Homecourt Publishers
Greenville, SC
Activities, Parodies, Games, Jokes, Review Sheets,
“3-D Templates”, Cold Reading Passages,
and much more!
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Copyright 2010 by Homecourt Publishers
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For information or comments, contact:
Homecourt Publishers
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Thank you to Joann Wood for contributing ideas, inspiration, and original work to this project.
Additional contributions made by Nancy Rechtman and Audrey Cook.
Cover illustration by Zach Franzen.
Copyright 2010 by Homecourt Publishers
Table of Contents
Section 1 — Favorites 5
Westward Expansion
(Original Poem)
6
Heading West
(Role-Play)
8
Places to Know
(Classroom Game)
12
Westward Timeline
(Timeline Jumble)
14
Section 2 — Information Overload 16
Gold Rush 17
Westward Expansion 18
Section 3 — Pocket Activities 19
Louisiana Purchase
19
Exploring the West 20
Manifest Destiny 20
On the Move 20
Life of a Cowboy 21
Means of Travel 21
A Little Humor
(Jokes)
22
Section 4 — Language Arts Integration 23
Quotes: Daniel Boone, Horace Greeley
23
The Indian Removal Act
24
The March Begins...
25
Section 5 — Printouts, Puzzles, & Games 26
Territories
(Matching)
26
Westward Expansion
(Crossword Puzzle)
28
Why West?
(Tiles)
28
Section 6 — 3-D Templates 30
Westward Expansion
(Hands-on Study Sheet)
31
“A teacher who is attempting to teach without
inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is
hammering on cold iron.”
—Horace Mann (1796-1859)
“The Father of American Public Education”
Page 5
Over the next few pages I will share some
of my personal classroom secrets that are
sure to engage and excite your students!
Here’s how it works:
The left-hand
page includes
the song parody,
activity, poem,
game, etc. for
you to share with
your students.
The right-hand
page includes my
personal
commentary,
including the
reasons I’ve had
success with this
exercise, any key
directions, and
other tid-bits that
might be helpful.
***The exercises on the next few pages are great to use for this topic area, but
you can easily modify them to use for other topics and even subject areas.
The simple format and extra notes that are provided will really help with this!
Page 6
Original Poem
Description: A poem about the motives for Westward Expansion
Instructions: Use to introduce the subject, and also for review
Let’s Go West…
Let's go west
The people say
What is out there anyway?
Manifest
Its our Destiny
To go out West with all the rest.
Cheap farmland
We wish to own
And buy it up without a loan.
Animals we
Seek to trap
The trade will put us on the map!
Telegraphs and
Brand new trains
Travel west past fields of grain.
Settler growth
Along the trail
Makes new towns with goods for sale.
Pioneers
Trek across God’s creation
Striving hard to build a nation.
Page 7
Poems are always great tools for students to integrate SS with ELA
content. Students can take note of the rhyming scheme and add it to the
repertoire of poem formats they are familiar with. It is a meaningful way
to remember the motivations for moving West after the war.
I started with some role-playing about the various motivations for
traveling West, and then I had students read the poem to reinforce the
concept. I used it as a choral reading and had girls and boys alternate verses.
As I always love to do, I had my students come up with motions for each
motivation factor. For example, my students shrugged their shoulders (as if
they didn’t know an answer) during the first verse when it says,
“What is out
there anyway?”
I then had students illustrate the different motivations on a poster
called “Westward Ho!” I combined the posters and displayed their work.
Lastly, I had students create the next verse in the poem about the
Native American perspective
of Westward Expansion.
I always try to incorporate points-of-view. This gives students a
broader knowledge about history and makes it more real. It’s important for
students to see events from all sides!
Page 8
Role-Play
Emigrant 1 (the land seeker)
In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. They are to claim
new land and start a new life. Your most likely destination is the Oregon Territory, which
has some of the best farmland in the country. You might also be interested in the
Sacramento Valley, which is known for its fruit orchards.
Emigrant 2 (the fortune seeker)
In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. They are simple—to
find a fortune. Chances are, you’re headed to California to search for gold in the foothills.
If you’re clever, you might realize that money can be made not by finding gold, but by
selling merchandise (clothes, equipment, food) to the thousands of others who are looking
for gold.
Emigrant 3 (a Mormon)
In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. You are searching
for religious freedom, which is not available to Mormons in most parts of the country (in
the late 1800s, that is). Your destination is Salt Lake City, which was founded by Mormons
earlier in the century and has become a safe haven for the group.
Skeptic from the East
In your discussion, you must convince others why they should NOT settle the West. As
someone who has lived a good life in the East, you feel that this “Western Fever” is silly,
and it will only lead to disappointment. You are trying to be the reasonable voice among a
group that is blinded by false hopes in the West.
Native American
In your discussion, you must convince others why they should NOT settle the West.
