native Americans. Source: American History Desk
Reference – the New York Public Library

Manifest Destiny was the 19th and 20th century American belief that the United States was
destined to expand across the North American continent. It was used…to justify the war with
Mexico and it was also used to acquire portions of Oregon from the British Empire. The belief
in an American mission to promote and defend democracy throughout the world…continues to
have an influence on American political ideology.
Source: Wikipedia
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Manifest Destiny is one part self-interest, one part romantic -legend. The self-interest part is
regarding the acquisition of land – the romantic legend part was created by artists and authors.
Source: “The Great Courses – Modern History” by The Teaching Company
Lesson Study
Research Questions: Does the use of visual aids (19th Century Artifacts) improve learning? Does the
study of 19th Century art enhance interest and improve understanding of manifest Destiny? If you
frontload the students with vocabulary, will it help them to express themselves better during the
lesson?
Standards
History-Social Science content Standards
 11.2 - 2 Describe the changing landscape, including the growth of cities, linked by industry and
trade, and the development of cities divided according to race, ethnicity, and class.
 11.2 – 3 Trace the effect of the Americanization movement.
 Interrelating ideas and information within and across subject matter areas.
Common Core - general goals for teacher and students
Students will…
 Demonstrate understanding of other perspectives and cultures through reading, listening,
discussion, observation and analysis.
 evaluate other points of view critically and constructively, and vicariously inhabit worlds and
experiences much different than their own.
 Identify artists bias or point of view in paintings
 Synthesize information and apply it to a writing task
 understand “the big picture” of how this all relates to the concept of Manifest Destiny
 Demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary words as it applies to Manifest Destiny
 Understand the impact of technology in westward expansion
 Understand and identify 19th century art expressing period culture and values
Teacher will…
 actively seek thoughtful engagement that builds knowledge, enlarges experiences, and
broadens worldviews.
 establish time, scope, and sequence in which the events of 19th Century America took place, and
establish locations
 encourage use of vocabulary words
 Integrate knowledge and ideas related to 19th Century history (readings, discussions, videos) ,
art (paintings), technology (artifacts)
 Convey the influence of technology in westward expansion
 Compare and contrast the values of the past with those of the present
ELL Component – VOCABULARY - Common Core
 Research suggests that if students are going to grasp and retain words and comprehend text,
they need incremental, repeated exposure in a variety of contexts to the words they are trying
to learn.
 The challenge in reaching what we might call “lexical dexterity” is that, in any given instance, it is
not the entire spectrum of a word’s history, meanings, usages, and features that matters but
only those aspects that are relevant at that moment.
 Students need plentiful opportunities to use and respond to the words they learn through
playful informal talk, discussion, reading or being read to, and responding to what is read.
See cloze Vocabulary Worksheets – also, go to www.puzzlemaker.com to create crossword puzzles
Manifest Destiny Lesson Plan
Objectives and Goal: Students will be able to use new vocabulary to demonstrate their understanding of the
concept Manifest Destiny. Students will learn about the influence of technology on westward expansion in
the 19th Century. Students will how paintings of the time reflect culture, were both a cause and a result of
Manifest Destiny, and how they shaped the popular image of The West.
Frontload: Assign the vocabulary worksheets prior to the lesson. Discuss the words/terms and meanings with
them, applying them in a meaningful way to their lives, and perhaps to 19th Century US History.
Anticipatory Set: First, set behavior expectations.
1) Ask: Why study history? Why learn new vocabulary?
2) Explain that they are expected to use as many of the new vocabulary words/terms related to Manifest
Destiny as they can! Review difficult vocabulary words/terms.
3) Review 19th Century timeline – encourage participation
Direct Instruction:
1) 19th Century Technology – show artifacts, describe, and encourage discussion (this is “the hook”)
Did Technology have an influence on Westward Expansion? How has technology changed?
2) Introduction: Manifest Destiny and Imagery of the West 3) Paintings: Six C’s worksheet – Describe what we will be doing.
Demonstration: Show and analyze several paintings. Next, describe the worksheet and what they will be
doing, then demonstrate the use of the worksheet with one of the paintings. Check for understanding.
