Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Taming the American West

For Students 9th - 10th
Comprehensive teaching unit that explores the settling of the American West in the late 1800s and the challenges these settlers faced. Contains video and text materials, web interactives, student oriented activities, and a timeline of...
Website
PBS

Pbs: New Perspectives on the West

For Students 9th - 10th
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....
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Frontier, "West" and the American Experience

For Students 9th - 10th
Outline of the American frontier and pioneer experience during westward expanison in the 1800s.
Website
Purdue University

Woman Artists of the American West: Women in Photography

For Students 9th - 10th
A site by Peter Palmquist on Women photographers and the American Indian. There are biographies and images from thirteen women who were active during the latter part of the 19th century.
Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Lure of the West

For Students 9th - 10th
Beautiful artwork from the more famous artists who depicted the people, places and things of the American West.
Graphic
Other

West Point: The American Revolution

For Students 9th - 10th
A series of strategic maps, including battlegrounds, camp areas, sieges, and other key events of the American Revolution. In addition, students and teachers will find PowerPoint presentations on battles and campaigns of the American...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration: Destroying the Native American Cultures

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Detailed and extensive account of the plight of Native Americans during the westward growth of America. Includes maps, audio recordings, authentic letters, speeches,a great timeline, and much more.
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The American West: The Dawes Act

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what the impact of the Dawes Act of 1887 was on Native American Indians. Discusses the conflicts between whites and Native Americans that led to its passage and amendments made later. Includes questions for students at end.
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The American West: The Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the impact of the California Gold Rush of 1848 which brought hundreds of thousands of gold-seeking migrants to the region. This massive influx of people to a place with little law enforcement and no infrastructure led to...
Website
Ibis Communications

Eyewitness to History: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Rob a Train, 1899

For Students 9th - 10th
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are legendary outlaws of the American West who robbed banks and trains. This is an account of their 1899 train robbery as reported in the June 8, 1899 issue of the Buffalo Bulletin.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The First American West: Ohio River Valley, 1750 1820

For Students 9th - 10th
This site describes the early history of the Ohio River Valley. Topics covered include: Contested Lands, Peoples and Migrations, Empires and Politics, Western Life and Culture, and Constructing a Western Past. Links to primary source...
Website
A&E Television

History.com: The States

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn unique facts about each American state. You can also read a more in-depth history of each state, watch videos and play a game about all the states.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The American West: Images of Its People

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Different peoples have contributed to the history of the western United States. To gain an understanding and appreciation of this history, middle schoolers investigate the region's cultures and identify the contributions that each make...
Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Whose Land Is This? Webisode 8

For Students 9th - 10th
From Joy Hakim's marvelous set of books, A History of US, this webisode offers narrative, pictures, and teaching guides for the settling of the West after the Civil War.
Website
PBS

Pbs New Perspectives on the West: Pope

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains information about the religious leader from San Juan Pueblo, in present-day New Mexico. Pope organized and led the most successful Indian uprising in the history of the American West. He created the conditions for a...
Article
Other

History Today: Native Americans and the Federal Government

For Students 9th - 10th
Andrew Boxer traces the origins of a historical issue still as controversial and relevant today as in past centuries. At the start of the twentieth century there were approximately 250,000 Native Americans in the USA - just 0.3 per cent...
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The American West: Reservation System

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the Indian reservation system, the impact it had on Native Americans, violent clashes between whites and Indians, and how it was destroyed by the Dawes Act of 1887 and resurrected in the 1930s. Includes questions for students...
Website
University of California

University of California: Robert B. Honeyman Jr. Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection at the University of California-Berkeley can now be accessed online through the Online Archive of California. It provides a vast collection of historically significant primary source images of early California and the...
Website
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: American Indian Culture of the West

For Students 6th - 8th
The Western Indian tribes hit the lottery with the abundant natural resources in their area. The tribes that called this area home had diverse cultures depending on the geography of their specific location. Delve into these cultures and...
eBook
Bartleby

Bartleby.com: Poetry of the West

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This entry, from the Cambridge History of English and American Literature, provides a description of the poetry written in the second half of the nineteenth century by poets of the American West, namely Bret Harte. It examines common...
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.
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Indian Wars and Battle of Little Bighorn

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the series of events and conflicts in the Indian Wars that culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand. Includes questions for students at end.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: The Story of the Pony Express

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores the story of the Pony Express, the "speedy" mail service that once connected the Eastern U.S. with the West.
Website
Other

Matewan Online: The Hatfield and Mc Coy Feud

For Students 9th - 10th
Part history, part folklore, what is the real story of the Hatfields and McCoys? Site provides the story of the American Romeo and Juliet and an excellent study of American folk culture. Go to other areas of this site for more history of...