National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience: 1848
Thoreau's essay that calls for citizens to break unjust laws, particularly those promoting the continuation and expansion of slavery.
Digital History
Digital History: Conquering Space
A good review of how the rise of nationalism led to western expansion, support for federal funds to build infrastructure, and the protection of new American industry.
Tom Richey
Tom Richey: Conquest of the American West
This PowerPoint presentation will thoroughly illustrate the significant role the transcontinental railroad played in the economic and cultural development of the nation as it expanded west. What did the political leadership of the nation...
iCivics
I Civics: Manifest Destiny
Students will learn about the ideology of Manifest Destiny and how it affected different populations and demographics of the U.S. during its expansion.
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.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Free Soil or Slave? The Dilemma of the West
By reading this section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion," students will be able to describe the terms of the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850, discuss why the Free-Soil Party objected to the westward expansion of slavery and...
OpenStax
Open Stax: Lewis and Clark
By reading this section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion," students will be able to explain the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and describe the terms of the Adams-Onis Treaty and the role played by the filibuster in American...
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Loss of American Indian Life and Culture
Read this section from a chapter on "Westward Expansion" to learn about the methods that the U.S. government used to address the "Indian threat" during the settlement of the West and explain the process of "Americanization" as it applied...
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Missouri Crisis
This section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion" explains why the North and South differed over the admission of Missouri as a state and how the admission of new states to the Union threatened to upset the balance between free and slave...
Agriculture in the Classroom
U.s. Department of Agriculture: Agriculture in the Classroom
Information about agriculture and agricultural practice in America. You can explore specific states or issues that are national in scope. The "Growing a Nation" page helps you understand the role of the American farm in westward expansion.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: The Path to Women's Suffrage
Students analyze maps and primary documents and share stories of the Westward Expansion relating to gaining women's suffrage.
![U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/249025-9f5e44d8a919bd8ec2d9ad8c543a3d75.jpg?1661243093 "U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
US Mint
U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf]
In this four-part lesson, examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's Expedition. Then take the students on a simulated bison hunt to understand the importance of the bison as a food and materials source in...
![U.s Mint: Which Side Is Which [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/249033-ff1ff264a293b5ffb6c4bba64baec78d.jpg?1661243090 "U.s Mint: Which Side Is Which [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
US Mint
U.s Mint: Which Side Is Which [Pdf]
Introduce learners to the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's Expedition. Then take a look at the Peace Medal nickel and differentiate between heads and the tails sides. Finally, do a coin-flip activity, and record and analyze the...
Other
Gateway New Orleans: Louisiana Purchase
Read a description of the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. There is a map to show the land that was included in this deal.
Other
At Home in the Heartland: At Home on the Fringes of the Prairie (1800 1850)
Interactive site offers information and pictures pertaining to early pioneer life. See advertisements in the paper, furniture, glassware, and food preparation tools. Read stories of individuals who lived during that time and make...
Other
Oregon California Trails Association: New Light on the Donner Party
The myths, mysteries, and facts are revealed at this Donner Party site. At the beginning of November 1846, a group of California-bound immigrants was trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada. By the time the last member reached safety six...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Fort Necessity National Battlefield: The National Road
A discussion of the building of the National Road, its route, and importance to the opening of the West. From the National Park Service.
The White House
The White House: Presidents: Franklin Pierce
Details Franklin Pierce's career as the 14th President of the United States and his background information. A portrait is included.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: The Nation Expands: Mexican Cession, 1848
See a map of the land acquired by the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, called the Mexican Cession. From Annenberg Media.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Donner Party
This article recounts the tragic Donner Party, a wagon train bound for California in 1846 whose members resorted to cannibalism after getting stuck in the winter snow.
Kansas Historical Society
Beyond Lewis & Clark: The Army Explores the West
This website looks at military explorers from Lewis and Clark (1804) to George Custer (1874).
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Louisiana Purchase
This Library of Congress timeline series discusses the Louisiana Purchase.
Other
Conner Prairie: Road Through the Wilderness: The Making of the National Road
Information on the building of the National Road and its historical significance.
Other
Emigrant Wagons Roll Westward
This resource is an excerpt from the memoirs of David Arthur of his traveling to Oregon by wagon train with his parents. It was originally published in an Oregon newspaper in 1889.
Other popular searches
- Westward Expansion Activity
- U.s. Westward Expansion
- Westward Expansion Unit
- American Westward Expansion
- Westward Expansion Unit Map
- Westward Expansion Graphs
- Westward Expansion Grade 5
- Westward Expansion Dioramas
- Us Westward Expansion
- Westward Expansion Unit Plan
- Westward Expansion Movement
- Unit Plan Westward Movement