Remind them that you have already been chased out of the Eastern parts of the country,
and you have been promised land in the West. Try to find a compromise that will allow
the white population to expand, but will also protect the interests of Native Americans.
Description: A role-play discussion in small groups about the motivations of moving West
Instructions: While teaching Westward Expansion, have students participate in a role-play to
further examine all perspectives of history.
Page 9
This is a great “put yourself in their shoes” activity. It is active
learning at its best and allows the students to examine different perspectives
of Westward Expansion. Of course, it also ties in persuasive language for ELA
integration!
After reading articles and looking at primary sources about Westward
Expansion, I break the students into groups and assign them roles. They are
not to tell anyone else in their group their role ahead of time. They start a
discussion and each person has to “become” their role.
The students try to persuade the others in their group that their
position is “right” and back up their opinions with facts we have learned.
After about 5 minutes, pause and talk about what was said and learned
from the activity. Was it clear what “role” everyone was playing? You'll be
amazed at the level of conversation you get!
You pick the groups! You can balance the leaders and the followers as
well as the high-level readers with the struggling readers. After letting
them do the activity once, I revisited it a week later and told the students
to take their discussions to the next level, now that they knew what I
expected. It seemed to further solidify their learning.
Page 10
Classroom Game
California
Trail
Mormon Trail
Oregon Trail
“Jumping Off”
Point
Gold
Discovery
Site
Transcontinental
Railroad
Completion Spot
Description: A mini-version of the Concentration Game to review the Western Expansion
Instructions: Use 3x5 cards to place the following terms and illustrations, and play the classic
game of Concentration. Scramble the cards, face down. Have the students turn over
2 cards at a time, trying to match up a name with an image. When they get it right,
those cards are taken off the table. This can be timed, so whoever gets through all
the cards first, wins.
“Big City”
in the early
19th cent.
Warzone in the
late 1840s
(against Mexico)
Page 11
The game of
Concentration
is a classic, and combining images with the
terms taps into a higher level of thinking. It’s important that students don’t
just memorize the cards, but that they really grasp the connections between the
terms and the maps. This game will help assess that.
I usually have students divide into groups of two and give each group
several note cards. One student writes the terms, the other draws the
maps (take advantage of the free labor!), and then they play
Concentration
with
the cards they’ve created.
I often give the students the pictures to draw, but do not tell them which
term it matches with. I let them go through this thought process while they’re
playing the game (of course, you need to monitor the groups to make sure they
are making the correct matches).
To keep things simple, you can play this game as a class. Simply divide
the students into two teams, and write/draw each term/image on a full sheet of
paper (so everyone can see). Tape each sheet face down on the board at the
front of the room, and then play using the same rules as the regular game.
Page 12
Classroom Game
Students draw 25 boxes on their paper, and then write these terms randomly into the boxes.
Description: A version of Bingo to review Westward Expansion
Instructions: Students fill out a 25-space board (at random) with terms you give them. You call out clues
and they mark the appropriate term until they mark five spaces in a row or column.
ANSWER KEY
(Call these out in random order):
1) The __________ was acquired from France for $15 million in 1803. (Louisiana Purchase)
2) In 1846, the __________ was signed between the United Kingdom and the United States, settling a boundary dispute
between present-day Canada and the state of Washington. (Oregon Treaty)
3) In 1848, Mexico handed over a region called the __________, which eventually became states in the West. (Mexican Cession)
4) __________ were two men who made the first overland expedition from Eastern territories to the Pacific Ocean. (Lewis and Clark)
5) __________, one of the first folk heroes of the United States, was the first to settle in present-day Kentucky. (Daniel Boone)
6) A famous peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado is named after __________, whose expedition created the first maps of the
southwest United States. (Zebulon Pike)
7) President Andrew Jackson signed the __________ in 1830, forcing Native American tribes off their lands and into the West.
(Indian Removal Act)
8) The relocation pathway of Native Americans was nicknamed the __________ because thousands suffered and died along the way.
(“Trail of Tears”)
9) Settlers on foot and in wagons migrated along the __________ to the Pacific Northwest between 1841 and 1869. (Oregon Trail)
10) The __________ was a path used by settlers that led to gold fields beyond the Sierra Nevada Mountains. (California Trail)
11) The __________ that connected Missouri and New Mexico was first used as a trade route but later became an invasion route
during the Mexican-American War. (Santa Fe Trail)
12) Brigham Young and his followers traveled along the __________ from Illinois to Utah for religious freedom. (Mormon Trail)
13) Spanning the western United States, the __________ became an abundant source of mineral deposits and furs in the early 19
th
century. (Rocky Mountains)
14) A popular Western destination in the 1840s was the __________, a fertile river bed in northwest Oregon. (Willamette Valley)
15) __________ was the 19
th
century name given to the western Great Plains, because it had very little water, shade, and timber.