Guided practice – distribute/use the worksheet - go through a select painting – encourage analysis, small
group discussion, and cooperative learning
Closure – Summarize – encourage reflection
What is manifest Destiny? How did technology play a part? What about paintings of the era –
how did it reflect the culture and values of the time period?
Independent Practice: Worksheet: Quotes from the 19th Century.
Assessment and follow-up: Evaluate six C’s worksheet, vocabulary worksheets, quotes worksheet, other
supplemental reading assignments, and take a field trip to the Autry Museum!
ELL Component: Cloze Vocabulary Worksheets and Crossword Puzzles – Please see standards page
FRONTLOAD: Teach these words/terms before the lesson.
Vocabulary – Week #1 Source: Collins COBUILD Learner’s dictionary
1) Manifest: plainly obvious; self-evident
2) Destiny: The force which some people believe controls the things that happen to you in your life
3) Entitlement: the right to have something or be able to do something
4) Colonialism: a political system in which a powerful country directly controls other parts of the world
and the people who live there
5) Romanticism: the artistic movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries which was
concerned with the expression of the individual’s feelings and emotions
6) Resources: natural materials of value
7) Assimilation: to become accepted as a part of a community
8) Democracy: a system of government where people choose their leaders
9) Technology: methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge
10) Frontier: unclaimed land
Vocabulary – Week #2
1) Treaty: a written agreement between countries
* There have been over 400 treaties with the US government and American Indians – most were not
honored
2) Transcontinental: spanning across a continent
3) Settlers: people who go to live in a new country
4) Primary Source: first-hand information
5) Secondary Source: second-hand information
6) Nationalism: patriotism; pride in one’s citizenship
7) Telegraph: a system of sending messages over long distances by means of electricity, used before the
invention of telephones
8) Culture: 1) a society or civilization…its beliefs, way of life, art, traditions… 2) the habits of the people
in it, or the way that they behave
9) Reservation: an area of land that is kept separate for a particular group of people to live in
Vocabulary – Week #3
1) Arrogant – offensively exaggerating one’s own importance
2) divine – of, relating to, or being God
3) ecology – the science of the relations between living things and their environment
4) environmentalism – the concern with the environment with regard to pollution
5) Century (19th Century) – a period of 100 years - - the 19th Century is 1800 to 1900
6) Legitimate – lawful; conforming to recognized principals or accepted rules or standards
7) Myth – a well-known story to explain natural events of justify religious beliefs or social customs
8) Extinction – a species that is no longer living is considered extinct
9) Infinite – extremely great in amount or degree
10) Inevitable – unavoidable, certain to happen, cannot be avoided
Vocabulary - Week #4
1) Vision – unusual wisdom in foreseeing what is going to happen
2) Diplomacy – the art and practice of conducting negotiations between countries
3) encroachment – to enter gradually or stealthily upon another person’s property or rights
4) negotiate – to talk about a problem or situation in order to solve the problem or arrange an
agreement
5) locusts – large insects that fly in large groups and eat crops
6) capitulate - to stop resisting and do what someone else wants
7) pioneer – people who go to a new part of the country and settle in a part of it that has not been
settled before; the first people to do something and lead the way for others
8) precipice – a very steep cliff on a mountain
9) symbolism – the use of symbols to represent something
10) futile – useless, no chance of succeeding
11) Analogy - likeness in some ways between things that are otherwise unlike, similarity, a comparison:
there is an analogy between the heart and a pump. If you make or draw an analogy between two things,
you show that they are alike in some way.
12) Values – Social principles, standards, or qualities that people consider desirable or worth while.
Vocabulary – Week #5
1) Plain – an extensive area of level or rolling treeless country
2) Promote- to contribute to the growth or prosperity of
3) Migrate – to move from one country or place to another
4) Massacre – the killing of many persons under cruel or atrocious circumstances
5) Ordain – to admit to the ministry by ritual
6) Bison - buffalo
7) Primitive – of, or relating to, an early stage of development through evolution
8) Reconstruction – the reorganization and reestablishment of the seceded (southern) states in the
Union after the Civil War
9) Bias – a prejudice
10) Open Range – an area wherein livestock may lawfully be permitted to run at large
11) Kerosene – a clear liquid which is used as a fuel in lamps
12) Entrepreneur – one who organizes and assumes the risk of a business
13) Providence – divine guidance
VOCABULARY WORKSHEETS – students will do these as independent practice before the lesson
Manifest Destiny/ Westward Expansion -- Vocabulary - Weeks #1 and #2
Treaty
technology
Transcontinental
Nationalism
Telegraph
Colonialism
romanticism
Culture
resources
Settlers
Primary source
Reservation manifest
assimilation
Secondary source
entitlement
democracy technology
destiny
frontier
1. A photograph of a historic event would be a ______________________________.
2. _________________ wires were used to communicate over long distances in the 19th Century.
