Unit
Unit 7: American Expansion (1830-1860)
Guiding question
How did the drive for territorial expansion shape the nation’s identity and create new challenges for the United States?
This unit invites students to analyze the challenges of westward expansion, like land acquisition, Native American relations, and slavery, and how it led to sectional divisions. It emphasizes how the drive for territorial expansion shaped the nation’s identity and created new challenges for the United States.
Lessons
How has geography influenced economic development, population trends, and historical events in the U.S.?
How did economic factors drive westward expansion and create new opportunities and challenges?
How did the acquisition of new territories impact the nation's growth and development?
What can we learn from the stories of individuals traveling westward to find new opportunities?
What drove immigration westward and what challenges and opportunities did those who undertake it experience?
How did U.S. expansion affect Native American communities?
How can primary source documents help us understand the perspective on slavery of the author's of the U.S. Constitution?
How did the expansion of slavery into new territories intensify sectional tensions?
What did Americans think about slavery in the nineteenth century?
How did enslaved people resist slavery in their daily lives?
How did the drive for territorial expansion shape the nation’s identity and create new challenges for the United States?
Unit resources
A map of trails used by settlers headed west and Native Americans on the Trail of Tears.
Interpret and synthesize information from historical maps.
Investigate a timeline to identify important information and make connections.
Four primary sources that share the stories of those who traveled Westward during the mid-1800's.
A student handout that pairs with the four accounts from the Voices of the Westward Expansion lesson.
Guided questions to help students explore the primary sources associated with this lesson.
Four primary source documents from the mid-1800's that explore the topic of slavery and the U.S. Constitution.
Five primary sources that identify different perspectives on slavery in the nineteenth century.
Five primary sources that show how enslaved people resisted slavery in their daily lives.
A student handout to accompany the primary sources in this lesson.
An essay to help students explore the challenges and opportunities experienced by those who moved west during the mid-1800's.
A pre-built assessment for the Unit 7 DBQ.
Standards
Related content
Guiding Question: How did the drive for territorial expansion shape the nation’s identity and create new challenges for the United States? About the Video Series: Our video resources in the Building a Self-Governing People middle school curriculum integrate primary source analysis with Document-Based Question (DBQ) skills to deepen student learning. Use them to launch your assessment lesson or to support students who need a refresher on DBQ strategies. Each video features two young professionals: a museum curator leading a gallery tour and an educator accompanying students on a field trip. The curator models how to analyze primary sources such as historical documents and artwork. Then, the educator demonstrates how to use that analysis to answer a compelling historical question. For guidance on how to use the videos within your lessons, refer to the unit’s Deconstructed DBQ Lesson Plan.