Lesson Plan #1
Westward Expansion
Introduction:
Opening Question: Who can tell me how many stars are on the U.S. Flag? Why do we have 50 stars on our flag? Can someone tell me how many stripes? Why do we have thirteen stripes?
Hook: So today during class, we will be learning about westward expansion. The United States decided they were destined to become a nation from coast to coast and believed in a term we know as manifest destiny. Manifest Destiny is the idea that we were always destined to expand all the way from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.
Objectives:
Content/Knowledge (Head):
Process/Skills (Hands):
Values/Dispositions (Heart):
Standards:
State – Illinois Social Science Learning Standards (2016)
1.SS.CV.4.6-8.MdC
2.SS.G.3.6-8.LC:
State – Common Core State Standards: Grades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies
National – Align with National Standards Germane to Lesson Plan Content Focus
Central Focus:
Academic & Conceptual Foundation:
Facts and Concepts
Inquiry, Interpretations, or Analyses
Arguments or Conclusions
Assessment:
Provide opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to do the following: understand/use facts and concepts; use inquiry, interpretation, or analysis skills to build and support arguments or conclusions.
Informal
Formal
Syntax – Procedures
Resources (Source Citations & Bookmarks)
1-1
PowerPoint
Document 2-1: Louisiana Purchase
Found at: https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage
Document 2-2: Annexation of Texas
Source: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/rbpe.0560280a
Document 2-3: Oregon Treaty
Found at: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/us-treaties/bevans/b-gb-ust000012-0095.pdf
Document 2-4: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The war had begun almost two years earlier, in May 1846, over a territorial dispute involving Texas. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary.
Mexican-American War: 1946-48 On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of President James Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico ina dispute over Texas. Under the threat of war, theUnited Stateshad refrained from annexing Texas afterthe latterwon independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844, President John Tyler (1790-1862) restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas, culminating with a treaty of annexation.
The treaty was defeated by a wide margin in the U.S. Senate because it would upset the slave state-free state balance between North and South and risked war with Mexico, which had broken off relations with the United States. But shortly before leaving office and with the support of President-elect Polk (1795-1849), Tyler managed to get a congressional resolution passed and then, on March 1, 1845, signed into law. Texas was admitted to the union on December 29 of that year.
While Mexico didn’t follow through with its threat to declare war, relations between the two nations remained tense over border disputes, and in July 1845, President Polk ordered troops into disputed lands that lay between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers. In November, Polk sent the diplomat John Slidell (1793-1871) to Mexico to seek boundary adjustments in return for the U.S. government’s settlement of the claims of American citizens against Mexico and also to make an offer to purchase California and New Mexico. After the mission failed, the U.S. Army under General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) advanced to the mouth of the Rio Grande, the river that the state of Texas claimed as its southern boundary.
Mexico, claiming that the boundary was the Nueces Riverto the northeast of the Rio Grande, considered the advance of Taylor’s army an act of aggression and in April 1846 sent troops across the Rio Grande. Polk, in turn, declared the Mexican advance to be an invasion of U.S. soil, and on May 11, 1846, asked Congress to declare war on Mexico, which it did two days later.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: February 2, 1848 Following the defeat of the Mexican army and the fall of Mexico City, in September 1847, the Mexican government surrendered and peace negotiations began. The war officially ended with the February 2, 1848, signing in Mexico of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary. In return, the United States paid Mexico $15 million and agreed to settle all claims of U.S. citizens against Mexico.
Mexican-American War: Aftermath Although Polk’s war was successful, he lost public support after nearly two bloody and costly years of fighting. Additionally, the controversial war reignited the slavery extension debate that would ultimately result in the American Civil War in the 1860s.
Polk did not seek re-election after his first term, and died at age 53 in June 1849, three months after leaving office. Zachary Taylor, who became a national hero during the Mexican-American War, ran for president in the 1848 election and won. However, 16 months after his inauguration, Taylor became ill and died.
Document 3-1: Guided Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions as you learn about each of the primary treaty documents.
1.What is the Title of this Treaty Document?
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.When was this Treaty signed?
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.What countries are involved in this treaty?
__________________________________________________________________________________
4.What states are included in this document?
__________________________________________________________________________________
5.Do you think the United States make a fair deal in this treaty? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6.How do you think this treaty has changed the landscape of the United States?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7.How much did the United States end up paying for this land? Was it worth it? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Westward Expansion
Introduction:
Opening Question: Who can tell me how many stars are on the U.S. Flag? Why do we have 50 stars on our flag? Can someone tell me how many stripes? Why do we have thirteen stripes?
Hook: So today during class, we will be learning about westward expansion. The United States decided they were destined to become a nation from coast to coast and believed in a term we know as manifest destiny. Manifest Destiny is the idea that we were always destined to expand all the way from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast.
Objectives:
Content/Knowledge (Head):
- Students will be able to define different treaties during westward expansion.
Process/Skills (Hands):
- Students will be able to use primary treaty documents to discover how America expanded west.
Values/Dispositions (Heart):
- Students will be able to share highs and lows of the United States actions during westward expansion.