3. Imperialism is a synonym (it means almost the same thing) for the word___________________.
4. Anything that is considered “normal” in a group is considered a part of its___________________.
5. ________________________ is synonym for “patriotism.”
6. When you sign an agreement to settle a dispute, it is called a ____________________________.
7. There were many valuable___________________________ in the West.
8. The railroad that went all the way from one coast to the other was called the
________________________________________ railroad.
9. Many Native American Indians had to live on a ________________________________________.
10. The telegraph is an example of ______________________________________.
11. Something that is obvious is _________________________________.
12. The open land to the West was often called the _______________________________.
13. A painting that was made one century after an event is a _______________________________.
14. ___________________________ is the idea that the citizens of a country have the power.
15. Those who feel they have the right to something have a sense of __________________________.
16. Native Americans would often kidnap people outside the tribe to resupply their numbers. Being
accepted into the tribe as a member is called_________________________.
17. The artistic expression of ideas and emotions was known as 19th
Century_________________________.
Manifest Destiny Unit – Vocabulary - Weeks 3 and 4
WORD BANK
arrogant
wasteland ecology environmentalism
century
legitimate
myth
extinction
inevitable infinite vision diplomacy encroachment negotiate locusts analogy capitulate pioneer
symbolism
precipice futile
values
Directions: Use a dictionary – fill in the spaces with the appropriate vocabulary words.
1. ______________________ is the study of protecting and preserving nature and the concern with
how pollution affects us.
2. One hundred years is called a _______________________.
3. Land that is considered not fit for habitation is ___________________________.
4. When someone thinks they are unusually important in an offensive way they are being
_________________________.
5. ______________________ is the study of living things, their environments, and how they affect each
other.
6. When a species is killed off and no longer exists, it has become _____________________.
7. Your ___________ of a future situation or society is what you imagine or hope it would be like, if
things were different from the way they are now.
8. Something that is ________________ is acceptable according to the law.
9. A __________ is a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events or to
justify religious beliefs or social customs.
10. _______________________ is the use of things or ideas in order to represent something.
11. If you describe something as ________________, you are emphasizing that it is extremely great in
amount or degree.
12. If you say something is_________________, you mean there is no point in doing it, usually because it
has no chance in succeeding.
13. The _______________ of a person or group are the moral principles and beliefs that they think are
important.
14. A_________________ is a very steep cliff on a mountain.
15. If something is ______________________, it is certain to happen and cannot be prevented or
avoided.
16._______________________ is the activity or profession of managing the relations between the
governments of different countries.
17. If you make or draw an __________________ between two things, you show that they are alike in
some way.
18. If you ____________ you stop resisting and do what someone else wants you to do.
19.___________________ are large insects which fly in large groups and eat crops.
20. Someone is referred to as a __________________ is one of the first people to be involved in
something and develop it.
21. ____________________________ is when something spreads and takes over more and more of that
place.
22. If you ____________________ with another person, you talk about a problem or situation in order
to solve the problem
Manifest Destiny Unit – Vocabulary – Week 5
Word Bank
Open Range
bison
Reconstruction
bias
massacre
migrate
plains
kerosene
promote
ordained
primitive
entrepreneur providence
1) A __________is a very large flat area of land with very few trees on it.
2) If people ________________something, they help or encourage it to happen, increase, or spread.
3) If people ____________________, they move from one place to another, especially to find work or
live somewhere.
4) A_____________________ is the killing of a number of people in a cruel way.
5) The ____________________ is also known as buffalo.
6) Many Americans thought the Native Indians were____________________________.
7) The time after the Civil War was called ________________________________.
8) If a person is ____________________, it means they favor something and disfavor something else.
