United States History to 1877

Expansion and Reform: 1801 to 1861

USI.8

The student will demonstrate knowledge of westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to 1861 by

a) describing territorial expansion and how it affected the political map of the United States, with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Florida, Texas, Oregon, and California;
b) identifying the geographic and economic factors that influenced the westward movement of settlers;
c) describing the impact of inventions, including the cotton gin, the reaper, the steamboat, and the steam locomotive, on life in America;
d) identifying the main ideas of the abolitionist and suffrage movements.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Begin the unit by asking students what factors influenced westward migration.
Explain that westward migration was influenced by geography and economic opportunity.
Have students brainstorm reasons why they would want to move westward during this time period. Then have students brainstorm reasons why they would not. Also have them brainstorm why the government tried to encourage people to move west and who already lived in these areas.
Create a simulation in the classroom. Label each side North, West, East, and South. Assign 90% of your class to sit on the eastern side (you can even have several students share a desk by pulling up chairs). Assign the remaining 10% of the students to sit in the western side where there should be plenty of room.
Tell students that they may move westward if they are uncomfortable, but remind them of their reasons that they would not want to move earlier. Charge each student to sit where they are (simulate property tax). Tell students that their fee will be cheaper if they move to the western side of the classroom. As students begin to move west, explain to them about the Homestead Act and the availability of cheap and fertile land.
Make sure you have some students still living in the east or list all of these stipulations on the board at once. Choose one student who lives in the west. Ask him to read a slip of paper that says, "It is 1849, and I have struck gold. There seems to be too much of it for me to handle on my own." Explain to students that there were several economic opportunities and motivations for people to move westward, and the gold rush was one of them. Clarify that gold wasn't the only economic opportunity. You can also create scenarios for slaves to run free if they go westward, and there were new jobs, such as logging and farming.
Ask students what obstacles they would encounter if they move west. Show students a physical map of the United States and plot their course. Explain that westward settlers had to cross several mountain ranges and cross a lot of rivers. Have the students research forms of transportation used during this time period and point out the key ways described in the Essential Knowledge (such as the Erie Canal, steamboat, and overland trails, including the Santa Fe Trail and Oregon Trail).
Have students choose one reason to move westward and write a journal entry from the point of view of an adventurous settler. For the Moving West Journal Entry worksheet, CLICK HERE.
Review the geographic and economic factors that influenced westward movement providing background information on each.

Population growth in the eastern states
Availability of cheap, fertile land
Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush), logging, farming, and freedom (for runaway slaves)
Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and canals (Erie Canal), steamboats
Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)
Belief in the right of "Manifest Destiny" -- The idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country.

Many believed expansion was good for the country, and that it was the right of the citizens to claim land in these new regions. This idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country was called "Manifest Destiny." Several events made the idea of "Manifest Destiny" a reality. Because of the exploration completed by Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, Jim Bridger, missionaries and others there was knowledge of the overland trails, particularly the Oregon and Santa Fe trails.
Complete the worksheet with notes about westward expansion. For the Notes: Western Movement, CLICK HERE.

WEB SITES

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/westward.html
Westward Expansion

http://www.pbs.org/goldrush/
California Gold Rush

http://www.eriecanal.org/
Erie Canal

http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/histhome.html
Oregon Trail

http://www.nps.gov/safe/
Santa Fe Trail

http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/manifest_destiny_overview.html
PBS Manifest Destiny

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamship.htm
History of steamboats

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/transport/steamboats.html
Steamboats

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