PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: Manifest Destiny and its Legacy

For Teachers 8th - 11th
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...
PPT
Curated OER

Chapter 12: American History

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Short and to the point, these slides cover some basic points about life in 19th centrury America. Topics such as Texas Independence, the California Gold Rush, and the Oregon Territory are briefly mentioned, and some of the facts are hard...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alamo

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students access a variety of Alamo and Mexican-American War related resources on the Internet. They take a 360 degree virtual tour of the Alamo site, view photos and timelines, read first-person accounts, and view the flags from the...
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Major Events in History: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

For Students 9th - 10th
A synopsis of the events preceding the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, plus great pictures and links to excellent maps of the area negotiated for and to the text of the actual document.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Expansion and War: The United States 1840 1860

For Students 9th - 10th
Article on the era of westward expansion and the resulting Mexican American War. The author demonstrates how Manifest Destiny and frontier settlement led to the annexation of Texas and ultimately war with Mexico over the territory.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Texas From American Settlement to Annexation 1820 1845

For Students 9th - 10th
Article in which the author takes us through the history of Texas from the time Americans arrived and settled in the area to annexation, and finally, war with Mexico over the territory. With photographs and links to related resources.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: The Republic of Texas and the Mexican American War

For Students 9th - 10th
Article on the history of Texas framed in a discussion of Spanish colonization to help readers better understand events leading to the Mexican-American War. With bullet pointed facts and links to primary source material.
Website
Other

Kentucky Historical Society: Kentucky Military Treasures

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of personal stories, illustrated with artifacts, documents, and photographs, that exemplifies the military experiences of Kentuckians in America's wars, beginning with the War of 1812. Requires Adobe Flash.
Handout
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Stephen F. Austin

For Students 9th - 10th
Read this short biography of Stephen F. Austin, complete with links to primary documents involving the empresario known as "The Father of Texas."
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo a fair compromise to end the Mexican-American War? Students will dissect sections of the treaty to summarize and formulate a conclusion to that question.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: War With Mexico [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the reasons President James Polk presented to Congress as justification for a declaration of war against Mexico. Find Polk's war message and the rebuttal by Congressman Davis.
Handout
History of American Wars

History of American Wars: Texas Independence: Mexican Texas 1821 1836

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the sequence of events in Texas from 1821 to 1836 that led up to the Mexican-American War.
Handout
History of American Wars

History of American Wars: Mexican American History: Mexican American War

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the events of the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848.
Article
Other

Global Security: 54 40 or Fight

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the significant territorial changes that took place in the United States under the presidency of James K. Polk. These included the annexation of Texas, the settling of the dispute with Great Britain over claims to Oregon...
Article
US Department of State

U.s. Department of State: Office of the Historian: Milestones: 1830 1860

For Students 9th - 10th
Concisely written accounts of three important events in the history and shaping of Texas: the Annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
Handout
Countries and Their Cultures

Countries and Their Cultures: Multicultural America: Mexican Americans

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides an overview of the traditional culture and lifestyle of Mexican Americans. (Note: Content is not the most current.)
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Mexican American War

For Students 9th - 10th
Review the events leading up to, through, and ending the Mexican-American War of the mid-19th century.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: "American Blood on American Soil"

For Students 5th - 8th
President James Polk's desire was for the United States to stretch from sea to shining sea. See what happened when his overatures to Mexico to buy the land north of the Rio Grande River were spurned. Take a brief vote to see if Polk was...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: Californio to American: A Study in Cultural Change

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site has a instructional activity about the ranching industry, creation of California towns and the changes over time. Contains information, inquiry question, historical context, maps, readings, and images.
Study Guide
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Manifest Destiny

For Students 9th - 10th
This Khan Academy resource provides notes for American History. "Manifest Destiny" is explained on this resource, along with the implications associated with expansion of the North American continent.
Website
Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech: The Mexican American War and the Media, 1845 1848

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of newspaper articles, images, timelines, and bibliographies related to the Mexican-American War.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Richard Caton Woodville, War News From Mexico

For Students 9th - 10th
Richard Caton Woodville's "War News From Mexico" is an example of an American genre painting. It depicts a group of people reacting to news about the Mexican-American War. View pictures of this painting and read the backstory in this essay.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1844 1877: Quiz 1

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick five question quiz over US history in the mid 1800s.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1844 1877: The Compromise of 1850

For Students 9th - 10th
The Compromise of 1850 acted as a band-aid over the growing wound of sectional divide.