9) The _______________________ meant that cattle and horses could feed off of the open land.
10) If something is _____________________, it means it has been blessed by God.
11) Lamps would be filled with ______________________________.
12) A ____________________________is a person who sets up a business.
13) Many believed that __________________ led the settlers to the West.
19th Century topics for study & discussion:
Louisiana Purchase – 1803 – from Napoleon – 828,000 square miles for $15 Million
Lewis & Clark Expedition 1804-1806 – Sacagewea (Shoshone) guided them – The journal
entries/drawings are the first true imagery of the west
Indian Removal Act of 1830 – The Trail of Tears - Andrew Jackson signed this, forcing natives to move
west of the Mississippi – gold had been discovered in Georgia
New Echota Treaty - this forced them to move further, to Oaklahoma - The main people who
represented the Cherokee nation and signed the New Echota Treaty were killed by Cherokees. The
Cherokee Nation laws said any man seding land without consent of the nation is punishable by death.
No good or bad guy here – they signed it because they wanted to prevent the annihilation of the
Cherokee.
Texas/Battle at The Alamo – recently discovered and controversial document written by one of Santa
Ana’s men suggests that congressmen Crockett was not last man standing, but instead was executed
after trying to escape with 40 others
US War with Mexico – resulted in US acquisition of New Mexico, Arizona, and California
Discovery of Gold in California - aka “Gold Rush” – further encouraged move westward
Wagon Trains - “Rugged Individualism” – “Frontier Grit” – “Pioneers” – Oregon Trail
The Donner Party – Ill-fated eighty-seven member group of settlers who were trapped in the snow in
the Sierra-Nevada mountains and had to resort to cannibalism to survive.
The Civil War – during Reconstruction, many blacks and former confederates moved west to become
cowboys (and criminals, such as Jesse James)
Homestead Act of 1862: law granting ownership of 160 acres of land to those who live on and develop
unclaimed land in the west
The Indian Wars - The US Government policy alternated between trying to destroy them and trying to
make treaties with them (that whites did not honor)
Regarding Native Americans….
 The Sioux, Cheyenne, and other Plains Indian tribes were warrior societies who lived to fight and
ought not to be romanticized.
 Horses (not indigenous) and participation in fur trade (brought weapons) gave them advantages
for the short-term
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Many tribes had been almost annihilated by small pox and cholera. In 1492 there were an
estimated 15 Million American Indians – by the year 1900 there were as few as 250,000.
Source: Video - Trail of Tears, Rich-Heape films
Much friction between settlers and natives – whites wanted to change the land, Indians wanted
to preserve it the way it was, reservation boundaries were not enforced, etc.
Large Scale hunting of Buffalo ruined Native’s independence - Bison provided meat, robes,
blood for war paint, bones for weapons and tools, stomach for water sacks, dung for fuel…
Technology such as railroad contributed – train passengers would shoot bison for sport –
surveyors were most at risk of Indian attack
Battle of Little Big Horn aka Custer’s last Stand, it was really the last stand of the natives, as it
was their last great victory
Sand Creek Massacre – Horrific massacre of natives in the West
Massacre at Wounded Knee – the white’s reaction to “The Ghost Dance” resulted in an
onslaught
19th Century Technology!!! (Show and tell – hook them!)
First: What is technology? Technology is the study, development, and application of devices, machines,
and techniques for manufacturing and productive processes. Human intervention is the common bond
among technologies.
When I say the word technology, what do you think of? (computers, ipods, etc.)
1) The spike – this represents the trans-continental railroad – “three strokes per spike”
2) “Sticking Tommy” – candle holder - this has a hook to put it in one’s hard hat, or attach it to a
wall – candles were used until people started pulling crude oil – process called “refining”
3) Kerosene lamp – an improvement over the camphene lamp (alcohol and turpentine), but it did
not burn cleanly nor did it provide a very luminous flame.
How has technology/energy changed?
4) Lock for Safe/Truck – What image does this make you think of?
5) Pan – for gold panning – Entrepreneurs made “a killing” selling these
Is technology still as important now as it was then?
