Building an argument with supporting evidence is a vital skill. Learners engage in a debate over the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. They take on the perspective of an individual from that time period,...

Exploring the idea of America joining "the imperialist club" at the end of the 19th century, this presentation presents reasons why America not only had the drive to explore the world, but the power and wealth with which to do so....

Students take a closer look at historical relations between the United States and Mexico. In this Texas annexation lesson plan, students examine primary documents authored by Zachary Taylor, James Polk, and Abraham Lincoln to consider...

Students explore the causes and major events of the Texan and American revolutions. Comparisons and contrasts are made between the two revolutionary experiences and applied to the symbolism used on the Texas State quarter.

Students explore the concept of American Imperialism. For 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.

Students explore the era of imperialism and expansion of the United States. In this American history instructional activity, students play a game regarding the U.S. attempts to expand the nation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

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...

In this U.S. history worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages regarding Imperialism and respond to 45 short answer questions.

High schoolers discover the history of American foreign policy. In this foreign policy lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture that presents a brief history of American foreign policy. High schoolers...

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...

In this Westward Expansion activity, students respond to 7 short answer questions about America's vision of Manifest Destiny and its effects.

In this Westward Expansion worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages which describe  Manifest Destiny and respond to 33 short answer questions.

Fourth graders research the culture of Los Californios through primary sources. They examine maps and draw timelines of California historical dates. They investigate deeds and s of ranches and simulate property transactions.

Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...

Quickly following Texan independence, the United States admitted Texas into the republic as a slave state.

A brief look at the declaration of independence from Mexico by Texas in 1836, the removal of restrictions on slavery, and how this dramatically increased the population and led to a much greater reliance on the cotton industry in the...

Read about the annexation of Hawaii and how it was an on-and-off-and-on policy. See the influence of the American planters in the governmental workings of the Hawaiian monarchy.

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...

This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....

Find the text of the Teller Amendment, which was passed to prohibit the annexation of Cuba by the United States.

Why did Mexico encourage settlement of Americans in Texas? Why did the Americans chafe under Mexican rule? Find out how this led to the Texas Revolution and the declaration of Texas as an independent country.

Get the facts about the life and administraton of Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), the 8th President of the United States (1837-1841).