Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Settling the Great Salt Lake
This site provides a brief account of Brigham Young and his Mormon followers as they settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
US Army Center
U.s. Army Center of Military History: Winning the West: The Army in the Indian Wars
This is a chapter excerpt from a book on military history which details the role of the United States Army in the Indian Wars for the years 1865 to 1890.
US National Archives
Our Documents:president Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian Removal' (1830)
On December 6, 1830, President Jackson spoke to Congress about his position on relocating Indians in order to make way for settlers in the west. This paved the way for government policy in dealing with native peoples even after his...
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Moving West
The National Postal Museum provides an intimate look at how America's postal service expanded to meet the needs of westward-moving settlers during the nineteenth century. Content includes a selection of letters written at the time, a...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Last Frontier
Describes the various forces and events that shaped the expansion of the western frontier in the mid- to late 1800s.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Grandest Enterprise Under God
The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," depicts the coming of the railroad throughout the west and the consequences of the settling of the west.
Canadian Museum of History
Cmc: The Last Best West: Advertising for Immigrants to Western Canada
Government claims to lands in Western Canada was one matter but maintaining sovereignty over these lands was quite another. Sir John A Macdonald's approach to maintaining sovereignty in western Canada by not losing the land to American...
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Impact of Expansion on Chinese Immigrants and Hispanic Citizens
As white populations moved westward in the 19th century, Chinese immigrants and Hispanic Americans faced racism and discrimination and were unable to compete on an equal basis for land. Eventually, both groups settled into urban areas...
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Orphan Trains
A site telling of the trains during the late 1800s that took orphans and unwanted children from the cities and transported them to the West to work on farms and hopefully be adopted.
Other
Pioneer Women: How the West Was Really Won
Learn about the varied roles that women played in the settling of the frontier, how those roles differed from women's roles in the 21st century, and, surprisingly, how much they were similar.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Taming the American West
Comprehensive teaching unit that explores the settling of the American West in the late 1800s and the challenges these settlers faced. Contains video and text materials, web interactives, student oriented activities, and a timeline of...
Indiana University
Victorian Women Writers Project: A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (1881)
Provides the text of the book, "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains," by Isabella L. Bird.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Whose Land Is This? Webisode 8
From Joy Hakim's marvelous set of books, A History of US, this webisode offers narrative, pictures, and teaching guides for the settling of the West after the Civil War.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: African American Settlers
This presents an overview of African Americans moving and settling in the West.
Other
Prairie Traveler: A Handbook for Overland Expeditions
Written in 1859, this handbook provided pioneers with valuable guidance on everything from choosing which route to gake to the west, to what kinds of tents to use, to how to deal with Indians. It was an invaluable source for those making...
PBS
Pbs the West: Exodusters
Contains a description of the Exodusters and their impact on the American West through their immigration.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Journeys West
A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"
![Loc: Primary Source Set: Westward Expansion Teacher's Guide [Pdf] Lesson Plan](http://lessonplanet.com/content/resources/thumbnails/410042/large/bwluav9tywdpy2symdiwmduymc0ymjm1lwl2exnyai5qcgc.jpg?1589985000 "Loc: Primary Source Set: Westward Expansion Teacher's Guide [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Library of Congress
Loc: Primary Source Set: Westward Expansion Teacher's Guide [Pdf]
As the United States expanded westward, many cultural groups came into contact with one another, such as Native American tribes, Chinese, and various Europeans. In this set of exercises, students use primary source documents to explore...
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Ap Us History: Unit 5: A New Order
This extensive learning module examines the impact of the Gilded Age upon new cultural and intellectual movements, expansion of foreign trade, and political debates over economic and social policies, as well as the impact of the rise of...
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
Alberta Online Encyclopedia: The Land of Opportunity: Heritage Trails
This is a collection of audio and text files that describes Alberta's early history as the west is opened for settlement. Included are the stories about the great migration of immigrants from all over Europe, Asia and North America who...
Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: Seeking the Story of Mission Beach
Mission Beach, Alberta has a history of Aboriginal people of different tribes and Christian missionaries of different faiths meeting together, making it the first mission west of the Red River Settlement.The exhibit includes historic...
Other
Doing History/keeping the Past: Farmers and Ranchers of Colorado
An essay on how farmers and ranchers lived and created communities in Colorado in the late nineteenth century. This was the period following the initial migrations of pioneers and homesteaders into the West.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Land Departments and Immigration
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes what the Land Department and the Bureau of Immigration did in order to attract new immigrants to settle along the railroad line. The...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Stories of the Westward Expansion: Exodus to Freedom
Contains an article written on the African American exodus to Kansas to farm in the late 19th century.
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