University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Whigs, Democrats and "Know Nothings"
Jackson's political opponents, united by little more than a common opposition to him, eventually coalesced into a common party called the Whigs, a British term signifying opposition to Jackson's "monarchial rule." Although they organized...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Women's Rights
Such social reforms brought many women to a realization of their own unequal position in society. From colonial times, unmarried women had enjoyed many of the same legal rights as men, although custom required that they marry early. With...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Nullification Crisis
Toward the end of his first term in office, Jackson was forced to confront the state of South Carolina, the most important of the emerging Deep South cotton states, on the issue of the protective tariff. Business and farming interests in...
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Songs of the Plains a Selection of Cowboy Folk Songs
Explore the lyrics of five cowboy songs from 1860's and 1870's.
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University: Voices From the Trading Post
This resource offers a series of slideshows, oral histories, and trade goods of the Navajo people from 1860 to the present.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Washington's Rise Begins: A Journal of a Noteworthy Journey
In this lesson, 5th graders examine letters and entries from George Washington's diaries to understand more about his character and ambitions, and the conflict and cooperation that existed between the French and English colonists and the...
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: William Henry Harrison
Facts, biography, and accomplishments of the life of William Henry Harrison and summaries of important events during his presidency.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Lewis Cass: Triumph of Nationalism: America, 1815 1850
An argument by the Michigan Territorial governor, Lewis Cass, that claimed state laws superseded the rights claimed by Native American tribes like the Cherokee.
Other
A Gathering of Nations: Images of History of the Indian Tribes of North America
A selection of twenty-four images from The History of the Indian Tribes of North America, each representing a different Native American Nation. Each image is accompanied by a brief description.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Moving West, Natural Disasters
Assign reasons from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to explain pioneers' migration to and return from the American plains in the 1800s. Research, write and produce a newspaper dedicated to a natural disaster such as the 19th-century drought.
Other
New York Public Library: Heading West: Mining the West
A short page on the discovery of gold at Sutter's Fort as well as the impact of mining in the west on relations with Native Americans.
Curated OER
Etc: Native American Delimitations, 1763 1770
A map of the American colonies and territories west to the Mississippi River between the end of the French and Indian War of 1763 and the beginnings of westward expansion of the trans-Appalachian colony proposed in the Vandalia Project...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1865 1898: The Homestead Act and the Exodusters
The Homestead Act of 1862 gave free land to Americans willing to improve it, regardless of race, sex, or nation of origin.
Digital History
Digital History: Conquering Space
A good review of how the rise of nationalism led to western expansion, support for federal funds to build infrastructure, and the protection of new American industry.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Meriwether Lewis 1774 1809
A biography of Meriwether Lewis and information about his exploration of the Louisiana Territory that led to the development of the American West. Includes several maps.
PBS
Pbs: Events in the West: 1800 1820
A comprehensive site on the development and history of the American West. In timeline fashion, this page details the events leading up to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It continues with information about...
The History Cat
The History Cat: The California Gold Rush
Describes the events that led to the California Gold Rush, the lives of the miners, the discrimination faced by Chinese immigrant miners and African Americans, the women who mostly stayed behind when their husbands went west as well as...
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Homestead Acts
The sources in this primary set document the Homestead Acts and the experiences of American homesteaders during the late 1800s. Includes teaching guide.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Lewis and Clark
By reading this section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion," students will be able to explain the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and describe the terms of the Adams-Onis Treaty and the role played by the filibuster in American...
PBS
Pbs: Indian Territory
This site from PBS provides a short description and map of "the Indian Territory set aside by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the areas designated for each tribe."
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Selections From "With the Nez Perces"
Contains selections from "With the Nez Perces: Alice Fletcher in the Field, 1889-92" by E. Jane Gay, which provided an anthropological look at the Nez Perce Indians and their bewilderment at the Dawes Act.
Kansas Historical Society
Beyond Lewis & Clark: The Army Explores the West
This website looks at military explorers from Lewis and Clark (1804) to George Custer (1874).
![U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/249025-9f5e44d8a919bd8ec2d9ad8c543a3d75.jpg?1661243093 "U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
US Mint
U.s. Mint: We're Going on a Bison Hunt [Pdf]
In this four-part lesson, examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's Expedition. Then take the students on a simulated bison hunt to understand the importance of the bison as a food and materials source in...
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
The Trumpet Club: The Birchbark House
Come and check out this informative site featuring the book "Birchbark House," by Louise Erdrich. This site provides a plot summary, discussion of settings and characterizations, and a class project idea.