6) Branding iron – originated in ancient Egypt - for identifying ownership of cattle – unbranded
cattle were known as “mavericks” and could become the property of anyone able to capture it
and brand it
7) Telegraph –They say the country was “wound with ribbons of iron and wire” (rails for trains and
wire for telegraph). How would you feel about moving west if suddenly you could communicate
with a friend or family member there?
8) Barbed Wire – prevented over-grazing of the range - this changed the west considerably and
discouraged the “Free-grazers” – it caused much conflict between cowboys - where there are
“Open Range” laws, people wanting to keep animals off their property must erect a fence
ART of the 19th Century
Lecture Notes:


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In the 1800’s many people could not read. There were no movies, computers, TV, etc., Paintings
entertained and educated people.
Imagery of the West – these paintings encouraged Congress to create national Parks to protect
our wilderness
Strong themes are animals, nature, and landscapes,
Lewis and Clark’s journal entries were the first images – rather “dry” as opposed to romanticism
that would develop later that century - lists, categories, documentation, simple drawings, etc.
PAINTINGS – Use the analysis worksheets with these
Portrait of Native Americans, 1833 - John Wesley Jarvis
Which detail in the painting represents the idea that American Indians retained their cultural traditions
even though they tried to assimilate into non-Indian society?
Which of the two men – Chief Black Hawk or his son, Whirling Thunder - seemed to have stayed true to
his native American culture? Look at their comparative ages - what does this say about the differences
in their beliefs and feelings about the changing times?

War with the whites was often promoted by the younger members of the tribe – a boy’s rite to
manhood was attained by heroics in hunting or battle
ARTIST GEORGE CATLIN
 Catlin tried to capture the image of the natives, convinced that the culture would
disappear.
 He had hoped his “Indian Gallery” would be profitable but in the end he made no profit
 He was only a “B” artist – lacked technical skill
 Is it primary? They would see it and paint it later, sometimes taking artistic license
 “Indians who had not met whites were good Indians, those who had were bad Indians”
(became drunk, corrupted, etc.)
AH-JON-JON, The Light, going to and Returning from Washington (George Catlin 1832)


Means pigeon’s egg head
Catlin met him – he was brought to Washington and met Jackson, they exchanged uniforms,
when he returned they did not believe him and killed him
Westward the Star of Empire takes its Way, 1867 – Andrew Melrose
How does the left side and the right side of this painting differ?
Currier and Ives View of the West, 1868 – Fanny F. Farner
Look at what is on the left side, and what is on the right side of the painting. What do these different
perspectives symbolize?
What aspect of the painting suggests the imminent coming of ”westward expansion?”
How does this painting represent the idea of “Manifest Destiny?”
American Progress – John Gast 1872
If you were to “modernize” this painting and change the backdrop to a modern city such as downtown
Los Angeles, what would the gal be holding in her hand?
Mountain of the Holy Cross, 1875 Thomas Moran
If there had been any doubt whether you should move west or not, how could one dispute this clear
evidence of providence?
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The west is PARADISE
Artists sometimes took “creative license” to promote drama and aesthetics – Colorado is dry –
compare the painting to a photo
Vanishing Race, 1925 – Edward Curtis

Trail of Tears? Apparently NOT a primary source, based on the date
A Solitary Indian Seated in the Edge of a Precipice – Charles Dias
What does the precipice symbolize?
VOICES (quotes)of the Frontier
“They do not eat them – they leave them to rot where they fall.” (American Indian re: Bison)
“Too many scalps have disappeared from the heads of their legitimate owners to make it safe to prolong
the peace. Whether right or wrong, these railroads will be built.”” Sherman (re: RR builders)
“He is young, very brave, even to rashness, a good trait for a cavalry officer. He is extremely willing to
act and fight, but he has not too much sense.” General Sherman (re: General G.A. Custer)
My friends, circumstances render it impossible that you can flourish amidst a civilized community. You
have but one remedy within your reach, and that is to remove to the west – and the sooner you do this,
the sooner will commence your career of improvement and prosperity.” President Andrew Jackson
“Stories would say, when the Crow were coming to fight, we sent our little boys. When the Mandan
were coming, we sent the old men. But when the Lakota Sioux were coming, we painted our faces for
death, and prepared to die.” The Crete Tribe, regarding their native enemies.