(“Great American Desert”)
16) Travelers who leave their homeland to travel and settle elsewhere are called __________. (Emigrants)
17) The __________ of 1820 prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the latitude 36°30’. (Missouri Compromise)
18) The __________ of 1854 created two new territories and declared that settlers in new areas would be allowed to vote on whether
or not to allow slavery. (Kansas-Nebraska Act)
19) __________ is a concept that gives voting authority to the people. (Popular Sovereignty)
20) The California __________ began in 1848 when a discovery brought 300,000 fortune-seekers to the West. (Gold Rush)
21) People searching and mining for gold, oil, and other natural minerals, are called __________. (Prospectors)
22) Outlaws and bandits that plagued the West were restrained by local, law-enforcing vigilantes called __________. (Regulators)
23) Western operations that raised livestock, like cattle and sheep for meat and wool, were called __________. (Ranches)
24) __________ were animal herders who gathered cattle on horseback. They became popular figures of folk legend. (Cowboys)
25) The first __________, built between 1863 and 1869, connected Iowa to the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco. (Transcontinental
Railroad)
Louisiana
Purchase
Zebulon Pike Santa Fe Trail Emigrants Prospectors
Oregon Treaty
Indian Removal
Act
Mormon Trail
Missouri
Compromise
Regulators
Mexican Cession “Trail of Tears” Rocky Mountains
Kansas-Nebraska
Act
Ranches
Lewis and Clark Oregon Trail Willamette Valley
Popular
Sovereignty
Cowboys
Daniel Boone California Trail
“Great American
Desert”
Gold Rush
Transcontinental
Railroad
Page 13
Students love to play games—it’s as simple as that. It’s always great
when you can find a game that ties in with the standards! This particular
game is modeled after Bingo and my students enjoyed playing it. It also
allows you to cover a lot of ground in a short time.
As you list specific terms, students randomly fill in their blocks on their
game boards. When you call out the questions (also in random order), the
students mark the correct place on their board. The object of the game is to
connect five spaces in a row or column or diagonal. Make sure you check the
board of the student who raises his or her hand!
You can also write all of the questions on strips of paper and put them
into a hat. Have students take turns drawing and reading a question.
This game can be played first in class, and then students can bring
home their game boards (with answers written in) to use as a study guide.
It may seem like a small thing, but have plastic bags on hand for
game pieces! I have tried using envelopes to save some money – but they
just don't work as well.
Page 14
Timeline Jumble
Call out the events (in random order) and your students write them onto note
cards. They must put the events into chronological order (as shown below)
Louisiana
Purchase
doubles size
of nation
Lewis & Clark
Expedition
First
locomotives
begin
running
First
emigrants
travel the
Oregon Trail
Gold
discovered at
Sutter’s Mill
in California
Issue of
slavery
in West
leads
to “Bloody
Kansas”
Missouri
Compromise
divides nation
over slavery
Completion of
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
Gold Rush
begins
Mormons
begin to
settle in Salt
Lake City, UT
North &
South fight in
the Civil War
End of the
Reconstruction
Era
Timeline Jumble
Description: A “Timeline Jumble” where students arrange events of the Westward
Expansion in chronological order
Instructions: Call out the events below (in random order) and have students copy them onto
note cards. Students must place the events in chronological order.
Page 15
This is a great activity because it is hands-on, challenging, and easy to
follow. It’s also important because it helps you determine if students have a
grasp on the events of the Westward Expansion as a whole
(i.e. no student
should think that the Transcontinental Railroad was completed prior to the
first travelers on the Oregon Trail)
.
Call out the events listed on the left-hand page in random order. Your
students write each event on a note card, and then must place the note cards
in chronological order.
You can also have your students write additional facts and notes about
each event on the back of the note cards, and they can use these for study
guides and review.
As a class, discuss why these events were chosen as the key events of
that defined Westward Expansion, and list any other events that were also
important (and discuss where they would fit into the timeline).
Timelines are a crucial tool in social studies, and interpreting them is an
important literacy element for your students to master. This activity can be
repeated at the end of each unit, and you can expand
(i.e. all events in an
entire century)
or contract
(i.e. just the events in a specific year)
as you see
fit.
Page 16
The next few pages feature a wide assortment of Primary Sources from this particular time period. These resources will help
engage your students and help them understand the “story behind history”.
Feel free to make copies of these “Primary Source” review sheets to give to your students.
What is a Primary Resource?
Primary resources are documents or other materials that give a
researcher a firsthand account of a historical event or time period.
These sources reflect the experiences, viewpoints, and observations of
individuals who actually lived through certain events.
Examples of Primary Resources
• Letters
• Diaries and Journals
• Historic Speeches
• Census Data
• Audio / Visual Recordings
Primary resources often give a more accurate view of history than secondary
resources. Secondary resources are materials that review an event after it has taken
place. An example of a secondary resource is an encyclopedia, or even your textbook.
