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Lesson Plans
Out of Many: A History of the American People ©2000
by Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, and Armitage
Focus Lesson 11
Chapter 14: "Territorial Expansion, 1830s–1850s"
AP* Course Description
- Sectionalism
- Westward expansion
- Advance of agricultural frontier
- Significance of the frontier
- Life on the frontier; squatters
- Removal of American Indians
- Westward expansion
- Territorial Expansion and Sectional Crisis
- Manifest destiny and mission
- Texas annexation, the Oregon boundary, and California
- James K. Polk and the Mexican War; slavery and the Wilmot Proviso
- Later expansionist efforts
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 71–76
- Study Guide, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 118–125
- Documents Set, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 174–190
- Test Item File: pp. 122–131
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check PHSchool.com for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- manifest destiny
- election of 1844
- Mexican-American War
- Wilmot Proviso
- election of 1848
Suggested Pacing
Allow approximately one week to cover westward expansion and its effects. This converts to two-and-a-half classes on a block schedule of 90-minute sessions or five class periods on a traditional bell schedule of 45-minute class periods.
Test Strategy
The importance of westward expansion before and after the Civil War is a constant in United States history. The Advanced Placement* exam often contains questions—either multiple-choice or essay—on westward expansion. Students should be aware of the historian Frederick Jackson Turner and his thesis on the westward experience. It is mentioned on p. 392 of the chapter and will be referred to again after the study of the Civil War.
Key Concepts
- "Ideology of expansion"
It is essential that students connect the historical significance of westward expansion, from the colonial era of John Winthrop's "city on a hill" (Chapter 3) and the Louisiana Purchase (Chapter 9) to the 1830s—1850s and manifest destiny. Students can consider themes such as the influence of the environment on the development of the frontier and on the development of sectional rivalries. - Major western acquisitions and expansion
Sometimes the AP* U.S. history exam has a question that requires students to identify land acquisitions at various times in U.S. history. The maps at the end of the Study Guide can be very helpful. Make copies of Map #4 and have students trace the major exploration routes, p. 391; the Overland Trails, p. 394; the Republic of Texas, p. 401; and territory added after the Mexican War, p. 405. Students should then compare their maps to those found in Chapter 9 on pp. 251–252.
Summing Up Student Understanding
To provide students with practice in answering document-based questions, provide the following writing prompt and documents from pp. 174–190 in the Document Set, Vol. I.
Read the following documents and then write an essay evaluating the decision of the United States to fight the Mexican-American War. The documents are the declaration of Texas Independence, an excerpt from Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, the Bear Flag Insurrection, and a "View of Polk's War."
Use the following evaluative tool to help students identify their strengths and the areas that need improvement in their essay writing. Students might be required to grade their own essays or exchange them with a peer for review. You might consider having students build their skills incrementally by having them concentrate on just one aspect of essay writing for a couple of essays, adding another area every two or three essays until they have worked with developing all the elements of an essay.
ESSAY EVALUATION CHECKLIST
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 13
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. I, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 9