Curated OER
Major Events Leading to the American Revolution
Students explore the causes of the American Revolution. For this taxation without representation lesson, students analyze political cartoons in order to gain an understanding of the efforts of the colonists to resolve conflict with...
Curated OER
Westward Ho!
For any teacher of American History, The Lewis and Clark Expedition is a watershed event that should be shared with your students. This is a very good lesson on the Expedition, and the events that led up to it; including The Lousisiana...
Curated OER
A New Deal for African Americans
Young scholars consider how New Deal programs impacted African Americans. In this New Deal lesson, students collaborate to research Internet and print sources regarding selected New Deal programs and African Americans. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Mexican Cessation
Eighth graders create a propaganda poster. In this US history lesson plan students research the various sides during the Mexican-American War. They present their poster and their position for or against the war.
Smithsonian Institution
Native Resistance: Native Resistance Then and Now
Native Americans lost so much—and gained so little in return. Scholars explore Native Americans' resistance to the United States government. The lesson uses primary sources to explore the different forms of protest and gives a voice to...
Museum of Tolerance
Citizenship Then and Now: Comparing Ancient Rome and Contemporary American Society
Class members research citizenship in Ancient Rome and in the United States and use the provided graphic organizers to compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens in these two democracies.
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Forging the National Economy 1790-1860
Presented here is a series of maps showing demographics, expansions routes, and economic hot spots of the late 1700's. No text is available to reference, but it is likely that this slide show is meant to accompany a Houghton Mifflin high...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion
Students locate California and New York on a map and explore available means of travel in the 19th century. Students explore the role of trade in pioneer America and simulate various barter transactions.
Curated OER
American Indian Art
Student complete a month-long unit on the symbolic and practical reasons for American Indian artwork. They explore websites, discuss elements of design, create an Indian backpack, Kachina Doll, weaving, sand painting, and totem pole.
Curated OER
Wilson and American Entry into World War I
Students explore the events that led to American entry into World War I. In this American history lesson plan, students examine the policies of Woodrow Wilson at the dawn of the war, analyze challenges to the neutrality policy of the...
Curated OER
The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy
Upper elementary learners read about jobs on a cattle drive and the lives of cowboy during U.S. Westward Expansion. They create a "Help Wanted" poster for one of the jobs. After reading primary source accounts of cowboys, they write...
Curated OER
Antebellum American Art
Dividing the art of the Antebellum period into several different genres, this vibrant presentation is sure to get your students' attention. It takes your students on a walk through an art museum with famous paintings, architecture, and...
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
Students discover how manifest destiny and westward expansion are related. Using the Internet, they research the beginnings of the movement of manifest destiny and how it influenced people moving westward. They discuss the expectations...
Curated OER
Lesson: The U.S. Westward Movement
Students research the U.S. Westward movement. In this U.S. history lesson, students research the topic, complete a creative writing activity for the lesson, and a design activity for the lesson.
Curated OER
American Indian Art
Students complete a unit of study about Native American visual art. In this visual art lesson, students complete five lessons to study Native American art.
Curated OER
AIH-5: Westward Expansion
Fifth graders research how the westward expansion affected the American Indians.
Curated OER
Western Expansion or Eastern Invasion?
Fifth graders read from their textbook a story about the pioneer settlement of the Western Frontier. They review the pioneer standpoint, but also discuss how the Homestead Act of 1862 affected Native Americans. They write another story...
Curated OER
Pioneer Perspectives-Diverse Opinions on Westward Migration
Students examine the Westward Migration and expansion of the United States from the perspective of a family migrating westward. They analyze pictures, and in small groups write and present a script based on a photograph, expressing the...
Curated OER
African-Americans in California's Heartland
Young scholars read and view video about the pioneers moving west. For this African American pioneer lesson, students become familiar with the problems faced by the pioneers and African-American pioneers. Young scholars complete...
Curated OER
AIH-8: American Indian Lifestyles
Fifth graders explain how the history of the American Indian is affecting them today.
Curated OER
Imperialism and Expansion: Part 2
Students explore the concept of American Imperialism. In this American foreign policy lesson, students take notes on the Spanish-American War and foreign policy practices of the United States in the late 1800s.
University of Richmond
The Overland Trails 1840-1860
What led Americans to head west in the 1800s? Using an interactive map and journals from those who traveled, pupils explore the stories of those who migrated. In addition, they see how the numbers fluctuated in response to the push-pull...
Annenberg Foundation
A Growing Global Power
How does a nation turn into a global superpower? The 16th installment of the 22-part series on American history investigates the rise of the United States to global importance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Groups...
Curated OER
The Poetry of Chinese Immigration
Numerous people from China immigrated to the US during the era of industrialization and expansion. Provide your class with a glimpse into the life of a Chinese immigrant through the poetry they left behind. They then compose a poem of...