The next few pages contain a variety of primary resources. Each document
has been carefully chosen to help explore a unique part of United States
history. We hope you enjoy the materials--& remember…
Have Fun!!!
• Public Records
• Firsthand News Reports
• Political Cartoons
• Original Artwork
• Physical Artifacts
Page 17
The California Gold
Rush was a massive migration to
the territory of California after
word spread that gold had been
discovered there. The first
discovery of gold was in early
1848 at Sutter’s Mill (near
Sacramento). While the men
who found the gold tried to keep
it a secret, it soon sparked wild
rumors across the nation.
Over the next two years, over 40,000
people dropped everything to strike it rich in
California. The area was overwhelmed initially
by the rapid population increase, but the Gold
Rush eventually helped the Western frontier
achieve economic and industrial advancement.
When rumor spread throughout San Francisco that gold had
been discovered in the nearby foothills, the city instantly
turned into a ghost town. People literally quit their jobs, left
their homes and families, and set off to find gold.
The first newspaper to report the discovery of gold was the
San Francisco based “Californian.” The stampede soon
followed. Within a few months, most of the writers and
editors of the “Californian” (along with thousands of others in
San Francisco) had abandoned their jobs to dig for gold.
The notice to the right appeared on the front page of the
“Californian” on June 2, 1848 (the first mention of gold had
been on March 15
th
). This notice was printed after the paper
missed several daily editions due to its missing staff, and it
warns the readers that there is no telling when the next paper
will be published.
SACRAMENTO STORE
E. PICKETT, having opened a store at Sutter’s
Fort, offers for sale, dry goods, ready made cloth-
ing, blankets, hats, caps, boots, shoes, wines, liquors,
cordials, preserved meats and fruits, nuts, provisions,
groceries, cooking and mining utensils, cutlery, tobacco,
cigars, snuff, &c., &c.
Will also continue his trading post under charge of
F. Hampton, at the Coloma saw mill, in the moun-
tains, where the above mentioned articles will be sent
as the market below furnishes a necessary supply and
want of the miners in that vicinity require.
Jany. 1, 1849.
Many who made fortune
during the Gold Rush did it
without ever panning for gold.
Great profits could be earned
by selling food, clothing, and
supplies to the 40,000 men
who migrated to the area.
To the left is an advertise-
ment for one of many such
stores that catered to the gold
miners.
Advertisement, “Sacramento Store.” Californian.
15 Feb. 1849: p. 3.
Bureau of Census, U.S. Dep. of Commerce
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Page 18
Traveling across the
country was hard work in
the early 1800s. It took
several months, there
was always the threat of
Indian attacks, and you
had to get across the
mountains before winter came.
It was a challenge, and you didn’t
want to have to face it alone.
For that reason, most emigrants traveled
West in large groups, sometimes with several
hundred others. These emigration parties
offered protection, companionship, supplies,
and overall confidence. Shown above is an
announcement that one such emigration party is
leaving for California in May 1849.
Westward Expansion refers to the massive movement of settlers from the east coast
of the United States to the west coast during the 19
th
century. It was fueled by the idea of
Manifest Destiny, which was the belief that the United States was destined to occupy the
entire stretch of land from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. Westward expansion began to
increase steadily in the early 1800s, but it exploded during the California Gold Rush in
1848. For several decades, the West was considered wild and lawless. This was largely
the result of the population increasing faster than local governments could be organized.
By the late 1870s, the Western Frontier was finally “tamed.”
In January 1848, settlers
discovered gold in the foothills
of California, sparking a Gold
Rush that sent over 40,000
people in search of the precious
metal. As citizens packed their bags and headed
West, advertisements like the one below began
appearing in newspapers across the country.
This ad is from the New York Tribune in
March 1849. The Tribune was distributed in
every major city in the United States and was
the most popular newspaper of the time period.
Levi Jackman’s Journal
I left home in company with Liman
Curtice on the 29th of march 1847 as
pianears to go with the Company of
pianears to finde a location for the saints
some whair in the west
Levi Jackman was a member of one of the
first Mormon parties to head west and
settle in Salt Lake City. He detailed his
travels in a personal journal, which he
kept from 1847 to 1849. Here are the
first lines from that journal.
Levi Jackman’s Journal. Harold B. Lee Library,
Brigham Young University, Vault MSS 79. 1 v. p. 1.
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The term Mormon is used to describe a member of the
Church of Latter Day Saints. This church was founded in
the 1830s by those who believed that Joseph Smith, Jr., had
been chosen by God as a prophet. Smith declared that
God had presented him with a set of Golden Plates, and
then empowered him to translate them into the Book of
Mormon.
While the religion gained an impressive following in
the 1830s and 1840s, the Mormons were unable to find a
location where they could live in peace. In 1846, Brigham
Young led the Mormons on a massive migration to the
Western Frontier. They ultimately settled near Salt Lake
City, Utah (today, the majority of the state is Mormon).
