Public learning track
Westward Expansion and Territorial Growth of the United States
10 lessons
Goal
Explain how transportation innovations, territorial acquisitions, and pioneer migrations expanded the United States from 1791 to 1898.
Featured Diagrams
Canals, Turnpikes, and the Transportation Revolution
10 lessons
0 of 10 done
- Canals, Turnpikes, and the Transportation RevolutionUp next
- Iron Horses: How Railroads Transformed ExpansionNot started yet
- The Louisiana Purchase: Doubling the Nation's SizeNot started yet
- The Oregon Treaty and Boundary With BritainNot started yet
- The Mexican-American War and Southwestern CessionNot started yet
- Alaska Purchase and the Annexation of HawaiiNot started yet
- Territories From the Spanish-American War: Puerto Rico and BeyondNot started yet
- Why Families Moved West: Land, Gold, and New BeginningsNot started yet
- Life on the Trail: Wagon Trains on the Oregon and Santa Fe RoutesNot started yet
- Homesteading and Building Frontier CommunitiesNot started yet
Standards Covered
- 4.T4.1Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5Describe how the construction of canals, roads, and railways in the 19th century helped the United States to expand westward.
- 4.T4.2Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5Give examples of some of the ways the United States acquired new states (beyond the 13 original states) and additional territories between 1791 and 1898, including purchasing land called the Louisiana Territory from France, adding territory in the Southwest as a result of war with Mexico, settling a treaty with Britain to gain land called the Oregon Territory in the Northwest, purchasing Alaska from Russia, annexing Hawaii, and adding territories such as Puerto Rico as a result of a war with Spain.
- 4.T4.3Massachusetts Social Studies Standards · Social Studies · Grade 5 (target) · Grade 5Compare different reasons why men and women who lived in the Eastern part of the United States wanted to move West in the 19th century, and describe aspects of pioneer life on the frontier (e.g., wagon train journeys on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, and settlements in the western territories).
Curriculum Framework
3rd Grade · Social Studies · US-MA-SS
1
8 lessons
Geography and Physical Landforms of North America
Identify and locate the major landforms, bodies of water, and physical regions of North America using map skills and geographic tools.
2
9 lessons
Political Geography and Neighbors of North America
Distinguish between continents, countries, states, provinces, and cities while investigating Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean nations.
3
9 lessons
Ancient Civilizations and Archaeology in North America
Evaluate theories of human migration to the Americas, examine archaeological methods, and analyze ancient indigenous civilizations and heritage sites.
4
10 lessons
Early European Exploration and Atlantic Encounters
Analyze primary sources to trace 15th- and 16th-century European voyages, conquests, motives, and early interactions with Indigenous nations.
5
10 lessons
Westward Expansion and Territorial Growth of the United States
Explain how transportation innovations, territorial acquisitions, and pioneer migrations expanded the United States from 1791 to 1898.
6
7 lessons
Migration, Labor, and the Division Over Slavery
Examine voluntary and forced migrations to the United States and analyze how conflicts over slavery's western expansion led to the Civil War.
7
10 lessons
The Northeast Region: Geography, Statehood, and Society
Locate Northeastern states and capitals, construct regional maps, trace statehood timelines, and examine human-environment adaptation and cultural diversity.
8
10 lessons
The Southeast Region: Geography, People, and Environment
Locate Southeastern states and Caribbean territories, analyze cultural diversity, examine natural disasters, and map state features.
9
7 lessons
Washington, D.C.: The Nation's Capital and Civic Life
Describe the role of Washington, D.C. as the national capital and explore its landmark institutions, monuments, and civic significance.
10
11 lessons
The Midwest: Geography, History, and Culture
Locate the twelve Midwestern states, explain their statehood timeline, analyze regional cultural diversity, understand responses to natural disasters, and construct a detailed thematic state map.
11
11 lessons
The Southwest: Borderlands, History, and Geography
Locate the Southwestern states, analyze their transition from Mexican territory to U.S. statehood, celebrate diverse cultural heritages, examine environmental challenges, and construct a regional map.
12
9 lessons
The American West and Pacific: History, Statehood, and Diverse Cultures
Locate Western states and Pacific territories, trace their paths to statehood and territorial acquisition, and examine the diverse cultural communities that shaped the region.
13
4 lessons
The American West: Environment, Hazards, and Landmarks
Examine the environmental hazards of the West, community disaster response, iconic national parks, and physical mapping skills.