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University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Polk

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive site examining James Polk's life before the presidency, his campaigns, domestic and foreign affairs, life after the presidency, and his family. From the left-hand toolbar, select links detailing his cabinet and staff...
Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Us History: Westward Expansion and Economic Growth

For Students 9th - 10th
US History learning module on westward expansion and economic growth. Interactive multi-media resources, assignments, projects and assessment.
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Conflict of Cultures: President Polk and the Taking of the West

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson and activity on conflict of cultures in which students study U.S. overtaking lands of Mexico and California and form policy on property rights and citizenship of conquered cultures. Activity guidelines, questions for discussion...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: u.s. History: The Westward Spirit

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Westward Migration

For Teachers 7th
A comprehensive learning module on the westward movement that took place prior to the Civil War. It includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and primary source materials, followed by a summative performance...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Contested Territories

For Students 9th - 10th
This site highlights the westward expansion of settlers in North America and the effects this expansion had on Native Americans between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Liberty for All? Webisode 3

For Students 9th - 10th
Webisode 3 - Liberty for All? The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Fremont Conquest of California

For Students 9th - 10th
This first-person account by John Bidwell and his dealings with John Fremont in California.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: A Growing Nation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this unit, students learn how the United States began to grow as soon as it became a nation, and they examine the effect of this growth on societies already established in North America. Register for a free account to download teacher...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Cherokee Removal and the Trail of Tears

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore Cherokee Removal and the Trail of Tears.
Primary
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: National Museum of the American Indian: Battle of Little Bighorn

For Students 9th - 10th
The Battle of Little Bighorn made an immense impression on American society and culture. Americans became obsessed with this battle and created artworks, shows, postcards, and dime novels. View primary sources from this era to understand...
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.
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: New Frontier, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A speech and an essay that alternately praise the acquisition of foreign territory by the U.S. and that raise questions about the costs and value of these imperialistic adventures.
Unit Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Frontier, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912

For Students 9th - 10th
Arguably the most famous essay every written about the impact of land on American history, Frederick Jackson Turner's "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" explains how Americans' relationship with the environment shaped...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: "Burden," the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site includes poems and editorials, some of which that praise, others that harshly condemn what Rudyard Kipling asserted was the "White Man's Burden."
Website
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Two Wars, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912

For Students 9th - 10th
A political cartoon depicting a Union and a Confederate veteran united in support for the Spanish-American War. A painting entitled Twelve-Inch Gun depicting elegant officers and ladies aboard a battle ship, civilizing gentility and the...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Westward

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of U.S. westward expansion during the 1800s.
Handout
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: On Your Mark, Get Set, Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
This CalGoldRush.com site is an article that discusses where people came from, as well as the number of people involved in the California gold rush. The article focuses on the massive migration to California.
Handout
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: Fortune Smiled on Many Black Miners

For Students 9th - 10th
This CalGoldRush.com site discusses the triumphs African American's had during the California gold rush. Many blacks were able to purchase their freedom and the freedom of their families back home.
Handout
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: Chinese Transformed

For Students 9th - 10th
This CalGoldRush.com site discusses the role of the Chinese immigrants during the gold rush in California and the mark they made on history.
Lesson Plan
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Curriculum

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A great site to find lesson plans, connections to state standards, and curriculum links to the California Gold Rush. Offered by the Oakland Museum of California.
Website
Oakland Museum of California

California's Untold Stories: Natives and Immigrants

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a tour through the history of natives and immigrants to the California Gold Rush area, including African American, California Indian, Chinese, and Latino.
Unit Plan
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Stories of the Lure and Legacy

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience the Gold Rush through this multimedia presentation. See the art that reflects the environment, characters, and the role of women in the gold rush. Listen to an overview of the gold rush and its impact.
Website
Kidport

Kidport: The California Gold Rush (1848 to 1859)

For Students 6th - 8th
From here, access simple write-ups on the San Francisco Gold Rush. Topics covered include: "Life of a 49er," "Foreign Miners," "Law and Order," and "After the Gold Rush."

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