***All spelling left as it originally appeared
Page 19
These are quick activities that can be used for class-openers,
ice-breakers, attention-grabbers, and so on.
We’ve also added a few jokes to have in your pocket when you’re
really trying to keep students from staring out the window!
Activity - Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, the French government surprisingly agreed to sell the United States an enormous piece of
land that stretched from present day Louisiana to the Canadian Border, and from the Mississippi River to the
Rocky Mountains. In early negotiations, Thomas Jefferson and his advisors had only been hoping to
purchase a small area around the city of New Orleans.
With the class, play the “What If” game. What if the French
government had not offered to sell the United States all of the land in
the Louisiana Purchase? What if the United States had not gained
control of the Mississippi River and much of the land west of the
original colonies (a direct result of the Louisiana Purchase)? What if
Thomas Jefferson and his advisers had settled for only the land
around New Orleans, as they originally intended?
***When discussing the “What If” scenarios, keep this in mind: If the French had not sold the land,
Thomas Jefferson and the United States might very will have gone to war in order to take it. This would have
positioned the young United States army against the powerful French army under Napoleon. Consider if the
United States would have been successful against the French (they had defeated the British in the American
Revolution only twenty years earlier). How would this have impacted the growth of the maturing nation?
Bonus Activity:
Have your students role play the Louisiana Purchase Negotiations. Divide the students into two
groups—one representing the United States, and one representing France. Those representing the United
States must explain to the French representatives why it is in France’s best interest to sell off the land in the
Louisiana Purchase. Make sure to look at it from the view of the French in 1803 (Why would they want to keep
the land? Why might they be anxious to get rid of it?)
The students representing the French play the role of “Hard Negotiators.” They must be able to
explain why keeping the Louisiana territory benefits France. They can also take the position that selling the
land to the United States is a dangerous move for France.
After reviewing both point of views, ask your students which side—the United States or France—got
the best deal in the Louisiana Purchase transaction.
Page 20
Activity - Exploring the West
Create an imaginary explorer named Trek A. Long. Trek is preparing to set across the United States in
the 19th century. Take an outline of the United States, and draw with a pencil the route that the explorer is
going to travel (for example, across North Carolina, into Tennessee and Kentucky, and down the Mississippi River).
Show the map to the students, and have them describe the encounters that Trek may have and what he might
find. The students should consider key elements that are specific to the chosen route at the time.
For example:
•
Native Americans along the route
• terrain
• weather
You can continue this activity by examining several different routes. After each exploration, Trek A. Long
needs to decide if the areas in his travels were worthy of establishing a settlement. As a class, discuss why or
why not certain areas would make suitable settlements. Consider all of the factors that Trek was faced with
during his exploration.
Activity - Manifest Destiny
As the patriotism, nationalism, and confidence of the American people grew, so did their desire to
expand. The United States wanted to bring the ideals of democracy and freedom to everyone who was
capable of it. This goal led to the concept of “Manifest Destiny,” the belief that it was not only the right of
the United States, but also the duty of the nation to expand its territory across the continent. With your
students, discuss this reasoning on the part of the American people.
Of course, there were plenty of ulterior motives in the concept of Manifest Destiny. Ask your students to
brainstorm what the American people had to gain by westward expansion.
Factors that led to the concept of Manifest Destiny
• Desire to spread the ideals of freedom and democracy (this was the official reason behind Manifest Destiny).
• New lands added to the wealth and income of the owners
• Untapped resources (i.e. silver and gold) existed in the West
• Expanded territory created more self-sufficiency
• A sense of adventure surrounded the western frontier
• Overpopulation in the East made expansion necessary
Activity - On the Move
Ask your students to write a short explanation of why their family may have moved from one location to
the place where they live now, or why their family might want to move in the future (i.e. job relocation, to be
closer to friends & family, to find a better house, etc.). Discuss how these reasons compare with reasons that
immigrants might have given in the late 1800s.
Have your students draw an outline of the United States. With a blue pen, help them mark an arrow to
all of the places in the nation that witnessed a boom in population during the late 1800s (i.e. large cities such as
New York and Chicago, other urban areas, the western territories, etc.)
Next, ask your students to use a red pen or colored-pencil to draw an arrow away from places that
experienced a large “outmigration” (i.e. rural areas, the southern states, etc.).
• rivers or bodies of waters that need to be crossed
•
animals that live in the areas
• natural resources that can be used
Page 21
Activity - Life of a Cowboy
In the late 19
th
century, a number of people took advantage of the wide-open land in the West to establish
ranches (areas where livestock are raised—usually cattle and sheep). Most of the time, these ranches employed
“cowboys,” an occupation that has received legendary status in the movies and on television. A real life
cowboy was an expert in tending to the animals, and was also capable of taking care of some of the other
tasks around the ranch. Have each student list several of the jobs that fell under the duty of a cowboy .