The American realizes that progress is God. The destiny of the American people is to subdue the
continent - the rush over this vast field to the Pacific Ocean – to change darkness into light – and
confirm the destiny of the human race. Divine task – immortal mission – the pioneer army perpetually
strikes to the front. Empire plants itself upon the trails.
William Guildan – discussing the concept of Manifest Destiny
They could not kill him in battle. They had to lie to him, and kill him that way.”
Black Elk, regarding the murder of Crazy Horse
The ill-will of the Yankee rabble against the sons of other nations was rising. The mutual bad feelings
explains the bloody hostilities and the atrocities that we witness every day, in this land of gold and
hope.”
Mexican gold Miner
“I learned that we were but few, and they were many. We are contented to let things remain as the
great spirit made them – they were not, and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit
them. We were like deer, and they were like grizzly bear.”
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce –
This statement contains what analogy?
We’ve reached the land of desert sweet
Where nothing grows for us to eat,
The wind it blows with feverish heat,
Across these plains so hard to beat.
We do not love, we only stay
Cause we’re too poor to move away
I look upon Nebraska plains
And wonder why it never rains.
A homesteader song –
Our belongings were taken from us – even the little medicine bags that our mothers had given us to
protect us from harm. Everything was placed in a heap and set afire.
- Long Wolf as a boy at a School in Virginia for Indians
“The plow will go forward. God speed, the plow. By this wonderful provision, which is only a man’s
mastery over nature, the clouds are dispensing copious rains. The plow is more powerful in peace than
the sword is in war. The instrument that separates civilization from savagery - and converts a desert
into a farm or garden. To be concise – the rain follows the plow.
Humanitarians may weep for the poor Indian, and tell the wrongs he has suffered, but he is passing
away. The American people need the country the Indians now occupy. Many of our people are out of
employment. The masses need some new excitement. An Indian war will do no harm, for it must come
– sooner or later,.
Marl Kellogg – Bismark Tribune
Dressed in a dashing suit of buckskin, prominent everywhere, the general is full of perfect readiness for
a fray with the hostile red devils. And woe to the body of scalp-lifters that comes within reach of himself
and brave comp0anions of arms
Bismark Tribune – (referring to General George Armstrong Custer)
Regarding Art…..
“Art does not simply (or passively) reflect a given culture, but rather actively participates in its formation
and development. A work of art, then, Is the deepest expression of s social , religious, political, as well
as intellectual context.”
Suffolk University – Madrid, Spain
Quote from a Gold Miner in 1849:
"Many, very many, that come here meet with bad success & thousands will leave their bones here. Others will lose
their health, contract diseases that they will carry to their graves with them. Some will have to beg their way home, &
probably one half that come here will never make enough to carry them back. But this does not alter the fact about
the gold being plenty here, but shows what a poor frail being man is, how liable to disappointments, disease & death.
There is a good deal of sin & wickedness going on here, Stealing, lying, Swearing, Drinking, Gambling & murdering.
There is a great deal of gambling carried on here. Almost every public House is a place for Gambling, & this appears
to be the greatest evil that prevails here. Men make & lose thousands in a night, & frequently small boys will go up &
bet $5 or 10 (Equivalent to $115-$225 today) -- & if they lose all, go the next day & dig more. We are trying to get
laws here to regulate things but it will be very difficult to get them executed."
References:
Mr. Shufelt's letter is part of the collection of the Library of Congress A letter from a gold miner, Placerville, California,
March, 1850; Holliday, J.S. Rush for Riches: Gold Fever and the Making of California (1999).
"Gold! Gold! Gold! From the American River!"
- Samuel Brannan, running through the streets of San Francisco waving a bottle of gold dust in the air, 1848
Your name (student)_________________________________
Analysis Worksheet for 19th Century Paintings
Painting Name:_________________________Author:_____________________Date painted:________________
CONTENT: Describe in detail what you see. Refrain from analyzing the meaning of what you see. Think about
describing the image to someone who cannot see it.
CITATION: Consider the Author/Creator of the painting. Who created this and when was it created? Do we know
anything about the artist? Consider: nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, religion.
CONTEXT: What is going on in the country when this was painted? Think about the events of the 19th Century. Can
you think of a President during this time? What was the economy like? Who were the influential people of the time?
