Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...

Young scholars discuss the factors that can lead to war, and the motivations of countries going into war. They research two viewpoints on Texas during the Mexican War and participate in a debate with their classmates.

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...

The struggles of Sam McCulloch, a free black man, to be recognized as a citizen entitled to own land in Texas are the focus of research project that ask groups to examine a series of primary source documents and piece together...

Need to know more about Texas's state history and how it gained independence from Mexico? Learn about Stephen Austin's visit with Santa Ana and the reasons Texas went to war with Mexico with an informative slideshow presentation.

Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America. Manifest Destiny, Texas Independence, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican War are...

A three-part lesson gives light to the Unites States expansion from the view of Texans, New Mexicans, and Californians. Through videos and written activities, scholars work collaboratively to research specific individuals and their...

Eighth graders create a propaganda poster. In this US history instructional activity students research the various sides during the Mexican-American War. They present their poster and their position for or against the war.

Students investigate why and how certain historical figures became famous in relation to the Texas Revolution. They view and discuss a variety of images, then in small groups record the names of individuals involved in the Texas...

A Venn Diagram is used to compare artistic and historical representations of a single event. Young analysts view the provided images, read textbook descriptions, and discuss the validity of each representation in terms of bias and...

Seventh graders discover who the Tejanas were and how they contributed to World War II. In this World War II lesson, 7th graders listen to their instructor discuss who the Tejanas were prior to researching the contributions of three of...

Students will analyze four historical events: The Annexation of U.S. Southwest, The Mexican Revolution, The Great Depression, and World War II. They determine how each event affected immigration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central...

Young scholars identify the meaning of the following terms: immigrant, immigration, migrate, and assimilation. They identify reasons that immigrant groups came to Texas and explain where groups settle and the influence these groups...

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

Students explore the meaning behind Mexican corridos. For this Mexican Revolution lesson, students discover details about the war and its leaders as they read, analyze, and write their own corridos.

In this U.S. history worksheet, learners read articles about Texas and the Mexican-American War. Students then respond to 13 short answer questions regarding the articles.

How did we grow into such a large nation? Follow the events, wars, and treaties that led to the acquisition of major states as we expanded into the West. The slides provide maps, dates, and simplistic information to help learners...

Eighth graders comprehend how the siege of the Alamo and the Texas revolution laid the groundwork for the United States-Mexican War. They discuss how westward expansion led to Texas Independence. Students complete the "Remeber the...

Who was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, and how did he relate to the Texas Revolution? Use an informative resource to find out! By reading primary sources, viewing maps and graphs, and answering short-answer written prompts in handouts,...

What does it mean to be an American citizen? Lieutenant Colonel Commander William Barret Travis believed that it meant honor to country first—even above one's own life. Middle and high schoolers read his final letters from the Alamo that...

Students study the Battle of the Alamo in depth. In this research skills lesson, students visit the Alamo de Parras website to examine issues related to the battle that took place in 1836. Students analyze comment strands on issues in...

Seventh graders are introduced to the processes of cotton farming in the early 20th century. In groups, they examine the role of Mexican Americans on the farms and the impact of a boom and bust economy on cotton. They identify the...

Students examine the Texas Revolution. In groups, they use the internet to research who the Texans really were and the reasons behind the revolution. They discuss the need to discover the world outside of school and work with people...

Students explore the economic, political, racial, and religious roots of Manifest Destiny. They read articles and analyze how the concept influenced the nation's westward expansion. Students discover the motivations and expectations of...