Standards:
State – Illinois Social Science Learning Standards (2016)
1.SS.CV.4.6-8.MdC
2.SS.G.3.6-8.LC:
- SS.H.2.6-8.MdC: Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
State – Common Core State Standards: Grades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
National – Align with National Standards Germane to Lesson Plan Content Focus
- Standard #2 Time, Continuity, and Change
- Standard #6 Power, Authority, AND Governance
Central Focus:
- The central focus of this lesson is for students to find answers to questions they may have interest in. Many students know their families immigrated to the United States at some point, and after this unit, students will understand where they are from and why their family moved here. Additionally, students will have a better understanding of how the landscape of this country has changed since the declaration of independence was signed
Academic & Conceptual Foundation:
Facts and Concepts
- United States has expanded to 50 states
- Immigration has always been up for debate
- Immigrants are not always welcomed warmly today
- People come to America for different reasons
- Manifest Destiny
Inquiry, Interpretations, or Analyses
- Oregon Trail
- Gold Rush
- Old versus New immigration
Arguments or Conclusions
- Did America do anything wrong during their time of expansion?
- What should the United States have done differently?
- If the United States wanted more land, what could they do to go about accomplishing this goal?
Assessment:
Provide opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to do the following: understand/use facts and concepts; use inquiry, interpretation, or analysis skills to build and support arguments or conclusions.
Informal
- Students will be placed in four groups to read articles about different expansion eras of America.
- Students will share their findings with the other groups. (going over the answers to the questions)
Formal
- Students will be answering questions based on the four articles we discussed during class.
- Elaborate on why the United States chose to expand, and how it has affected other people.
Syntax – Procedures
- Whole-Class Instruction:
- Teacher Instructions
- Give PowerPoint Lecture on the four major time periods of Westward Expansion.
- Resource
- Student Activity
- Students will take notes on the PowerPoint lecture to give them a deeper understanding of the history of the United States and expansion.
- Small-Group/Cooperative Learning Instruction:
- Teacher Instructions
- Divide the class into four groups. (they should already be in four tables).
- Provide each group with one of the documents pertaining to expansion. Group 1 will read document 2-1. Group 2 will read document 2-2. Group 3 will read document 2-3. Group 4 will read document 2-4.
- Resource
- Document 2-1
- Document 2-2
- Document 2-3
- Document 2-4
- Student Activity
- Students will spend the next 15 minutes in their groups reading through the document assigned.
- Students will prepare for class discussion by following the guided questions on the SmartBoard. See document 1-1 (final slide)
- Students will come together as a class and share some interesting facts they learned to the rest of the class.
- Individualized Instruction:
- Teacher Instructions
- Handout document 3-1 (3 identical pages)
- Have each group come up and present their findings from the articles assigned.
- Resource
- Document 3-1
- Student Activity
- Students will fill out document 3-1 for each group while they listen to their classmates presentations.
Resources (Source Citations & Bookmarks)
1-1
PowerPoint
Document 2-1: Louisiana Purchase
Found at: https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage
Document 2-2: Annexation of Texas
Source: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/rbpe.0560280a
Document 2-3: Oregon Treaty
Found at: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/us-treaties/bevans/b-gb-ust000012-0095.pdf
Document 2-4: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The war had begun almost two years earlier, in May 1846, over a territorial dispute involving Texas. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary.
Mexican-American War: 1946-48 On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of President James Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico ina dispute over Texas. Under the threat of war, theUnited Stateshad refrained from annexing Texas afterthe latterwon independence from Mexico in 1836. But in 1844, President John Tyler (1790-1862) restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas, culminating with a treaty of annexation.
The treaty was defeated by a wide margin in the U.S. Senate because it would upset the slave state-free state balance between North and South and risked war with Mexico, which had broken off relations with the United States. But shortly before leaving office and with the support of President-elect Polk (1795-1849), Tyler managed to get a congressional resolution passed and then, on March 1, 1845, signed into law. Texas was admitted to the union on December 29 of that year.
While Mexico didn’t follow through with its threat to declare war, relations between the two nations remained tense over border disputes, and in July 1845, President Polk ordered troops into disputed lands that lay between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers. In November, Polk sent the diplomat John Slidell (1793-1871) to Mexico to seek boundary adjustments in return for the U.S. government’s settlement of the claims of American citizens against Mexico and also to make an offer to purchase California and New Mexico. After the mission failed, the U.S. Army under General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) advanced to the mouth of the Rio Grande, the river that the state of Texas claimed as its southern boundary.
Mexico, claiming that the boundary was the Nueces Riverto the northeast of the Rio Grande, considered the advance of Taylor’s army an act of aggression and in April 1846 sent troops across the Rio Grande. Polk, in turn, declared the Mexican advance to be an invasion of U.S. soil, and on May 11, 1846, asked Congress to declare war on Mexico, which it did two days later.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: February 2, 1848 Following the defeat of the Mexican army and the fall of Mexico City, in September 1847, the Mexican government surrendered and peace negotiations began. The war officially ended with the February 2, 1848, signing in Mexico of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary. In return, the United States paid Mexico $15 million and agreed to settle all claims of U.S. citizens against Mexico.
Mexican-American War: Aftermath Although Polk’s war was successful, he lost public support after nearly two bloody and costly years of fighting. Additionally, the controversial war reignited the slavery extension debate that would ultimately result in the American Civil War in the 1860s.
Polk did not seek re-election after his first term, and died at age 53 in June 1849, three months after leaving office. Zachary Taylor, who became a national hero during the Mexican-American War, ran for president in the 1848 election and won. However, 16 months after his inauguration, Taylor became ill and died.
Document 3-1: Guided Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions as you learn about each of the primary treaty documents.
1.What is the Title of this Treaty Document?
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.When was this Treaty signed?
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.What countries are involved in this treaty?
__________________________________________________________________________________
4.What states are included in this document?
__________________________________________________________________________________
5.Do you think the United States make a fair deal in this treaty? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6.How do you think this treaty has changed the landscape of the United States?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7.How much did the United States end up paying for this land? Was it worth it? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________