Curated OER
Who Are The Main Characters?
Middle schoolers are introduced to the main characters in the Lewis and Clark expedition. As a class, they discover background information related to the Corps of Discovery and the people who were involved. They review the material to...
Curated OER
Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Students use maps, readings, letters, photos and drawings to identify why Mormons came to the Las Vegas area and what they hoped to accomplish by establishing an outpost. They consider the roles of early women pioneers and outline their...
Curated OER
The People of Kansas
Students investigate primary sources to experience first- hand accounts of Kansas pioneers. They write an historical fiction letter or skit based on territorial documents.
Curated OER
African Americans and the Move West
Young scholars examine the phases of westward migration in the United States during the 19th century focusing on the incentives that led many African Americans to make the move.
Curated OER
Transportation and African-American Migration
Students explore the means of transportation available in the 19th century and its role as both facilitator and enabler of the westward expansion. They create a project board illustrating their findings.
Curated OER
To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Curated OER
The Deadly Equilibrium Lesson Plan
Learners read a narrative "The Domestic Slave Trade" and answer questions about states' slave trading. They read another narrative "Runaway Journey" and answer questions about runaway slaves. They discuss the impact of the slave trade on...
Curated OER
California Trail and Native Americans
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived on the lands in which the California Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
Curated OER
Negotiating Treaties
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
Library of Congress
Loc: Thomas Jefferson: The West
This resource explains Jefferson's interest in westward expansion while showing and describing many original documents.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Treasures: A More Perfect Union: Gallery B
This is a large site from American Treasures covering primary source documents from the early 1800s through the Civil War and on to Western Expansion.
Library of Congress
Loc: Immigration: Destroying the Native American Cultures
This resource provides an account of the status of Native American cultures during the settlement of America. There are thoughts from various presidents through the ages. Many heart-breaking incidents in regard to Native American...
Library of Congress
Loc: National Expansion and Reform 1815 1880
Follow the territorial and westward expansion of the newly formed United States. Learn about the thriving slave trade of that era and the spread of reform efforts across the country.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Western Migration Towards the Interior
This resource provides an essay discussing the migration of American colonists into the Ohio River Valley and the impact on the Native Americans living in the area.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Living the Revolution: Expansion
Primary source documents on westward expansion convey the impact expanison had on national unity and provides a sense of interactions with Native Americans. Includes reading guide, links to supplemental material, and questions for...
US National Archives
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library: Pioneer Life With Laura
This site is an integrated teaching unit on pioneer life and Westward Movement of the United States, using books by author Laura Ingalls Wilder. It includes suggested read-alouds, a wealth of large and small group activities, a pioneer...
New York Public Library
Western Migration: The Land Promised Lesson Plan: African American Homesteaders
Part of an online exhibit on the westward migration of African-Americans, this lesson plan looks at those with agricultural backgrounds who moved west following the Civil War and availed themselves of the opportunity to homestead....
US National Archives
Our Documents: Northwest Ordinance (1787)
Learn about this document that charted a government for the Northwest Territory. View the complete text and images of the original document.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Landscape Painting
A Smithsonian website plus lesson plans on the art of landscape painting. Includes details on landscape painting techniques to create the illusion of depth and space as well as information on four landscape artists.
US National Archives
Our Documents: The Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803)
A fantastic site from the Our Documents group that allows visitors to see an original copy of the Louisiana Purchase Treaty of 1803. This treaty allowed the United States to purchase a tract of land west of the Mississippi River that was...
Tom Richey
Tom Richey: The Crisis of the Union (1835 1860)
Teachers and students will enhance their lessons with the videos, lessons, and slideshows presented. This unit sets the stage for a nation expanding west following the Texas Revolution.
PBS
Pbs the West: Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight (1836-1929) was one of the most prosperous cattleman of the American West. Read a thorough biography about him here at this site.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Pacific Railway Act: July 1, 1862
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Songs of the Plains a Selection of Cowboy Folk Songs
Explore the lyrics of five cowboy songs from 1860's and 1870's.