Here are a few:
♦ Feeding the livestock
♦
Branding cattle
♦
Treating injuries to the animals
♦
Diagnosing illnesses in the livestock
♦ Medicating livestock if necessary
♦
Rounding up livestock that got loose or ran off
Have your students write a one-page journal entry detailing the life of a cowboy. Tell them to include
several of these duties in the entry.
Bonus Activity
Eventually, the taming of the Western frontier put an end to golden age of ranching. However, there are
still plenty of farms and ranches that raise livestock, and there are modern cowboys who tend to them. Have
your students research the duties and techniques of modern cowboys and compare them to the cowboys of
the western frontier.
Activity - Means of Travel
In 1869, a railroad was completed that connected the East and West sides of the United States. As a class,
brainstorm why the completion of the transcontinental railroad was so significant. What immediate impact
did it have?
Here are a few ideas:
1. It transformed a trip across the country from a few months to about a week.
2. Goods could easily be shipped from the West to the East, and vice-versa.
3. News and mail traveled much faster.
4. For the first time, people were able to see the entire nation firsthand
5. It tied together the continent, securing the American empire. (How did that effect Native Americans?)
Have your students consider a man who was born in the year 1860 and died at the age of 100 in 1960. Ask
them to list the revolutions in transportation that this man would have seen in his lifetime. Remember that in
1860 people were still traveling around in horse-drawn carriages. Here are some of the breakthroughs:
Transportation Breakthroughs from 1860 to 1960
♦ Completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 (railroads quickly became an essential part of travel)
♦ The engineering of suspension bridges allows for the easy crossing of wide rivers (up to one mile)
♦ The invention of the gasoline powered automobile (1862)
♦ The invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers (1903)
♦ Henry Ford introduces the assembly line leading to the mass production of automobiles (1908)
♦ Thousands of miles of roads are paved in the first half of the 20
th
century
♦ Charles Lindbergh makes a solo flight across the Atlantic (1927)
♦ Airplanes carrying mail and passengers becomes a major industry (1930s)
♦ Airplanes advance to the point of being able to travel faster than the speed of sound (1947)
♦ Sputnik 1, a Russian satellite, becomes the first manmade object launched into space (1957)
♦ Chasing off / shooting unwanted animals on the ranch
♦
Fixing fences and making other repairs on the ranch
♦ Maintaining ranching equipment
♦
“Breaking” horses so that they can be easily ridden
♦
Breeding livestock / castrating livestock
Page 22
Gold Rush
Q: Why was the prospector waving a piece of paper over the creek?
A: He was “fanning” for gold.
(it’s not good, I know, but it can begin a discussion about the Gold Rush and “panning” for gold)
Q: Why did the prospector not feel well when he arrived in California?
A: He had Gold Fever
(another bad one, but it’s important to talk about how “Gold Fever” swept across the nation in 1849)
Getting to the West
A group of emigrants had been heading West on the Oregon Trail for several months.
As they road along in their wagon, a young boy asked his father, “What’s it going to be
like when we get to the Willamette Valley?”
The father answered, “I’m not really sure, son.”
A few minutes went by, and the boy asked, “What was the name of that mountain
range that we crossed over before we came to the Plains?”
“I don’t remember,” said his father honestly.
Unfazed, the boy asked, “Why do so many people in our group want to head down to
California?”
The father shook his head, “I just don’t know.”
Finally, the boy said, “Dad, are tired of me asking all these questions?”
The father replied, “No, son — if you don’t ask questions, you’ll never learn anything.”
(sort of funny, but the best part is that you can answer all of the boy’s questions as a class)
Q: During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, what was the job of the
superintendent?
A: To keep all of the workers “on track”
(silly, but a good introduction to the major engineering feat of the 19
th
century)
Western Occupations
Q: Why did the cowboy have such a big kitchen?
A: Because he liked to hang out on the range.
(another bad pun, but a chance to talk about cowboys, ranchers, and open land in the West)
Q: In the late 1800s, a man was making a fortune mining for valuable ore in the
Colorado mountains. One day, another miner came to town and started working on
the same mountain. What did the first miner tell him?
A: He told him to “mine” his own business
(use this one to start a discussion on how mining was a major industry in the West)
Page 23
The next few pages include passages that focus on this
historical topic, but can also be used for practice with
Reading Comprehension and other Language Arts
skills. Please feel free to make copies.
“I can’t say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.”
Daniel Boone (1820)
American pioneer Daniel Boone wanted to set the record straight. In 1820, as the celebrated painter
Chester Harding was creating the only life portrait of Boone, he asked the explorer if he had ever been lost.
Boone, who was in his eighties at the time, thought back on his life and remarked, “I can’t say I was ever lost,
but I was bewildered once for three days.”
Growing up in the rural areas of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Daniel Boone
learned to hunt and navigate through the woods while he was a teenager. With these
skills, he began to explore areas around the Kentucky River during the 1760s and 1770s.
