Curated OER
Manifest Destiny and the Commercial Conquest of the United States
Students examine the role of commerce in the United States to help fulfill Manifest Destiny. They write commercials that could have been used by the Mexicans or Americans during the Mexican War.
Curated OER
Indian Removal to the Great American Desert
Seventh graders examine American policies to relocate Native Americans. In this Native American history lesson, 7th graders determine why Native Americans were relocated and investigate their response to the policies as they analyze...
Curated OER
American Indians
Learners research early Indian adaptations in this instructional activity. They research the different American Indian tribes. They also research and compare the tribes' rituals, daily lives, and their impact on the Europeans who came...
Curated OER
Rivers to the West
Middle schoolers discuss the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the reasons they may have chosen to follow certain rivers. They list the rivers that start from St. Louis and follow the route of Lewis and Clark. Students trace and label the...
Curated OER
Jefferson Administration
Students research the major domestic issues that were present during the administration of Thomas Jefferson including the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, Lewis and Clark's expedition, and his foreign policy. They investigate...
Curated OER
Keys' Desert Queen Ranch
Students complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible field trip to Keys' Desert Queen Ranch in Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles.
Curated OER
Sioux Treaty of 1868
Pupils explore and research the history of Native Americans in North America.
Curated OER
Challenges Faced by the New Nation's Presidents
Sixth graders, while in the computer lab utilizing the internet, locate primary sources to interpret and analyze the struggle of the new nation to gain the respect of European countries. They interact with a worksheet that organizes...
Curated OER
Learning about Native Americans through Artifact Analysis and Artwork
Sixth graders assess how a Native American's environment and the geographic region where they lived influenced their food, clothing, shelter and the overall culture of a tribe. They study the impact of conservation, family, rural life,...
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher of Freedom
Learners view a documentary on Thomas Jefferson. Statesman, scientist, architect, president-he was America's dashing Renaissance man. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then write their own version of a biography of Thomas...
Curated OER
Philadelphia's Important Contribution to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Students analyze a primary source document (Jefferson's secret letter to Congress) and identify its objectives through the aid of focus questions. They complete a graphic organizer and write an article summarizing Philadelphia's...
OpenStax
Open Stax: u.s. History: The Westward Spirit
From a chapter on America's expansion westward in a history textbook. This section looks at how Americans felt about westward expansion in the mid-1800s, and ways that the federal government promoted migration. Includes review questions.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Westward Expansion: The Louisiana Purchase
Read about the fortuitous purchase made that doubled the size of the United States. See why Napoleon was willing to sell the land, and find out about the quandary Thomas Jefferson was in as he had to go against his strict construction...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Jeffersonian Ideology
An easy to understand overview of the thinking of Thomas Jefferson in terms of politics and the role of the people in political action. See what he feared as the nation was becoming industrialized, and read about the contradictions in...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Gold in California
The gold rush in California accelerated the western migration of thousands of young American men, who streamed into California to find riches. See who else arrived in California and find out what they did. In addition, there is a map...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Missouri Compromise
A good look at the issues debated about the admission of new states, particularly those that would be made from the Louisiana Purchase. Read about why the issue of allowing slavery in the new states was such a hard decision for Congress....
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Cold War Erupts
World War II ended in 1945 and the Cold War began immediately. Read about the mistrust Western Europe and the United States felt towards the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin. Learn how the Soviets expanded their realm of influence and...
US Geological Survey
Usgs: The Four Great Surveys of the West
This site provides historic images of the expanding frontier taken by military and private citizens from 1861-1912.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution (Part 1)
Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S.government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons, the...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution (Part 3)
Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S. government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons, the...