Learners understand why historians conduct research and the importance of perception when it comes to studying history. The resource covers The Wars of Expansion and the Battle of Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass through group work, debate,...

Even a cumulative review can include main ideas, key events, supporting details, and critical thinking. An excellent 8th grade history review is yours for the taking. It includes topics that range from the thirteen colonies to post Civil...

Need an online resource to supplement the paper textbook in your classroom? An all-encompassing website covers historical events throughout the last half of the second millenium, leading right up to the third. From the pre-Columbian...

Today, Cuba and America sometimes struggle with diplomatic relations, but did you know that America went to war against Spain to free Cuba? Learners examine many interesting facts related to the Spanish American War using an informative...

Did you know that without the Mexican War, the United States would not include the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and even parts of Colorado? Scholars learn a variety of interesting facts about the...

To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The instructional activity is part of a unit on the expansion of...

As your young historians study Westward Expansion, practice in-depth primary source analysis with the documents and guidelines presented in this resource. They will examine a lithograph and excerpts from two letters written by a Nebraska...

What a fantastic project idea for discussing not only the history of America's expansion into the West, but for reviewing any major unit of history in your class. Pupils build stamp collections to visually represent themes of the unit,...

Explore the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War with this fantastic resource, a two-week unit of eight lessons on such topics as Manifest Destiny, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the annexation of Texas. The unit...

Why did people move westward in the United States? Your young historians will examine the experiences of various groups on the American frontier, from a miner working near the Comstock Lode in Nevada, to an Apache chief from the...

How did the United States come to acquire two of its largest states? Your class members will learn about the sequence of events that led to and immediately followed the acquisition of Texas and California, including the Mexican-American...

In need of informational text and a related quiz regarding the Louisiana Purchase? Here are four pages containing basic information on Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, Manifest Destiny, and the Louisiana Purchase, plus a 15-question quiz. 

How did we grow into such a large nation? Follow the events, wars, and treaties that led to the acquisition of major states as we expanded into the West. The slides provide maps, dates, and simplistic information to help learners...

Students investigate the Manifest Denstiny. They explore how the idea was evident in 19th century American maps. Students brainstorm the relationships between maps and national expansion. They review a map from 1816 that called for...

Frame your lecture about Manifest Destiny around these maps, which portray the extended boundaries of various American territories in the 19th century. Campaigns of the Mexican War, and a map of the Spanish Missions on the West Coast are...

Briefly detailing the goals and issues within the Polk election and presidency, this presentation can help your students to bridge their knowledge of American politics and issues prior to the Civil War. It includes photographs of Polk,...

Students review census data to correlate to emigration in Kansas. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students analyze a painting and create definitions for emigration and discuss why people emigrate. Students read and analyze 1855 census...

Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America in...

Eleventh graders explore the definition of 'Manifest Destiny' and its importance to Westward Expansion.  In this U.S. History instructional activity, 11th graders work in small groups to write an essay that explains 'Manifest Destiny.'

Students explore the true meaning of "Manifest Destiny" and where the term came from.  In this U.S. History instructional activity, students work in small groups and examine specific documents on "Manifest Destiny" then create a...

Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Expansion instructional activity, students discuss the impact of Manifest Destiny on different groups of people who inhabited the West. Students create journals about the...

In this online interactive history quiz worksheet, students respond to 46 multiple choice questions about Westward Expansion. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Learners explore the Westward Expansion. In this United State expansion activity, students use various primary sources to complete maps of the United States, as they looked prior to and after the Westward movement.