As an expert in the area (after all, he never did get lost), Boone was hired in 1775 to create
a road to Kentucky that could be used by the colonists for trading purposes.
The building of this road led to the creation of a new settlement in the area, known
as Boonseborough. The settlement managed to survive despite numerous attacks by
Native Americans. In fact, Boone himself was once captured, though he escaped to come
back and defend the village. Daniel Boone never claimed any land in Kentucky (his
property titles were deemed invalid), instead choosing to settle in West Virginia and later Missouri.
“Go west, young man!”
Horace Greeley (1850s)
Apparently, it takes just a simple phrase to motivate thousands of Americans to drop everything and
head West in search of an awaiting fortune. It all started in 1848, when gold was discovered in the hills of
northern California. This began one of the most massive migrations in human history. People from the east
coast of the United States immediately began to pack up what little they had and take off across the country.
The West was still largely unsettled, and it seemed like the land of opportunity. Horace Greeley thought so.
Greeley was an American journalist who, in 1841, founded the New York Tribune. His Tribune was one of the
first affordable daily newspapers in the area.
In the paper, Greeley famously remarked, “Go west, young man!” Originally, an Indiana newspaper
editor named John Soule had used the phrase, but it wasn’t until Greeley said it that it caught on. The public
responded to the new catchphrase by gathering in large and small groups to head West. In 1859, with the
help of new railroads, Greeley’s newspaper continued to stir up interest by reporting on life in California.
Greeley also used his newspaper for other reasons as well. In 1860, he played a significant role in
getting Abraham Lincoln nominated for the presidency. Later, he tried earning the office of president for
himself, but was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant.
Page 24
&
In the early 1800s, the people of the United States felt like they were just getting settled. It had been a
while since Americans first declared independence from Britain (1776), found themselves on the winning side
of the Revolutionary War (1783), and even created a Constitution of their own (1787). With much of the
political turmoil out of the way, the United States could look inward and grow domestically. Expansion
quickly spread into the lower South, where farming (especially cotton farming) was showing great potential.
While the United States had been successful in proving to Britain that it was the rightful owner of the
American continent, not everyone agreed. Thousands of Native Americans had been living in the South long
before the first European settlers arrived, and they weren’t eager to give up their land.
In the early years of the nation, there were continuous skirmishes between the settlers and the Indians.
Feeling like they had few options, many of the tribes took up farming, schooled themselves with Western
education, and traded with the settlers. These tribes—the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw, and
Seminole Indians—earned the title as the “Five Civilized Tribes.”
While the Native Americans were willing to live side by side with the white man, they had no
intention of assimilating into the white man’s world. They wanted to maintain a separate government and
culture. As a result, the tribes were constantly in the courts defending their land titles and governing
jurisdiction.
Unfortunately, the settlers weren’t concerned about the court decisions. They only saw that the
Native American tribes were living on great farm land and not taking advantage of it. The answer? Get the
Natives to move somewhere else. A variety of treaties and laws were passed to encourage the Indians to
move to the western areas of the United States.
The Indian tribes did not want to move—the southern part of the nation had been home to their
people for centuries. In 1830, newly elected President Andrew Jackson knew that this was his main issue. He
argued with Congress for months about what should, and legally could, be done to solve the problem.
Then a bold move was taken. On May 26, 1830, the United States Congress passed the Indian
Removal Act. This forced the Five Civilized Tribes to move to areas west of the Mississippi.
Andrew Jackson and Congress felt that they were doing the Native Americans a favor. By forcing
them to move, they were protecting them from overanxious settlers. They also promised each tribe a portion
of land in Oklahoma that was to be theirs forever. At the time, no settler was interested in moving to
Oklahoma, and most were certain that there was nothing of use there anyway (as it turned out, years later the
settlers did decide to move westward, and the Indians had to leave areas in Oklahoma that they had been given).
President Jackson may have felt that he was doing the Indians a favor, but they certainly didn’t see it
that way. The Seminole Tribe fought hard for seven years, and the local Creek Tribes became violent to the
settlers. Eventually, both were forced to move westward.
The Cherokee Tribe also refused to go peacefully. Finally, 7,000 troops were brought in and forced
them to move at gunpoint. The trip from the southern states to Oklahoma was brutal. With few supplies and
a number of women and children, the Indians walked in agony. The journey earned the infamous title, “The
Trail of Tears.” By 1840, over 70,000 Indians had been forced to move west.
Page 25
“The Indians are Coming.” The Arkansas Gazette 30 Nov. 1831: p. 3.
By the mid-1830s, the majority of citizens in the United
States were aware of the Indian Removal. Most were even
aware of the hardships that it created for Native Americans.
Most people, however, didn’t give it much thought. Due to
failed treaties and a history of attacks on settlers, it was the
general belief that it was impossible for the Indians—or
“Savages”—to live peacefully with the whites.