What was the culture of the different peoples like – were they similar or different?
CONNECTIONS: How does this image connect with things you already know? What movies do you think of, what
readings does it remind you of? Which vocabulary words that you learned come to mind? Brainstorm everything you
can think of that is relevant to the painting.
Communications: Here is where you do a lot of the analytical work…try to figure out exactly who the painting was
created for and why. What is the “Main Message?” How does the painting express a bias or a point of view? Think
about the vocabulary words you learned, and the cultures of the people of the time. What symbolism do you
recognize? WHY did the artist make this painting? What is the intent of the artist? How is his/her interest of views
communicated in this painting? Is this source reliable? Why or why not?
Conclusions: How does this art reflect the beliefs and values of the culture of the person who created it? Is this work
a cause or a result of manifest Destiny concept?
VOICES of the Frontier WORKSHEET
Directions: Match the name of the person who made the quote with the quote. Look for context clues
to guide you.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
Bismark Tribune – referring to General George Armstrong Custer
General Sherman regarding the safety of the Railroad workers
President Andrew Jackson, regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1930
A member of the Crete Tribe, regarding their enemies
General Sherman regarding General George A. Custer
William Guildan – discussing the concept of Manifest Destiny
Black Elk, regarding the murder of Crazy Horse
Mexican gold Miner
A song/poem by a homesteader
American Indian regarding the Bison
Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce – one of the last great speeches before their defeat
Long Wolf as a boy at a School in Virginia for Indians
M. Marl Kellogg – Bismark Tribune – about the need for the destruction of the Indian
N. - Samuel Brannan, running through the streets of San Francisco waving a bottle of gold dust in the
air, 1848
1. “They do not eat them – they leave them to rot where they fall.”_____________
2. “Too many scalps have disappeared from the heads of their legitimate owners to make it safe to
prolong the peace. Whether right or wrong, these railroads will be built.”___________
3. “He is young, very brave, even to rashness, a good trait for a cavalry officer. He is extremely
willing to act and fight, but he has not too much sense.” ____________________
4.
My friends, circumstances render it impossible that you can flourish amidst a civilized
community. You have but one remedy within your reach, and that is to remove to the west –
and the sooner you do this, the sooner will commence your career of improvement and
prosperity.” ___________________
5. “Stories would say, when the Crow were coming to fight, we sent our little boys. When the
Mandan were coming, we sent the old men. But when the Lakota Sioux were coming, we
painted our faces for death, and prepared to die.” _________________________
6. The American realizes that progress is God. The destiny of the American people is to subdue the
continent - the rush over this vast field to the Pacific Ocean – to change darkness into light – and
confirm the destiny of the human race. Divine task – immortal mission – the pioneer army
perpetually strikes to the front. Empire plants itself upon the
trails.___________________________
7. They could not kill him in battle. They had to lie to him, and kill him that
way.”_______________
8. The ill-will of the Yankee rabble against the sons of other nations was rising. The mutual bad
feelings explains the bloody hostilities and the atrocities that we witness every day, in this land
of gold and hope.” ____________________
9. “I learned that we were but few, and they were many. We are contented to let things remain as
the great spirit made them – they were not, and would change the rivers and mountains if they
did not suit them. We were like deer, and they were like grizzly bear.”_______________
10. We’ve reached the land of desert sweet
Where nothing grows for us to eat,
The wind it blows with feverish heat,
Across these plains so hard to beat.
We do not love, we only stay
Cause we’re too poor to move away
I look upon Nebraska plains
And wonder why it never rains.
_____________________________
11. Our belongings were taken from us – even the little medicine bags that our mothers had given
us to protect us from harm. Everything was placed in a heap and set
afire.____________________
12. Humanitarians may weep for the poor Indian, and tell the wrongs he has suffered, but he is
passing away. The American people need the country the Indians now occupy. Many of our
people are out of employment. The masses need some new excitement. An Indian war will do
no harm, for it must come – sooner or later._______________
13. Dressed in a dashing suit of buckskin, prominent everywhere, the general is full of perfect
readiness for a fray with the hostile red devils. And woe to the body of scalp-lifters that comes
within reach of himself and brave companions of arms. ___________________________
14. "Gold! Gold! Gold! From the American River!"______________________