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Westward Expansion

Introduction

Thomas Jefferson’s negotiated purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 doubled the size of the United States. Interest in expanding the nation’s boundaries from the Atlantic to the Pacific gained momentum. What followed was a series of explorations, negotiated settlements, wars, and cultural integration that continued well into the nineteenth century.

Gaining territory for the United States was only one issue. There were also issues related to topography, natural history, and economics. Economic concerns included how to best utilize the vast new western lands and associated resources for agriculture, mining, trade, transportation (potential river routes to the Pacific Ocean, including the elusive and non-existent "Northwest Passage"), building a transcontinental railroad, and establishing settlements. It was an exciting, yet difficult time in American history.

Materials

Strategy

  1. Introduce the lesson by discussing with students the idea of moving. Discussion questions may include:

    • Has anyone ever moved into a new home or school, or experienced the anxiety associated with the first day of school with a new teacher and classmates?
    • Why do such events create anxiety?
    Explain that it’s the unknown and unfamiliar that causes anxiety. We find comfort in what we already know and sometimes experience fear or uneasiness as we approach or experience something new. Imagine how it must have felt to explore unknown land for which there were no maps, pictures, or descriptions—the experience of those who explored the American West.

  2. Share with students the various reasons people were interested in exploring/settling the West. There were political, economic, social, and intellectual reasons, all highlighted by the reports following the explorations of Lewis and Clark. Even with very little information concerning these lands, people were very excited to see what promise this vast expanse held for economic, political and social advancement.

  3. Using the Primary Source of the Month: "Map of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean," encourage a class discussion of the trials and difficulties that explorers, researchers, trappers, traders, and early settlers may have faced in the West. Students’ responses may include: mountainous regions, the lack of an all-water route to the Pacific, the enormity of the Great Plains, the concept of the "unknown," and lack of familiarity with the indigenous peoples who inhabited the west.

  4. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Assign each group a topic from the Table on Westward Expansion, making sure that at least one topic is selected from each of the five categories. Doing so will ensure a more comprehensive understanding of western development.

  5. For an assigned person, students should research information concerning the area in which they explored, traded, investigated, studied, and/or traveled. For an assigned trail west, students should research information on where the trail began and ended and any other pertinent details. (Note: Sometimes a specific person or group was involved.)

  6. Using the research information gathered, have each student group create a colorful 5” x 8” index card for a class bulletin board. Each card should have the name of the person or trail in block letters at the top followed by a short paragraph describing the information gleaned from texts, trade books, or the Internet.

  7. Place a map of the United States in the center of a bulletin board. Surround the map with the students’ index cards. Use colored yarn or thin strips of colored paper to connect each card to the most appropriate location on the map.

  8. Have students use information gleaned from the bulletin board to complete their Westward Expansion Graphic Organizer.

  9. Facilitate a summary class discussion regarding westward expansion, including the territory that was added to the United States, the trails/route into the west, the people involved in exploring and settling the new lands, why people were be willing to undertake such journeys into the unknown, and the obstacles and challenges they encountered.

Lesson Extensions

  • If time permits, instead of an index card, have students conduct a more comprehensive search for information and then create a poster or broadside on which to present their findings to the class.


This lesson was written by Margret Atkinson, elementary school teacher, Baton Rouge, LA, and Bill Neer, Visiting Assistant Professor of Literacy, Lemoyne College, Syracuse, NY.



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