In 1830, all land that remained of the Choctaw
Indians was signed over to the Federal Government.
Most Choctaws were forced to move to Oklahoma via
a march. The average American citizen didn’t
follow the progress of these marches. However, when
the Indians had to pass through a particular city or
town, it was always the news of the day. This can be
seen by the notice to the right.
The passage is referring to a group of Choctaws under the leader-
ship of David Folsom. Folsom was a Choctaw who had respect from both
the white and Native American populations. He helped establish one of
the first Choctaw settlements in Oklahoma.
THE INDIANS ARE COMING!!! We stop the press to announce the arrival last evening of Capt.
CLARK and Leut. RYAN, of the U.S. Army, from Mouth of White river. They bring us interesting
news, that upwards of 360 of Folsom’s party of the Emigrating Choctaws arrived at the Post of
Arkansas on Saturday last, on board the steamboat Reindeer, and they presume there are, by this
time, over 3000 Choctaws in that place. They may be looked for here in a few days.
Page 26
maxenci soenisc
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
riodafl ruceshap
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
geonor tyater
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
loasaniiu ceupasrh
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1. Unscramble the terms in the first row of boxes.
2. Draw lines connecting the terms to the matching descriptions.
3. Draw lines from the descriptions to the matching areas on the map.
Land including New
Orleans
offered by France
Land bought
from Spain
Land won in war,
including Arizona
and California
Land gained
by deal with
Britain
1
2
3
4
Page 27
4
2
1
3
Feel free to make copies of the puzzles to distribute to your students for review
E
n
jo
y
!
maxenci soenisc
MEXICAN
CESSION
riodafl ruceshap
FLORIDA
PURCHASE
geonor tyater
OREGON
TREATY
loasaniiu ceupasrh
LOUISIANA
PURCHASE
Land including
New Orleans
offered by France
Land bought
from Spain
Land won in war,
including Arizona
and California
Land gained
by deal with
Britain
Page 28
Motivations to Migrate
1. Unscramble the tiles to reveal a phrase. Some have been given to you.
2. Write the matching term from the Migration Groups list under the phrase.
Migration Groups
Farmers
Mormons
Trappers
Across
2. An economic reason to move west
5. Miners sought this resource in the West
6. Territory located in the northwest
7. Concept of the God-given right to expand
and cultivate new territory
8. A farmer’s reason to move west
9. Person who established 1st U.S.
settlement west of the Appalachian
Mountains
Down
1. Territory located in central United
States, previously owned by the French
3. What is now called the Great Plains was
once called the “Great
________________.”
(2 words)
4. The pair that explored & documented
land, plants, and animals
(3 words)
7. Religious group that migrated west
2.
3.
1.
Group:
Group:
Group:
T S
R E L
Page 29
Feel free to make copies of the puzzles to distribute to your students for review.
Across
2. An economic reason to move west
5. Miners sought this resource in the West
6. Territory located in the northwest
7. Concept of the God-given right to expand
and cultivate new territory
8. A farmer’s reason to move west
9. Person who established 1st U.S.
settlement west of the Appalachian
Mountains
Down
1. Territory located in central United
States, previously owned by the French
3. What is now called the Great Plains was
once called the “Great
________________.”
(2 words)
4. The pair that explored & documented
land, plants, and animals
(3 words)
7. Religious group that migrated west
Motivations to Migrate
Migration Groups
Farmers
Mormons
Trappers
2.
3.
1.
Group:
Group:
Group:
Mormons
Trappers
Farmers
R E L I G I O U S F R E E D O M
F U R T R A D E P R O F I T S
F R E E L A N D T O F A R M
Page 30
Westward Expansion
This template is a great way to compare the “Expectations” with the “Experiences” of those
who migrated West during the 19th century. This same template can be used to make any
comparisons, such as measuring the “Pros” and “Cons” of moving West, or contrasting the “West”
and the “East” at the time. Once completed, the 3-D Template will make a great review sheet!
The template is provided on the next page.
Make copies to hand out to your students.
Why 3-D Templates?
Our 3-D Templates give students a hands-on way to interact with information.
This kinesthetic technique engages the learner while the information is being presented, and also
helps in the processing and cognitive organization of it. To put it another way:
Step 1: Students cut and fold the
template as labeled on the printout.
Step 2: Students unfold the template and use the
space to compare the “Expectations” and the
“Experiences” of those who travelled West during
the 19th century.
It would be a great
adventure
Lots of land and fortune
was waiting in the West
People were completely
free in the West
The West was free of all
of the frustrations of
the “Big City”
Walking the trails was
dangerous and hard, and
even boring
Competition was high for
land and fortune in the
West
People were free, but
there were also little law
& order in the West
The West had none of
the conveniences of the
“Big City”
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Ecosystems
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Body
Living Things
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Materials
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